I don’t know if you noticed…
But Prescribed Films was filming yesterday! It’s for a little thing that we’ll be posting about later but we just wanted to put up this little teaser and say how good it felt to be in front of/behind/beside the camera again. Big stuff ahead, stay tuned!
"Insane Mike" and Turnip!
This s%&t is about to get real!
Did you have a good holiday and get everything you wanted for your particular gift giving holiday? If not then Prescribed Films is here to fill in where the jolly fat man fell flat and show our sack to you…wait…
First on the list (in the sack) is the brand spanking new Prescribed Films mailing list! Unfortunately the old mailing list is getting up in years (it’s really having problems jumping up on the couch) and pretty soon Jason is going to have to put it down. I would do it but…well…I just can’t look it in the eye. *sniff* But ole’ Maily’s loss (off life) is your gain! For the great price of FREE you can keep up to date on all of the latest and greatest in PF news and information; and trust me, you’re going to need it this year. So head on over to the PF Facebook page and click the “Join Our Mailing list” link on the side of the page to join up. Just try not to think about ole’ Maily when you do it. He’s in a better place now.
The train keeps on rolling (when did I start in to train metaphors?) with the upcoming DVD release of, “Movie Reviews from the Asylum”, the awesome YouTube series hosted by “Insane Mike” and Jason. In the series they review great, and not so great, movies from Insane’s Asylum at 116 N. Green St. here in Ottumwa Iowa. Sure, the series is on youtube but the DVD, not only, gets you higher video quality but you also get really cool special features to go with it.
Now, “Movie Reviews from the Asylum,” is already available here but if you want to save a couple of bucks and come party with PF AT THE SAME TIME then you need to make sure your butt is at Insane’s Asylum (116 N. Green St. Ottumwa, Iowa 52501) on Saturday February 25th at 7:00 pm for the DVD release party. We’ll be having fun and selling the DVD at a special release party price. Not only that but we’ll be premiering our short films, “The Misadventures of a Satanic Cult: Parts 2 & 3.”
Well that is all for now but that is no where near all that is going on. Stay tuned for more news updates coming soon!
The Future is Now! “Lights, Camera…Kill!” Is now Online!
Let’s step back in the way-back machine for a moment and head back to the bygone era of 2003-2004 where cellphones just made phone calls, (and maybe played that snake chasing game,) we still connected to the internet through dial-up, George Lucas still had one more steaming pile of disappointment to drop upon us, and Prescribed Films had just finished up a little film called, “Lights, Camera…Kill!” Back when we made this movie the world had just begun the great switch to digital video and editing and PF decided to take these new tools and make our most ambitious feature to date. Whenever we here at PFHQ take a look at this film it makes us think, not only, how much younger we were, but how far PF has come in the years since. This was our first film to be released on DVD and we felt like we were at the forefront of independent technology.
Which brings me to today where Prescribed Films has placed this time capsule of a movie ONLINE! For the first time we have, “Lights, Camera…Kill!” viewable online, for free, for your viewing pleasure. The mind of the me from 7 years would be blown at this prospect. So please check it out and, if you really like it, pick up a copy from our store to view all the special features on the two disc set. We’ve reached the future, and it is good….now where is my hover board?
We here at PFHQ, (Pronounced puh-fuuh-que,) have gotten a lot of questions from John Q. Public about what we’ve been up to. They ask, “Hey, what’s the big idea,” or, “Why haven’t you been posting,” and, “Is “Insane Mike” really a gila monster bent on world destruction?” The answer to these questions in no particular order is, “Busy,” and, “lots,” and finally, “Yes, but don’t tell him I told you.” I’ll leave it up to all of you to decide what answer goes to which question. However, those answers really don’t get down to the heart of the matter. That is, “What has Prescribed Films been up to?” The simplest, (non bs) answer I can give is that we’re still in pre-production for Demonica. Now I don’t need to tell you that, once completed, this film will be top quality Awesome-Sauce!
Now, If all of you are connoisseurs, (pronounced Bill,) of all things Awesome-Sauce, and if you’re reading this post I know you are, then you understand such a succulent sauce isn’t just thrown together overnight. Awesome-Sauce must be slow roasted, pan fried, mahogany aged, and chilled to perfection. To fail to do any one of these steps to the utmost level of quality would be to provide you a movie that would be only Weak-Sauce, at best, and all of you deserve better. Demonica will be overflowing with Awesome-Sauce but it takes time. So next time you wake up in a cold sweat in the dead of night because you have to know when your next PF fix will be, content yourself in the knowledge that it will be soon and that your world will be rocked by the power and sheer potency of Prescribed Films Awesome-sauce raining down upon you and invading your look-holes.
To close out, PF would like to wish each and every one of you a very merry holiday season regardless of religious / political / vertebrate status. May we also suggest that a selection from our fine store would make a wonderful gift. Now, I’m not saying that Prescribed Films merchandise is THE reason for the season, but I’m not saying it isn’t either!
What a month it was!
So now that October is well and truly over (okay so it’s been over for awhile now, get off my back.) it’s time to talk about what Prescribed Films has been up to.
Demonica continues is travels through pre-production. “Insane Mike” should have a 2nd draft of the script done soon so that we can really get into the nitty-gritty of getting the spectac-amazing-ular project going.
As mentioned on this post PF was invited back to PATV to do our annual, “Night of Horrors” and what a night of horrors it was. And the best part is that now all out you outside of Iowa City can see what we got up to.
Then, at the end of the month, we had our HALLOWEENAPALOOZA 2011 at the Green Street Hall Mall in Ottumwa. It was a day of fun and frivolity. There were movies, costumes, and to top it all off we had a zombie walk through downtown Ottumwa.
Courtesy of Steven "Flyboy" TracyCourtesy of Steven "Flyboy" Tracy
Suffice to say it was a great month for PF and there should be plenty more to come before those other holidays that aren’t Halloween.
If you’re not at Halloweenapalooza 2011 then you’re a bad person!
Well, maybe not a bad person but certainly one that I will scowl at before totally forgiving you. Seriously, unless a man in a white mask is hunting you today, you have no excuse to not be at Halloweenapalooza! Make sure to stop by and say hello to Detective Richard Crane and The Bagman himself, Chris “Turnip” Simmons who will be at the PF table selling movies and spreading the word of Prescribed Films! So make sure you’re at 116 N. Green Street in Ottumwa today and say hello.
Night of Horrors 2011 – Epilogue
PATV’s Night of Horrors 2011 has come and gone and what a spectacular night it was; but with Prescribed Films in attendance it couldn’t help but be anything but spectacular. If you were one of the lucky 60,000 households in the greater Iowa City metro area Prescribed Films treated you to a night of thrills and chills (Not those kind). In attendance for the awesome evening was “Insane Mike” Saunders, Jason Bolinger, Steven “Flyboy” Tracy, Justin Beahm, Carl Thordarson, and Chris “Turnip” Simmons.
The evening started off with a Halloween themed edition of the game show, “The Smartest Iowan.” It was a fierce competition between the competitors. Things were said, questions were asked, and answers were given but there could be only one (two). In the end our very own “Insane Mike” and Jason took the top prize for PF. What did they win? Well besides Flyboy’s enmity they get to, for at least a week, claim to be the smartest Iowan in everything horror. This was a taped show so it should air soon. Make sure to keep checking PATV for showtimes.
After that warm up we moved on to the main event, Prescribed Films annual (sort of) Night of Horrors! Two hours of pure PF goodness. We showed PF shorts like, “One Bullet,” and, “Date Rape,” as well as trailers for PF classics, “Through the Night,” and, “Legend Has It.” It wasn’t just us sitting around showing our back catalog. We kicked it live style with special guests and a live make up demo by “Insane Mike” were he applied burn make up to Carl. I think we can all agree that Carl was a trooper!
We also took some time for some important causes. Jason sat down and interviewed Justin Beahm about his work with Fangoria magazine but, more importantly, Justin told us about the sCare Foundation charity and all the great work they’re doing working with horror luminaries to help alleviate youth poverty in America. It’s is not often that the genre can be seen as doing something good in society so it makes the work Justin is doing with sCare Foundation all the more notable and all the more honorable.
After that the group came back together to close out the night in true PF fashion with a TRIVIA CONTEST! In the contest the PF crew had to name the movies that certain classic horror quotes came from. It can be argued back and forth who won that particular contest but I think we all know the answer to that one…the 60,000 strong PATV viewing audience at home. It was a great night and we can wait to see you again at the Night of Horrors 2012!
PATV Night of HORRORS 2011!
Watch Prescribed Films this Friday from 8 – 10 pm on Iowa City Public Access Television!
We miss you. You never call…
But you can make it up to us. Prescribed Films is going to be at Halloweenapalooza 2011 on October 29th at the Green Street Hall Mall in Ottumwa and you can come and see us since, you know, you never call anymore. We’ll have a table set up were you can come buy movies, say hello, and most importantly be a part of our next movie. I know that you’re asking, “Turnip, how can I be a part of PF history?” And I can’t tell you how glad I am that you asked. Unfortunately we’re not quite ready to reveal that just yet so you’re just going to have to stop by to find out; but I promise it will be totally worth it! Also, Jason is giving out free hugs. Just saying…
Where you should be!
A new script, a new year, same old Prescribed Films
Seven years. That’s 2,555 days, 61,320 hours, or 3,679,200 seconds. Any way you slice it it’s a big number and that has been how long it’s been since I’ve been able to make a movie with the ever wonderful Prescribed Films. Seven years may not feel like a lot in the long term but when you’re biggest dream is to be making movies with these crazy kids it can feel like forever. Luckily for me, forever has an end and this past August I got to move back to O’town and regain my status as an active member of the most powerful group this side of the Justice League. Now that I think about it, “Insane Mike’s” comedy chops are kind of the Aquaman of the group. He’s there, but wouldn’t you really rather have Superman? All that aside no sooner did I get back than the fates did smile upon me for I was back just in time to help choose the next Prescribed Films movie AND they were taking script submissions. Be still my beating heart.
I thought that I might like to submit one of my scripts. I may have been gone but that doesn’t mean I had been idle. PF had made one of my scripts before (Through the Night – available in the store) but that felt different. I had been an active member when that script had been chosen. So I did what everyone should do when they are faced with an existential quandary. I talked to Jason. I told him that I didn’t want to step on any toes, that I knew that I had been gone a long time, and that I thought maybe I should wait this one out. He looked at me, and in hushed tones, told me, “Goonies never give up.” I didn’t know what he meant, but I decided to submit a script anyway.
Three intrepid PF’ers submited scripts. There was mine, titled “Bros. Before…”, there was “The Dead Script” (later changed to something I’m forgetting at the moment) by sexy beast Steven “Flyboy” Tracy, and last, “Demonica” by “Insane Mike” Saunders. All were good scripts in their own ways. All of them had a lot of passion behind them. All of them had lesbian scenes. Not an easy choice. In the end, only one could be the new movie and those honors went to the very excellent, “Demonica,” by “Insane Mike.” “Demonica,” is the terrifying tale of a damned necklace, young love, and roller derby set in the 1980′s. Needless to say that it is totally what you have come to expect from PF.
So what does all this mean for PF? Well to start with we are using this time of preproduction as a time of renewal for Prescribed Films. We have a lot of fun stuff on the way over the next few months that we’ll go into detail later on. We are looking at casting in the new year with an eye towards shooting early in the spring. Most of all, after everything else, we are looking to make great movies and share the love of making those movies with whoever wants to come along with us on the journey. So strap yourselves in, enjoy the new website, and get ready for many more of these production blogs as we get closer to filming. It’s going to be a wild ride, there is no place I’d rather be, and I would love it if you all came with us.
Chris “Turnip” Simmons
PF RULES!
