by albert on November 25, 2010
We locked a budget at $450,000 and schedule to shoot 11 days in Argentina in early May 2008. We wired funds down to Argentina and construction of sets, props and costumes began in earnest in late April.
Then we began to have issues crop up, one was their seem to be a lack of reasonably priced hotel rooms. We were told it was due to an incoming convention. So the budget began to balloon. I wanted to see pics of the make up effects progress, but these were difficult to get. So now I was getting nervous about the production and the budget continue to creep upward. I was frustrated that it was going to cost far more than the Left for Dead shoot just a year later which stunned me as the exchange rate was even more in our favor than when we shot LFD.
Finally, I lost a bit of confidence in shooting this in Argentina. I decided to pull the plug before we went any further. It was a tough decision because we had already sent funds to Argentina and Victoria Maurete was making good progress in her prep for the shoot. We had Christopher Lambert and Kevin Sorbo ready to travel. So it was a big deal to cancel the shoot in Argentina.
But it was really the best decision. I don’t regret it because you can’t shoot in a distant location with the issues I had. I know it was incredibly disappointing to the Argentine crew and cast, but there was really no alternative. In the end, my deepest regret was losing the opportunity to collaborate with Spanish Production Designer, Sergio Hernandez. He was designing a film with scope and artistry. SEE HIS PRODUCTION DESIGNS BELOW.
So we began a worldwide search for another shooting location and situation.
by albert on November 19, 2010
I outline for Cynthia the characters I envisioned and the broadstrokes of the story I wanted to tell. I had particular actors I wanted to work with in this so characters were shaped for Kevin Sorbo, Christopher Lambert, Yancy Butler, Leah Cairns and especially Victoria Maurette, my star from Left for Dead and Bulletface.
Cynthia begin writing in November 2007 and had a first draft by early January 2008. I sent that draft to Hernan in Argentina to see if we could still base the shoot there. He confirmed it was possible. I imagined a North African setting for the movie as I felt that lent itself to the imagery and feel of what I was seeing.
So I set about putting the stars and financing in place. I made my deal which was no monetary compensation in exchange for irrevocable final cut and total artistic control. All the movies I’ve done since 2004 have been this way. No longer about doing movies as a living but as creative statements. I found its too rough to receive pay and then see your work mangled.
We got enough raised to make offers to Kevin and Christopher and sent them the scripts. Both responded, to my joy, positively. At that point we began foreign sales to raise the bulk of the funds needed. It was tricky because we knew we could raise around $500,000 in pressales but the key was whether Argentina could fit within that number plus leave enough over for the star salaries. Victoria also reacted positively and she began training for the shoot. I can’t say enough positive things about Victoria. She is not only talented and beautiful but incredibly professional and as dedicated an artist as you’d ever find anywhere. A super high quality human.
I had hoped for 24 days of shooting but that quickly dropped to 20, then to 18, to 16 and finally 11 days. It was crushing to me. I wasn’t sure, at my age, whether I could get it all done in 11 days but that’s all we could afford even in Argentina. It was hugely ambitious.
About this time (February 2008) we began talking to distributors about coming aboard as a North American distributor and financier. I also spoke with Sony, Lions Gate and Magnolia Entertainment. All were interested. We got a firm prebuy offer from Starz/ Anchor Bay for North America. And we were championed at Starz by a very astute and wonderful Australian distributor named John Vale who ran Starz Australia. He had had success with my past films.
The package and script began going out. And everything seemed to be clicking. Funny how we can be fooled by our own optimism. This was just the only bright spot leading to 34 months of Hell.
Who could’ve seen it coming? Not me.
Albert
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