I’ve chosen to publish Modern Prometheus on OpenFilm. Please, enjoy the film and, perhaps, when you’re done suggest it for distribution on Boxee, TiVo, HCC TV, and/or Miniweb. It’s easy, just follow those links, click the “Suggest a film” button and enter: http://www.openfilm.com/videos/modern-prometheus into the URL.
Modern Prometheus Finished
One year ago tomorrow, December 17th, we began shooting Modern Prometheus in the Brooklyn apartment being rented by Joao Lameira and Mafalda Melo. Today, the final cut of the film was released to cast, crew, & those who donated both money and time to help get the film made.
The final product clocks in just under 33 minutes. Soon, it will be made available to anyone who wants to see it but for the time being it’s just available to a select few. It will be more widely available in 2011.
Keep an eye on this site for further news about the movie. Also, please join the Facebook Page, subscribe to the YouTube Channel, follow on Twitter, Vimeo, MySpace, Blip.tv, or Tumblr. Whichever is your preference, you’ll get status updates on most of those networks (YouTube, Vimeo, and Blip.tv will just include new videos if/when they are available).
The Films That Inspired Modern Prometheus Part Two: Kairo (Pulse) (2001)
Kairo (2001)
Written and Directed by: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Starring: Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Asô, and Koyuki
I am not well versed in Japanese culture, Japanese cinema, or even Japanese horror cinema but I have a passing interest in it and appreciate some of the aesthetics of what I’ve been fortunate enough to see. I remember seeing the advertisements for the 2006 remake, Pulse, and thinking to myself that the movie looked like it had a cool idea that they were going to execute poorly.
In 2009, I came across the Japanese original while looking through what was available on Netflix Instant Watch in the Japanese Horror category. It made sense to me that Pulse had been a remake of a Japanese horror film as it had looked a lot like The Ring, which was a remake of a Japanese horror film. I added Kairo to my Instant Watch queue with plans to watch it eventually.
While working on the early drafts of Modern Prometheus I wanted to expose myself to a slightly different horror aesthetic than I had been and I wanted to expose myself to a ghost story, because there are elements of a ghost story in Modern Prometheus. I remember Kairo was in my queue and thought I’d give it a shot.
I was quite impressed with it. I’m not sure I entirely followed the plot but I was definitely very creeped out by it and its shadow lurking ghosts. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It gave me ideas that were integrated into the script and my approach for some of the more supernatural aspects of Modern Prometheus.
The Films That Inspired Modern Prometheus Part One: Frankenstein (1931)
Frankenstein (1931)
Directed by: James Whale
Written by: Garrett Fort and Francis Edward Faragoh (based on Mary Shelley’s novel)
Starring: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, and Dwight Frye
Frankenstein was the most direct inspiration for Modern Prometheus. I got the idea for Modern Prometheus while re-watching the film in early October. I wrote the first draft of the short (about 8 pages at the time) soon after watching the movie.
Frankenstein was among my favorite movies when I was little. Probably around the time I was 10. I remember loving the movie and watching it pretty much every time they showed it on the Sci-Fi Channel. I dressed up as Frankenstein for Halloween in a smelly latex head piece with these fake neck bolts that kind of suctioned onto your neck and left little round hickeys. I painted my face green. I made the groany sounds and walked stiff. I loved Frankenstein.
Though I watched the film many times since then, I hadn’t really gotten around to seeing it in several years. So, with it being October, and me in the mood for some horror I decided to watch it again via Netflix Instant Watch. I was charmed by the movie all over again. Watching it post Film School I appreciated it for being a different sort of filmmaking than what is seen today. Less close ups, little camera movement, and everything clearly done on stages. Still a visually striking movie.
About halfway into the film the action shifts from Dr. Henry Frankenstein’s dank castle laboratory to the sort of romanticized Frankenstein estate where Henry and his fiance Elizabeth plan to wed. Henry has spent most of the film being obsessive about his work worrying his poor Elizabeth. Now, they’re together again and ready to move forward into wedded bliss. I started thinking about the effect of Henry’s obsession on Elizabeth and their relationship. Then, I started thinking about the theme of creation and how that fit with writing. The beginnings of Modern Prometheus formed in my head.
I started writing the first draft of what became Modern Prometheus while watching the end of Frankenstein. The action, focus, and length changed a lot from that first draft but the themes and inspiration remained the same.
Writing figures heavily into the plot of Modern Prometheus and so do books, used by character Henry as part of his research process for his writing. This is a brief, humorous exploration of books in Modern Prometheus and how they were used.
Warning: If you really really love books, some parts of this may be very hard to watch.
This is from the blip.tv show, the video is also available on vimeo, youtube, and soon facebook and myspace. Please, if you like it, indicate as much on said websites. If you don’t like it, vote for it and rate it well on those sites and then email me to express your dislike of it and why and make me cry.
