Modern Prometheus

I’ve chosen to publish Modern Prometheus on OpenFilm....

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:29:29 -0400

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.

(via Modern Prometheus Video - Films | Openfilm)

Modern Prometheus Finished

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:33:29 -0500

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)

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:48:20 -0400

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)

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:16:56 -0500

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...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:55:51 -0500

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.

Modern Prometheus Across the Internet

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:26:00 -0500

In order to allow as much access as possible to the project and updates I’ve spread Modern Prometheus across as many platforms as I could think of. Everyone has their favorite ways of consuming the internet. Some prefer to read everything in their own RSS reader, some prefer Facebook, some like podcasts, others are keen on MySpace, and some just want to occasionally check a central website. So, Modern Prometheus is represented across as many of these as I could manage.

Website: http://www.modernprometheusmovie.com/
Tumblr: http://www.modernprometheusmovie.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Modern-Prometheus/212347968408?ref=nf
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/modernprometheusmovie
Vimeo Channel: http://vimeo.com/channels/modernprometheus
YouTube Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=619D95F682100768
Blip.tv Show: http://modernprometheus.blip.tv/
Podcast iTunes URL: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/modern-prometheus/id354542739
Twitter: https://twitter.com/modprometheus

I would, of course, be interested in spreading it to even more corners of the internets that people prefer to use. What am I missing? Is there a space you use that Modern Prometheus doesn’t have a footprint on? I want to bring the movie to where people are at rather than try to funnel everyone to the movie.

More to come on all of these spaces soon.

A couple of photos from an important scene in the film.

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:23:49 -0500

Henry doing some late night research

Beth awakened by Henry's noisy reading.

You have work in the morning.

No I don't. I quit.

What do you mean you quit?

We have to talk about this!

A couple of photos from an important scene in the film.

Teaser Trailer for Modern Prometheus

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:32:15 -0500

Teaser Trailer for Modern Prometheus

Modern Prometheus Fan Page on Facebook

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:43:00 -0500

Modern Prometheus Fan Page on Facebook:

Join our fan page on Facebook. Then, invite all of your friends to join us on Facebook.

The Strange Apartment: Behind the Scenes of Modern Prometheus A...

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:38:00 -0500

The Strange Apartment: Behind the Scenes of Modern Prometheus

A little video about the odd apartment we shot the film in.

Alex is perking up. Take a look at our Facebook Page for more.

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:14:00 -0500

Alex is perking up. Take a look at our Facebook Page for more.