I
came to know of Kevin J. Lindenmuth in the months after the initial DVD
release of my first film, SLEEPLESS NIGHTS. Back then, Kevin was writing
for the Buried.com website, and he reached out to our producers, Howard
Nash & Frank Cilla, and offered to do a review of the film. The
resulting write-up was one of the best we received, so I was glad he had
discovered us and grateful for his generous evaluation of our work.
At the time I was surprised that, while so many other critics seemed to find it hard to look past the technical limitations of our ridiculously underbudgeted production and appreciate its (perhaps few) good points, Kevin seemed able to do this with ease. In researching him, I came to understand why: he was a filmmaker himself, and one of no small importance in the history of indie horror, having directed over a dozen digital video productions in the late 90s and early 2000s, the years when digital cameras and editing software were first becoming available to indie filmmakers.
For a while, it seemed there wasn't a Blockbuster store in North America that wasn't carrying at least one or two of Kevin's films, and while they were clearly micro-budgeted productions, the intelligence, enthusiasm and creativity on display favorably impressed many critics and genre fans. What particularly impressed me was that Kevin, while turning out so many films in such a relatively brief period, still found time to offer words of encouragement to his fellow filmmakers through his reviews, a demonstration of uncommon kindness and generosity for someone in what is usually considered a fairly cut-throat business.
When the DVD market began to decline and chains like Blockbuster started closing their stores, Kevin shifted to doing PBS documentaries and writing books focusing on independent filmmaking. For his latest book, HOW TO MAKE MOVIES: LOW-BUDGET/NO-BUDGET INDIE EXPERTS TELL ALL, from McFarland Press, Kevin interviewed twenty-four filmmakers, all specializing in the horror genre, and got them to recount their experiences, good and bad. For beginning filmmakers, some of these anecdotes may be inspirational and some cautionary, which is just as it should be. When even the likes of Spielberg and Lucas are expressing doubts about the future of the medium, it would be a mistake to paint too rosy a picture. But as grim as things may seem, there will always be plenty of budding filmmakers eager to give it a try, and they're the ones likely to benefit the most from Kevin's excellent book.
By some accident, I was one of
the group of twenty-four that Kevin interviewed for HOW TO MAKE MOVIES.
Having only two films to my credit, my resume is dwarfed by those of the
other filmmakers involved, so I was surprised but very honored to be
allowed to participate. My contribution includes stories about the
production of SLEEPLESS NIGHTS and DEMON RESURRECTION that my closest
friends have heard so many times over the years that they would run
screaming from me if I tried to tell them again. But perhaps in printed
form, under the expert editorial guidance provided by Mr. Lindenmuth,
and to an audience that isn't quite so familiar with my repertoire,
these tales will be of some small interest.
Fortunately most of the book is not about me, and the other filmmakers, some of whom have sufficient experience to warrant a separate volume about their body of work alone, offer many interesting and amusing answers to Kevin's questions. Perhaps the best compliment I can offer is that the book helped rekindle my sense of excitement about indie filmmaking, made me want to seek out the work of the interviewed filmmakers, and made me want to get to work on new films of my own.
I unreservedly recommend HOW TO MAKE MOVIES to all who are interested in low-budget films and the process of making them. My congratulations to Kevin and my best wishes for the success of the book.
You can buy HOW TO MAKE MOVIES: LOW-BUDGET/NO-BUDGET EXPERTS TELL ALL, in paperback and in its Kindle edition, on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0786471069
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Howtomakemovies
Or stream it on Amazon (Prime members watch for free): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZXWKBT
Also available on...
Vimeo-on-Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/102966
and on Pantaflix: https://www.pantaflix.com/en/movie/Demon-Resurrection-watch-online-pm741064
 |
| Author and filmmaker Kevin J. Lindenmuth |
At the time I was surprised that, while so many other critics seemed to find it hard to look past the technical limitations of our ridiculously underbudgeted production and appreciate its (perhaps few) good points, Kevin seemed able to do this with ease. In researching him, I came to understand why: he was a filmmaker himself, and one of no small importance in the history of indie horror, having directed over a dozen digital video productions in the late 90s and early 2000s, the years when digital cameras and editing software were first becoming available to indie filmmakers.
For a while, it seemed there wasn't a Blockbuster store in North America that wasn't carrying at least one or two of Kevin's films, and while they were clearly micro-budgeted productions, the intelligence, enthusiasm and creativity on display favorably impressed many critics and genre fans. What particularly impressed me was that Kevin, while turning out so many films in such a relatively brief period, still found time to offer words of encouragement to his fellow filmmakers through his reviews, a demonstration of uncommon kindness and generosity for someone in what is usually considered a fairly cut-throat business.
When the DVD market began to decline and chains like Blockbuster started closing their stores, Kevin shifted to doing PBS documentaries and writing books focusing on independent filmmaking. For his latest book, HOW TO MAKE MOVIES: LOW-BUDGET/NO-BUDGET INDIE EXPERTS TELL ALL, from McFarland Press, Kevin interviewed twenty-four filmmakers, all specializing in the horror genre, and got them to recount their experiences, good and bad. For beginning filmmakers, some of these anecdotes may be inspirational and some cautionary, which is just as it should be. When even the likes of Spielberg and Lucas are expressing doubts about the future of the medium, it would be a mistake to paint too rosy a picture. But as grim as things may seem, there will always be plenty of budding filmmakers eager to give it a try, and they're the ones likely to benefit the most from Kevin's excellent book.
 |
| My appearance in "How to Make Movies" |
Fortunately most of the book is not about me, and the other filmmakers, some of whom have sufficient experience to warrant a separate volume about their body of work alone, offer many interesting and amusing answers to Kevin's questions. Perhaps the best compliment I can offer is that the book helped rekindle my sense of excitement about indie filmmaking, made me want to seek out the work of the interviewed filmmakers, and made me want to get to work on new films of my own.
I unreservedly recommend HOW TO MAKE MOVIES to all who are interested in low-budget films and the process of making them. My congratulations to Kevin and my best wishes for the success of the book.
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Howtomakemovies
Buy the DEMON RESURRECTION DVD: http://www.demonresurrection.com
*************************************
UPDATE 11/18/2017: The newly remastered version of DEMON RESURRECTION in 1080 HD & Widescreen is now available at http://dresurrection.vhx.tvOr stream it on Amazon (Prime members watch for free): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZXWKBT
Also available on...
Vimeo-on-Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/102966
and on Pantaflix: https://www.pantaflix.com/en/movie/Demon-Resurrection-watch-online-pm741064
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.