EFPalooza 2015 – The Emerging Filmmakers Project

Meet the Filmmaker: JoseLuis Rodriguez, “Endless Taiga”

Posted on January 16, 2015 by efpdenver

Endless Taiga | https://www.youtube.com/user/CinemaReserved

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
JR: In short, I would say that the art of film-making drew me in because it is one of the major mediums necessary for the realization of stories, and as a story teller myself it is my task to be able to use or locate someone who can use whatever medium will best serve the story I wish to tell.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
JR: The film being shown at the EFP is Endless Taiga which I would describe as a surreal narrative that details the possible lives of a young boy. That’s all I am willing to say as the giving too much of my own interpretation will undoubtedly bias the audience when they experience it.

Q: What else are you working on?
JR: Currently, my attention is being spent on assisting my fellow producers create their own films, but two potential screen plays are in the works and once a slot opens I will surely begin production.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
JR: I would say that the initial inception of the film was quite strange given the fact that the original screen play was written as a spiteful joke playing on all the stereotypes of artistic films due to my previous screen play being rejected.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
JR: I would say that if you are interested in the film you saw, please feel free to pay a visit to our YouTube page “Reserved Pictures” which contains all of the films my fellow producers and I have made in the past three years.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
JR: I would just like to thank you for the opportunity to show my film at this event.

Endless Taiga will screen January 17th at 3:00 p.m. during EFPalooza 2015 at The Bug Theatre.

Meet the Filmmaker: Cook St. Productions, “Pitch Perfect 237”

Posted on January 15, 2015 by efpdenver

Pitch Perfect 237 | cookstproductions.com

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
CS: This may sound too simple, but the four of us have been friends for over a decade, and have always bonded over a love for comedy. We would always talk about writing a movie, but our 20s got in the way. So when we started Cook St. in 2011, it meant that we would never have to wonder ‘what could have been.’

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
CS: We are watching Pitch Perfect 237, which we showed at OSN’s December screening. It’s loaded with copyrighted material so there are no plans to submit it anywhere fancy. But we did put it on YouTube and were lucky to have some viral traction; it currently has over 550,000 views, and not all of those can be our parents, right? Right?

Q: What else are you working on?
CS: We spent the last year doing sketches, but are happy to return to longer narratives in 2015. We have a web series premiering by the end of the month, and are currently developing a short film to shoot this spring, barring any major arguments that cause Cook St. to split up and friendships to perish.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
CS: Everyone always assumes we’re a group of black actors wearing whiteface, but it’s not true — we’re very much white in real life.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
CS: Everything we’ve ever done is at our website, cookstproductions.com, and you can also check out our channel(s) on YouTube and FunnyOrDie, which have over 40 of our videos from the past 3 years.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
CS: We’re honored to be screened and just excited to check out the glut of local films at this festival. It’s great to get out of our own bubble and just see all the talent and hard work happening everywhere you look in Denver.

Pitch Perfect 237 will screen January 16th at 9:00 p.m. during EFPalooza 2015 at The Bug Theatre.

Meet the Filmmaker: Leon Welling, “Man Gurgles Mouthwash (and Then Dies)”

Posted on January 15, 2015 by efpdenver

Man Gurgles Mouthwash (and Then Dies) | Droodfilms.com

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
LW: To have a talking point at a super loud bar.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
LW: Man Gurgles Mouthwash and then Dies ( has screened once before) No plans.

Q: What else are you working on?
LW: Animated Series called “Bad Pink”, “Hatebot”, and full feature film “Costigan Bloch”

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
LW: There are jars of Nutella everywhere.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
LW: They can visit my website Droodfilms.com along with my youtube channel appropriately called “LeonWelling”

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
LW: Cool place to meet people and there’s beer. There is always beer.

Man Gurgles Mouthwash (and Then Dies) will screen January 16th at 7:00 p.m. during EFPalooza 2015 at The Bug Theatre.

Meet the Filmmaker: Mark Roeder, “The Low Road, Baby”

Posted on January 14, 2015 by efpdenver

The Low Road, Baby | https://www.facebook.com/TheLowRoadBaby

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
MR: I took a screenwriting class in college, and decided that’s what I wanted to do, because I love writing and movies. I like coming up with ideas and constructing stories. I love acting and filmmaking, so I thought I’d like to direct my own scripts. I dreamed about it and did it on the side, then went to Colorado Film School and have been making short films, writing features, and acting to hone my craft.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
MR: THE LOW ROAD, BABY shows a custody battle that gets out of hand on a highway overpass in roaring traffic. Its 4 minutes of fun, light hearted, fast paced action. The Low Road, Baby screens at film festivals around the world, like Bare Bones, Action On Film, Hoboken, Denver Comic Con, Fester, Blissfest, Galaxy Fest, World Arts, Lemington Spa Underground Cinema, Columbia Gorge, and more. It has surpassed my expectations and actually won 5 awards. I’ll take the Low Road, Baby as far as the road goes.

Q: What else are you working on?
MR: I am rewriting a trippy time travel feature I’ve been getting feedback on and developing to make next. I have recently finished a new short called Fire Ripples, about an escaped mental patient who is chased into a raging forest fire and drags a female fire fire into the fire. He may be insane, but he seems to think he can tame wildfire. Fire Ripples involves pyrotechnics, body burns, and my role as a mental patient. Fire Ripples screens at Galaxy Fest in February in Colorado Springs. .

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
MR: My films are unique, ambitious, and twisted. I’m a “delightfully demented” “mad genius” according to Fester Film Festival in L.A. I have a short film called The Crippler, about a girl who falls out of love with her boyfriend when he throws her out a window and cripples her, so she hires The Crippler to cripple her boyfriend. Or The Meatman, which is about a butcher turned scientist who feeds diseased meat to his assistant. The meat eats into his brain and he turns the tables on the evil meatman. Some of my films are comedic but not everyone finds them funny. Some mothers may not find a baby dangling over a bridge above highway traffic funny, yet The Low Road, Baby and The Crippler can get huge laughs.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
MR: https://www.facebook.com/TheLowRoadBaby, https://www.facebook.com/FireRipples, https://www.facebook.com/MarkRoederACTS, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0736299/, https://twitter.com/MarkRoederActs

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
MR: The Emerging Filmmakers project is awesome. The quality of films and turnout is high and they have a free keg of beer to loosen people up. They’ve built up a dedicated fan base that comes out month after month. Its a great place to screen films and hosts, like Patrick Sheridan, are fun and require a creative “arbitrary rating” from the audience when they ask questions.

The Low Road, Baby will screen January 17th at 5:00 p.m. during EFPalooza 2015 at The Bug Theatre.

Meet the Filmmaker: Wendy Duncan, “Clark’s Edible Cupcake Liners”

Posted on January 14, 2015 by efpdenver

Clark’s Edible Cupcake Liners

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
WD: I became a filmmaker because I love telling stories, and telling stories through video and film allows me to create intimate moments between the story, the characters and the audience.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
WD: This weekend everyone will get to see a funny informational spot for Clark’s Edibles Cupcake Liners.

Clark’s Edibles screened at EFP last year and once the product is ready for distribution the piece will air on TV and the internet.

Q: What else are you working on?
WD: Right now I am working on a few different projects. 1 full feature, 1 made for TV movie and a couple of commercials. The most important job I have right now is raising my two kids. 🙂

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
WD: This may seem weird to some people but for me it is a blessing. My best friend, Jane Mora, is one of the most creative and imaginative people I know, and she is always used either in front or behind the camera on all my projects.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
WD: My website is a work in progress right now. The best way to keep in touch with me is through FB.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
WD: I greatly appreciate what EFP does for the film community. It is a wonderful avenue for filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers to get their pieces seen without a fee, receive valuable feed back form professionals in the industry, and meet new talented and creative people that live in our state and want to work.

Clark’s Edibles Cupcake Liners will screen January 17th at 5:00 p.m. during EFPalooza 2015 at The Bug Theatre.

Meet the Filmmaker: Bradley Haag, “Jean Claude Van Damme’s Damn Van”

Posted on January 14, 2015 by efpdenver

Jean Claude Van Damme’s Damn Van | nebulusvisions.com

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
BH: For the opportunity to work with Jean Claude Van Damme! I followed my dream and it actually came true! Couldn’t be happier.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
BH: The much-anticipated action comedy Jean Claude Van Damme’s Damn Van! It premiered at the Bug Theater last November to rave laughter and will screen again very soon. Watch our facebook page and/or go to JCVDDV.com to stay up to date on screening info. My plan is to tour it at elementary schools and give children something to aspire to… like teaming up with Dennis Rodman or exacting vengeance for the death of your wife.

Q: What else are you working on?
BH: I’m putting together bonus features for the blu-ray release of JCVDDV, producing Eileen Agosta’s feature-film Trauma, editing Risa Scott’s short film, planning Season 2 of the Reel Nerds Podshow, publishing a book of photos I took from 2014, printing a JCVDDV-themed Cards Against Humanity deck, planning 3 music videos, and cutting a long-overdue sizzle reel for Nebulus Visions’ 15th anniversary.

I’m also learning how to fight with ninja stars.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
BH: I’ve been told I’m good at taking a stupid idea and making it into something awesome. I don’t think I have any great stories in me, but if you hand me a pile of random junk, I’ll turn it into something cool.

Did I mention Jean Claude Van Damme is “in” this movie?

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
BH: Go to nebulusvisions.com. Or track me down on the street by yelling “SAVE ME, BATMAN!”

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
BH: You made an excellent choice to screen JCVDDV. “If your enemy refuses to be humbled… destroy him.”

Jean Claude Van Damme’s Damn Van will screen January 17th at 9:00 p.m. during EFPalooza 2015 at The Bug Theatre.

Meet the Filmmaker: Michael Bilker, “The Character”

Posted on January 14, 2015 by efpdenver

The Character

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
MB: …Because I wanted to? I’m not sure what you want from me here.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
MB: The Character was my final project for Production 1 at the Colorado Film School. The only other place it has screened to date is at the CFS Fall 2013 Student Show, where it won Best Production 1; I hope to submit it to other film festivals in the future.

Q: What else are you working on?
MB: This Summer I’m assembling a team to shoot a series of screen tests for a live action adaptation of the webcomic Two Guys and Guy, with the hope of establishing an ongoing live-action series to parallel the comics. You can read the comics here: http://www.twogag.com/

I have several scripts I’m working on, as long as your definition of “working on” is “periodically popping the file open and having writer’s block at it.”

Also be sure to check out Season 4 of The Great Nerf War on Youtube!

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
MB: I’m actually two capybaras and an iguana in a human suit, and I hope to popularize the technique of filming everything upside-down and flipping it in post.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
MB: You know, I really should think about setting up a website.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
MB: That seems like a loaded question.

The Character will screen January 17th at 7:00 p.m. during EFPalooza 2015 at The Bug Theatre.

Meet the Filmmaker: Matty O’Connor, “Guns, Drugs, and Synergy”

Posted on January 14, 2015 by efpdenver

Guns, Drugs, and Synergy | vimeo.com/mattyoconnor

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
MO: Filmmaking is a beautiful, emotional, but challenging form of art. It’s cathartic at its best. The experience of making a movie and watching it with an audience for the first time is the best thing ever. I was about 9 or 10 years old when I saw Jim Carrey talk with his butt in Ace Ventura. I’ve pretty much been sold on making movies for the rest of my life since then.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
MO: Guns, Drugs, and Synergy. It screened at the EFP, 2012 Laugh Track Comedy Film Fest, 2012 Colorado Film School Student Showcase, and dorm rooms across America. I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility of a GDS feature.

Q: What else are you working on?
MO: I have a web series with a bunch of talented comedians coming out on Sexpotcomedy.com. It’s called Glenn Has Ideas and it stars Andy Juett as Glenn, the office problem child, and Andrew Orvedahl, his boss.

I also directed a few comedy music videos for The Pump and Dump Show that will release on thebump.com shortly.

I highly encourage all to check that stuff out, pronto.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
MO: I always pick out my soundtrack in the early stages, before the script is even written. I’ll burn it to a CD and listen to it all the time. It helps me visualize the scenes.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
MO: vimeo.com/mattyoconnor

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
MO: I don’t know what else that probably hasn’t already been said. It’s simply amazing that the EFP gives local filmmakers this kind of opportunity. It’s also important for filmmakers to have the chance to show there work to an audience. I appreciate what the EFP does for the Denver filmmaking community. Thank you.

Guns, Drugs, and Synergy and will screen January 16th at 9:00 p.m. during EFPalooza 2015 at The Bug Theatre.

Meet the Filmmaker: Lewis Leslie, “Faith”

Posted on January 14, 2015 by efpdenver

Faith | www.lewislesliefilms.com

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
LL: I have always had a passion for storytelling, and I’ve been writing for well over a decade. Once HD technology was available that allowed low budge filmmakers to produce quality video productions at reasonable rates, I decided to learn everything I could about the filmmaking process.

I thought, what better way to learn than by doing, and surrounding yourself with others who have more experience? That’s exactly what I did. I shot the feature film Killer Ink with Chris Romero, and from there I was hooked! That was in 2010, and I’ve been making movies ever since.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
LL: The EFP is screening Faith, a film made for the 2014 Project Greenlight competition. Faith stars Luke Banham, Kendra Buck & Lily Clibon. It was shot & cut by Rodney Wess.

Synopsis: On the anniversary of his wife’s death, Eli meets a strange young girl who may help offer him closure.

Q: What else are you working on?
LL: Last fall, I shot my second feature, the psychological thriller Feast or Famine, that stars Emmy-winner Bill Oberst Jr, Andrew Katers, Amirah Lee Counts & Kendra Buck. It is currently in post. We’re aiming for a late 2015 release. I’m always writing, so there’s a good chance there will be more filmed this year, but nothing is set in stone.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
LL: People tend to find it strange that I make horror movies & faith – based films, but that’s just where my tastes lie. I’m gravitating mostly toward psychological thrillers these days.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
LL: Check out my website www.lewislesliefilms.com for samples & info & sign up for the mailing list for updates.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
LL: The EFP & The Bug have been extremely kind & welcoming to me the past few years. It’s a great place to showcase films, get peer critiques & hang out with some pretty cool people!

Faith will screen January 16th at 7:00 p.m. during EFPalooza 2015 at The Bug Theatre.

Meet the Filmmaker: Luke Ostermiller, “Unredeemable”

Posted on January 14, 2015 by efpdenver

Unredeemable | https://www.facebook.com/lukeostermillerofficial

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
LO: I have always loved creating things and ever since I can remember movies have fascinated me. When I was 12-years-old I got my own video camera as a birthday gift and began making these little YouTube videos with my friends. As time went on I began to realize it was something I could never stop doing.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
LO: Unredeemable. This will be it’s first screening and I plan to submit it to some other film fest in the near future.

Q: What else are you working on?
LO: I just began working on a music video for Cruxvae (a local metal band) and it looks great so far – I’m super excited for it! I’m also wrapping up editing on the last episode this comedy web series I created with Brandon Kehiayan called Scooby-Doo and the Doggie Style Adventures and I’m currently in the process of developing the concept for a horror film I plan to shoot later this year.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
LO: I have always edited my own films and plan to always do so. When I’m directing, I picture in my head how I want the finished product to look and feel it would be very difficult for another editor to fully deliver my vision to the audience.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
LO: To stay updated on all the stuff I’m doing, https://www.facebook.com/lukeostermillerofficial is the best place to go.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
LO: I’m very glad to be having one of my films screened here and I feel that The EFP is a great way to showcase work and get feedback from other local filmmakers.

Unredeemable will screen January 17th at 3:00 p.m. during EFPalooza 2015 at The Bug Theatre.