Powerful Posters, ‘Harsens’ Post-Production and Premiere Info and ‘Wild Faith Christmas’ Pre-Production Updates
A light rain and cool breeze is welcome versus the horrible storms they’ve got down south from the hurricane. I checked in with many of my friends and some like my cousin outside Tampa, FL had nothing but wind. Others like Robert Bradley in Maggie Valley, NC are good but their town and region is not. Highways washed out and roads impassable. The main drag of Maggie Valley is flooded out. Just sad that so many are facing the hardships they are. Knock on wood- but we’ve been lucky being on a high hill and our property is sandy and absorbs water quickly. My thoughts and prayers with all those suffering in the aftermath.
I want to welcome out new readers from France, Netherlands and more. I really love the global artists circle we have. I had several folks comment and we’ve had lots of new subscriptions which is great. I’m going to provide some great updates and I hope give some insights that you can apply to your own endeavors. I’m going to do a warm up on my hazelnut coffee and we’ll get into this. Speaking of coffee we’ve been enjoying the new enhanced deck for sipping coffee and watching the morning nature. The dogs enjoy having a better view of the surrounding area and the gate allows me to have them enclosed. That helps at night if I smell skunk in the area which anyone who had had to bathe a dog who has been sprayed knows. I built a small step deck off the office/fort porch and a new compost bin from some of the old deck wood. I still have a good amount left for some of my projects. I’m still harvesting the end of season herbs and using them in cooking and for tea. So many great compounds that are in plants.
NOW TO THE PROJECTS!
With every CDI film we really try to let the director’s pick, choose and oversee one poster, the theatrical one. Because marketing staff at the home video level will put together the artwork that will best serve their purpose. This is the beautiful picture that our director Carl Weyant put together for our theatrical run. Below is some moody shadows and reminds me of the old detective posters of the 20’s and 30’s. Above you see The Purples, a glimpse of the Harsens militia and the innocents put at risk with this conflict. I’ve had a lot of people talking about wanting to buy a poster and all in good time.
We will be getting an RSVP for main cast and crew to see who can attend a private showing in Alpena. Following the screening they will have another show for sale for the public and it will play for several weeks in Alpena. That is what the deal is looking like. The theater controls how many screens and times so we are limited. But as I’ve said before, the more the demand the more screens and times they might open. Currently the invite is for just cast and crew and not plus one. Folks will be responsible for their own travel and lodging. I’ll keep you all informed here and of course we’ll be posting on the Harsens Island Revenge Facebook page. Now in January 2025 we’ll start our theatrical run. Several runs might be kicked off with a special event party like in Owosso, Lansing, Grand Rapid and Detroit so that might be closer for many of you!
We’ve been working hard on end credits trying not to miss any or misspell any names. That said, it happens every film because of the sheer amount of names and sometimes handwriting by people. Lastly, it is passing through human hands and we all make mistakes but we try to keep that as low as possible. The music, color correction and VFX are being finished and polished up. Next week they start to pull that all together. Dennis Therrian has been working a powerful musical score and every artists has been putting his all into the film. Final posting and mixing always requires an increase in focus and communication. Something I myself also work on and try to encourage. If you send something let the party know it has been sent. If you are the receiving party let the sender know it has been received. There is a reason the military is so effective with their communication. The thing to remember is that you all have the same goal and you’re trying to make a process as smooth as possible. Bottom line is the film is getting close to being done.
AN ORDINARY KILLER streaming will be on December 15th and I’m hearing that it will be going to XUMO and The ROKU CHANNEL. Likely it will go to AMAZON and possibly PLEX and PLUTO TV.
DEAN TEASTERS GHOST TOWN is streaming on TUBI and various platforms. We do plan to start selling the special edition theme park DVD’s prior to Christmas. For those that know Robert Bradley this was filmed in his home town and he co-stars.
KNIGHT CHILLS is starting to deliver assets for the streaming release. I also wrote my foreword for the new release of the novel. I’ve been collecting some materials to put together a nice script and making of book also. I’m excited that this film is out there on HD Blu Ray and will soon be streaming! I would like to see this franchise take another step and we’ve got a script. So we’ll see what happens!
Looking Ahead!
This year saw three of the films from CDI’s library (Dean Teaster’s Ghost Town, An Ordinary Killer, Knight Chills) get set up for a new release. We’ll tackle a few in 2025 also. We have to get the technical correct in order to HD remaster the films.
WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS is in the final weeks of pre-production. We had a great meeting on Friday looking at the remaining TO DO’s. I’m happy to say that the main cast is all DONE! We found our last two leads and we could not be more happy! The sets are on point and we’re working on the last of the logistics. I met with our associate producer and legal over sushi and he’s putting the final pieces in motion. As I was reviewing the new official script and highlighting my Ben Lily lines I was so taken by the story again. I’ve been up to my neck in the business of it but it was pure joy to do lines and re-read the entire story. We have some new sponsors coming onboard with DEANS TREE FARM, SPORTS UNLIMITED and ANCHOR CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION! Thank you to all the fine companies and individuals helping to make this film be everything it can be.
ROM COMS MUST DIE is still on deck for the first of the year. We’ve been quiet as of late but that is because we have a lot out there. That said, we do keep moving pieces on the board. We’ve added Ian Griffin as the AD and will be playing a role in the film. He is an amazing actor that I met in 2002 on AN ORDINARY KILLER. He’s been in many of the films such as BEST YEARS GONE (The police officer) and he’s Boozy Jack the bootlegger in Harsens Island Revenge trailer that says he would sell to the devil himself.
Tis a good season to watch some scary films like IN THE WOODS, now on Blu Ray!
WRAP UP:
We have lots of things in development but like I mentioned we’ll wait until we have more in place. It is rainy and so I’ll likely work on getting some stuff done here in the house and at the desk. I like to get a jump on the week so I’ll soon switch to hot tea and keep at it. I am going to try and catch up on a few calls too. So until we chat next week I hope you all have a great day and week ahead. Remember that everything happens by slowly chipping away at the TO DO’s. I’m going to FOCUS and try to COMMUNICATE and promote better COMMUNICATION This week. We have a lot of exciting things ahead. Happy Sunday and coffee cheers!
DJ
Stepping Stones, Casting Success and Summer Endings!
(Music is the main focus right now on ‘Harsens Island Revenge’ CDI’s Next Major Release!)
Another beautiful morning where you can literally feel autumn in the air. I’m sipping my favorite morning beverage which is hazelnut coffee. I see that we’ve had some record number of readers stopping by to join us. Subscribe and never miss an update. I love how many various countries are represented and we’ve got a lot of new ones. I love shaping the journey on here with all of you. One of my keys to happiness I often speak of on here is staying connected to nature. I’ve really enjoyed the passing of the humidity and the shift. I can see it in the plants and the cooler nights. This week on the property I did some harvesting and upkeep. We have a possum that has been around at night but is leaving the chickens alone. The squirrels are busy building up their nests for the coming winter and getting fat. The inchworms got heavy into my hops but I allowed it as the hops and old deck will soon be coming down. I did some landscaping to the entrance into the fort/office and that is looking much better.
(Wild Faith Christmas is a stepping stone to Wild Faith: Hastings)
Speaking on nature and the turning of the wheel we lost a CDI supporter with Irene Hosking at age 106. You can read on the CDI Facebook site about all her adventures but it was on her property we shot the WILD FAITH Civil War flashback scenes. Kids are returning to school and I remember those days well. Part of me feels like that was just a few weeks ago. Other times I add up the years and I’m stunned. We tied our last regular season soccer match and this coming week we start the playoffs. Anyhow it goes I can say I love the workout it provides. The league is ultra competitive and we always leave it all out on the field. I’m thankful that it has been an injury-free season and I hope to finish the season that way. Of course at our age it is never the major event that gets us it is the minor. Like lifting something too far out from your body or picking something up that fell into a nook.
(All great endeavors takes building – here is the mine set under construction for Wild Faith Christmas)
Maybe we’ll do a bullet point listing of updates.
- I had another successful wardrobe find for my role in ROM COMS MUST DIE. It is a comedy that we’ll film shortly into the new year. We have all our backing and I just got the paperwork to review and so this great quirky story is second film up. We have a few more roles to cast still.
- The next film up to film is WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS. I must say that I’m starting to see ole Ben Lily again when I stare in the mirror. Sets are being built and the crew is almost all in place. The casting is going great and we just landed three main roles last week. We’ll be announcing via postcards on social media so join our Facebook page. I have the legal paperwork to review and pass forward this week. Also I’ll be opening a new bank account for the project.
- Along these same lines it was decided to retool the TV series WILD FAITH: HASTINGS to go after the two movies. It was originally written to go after the first film but it is fitting so nice into this third slot. We really would love to see this series go as it would put many more of our artists to work on both sides of the camera.
- AN ORDINARY KILLER 4k passed quality control on the first go which made me very happy. This film is being released in a special HD DVD by months end. I was a guest on the TWO AVERAGE JOES podcast talking about the release. The new release will entirely benefit The Red White and Blue Project that is a non profit for veterans and their families and the above Two Average Joes Media dedicated to bringing closure to cold case files. It is by their efforts that this film is getting a second life to help these two important causes. A new trailer is still looking to be cut by own own Adam Towner fresh off the Knight Chills trailer cut. We have a few more deliverables but this film will go streaming in December 2024.
- KNIGHT CHILLS has seen an epic release on Blu Ray and I love the job Saturn Core did. The film has gotten a new trailer and new poster art is being worked on. If you love the genre, role playing games, etc…you want to own this Blu Ray. The doc on the “panic” back in the day is awesome. I think 2025 could be the year that Sir Kallio rides again with a sequel!
- RESTORATION WORK– We are continuing to work on the remaining CDI films for restoration and re-release. I’m very interested in the idea of possibly doing a version of FROM VENUS where it is animated once inside the comic book. FIGURE IN THE FOREST and HEAVEN’S NEIGHBORS are being tested on DE-NOISE to resharpen pixels softened to achieve a primitive film look back in the bay. Once sharped we will try the UP-Rez again to try and get a better end result.
- Collective Development Inc. (www.cdiproductions.com) is now on INSTAGRAM tribecdi so please follow us. I’ve been listing the films in order starting with our 1st and working our way forward. I’ll also be doing the associated projects as well.
- This week I received by new Blu-ray of IN THE WOODS and I’m looking forward to a watch of both versions with and without the commentary. Available via TerrorVision and their participating retailers! I’m also looking forward to reading the sequel script that director Lynn Drzick has been working hard on.
- I have a sit down soon on another project that would include a script adaptation and the film shot. I love the time period and the proposed film would be fun to make. In the meantime I will finish my WILD FAITH: HASTINGS show adaptation and I might even finish a few of the other partial scripts I have in the works. A SciFi script. A martial arts comedy. I really do enjoying writing and it luckily has always come naturally.
- Funding on several developing features continues. I love the SMOKE & MIRRORS feature. SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE, GOTCH…so many great stories to tell.
(Robert Bradley will serve as Art Director on Wild Faith Christmas under GW Burns, Prod. Designer)
WRAP UP: I could continue to bullet point all the various things on my revolving TO DO list. I’m going to finish up here and make some breakfast. After I’m going to hop on down to the flea market again in search of props. I’ve found some real treasures over that last few months. For WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS I found a great period lantern, mining pan and more. I was happy to see that Art Director Robert Bradley had a wonderful vintage medical bag to use. It is going to be a great time putting all this together. I’m really looking forward to seeing some of the returning artists and meeting some new ones as well. We’ll be meeting this week over the schedule and trying to fine tune that. Lodging has been a main focus of our efforts and we’ve been gaining some headway. Also adding some new sponsors onto Wild Faith Christmas joining our current ones. That is something else I need to do this coming week. Thank you for spending some time here with us and I hope it helps to motivate you towards your own endeavors.
Until next week, coffee cheers!
DJ
Happy Easter 2016- Updates
Hazelnut coffee is fresh and hot and helping me awaken on this sunny yet chilly morning. As I sit here and take a few moments to ponder the past week I’m appreciative of everything going on in career and life. It’s a fine line of balance that is not easy to achieve and is harder yet to maintain. Relationships should always hold stronger than any possessions, the return is much greater. As of late, I’ve had to adjust back to the darker days and chilly climate of Michigan that is so very different than Arizona. It was nice to be back in my own bed with my local family and friends, but it’s exciting being elsewhere- working like mad to capture such great footage. Tomorrow we start the first of three prep days before we resume shooting on “Chasing the Star,” the 2nd film in our QUEST TRILOGY. The hardest part of the shoot with the desert, camels, goats, sheep, donkeys, extras, wind storms and such is now complete. Now we have just solid drama unfolding all shooting inside controlled sets. I’m excited to get these final pieces and put this story together for all of you.
On set of “The Terrorist”
I’ve recently heard word that “Division 19” and “Dead Quiet” are close to done. Also “The Terrorist” should release later this year. These films alone would make me very happy but…we still have “Donors” and “Bestseller” releasing this spring and on April 5th both “Ashes of Eden” and “40 Nights” release nationally.
BUY NOW! AND if you’ve seen either of these films please do leave a review.
40 Nights:
http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=6547
40 Nights/IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4473806/combined
Ashes of Eden:
http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=6142
Both can be found on IMDB.com to VOTE and leave a review also
Ashes of Eden/IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2387416/combined
DJ Perry as Jesus in “40 Nights”
In the spirit of the day where people celebrate the sacrifice of the man known as Jesus, I do hope you all enjoy some of these inspirational films. It was an honor, a challenge to try and better understand this unique man. I encourage you to take a watch and experience the stories.
1st official teaser poster from the 2nd film in the QUEST Trilogy
Lastly, I’m excited to film the last days on “Chasing the Star” over the next couple days. We will be working with some talented Michigan folks associated with our director. Most of our keys were already in place but this shoot will allow me to evaluate some others in action. I look at attitude #1 meaning positive problem solving skills, manners and good cooperation with others. With keys it’s about accountability, leadership and strong communication. We’ve got at least two other feature films prepping to shoot in the months ahead so be someone people want to hire. I hope all of you make the most of every opportunity and enjoy the journey.
Happy Easter!
DJ
DJ Perry's Official Blog 'Clawing My Way to the Middle' 