Now that I had a script, I needed a cast and crew. I also realized that I was not going to be able to produce this alone. In October of 2010, I posted several ads on craigslist for actors, actresses, crew members, locations and monkeys…just kidding about the monkeys.

The first ad was for the four female leads. I must have gotten 25 responses in the first two weeks. Less than half actually made it to an audition. As well as the four leads, I held auditions for other roles.

December 5th saw our first auditions. Two actors out of five scheduled showed. Krisha came in on December 18th, the only one out of four scheduled that day to show up. She was the perfect Emma. She returned January 16th for a second reading, at her request, and I gave her the part. This was typical of the process for us, many no-shows punctuated by brilliant auditions.

My goals in casting were to find people with enthusiasm for the roles, natural talent and likeability. As this was a no-budget film, I needed them to be able to slip into the roles without a lot of rehearsal, as time is money and we had none to give them. Little did I know at the time that I had selected some of the best professional and amateur actors in the Twin Cities. Wahoo!

I also pursued crew, such as special effects, cinematographers, etc. Several of the initial contacts did not follow. For instance, I met someone in January who said he could do all the blood spatter and gore that we need in the movie. I saw photos of his work online, so I gave him the job. He failed to attend our first production meeting in March. We scheduled a meeting in April to see his effects in person, however, when I called him, he wasn’t prepared to show me anything and said that he would call me the following week after picking up supplies. I never heard from him again. So after months of thinking I had our makeup person, I was left hanging without one. Another craigslist ad put me in touch with Brittany Katuin. At our first meeting in May, she gave me the confidence that she’s our gore girl and cosmetologist.

Another major disappointment was an individual who was going to help with camera work and cinematography. He also claimed to have a crew for lights and sound only to find weeks later that he had no crew, leaving me crewless again. He is no longer part of this production.

But, by mid-March the major roles were cast and the four female leads began martial art training.

Then it hit me. How the hell am I going to make this movie all by myself? Then it hit me again. I better put another ad out for producers to help me make this happen. Joel Thingvall, a local luminary, contacted me and helped me find several key locations and has provided great advice.

And then, in walked Ulysses Awesumb (yes, that’s his real name). He first came in to audition for several roles, but as we talked I realized he was well-connected, motivated, and talented and would find the crew that I could not. As well as being cast as one of the leads, he became the co-producer. He is now responsible for the things that would normally drive me insane, freeing me to concentrate on polishing the script, rehearsing the actors, training the girls in martial arts, and to bang my head against the wall whenever I can no longer deny the urge. (Ulysses has since been replaced by Krisha Saxon as Producer, see subsequent posts).

As a martial arts instructor, I had a few fantastic colleagues to assist me with fight choreography and training. Joe Madrid and Stacy Noyes, two talented instructors, have helped me transform our four female leads from complete novices to experienced martial artists in just three short months. For a no-budget film to have four actors devote themselves to physical training for months…well, I guess all I can say is, find me another local no-budget film that had that level of dedication from its cast.

After making contacts while working the 48-hour Film Festival with Ulysses, we rounded up crew for lighting and sound, just this past week. Also this past week, one of the crucial villains, which has proved the most difficult to cast, was finally found. Today, we met and auditioned other key extras, skilled in martial arts, for our leads to test their skills against.

Now we have everything in place, all the pieces for this puzzle, just in time for an intensive stretch of shooting starting in two weeks. Soon, Emma’s Revenge will no longer be an intangible concept solely in my head but will transform into a thrilling adventure for us all.

The Making of an Independent No-Budget Feature Film in the Twin Cities

My name is Mike Ascher and I am in independent filmmaker here in the Twin Cities, embarking on my first feature-length film. Having read Robert Rodriguez’ REBEL WITHOUT A CREW, I decided to keep my own diary.

So where do I begin? How does a project like this start and what are the first steps to bringing it to fruition?

Directors that inspire me are Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Tony Scott, Rob Zombie, and of course the biggies such as Spielberg, Howard and Scorsese. My influences are the Exploitation films of the 70s, Kung Fu films, horror, and monster movies and action-adventure like Indiana Jones and over-the-top thrill-rides.

I would say that the first step is to create a story. I knew what kind of story I wanted but I didn’t know where to begin. A few years ago I had made a horror short called FLASH. After a handful of awards, I was itching to make a feature-length film. After a year or two of feeding my obsession with independent films, I stumbled across the web page of Twisted Twins Productions. Jen and Sylvia Soska, twin sisters from Vancouver, had made a feature film, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, which was getting rave reviews from biggies such as Tarantino and the like. This was when I realized that independent low-budget films did not have to suck. I contacted the Soska sisters via email and we communicated over the next few months. They gave me a lot of great tips, advice and encouragement.

Thus began my feature-film journey: how to create a zero-budget feature film, with style and flair that doesn’t fall flat on its face in the first five minutes. Style is important. Cameras have to move. Scenes that drag bore an audience.

Technical issues aside, I needed a story or there was no reason to contemplate any of it.

In August of 2010, I decided to start. So there I sat with pen in hand. How do you start a feature-length script? What is the first scene? What I always liked are movies that hit you hard in the beginning and then fill in the gaps as they go along. And that was exactly my approach to writing this script.

I decided to start with two people talking about something, and it had to be comical. I went through many topics before I found one that grabbed me. After many trials, I wrote dialogue that had a life of its own. I could barely type fast enough to keep up with it.

So now I had my beginning. How do I finish it from here? I just followed a few simple guidelines: have colorful, fun and unforgettable dialogue, characters and situations. And hit with the unexpected. Just when the audience thinks they have it figured out, sucker-punch ‘em.

After two months of writing, editing and rewriting, I had most of what became the working script for EMMA’S REVENGE. Now, how do I make it into a movie, with no money?