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| Witchouse 3 Introduction The irony is, I never planned to "formally" direct this movie. Though I never revealed it to the cast, I had a pseudonym picked out and standing by. I had reservatioins about returning to digital video again after being spoiled with 35mm on WITCHOUSE 2, even if this was a much-higher variation of the format I had previously used on earlier efforts like POLYMORPH (1996) - Imean, the camera alone cost twice that flick's $9,000 budget! Perhaps the fact I had decided not to use my real name as director let me relax and just go off blind instinct, shooting from the hip. I didn't do elaborate shot lists and blocking maps like earlier movies. Shit, I barely studied the script each morning! I just walked in, threw out instructions and let the chips fall where they may. I'm a firm believer in happy accidents, but it was retruly bewildering to watch this on fall into place. The movie didn't seem very effective in small chuncks I'd been watching during two weeks of editing. It wasn't untill my first assembly screening all the way through that somehow, together the whole became bigger than the sum of its parts. And it was then that I decided to use my real name on the picture - and to loudly and proudly tell the story of its inception and execution. Charlie called after only a partial viewing of the rough cut, gushing like I have never heard him do in four years of working with the man. Soon other folks were telling me that not only did this stand as the best WITCHOUSE yet, that it was the best movie I had ever made! I'm just happy that it plays for what it is thank you very much. One look at the short end credits will reveal how small this production really was - everyone gets due credit there so I won't go into a reprise of those names again. But I do want to single out a trio of people who really believed in this movie as much as i did - Tammi Sutton, first-time director of photography Danny Draven and actress Debbie Rochon. Because of a marketing snafu, there almost wasn't a DVD edition of this movie. That would have been a real shame - I waived any fee to co-write, produce, direct and edit this movie... instead I put that money toward original music and a 5.1 surround mix (the latter which could only be used on a DVD). I went to Charlie and argued my case for Tempe releasing the version you hold in your sweaty palms. This is a real labor of love for all involved. Oh, and in case you didn't catch it... our scorecard is $26,000 finished on DVCAM video with Filmlook, shot in 9 days. I can't say I'm exactly overjoyed to admitting we made something under those conditions, but I am proud that it looks and sounds like a movie made for many times that budget and schedule - and that is the ultimate rebbit to have pulled out of our hats. Stay sick! J.R. BOOKWALTER North Hollywood, CA September, 2001 Return to Witchouse 3 |
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