MadiganFilms.com
Issue #2
June/July 2005

Welcome to the second issue! The new website www.MadiganFilms.com is hereby LAUNCHED! Hoorah! Of course, it is still in its infancy, but the basic site is now available! Check it out now, and then check again soon for updates! Soon you will be able to download movies, clips and trailers among other things! But for right now, on with the E-Zine!

NEW SHORT MOVIE: TRICK

Last month, June, I held auditions for a new short and shot it over three “short” days and edited it in less than a week. It's a five-minute thriller titled Trick, and it came out very well. The acting (provided by David Larmore and Christy Biberich) was memorable. The locations were much better this time around (my apartment was not used for any shooting!) and the make-up effects (by Colletta Montgomery) were dead on. I had help from my friends Jim Young and Megan Cline. And my friend Brian Weil executed the budget as the executive producer and also has a cameo in our co-creation. Todd Tackett chimed! in with a nice little score.

The final cost for the short tallied about $800.00, by far the largest budget I've ever had. Most of that budget went to getting the interior of a bar as a location (in Atwater Village ) for a mere two hours. We had the bar scheduled from 11AM to 1PM. We were let in at about 10:45AM and wrapped our bar interiors by 11:57AM. The bar owner was elated and said, “My God you're fast!” We did not ask for any kind of “early wrap” refund, because the previous night the same owner kindly allowed us to shoot freely in the back parking lot of the bar, which was the scene I was most worried about shooting. I was initially concerned because we were originally going to shoot outside at night in front of the bar, leaving our production exposed to the public. Instead we got a much quieter and private location in the back parking lot. It worked out very well.

We wrapped on Monday June 27th at noon and I had the first three scenes rough cut by that same evening. The next day I had the whole short rough cut, but some things weren't right editing-wise. I went back and actually edited it less than my initial rough cut and it flowed much better. A moviemaker doesn't have to use every angle he's shot, as I've learned.

Story wise it's a shocker. Can't say much more than that, because it's only five minutes and giving away the ending would wreck the fun! It will be available eventually on the website, however at the moment we're waiting to see if we get into the Palm Springs Festival of Shorts this September. Send your good thoughts to Palm Springs for us!

COMIC-CON CONVENTION '05: KEVIN SMITH

Comic-con 2005 was just held in San Diego , about 3 hours south of our city of “angels.” I went to this massive 100,000 B.O. geek-a-thon for one reason: Kevin Smith (director of Mallrats, Dogma, Jersey Girl) was going to be there. I had one goal if I was to accomplish anything at the convention: Get a DVD of my new short Trick in his hands! Unfortunately, it didn't happen. JUST KIDDING! IT DID HAPPEN! Here's how…

I was tired from getting up at the ass crack to drive down to San Diego , and I had no packed lunch and somehow my water bottle fell out of my backpack somewhere between the scantily clad Princess Leia impersonator and the G.I. Joe booth. In any case, I knew Kevin Smith was going to be giving a talk in “hall H” at 1pm. THOUSANDS (not exaggerating!) of people were already in line to go to “hall H” to see the Aeon Flux (starring Charleze Theron) panel that took place before Kevin Smith. I saw the hordes marching in and I just jumped in the middle of the line. I had no idea I was going to have to wait hours to get in line to get inside, so I thought I'd better jump in now and stay there until ! Kevin Smith took the stage. One timid young woman half turned to me and said meekly, “You can't just cut. Go back!” And I knew it took a lot of courage for her to say that, but I figured it was my only chance, so I hope my karma is lenient with me!

Anyway, this “hall H” was a full house and sat 6,500 people. I wasn't at all interested in the Aeon Flux movie, except that Charleze Theron was on stage talking. There was a line to get behind a mic and ask questions. I got in the line towards the end and the worker said “no more questions!” I said, “I'm getting in line for Kevin Smith.” And she let me stay. So when the Aeon Flux panel left the stage, there was an intermission and I was the first in line to ask Kevin Smith a question. He finally arrived to a roaring crowd.  He was very very vulgar, but in a comedic way. (I can't repeat everything he said here because I'd like to keep this periodical R-rated).

In about two minutes the spotlight came on me to ask my question. I complimented him on some things he did that I liked, and then asked how a young filmmaker could get his attention. He started to speak and then I tried to clarify my question over him and he burst out, “would you let me answer your f*ckin' question?!” Audience roars. “You got my attention now, don't lose it!…” It was in a jesting manner. He makes some cracks I won't repeat here, and again the audience is roaring. Then he says, “but why do you want my attention anyway?”  I told him because I liked Mallrats and I helped make it a cult favorite among my friends. “Thanks for reminding me that that movie had no audience…” he says, audience beside themselves.

Behind me, a convention worker is doing the “throat cut” motion telling me to wrap it up. I asked him how someone would even get a movie to him. Now the audience groans at me. Then he asks me if I wanna make movies. I said I do make movies, and he says, “you have a movie?” I say yeah. He says, “where?” I pulled a DVD out of my backpack and said, “here.” He says, “well shit, bring it here.” The fickle audience cheers. So I walk up t! o the stage and hand it to him myself. I tell him its five minutes. He says, “I can spare five minutes.” Then he says to the crowd of 6,500 with a grin, “What's it called? Trick? Cool. Should we watch it?” They cheer again. At this point I'm about shitting my pants. Then he chuckles and says, “if we have time at the end, we'll watch it.” I about shit my pants.

So the discussion moved on to the rest of the fan questions, and I'm just kneeling in the back hoping he'll play it for this huge crowd. But, the discussion ran out of time. He had set the DVD on the podium when he took it from me earlier, and at this point I'm just sitting there praying he actually will remember he put it there and will take it with him. Then to my delight, he walks back to the podium and picks it up. As he is signing off, he is tapping it on the podium, and you can see the damn DVD large as life in his hand on the many jumbo screens they have in the room. He ends with, “Sorry we didn't get to watch Trick.  But I get to f*ckin' watch it!” And walks off the stage to cheers with my movie in his hand.

MADIGAN GETS ON CABLE ACCESS IN EAST LA

Victoria Lane , who played the Blonde Girl in Lure of the Wicked, set me up with a cable access TV show that airs exclusively in East LA. I was supposed to go on and talk about the silent horror short. I didn't now any details about this TV show, and she didn't know much more. All I got was the time to show up and address. I wasn't aware of the format of the show (would I be interviewed?) or how long the segment would be, what I should wear, if I'd be showing a movie clip, etc. I didn't know anything.

Of course, I got there early. The “studio” was in some kind of garage behind a cable company. When I arrived, there was a drummer already there in his car waiting for the rest of his band to show up. We started talking. It turned out we were both supposed to be on the show at noon that day. We were both perplexed. Neither of us had any details or what the format of this show would be. We did find out one thing, that the show aired live at noon.

So 11:30AM rolls around and the “producer” who was also the host of the show is nowhere to be seen. The band is frantically setting up inside. I'm asking people all sorts of questions as the run around getting ready for the broadcast. I ended up going to the back booth and cueing up a movie clip myself. “Will I be interviewed?” I asked everyone. “I don't know.” They all said. “You'll have to ask the producer.” 11:45 now. No producer. The band is set up. I'm standing there, wondering what in god's hell is going on. No one knows. One of the camera guys tells me that the show is the equivalent of the LA riots. 11:55. Five minutes to broadcast. The producer/host shows up. Name is Night Shadow. Not kidding. Dresses and talks just like Strongbad from Homestarrunner.com. Puts on his black wrestler's mask and says a few words to the guys in the back booth. I can't get to ! him to ask what in the hell is going on.

12:00. The show starts airing with a title sequence of horror and wrestling clips and music. Night Shadow waddles onto the all blue “stage” and takes a seat. While the opening credits are airing and we can't be heard to the viewers, he starts talking with the band, telling ‘em to just play a bunch of songs. Then he yells out, “Is Tom here?” I raised my hand. Just then the credits stop and the show (live, mind you) cuts to Night Shadow sitting in his chair with his black mask. “Today we have a very great show!” He blats,! with a very cholo East LA accent. “We have a band! And then, also, we have…Tom!” He and the two lady “co-hosts” clap their hands. “What's your last name? Madigan?” I yell out from off camera, “yes.” The band starts playing. The band keeps playing for three or four songs. This is chaos, my friends. I still don't know how I fit into this “Horror Kung Fu TV.”

Eventually, the band stops playing and they run another horror clip from some old B-movie. During this time, Night Shadow tells me to come and sit down between the two lady co-hosts. There were only three chairs, so after I whipped on the lapel mic he went behind us and poked his head between us. The show cut back to us. The ladies start jabbering a mile a minute as well as Night Shadow. I think they were asking me about my vampire short. I answered as best as I could, not knowing which person to look at as they were all talking at once. Now, I had a clip cu! ed up, but I told the guy in the back booth to cut before the nudity. I showed him exactly where to cut off the clip before the show began. He said “OK.” So the clip starts playing and of course, it goes all the way through and shows the famous boob shot. Night Shadow is loving it. “I told them to cut before that.” I said. “Hey, fair warning!” he said. Then the show cuts back to me for a few more minutes of jabbering before they go back to the band for the rest of the program.

So far I haven't gotten a subpoena for the nudity on public access TV. And I'm still waiting for good ole Night Shadow to send me a tape of the show, been waiting about a month now!

IMDB-WE MADE IT!

The massive online movie database ( www.imdb.com ) has finally included myself and the rest of the cast of The Darker Side of Romance within its system. This is an important step, as being listed on this website is the basic movie industry litmus test to whether one is or isn't a professional. I'm listed as Tom Madigan (III). As of this publication, I have only DSR to my credit, as it is the only movie I've made that has gotten distribution (video).

FANGORIA HORROR CONVENTION ‘05, LA

Fangoria magazine's return to Los Angeles happened on June 4-5 up in Burbank . I was able to scoot over to the convention (miniscule compared to Comic-Con) for that Saturday only. There were thousands of horror fans, almost all wearing black. When I got to the convention Saturday morning, I saw some resemblance of a line formed outside. I got in the semi-line and asked one pony-tailed young man if it was the line to get tickets. Frightened by the interaction with another human life form, he almost dissolved into dust. Perhaps needless to say, I was one of the only people at the convention not wearing black.

I went to the convention in hopes to meet some good contacts and pass out a few copies of my vampire short Lure of the Wicked to a select batch o' folks. I did indeed meet some interesting people. I briefly met the giant from Big Fish, Matthew McGrory. I met the tiny Kelly Stables from The Ring II (who took a DVD of my movie and said she'd watch it and get back to me, but never did!). I met different characters with different industry credits. But perhaps the most interesting folk I met were in the “back stage” area where I wasn't supposed to be.&nbs! p; There was one guy standing in front of a roped off section looking kind of confused. I asked him, “Are the green rooms back here?” He said, “yeah.” And before I gave him a chance to object to my not having a back stage pass, I hopped over the ropes and went in. You may think this was very rebellious of me, trying to sneak back stage to meet famous horror icons. That wasn't the case. I had gotten to the convention early enough to peek back there and saw that there were places to sit down and drink water. It looked like a good spot to have my peanut butter and jelly sammich that I'd packed. (By the way, the PBJ samm! ich is basically what I've been surviving on for the past year and a half!) In any case, I plopped down and started chatting with two disgruntled screenwriters. It turned out that they had written two of the latter Friday the 13th movies (“Jason goes to Hell” and “Jason X”). They were average guys who were going on a discussion panel in a few minutes to talk about the infamous series. They joked back and forth with one another about the quality of their movies. Then another writer came in, the guy who wrote Freddy vs. Jason. I got to catch a bit of industry banter between all of them and hear some inside things about the “13th” series.

I realized that I must not be that big of a horror movie aficionado after all. There were several people at the convention that I should have known who I didn't. I started talking with one goofy lookin' guy and asked him what he did. He started telling me his movies credits. Apparently he was in Friday the 13th Part 2 and a bunch of other movies. “Oh,” I said, feeling like an ass.

CRIMSON NIGHT-NEW ONLINE COMIC BY BRIAN BROCK

My good friend and former roommate from Ohio Brian Brock, now living in Minneapolis, has his fantasy/action comic up online at: http://crimsonnight.spiderforest.com. It's a very interesting story and it moves along very well visually. Check it out and be sure to vote for his comic at the site!

IN CLOSING

I hope all is very well with you. I'm writing a few different projects and testing the waters with an idea or two for a new low budget feature to be shot, hopefully, late next summer. I'm also looking to start a freelance video business and phase out the adult school teaching. Please send me a note, although not back to this e-mail address (use my personal e-mail address for casual talks or madiganfilms@yahoo.com for bidness!)

Take it easy,
Tom!