Eric Red and Michael Pare were at the Fangoria Weekend Of Horrors Con in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 26th for a panel on “100 FEET.” They talked about the film and previewed a clip shown for the first time anywhere. It was the scene where Famke Janssen meets the Ghost and the Fango audience jumped. Eric and Michael had a blast and would like to thank their gracious host Fangoria editor Tony Timpone and all the fans who came by.
Here it is! See the teaser poster below!
Incidentally, writer/director Eric Red will be doing a panel with “100 FEET” star Michael Pare at the LA Fangoria Convention. The panel will be this Saturday (04/26/08) at 6:00 PM at the Los Angeles Convention Center (1201 S. Figueroa St.)
John Fallon (who plays Jimmy in the film) recently released his 100 FEET acting diary. You can read PART 1 of it HERE and PART 2 HERE.
Hey all! We’re back! You can now view an approved promo reel for ERIC RED’S 100 FEET HERE! As for the film’s current status, Writer/Director ERIC RED had this to say:
Eric Red: We are in the last stages of post production and will have more news soon..
Expect more Blog updates to roll on in within the following weeks!
Michael Pare as Mike Watson
Michael Pare: I was at the AFM promoting another film and ran into Eric Red. We hugged and he said he was making another movie and before he could say anything else I asked if I could be in it. He said he actually wrote a character with me in mind. It was a ghost story with an offer out to Famke and he wanted me to play the ghost. Of course I said yes absolutely, Bad Moon was such a wonderful experience I couldn’t wait to read the script and get to work.
My character Mike Watson is married to Marnie (Janssen) right out of the police academy. Like 99% of the people that become cops I wanted to be like my heroes fighting for right, saving the under dog and locking up bad guys. Then life’s dark realities started to become more apparent and I became jaded. Marnie knew me better than anyone, and saw me turning and giving into first anger then depression then to temptation and finally self loathing. That is when the abuse started. When I looked at my wife I saw reflected in her eyes who I had become “A BAD GUY” I hated myself and was aware that Marnie knew what I become; a vile creature. She was still good and pure and I couldn’t stand her.
When I passed over thanks to that self righteous bitch I found myself in this cold empty void that made me feel like I was washing down an endless dirty toilet bowl full of the foulest waste from the lowest beast. The only thing that keeps me from drowning is my hate for Marnie and my hunger to exact some revenge by torturing that bitch. If she had only waited a little longer I could have taken an early retirement. But that barren waste land of a women just kept looking at me with those eyes that said you are not the man I fell in love with you are not a good guy, you’re just a piece of shit crooked cop that is worse then the lowest crack smoking rapist mugger piece of shit because at least they don’t deny who they are. Well fuck her let’s see how she likes it where I am.
That is kind of where my character comes from and that came out from time spent with Eric just talking about what his story needed. Working this way is really my favorite I hope it serves the story well and entertains the audience.
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(Right) Writer/Director Eric Red (Left) Editor Anthony Redman.
ERIC RED: We are working in a facility in Hollywood, California and are about a month into the editing of the picture. I’m enjoying working again with veteran editor Anthony Redman, who did a great job for me on “BODY PARTS.” The picture is scary and frightening and really shaping up.
At the moment the running time is about 105 tense minutes. I’ve cut a few scenes from the script that were shot because the editing is the final rewriting. The picture has a slow and deliberate build, then its balls to the wall. Our sound editor is Stephen Hunter Flick, who did the sound for the “THE HITCHER” and also did films like “DIE HARD,” “ROBOCOP” and “TOTAL RECALL.” Sound and frightening use of subliminal sound effects will play a big part in the fear factor of this film.The film will be completed in January 2008. The foreign sales company is Voltage Pictures and territories all over Europe have already been sold.
In terms of domestic distribution the film is presently in post and only once its completed will the “100 FEET” team begin exploring the varied domestic distribution deals that are on the table. The exact release date in 2008 will be determined at that point.
I’m happy to report “100 FEET” has one of the scariest scenes in any of my films. The audiences I’ve screened it for have talked at the screen and literally jumped out of their seats. What is satisfying for me is that there is no blood in this sequence at all!
In the coming weeks, look for more stills and some select scenes from the film to be released on The Arrow at Arrowinthead.com/JoBlo.com.
Eric Red: “It’s in the can. The shoot went smoothly, on schedule and budget. The cast and crew were awesome. We all feel we have a terrific picture here, and it’s exciting to begin post production and start cutting. I’ll keep you posted over the coming months while we finish the film.”
Eric Red has left the building…
PART 2 - By Eric Walkuski
INTRO: Almost immediately after I arrive on the set for Day 2 of shooting, Eric Red tells me that they’re just about to drive along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, filming the scene where Cannavale’s detective drives Janssen home from prison. I’m pissed because I have arrived later than the previous day, and figure I’ve missed the pick-up shots from yesterday’s aborted final scenes, and now I’m to spend most of the afternoon sitting alone in my patented notebook-in-hand pose. Luckily, the world isn’t as glum as all that, and Red politely asks if I’d like to ride along with them. In the camera car. In front of the monitor. Why, yes I would!
DAY 2
Myself on the camera car
Next thing you know, I’m sitting next to the script supervisor, who’s sitting next to Red, who’s sitting next to D.P. Kelsch, and soon we’re off (I must add that the driver of this monstrous vehicle, Gabe, wanted a shout-out in the article - and since I’m still alive, I’m happy to oblige.) There are two cameras going: one is hanging on the edge of the actor’s vehicle (which of course if being towed by the camera car), trained on Famke’s face; the other is mounted on our car, capturing the scenery as we zip passed it - acting as Famke’s character’s p.o.v. of the city she’s been absent from for so long. (this will also liley serve as the film’s opening credit sequence.)
Red and Kelsch and where we all might end up…
I must say that this experience is utter madness. Since I’m teetering on the edge of this contraption - and since everyone else is perfectly concentrated on the work at hand - I’m able to ponder my mortality every time a gigantic semi flies passed us at 60 m.p.h. Needless to say, it’s absolutely thrilling, as well. We pull over after about a half an hour and the team switches things around: the outside camera previously pointed at Famke is rearranged to point at Cannavale; and a new camera is positioned inside the car, which will double for Famke’s p.o.v as she looks at Cannavale. It’s frankly amazing how quickly this turnaround is accomplished. (Fun fact: Cannavale talks over his walkie-talkie to the character of Jimmy, to be played by our own John Fallon!)
Unfortunately, this change necessitates that an extra crew member board the camera-car, so I’m relegated to a “background” car. This is not even as fun as it doesn’t sound. (Although a cool photo is at least produced) After returning to the main set, lunch is called, and most trudge off to a nearby church where the crew eats. I hang back and wait for another Famke sighting - and get one. She’s standing outside of the building that acts as her trailer - where her wardrobe and makeup is done. She toying with her Blackberry, and I figure I’ve got to man up and be a pushy reporter, damnit. I walk up to her and she clocks me instantly. “Oh you’re the reporter,” she says.
Red and Cannavale in between set-ups.
I meekly answer yes and wonder if she’s available to talk for a spell, informing her how nearly impossible it’s been to find a free moment with her. “Well I’m very busy,” she says with a smile, and then lets me know she’s only outside right now because there’s no reception available in her makeshift trailer. I tell her it’s my intention to steal her for two minutes, and it seems like she’s open to it, but then she spots something - and says “Ah shit.” As is summoned by a cruel God, a crewmember is hustling over to where we stand. “I’m supposed to be getting dressed.”
Indeed, the crewmember has the next scene in mind, and his mere presence is enough to send Famke hurrying down to change clothes. “Well,” I sigh, “I’ll be around, so if you get another free second-““Okay!” she says, and then her door slams. Folks, you can’t make this stuff up.
The oh-so-precious scene in question is actually a fun one: Famke is running through a narrow alley (followed by a lithe steadicam operator) with bags of garbage, hoping to catch a sanitation truck before it drives off. She runs into a problem when it turns out her rubbish isn’t “tied” correctly, and the garbageman isn’t making any concessions. The take-no-shit city employee is played by none other than take-no-shit D.P. Ken Kelsch, who delivers his lines (“Twist ties! Twist ties, twist ties!!”) with enthusiastic bluster. “Marnie” drops the trash at his feet and runs back to her apartment, and with every take Ken manages to yell a different string of filthy obscenities. I know which was my favorite - but I can’t even bring myself to reproduce it here. I hope you get to hear it in the film.
Famke and her scariest nemesis yet…
The next, and final, sequence of the day involves a group of approx. seven onlookers rushing down the street (toward the camera) and gaping at some unseen occurrence. I ask Red what’s going on in the scene, and right as he’s about to explain it to me (with the understanding that I don’t spoil it in my report), he wonders if I’d like to be one of the gawking extras. Now, I haven’t been boning up on my Stanislavsky as of late, but I feel confidant that I can appear shocked and confounded as good as anyone. So, all of a sudden, it’s down the block with me and the other “background artists.” I kick ass in each and every take (what are the chances I’m delusional about this?), and we quickly wrap. So when you see the flick and this scene arrives, I’m the dude in the “Brooklyn Fliers” t-shirt who looks even MORE amazed than everybody else.
So while I did not get my true one-on-one with Famke (aren’t my tales of striking-out more amusing than a boring old interview anyway?), I was lucky enough to have a few experiences I did not at all see coming. I got to ride on a camera-car, and I acted the hell out of a scene in a major motion picture (again, I doubt I have a skewed memory of this).
I would like to thank Eric Red, the fantastic cast and crew of 100 FEET, and John Fallon especially for providing this terrific opportunity. Can’t wait for the next one.
PART 1 - By Eric Walkuski
INTRO: A month or so back, John Fallon (aka The Arrow) announced the exciting news that he’d be participating in writer/director Eric Red’s new effort,100 FEET, playing a role most of us would slap our mothers for: He’s the guy who gets to kneel before Famke Janssen and attach an electronic bracelet to her ankle. “Lucky @&%#&!” I thought.
Not long after, John asks if I’d be interested in covering the Brooklyn portion of 100 FEET (all of the film’s interiors are shooting in Budapest). I replied something along the lines of “F**K yeah!” and soon enough I had received the confirmation that I’d be in the presence of Eric Red (the man who wrote THE HITCHER and NEAR DARK for f*cks sake!) and, even more amazingly, Ms. Janssen, beautiful star of the X-MEN trilogy, GOLDENEYE, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, and a personal fav of mine: DEEP RISING (like you don’t dig it).
I had written about 15 questions each for the director and stars of the film - fully prepared to get a few minutes of alone-time with each of them. After all, the previous month of interviews I had done for the Tribeca Film Festival and 28 WEEKS LATER had gone so smoothly, I figured it was always a piece of cake… But I’d never conducted interviews on a film-shoot - specifically, an independent, we-don’t-have-all-the-f*cking-time-in-the-world-here! filmshoot - so I was in for a wake-up call.
DAY 1
It’s a gorgeous day in Fort Greene Brooklyn, and I stroll down a block made up of beautiful old brownstones, approaching the set of 100 FEET. The action is focused around a parked car, and I immediately recognize its driver as Bobby Cannavale (star of t.v.’s THIRD WATCH and flicks like THE STATION AGENT and SNAKES ON A PLANE). Getting out of the back seat is a leggy brunette and I halt in my tracks - but this isn’t Famke, it’s her equally tall stand-in.
I begin to hear the name “Eric” repeated over and over, and follow the chorus of questions and demands to where Eric Red is standing, lighting a cigar. (This cigar and others like it are a constant fixture on Red; I don’t think I ever spotted him without one.) A brief window appears where he’s not being harassed the way a director always is, and I introduce myself as being from Arrow in the Head. He’s immediately hospitable (he and John have been friends for years) and basically gives me carte blanche to photograph whatever I want and to stick my nose in wherever it can fit. I’m excited by this freedom, and yet a bit apprehensive as to actually playing the role of nosy journalist.
Eric Red
He describes the scene being filmed: Bobby Cannvale’s “Detective Shanks” is keeping a close eye on the brownstone across the street, where earlier in the day he’s dropped off ex-convict Marnie (Janssen). Marnie has just exited prison after 2 years for manslaughter - the victim being her abusive husband and Shank’s former partner on the force. Shanks hates Marnie with a passion and is just waiting for her to slip up - or cross the 100 feet allowed by her bracelet - so he can ship her right back to jail. Of course, neither he nor she are aware - yet - that Marnie’s husband’s spirit hasn’t left the apartment and is out for revenge.
The scene is quickly finished and up next is a fantastic crane shot that begins up high as the car drives up to our brownstone (which unlike all the others has piles of dead leaves and is dressed to look dilapidated). It lowers as the car stops and Cannavale and Janssen exit, and settles on a medium shot as they walk up to the house’s entrance. I get my first glimpse of Famke. She is as enigmatic as she appears on the screen - a true presence. I am already gathering my nerves for the moment I’ll approach her…
The elaborate crane shot takes about 6 or 7 times to get just right - and of course between each take is about 10-15 minutes of waiting. After almost every take, Famke runs up to her dog Licorice, who waits dutifully nearby with a faint look of celebrity-owned-pet smugness. I cannot possibly interrupt this communion, can I?
Marnie’s NEW prison
I find another moment when Red isn’t bogged down and spend a few quality minutes with him. After asking why shoot the interiors in Budapest (it’s cheaper and they have great crews) I inquire, why set this story in Brooklyn? Having gone to high school not far away from where we are on DeKalb ave., Red is familiar with these old brownstones, and their expansive interiors (both spacious and comfortable, as well as shadowy and ominous), are perfect for the eerie tone he’s going for.
95% of the film takes place within these confines. Red calls this a very old-fashioned ghost story - inspired by films like THE INNOCENTS - while having a recognizably “New York” feel (he cites WAIT UNTIL DARK as an influence - a film that also takes place almost-exclusively inside a NY apartment). To help realize this unique approach, he hired Ken Kelsch as cinematographer. Kelsch has shot many an Abel Ferrara movie (DRILLER KILLER, BAD LIEUTENANT, THE ADDICTION) as well as BIG NIGHT and the REAR WINDOW remake, so the man knows New York, as well as claustrophobia. (He also knows how to act up a storm, but I’ll get to that later.)
Red and Kelsch enthusiastically speak of their use of 35mm Panavision cameras (both look horrified when I ask if DV was ever a consideration). The entire widescreen frame will be utilized, capitalizing on the large, spooky interiors of the home. By design, Red says this is the least amount of coverage he’s ever done for a film. Instead of loads of angles for every scene, Red will use the bare minimum. But these shots will be long and eerily drawn-out. Honestly, he seems to have a pretty fantastic vision for this ghastly tale.
I ask about the villainous ghost (to be played by Michael Pare) who will be terrorizing Marnie in her apartment, and how it will be realized. This monster, unlike those seen nowadays in almost every American ghost story, is birthed not by CGI (a welcome relief), but by practical effects. Pare will be transformed by special make-up effects artist Paul Jones (GINGER SNAPS, WRONG TURN, SILENT HILL), and while unable to show me a design, Red assures me this is one nasty piece of work.
Director of Photography Ken Kelsch and Red
After Red has run off to attend to another issue, I wait countless minutes while another setup is.. well, set up. Then IT happens. I’m sitting there on a stoop, notebook in hand, pen at the ready (a position I am frozen in for perhaps 75% of the visit) and before I know what’s happening, Famke Janssen sits down next to me. I mean, RIGHT next to me. My mind and heart go into hyperdrive and I’m opening and closing my mouth dumbly like a fish. Meanwhile, her hair and makeup team-of-two stand in front of her, and all engage in a perfectly bizarre conversation that I’d most likely not understand even if I hadn’t just transformed into the world’s biggest sweaty-palmed dork (you can call me a pussy all you want, but I’d like to see you gather up your balls while a gorgeous movie star is suddenly sitting two feet away from you).
Finally, I feel it’s my duty to warn her and her friends that I’m a journalist for a major movie website, and may just have to transcribe what peculiar things I’ve overheard . She in turn threatens to have me fired if I follow through… Neither of us are serious - not completely, anyway.
Of course, she’s called away to set before that little bit of friendly awkwardness has a chance to lead into a meaningful interaction (and before I’m able to persuade her to chat by saying something utterly hilarious and engaging). I’m glad at least the introductions are over, and having calmed down a bit, I am prepared for when she inevitably returns… This was not to be, as a pudgy crewmember sat down in her place (a man who was just this close to getting kicked down the stairs), and the rest of the day’s schedule was unendingly hectic.
Around 4pm, storm clouds eerily gathered out of nowhere, and the production continued hastily. By the time 4:30 rolls around: chaos. Gusts of wind unlike any I’ve ever encountered in the city began to whip turmoil all around us. Papers flew, the crane wheezed unsteadily toward a building (fortunately it was halted by alert grips before it had a chance to cost the production some serious dough). Across the avenue in a park, a literal tornado was forged and a dust cloud like something out of THE MUMMY loomed horrifically. If it sounds biblical, believe me, it was (a producer remarks to me amid the bedlam that it’s too bad they weren’t filming THAT). I ran up to a frustrated Eric Red, who made it quite obvious the day’s work was prematurely done. Satisfied that I’d be back to see another day, I dashed off for shelter from God’s wrath.
