Interview with StephenKingShortMovies.com

Thank you to Óscar Garrido at StephenKingShortMovies.com for asking me and the rest of In the Deathroom's cast to participate in your interview! 

The complete interview is available at StephenKingShortMovies.com. Here are the first few questions:

Screenshot from the opening sequence of In the Deathroom.

SKSM: Could you start with telling me a bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?

Ashley Good: My name is Ashley, and I am an independent filmmaker and screenwriter from Victoria, British Columbia (Canada), as well as the Programming Coordinator at a local filmmakers society.

SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become a filmmaker?      

Ashley Good: I decided to become a filmmaker when I realized that if I wanted to have any of my screenplays made, I was going to have to film them myself.

While Victoria’s film industry is growing, the majority of projects being shot here are backed by large American production companies, which won’t accept unsolicited screenplays. So you can’t get an agent, unless you’ve had your work produced, and you can’t get your work produced until you have an agent… It’s a real catch 22.

My first project was a “proof of concept” pilot for a potential series that I wrote. It was incredibly low budget (some of the actors even took turns working as boom ops), but as soon as I said “action” for the first time, I knew that I wanted to focus on filmmaking.

SKSM: When did you make In the Deathroom? Can you tell me a little about the production? How much did it cost? How long did it take to film it?

Ashley Good: In the Deathroom was shot over one day in October. It was one of the most straight forward productions that I have worked on, as I had a very clear mental image of how I wanted it to look. It was a tricky to explain my “game show” plans to the rest of the crew, but as soon as one of the leads, Ross Ogilvie (Escobar) said “Like Running Man!” the rest of the crew understood.

The entire production had a budget of less than $500 CAD.

SKSM: How come you picked In the Deathroom to develop into a movie? What is it in the story that you like so much?

Ashley Good: I picked In the Deathroom because it of its twisted underlying dark humour. My own projects have all been dark comedies, so I wanted to pick a Dollar Baby that I could hopefully do justice to. Popsy would have been interesting to attempt, but it would have been so out of my comfort zone to direct that I don’t believe I could have been true to the story.

Read the rest, here.

Update time!

I realized that I haven't made a blog post about anything Black Frames related in a while, so here is a quick update!

2017 kicked off with a bang as I began pre-production for Black Frames' first feature length film, PITY PARTY. Pity Party is now wrapped and is set to enter the film fest circuit in early 2018! For more information about this project, visit Black Frames' project page or visit PityPartyMovie.com. 

Following the completion of Pity Party, I moved on to the production of a Stephen King "Dollar Baby," IN THE DEATHROOM! In the Deathroom will also be entered into film fests in early 2018, albeit festivals for short films. To learn more about In the Deathroom, visit FilmFreeway.com. 

#pitypartymovie #inthedeathroom

US AND THEM on Parliament Hill

[OTTAWA, ON - 11 September 2017] At a time when Canada is in the midst of both a housing and opioid crisis, US AND THEM's national efforts to raise awareness about homelessness and addiction through a compassionate lens has never been more relevant. And now, following the success of it's national tour, US AND THEM is set to screen on Parliament Hill.

US AND THEM was written and directed by Loughton and award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Abbott who joined the project in 2013. Abbott is the co-director and editor of the widely acclaimed film THE CORPORATION, one of Canada's most successful documentaries. At a time when Canada is in the midst of both a housing and opioid crisis, US AND THEM's national efforts to raise awareness about homelessness and addiction through a compassionate lens has never been more relevant.

Since it's release in 2015, the film has been screened for policymakers all across Canada, and is now set to have an exclusive screening on Parliament Hill for all of Canada’s MPs on September 26. The event is being hosted by the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. US AND THEM is also programmed to screen at the Union of BC Municipalities Conference in September. 

Krista Loughton is available for interviews and can be contacted directly at krista@usandthemthefilm.ca.

Thank you Modo!!

As a marketer-turned indie filmmaker, as well as the Director of Communications at CineVic, I am constantly learning new things about that #setlife.

One thing of the main takeaway from my time working on my first feature, Pity Party, is that team leadership and proper delegation is important. Really, the less that you as an artist have to worry about, the better!

Without giving away too many spoilers, Pity Party was filmed in six different locations, all over five days. Long story short, it involved a heck of a lot of gear and props! I would just like to extend a wholehearted thank you to Modo - Vancouver Island for lending us their mini-cargo van. Modo was a breeze to deal with, and gave me one less thing to worry about.

And now it's on to editing!! Follow @PityPartyMovie on Facebook and Instagram for updates.

Special Screenings of US AND THEM Offer Insight into Growing Fentanyl & Homelessness Crisis

[1 May, 2017 – Halifax NS] After a series of prominent screenings across Western Canada and the prairies, filmmaker Krista Loughton is bringing her much-talked about documentary on chronic homelessness, US AND THEM to the Maritimes for three special public showings, sponsored in part by local United Ways. The film will also be screened to policy makers during the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association's Annual Congress in Halifax on May 2-4.

When US AND THEM was first filmed, Krista Loughton’s main ambition was to get Canadian’s talking about the struggles of homelessness and drug abuse, in order to grow compassion for the most vulnerable members of our communities. Krista knew that getting people to talk about mental health and addiction would be the first step to removing the stigma that many Canadians suffer silently with, and would be the catalyst to creating real change.

While Krista’s goal of starting genuine conversations about the state of Canada’s mental health and homelessness services has been met, now is the time for our Federal and Provincial governments to take action. With British Columbia’s fentanyl overdose epidemic spreading to the rest of the country, Canada needs to implement a plan that will protect communities from this flood of tainted drugs.

"If there was ever a time when the general public needed to see this film, it’s now. With fentanyl and its brutal twin carfentanyl contaminating street drugs of all sorts, it’s more important than ever for people to understand why addiction is a public health issue, not a criminal issue. US AND THEM influences a change in thought about the root causes of addiction and chronic homelessness. Helping to remove stigma will increase support for controversial solutions such as safe injection sites and prescribed heroin treatment, which will save lives in all communities.” – Krista Loughton

In addition to its upcoming Maritimes screenings, US AND THEM is set to make its parliamentary debut in June, when it will be screened on Parliament Hill to sitting members of government. It is Krista’s hope that because of the interest shown towards the film by various members of government, that services for Canada’s most at risk individuals will be improved.

For more information, visit usandthemthefilm.ca/screenings  

Krista Loughton will be available for interviews in anticipation of these screenings. 

Screening Details:

Date & Time: May 5, 7:00PM – 9:30PM

Location: Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre, 2158 Gottingen St, Halifax NS

Ticket Information: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/us-and-them-halifax-tickets-34056193993

Date & Time: May 9, 3:00PM – 5:30PM

Location: University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Rm 242 Don and Marion McDougall Hall, Charlottetown PE

Ticket Information: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/us-and-them-charlottetown-tickets-34055709544

Date & Time: May 11, 7:00PM – 9:00PM

Location: Community Peace Centre, 22 Church Street, Moncton NB

Ticket Information: http://www.gmsenbunitedway.ca