we salute Dario Argento...

DARIO ARGENTO: MASTER OF HORROR

Born: September 7, 1940, Italy

Masterpieces: Deep Red (1975), Suspiria (1977)

Other notable films: The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970), The Cat O' Nine Tails (1971), Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971), Inferno (1980), Tenebrae (1982), Phenomena (1985), Opera (1987), Two Evil Eyes (1990), Trauma (1993), Phantom Of The Opera (1998), Sleepless (2001)

Mini Bio:

Italian director Dario Argento, son of producer Salvatore Argento and father of actress Asia Argento, began his career as a film critic. By the age of twenty he was a professional screenwriter and joined Bernado Bertolucci in writing the screenplay for Sergio Leone's western Once Upon A Time In The West (1967). After many more screenplays, Argento was signed to Italian film company Titanus, and made his directing debut in with The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970), which became an international hit. Argento followed up with two more 'Giallo' films (Italian thrillers), The Cat O' Nine Tails (1971) and Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971), both were produced by his father.

After directing for TV, Argento went back to directing 'Giallo' films, beginning with Deep Red (1975), the first Argento film to show signs of his brilliance: fantastic set pieces, roving camera, flourishing style and haunting melodies by Italian band Goblin. It made Argento internationally famous and inspired a number of other directors in the horror genre, including John Carpenter. Argento's next film, Suspiria (1977, pictured below), a supernatural thriller about a coven of witches disguised a a ballet school, is considered by many as his best work. Suspiria is a surreal piece of art, and the first part in a incomplete trilogy called 'The Three Mothers Trilogy', which is to be completed in 2007 with The Mother Of Tears.

Argento then collaborated with George A. Romero on Dawn Of The Dead (1978), helping with script development and producing for the film. Next was the second installment of 'The Three Mothers Trilogy', Inferno (1980). Argento then returned to the 'Giallo' genre with Tenebrae (1982). He then attempted to combine 'Giallo' with the supernatural in Phenomena (1985), starring Jennifer Connelly in one of her first movie roles.

Argento decided to take a break from directing and wrote and produced the first two films in the Demons series (1985-1986) with Lamberto Bava (Mario Bava's son) directing. When Argento did finally return to directing, his first project was Opera (1987, pictured below), a production that proved to be a 'very unpleasant experience'. Argento's father died during production, actress Vanessa Redgrave pulled out before filming began, his marriage to actress Daria Nicolodi fell to bits and various other accidents happened on set.

It is true that his career in the 1990's and onwards has not proved successful, however Argento recently directed two short episodes, Jenifer and Pelts, on Showtime's Masters Of Horror TV series (2005-Present). Argento's work has always come under scrutiny for being sexist, overly violent and for having a lack of plot. However, Argento reinvented the horror genre and influenced many other directors with his style, imagination and visually impressive films. He is not only considered an excellent film maker but also an artist.

taking the good with the bad...

Hey friends,

The deadline for all paperwork and contracts to be finalised was today and I am happy to announce that Just Killing Time has got the green light (also known as 'The Red Star') to go ahead. After some hard work from Producer, Cassie, and Unit Manager, Vanessa, we managed to sign off our last location, the underground car park at Warradale and have all paperwork completed, so thankyou ladies. Also, casting is completed and is as follows:

Saxon Cordeaux - Benjamin Chambers
Kimberley Hart - Businesswoman


I will be busy for the next five weeks. I am Cinematographer on Dan V's zombie film, Back To The Dead, which will commence production this Sunday. I am looking forward to this and the other productions that follow. I will be working on Jen's film The Ogre as a Production Assistant in week two. Week three, I am the First Assistant Director on Phil's film Traces Of Life. In the last week is Dave's horror film 90 Mile Desert, in which I am also First Assistant Director.

Lastly, unfortunately my beloved Liverpool Football Club were defeated by the Italians, AC Milan, in the Champions League Final in Athens this morning. They went down 2-1. I cried (like a man).


Adios,

Danny Steel

time is of the essence...

To my loyal followers,

The production is still going strong, despite there being a few problems. I still do not not have my main actor and my last location needs to be locked off. However, I have my catering organised with KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut all on board as proud sponsors (hows that for vanity publishing). I have also completed the storyboards, with the help of the talented Nick S. With Tuesday May 22nd looming as a deadline, I will need to work quickly and efficiently.

I am starting to think I will be the one in the straight jacket come the end of the year.

Cheers,

Danny Steel

we salute David Cronenberg...

DAVID CRONENBERG: BARON OF BLOOD

Born: 15 March 1943, Canada

Masterpieces: Scanners (1981), The Fly (1986)

Other notable films: Shivers (1975), Rabid (1977), The Brood (1979), Videodrome (1983), The Dead Zone (1983), Dead Ringers (1988), Naked Lunch (1991), Crash (1996), eXistenZ (1999), A History Of Violence (2005)

Mini Bio:

Canadian director David Cronenberg isn't your average film maker. Cronenberg explores themes in his films that other directors dare not touch. As a child he grew up surrounded by books and art, his father was an occasional columnist for the Toronto Telegram and a freelance writer and his mother was a professional pianist. Cronenberg's early interests included science and fiction and went on study science at the University of Toronto. However he later dropped science in favour of English.

After a friend made an ambitious student feature, Cronenberg instantly fell in love with film making. After directing two short films, Transfer (1966) and From The Drain (1967), Cronenberg would go on to form the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre with three other filmmakers. His next project, the 62 minute film Stereo (1969), used funds from a grant he obtained. His follow up, Crimes Of The Future (1970), earned him attention in art film circles.

In the 1970's Cronenberg started his horror film career with Shivers (1975), which launched him as a writer and a director. Next came Rabid (1977) and The Brood (1979), both of which some critics believed were distasteful, but many considered them to be artistic visions.



The 1980's were huge for Cronenberg, whose titles from this era include Scanners (1981, a personal favourite of mine), which is about a certain race of humans who have the ability to take control of peoples minds (even explode them, pictured), and Videodrome (1983), a film about a TV station that gradually turns its viewer's reality into video hallucination. Cronenberg also directed the film adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Dead Zone (1983), remade The Fly (1986) and directed Dead Ringers (1988). Cronenberg was able to deliver a quality of film making and storytelling not often seen in the horror genre, this raised him to international status.

This is kinda how I feel after a day at the production office.

He later went on to direct Naked Lunch (1991), Crash (1996), which won a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and eXistenZ (1999). His more recent effort A History Of Violence (2005) opened with excellent reviews, confirming that he still has it.

Cronenberg has achieved what other directors only dream of: an international reputation, constant high quality films, and a massive world-wide fan base that await his next film.

doomsday nears...

Hello there,

I have now finalised a location for shooting as we have been given the green light to use the Dungeon Cells at the Glenside Campus. Camera and lighting tests will be arranged as soon as possible.


There is still much work to be done! I am hoping to audition actors very soon (maybe this week if all goes to plan). Catering is being organised as we speak and I am still doing the artwork for the film. Also, storyboards will start this week. All must be done by May 22nd. Here is a sketch of a laughing skull for the film...


Lastly, the weekly saluting of famous directors will continue (until someone tells me it sucks or I get bored of it).

Hope you had as much fun as I did,

Danny Steel

we salute Mario Bava...

MARIO BAVA: MASTER OF THE MACABRE

Born: 31 July, 1914, Italy

Died: 27 April, 1980

Masterpieces: Black Sunday (1960), Black Sabbath (1963)

Other notabe films: Planet Of The Vampires (1965), Kill Baby...Kill! (1966), Danger: Diabolik (1968), A Bay Of Blood (1971), Baron Blood (1972), Lisa And The Devil (1973)

Mini Bio:

Italian director Mario Bava is best known for his horror films and giallo thrillers (a genre later perfected by Dario Argento). Bava was trained as a painter but followed in his father's footsteps and became a cinematographer. He developed a reputation as a special effects genius, using optical trickery and creating amazing photography effects on shoe-string budgets. Bava was always considered to be "before his time".

Bava's best known film is in fact his first, Black Sunday (1960), in which a vengeful witch returns from the dead to begin a campaign to possess the body of the witch's look-alike descendant. It is a wonderful piece of dark imagination and expressionism.


His second film, Black Sabbath (1963), is made up of three episodes, one of which stars Boris Karloff. It is laced with his strong visual style and eerie atmosphere. It is Bava's (and my own) personal favourite of all his work.

Bava is admired among many of the modern directors and his work has proved very influential: Planet Of The Vampires (1965) strongly influenced the look of Ridley Scott's sci-fi film, Alien (1979). Danger: Diabolik (1968) was one of the world's first comic book adaptations, while A Bay of Blood (1971) is considered one of the first slasher films. Among his admirers are Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Tim Burton, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci and John Carpenter.