Hey everyone! Longtime Stage32 lurker and excited to finally introduce myself and connect with other filmmakers.
My name is A.P. and I worked as a programmer in the Boston startup scene for about 8 years. My off-time was spent writing and creating short films with friends and co-workers, and I even launched a Kickstarter for an animated web series which was sadly not funded. That did not deter me, though.
When quarantine hit, I decided to re-evaluate my life's trajectory and get to the heart of why I had been going-through-the-motions the previous couple years. I moved back to be among my family in CT and decided that fears and pessimism and mountains of honest advice be damned, I was going to be a screenwriter.
I have a bifurcated interest in live action horror/thriller films, as well as animated series for teens. Two of my major career goals are to write a Friday the 13th film, and showrun my own IP like Avatar: The Last Airbender. I accept I may be insane.
In June of this year, I founded my own production company Candlepin, LLC. I'm currently in the middle of self-producing a 10-minuted animated horror short for Halloween this year called School Worries.
Separately, I'm also trying to cross that "final 10%" on my first feature script, a tight existential horror flick. It's being written around a creepy location I have authorized use of, and I'm hoping the "fast turnaround, low budget" pitch attracts financing.
My immediate goals are attaining representation, joining the Writer's Guild, and finding a producer to help on Candlepin's first feature film. I'm also pretty hungry for experience (having worked in a different industry my entire life), and would take almost any job that allowed me to be on-set. I'm starting from the bottom and would kill to join a real writer's room on a series, or work with a studio on script rewrites. Anything and anything, I'm there.
Lastly, I'm trying to step up as a producer and I'm learning everything I can, especially line producing. Shoutouts to Stage32 for some really amazing webinars on this subject.
Sorry for the long post, you have my thanks if you got this far! :)
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No worries man! I understand. I think everyone that works in this industry is a little insane anyway, so it's all good. Your projects sound really cool, too! What kind of style are you going for with your short's animation?
Melissa Spearman Thank you! And good question. Two of my favorite horror works ever are "Gyo" and "Uzumaki," which were manga written and illustrated by Junji Ito. I've directed my concept artist and animator to channel those stories while also bringing their own styles to the table.
I'm attaching a few pieces of concept art and screenshots from the in-progress School Worries so you can get an idea! It's deliberately being made in black and white for stylistic purposes.
(more School Worries concept art)
(further School Worries concept art)
(mid-production screenshot from School Worries)
(more mid-production screenshot from School Worries)
(last mid-production screenshot from School Worries)
Not sure why Stage32 doesn't allow expanding images in comments, but you can right click -> view image to see larger sizes.
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I am so happy to meet you, A.P. & so impressed with each of the goals that you've set for yourself in terms of how ultra-specific, ambitious & take-chargey they are. I cannot express to you just how important these things are to any and everyone who's looking to be a major player in this industry. Welcome to the Community!
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Nice! I think my favorite from this set is the one with the big crazy "smile" because the level of detail it has is very nice. I've also been seeing how Junji Ito has been getting more exposure in the press lately thanks to the interviews he has been doing to promote the upcoming anime adaptation of Uzamaki, so I could see how the short's style and timing could work to your advantage if you can whet the whistle of Junji Ito's audience before Uzamaki comes out next year.
Angela Cristantello Thank you! That's very encouraging to hear. I don't have time to sit around and wait for someone else to make my dreams come true. :)
Melissa Spearman Very true, and I'm super excited to see that premiere on Adult Swim/Toonami! My love started shortly after I moved to Boston back in the day and my roommate turned me on to "The Enigma of Amigara Fault," which I love dearly.
Not only just Ito, but I feel there's a general appetite for more "out there" horror these days. Saw and Paranormal Activity ran their course, so what's next? I'm not trying to outsmart or predict "the market," this was honestly just the best script I wanted to make a short out of (among many), but some stylistic decisions have definitely made production easier. Primarily the choice to exclude color, but also that the short will be somewhere in-between "animatic" and "animation."
Thank you for the kind comments too, I'll pass them along to my concept artist. :)