SCREENINGS
THE DARK
is coming to:
SACRAMENTO ROSEVILLE FOLSOM SONORA
Please revisit here for previews, test screenings, and premieres
PRESS
For Immediate Release!
Filmmakers Decide to Let the Fans Determine Outcome of Movie.
Northern California Filmmakers led by Indie Producer, Christina Marie, have decided to let the fans in on the filmmaking process.
“We wanted our fans to have a direct involvement in what we were doing.” States Christina, “We are tired of trying to push the basic rules of horror onto audiences, and we thought we should let the audience tell us what they want.”
Over the next few weeks fans have the opportunity to vote for characters to live or die. Then, those who were voted off the movie, will have a second chance to redeem themselves by competing to die last.
“We wanted to break the paradigm of ‘The black guy dies first. Then the slut. Then the fool. And the virgin lives.’ It is so predictable-not to mention racist and sexist.” Says Christina. “This will be an interesting experiment to see if the audience agrees. Who knows- maybe the audience will cling to the old rules? Only voting can tell.”
The first round of voting is now live at www.thedarkmovie.com pitting Joe against Jerry. Both are male. Both characters are actors for the Reality TV Show “8 Hours in THE DARK”. Neither one believes in ghost or demons. Who will die?
For Immediate Release:
Can a feature-length film actually be shot in 1 weekend?
Folsom based writer/producer/director, Justin Buettner seemed to think so. He came up with the idea with two other local filmmakers, Christina Marie and West Ramsey at a mixer last year, and now Christina has decided to execute.
Sacramento is very well known for their 48 hour and 10x10 short competitions where a filmmaker is challenged to create a short film (under 10 minutes long) in only 48 hours or ten days. “It’s very challenging to create a short piece with any quality in such a short time,” says Christina Marie, who has participated in over ten of these competitions in the last five years. “Fortunately, Sacramento is a hot bed for talent that is experienced with low-budget projects and short time frames.”
Christina caught the filmmaking challenge bug with her participation in, “Mercy,” a 48 hour project that took first place in Sacramento and went on to challenge the competition in Los Angeles years ago. “The core group of that project went on to further demonstrate excellence in their careers.”
Jason Bortz is now the Media Director of Stand Out Talent at the Tower Theater in Roseville, Erik Espera is a video production specialist at Adobe Systems and is responsible for creating inspirational and educational content for Adobe® TV, Erik Candiani is the Vice President of Marketing and Creative Services at KDVR - FOX 31 in Denver, Ryan Todd produces the internet sensation, “Smosh,” and Christina Marie is the creator of Indiewood, a sustainable creative district coming to Sacramento with a jobs plan that includes eight feature length films. Others from the project have moved on to jobs in Los Angeles and New York including Brian Rife, Brian Hamm, Ryan Finnerty, and Jimmy Bell.
“The people in this area have demonstrated excellence in these competitions, and now it’s time to take the next step,” Marie states. She will helm the movie with Christina Marie, and has already secured their one and only location: an abandoned, haunted hospital in Sonora. Together they will lead a team of Sacramento’s finest filmmaking talent to film a feature in a single weekend in March. “The point is not just to produce a film quickly but to make a feature with high production values that can secure distribution and find a world wide audience,” Ramsey points out.
“In order to complete such an ambitious shoot, we are going to need local support.” Ramsey says, “We also want to involve as many people as we can in the process.”
Christina Marie echoes his sentiment, “Not only do we want this to be a record-breaking shoot, we want this to have real educational value.” Marie’s non-profit, The Capitol Indie Collective is providing access to the shoot through internships and volunteer positions. “The idea is to teach the next generation of filmmakers how to solve problems of time and budget quickly and efficiently. This will make them far better at what they can do on a regular time frame.” To learn more about the film and how to get involved, please see their website www.thedarkmovie.com.
Reposted from Hospitalstay.com:
Lost Hospital — Tuolumne General Hospital, Sonora, California
Posted on November 20, 2010 by Craig B. Garner
Tuolumne General Hospital opened in 1849 as a full service, acute care hospital, providing a complete range of medical, surgical, and diagnostic treatment.Tuolumne catered to the residents of Tuolumne County and neighboring rural counties of the Mother Lode.
Originally one of the oldest healthcare systems in the nation forged by an informal partnership between local governments and merchants, the Hospital was first built to provide care to the “sick and destitute”.
On July 1, 2007, Tuolumne General Hospital ceased operations for its emergency department as well as all ancillary services. The Hospital’s Acute Psychiatric Center provided care until it closed on December 26, 2008.
When the Hospital closed, blame was cast by some on the County Supervisors. Others focused on the financial concerns the Tuolumne General Hospital faced. The Hospital conducted a study before closing and determined that only 41% of the emergency department visits were actual emergencies.
The county had also prepared a report indicating that five years prior to the Hospital’s closing, emergency department visits declined while neighboring Sonora Regional Medical Center saw an increase in emergency department visits by 1,530. In its final year, Tuolumne General Hospital had 3,842 visits emergency visits and Sonora Regional had 9,669 (13,511 total). The number of emergency visits in the area was expected to increase as high as 14,187 by 2012, a statistic Sonora Regional must now handle alone.
Today, the Tuolumne General Medical Facility offers long term care services to the community.
Letter From A Fan:
Why does this movie sound interesting to me? I know I write funny notes and things of that nature, but this is different. Working in Radiology for 28 years, of which the last 15 have been on graveyard, covering the ER as a priority. I work alone in my department, often walking the empty halls of our small hospital in the foothills. My wife worked as a nurse in the ICU, but sadly passed away in 2004. Often when a patient passes away, whether in the ER or one of the units, I'll step outside or find a private place and say a quiet prayer, just in case they have no family or close friends. So the question comes up sometimes....do I see ghosts? No. Do I fear the dark? No. I fear dying alone....no one caring enough to know I was here. But having said that, when I walk into a dark room of the hospital, right before I turn on the lights, I wonder if someone will be there, sometimes wondering if it will be my wife. You know, to say hello, give me a hug. Nothing yet, but I can only hope.
I know this is gonna be a cool movie, and even cooler cuz you're working on it. And trust me, I'll be at the front of the line to see it.
~Timothy Alan Estrada C.R.T, A.R.R.T.