Featured Work Featured Work Play Video Share Whole Channel This Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Search video... All Categories All Categories Behind the Scenes Big Island Comedy Comedy Narrative Compilation Dark Comedy Derek Frey Director's Reel Documentary Drama Educational Entertainment Events Experimental Film & Animation Filmmaking & Photography Glen Mexted Goth Rock Gothic Haunted Hawaii Horror Horror & Thriller Indie Music Leah Gallo Live Music Making of Music Music Video Music Videos Narrative Narrative Comedy Reporting & Journalism Romance Romantic SciFi Short Film Stalker Technical Difficulties The Book Club For Men Thriller Tim Burton Tim Burton Productions Valery Richardson Web-Series WItching Hour Now Playing VIATICUM | A Black Comedy | Directed by Derek Frey | Written by the Minor Prophets 14:20 Play Video Now Playing GREEN LAKE - A Hawaiian Horror Directed by Derek Frey 36:35 Play Video Now Playing PANGEA - Directed by Derek Frey, Song by Professor T & the East Side Shredders 07:10 Play Video Now Playing VAMPIRES KISS & BLOOD INSIDE Directed by Derek Frey. Music by Witching Hour. Special Appearance by Tim Burton 09:59 Play Video Now Playing GOD CAME 'ROUND (Directed by Derek Frey, Starring Deep Roy & Aiko Horiuchi) 05:00 Play Video Now Playing KILL THE ENGINE - Directed by Derek Frey 10:19 Play Video Now Playing Awkward Endeavors - Directed by Derek Frey, Written by The Minor Prophets 08:43 Play Video Now Playing Come In (The Water's Fine) A Music Video Directed by Derek Frey ~ Song by Technical Difficulties 06:02 Play Video Now Playing The Killers - HERE WITH ME - Behind the Scenes by Derek Frey 05:07 Play Video Now Playing THE BALLAD OF SANDEEP - A Short Film Starring Deep Roy, Written by The Minor Prophets, Directed by Derek Frey 27:49 Play Video Now Playing MOTEL PROVIDENCE - Directed by Derek Frey - Written by & Starring The Minor Prophets 08:56 Play Video Now Playing JUNGLE - Music Video - Directed by Derek Frey 07:06 Play Video Now Playing MR. QUIET - Directed by Derek Frey Song by Technical Difficulties 10:22 Play Video Now Playing SKY BLUE COLLAR - Directed by Derek Frey Written by The Minor Prophets 08:00 Play Video Now Playing 4th and 99 - Written and Starring The Minor Prophets, Directed by Derek Frey 14:36 Play Video Now Playing TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES | WHIPPING POST cover | Live at the Palace Theater | Hilo, Hawaii | Directed by Derek Frey 08:16 Play Video Now Playing THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN: Chapter 2 - Directed by Derek Frey 07:33 Play Video Now Playing THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 3 06:29 Play Video Now Playing THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 4 06:53 Play Video Now Playing THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 5 05:17 Play Video Now Playing THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 6 06:27 Play Video Now Playing CAPTAIN CRABCAKES - Directed by Derek Frey (1997) 10:03 Play Video Now Playing CREEP - Directed by DEREK FREY & AARON TANKENSON (2002) 03:11 Play Video Now Playing AMERICA'S GAME - Directed by Derek Frey - Written by The Minor Prophets 09:22 Play Video Now Playing THE DAY THE DOLLS STRUCK BACK! | Directed by Derek Frey & Aaron Tankenson 04:54 Play Video Now Playing THE CURSE OF THE SACRED STONE - A Short Comedy/Horror, Directed by Derek Frey 19:51 Play Video Now Playing BORN ON THE FIFTH OF JULY - Directed by Derek Frey (1996) 05:42 Play Video Now Playing BRINY DEEP - Music Video - Directed by Derek Frey 08:12 Play Video Producing: Directing: Other Endeavors: Contact: Do you have questions about my work? Or would like to hear about projects I'm currently developing? Please feel free to get in touch. derek@otherworldlyfilms.com +1 323.697.2005

Play Video Play Video Derek Frey MOTEL PROVIDENCE - Directed by Derek Frey - Written by & Starring The Minor Prophets Play Video Play Video Derek Frey VIATICUM | A Black Comedy | Directed by Derek Frey | Written by the Minor Prophets Play Video Play Video Derek Frey GREEN LAKE - A Hawaiian Horror Directed by Derek Frey Play Video Play Video Derek Frey Awkward Endeavors - Directed by Derek Frey, Written by The Minor Prophets Play Video Play Video Derek Frey GOD CAME 'ROUND (Directed by Derek Frey, Starring Deep Roy & Aiko Horiuchi) Play Video Play Video Derek Frey PANGEA - Directed by Derek Frey, Song by Professor T & the East Side Shredders Play Video Play Video Derek Frey SKY BLUE COLLAR - Directed by Derek Frey Written by The Minor Prophets Play Video Play Video VAMPIRES KISS & BLOOD INSIDE Directed by Derek Frey. Music by Witching Hour. Special Appearance by Tim Burton Play Video Play Video The Killers - HERE WITH ME - Behind the Scenes by Derek Frey Play Video Play Video Derek Frey KILL THE ENGINE - Directed by Derek Frey Play Video Play Video Derek Frey THE BALLAD OF SANDEEP - A Short Film Starring Deep Roy, Written by The Minor Prophets, Directed by Derek Frey Play Video Play Video Derek Frey 4th and 99 - Written and Starring The Minor Prophets, Directed by Derek Frey Play Video Play Video Derek Frey Come In (The Water's Fine) A Music Video Directed by Derek Frey ~ Song by Technical Difficulties Play Video Play Video Derek Frey THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN: Chapter 2 - Directed by Derek Frey Play Video Play Video Derek Frey THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 3 Play Video Play Video Derek Frey THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 4 Play Video Play Video Derek Frey THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 5 Play Video Play Video Derek Frey THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 6 Play Video Play Video Derek Frey "VIATICUM" (Official Trailer - 2024 Movie) Play Video Play Video Director's Reel: Derek Frey Play Video Play Video Derek Frey MR. QUIET - Directed by Derek Frey Song by Technical Difficulties Play Video Play Video Derek Frey AMERICA'S GAME - Directed by Derek Frey - Written by The Minor Prophets Play Video Play Video Derek Frey THE DAY THE DOLLS STRUCK BACK! | Directed by Derek Frey & Aaron Tankenson Play Video Play Video Derek Frey JIMMY - Music Video - Directed by Derek Frey Load More Short Films Play Video Search video... All Categories All Categories Behind the Scenes Birthday Bloopers Ceremony Comedy Comedy Narrative Cult Dark Comedy December 3rd Derek Frey Documentary Drama Drones Entertainment Experimental Film & Animation Filmmaking & Photography Glen Mexted Goth Rock Gothic Hawaii Horror Horror & Thriller Indie Film Leah Gallo Low Budget Making of Music Music Video Mystery Narrative Narrative Comedy Orbs SciFi Short Film Swarm The Book Club For Men Thriller Tim Burton Tim Burton Productions UAP Valery Richardson Web-Series WItching Hour VIATICUM | A Black Comedy | Directed by Derek Frey | Written by the Minor Prophets Play Video GREEN LAKE - A Hawaiian Horror Directed by Derek Frey Play Video KILL THE ENGINE - Directed by Derek Frey Play Video Awkward Endeavors - Directed by Derek Frey, Written by The Minor Prophets Play Video THE BALLAD OF SANDEEP - A Short Film Starring Deep Roy, Written by The Minor Prophets, Directed by Derek Frey Play Video CAPTAIN CRABCAKES - Directed by Derek Frey (1997) Play Video 4th and 99 - Written and Starring The Minor Prophets, Directed by Derek Frey Play Video THE DAY THE DOLLS STRUCK BACK! | Directed by Derek Frey & Aaron Tankenson Play Video SKY BLUE COLLAR - Directed by Derek Frey Written by The Minor Prophets Play Video THE CURSE OF THE SACRED STONE - A Short Comedy/Horror, Directed by Derek Frey Play Video MOTEL PROVIDENCE - Directed by Derek Frey - Written by & Starring The Minor Prophets Play Video AMERICA'S GAME - Directed by Derek Frey - Written by The Minor Prophets Play Video CREEP - Directed by DEREK FREY & AARON TANKENSON (2002) Play Video VAMPIRES KISS & BLOOD INSIDE Directed by Derek Frey. Music by Witching Hour. Special Appearance by Tim Burton Play Video THE UPPER HAND - Directed by Derek Frey & Aaron Tankenson (2001) Play Video VERGE OF DARKNESS ~ Directed by Derek Frey (1995) Play Video THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN: Chapter 2 - Directed by Derek Frey Play Video THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 3 Play Video THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 4 Play Video THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 5 Play Video THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - Chapter 6 Play Video BORN ON THE FIFTH OF JULY - Directed by Derek Frey (1996) Play Video The Killers - HERE WITH ME - Behind the Scenes by Derek Frey Play Video UFO: THE BURBANK CHRONICLES (A 1999 Mockumentary of Intergalactic Proportions) Play Video Music Videos Play Video Search video... All Categories All Categories Behind the Scenes Big Island Comedy Comedy Narrative Compilation Derek Frey Director's Reel Documentary Entertainment Events Experimental Glen Mexted Goth Rock Gothic Haunted Hawaii Horror Horror & Thriller Indie Music Leah Gallo Live Music Making of Music Music Video Music Videos Narrative People Personal Reporting & Journalism Romance Romantic Stalker Technical Difficulties Tim Burton Tim Burton Productions Travel Valery Richardson WItching Hour PANGEA - Directed by Derek Frey, Song by Professor T & the East Side Shredders Play Video GOD CAME 'ROUND (Directed by Derek Frey, Starring Deep Roy & Aiko Horiuchi) Play Video VAMPIRES KISS & BLOOD INSIDE Directed by Derek Frey. Music by Witching Hour. Special Appearance by Tim Burton Play Video BRINY DEEP - Music Video - Directed by Derek Frey Play Video The Killers - HERE WITH ME - Behind the Scenes by Derek Frey Play Video MR. QUIET - Directed by Derek Frey Song by Technical Difficulties Play Video TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES | WHIPPING POST cover | Live at the Palace Theater | Hilo, Hawaii | Directed by Derek Frey Play Video Come In (The Water's Fine) A Music Video Directed by Derek Frey ~ Song by Technical Difficulties Play Video JUNGLE - Music Video - Directed by Derek Frey Play Video SEX IS EASIER - Music Video Directed by Derek Frey Play Video I KNOW (I JUST DON'T CARE) Technical Difficulties - Music Video - Directed by Derek Frey Play Video THAT'S WHAT YOU GET - The Mars Patrol - Official Music Video Directed by Derek Frey Play Video JIMMY - Music Video - Directed by Derek Frey Play Video "Redneck Army" Trever Veilleux (feat. David Pooler) Play Video REVOLUTION TIME - Official Music Video - Directed by Derek Frey - Song by Professor T and the East Side Shredders Play Video RATSHIT WEASELS - Official Music Video - Directed by Derek Frey Play Video JOHNNY - Music Video - Directed by Derek Frey Play Video London Madness: The Technical Difficulties Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tour Play Video Moon & Star (Teaser) Play Video Delight Talkies - An Unclaimed Dowry (Teaser) Play Video Ariel (Teaser) Play Video Finn (Teaser) Play Video Evil Fruit Children (Teaser) Play Video Evil Fruit Children (Teaser B) Play Video Cult Classics Play Video Search video... All Categories All Categories Birthday Bloopers Ceremony College Movie Comedy Comedy Narrative Cult Dark Comedy December 3rd Documentary Dorm Horror Drones Early Films Experimental Filmmaking & Photography First Film Home Skills Horror Horror & Thriller Indie Film Instructionals Low Budget Music Mystery Narrative Narrative Comedy No Budget Orbs Romance SciFi Short Film Sketch Swarm Thriller UAP Werewolf BORN ON THE FIFTH OF JULY - Directed by Derek Frey (1996) Play Video THE DAY THE DOLLS STRUCK BACK! | Directed by Derek Frey & Aaron Tankenson Play Video CAPTAIN CRABCAKES - Directed by Derek Frey (1997) Play Video VERGE OF DARKNESS ~ Directed by Derek Frey (1995) Play Video THE CURSE OF THE SACRED STONE - A Short Comedy/Horror, Directed by Derek Frey Play Video UFO: THE BURBANK CHRONICLES (A 1999 Mockumentary of Intergalactic Proportions) Play Video HOME SURGERY: WITH ED & MIKE (1995) Play Video BIGFOOT: Encounter in Burbank (A Mockumentary of Mythical Proportions) ~ Directed by Derek Frey Play Video CREEP - Directed by DEREK FREY & AARON TANKENSON (2002) Play Video EVIL INSPIRATION - Directed by Derek Frey & Michael Greene (2004) Play Video MEGANATOR 1996 Play Video TIPS FOR TOTS: With Your Hosts Ed & Mike ~ Directed by Derek Frey (2006) Play Video SKETCH - Directed by Derek Frey (2000 recut)) Play Video GUMBA: TV CREATURE FROM HELL (1994) Play Video SKETCH - The Original Extended Edition (1997) Play Video THE BLUE ENTITY OF BURBANK (1998) Play Video EDZILLA (1997) Play Video THE PERVERT OF THE PARK - Directed by Derek Frey (1996) Play Video AT THE MOVIES: With Ed & Mike (Verge of Darkness Premiere at West Chester University 1995) Play Video CAMPUS COOKING: WITH ED & MIKE (1994) Play Video INTO THIN AIR (1994) Play Video MAROONED IN OUR ROOM (1993) Play Video FOREIGN MOVIE: PART 2 (1993) Play Video MOONFREAK: Creature from Hell Play Video FOREIGN MOVIE: PART 1 (1992) Play Video The Penny of Evil Play Video STINKIN IRISH BASTARD (1992) Play Video MODERN ART (1992) Play Video Odds & Ends Play Video Search video... All Categories All Categories Acceptance Speech Awkward Endeavors Behind the Scenes Birthday Ceremony Comedy Compilation Dark Comedy Department of Language & Literature Derek Frey Director's Reel Documentary Educational Entertainment Events Exhibition Experimental Film Film & Animation Filming Filmmaking & Photography Hall of Fame Horror & Thriller Howto & Style Induction Instructionals Lincoln University Lucha Libre Mackinnon and Saunders Megan Webb Fera Mexican Wrestling Mexico City MoMA Music Narrative Narrative Comedy News News & Politics People Personal Promo Science & Technology Scoring short Film Short Film Sketch Speech Stop Motion The Art of Tim Burton The World of Tim Burton Tim Burton Travel Upper Darby High School WCUTV Wedding Film Wedding Movie West Chester University West Chester University Television Happy Halloween & Merry Christmas from Tim Burton, Father Christmas & The Grudge Play Video "VIATICUM" (Official Trailer - 2024 Movie) Play Video Director's Reel: Derek Frey Play Video PRAGUE TOUR 2014 - The Tim Burton Exhibit with a surprise ending Play Video Derek Frey - Hall of Fame Induction Play Video Tim Burton's Final Wish for Wonder Con Play Video Deep Roy and the Minor Prophets at the Philadelphia Premiere of The Ballad of Sandeep Play Video MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN - Derek Frey Vintage Shoot Play Video Flight of Tim Burton's B. Boy - Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Play Video The World of Tim Burton - Behind the Scenes - Prague Play Video Tim Burton's Greeting for a Midnight Frankenweenie Screening Play Video Corpse Bride 15 Anniversary Play Video Mexico City - The World of Tim Burton - Exhibition Opening Party Play Video UDHS Wall of Fame Ceremony 2018 Play Video Leah Gallo's Birthday Serenade Play Video HEROES clip Play Video Tim Burton Gets Grudged Play Video CAPTAIN SPARKY vs. THE FLYING SAUCERS (2013) Play Video Award Acceptance for God Came 'Round Play Video 4th & 99 promo tour at the Festival de Cannes - May 2007 Play Video Tim Burton's Big Fish Exit Play Video Official Teaser Trailer - "The Ballad of Sandeep" - Starring Deep Roy Play Video GOD CAME 'ROUND Short Film - Audience Feedback from the Feb. 2018 Romance Festival Play Video Lincoln University - Department of Language & Literature Promo Play Video TIM BURTON MOMA SPOT Play Video The Killers - Bones (Vevo Watch This) Play Video MEGANATOR 1996 Play Video WCUTV News - Megan Webb Fera & Derek Frey (1994) Play Video Lazer Film Productions - Title Play Video San Francisco Skyline Time-lapse Play Video GREEN LAKE - Horror Short Teaser Trailer Play Video Tim Burton wants to know, "Are you a Patriot, or are you a Vampire?" Play Video The Wedding of Leah Gallo & Derek Frey Play Video The Cast and Crew of Green Lake at the Big Island Film Festival Play Video Motel Providence- FirstGlance Film Fest Interview Play Video The Ballad of Sandeep - Irvine International Film Festival Play Video Behind the Scenes/Making of Clips & Footage Play Video Search video... All Categories All Categories Behind the Scenes Bloopers Comedy Costume Test Dark Comedy Documentary Dumbo Entertainment Events Film & Animation Filming Filmmaking & Photography Hawaii Los Angeles Making of Music Music Video Music Videos Outtakes Score Record Scoring Tim Burton Travel Behind the Scenes of THE UPPER HAND (2001) Play Video PANGEA - Behind the Scenes Play Video Behind the Scenes - That's What You Get Play Video The Making of Born on the Fifth of July Play Video Behind the Scenes of KILL THE ENGINE Play Video Behind the Scenes - Awkward Endeavors Play Video The Killers - HERE WITH ME - Behind the Scenes by Derek Frey Play Video The World of Tim Burton - Behind the Scenes - Prague Play Video Behind the Scenes - "Johnny" Music Video Play Video Behind the Scenes - The Making of the Sex is Easier music video for Technical Difficutlies Play Video Tim Burton's Big Fish Exit Play Video Behind the Scenes - Corpse Bride "Finale" recording at Abbey Road Studios Play Video Behind the Scenes - Superman Lives Costume Tests Play Video Behind the Scenes of Sky Blue Collar Play Video Dumbo - Circus Shot Play Video Behind the Scenes - Verge of Darkness (Brandywine River Attack Sequence) Play Video Desmond Frey - "Where's Dumbo?" Play Video Deep Roy gets slimed - Behind the Scenes of God Came 'Round Play Video Behind the Scenes - Big Fish Score Record Play Video Flight of Tim Burton's B. Boy - Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Play Video The Making of the MR. QUIET music video. Part 1 (2004) Play Video The Making of the MR. QUIET music video. Part 2 (2004) Play Video Behind the Scenes of the JIMMY music video (2006) Play Video Blooper Reel - Into Thin Air (1994) Play Video Technical Difficulties - Behind the Scenes - Palace Theater Hilo, Hawaii Play Video Clip #03 The Ballad of Sandeep - Air Studios Scoring Sessions Play Video Clip #07 The Ballad of Sandeep - Air Lyndhurst Studios Scoring Sessions Play Video Clip #02 The Ballad of Sandeep - Air Lyndhurst Studios Scoring Sessions Play Video Clip #01 The Ballad of Sandeep - Air Lyndhurst Studios Scoring Sessions Play Video Clip #05 The Ballad of Sandeep - Air Lyndhurst Studios Scoring Sessions Play Video Clip #10 - The Ballad of Sandeep - Air Lyndhurst Studios Scoring Sessions Play Video Clip #11 The Ballad of Sandeep - Air Lyndhurst Studios Scoring Sessions Play Video

Derek Frey is a passionate and prolific filmmaker with twenty years of leadership experience producing live-action and animated films for the major studios and serving as director, editor, and cinematographer on several award-winning independent projects. He has been an integral member of filmmaking teams on an array of blockbuster projects from initial development and pre-production, through post and release. He has had the pleasure of assembling some of the most renowned talent both in front and behind the camera. Recently, Derek has been producing Zero , an action/adventure/comedy for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, and Toto , an animated musical retelling of The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of Dorothy’s loyal dog. Frey previously served as producer of Aliens: Expanded (2024), In Search of Tomorrow (2022), Dumbo (2019), Executive Producer of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) and Big Eyes (2014), Producer of the Here With Me (2013) music video for The Killers and Co-Producer of Frankenweenie (2012). Derek also served as Associate Producer of Dark Shadows (2012), Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Corpse Bride (2005), and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (2005). Films Frey has worked in a producer capacity have earned over $2.9 billion at the box office. Frey progressed within multiple positions for Tim Burton Productions, joining the company in 1996, and swiftly advanced to the head of the organization. Frey also oversaw an in-house graphic design, photography and writing team for the creation of high quality consumer products, merchandise and publications related to Burton's projects and artistry. In 2009 Frey worked closely with curators from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for the formation of the popular The World of Tim Burton exhibition which has made record-breaking stops around the globe. Frey wrote the Frankenweenie-based short film Captain Sparky vs. the Flying Saucers (2013). He also edited the award-winning publication The Art of Tim Burton (2009) and produced the documentary A Conversion with Danny Elfman and Tim Burton (2011). Derek served as Production Coordinator of the animated series The World of Stainboy (2000) as well as the music video Bones (2006) for The Killers. Early in his career, he assisted Burton on Mars Attacks! (1996), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Planet of the Apes (2001), and Big Fish (2003). Derek has also directed numerous indie featurettes, shorts, series, documentaries, and music videos that have achieved success on the film festival circuit. Some of his notable works include Viaticum (2024), The Book Club for Men (2023), Awkward Endeavors (2022), Pangea (2018), and God Came 'Round (2017). His dark comedy, Kill The Engine (2017), won 45 awards, including Best Comedy and Best Director at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards. His horror featurette Green Lake (2016) won 50 awards, including Best Short at the Honolulu Film Fest and Best Short, Director, and Cinematography at the NYC Indie Film Awards. Derek's other acclaimed projects include Motel Providence (2014), Sky Blue Collar (2013), and The Ballad of Sandeep (2012), as well as music videos and documentaries featuring music by Professor T & the East Side Shredders, The Killers, Technical Difficulties, Delight Talkies, Trever Veilleux, Witching Hour, and The Mars Patrol. Frey graduated with honors from West Chester University in Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies with a concentration in Journalism. He is also a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). FILMOGRAPHY ZERO (TBD) Producer TOTO (TBD) Producer UNTITLED TIM BURTON DOCUMENTARY (2024) Interviewee VIATICUM (2024) Director THE REDNECK ARMY (2024) Director ALIENS: EXPANDED (2024) Producer THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN - (2023) Chapters 2-6 - Director IN SEARCH OF TOMORROW (2022) Producer AWKWARD ENDEAVORS (2021) Director REVOLUTION TIME (2020) Director RATSHIT WEASELS (2020) Director DUMBO (2019) Producer PANGEA (2018) Director COME IN (THE WATER’S FINE) (2018) Director GOD CAME ‘ROUND (2017) Director KILL THE ENGINE (2017) Director MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN (2016) Executive Producer GREEN LAKE (2016) Director THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN LIVES: WHAT HAPPENED (2015) Interviewee BIG EYES (2014) Executive Producer MOTEL PROVIDENCE (2014) Director SKY BLUE COLLAR (2013) Director CAPTAIN SPARKY vs. THE FLYING SAUCERS (2013) Writer THE KILLERS: HERE WITH ME – BEHIND THE SCENES (2013) Director THE KILLERS: HERE WITH ME (2012) Producer FRANKENEENIE (2012) Co-Producer VAMPIRES KISS/BLOOD INSIDE (2012) Director DARK SHADOWS (2012) Associate Producer ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER (2012) Associate Producer A CONVERSATION WITH DANNY ELFMAN AND TIM BURTON (2011) Producer THE BALLAD OF SANDEEP (2011) Director ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010) Associate Producer THE CURSE OF THE SACRED STONE (2010) Director AMERICA’S GAME (2009) Director SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (2007) Associate Producer 4th and 99 (2007) Director THE KILLERS: BONES (2006) Production Coordinator LONDON MADNESS (2006) Director CORPSE BRIDE (2005) Associate Producer CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2005) Associate Producer BIG FISH (2003) Director’s Assistant THE DAY THE DOLLS STRUCK BACK! (2002) Director CREEP (2002) Director MEDICATION DREAMS (2002) Cinematographer PLANET OF THE APES (2001) Director’s Assistant SEX IS EASIER (2001) Director THE UPPER HAND (2001) Director LOST IN OZ (2000) Director's Assistant THE WORLD OF STAINBOY (2000) Production Coordinator SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999) Director’s Assistant MARS ATTACKS! (1996) Director’s Assistant VERGE OF DARKNESS (1995) Director

NEWS Welcome to the news section! Stay up-to-d ate with the latest with Derek's creative endeavors . New Tim Burton Docuseries Premieres At Tribeca Film Festival Johnny Depp, Michael Keaton and Jenna Ortega are among the stars featured in a new docuseries on Tim Burton that is premiering Monday evening at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Part one of the four-part documentary—which is currently called Untitled Tim Burton Docuseries—will screen at Tribeca Monday night. Directed by Tara Wood, the official Tribeca logline for the docuseries reads, “Follow Tim Burton’s dream journey into the themes and relationships that shape his work, from the Misunderstood Monster to the dichotomy of dark vs light and the magic of collaboration with fellow ‘outsiders’ Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Helena Bonham Carter and more.” Other actors featured in the expansive project include Burton collaborators Danny DeVito, Christoph Waltz and Mia Wasikowska. In addition, Burton’s frequent composer Danny Elfman is featured in the Wood’s chronicle of the filmmaker’s work, as well as Derek Frey—who has produced several of the director’s films including Dumbo, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Frankenweenie, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Streetand Corpse Bride. “I'm honored and excited to be part of this long-overdue definitive docuseries on Tim Burton's amazing career … I can't wait for everyone to experience the wonderful labor of love director Tara Wood has created,” Frey said in a post on X Monday. The Untitled Tim Burton Docuseries first went to market at the Cannes Film Festival last month, Deadline reported. The trade publication says the four-part documentary will include never-before-seen footage. In a press release about the film, per Deadline, director Tara Wood says, “In the making of this doc, Tim’s creative family, a gaggle of creative genius, met me with open hearts and enthusiasm to share their profound insights into Tim’s unique, magical world. And it has been a truly inspiring, joyous and life-changing experience. Whatever you do or where you come from, Tim’s story will inspire you.” Wood is no stranger to directing documentaries on filmmakers. Her credits include 2019’s Quentin Tarantino QT8: The First Eightand 2014’s 21 Years: Richard Linklater. Depp paid tribute in a statement about Untitled Tim Burton Docuseries, noting, “The most important filmmaker who changed my life completely is Tim. In the very beginning, he’s the guy that fought for me.” Burton first directed Depp in Edward Scissorhands and also collaborated with the filmmaker on Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows. Burton’s long-awaited sequel—Beetlejuice Beetlejuice —is set to debut in theaters on September 6. The film reunited Burton with his 1988 Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton, who previously teamed with the director on Batman, Batman Returns and Dumbo. There is no word yet on the release of Untitled Tim Burton Documentary. January 12, 2024 Happy New Year! 2023 ended its final chapter on a high note with the Season One release of THE BOOK CLUB FOR MEN with Derek directing episodes 2-6. 2024 has much to offer with VIATICUM and ALIENS EXPANDED in post-production. Also, look for Derek later this year in Tara Wood's comprehensive four-part Tim Burton Documentary series. February 15, 2023 Fifteen years ago, The Minor Prophets and I convened to film our first collaboration, 4th and 99. It marked the beginning of a long and storied creative relationship. Today I’m proud to share our eighth effort, Awkward Endeavors. This short is based on a scene from a feature screenplay written by David Amadio, Gil Damon and Steve Kuzmick. Our original intent was to shoot the full-length film this past year, in and around our Delco roots, however the pandemic halted those plans. We opted for the next best thing and selected a sequence that showcased these lonely male leads and the bizarre relationships between them. A few special shout-outs – To Kathleen Kozak, for bringing the heart, soul and music to this project. To Nicole Py for joining the shoot after a last minute invitation, ensuring everyone looked fabulous. To Holly Kempf for her AMAZING poster design. And to Leah Gallo, for her patience through piano rehearsals with Des, filming in our home over the July 4th weekend, MULTIPLE viewings while in post-production and for your wonderful behind the scenes photography during the shoot (I’ll be posting photos in the coming days). The Minor Prophets and I are still eager to film the feature version of Awkward Endeavors, but until that day, I hope you enjoy this deep dish slice. February 9, 2022 Animal Logic confirmed today that the feature musical adaptation of Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz will be the next project produced out of their animation studio in Vancouver. The family film will connect audiences from all ages and Toto will not only appeal to fans of the original film, but it will introduce the story to a whole new generation. Told from the perspective of Dorothy’s beloved companion, the screenplay was written by John August, with two-time Tony nominee, Alex Timbers, attached to direct. The film will be produced by Derek Frey, who previously headed-up Tim Burton Productions. Pre-production has begun on the animated feature, with Timbers currently meeting key creatives and producers in Vancouver and recruitment of artists and practitioners ramping up over the next few months. Toto is the latest addition to an already prolific partnership between Animal Logic and Warner Bros., spanning more than 20 years. The Vancouver studio is currently in production on an animated film based on the DC Super Pets franchise, directed by Jared Stern and set for release in 2022. Known internationally as a digital hub, particularly for animation, Vancouver’s strong talent pool has allowed the studio to continue its growth and success alongside their Sydney headquarters. January 16, 2022 Blackpool and its main attractions have played host to a wide variety of filming and photography shoots throughout their history. Few however have involved stars as well known as the Killers, Tim Burton and Winona Ryder. Those parties, as well as Submarine and The Fundamentals of Caring star Craig Roberts, brought the town a worldwide focus when they used landmarks including Blackpool Tower and the Pleasure Beach in the band’s video for single ‘Here with Me’. Brandon Flowers and co joined their Hollywood counterparts in the town on a cold night in November 2012, filming at locations including the tower’s iconic ballroom and dungeon, the Horror Crypt and the Pleasure Beach. In the video, the band are seen performing in the ballroom as the video intercuts to scenes of a love story involving Roberts’ character and a waxwork of Ryder’s. Early on, Roberts is seen purchasing a ticket to see Ryder’s performance and Ryder is seen autographing and taking pictures with fans, while Roberts gazes at both Ryder and her wax mannequin. Seeing the resemblance in the wax mannequin, Roberts decides to take her and embarks on several dates with her, filling the apparent emptiness he feels of not having the real Ryder beside him. The surreal date scenes include trips to the beach and a slow dance and the video ends Roberts is seen lighting a candle wick on top of Ryder’s wax mannequin and his own head. Filming took place while the band was in the UK for a tour but the location was actually selected by Burton, who is best known for films like Nightmare Before Christmas and Batman Forever but had also directed another of their videos. Explaining the choice, he said: “The first time I saw The Killers perform live was in Blackpool, U.K. shortly after completing work on our first collaboration, the music video for Bones. When I heard the song Here With Me I remembered seeing a wax figure of Winona in Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks in Blackpool. “The concept of the video is inspired by the 1935 film Mad Love, starring Peter Lorre, as well as the works of Mario Bava. It was a pleasure to film in Blackpool and to work with The Killers, Winona Ryder and Craig Roberts.” The night before filming, the band were spotted by fans as they watched James Bond film Skyfall at the nearby Odeon cinema. Cinema manager Samantha Sinclair, was quoted at the time as saying: “It was really exciting. “They were happy to have photos taken with locals… They were really nice, not very chatty but I know they had to cancel their gig on Tuesday because Brandon lost his voice.” Producer Derek Frey gave more insight into the location choice in an interview with Little Black Book. He said: “Blackpool actually has many traits that typify Tim’s aesthetic. Most of his projects over the last ten years have been filmed in the UK, including Alice in Wonderland and Sweeney Todd, both of which are set in the UK and include seaside locations. “Blackpool has a very non-descript, yet haunted feel. Filming in November provided a very desolate feel which heightened the emotional impact of the video.” On the logistics of the shoot, he added: “The majority of night shooting was contained to the Blackpool Pleasure Beach which had closed for the season just a week prior to filming. “This made the filming process relatively easy. The most challenging aspect of the production was the preparation time for the shoot. “Things came together extremely quickly in the days leading up to the shoot and the limited time allotted to film made for a long couple of days and nights.” Blackpool’s reputation for a filming location returned in recent weeks with many of Netflix hit Stay Close filmed in the town and other parts of Lancashire. Tim Burton's 10 Most Frequent Collaborators - Over his 40-year career, visionary filmmaker Tim Burton has built a team around him who help transform his unique style and voice into movie magic. BY LEIGH BICICA June 29, 2022 Tim Burton's upcoming Netflix series Wednesday marks a move into new territory for the director and producer. Yet the television show will be undoubtedly Burtonesque - and that's not just due to Burton. Over a career spanning 40 years, the filmmaker has built up a team of incredible talent, from actors and writers to producers and editors, who aid him in creating his unique fantastical worlds. Burton consistently has extensive praise for his collaborators . In interviews and commentaries for his films, he comes across as humble and down-to-earth, never hesitating to point out a great wig or beautifully-crafted prop. Even though he ultimately decides what ends up on the screen, he clearly loves and trusts the artists around him, and wants to support them as much as they support him. 10. John August, Screenwriter. John August has written five Burton films, starting with 2003's Big Fish (which resulted in a BAFTA nomination). He is particularly skilled at adaptation, with most of his screenplays being based on novels, television series, or previous Burton stories or shorts. His best script for a Burton film is arguably Big Fish; it's sweet, whimsical, and profound without being too sentimental, and it has a sweeping, unorthodox narrative. 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , with its surreal tone, offbeat humor, and satirical one-liners, is also a stand-out. 9. Ve Neill, Make-Up Artist. Make-up artist Ve Neill is behind some of the most striking looks on film. She has collaborated with Burton six times between 1988 and 2007, and received Academy Awards for her work on Beetlejuice and Ed Wood and was nominated for Edward Scissorhands . Neill has a talent for fantasy films, and always knows what feature to emphasize on characters to better help audiences understand them. This is best seen with bombastic Betelgeuse's raccoon-like eyes, shy Edward's tiny black lips, and childlike Ed Wood's slicked-back hair. 8. Richard D. Zanuck, Producer. The late Hollywood legend Richard D. Zanuck produced six Tim Burton movies, starting with 2001's Planet of the Apes and ending with 2012's Dark Shadows , his final film. Zanuck's storied career is laid out in this New York Times article . The famed producer had a keen sense for knowing if a script had blockbuster potential (Jaws is one of his earlier credits) and believed Burton had universal appeal - with good reason. Alice in Wonderland (2010) made over a billion dollars at the box office. 7. Helena Bonham Carter, Actress. Oscar-nominated actress Helena Bonham-Carter worked with Burton seven times, from Planet of the Apes in 2001 to 2012's Dark Shadows. Once a couple, the pair split in 2014, making any future collaborations unlikely. Bonham-Carter has since returned to her period-piece roots. With her doe-like eyes and ability to portray characters who hide hurt behind hardened demeanors, it makes sense Burton returned to her again and again. This is best seen in her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Sweeney Todd ; her Mrs. Lovett is gritty and cunning yet deeply vulnerable. 6. Johnny Depp, Actor. For a long time, it was a given that Johnny Depp would star in every upcoming Tim Burton project. Their partnership began in 1990 with Edward Scissorhands. They worked together another seven times, with 2012's Dark Shadows being their eighth and, so far, last collaboration. Depp is known for being an extremely versatile actor whose on-screen presence is striking and charismatic. His naive, sweet, and fidgety Ichabod Crane is uncomfortable in his own skin, while aggressively wrathful Sweeney Todd, sobered by an unfair world, is bodily menacing. 5. Colleen Atwood, Costume Designer. Four-time Oscar-winner Colleen Atwood won one of them for Alice in Wonderland and was nominated for Sweeney Todd and Sleepy Hollow. She has collaborated with Burton 13 times, including the costumes for the upcoming Wednesday. From Edward's black patent leather jumpsuit to the pop-punk garbs of Alice, Atwood is masterful at using clothes to give audiences information about characters. One of the most romantic moments in a Tim Burton film occurs in Sleepy Hollow when Ichabod discovers Katrina, who reveals herself by pulling down the rose-lined hood of her silvery cloak. 4. Derek Frey, Producer. Derek Frey has been the head of Tim Burton Productions since 2001. One of his duties is overseeing the famed traveling exhibition The World of Tim Burton. Before producing nine of Burton's films, he worked as an assistant on four of the director's earlier projects. During this interview on Youtube for Dumbo , he talks with great enthusiasm and joy for Burton's art. It is clear he is a natural promoter, someone who genuinely loves the movies and can speak about them and the filmmaking process with eloquence and expertise. 3. Rick Heinrichs, Production Designer. Heinrichs and Burton's creative partnership is the oldest on this list. They met while working together on 1982's short Vincent and the original 1984 Frankenweenie when they were both Disney employees. Their most recent collaboration was 2019's Dumbo, giving them 13 collaborations. Heinrichs is highly skilled at taking Burton's sketches and turning them into full-on film sets. He won an Oscar for his production design on Sleepy Hollow, taking the 18th-century setting and giving it a spooky twist with gnarled trees, a smoky atmosphere, and a desaturated color palette. 2. Chris Lebenzon, Editor. After editing 1992's Batman Returns , Chris Lebenzon has edited all of Burton's films, including the animated ones. They have worked together 15 times. Lebenzon has a talent for editing pop fables, usually fantasies or action-thrillers, and was nominated for Oscars for Top Gun and Crimson Tide. One of the best modern-day fairytale movies , Edward Scissorhands, showcases Lebenzon's eye for storytelling, and his instinctual understanding of Burton's vision. The film has brilliantly executed cutting - particularly the scene of Peg determinedly putting make-up on the displaced Edward. 1. Danny Elfman, Composer. This Emmy and Grammy-winning icon has worked with Burton a whopping 18 times. Their collaboration started with 1985's Pee Wee's Big Adventure ; Elfman has since composed music for all of Burton's feature films (with the exceptions of Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd). Elfman is noted for his stylish, jazz-inspired scores. His music immediately sets the tone of the director's films, and his songs are an indispensable part of Burton's storytelling. The fruitful collaboration continues - Elfman composed the music for all eight episodes of Wednesday. Read More Remembering Former Quad Advisor Walter J. Fox SEP 27, 2021 Walter J. Fox, professor of Journalism and American studies at West Chester University, passed away on Aug. 8 at the age of 89. He advised The Quad for 15 years. He has impacted many students’ lives in the past and continues to do so due to his role in keeping our student newspaper alive. To honor this impact, I have collected some memories and reflections from his former students below. “Professor Fox was a great mentor and advisor to the Quad,” said Bryan Redding, Sports Editor from 1995–1999, “He led us through some very rough patches with his usual grace, insight and knowledge. Personally, he is the reason I stayed at WCU rather than transferring and I can credit him for much of the journalist I am today. While he and I did not stay in touch, I thought of him often over the years with fondness. I’m sad to hear of his passing and the world is certainly worse off.” “Professor Walter J. Fox had a deep appreciation and understanding of the power of words and encouraged students to use them,” said Derek Frey, Co-News Editor of The Quad from 1994–1995. “He inspired me to find my voice through writing and insisted that I work for The Quad. Navigating tough deadlines and a few conspicuous stories, Professor Fox was always a guiding force of stability and reason. Professor Fox also saw an existential threat to the printed newspaper and how that could erode the quality of journalism. The core of his teaching was upholding the principles and ethics of news writing. Although my career ultimately took a different path, I’ve always adhered to those values in any writing I do. One of the highlights of my time at WCU was when Professor Fox organized a trip to The Washington Post for members of The Quad. It was illuminating, and only reinforced my heroes in the realm of journalism: Bernstein, Woodward and Fox.” “I will remember Walter Fox as a kind man who was always prepared to answer a question or provide a recommendation to his students,” said Karl Nyce, Managing Editor of The Quad from 1993–1995. “His passion for teaching and journalism was reflected in his actions. He furthered my love for writing and inspired me to be the best writer I could be, even if I was just providing a small blurb in the sports section. He will be truly missed.” Caren Hefner-Pauling, Features Editor of The Quad from 1992–1993, said, “Mr. Fox was an incredible professor who encouraged me as I considered pursuing journalism as a career. I keenly remember him helping me with a Features piece that ended up being submitted for my first newspaper job (which I got!). He was a legend of his time and I feel incredibly blessed to have learned from him during my years at WCU.” “Walter Fox was a smart and caring educator. As our advisor, he supported the newspaper and its endeavors without fail. He would always have a kind word about your work and advice for improvement,” said Mark Doloughty, Managing Editor of The Quad from 1991–1994. “I certainly learned quite a bit about news writing in Mr. Fox’s classes,” said Dylan McGuire, Editor in Chief of The Quad from 1989–1992. “He had a certain dedication to the field of journalism and the things I learned from him about writing and communications really helped prepare me for my career as a writer and content creator.” John Wells, Entertainment Editor of The Quad from 1988–1990, said, “Mr. Fox was a very good mentor and always brought forth the best of what The Quad strived to be, which was a sounding board for the University and to be as diverse as possible as it related to issues both light and involved. I learned quite a bit about how to write well and look at things in a well-rounded way to encompass all views. Since I worked on the entertainment side, I learned from him that criticism was to be taken seriously and that people believe what they read and that should be taken into account when writing. He will be missed and his legacy will be felt with every person who wrote for The Quad.” Read More In Search of Tomorrow: A Journey Through ’80s Sci-Fi Cinema is a five-hour love letter to 1980s sci-fi movies and the definitive documentary on the genre. March 28, 2022 IN SEARCH OF TOMORROW ~ is finally complete! It's truly the definitive '80s Sci-Fi Doc and what a list of stars we've assembled. Super proud to have helped produce this ambitious tribute to the films and actors that inspired me as a kid. Here are some more details and stay tuned for more info on upcoming screenings and events: If you’re a fan of 80s sci-fi cinema, this is the film you’ve been waiting for! It’s the be-all, end-all of documentaries on the genre. It would probably be better for this to be a documentary series. Instead, it’s a documentary of almost five-hours long. It’s a film that celebrates our favorite movies while discussing and breaking down their impact on the world today. Unfortunately, the only way you’ll be able to watch the film is by pre-ordering it. There are over 70 interviewees in the film ranging from actors, directors, producers, writers, visual and special-effects masters, composers, production craftspersons, film critics, authors, and notable experts in the field. Everyone brings something important to In Search of Tomorrow. Whether it’s breaking down a film in question or its impact on the future, no stone goes unturned. Theatrical releases are not the only films up for discussion in the film. There’s also a look at the straight-to-video movies. Everything is discussed in a chronological basis in terms of what year a film is released. If you aren’t feeling the nostalgia by the end of this movie, you’re watching it wrong. Read More 'Toto': Animated Feature About Dorothy's 'Wizard of Oz' Dog Sets Release Date Warner Animation Group sets premiere for February 2024. By Chiara Elena Romero for Collider December 17, 2021 Whether you have watched the Wizard of OZ a million times, or have yet to even see it, you are probably familiar with Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto, who are transported from their home in Kansas to the magical land of Oz. In this 1939 American classic, they have to travel the yellow brick road to meet a wizard. And along the way meet Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) that needs a brain, a Tin Man (Jack Haley) missing a heart, and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr)who wants courage. Now this classic story will be told from Toto’s point of view in the animated feature Toto which will be released on February 2, 2024. It is not only based on the classic film, but it is also based on the book Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz by Michael Morpurgo and illustrator Emma Chichester Clark. Alex Timbers, the veteran Broadway director, who co-created and executive produced Mozart in the Jungle will direct. The screenplay was written by John August, who is known forAladdin, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Nines. Jared Stern is set to executive produce, alongside Derek Frey who will produce. Read More Warner’s ‘Toto’ Animation Gears Up. By Tom Grater for Deadline February 9, 2021 Warner Bros’ feature musical animation Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story Of The Wizard Of Oz,based on the Michael Morpurgo book, is heading into production at the Animal Logic studio in Vancouver. Alex Timbers is directing the film from a screenplay by John August – the story is a re-telling of the classic tale from the perspective of Dorothy’s beloved companion. It will be produced by Derek Frey, who previously headed-up Tim Burton Productions. Pre-production has now begun, with the recruitment of artists underway. Animal Logic and Warner have been teaming for 20 years, and are now in production on an animated film based on the DC Super Pets franchise, directed by Jared Stern and set for release in 2022. Read More Watch The Frankenweenie Short Captain Sparky Vs The Flying Saucers. By Helen Armitage for Screen Rant. November 17, 2021 Captain Sparky Vs The Flying Saucers continues the adventures of Frankenweenie’s canine Sparky, and here’s how to watch the short film online. Bull terrier Sparky is the brainchild of filmmaker Tim Burton and made his debut in the director’s 1984 short film Frankenweenie. The black-and-white, Disney-produced live-action movie pays a parody-filled homage to James Whale’s classic 1931 sci-fi horror Frankenstein and tells the tale of a young boy named Victor Frankenstein, who is a budding filmmaker and scientist who brings his beloved pet dog back to life after he’s hit by a car and killed. In 2012, Frankenweenie got the feature-length treatment with a black-and-white, stop-motion-animated movie again helmed by Burton and produced by Disney, which received largely positive reviews. The film expands on the storyline of the 1984 short and follows Victor Frankenstein - not the James McAvoy movie - as he’s blackmailed by his classmates into teaching them how to raise the dead after resurrecting Sparky. Unfortunately, Victor’s not-so scientifically inclined classmates mess up the process resulting in their hometown being overrun with mutant undead pets – including a cat-bat hybrid named Mr. Whiskers, a mummified hamster and a gang of giant Sea Monkeys. When Frankenweenie was released on Blu-ray in 2013, it was accompanied by several bonus features – one of which was a short film titled Captain Sparky Vs The Flying Saucers. It’s directed by Frankenweenie animation supervisor Mark Waring (whose other credits include Corpse Bride and Isle Of Dogs ) and is written by Frankenweenie co-producer Derek Frey . The latter also released the short via his Vimeo channel a couple of years ago. Watch Captain Sparky Vs The Flying Saucers below. Frankenweenie fans might remember that its protagonist Victor Frankenstein is an aspiring filmmaker as well as a science whiz and Captain Sparky Vs The Flying Saucers takes the form of a home movie Victor has made with Sparky. As its title suggests, the home movie is a sci-fi affair that follows Sparky as he tries to save the world from a hostile alien invasion. The short film also features the return of fellow Frankenweenie character Mr. Whiskers, although in his regular feline form rather than his cat-bat hybrid shape. It’s actually a wonder the Tim Burton movie Frankenweenie and its mini-sequel Captain Sparky Vs The Flying Saucers were ever even made. After Burton made Frankenweenie in 1984, he was fired from Disney for wasting the studio’s money by making a film too scary for its young audiences. Thankfully, notions of what was once deemed too dark for impressionable young minds have since changed which led Disney to collaborate with the filmmaker on not just the feature-length Frankenweenie and Captain Sparky Vs The Flying Saucers but other Disney-Tim Burton movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas and James And The Giant Peach too. Read More LA Times: Exclusive test footage of Nic Cage suiting up for Tim Burton’s never-made ‘Superman Lives’ Jul 02, 2015 We’ve got an exclusive look at the “holy grail” of superhero footage from the development of the Tim Burton Superman movie that never was. Titled “Superman Lives,” the late 1990s project may be dead, but the Burton Superman shall live on forever in our hearts and minds in this video of Nic Cage doing stretches in his tight, shiny Superman suit. The footage is from the documentary “The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened?” created by director Jon Schnepp in hopes of finding out what derailed this legendary unmade film. Schnepp interviewed (just about) everyone associated with “Superman Lives,” from costume designer Colleen Atwood and the director’s assistant Derek Frey (both seen in the above clip) to director Tim Burton. The interviews, combined with exclusive concept art and the amazing behind-the-scenes footage of Cage in Superman mode, paint a pretty good picture of what could have been, and it would have been insane. But that good kind of Burton insane. Probably. “The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened?” isn’t all just Cage doing super calisthenics; the documentary also puts a lot of long-held “Superman Lives” rumors on blast. For example, the lightning super suit (seen above) was not going to be used for the entirety of the film. There would be no rainbow lightbrite Superman -- a fact that Schnepp clears up. According to the documentary, that suit was made for a singular moment early on in the film. And as you can see, the suit Cage is punching abou in is a slightly darker shade of blue from the traditional suit, similar to the actor’s long, black hair. A darker Superman, if you will. Emo Supes. “The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened?” will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and video on demand on July 9 only through the documentary’s website or at booth #3915 at San Diego Comic-Con. So check it out and get the whole story from the actual people who worked on the film. Including screenwriter Kevin Smith. Meredith Woerner Meredith Woerner is the former editor for Hero Complex. She previously worked as senior reporter for io9.com, Gawker Media’s science fiction and futurism site. A graduate of University of Missouri, she has penned a vampire guidebook, witnessed Harrison Ford fight aliens (twice), and booped Rocket Raccoon’s prop nose when no one was looking on the set of “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Read More 'Superman Lives' costume test footage of Nicolas Cage in bodysuit is truly super. By Ethan Sacks for the New York Daily News Jul 03, 2015 Previously unseen costume test footage of Nicolas Cage from the never-made "Superman Lives" movie is circulating the web faster than a speeding bullet. Debuting on the L.A. Times' Hero Complex site , the clip from the upcoming documentary, "The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened?," shows a 1997 test in which the actor donned a gunmetal blue latex body suit over his surprisingly muscular frame. "You were saying it feels looser the more I wear it?" Cage asks costume designer Colleen Atwood as he stretches out his costume. "This is great, look at that," he marvels. Though her super-suit would never make it to the big screen, the three-time Oscar winnng Atwood will ultimately get to wade into the super hero genre after having designed the duds for CBS' upcoming series, "Supergirl." "(The costume test footage) is the holy grail," "Superman Lives" director's assistant Derek Frey says in the clip for the documentary. The clip also gives a glimpse of what might have been had screenwriter Kevin Smith and director Tim Burton been able to get "Superman Lives" up, up and away. With it's sculpted muscle-padding, the costume looks a lot like the Bat suit that Michael Keaton wore in Burton's "Batman." Director Jon Schnepp's documentary examines why the high-profile project never made it to the big screen in a single bound. "The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened?" will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and video on demand on July 9 on www.tdoslwh.com Read More Hilo rock band Professor T and the East Side Shredders gets political with new EP and music video Big Island Music Professor T and East Side Shredders are back with a new EP and video entitled Ratshit Weasels. The record was produced by guitarist/songwriter Trever “Professor T” Veilleux and recorded by Rob Abe at The Spider House in Volcano, HI. The band includes Jesse Shatternick on bass and Zach Var on drums. Musically, Ratshit Weasels draws from a variety of influences from reggae to blues to funk all played with a heavy rock edge. Previously, when making a record, Trever would have all the songs written, demoed, and rehearsed prior to going into the studio. But this time when the band got together in the studio, he only brought some loose sketches: riffs, chord progressions, and a few lyrics. The actual song forms took shape while the band jammed in the studio giving the record a spontaneous live feel. The improvisation and musical interplay of these accomplished musicians are evident throughout. A music video for the title track was directed by Derek Frey, whose recent credits include producer of Disney’s Dumbo (2019). Director Derek Frey’s comments: Trever shared the EP with me at the end of April. I was struck by the ferocity of “Ratshit Weasels,” “Hesitation Frustration” and “Revolution Time.” It’s a rousing listen. In mid-May, he messaged asking if there was any way to do a quarantine, low budget video for the title track. The song fired me up and I was excited to have a creative outlet in the midst of the pandemic lockdown. Trever’s songwriting has always transitioned well into the visual realm. Each song I’ve had the privilege to create visuals for has been a gift, and the vignettes of social injustices presented in “Ratshit Weasels” provided ample creative fuel. Over the course of our many collaborations for Professor T and the East Side Shredders and Technical Difficulties, we’ve covered the genres of horror, adventure, comedy, fantasy, and romance. A work focusing on the difficult challenges facing America seemed like a natural, and perhaps overdue, progression. Aside from depicting these deeply rooted issues I was eager to showcase the sheer ineptitude, ridiculousness, and danger of Trump and his administration. I was in the final stage of setting up for filming when news broke of the murder of George Floyd. It was a surreal and intense experience creating this video as events were unfolding in real time around the country and world. I channeled my energy and frustration with Trump’s continued failure to address these issues into the final cut. It was challenging to lock the edit because the plight of so many continues to play out. Our two previous collaborations were “Come in the Water’s Fine” which was set in and around Green Lake, followed by “Pangea”, which showcased a volcanic eruption. Both works predated the 2018 lower Puna eruption. Now with Ratshit Weasels, we have a nation seemingly on fire. Just a bit of a warning if Trever next dreams up a doomsday song. Hopefully, if enough people get behind songs like “Ratshit Weasels” we can help stave off the apocalypse. Veilleux on the new EP: Lyrically the EP includes themes of social injustice and power to the people. Songwriter Trever Veilleux says, “When writing these songs, I could not have imagined that this record would be released during a time of such civil unrest, but these songs were inspired by those same atrocities that inspired thousands to take to the streets.” The EP is being offered for “name your own price” with all of the band’s proceeds going to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Veilleux says “With the Black Lives Matter movement and the pandemic happening now, it doesn’t feel like the right time to be charging for music. Releasing it this way allows people to get it for free if money is tight, and at the same time allows those that are able an opportunity to contribute to a great cause.” Read More Hilo Rockers Return With New Music Video – Come In (The Water’s Fine) - Big Island Music Hilo rock band Technical Difficulties has surfaced with a new music video titled Come In (The Water’s Fine). Directed by Derek Frey, the video features footage from Frey’s 2016 award-winning horror film Green Lake . Come In showcases TD’s leads Trever Veilleux and RaVani Flood telling the story of a group who venture into Green Lake, encountering a seductive Mo’o creature. Havoc ensues, turning their once tranquil vacation into a slaughter. Director Derek Frey’s Commentary: Last January I rang in 2018 at a property on the Kapoho bayfront. It was a memorable time, months before the June 2nd destruction of Green Lake and over 700 homes in and around the Kapoho Beach Lots and Vacationland communities. All locations from my 2016 film Green Lake were effectively destroyed, as well as the property I stayed at in January. Sitting unedited from a trip in 2015 was footage of Trever Veilleux and RaVani Flood for a film clip-based music video for Come In (The Water’s Fine)by Technical Difficulties. I have a long-standing creative collaboration with Technical Difficulties and the shoot provided an opportunity to return to the Hawaiian Paradise Park property where I filmed my first music video for TD, Sex is Easier, in 2001. Flash forward to 2015 while I was editing Green Lake, Trever Veilleux dusted off a concept he had for a song years before, which he thought was a good fit for the film. Technical Difficulties is no stranger to contributing songs to film’s I’ve worked on, having lent a track, along with my video clip, from their song Mr. Quiet to Tim Burton’s 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I find their music to be sonically cinematic, which is why I was drawn to their music in the first place. Songwriter Trever Veilleux’s Commentary: I had this song, originally titled “Siren Song” kicking around for years, but for some reason I couldn’t figure out how to finish it. It had parts that I really liked, and that stuck with me, but something essential was missing and I eventually gave up on it. Then years later I was present for the filming of a few scenes of Derek’s film Green Lake, and I thought that the mood and lyrical content of Siren Song would be perfect for the movie. I sent Derek a demo of Siren Song and he apparently heard some potential there and encouraged me to finish it. The film Green Lake was the inspiration I needed to complete the song. I remember going swimming at the Wai O’pai tide pools with my daughter (which sadly no longer exist due to the same lava flow that destroyed Green Lake) and finishing the song very quickly while sitting on the lava rocks looking at the ocean, singing parts to myself and bouncing lyric ideas off my daughter. Links Technical Difficulties – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TDHawaii Technical Difficulties – Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/channels/technicaldiffculties “Come In (The Water’s Fine)” Song by Technical Difficulties Available on the album A Big Distraction https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/technicaldifficulties https://itunes.apple.com/mt/album/a-big-distraction/951204704 Read More Upper Darby adds names to Wall of Honor. By Kevin Tustin for the Daily Times November 12, 2018 UPPERDARBY >> The accomplishments of eight Upper Darby High School alumni earned them permanent placement on the school’s wall of fame Friday. Distinguished Upper Darby Royals of the graduating classes from 1962 to 2000 that includes filmmakers, scientists and athletes, were formally inducted into the honorary wall of achievements during a special ceremony at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center. Here is the list of 2018 inductees to the Upper Darby High School Wall of Fame: - John “Jack” Shingle, Class of 1962, was a truant officer for the school district for 20 years, headed the high school football team for seven seasons, coached CYO sports for 45 years and represented the fourth district on township council for 20 years. Shingle was inducted posthumously. He died in February 2016. - Dr. Edward Bedrossian Jr., Class of 1969, is an ophthalmologist who teaches at Temple University and is an attending surgeon at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Willis Eye Hospital. Bedrossian is also the director of ophthalmology at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. He has established a scholarship for Upper Darby and Temple and does humanitarian work in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. - Harry Havnoonian, Class of 1976, is one of the top ten cycle masters in the country. He learned to fix and build bicycles by working with his father and created his own HH bikes. His bikes have contributed to 100 U.S. National Championships, seven world titles and a silver medal-winning run at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. Havnoonian owns Cycle Sport in Media, - Derek Frey, Class of 1991, is a director of films, short films and music videos and is a major producing partner for Tim Burton. Frey was an associate producer on Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” executive producer for his “Big Eyes” and is a producer of Burton’s live-action remake of “Dumbo” scheduled for release next year. - Thomas Bernhardt, Class of 1991, is a professor at Harvard University’s department of microbiology and immunobiology. Bernhardt is working on antibiotic resistance and his research lab studies how bacteria build the tough cell wall that surrounds and using that information to develop new antibiotics. He received a doctorate in biochemistry and biophysics from Texas A&M; - Christine Coldwell, Class of 1995, works for the National Security Agency in Hawaii. She received degrees in engineering from Princeton University focusing on optics and optoelectronics. When Coldwell was a student at Upper Darby she won first place in physics at the Delco Science fair and outstanding achievements by the PA Society of Engineers, The Franklin Institute and Yale Science and Engineering Association. - Lisa Capriotti, Class of 1998, earned her doctorate in chemistry at the University of Delaware and was commissioned as an unrestricted surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy’s engineering program before landing a teaching job at Citadel Military College. Outside of the classroom Capriotti is a third-degree black belt in judo, winning gold at the US Senior Nationals and the IJF Veterans World Championships in 2016. - Williametta “Willie” Simmons, Class of 2000, came to America in the mi’90s to escape the Liberian civil war. She started to attend Upper Darby schools in 1995. Simmons earned a doctorate in psychology with over 10 years of experience in the mental health. She does humanitarian work with the Liberia Medical Mission to provide health care services to people in Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Six of the inductees were on hand to collect their induction plaques and to give inspiring words to hundreds of students who were in the Performing Arts Center at the wall of fame ceremony. “There’s one big difference between high school and college,” Capriotti said. “Here, you are learning how to learn. When you go to college you won’t have teachers. You’ll have professors that are really good at professing what they know. They will not teach you; you will need to know how to teach yourself. That’s the pathway you’re all on. “That’s part of becoming a successful adult. If you can grasp that early on you’re going to be very successful.” Simmons was motivated to figure out the “why” of her life after emigrating from Liberia and trying to find her purpose in America. “Entering this new country I knew there was a reason I survived, but I didn’t know my ‘why,’” she said. That journey to find the answer started at Upper Darby High School where she excelled in sports, and then she realized that she wanted to touch the lives of those around her and the world at-large. She wants the students to find their “why” through deep aspirations and people who love them and support their dreams. “If you discover your ‘why,’ you can pretty much bare almost any ‘how,’” said Simmons. Bedrossain said Upper Darby has had an impression on him because of the teachers he had in school. The impression you have on others, he said, was one of the most important things a person can ever do. Havnoonian, Frey and Coldwell were the other honorees in attendance. Dot Shingle collected her husband’s plaque in his memory and Helen Bernhardt accepted on her son’s behalf. Since the first wall of fame induction in 1979, 70 names have been added including people of all professions including Emmywinner Tina Fey, Upper Darby Police Lt. James Reif and Upper Darby educator Wayne McCallister. INTERVIEW: LEAH GALLO TALKS ‘THE ART OF MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN’ September 26, 2016 While fans of Tim Burton are waiting with burning anticipation for the release of his latest, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” one of the celebrated filmmaker’s closest collaborators has another look at the film in a most peculiar way. In the new book “The Art of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” (Quirk Books), photographer/writer Leah Gallo documents the making of Burton’s new adventure fantasy. In addition to a myriad of behind-the-scenes photos and portraits of cast members, the book features an introduction by Burton as well as a foreword by Ransom Riggs , the author of the best-selling novel that the film is based upon. “Ransom is such a genuine, down-to-earth human being, and he just brings a lot of enthusiasm to everything he does,” Gallo, a Pennsylvania native, recently said in a recent phone conversation from London. “Just being around him, it’s contagious. It’s always fun to hang out with him. We did photo shoots on the film, including Belgium, and he was a lot of fun to take photos of because he was game for whatever.” Like she did on her last book on a Burton film, “Big Eyes: The Film, The Art,” Gallo doubled her chores by writing the text as well as taking on many of the photographer duties. While on-set photographs from the making of the film were taken throughout the shoot, the most intensive period of work on the book in terms of the photos and writing took place between November 2015 and May of 2016. Joining Gallo on the book was her longtime collaborator Holly Kempf, who was in charge of design. Gallo’s “The Art of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” was unique in that the idea of Riggs’ novel was borne out of photographs, assembled from the author/filmmaker’s collection of unidentified vintage portraits that he assembled through trips to flea markets, antique stores and the like. Many were mysterious, if not eerie photographs of children, which led Riggs to conceptualize them in writing as “peculiar” with supernatural abilities. As a result, Gallo created similar vintage portraits of the characters in the film, which in effect placed her in a parallel universe, effectively, by recreating the original photographs. “We wanted to keep the vibe of the original photos as much as possible. Whenever we could, we tried to be true to the essence of the photos and the ways the subjects posed in Ransom’s book,” Gallo said. But unlike Riggs, Gallo said she doesn’t collect old, unidentified photographs of people — nor has she ever had the desire to. “Whenever I see those old photo bins, I just feel a sense of sadness in a way,” Gallo said. “It’s like they’re pieces of orphaned history that creates a mystery. ‘Who was this person?’ It creates limitless possibilities. That’s why I think Ransom did a great job of curating his collection for his book, and choosing ones that were very striking, intriguing and creepy. I certainly appreciate them and find them compelling, especially in the way he’s constructed the narrative around them.” “The Art of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” includes dozens of interviews with cast and crew members from the film, including executive producer (and Gallo’s husband) Derek Frey, and of course, the filmmaker behind the peculiar vision that fans will see on the big screen when it opens across the country Friday. Gallo recalled the first time she talked with Burton about what inspired him to make the film. “The photographs from Ransom’s book are what attracted Tim to the project,” Gallo said. “He found them compelling and mysterious. They were a huge part of why he wanted to do the film. I think that’s he was attracted to doing the story of these peculiar children. There’s a similar narrative in a lot of his films, of the misunderstood.” While she’s collaborated with Burton for 10 years, Gallo said it’s always fascinating to talk with the filmmaker about his newly realized big-screen visions. Essentially, no matter how much she thinks she knows Burton, she always ends up learning so much more about what goes into bringing those visions to life. “Whenever I interviewed him for the book, he always had answers that surprised me,” Gallo enthused. “The depths in which he thinks about every little detail is amazing.” Tim Lammers is a nationally syndicated movie journalist and the author of the ebook Direct Conversations: The Animated Films of Tim Burton (Foreword by Tim Burton). Read More INTERVIEW: TIM BURTON PHOTOGRAPHER, WRITER LEAH GALLO TALKS ‘BIG EYES: THE FILM, THE ART’ January 27, 2015 Director Tim Burton's acclaimed new film "Big Eyes," of course, tells the strange but amazing true story of famed big-eyed children paintings artist Margaret Keane created and her fight to reclaim her identity. And thanks to the sharp lens of Burton's longtime photographer, Leah Gallo, the film and Keane's portraits are being examined more in-depth. New on store shelves and with online retailers Tuesday, "Big Eyes: The Film, The Art" (Titan Books) several features behind-the-scenes and photographs by Gallo during the production of the film, which recently earned Golden Globe nominations for stars Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz, and songwriter Lana Del Rey ? and a win for Adams in the Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical category. In addition, Gallo includes several of Keane's original paintings, as well as rare, behind-the-scene photos of the artist at work. Gallo, a Pennsylvania native who first worked on "Sweeney Todd" in 2006 and officially started with Tim Burton Productions in London in 2008, said while companion books have been produced for all of Burton's films since the film about "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," there was a burning creative desire to make sure "Big Eyes: The Film, The Art" made it to shelves. "We thought 'Big Eyes' was a very special film, and while it's not as fantastical as 'Alice in Wonderland' or 'Dark Shadows,' the film reflects the interesting history of Margaret Keane's life and artwork, so there was a lot to say and show with the book," Gallo told me in a recent call from London. "About half of the book is about the making of the movie, and the other half is her actual artwork. It's the first time her artwork has been published since the '60s." Gallo, who previously edited and wrote "The Art of Tim Burton" (Steeles Publishing) in 2009, said "Big Eyes: The Film, The Art" was very much a "hurry up and wait" process, while she and Tim Burton Productions designer Holly Kempf need to line up a publisher and take care of other business matters. Amazingly, Gallo, who also co-edited the book with Kempf, said the production of 192-page tome was completed in very intense two months. Starring Adams as Margaret Keane and Christoph Waltz as her husband, Walter Keane, "Big Eyes" reveals a complicated time in Margaret's life in the 1950s and '60s where Walter scammed the public and art world into believing he was the creative genius behind the art of the big-eyed children, until Margaret found the courage to expose the hoax to the world. A 10-years-in-the-making passion project for screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (who also co-wrote Burton's "Ed Wood"), the film also stars Krysten Ritter as Margaret's best friend DeeAnn, Danny Huston as San Francisco newspaper columnist Dick Nolan, Jason Schwartzman as a snobby art dealer and Terrence Stamp as a pompous art critic. Margaret actually appears in cameo in the film, too, sitting on a park bench in an early scene while Adams and Waltz "paint" nearby. "Big Eyes" once again has personal meaning for Gallo in that it's executive produced by Derek Frey, her husband who has also been a collaborator of Burton since "Mars Attacks!" in 1996. The book captures Burton in a very unique environment that the filmmaker hasn't visited for 20 years -- a small-budgeted movie -- and Frey believes the intimate atmosphere brought out something unique in the filmmaker. "It's probably the smallest movie Tim has ever made," Frey told me in a separate interview. "He kept saying, 'I've made a movie for this budget before, but that was "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" in 1985.' Because of that, 'Big Eyes' was a very different approach for Tim as a filmmaker. It was like he cleared out of his life all the big Hollywood franchises and all the movies that came with extra baggage, like a remake or a reinterpretation, and took on something that he could make his own and run with it. I'm really glad he did it." Behind the 'Eyes' Gallo said the book features interview excerpts from Adams and Waltz, naturally, as well as Burton, whom she sat down with on a couple different occasions to discuss the film. And while talks with Burton all the time as one of the core members of his office, interviewing him for the "Big Eyes" book was fun and unique because she discovered little tidbits of information from him that she never knew before. "In 'Big Eyes,' I found out there's a little bit of (famed Italian horror director) Mario Bava in the film. It's subtle, but you can see it in some of the lighting, it's really interesting," Gallo said. "It's fun being reminded again and again how deeply Tim thinks about things. It may not seem so obvious, but he thinks these things through a lot. There's a lot going on in his head." As Gallo found out, she wasn't the only one fascinated by the untapped corners of Burton's mind. Among the cavalcade of creatives she interviewed that have worked with Burton on many occasions -- including costume designer Colleen Atwood and composer Danny Elfman included -- the common theme she encountered that was that his collaborators keep working with him because they want to access those untapped corners, too. "Getting perspectives of Tim in the interviews really made me aware of how admired he is. It's easy to forget that when you work with somebody every day that they're a creative genius," Gallo said, laughing. "And then, after interviewing people who have worked around him before who've been in the film business for a long time, and hearing about their awe and admiration of him and illustrating all of his creativity, it reminds me that he's pretty great at what he does." Tim Lammers is a nationally syndicated movie journalist and the author of the ebook Direct Conversations: The Animated Films of Tim Burton (Foreword by Tim Burton). Read More

A gallery of Behind the Scenes and Events.

A collection of Derek's still photography.

AWKWARD ENDEAVORS AWARDS: Depth of Field International Film Festival – Award Winner - Excellence: Editing.Excellence: Direction. World Premiere Film Awards – Award Winner – Best Comedy and Best Editing Madcap Comedy International Film Festival - Awarded Best Film Top Shorts Winner Best Dark Comedy and Best Ensemble Best Shorts Competition – Award of Excellent Only the Best International Film Awards – Winner Best Ensemble, Best Poster, Best Comedy Virgin Spring Cinefest – Winner Best Comedy Short, Best Poster Rome International Movie AwardsWinner - Best Dark Comedy, Best Ensemble, Best Young Actor Monkey Bread Tree Film Awards – Winner Best Supporting Actor (David Amadio), Nominated Best Director Vegas Movie Awards – Winner Best Ensemble, Best Editing, Best Comedy CULT CRITIC MOVIE AWARDS - Winner Best Comedy Short, Best Editing, Best Director World Film Festival – Winner Best Ensemble, Best Director Indie Short, Best Dark Comedy The South Film and Arts Academy Festival – Winner Best Comedy Short FilmGlobal Film Festival Awards – Los Angeles – Winner Best Ensemble, Best Comedy Short, Best Director Cannes World Film Festival – Best indie Short Director and Best Ensemble Independent Shorts Awards – Winner Best Ensemble, Best Comedy Short Indie X Film Festival – Winner Best Ensemble OFFICIAL SELECTIONS and NOMINEES: 3rd Annual All The Laughs (ATL) Comedy Awards – Official Selection and Nominee Indie Eye Film Festival – Official Selection Philadelphia Independent Film Festival – Official Selection Seattle Film Festival - Official Selection Vancouver Movie Awards - Official Selection Prague Independent Film Festival Red Dirt Film Festival – Official Selection New York Movie Awards – Official Selection Short. Sweet. Film Fest. – Official SelectionIndie Cinema Awards – Official Selection Laughing Dog Comedy Film Festival – Official Selection Madcap Comedy International Short Film Festival - Finalist The Black Panther International Short Film Festival – Semi-Finalist, Director: Quarter Finalist, Screenplay 2022 Short Film Slam: Round I, presented by The Madlab Post.Official Selection and Quarterfinalist Indie Short Fest – Nominated Best Ensemble, Honorable Mention Best Comedy PANGEA AWARDS: American Tracks Music AwardsWinner: BEST MALE PERFORMER (Joshua Timmons) Calcutta International Cult Film FestivalWinner: BEST PERFORMING ARTS (Derek Frey)Outstanding Achievement: MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey) Cult Critic Movie AwardsWinner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey)Outstanding Achievement: PERFORMING ARTS, EDITING (Derek Frey) Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film FestivalWinner: BEST DIRECTOR – MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey)Independent Shorts AwardsSilver Award Winner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey) International Independent Film AwardsGold Award Winner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey), BEST ORIGINAL SONG (Trever Veilleux) LA Shorts AwardsDiamond Award Winner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey), BEST EDITING (Derek Frey)London X4 Short Film FestivalHonorable Mention Los Angeles Film AwardsWinner: BEST EDITING (Derek Frey) Los Angeles Independent Film Festival AwardsWinner: BEST DIRECTOR – MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey) Top Shorts Film FestivalWinner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey)Honorable Mention: EDITING (Derek Frey) Virgin Spring CinefestGold Award Winner: BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), BEST EDITING (Derek Frey), BEST PERFORMING ARTSSilver Award Winner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey) OFFICIAL SELECTIONS: Best Shorts CompetitionFreedom Shorts XVIII The IndieFEST Film Awards KAPOW Intergalactic Film FestivalLake View International Film Festival Made In Hawaii Film Festival The Monkey Bread Tree Film AwardsRome Independent Prisma Awards GOD CAME ‘ROUND AWARDS: Comedy Film Festival of AmericaHonorable Mention: INTERNATIONAL COMEDY SHORTSilver Award Winner: BEST COMEDY ACTOR (Deep Roy)Cult Critic Movie AwardsOutstanding Achievement: FILM POSTER (Giulia Rivolta) The European Independent Film AwardGold Award: BEST MUSIC VIDEO Global Film Festival AwardsHonorable Mention: ACTOR (Deep Roy)Finalist: BEST MUSIC VIDEO Glendale International Film Festival 2017Winner: BEST INTERNATIONAL MUSIC VIDEO Global Music AwardsSilver Medal Winner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO & CREATIVITY/ORIGINALITYUnited Kingdom Music Video FestivalBest Comedy Music Video - Silver Medal Hollywood Independent Filmmaker Awards & FestivalsWinner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO Hollywood Now Film FestivalWinner: AWARD OF OUTSTANDING EXCELLENCE Hollywood Verge Film AwardsNominated: Music Video Honolulu Film Awards Gold Kahuna Award Winner: MUSIC VIDEO Independent Shorts Awards AprilGold Award Winner: BEST SONG (Trever Veilleux)Silver Award Winner: BEST ACTOR (Deep Roy), BEST EDITING (Derek Frey)Bronze Award Winner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey)Honorable Mention: BEST MALE DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey) The IndieFEST Film AwardsWinner: Award of Recognition: LEADING ACTOR (Deep Roy), MUSIC VIDEO KAPOW Intergalactic Film Festival Nominated: Best Music Video LA Shorts AwardsDiamond Award Winner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey), BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey)Platinum Award Winner: BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), BEST SCORE (Trever Veilleux)Gold Award Winner: BEST ACTOR (Deep Roy) Logcinema Music Film FestivalWinner: BEST PHOTOGRAPHY (Derek Frey)NOMINATED: Best Director, Best Music Video London Eye International Film FestivalWinner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO London Independent Film AwardsWinner: BEST COMEDY/DRAMEDY SHORT, BEST ACTOR (Deep Roy)London-Worldwide Comedy Short Film FestivalHonorable Mention London X4 Seasonal Film FestivalWinner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO Mexico International Film Festival Silver Palm Award Winner: MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey) Mindfield Film Festival: Albuquerque Diamond Award Winner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey), BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST ACTOR (Deep Roy), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey) Platinum Award Winner: BEST EDITING (Derek Frey) Mindfield Film Festival: Los AngelesDiamond Award Winner: BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey)Gold Award Winner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey) The Monkey Bread Tree Film AwardsWinner: BEST MUSIC VIDEONYC Indie Film AwardsPlatinum Award: BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY(Derek Frey)Diamond Award: BEST ACTOR (Deep Roy), BEST EDITING (Derek Frey) One-Reeler Short Film Competition Winner: BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), & AWARD OF EXCELLENCE Philadelphia Independent Film AwardsHonorable Mention Prague Independent Film FestivalWinner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO Seal Beach Film FestivalWinner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO South Film and Arts Academy Festival Winner: BEST MUSICAL VIDEO (Derek Frey), BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A SHORT FILM (Deep Roy) Snowdance Film AwardsWinner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey) Top Shorts Film Festival Winner: BEST ROMANTIC COMEDY (Derek Frey), BEST ACTOR IN AN INDIE FILM (Deep Roy) Virgin Spring CinefestGold Award Winner: BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Derek Frey)Honorable Mention: ACTOR (Deep Roy) OFFICIAL SELECTIONS: Austin Spotlight Film Festival Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival Bristol Independent Film FestivalCardiff Mini Film Festival 'Cleveland Comic Con Film Showcase' Comics In Film FestivalThe Edinburgh Indie Film FestivalFilmQues FirstGlance Film Festival Garden State Film Festival Golden Door International Film Festival HollyShorts Film Festival Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival – SEMI-FINALIST Hollywood Screenings Film Festival – SEMI-FINALIST Philadelphia Independent Film Festival Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival Planet 9 Film Festival Romance Film & Screenplay Festival Rome Independent Prisma Awards Rome International Film Festival Short and Sweet Film Festival Short to the Point Film Festival COME IN (THE WATER'S FINE Official Selections: The International Horror HotelThe Indie Horror Film Festival KILL THE ENGINE AWARDS: The European Independent Film Award 2018Diamond Award Winner: BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), BEST EDITING(Derek Frey)Gold Award Winner: BEST SHORT FILM (Derek Frey), BEST SCORE (Matt Amadio) 'Freedom Shorts XVIIWINNER: BEST ENSEMBLE CAST Global Film Festival AwardsWinner: BEST COMEDY (Derek Frey), BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST SOUND DESIGN (Derek Frey, Matt Amadio)Honorable Mention: ENSEMBLE CAST (Gil Damon, Steve Kuzmick, David Amadio), CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey)Finalist: ORIGINAL SCORE (Matt Amadio) 'Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film FestWINNER: BEST COMEDY/DRAMEDY SHORTBest Shorts Competition - AWARD OF MERIT Bucharest ShortCut CinefestNOMINATED: Best Screenplay (Gil Damon, Dave Amadio, Steve Kuzmick) CKF International Film FestivalWinner: 2ND BEST FILM OF THE MONTH Erie International Film FestivalNOMINATED: Best Comedy International Independent Film AwardsGold Winner: CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), DIRECTING (Derek Frey), NARRATIVE SHORT, ORIGINAL SCORE (Matt Amadio)Silver Winner: EDITING (Derek Frey), SCREENPLAY (Gil Damon, Dave Amadio, Steve Kuzmick), SOUND DESIGN/EDITING (Derek Frey) KAPOW Intergalactic Film FestivalNominated: Best Short Comedy/Musical, Best Ensemble Comedy/Musical LA Shorts Awards Diamond Awards: BEST OF THE FEST, BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), BEST SCORE (Matt Amadio), BEST SCREENPLAY (Gil Damon, Dave Amadio, Steve Kuzmick), BEST EDITING(Derek Frey)Largo Film AwardsNOMINATED: Best Director Laugh Or Die Comedy FestWINNER: BEST SOUND (Derek Frey)NOMINATED: Best Short (Derek Frey), Best Cinematography (Derek Frey) Loch Ness Film Fest NOMINATED: Nessie Award for Best Comedy London-Worldwide Comedy Short Film FestivalHONORABLE MENTION Los Angeles Independent Film Festival AwardsWINNER: BEST COMEDY/DRAMEDY, BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE (Matt Amadio) Mindfield Film Festival: AlbuquerqueDiamond Award Winner: BEST SHORT FILM (Derek Frey), BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST EDITING (Derek Frey), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (Matt Amadio) Mindfield Film Festival: Los AngelesWinner: BEST COMEDY (Derek Frey)Diamond Award: BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey)Platinum Award: BEST SCORE (Matt Amadio)Gold Award: BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey) Mountain of Laughs Comedy Festival Nominated: Best Story (Gil Damon, David Amadio, Steve Kuzmick) NYC Indie Film AwardsPlatinum Award: BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey) Diamond Award: BEST SHORT FILM, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), BEST SCORE (Matt Amadio), BEST EDITING (Derek Frey)Silver Award: BEST SCREENPLAY (Gil Damon, Dave Amadio, Steve Kuzmick) Short Stop International Film FestivalWinner: BEST OF THE FEST (Derek Frey), BEST SCREENPLAY (Gil Damon, Dave Amadio, Steve Kuzmick)NOMINATED: Best Director (Derek Frey) Silly Shorts Film Festival SPECIAL MENTION Top Shorts Online Film Festival Winner: BEST DARK COMEDY (Derek Frey), BEST SOUND DESIGN (Matt Amadio & Derek Frey), HONORABLE MENTION: EDITING (Derek Frey) Virgin Spring CinefestGold Award Winner: BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST EDITING (Derek Frey)Silver Award Winner: BEST SHORT FILM (Derek Frey), BEST MUSIC SCORE (Matt Amadio) Honorable Mention: CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), SOUND DESIGN (Derek Frey) OFFICIAL SELECTIONS: ACME Comedy Film Night ARFF Amsterdam Black Bear Film Festival 'Boston Galactic 'StarsBrightside Tavern Shorts Film Festival Calcutta International Cult Film Festival FINALIST: Best Short Film Chicago Comedy Film Festival Delco Film Festival Elgin Short Film Festival Feel The Reel International Film Festival Harrisburg-Hershey Film Festival Hollywood Just4Shorts Competition – FINALIST Hollywood Screenings Film Festival – FINALIST Independent Film Night at the Newtown Theatre Jersey Shore Film Festival Kerry Film Festival Lake View International Film Festival Lancaster International Short Film Festival Long Island Film Festival Los Angeles CineFest – SEMI-FINALIST Lucky Strike Film Festival Newark International Film Festival Over The Fence Comedy Film Festival Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival Philly TV Festival Reading Film Fest GREEN LAKE AWARDS: American Grindhouse Film FestivalWinner: BEST GRINDHOUSE STYLE CULT CREATURE SHORT HORROR FILM Best Shorts CompetitionWinner: Award of Merit – BEST SHORT FILM Crimson Screen Horror Film FestNOMINATED: Crimmy Award – Best Short Film, Best Director Dazed 4 HorrorWinner: BEST CLASSIC HORROR SHORT Best Shorts Competition Winner: Award of Merit – BEST SHORT FILM F.A.S.H. (Fantasy Anime Sci-Fi Horror Film Festival)NOMINATED: Best Short Film Hollywood & Beyond Film Fest Winner: BEST SHORT FILM Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival Winner: HIMPFF Award of Recognition – BEST DIRECTOR, BEST HORROR SHORT, BEST MUSIC SCORE, BEST EDITING, BEST SOUND DESIGNNOMINATED: Best Song Honolulu Film AwardsWinner: GOLD KAHUNA AWARD – BEST SHORT FILM Horror Hotel Film FestivalHONORABLE MENTION IndieFEST Film AwardsWinner: Award of Merit – BEST SHORT FILM, BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (Matthew Reid), BEST SOUND – OVERALL IMPACT (Pip Norton), BEST EDITING (Derek Frey) Winner: Award of Recognition – BEST LEADING ACTRESS (RaVani Flood), BEST ORIGINAL SONG (Trever Veilleux), BEST MAKEUP (Valery Richardson, RaVani Flood), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey) Lake View International Film FestivalWinner: BEST DIRECTOR L.A. Shorts AwardsDiamond Award Winner: BEST OF THE FEST, BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), BEST ACTRESS (RaVani Flood) Platinum Award Winner: BEST MAKEUP (Valery Richardson, RaVani Flood), BEST LIGHTING (Derek Frey)Gold Award Winner: BEST SCREENPLAY (Leah Gallo) Los Angeles CineFestJury Award Winner: BEST POSTER NOMINATED: Best Score (Matthew Reid), Best Original Song (Trever Veilleux) Los Angeles Horror CompetitionPlatinum Award Winner: BEST SHORT FILM, BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (Matthew Reid)Gold Award Winner: BEST ACTRESS (RaVani Flood), BEST LIGHTING (Derek Frey)Bronze Award Winner: BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey) Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards LAIFF Award Winner: BEST HORROR (Derek Frey), BEST ORIGINAL SONG (Trever Veilleux “Come In The Water’s Fine”) NYC Indie Film AwardsDiamond Award Winner: BEST SHORT FILM (Derek Frey), BEST ACTRESS (RaVani Flood)Platinum Award Winner: BEST DIRECTOR (Derek Frey), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey), BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (Matthew Reid), BEST EDITING (Derek Frey) Prague Independent Film FestivalWinner: GOLDEN STATUETTE – BEST MUSIC SCORE (Matthew Reid)NOMINATED: Best Short Film, Best Horror Film RIP Horror Film FestNOMINATED: Best Short, Best Cinematography, Best Musical Score Roswell Film FestivalNOMINATED: Best CinematographyShiver International Film FestivalWinner: BEST CULT/WEIRD/EXPERIMENTAL FILM, BEST CREATURE – Swamp Succubus Spotlight Horror Film AwardsWinner: GOLD AWARDTerror Film Festival Claw Award Winner: BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey)NOMINATED: Best Original Music Score, Best Motion Picture Editing, Best Short Film Screenplay United International Film FestivalWinner: AWARD OF MERIT Virgin Spring CinefestGold Award Winner: BEST SHORT FILM (Derek Frey)Silver Award Winner: BEST EDITING (Derek Frey)Bronze Award Winner: BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Derek Frey)Bronze Award Winner: BEST ACTRESS (Valery Richardson)Honorable Mention: MUSIC SCORE (Matthew Reid) OFFFICIAL SELECTIONS: Big Island Film Festival Bloodstained Indie Film Festival Diabolical Horror Film Festival FEARnycFright Night Film Fest Grindhouse Planet Film Festival Halloween Intl Film Festival Harrisburg-Hershey Film Festival Hollywood Dead Horror Film Festival Hollywood Horror Fest of Shorts Hollywood Screenings Film Festival – SEMI-FINALIST Horrorvision Trash Film Festival Hot Springs International Horror Film Festival The Indie Horror Film Festival The Lost Sanity Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival Made In Hawaii Film Festival Motor City Nightmares International Film Festival NEPA Horror Film Festival Russian International Horror Film Awards Scare-A-Con Film Festival StarGate Galactic International Sci-Fi- Fantasy and Horror Film Festival Swapping Dead Film Festival Taupo Halloween Film Festival MOTEL PROVIDENCE AWARDS: Average Superstar Films - A Night Of Short Films XII, 2015, Best Comedy Brightside Tavern Shorts Fest, Nominated: Best Comedy, Best Director of a Comedy, Best Comedy Actor in a Comedy (Steve Kuzmick) 2015, Motel Providence Filmmakers of the Year Film Festival, Best Director of a Short Film, 2014, Motel Providence Honolulu Film Awards, Aloha Accolade Award, 2015, Motel Providence International Film Festival - Documentary, Short, Comedy, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, 2015 International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema (London), Nominated: Best Director, Best Editing, 2015 International Movie Awards, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, 2015 Loch Ness Film Festival, Nominated: Best Comedy, 2015, Motel Providence Los Angeles Film Review, Best Director Honorable Mention, 2015, Motel Providence Media Film Festival, Best Comedy, 2015, Motel Providence Mexico International Film Festival, GoldenPalm Award: Short Film, 2015, Motel Providence A Night Of Short Films XII - Philadelphia, Best Comedy, 2015, Motel Providence West Chester Film Festival, Nominated: Best Pennsylvania Filmmaker, 2015, Motel Providence World 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Blue Collar Moondance Film Festival, Best Short Narrative Film, 2013, Sky Blue Collar NEXTV Web Series & Indie Film Competition, Nominated: Indie Short / Quarter Finalist, 2013, Sky Blue Collar Red Dirt Film Festival, Best Comedy, 2013, Sky Blue Collar Workers Unite Film Festival, Honorable Mention, 2014, Sky Blue Collar OFFICIAL SELECTIONS: 2013 Chicago Comedy Film Festival 2013 Vancouver International Film Festival 2013 Independent Film Quarterly Film & Webisode Festival 2013 Santa Monica Independent Film Festival 2013 Rumschpringe International Film Festival 2013 Red Dirt International Film Festival 2013 Atlanta Shortfest2013 International Freethought Film Festival 2013 Best Shorts Competition 2013 Vegas Cinefest 2014 DAM Short Film Festival 2014 Lucerne International Film Festival 2014 Santa Fe Film Festival 2014 New Hope Film Festival2014 Fort Myers Beach Film Festival 2014 Jersey Shore Shorts Film Festival 2014 Festival De Cannes – Short Film Corner THE BALLAD OF SANDEEP AWARDS: 10th Annual DIY Film Festival, Honorable Mention, 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep Accolade Film Festival, Award of Merit, 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep Best Shorts Competition, Award of Excellence, 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep Best Shorts Competition, Award of Merit – Lead Actor (Deep Roy), 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep Colorado Film Festival, Best Actor (Deep Roy), 2011, The Ballad of Sandeep Freestyle Film Exhibition, Best Short Film, 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep Independent Film Quarterly and New Media Festival, Best Director, 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep International Film Festival for Peace, Inspiration & Equality, Award of Excellence, 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep International Film Festival for Spirituality, Religion and Visionary, Best Director, Best Screenplay (The Minor Prophets), Best Actor (Deep Roy), Best Original Score (Mike Higham & Andy Richards) 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep Jersey Short Film Festival, Best Comedy Short, 2011, The Ballad of Sandeep Mockfest Film Festival, Best Comedy Short, Best Screenplay (The Minor Prophets) 2011, The Ballad of Sandeep Moondance International Film Festival, Finalist, 2011, The Ballad of Sandeep NEXTV Web Series & Indie Film Competition, Semi-finalist, 2011, The Ballad of Sandeep RINCON International Film Festival, Award of Excellence, 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep Prestige Film Awards, Bronze Award Winner, 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep Silicon Valley Film Festival, Top 3 Short Films, 2011, The Ballad of Sandeep The Sunset International Film Festival, Best Actor, 2012, The Ballad of Sandeep Vegas Cinefest, Best Featurette, 2011, The Ballad of Sandeep OFFICIAL SELECTIONS: Albuquerque Film Festival The Other Venice Film Festival Twin Cities Film Festival Atlanta Short Fest Rumschpringe Film Festival New York Hell’s Kitchen Film Festival Lucerne International Film Festival The OffShoot Film Festival Independent Film Quarterly Film & New Media Festival in NYC Irvine International Film FestivalBig Easy Awards – NYC New Hope Film Festival 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Play Video Play Video 03:58 Mulderville Dumbo - Itw Derek Frey (official video) From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, Dumbo expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight. Dumbo opens in U.S. theaters on March 29, 2019. Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), who recruits the peculiar pachyderm for his newest, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland. Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant (Eva Green), until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets. The live-action reimagining of Walt Disney’s classic animated tale is directed by Tim Burton (Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger (Ophelia, Dream House), and produced by Justin Springer (TRON: Legacy), Kruger, Katterli Frauenfelder (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Big Eyes) and Derek Frey (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Frankenweenie). Synopsis: Circus owner Max Medici enlists Holt Farrier to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughing stock in an already struggling circus. But when Holt's children discover that Dumbo can fly, persuasive entrepreneur V. A. Vandevere and an aerial artist named Colette Marchant swoop in to make the peculiar pachyderm a star. Dumbo Directed by Tim Burton Produced by Justin Springer, Ehren Kruger, Katterli Frauenfelder, Derek Frey Screenplay by Ehren Kruger Based on Disney's Dumbo by Otto Englander, Joe Grant, Dick Huemer and Dumbo by Helen Aberson, Harold Pearl Starring Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan Arkin Music by Danny Elfman Cinematography : Ben Davis Edited by Chris Lebenzon Production company : Walt Disney Pictures, Tim Burton Productions, Infinite Detective, Secret Machine Entertainment Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Release date : March 29, 2019 (Source: Wikipedia) Play Video Play Video 50:55 Derek Frey Interview with Filmmaker Derek Frey - West Chester University Arts & Humanities Alumni Speaker Series Derek Frey is an eccentric filmmaker with extensive leadership experience producing live-action and animated films for major studios and serving as director, editor, and cinematographer on a number of award-winning independent projects. Frey is currently producing TOTO, an animated feature musical retelling of The Wizard of Oz, for Warner Bros. Derek served as Producer on Dumbo (2019), Executive Producer on Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016), Executive Producer on Big Eyes (2014), Producer of the music video “Here With Me” (2013) for The Killers and Co-Producer of Frankenweenie (2012). Derek also served as Associate Producer on Dark Shadows (2012), Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Corpse Bride (2005), and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (2005). Films he has served in a producer capacity have earned over $2.8 billion at the box office. Frey wrote the Frankenweenie-based short film Captain Sparky vs. the Flying Saucers (2013). He also edited the award-winning publication The Art of Tim Burton (2009) and produced the documentary A Conversion with Danny Elfman and Tim Burton. Early in his career, he assisted Burton on Mars Attacks! (1996), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Planet of the Apes (2001), and Big Fish (2003). Frey progressed within multiple positions at Tim Burton Productions encompassing Producer, Executive Producer, and Co-Producer on several Tim Burton films. He has been an integral member of the filmmaking team on an array of projects from initial development and pre-production, through post and release. He has had the pleasure of assembling some of the most renowned talent both in front and behind the camera. Lazer Film Productions is Frey’s personal production banner, known for creating offbeat films and music videos encompassing numerous indie featurettes, shorts, documentaries and music videos. He’s currently completing a dramedy web series The Book Club for Men, with frequent collaborators The Minor Prophets. Frey has directed, produced, cut and shot over 50 projects including the dark comedy Kill The Engine (2017), which achieved 45 awards including Best Comedy and Best Director at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards. His 2016 Hawaiian horror featurette Green Lake collected 50 awards including Best Short at the Honolulu Film Fest and Best Short, Director, and Cinematography at the NYC Indie Film Awards. Other acclaimed projects include Motel Providence (2014), Sky Blue Collar (2013) and The Ballad of Sandeep (2012) in addition to music videos and documentaries featuring music by Professor T & the East Side Shredders, The Killers, Technical Difficulties, Witching Hour, and The Mars Patrol. He started his career as an Assistant for the Entertainment Industry Development Corporation and Production Assistant on The Faculty (ABC Television). Frey graduated with honors from West Chester University in Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies with a concentration in Journalism. He is also a member of the Producers Guild of America, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the American Film Institute. Play Video Play Video 14:03 Dumbo Red Carpet - Hollywood Premiere The Hollywood Premiere of Dumbo. Red Carpet Interviews and Premiere Party. Play Video Play Video 02:33 Award Acceptance for God Came 'Round Play Video Play Video 01:24:51 Creative Talent Network Corpse Bride 15 Anniversary 15th Anniversary of Corpse Bride panel discussion with key crew behind the making of the film. PANELIST Producer Allison Abbate Steve Zissis Peter Saunders Ian Mackinnon Derek Frey Play Video Play Video 01:29 J-14 Magazine Tim Burton Opens Up About 'Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children' Tim Burton talks about 'Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children' in this exclusively released clip. Play Video Play Video 02:11 Warner Bros Polska Mroczne Cienie - Fragment Filmu: Sketch to screen W KINACH OD 18 maja 2012 Polub film na Facebooku https://www.facebook.com/MroczneCienie W 1752 r. Joshua i Naomi Collins razem z synem o imieniu Barnabas wyruszyli w rejs z Liverpoolu w Anglii do Ameryki, aby tam zacząć nowe życie. Ale nawet przemierzenie oceanu nie wystarczyło, żeby uwolnić się od tajemniczej klątwy, która prześladowała ich rodzinę. Po dwudziestu latach okazuje się, że Barnabas (Johnny Depp) zawojował cały świat, a z pewnością miasto Collinsport w stanie Maine. Ma właściwie wszystko: posiadłość Collinwood Manor, bogactwo, wpływy i sławę notorycznego podrywacza, do czasu aż popełni straszny błąd - złamie serce Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). Angelique, czarownica, także w dosłownym znaczeniu tego słowa, skazuje go na los gorszy od śmierci: zmienia go w wampira, a następnie chowa żywcem. Burton reżyseruje i produkuje Dark Shadows według scenariusza autorstwa Setha Grahame-Smitha, opracowanego wspólnie z Johnem Augustem na podstawie serialu telewizyjnego Dana Curtisa. Współproducentami filmu są nagrodzony Oscarem® Richard D. Zanuck (Alicja w Krainie Czarów, Wożąc panią Daisy), który ma na swoim koncie wieloletnią współpracę z Burtonem; zdobywca Oscara® Graham King, (Rango, Infiltracja), kontynuujący współpracę z Deppem; Johnny Depp, Christi Dembrowski oraz David Kennedy. Producentami wykonawczymi są Chris Lebenzon, Nigel Gostelow, Tim Headington i Bruce Berman. Play Video Play Video 05:16 The A.V. Club How the Dumbo team designed the theme park of their dreams Tim Burton’s live-action adaptation of Dumbo hit theaters earlier this year. We sat down with producer Derek Frey to talk about the film, and how the Dumbo team designed the theme park in the film, Dreamland. #Dumbo #TimBurton #Disney Play Video Play Video 01:56 FilmIsNow Movie Bloopers & Extras Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children 'A Look inside' Featurette (2016) Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children 'A Look inside' Featurette When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers. Some of the best and most funniest movie moments happen behind the scenes. FilmIsNow Movie Extras channel gives you the latest and best behind the scenes footage, bloopers, interviews, featurettes, deleted/alternate scenes. We give you the before, during and after that goes into making movies. Load More A PEEK INSIDE THE LIFE OF PRODUCER DEREK FREY. Fresh off the making of "Dumbo" Frey tells us his story by Christine Bunish for Creative Content Wire June 9, 2019 Derek Frey was born and raised in suburban Philadelphia and has helmed Tim Burton Productions since 2001. He produced Disney’s just-released “Dumbo ” and previously executive produced “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” and “Big Eyes.” He co-produced “Frankenweenie,” which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature, and has a string of other notable productions with Burton. His indie directing credits include the Hawaiian horror featurette “Green Lake,” the dramedy “Motel Providence,” the comedy “Sky Blue Collar” and the moving “The Ballad of Sandeep.” What was your pathway into this field? “I made films in high school and college with friends but never thought it would be possible to do that for a living. I was on a journalism path at West Chester University of Pennsylvania but always passionate about making films. In my junior year of college I had an opportunity to visit LA and fell in love – it revolved around the entertainment industry, a world immersed in things I adored. The next spring break I had an opportunity to visit LA again. I met the head of the film permit office, and he showed me around town and introduced me to executives and producers in film and television. They all gave me different advice, but across the board said I needed to be in LA. “Immediately after graduation I made the move and worked in the LA film permit office for a time. That led to an interview to be a production assistant on an ABC sitcom, ‘The Faculty,’ shooting on the Paramount Studios lot. I learned the ropes and on the side got a taste of the film world by glimpsing other productions and actors on the lot, including people in Star Trek costumes and makeup eating in the commissary. When ‘The Faculty’ wasn’t renewed, one of the people at ABC Productions had a contact in Tim Burton’s office where there was an opening for a runner. “I was a fanatic of Tim’s growing up and jumped at the chance for an interview. I started working there on ‘Mars Attacks!’ and now it’s 13 films and 23 years later – where does the time go? It’s been a wonderful and interesting journey.” What do you feel you learned the most from? “Watching Tim at his craft. Each project brings its own challenges, and I love observing the way he approaches each one creatively. It’s inspiring to see the energy he brings to every stage of a production. And I’ve been fortunate to work with him in different genres and forms: commercials, music videos, animation, live action, low budgets and high. “Every project is something personal to Tim, but he also has to be smart about the business side. Tim is very good at navigating through that and working with the major studios. It’s a real testament to his staying power and the level of the projects he continues to work on.” What do you think people need to succeed in this field? “For me it’s been patience but passion, too. I’ve met a lot of people who come into the industry and work on a couple of projects, maybe things don’t happen quickly enough and they give it up or move on to something else. I’ve felt like every project I’ve worked on has added to my skill set and helped me in the future. I learned what to do and what not to do and to take risks: to take jobs that don’t necessarily go where you want to end up but offer an opportunity to learn. “Passion about the craft and films in general is important, too. You have to feel excited by it.” What is the project you’re most proud of? “That’s a difficult question because every project is special and holds a place in my heart. Right now, I feel very proud of ‘Dumbo,’ a beautiful film with a great message. It was a big, lengthy project. My responsibilities were greater than on previous films, and I’m really happy with the result." "Dumbo’ was a 1941 Disney classic that meant a lot to people. I really liked the take that screenwriter Ehren Kruger had on this: reimagining the 1941 story then taking it beyond. Once the world finds out Dumbo can fly, what happens? Tim has always been a champion for the outsider character, and Dumbo is the original outsider animal in the Disney universe. Tim thought he could bring something unique to that world; he was really the correct choice to do this film. This ‘Dumbo’ fits with the original, it doesn’t try to beat it. It’s almost like a companion to it.” What is the toughest problem you’ve solved? “It wasn’t really a problem but more of a welcoming challenge regarding timing. Eleven years ago we received the script for ‘Big Eyes’ about the artist Margaret Keane, and I felt Tim was the only person to direct it. But he was busy with other projects, so the writers thought maybe they could get it going themselves. Then, in 2013, Tim had an opening between projects, and I raised the subject of ‘Big Eyes’ again. Tim was receptive, and we went into pre-production immediately. “I’m glad I kept at it – often a project comes down to timing. ‘Big Eyes’ is one of Tim’s smaller films but a really personal one.” What is the most fun you’ve had on a project? “Each film is enjoyable, each one is filled with so much creativity and set in an amazing world [with] interesting characters. I’m fortunate to have been a part of so many. “It was really fun to be a part of ‘Big Fish’ (2003). We brought everyone down to Montgomery, Alabama and made the movie. It was so dynamic, with different vignettes and stories — every day we had new locations, characters and costumes. ‘Big Fish’ blurred the line between reality and fantasy, and we were living in that world to a degree.” What is your most indispensable tool? “I write down everything and have containers full of notebooks. Nothing works as well as a pen and a notebook to help me stay organized day to day. “Outside of that, I’d say Tim’s amazing team of people who are all really creative and who help Tim extend his reach. I couldn’t do my job without the team that surrounds Tim and me. They not only help us execute Tim’s vision for his films but also projects like Tim’s touring art exhibit, ‘The World of Tim Burton.’” What are you currently working on? “We just finished ‘Dumbo’ days before its LA premiere, and we’re now involved in supporting it through its release so our minds are still in ‘Dumbo’ mode. Tim will take a bit of a break, but he’s never idle for long. What is next is anyone’s guess! “Something I’m very eager to complete work on is ‘Conversations with Vincent,’ Tim’s unfinished documentary on Vincent Price. Tim sat down with him about a year before he passed away, soon after he appeared in ‘Edward Scissorhands’ (1990). We have a rough assembly of the documentary, and it’s quite beautiful and moving. I’m exploring how to get this out to the world as we approach the 30th anniversary of ‘Edward Scissorhands.’ I’m hoping Tim will be open to completing it soon.” What is your passion project? “I’ve directed my own short films and music videos and am always looking to develop something of my own on the feature front. Frequent collaborators of mine are The Minor Prophets, a Philadelphia-area comedy troupe; we’ve done a number of award-winning short films. We’re eager to shoot a low-budget, dark comedy this year, ‘Awkward Endeavors.’ We have a funny and cleverly crafted screenplay and now we’re on the hunt for funding. “I’m also getting some traction on ‘Quiet Fire,’ the story of trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Bill Evans recording the landmark jazz album ‘Kind of Blue’ in 1959. We have it to the Miles Davis estate now. The story is such a compelling one: how Miles brought a classically-trained white pianist into his jazz group to create something unique and exciting. The film shows how they came together and the collaboration unfolded. I have a passion for jazz and played saxophone back in the day, so the story appeals to my sensibilities.” How do you pay it forward? “A lot of young people are inspired by Tim and look up to him as a champion of the outsider. That’s how I felt as a kid. We’re always receiving letters and email from kids who send their own artwork and videos. Corresponding with them is something we take pride in here. I also do the occasional interview or Skype call with students interested in the entertainment field. “At each stop Tim’s art exhibit makes he meets with students from that city for a Q&A. In Belgium we visited one of the local art schools where kids had created art loosely based on Tim’s vision. These are the people who will be coming into the film and art worlds bringing their passion and energy. We feel a responsibility to keep those channels open. We’ll get letters from someone completing a Master’s dissertation or someone telling us they made it into the industry because of Tim.” What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned? “A lot of people come into the industry hoping things will happen overnight. That’s always possible but most likely it will take some time. “Through the ups and downs it’s important to have a perspective on the bigger picture – look past your current project. You don’t know what could be next. So it’s important to savor the moment, the journeys, the experiences, the failures. It’s all about finding happiness in the process. When you focus too much on a goal, you can destroy the joy of the now.” Read More ADAPTING THE CLASSICS: A FEW MINUTES WITH PRODUCER DEREK FREY TALKING ABOUT DISNEY’S ‘DUMBO’. By David Voight for In The Seats. July 07, 2019 Very often getting insight from behind the scenes of a film feels much more poignant then getting it from in front of the camera… With Disney’s Dumbo available on Digital, Blu-Ray, 4K and DVD at all major retailers, it is easily the top choice for some summer entertainment in the comfort of your own home. While we will admit to a little bit of skepticism about Director Tim Burton tackling this classic old tale I was surprised to realize that I simply wasn’t alone. We got the unique pleasure to speak with Producer Derek Frey about his experiences on the film and how this Disney classic tale managed to also evolve itself into a classic Tim Burton tale as well. Dave Voigt: You’ve worked with a Tim (Burton) a little bit and the marriage between Tim and Disney is already well documented but Dumbo actually feels like a little bit of stretch. Can you talk a little on what it was about the Dumbo story in particular that got you both involved? Derek Frey: Yeah you know when Disney first sent the script through I think that my reaction really was pretty similar to how a lot of people reacted initially but once I read it and got to revisit the original animated film I quickly realized that Dumbo is this story about an outsider, just this misfit with the big ears. Tim’s entire career really has been about being a champion for these kinds of outsiders. When you look at characters like Edward Scissorhands or Sweeney Todd in a weird way, these are characters who really don’t have words to them and they play like silent movie actors and the second I saw that they weren’t trying to make Dumbo talk or do anything of that nature I knew that this was something that he would really respond to and ultimately he did. And that really does add so many layers to it as well and I’m glad that you’ve mentioned the animated version because if memory serves it’s less than 70 minutes long. How much did you have to sort of balance the spirit of the original with the fact that there was going to be some different and new layers to the story for audiences to experience? Ehren Kruger the screenwriter gave us this concept of reimagining Dumbo and he brought it to the studio that was initially hesitant but they encouraged him to give it a go, not to mention that Ehren was a huge fan of the original animated film as well. In this he kind of wanted to answer the question of it all because the first one takes up to the point where Dumbo flies for the first time but he really felt it would be interesting to see what happens after the world finds out that there is this flying elephant. He really felt he could get audiences through most of the action of the original film and still have plenty of time to go effectively beyond that. Given the exploitation of the character it all plays out a little bit in a King Kong like fashion, with this wonderful and rare creature being taken away from its natural environment and ultimately exploited. It’s also visually very layered and this really was one of those films (much like in many of Tim’s films) where the world building is just seamless and you can’t tell the practical from the digital. I guess that means someone did their job correctly! (Laughs) And here’s the thing, Tim has worked across so many different spectrums of live-action and animation that it can often run together. Obviously on this shoot, we knew going in that Dumbo would have to be a computer animated character. However, Tim did want it anchored into a real world at the same time to make for a kind of “heightened reality”. Ultimately the approach was that while Dumbo has to be CGI we want to make as much as we possibly can around this character be real and practical so that the actors had a real environment to work in and that you could drop into real sets. On the disc you’ll see in some of the behind the scenes, most of the sets are completely closed in and you’d really only have to insert the sky or to extend some of the sets. We had that mandate to anchor in reality as much as we could because he really felt that the story had that element of needing something you could really grasp on to. Obviously it made for a really big challenge, particularly for the animators who handled Dumbo but in concert with Tim everyone involved took extra care to make sure that Dumbo as a character was connected to a real world environment. Be it through actors physically touching him or something slight like a kick up of dust when he flies by it was so important to make it all feel as grounded and as natural as we could. I think it really shows and that’s why it’s hard to really see that line between practical and CG. I have to say that I got such a kick out of seeing Michael Keaton and Danny Devito working with Tim again here on Dumbo. It almost felt like he wanted to get the old gang back together in order to tell this story. From the beginning of casting, Tim was always very meticulous in regards to casting because he just knew that the right people for the right roles would make it so much better. I know for a fact that Tim was excited to work with Michael and Danny again but it was a big deal for people on set as well. I know that one of my favourite days was when Alan Arkin, Danny Devito, Michael Keaton and Tim Burton were just all on set together. Even though they hadn’t worked together in years you could see how the shorthand between them all was there and how they easily they slipped into the work is a testament to how much fun they were all having on this shoot as well and I really think it comes through on the screen as well. The energy is palpable and they we’re all excited about going into fresh territory, particularly between Danny and Michael as Danny finally got to be the good guy and Michael really had fun in the bad guy role. I’m always very curious, because you’ve also directed short films yourself and obviously have a creative bent to you but as a producer you also have to worry about the nuts and the bolts of it all. How do you ultimately find a balance between the two; the creative vs. the realities? Obviously I really do love the creative side of things and I would say that’s what I enjoy more but when you are on a project of this scale you have certain responsibilities as well. On this one I’d say that I am really fortunate because Tim is a very responsible filmmaker with a team that has some of the best people in this industry. Trusting them all to come through on their various tasks and Tim is never one to try and make anything more than it should be and then you lose focus, not only behind the camera but in front of it as well. The term we’d always use is creating a kind of ‘Grand Intimacy’ and from that standpoint I actually think it helped us keep things in line from a budgetary standpoint. You’re always trying to prepare for contingencies but his department heads are all so great that they made my job pretty easy and for the most part this was a pretty smooth shoot over all…Knock on wood of course (Laughs). These days in this business we live in such an environment where people just want to remake or reboot already successful properties which can cause some audience trepidation. Do you think that for stories like this it really does come down to making sure you match it with the right talent because I can’t see this working as well as it did without Tim at the helm? Oh I completely agree. Obviously there are so many of these films being made right now, but there’s also an audience for them as well but it does unquestionably help to take care that you’ve got the right match and we certainly had it here on this one. Apparently Tim was the first person approached with the script and Tim didn’t hesitate. Yeah you can have surprises when you’re making stuff and pairing material with talent and even my own initial hesistance is something I feel a lot of people felt…until they saw that first trailer and knew that in style and in tone this was unquestionably going to be a Tim Burton movie that audiences could get behind. It’s a delicate balance to be sure. Disney’s Dumbo is available on Digital, Blu-Ray, DVD & 4K from all major retailers now… Read More INTERVIEW: DEREK FREY TALKS TIM BURTON, ‘MISS PEREGRINE,’ ‘GREEN LAKE’ by Tim Lammers for Direct Conversations October 1, 2016 Starting out as Tim Burton’s assistant on the space invasion thriller “Mars Attacks!” in 1996, time has been flying, for the lack of better words, at warp speed for filmmaker Derek Frey. Having worked on every one of Burton’s films since, Frey quickly rose through the ranks under the iconic film director to the pivotal role of running Tim Burton Productions and serving as the filmmaker’s closest collaborator. On Burton’s latest, the fantasy adventure “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” Frey once again assumes a key role as one of the film’s executive producers. “It doesn’t feel like 20 years at all,” Frey said Tuesday in a phone conversation in New York City. “Each project brings a set of new challenges and it’s been great to be near him on this journey through all these wonderful worlds.” Frey said each year, if not each day, working with Burton brings out a new thing he didn’t know about the director before. In the case of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” opening in theaters nationwide Friday, the biggest revelation was about making the film with more of a back-to-basics approach. There’s a reason the cinematic adventure, based on Ransom Riggs’ best-selling 2011 novel, feels like vintage Burton. Just like the old days, the filmmaker is relying as much as he can on practical special effects. “It feels so fresh and looks so different. There’s so much of it that’s real and practical,” Frey enthused. “We obviously did some computer stuff, but we actually went to these locations and I think it makes a difference, visually. In this day and age, where everything is created virtually, Tim wanted to go against the grain and I think it was a great decision of his. You can sense that there’s something tactile there and there’s something in the room. The brain can just feel it.” Frey said that the reason he gets on so well with Burton is that they have the same sort of sensibilities — something that Frey said he knew growing up in Pennsylvania. “I was a fan of Tim’s well before I started even thinking that working in this industry would be a possibility. Anybody who knew me in high school and college knows that I loved his films and really identified with the characters he created, being a misfit and a little bit of an outsider,” Frey recalled. “I was very fortunate to begin working with him very quickly when I moved to Los Angeles.” Twenty years later, Frey said he still gets excited by the energy Burton creates, and how quickly the cast and crew of each film pick up on it. “They see that what he creates is a family, and we’re all energized by his energy,” Frey said. “It’s one of the reasons why I’ve worked with him for so long because he’s maintained that same energy and passion. It’s incredibly inspiring.” The great thing is, Frey said, is that Burton’s audiences get to share in the passion, too. His cinematic influence is worldwide, mainly because the films are something audiences can identify with on a personal level. Burton has felt the same emotions of the outsider as his characters have, and “Miss Peregrine” once again projects the feelings that his fans can grasp onto. “Tim is not really one that follows reviews and critics — he knows it can be mixed bag,” Frey said. “But the people who identify with him, who embrace him films, are the ones who are going to be watching it 10, 20, 30 years from now. They’re going to be the ones dressed up as these character on Halloween, and they’re going to keep it alive.” Of course, Frey knows that there are people who don’t identify with Burton’s work, and that’s OK. “I said to him before, ‘The moment you’re universally accepted, it’s all over.’ He wouldn’t be the outsider anymore,” Frey observed. “As long as he’s the outsider, and he has those people who continue to identify, embrace and value these films, me personally, I’d rather be in that place. Look at pictures of his that didn’t generate a whole lot of interest or box office 20 years ago, yet are now heralded, like ‘Ed Wood.’ I’d take that any day. I would rather watch that film from 1994 than any film that came out within a few years of it.” Waters of creativity Admittedly a guy who can’t sit still for too long and is often on the road (fortunately, Frey is married to Leah Gallo , who is Burton’s photographer and author/photographer of “The Art of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”), Frey often engages in projects apart from Burton, most notably short films. His latest, the horror thriller “Green Lake,” has dominated the film festival circuit this year with more than 30 honors, and the accolades are still rolling in. Frey said the opportunity to do films like “Green Lake” (inspired by the Hawaiian lore of the Mo’o — a female, shape-shifting-type of lizard that used to protect freshwater-based systems in the islands) affords him the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds. During his off-time from Burton’s films, he gets to create his own work. “I need to be creative. I need to tell stories. I need to create something,” Frey said. “But at the same time I see the pressures that Tim is under — the pressures of the studio and the system and the deadlines and all the big things that come with releasing a big film — and I want to go the complete opposite direction. I want to do something that I have complete control over. It may be a very, very microbudget, but I have complete control over it. It’s kind of like therapeutic in a way.” “Would I like to do that on a greater level someday? Sure,” Frey added. “But in the meantime, to be able to help Tim with his films and exercise myself by these microbudget films, I’m very happy with that.” Read More Interview with director Derek Frey by Diana Ringo, Indie Cinema Magazine July 22, 2017 Being a member of the jury of Prague Independent Film Festival I watch a lot of independent films. One film – “Green Lake” impressed our jury by its humor and brilliant music score, but we were very surprised when we later found out that director of this independent production is Derek Frey, one of the most important producers in Hollywood, head of Tim Burton Productions. Apart of his main profession he directs his own independent films and music videos, including the horror short Green Lake, which was screened in over 40 film festivals and collected 47 awards. His newest music video God Came ‘Round will be screened at the Prague Independent Film Festival 2017. Derek Frey is currently producing the upcoming live action version of Dumbo directed by Tim Burton. We decided to interview him to find out more about his passion for independent low budget cinematography and how he combines it with his work on big budget projects. Diana Ringo: What served as inspiration for your new music video God Came ‘Round? Derek Frey: Trever Veilleux’s songwriting and poetic lyrics were the inspiration. I’ve been a fan of his music for a while now and this song spoke to me visually. I first collaborated with his band Technical Difficulties in 2001 on a music video for the song Sex is Easier. I listened to an advance copy of his new album Professor T and the East Side Shredders on repeat during a long-haul flight this past April, and God Came ‘Round jumped out instantly as something that could turn into a unique, funny, and touching music video. It’s an incredible album and I look forward to creating more videos to accompany it soon. Official Facebook Page of Professor T and the Eastside Shredders: https://www.facebook.com/professort.biz Diana Ringo: Tell us about your working relationship with actor Deep Roy; he has acted in God Came ‘Round and also in your short film The Ballad of Sandeep. In an earlier interview you have mentioned the possibility of making a feature film version of The Ballad of Sandeep. Are you still planning it or is there another feature film project in your future? Derek Frey: It’s always a pleasure to collaborate with Deep. I first met him on the set of Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes and later worked with him on Big Fish and Corpse Bride. He has an amazing spirit and an inspiring career. His first role was an Italian assassin opposite Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther Strikes Again, and he went on to play roles in Flash Gordon, The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Trek, just to name a few. The Ballad of Sandeep was great fun and was conceived by The Minor Prophets wanting to put a twist on the practice of outsourcing. It also gave Deep a chance to work out of SFX makeup. I’d still very much love to make a feature film version of Sandeep, which we’re continuing to develop. Deep is eager to reprise the role and The Minor Prophets have created a fantastic screenplay which explores Sandeep’s outsourcing predicaments on a whole new level, and adds some social commentary relevant to today’s ever-changing work environment. We have a website dedicated to the legacy of the award-winning short which also explores the development of the feature: http://www.theballadofsandeep.com Aside from Sandeep I’ve been developing a project called Quiet Fire, which tells the story of the creative bond between trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Bill Evans, around the time of recording sessions for the iconic album Kind of Blue. It’s a historical musical journey and also a powerful story of race and addiction. Also, my collaborations with The Minor Prophets continue. They are in the process of writing a feature screenplay entitled Awkward Endeavors, which we plan on filming in and around the Philadelphia area in 2018. Diana Ringo: You also have made several short films starring the comedy group The Minor Prophets, how did your collaboration start? Derek Frey: I was friends with two of The Minor Prophets, Gil Damon and Brian Gillin in middle school. Gil and I were mischievous cohorts in 7th grade. Fast forward to 2006 when I received an email from Gil who expressed how much he and his children enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I was the Associate Producer on. Gil introduced me to his work in The Minor Prophets. I found their shorts hilarious and extremely unique and thought-provoking. Most of their work is set in my hometown of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania so I felt a deep connection to what they were creating. I expressed interest in collaborating, which led to our first short film together, 4th and 99. It was a rewarding experience, and we brought the film to the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. Kill the Engine, released earlier this year, is our sixth collaboration and is currently having a successful run on the festival circuit. Link to The Minor Prophets official website: https://www.theminorprophets.com Diana Ringo: Your films show a good understanding of music, did you ever play any instruments yourself? Derek Frey: Music was my first creative passion and remains central to everything I do. I played saxophone in marching band and jazz band throughout high school and into college. I was also an enormous fan of film music from a young age. For me, music is an essential component of each project I’m involved with. Diana Ringo: What was your major in college? How have your films evolved from your university days? Derek Frey: I studied Communication and Journalism at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. Making films with friends was a hobby throughout my college years. Each semester the projects would grow in complexity and improve through the process of experimenting. I missed out on the party side of college because I would stay in my dorm with friends making films. Those were the best of times! One of our earliest movies, Marooned in our Room, was a comedic survival story which revolved around being trapped in a dorm room during a blizzard. There were basic themes present in my early work that I’m still drawn to – usually involving comedy, horror and sci-fi. I’ve always enjoyed a good monster mash-up. In the final weeks of college my energy was focused on completing work on my college cult opus film Verge of Darkness. The positive reaction to the film fueled my desire to make films for a living. A couple of weeks after graduating college I decided to take a gamble and move to Los Angeles to pursue a job in the entertainment industry. Diana Ringo: Your spouse Leah Gallo is a professional photographer who co-wrote the screenplay of Green Lake and has appeared in some of your films. Can you tell us about her role in your films and how she supports you in your creative endeavors? Derek Frey: Leah is an extremely talented photographer and writer. Her creativity was one of the characteristics I was attracted to when we first met. We’re drawn to the same things visually which serves as great inspiration. For Green Lake I had a general outline of a story but knew Leah would do a great job writing the screenplay. The story revolves around a strong female character and has many elements of fantasy of which Leah is a fan. Leah has always been very supportive of my creative endeavors. She remains patient even when projects absorb my time and being, which is often. I’m fortunate because since she is creative herself she is understanding of my obsession with each project. Leah Gallo’s Official Website: https://www.leahgallo.com Diana Ringo: Please tell us about the camera and equipment with which you shoot your films. Films you direct are a good example for young filmmakers, they show that a low budget should not be a barrier for creativity. Derek Frey: I’ve built up my kit over the years. God Came ‘Round was shot on a Panasonic GH5 (4k) with Zeiss Compact Prime Lenses. The lenses are what really makes the difference in quality. It’s amazing how much the technology has leapt forward in even just the past five years. Being able to shoot in such high quality with a minimal kit has been a godsend to my process. Working on both large budget features and micro-budget shorts and music videos keeps me balanced and grounded. Diana Ringo: Which film have you watched the most times in your life? Derek Frey: It’s difficult to select the one film I’ve watched the most. It’s a toss-up between Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Evil Dead 2 and Edward Scissorhands. Diana Ringo: Can you tell us something about the upcoming Dumbo adaptation where Tim Burton serves as director and you as producer? Derek Frey: We’re in the middle of the shoot at Pinewood Studios outside of London. It’s such a special project and a perfect fit with Tim. The story will capture the same rollercoaster of emotions as the original. Dumbo will break your heart… and lift you up along the way. Diana Ringo: Your new music video will be screened in Prague. What are your impressions of the city? What is your favorite city in Europe? Derek Frey: Prague is a great city. I love the gothic nature of its building and the beauty of the streets at night. I’d really like to film something in Prague someday. I was there in 2014 for the opening of Tim Burton’s art exhibition at the Stone Bell House in Old Town Square and had a great time. I find Prague to be incredibly cinematic, which is one of the reasons I’m so proud to have a project selected in the festival this year. Diana Ringo: What advice would you give to young filmmakers? Derek Frey: Just get out there and create. There are so many stories to tell and these days there’s nothing to hold you back. Let your passion guide you and always have a camera by your side. Read More Top Shorts Filmmaker in the Spotlight: An Interview with Derek Frey January 23, 2018 Derek Frey is an exceptional filmmaker. With credits like The Killers' Here With Me , Alice in Wonderland , Kill the Engine and Disney's upcoming Dumbo , he is taking over Hollywood at the speed of light. Read Derek's interview to find out how did a suburban Philadelphian boy become one of Hollywood's top producers? Tell us a bit about how you became interested in being a filmmaker? When did you create your first film? Going to the movies was a big part of my childhood. So many great films came out during my formative years and I remember after watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial and Raiders of the Lost Ark, being curious about how they were made. I think audiences in the late 70s/early 80s began to take interest in how visual effects were created. I was always excited to read the latest edition of Bantha Tracks, the Star Wars fan club newsletter, which gave an inside look into the making of those films. Although the photos were printed fairly small and in black and white, they provided a lot of behind the scenes information and I was intrigued. In 7th grade we had a class project where we wrote and filmed our own skits. Our teacher gave us the freedom to do pretty much anything we wanted. That was a big moment for me, I loved the creative nature of putting something on camera and making people laugh. It was a pretty powerful exercise at that age. I didn’t have access to a camera again until high school when I borrowed a camera and started experimenting more. Each project would grow in complexity and then in college I wrote and shot the first of a few feature length films. Have you ever received formal education in filmmaking? Did you attend any film school for training? I studied communications and journalism in college. Filmmaking was always a hobby – something I did on the side. My university didn’t have a film program but did have some editing and camera gear, mainly kept out of student’s view and utilized by faculty members. A supportive professor championed for me to have access to cameras and a Video Toaster editing system. The opportunity to work on a real editing system was a huge leap forward for me. Up until that point I would edit between two VCRs, with the sound either dubbed live while duplicating, or premixed on a cassette tape that I would then synch up while duplicating. It was an insane way to edit, especially the feature length films, but it really taught me the fundamentals. When did you move to LA? And why? The idea of moving to LA to work in the film industry was something I never would have even considered a possibility. I had a chance to visit LA during the spring break of my senior year and through some personal connections was able to meet a number of executives and producers within the industry. All these people had helpful advice for me on how to break into the industry. They also said if I decided to make the move to LA, I could give them a call. After graduation, I figured I had nothing to lose. My plan B was to move back to Pennsylvania and pursue a career in journalism, which also was a passion of mine. You started working for Tim Burton productions back in 1996 – and you've been working on Burton’s films ever since. Not many people get to say they began their professional film career assisting Burton on Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, and our favorite - Big Fish. How did a suburban Philadelphian boy get this position? My first paying job in LA was as a Production Assistant on a sitcom for ABC Productions. It was a great experience but my goal was to work on films. An executive at ABC knew this and when the sitcom wasn’t renewed, she recommended me for an opening at Tim Burton Productions. I remember her asking “Would you be interested in interviewing for a position at Tim Burton Productions?” My jaw hit the floor. I was very fortunate to find myself working for Tim, an idol of mine, just 10 months after making the move to LA. These days, you're an established producer with many notable A-List projects under your belt: Big Eyes, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the upcoming live-action Disney film Dumbo, to name a few. Can you describe some of your responsibilities while being involved in such diverse jobs? How demanding is it to work on these large-scale productions? When you produce a movie like ‘Dumbo’, is it a 24/7 gig? The work is relentless, but always a welcome challenge. I thrive on a heavy workload and each project brings its own complexities. That’s the wonderful thing about working with Tim – he never idles and each project presents a new puzzle to crack. My main responsibility is helping Tim carry out his incredible vision from conception through post production. I also help ensure that once the film is complete that it is represented and marketed in a manner that will lead to its success. Tell us about your involvement in Frankenweenie, the 2012 film you co-produced which received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Animated Picture. Were you involved from the very beginning? Was this the first time you approached an animated film? Was it different than a live-action movie? Frankenweenie was a wonderful project to work on. It certainly was a high point for me. Corpse Bride was the first stop-motion animated project I was involved with. Prior to that I worked as a production coordinator on Tim’s The World of Stainboy animated series. Initial work on Frankenweenie began shortly after the release of Corpse Bride in 2005, with Tim designing the look of the characters and working with talented puppet makers Mackinnon and Saunders on the fabrication of the Frankenweenie maquettes. The approach and execution of an animated film is vastly different from a live-action project. So much of the work that goes into an animated film happens before the camera rolls a single frame. And the process of actually shooting in stop-motion is a much greater timeline than that of a live-action film. Photographing a feature-length animated film is traditionally a time-consuming affair – one of the main reasons why Tim may only churn out one or two each decade. Alongside your studio-work, you create your own content, music videos, and indie films. How and when did you get into that? I’ve always had the impulse to create original work. Making films in college is what lead me to pursue filmmaking as a career. It’s challenging to find the time, but I do my best to shoot one or two projects each year. It’s therapeutic between big studio projects to work on films and music videos where I have the freedom to create entirely on my own terms. My website is a good resource for these works, from the crude and zany experimental films of my youth up to current day: www.lazerfilm.com You often write, produce, direct, DP and edit your projects. Lots of multitasking! What do you enjoy the most? I love it all, but feel best when I’ve got the camera in my hand. It’s a thrill to operate and see what you’re capturing in real time. That symmetry and excitement generated between the camera and your subject is what I enjoy most. I really love every step of the process, although filming, editing, and scoring are highlights. It’s so cool that you produced the excellent music video HERE WITH ME for The Killers! As of now, it has over 21 million views on Youtube! How did you get on board? Can you tell us a bit about this experience? Here With Me was a blast to work on. It’s such a special little gem that people are still discovering. I had worked with The Killers previously when Tim directed the music video for Bones in 2006. The band approached Tim to direct another music video when they released their album Battle Born in 2012. Tim was drawn to the track. He had recently reunited with Winona Ryder on Frankenweenie and asked if she would be in the video. It was a pleasure to work with her and Craig Roberts, and they gave wonderful performances. The video was shot in Blackpool, UK over the course of 2 days and nights. It was a real guerilla-style shoot, which I think everyone enjoyed. Aside from producing the music video, I created a behind the scenes video of the project which can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/62271804 Many of the films you directed won prestigious awards: the featurette Green Lake screened in over 40 film festivals, collecting multiple awards including Best Film at the L.A Shorts Awards, Motel Providence received the Golden Palm Award for Best Short at the Mexico International Film Fest, as well as Best Director at the World Film Awards. Sky Blue Collar granted you the Best Director award by the Chicago Comedy and Mockfest Film Festivals. The Ballad of Sandeep and God Came ‘Round have also enjoyed successful festival funs. With 79 festival wins and 19 nominations, (according to IMDb), what are the ingredients for creating a successful film, in your opinion? The fact is you can never really tell what is going to connect with a festival or audience. I just try to make things that appeal to me. I know my sensitivities are a bit off-kilter so it’s a pleasure when others “get” and appreciate it. I really enjoy making people laugh but also giving them a scare as well. Most of my films attempt to do one or the other and a few try to balance the line between humor and horror. That’s really where my mind resides. Most recently, you directed Kill the Engine. First of all, congratulations on winning Best Dark Comedy, Best Sound Design and an Honorable Mention: Editing at Top Shorts Film Festival! Excellent work. How did you come up with the idea? And how did you get your collaborators (such as Gil Damon & David and Matt Amadio) on board? My friends and close collaborators, the Minor Prophets, conceived the story for Kill The Engine. They wrote the screenplay under the working title “Say Goodbye to Hollywood”, which originally would have followed the three characters as they observe an annual ritual of “almost” killing themselves as a means of coping with whatever bad things they may have done in the past. Through the writing process the story evolved into more of a commentary on 21st century man’s flawed relationship with the automobile and thus himself. https://www.theminorprophets.com Three actors, one car, simple (hilarious!) storyline: when we look at the final product, it looks so perfect - you make it look easy! But there were probably some challenges involved… Tell us about the making of Kill the Engine. What were some of the challenging parts? Gil, Dave, and Steve (the Minor Prophets) make it easy. I knew they would have a good handle on playing the roles they invented, and their longtime friendship really shines through. That’s something you can’t make up or recreate. It’s authentic. My goal was to make the visual side of the story as poetic as the story they wrote. I wanted the viewer to feel the passage of a summer day in the barn, keeping the visuals fresh through the use of color and camera angles. The textures already present in and around the barn helped greatly. The sound design and the use of the cicada stridulations created a unique soundscape and combined with Matt Amadio’s score formed a solid ground for the humor and tragedy. This comedy is dark… super dark! Who were your earliest influences and who influences your work now? I think one of the reasons the collaborations with the Minor Prophets have been so successful is because we share a common upbringing in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. We also were inspired by many of the same things growing up. For comedy, Saturday Night Live sketches from the 80’ and 90’s were a big inspiration. Especially their film shorts which always swayed a little darker, like ‘Alan: A Video Junkie’, ‘Prose and Cons’, and ‘Hitchhiker’. Shows like The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery also spoke to me – the sci-fi twists and horror elements were something I always gravitated towards. In high school and college so many films were inspiring to me. The works of Tim Burton and Sam Raimi ranked highest. I remember watching Evil Dead 2 with friends in college and immediately borrowing a friend’s camera to make a short. The balance of comedy and horror combined with the active cinematography ignited something in my brain. I remember dragging friends to see Edward Scissorhands five times in the theater. I had never seen something so unique and original that connected with me emotionally. And that amazing score by Danny Elfman… Danny Elfman and Tim Burton have been long-time collaborators. Did you ever get a chance to work closely with the legendary Elfman? What was your impression of him while shooting the documentary: A Conversation with Danny Elfman and Tim Burton? Anyone that knows me from my high school and college days remembers I was a Burton and Elfman fanatic. This was a fact that I kept very close and quiet when I began working for Tim. Music was my first passion in life and the scoring of a film is always one of the most enjoyable parts of the process. I’ll always remember the first time I stepped onto a scoring stage at the Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California. Danny was just beginning to record the main titles of Mars Attacks! with a robust orchestra. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. I always make certain to be present as much as possible during the recording of each and every score. It continues to be a thrill! Tell us about your next projects! As mentioned, you’re currently working on Disney’s Dumbo, which is scheduled to be released in 2019. Any spoilers for the big fans? And what other projects are on the menu for 2018-2019? Dumbo is going to surprise many people. It’s an amazing cast and tale, set within a rich and beautiful world. Although Tim is reuniting with many actors he has worked with in the past they are all trailblazing new ground with this one. It’s not a remake, but a retelling of the classic story. Aside from Dumbo which will keep me well occupied, I’m editing a music video I just shot in Hawaii for Professor T and the East Side Shredders. And looking further ahead I’m developing a couple of feature films, including Awkward Endeavors with my frequent collaborators the Minor Prophets, and Quiet Fire a story revolving around the recording of the album Kind of Blue and the creative collaboration between Miles Davis and pianist Bill Evans. Would you like to add anything? Thank you for the interest and the opportunity! It’s always a pleasure to take some time to reflect. Read More Interview: Derek Frey, Cult Critic Film Magazine by Helen Wheels March 7, 2018 Derek Frey’s credits are long and impressive; filled with some of the best fantasy coming out of Hollywood. He’s been working with Tim Burton Productions since 1996, building a career assisting on films such as “Mars Attacks!”, “Sleepy Hollow”, “Planet of the Apes” and “Big Fish”. He was the executive producer on some of my personal favorites such as “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” and “Big Eyes” which is based on the true story of Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), whose husband Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) became one of the most successful painters of the 1950s and early 1960s by using his wife’s art and signing his own name. Derek co-produced the 2012 Academy Award© nominated “Frankenweenie” and associate produced the blockbuster “Alice in Wonderland”, as well as “Dark Shadows”, “Sweeney Todd”, “Corpse Bride”, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Derek currently is producing Disney’s “Dumbo”, a live-action adaptation of the classic animated children’s story, scheduled for release in spring 2019. In addition to all that, he still finds time to produce his own work! I recently reviewed his 2016 horror featurette, “Green Lake”, which has appeared at over forty film festivals and won numerous awards. Last year I was fortunate to review his short film “Kill the Engine,” which is also enjoying quite a bit of success on the circuit. 1. Derek, I am thrilled to have an opportunity to interview you, and I’ve been wondering, having been born and raised across the country in Philadelphia PA, how did you end up in Hollywood working with Tim Burton? Derek: Filmmaking started as a hobby for me during high school and college, and over time I grew increasingly passionate about it. I was always infatuated with films but as a kid growing up on the east coast, the idea of moving to Los Angeles to work in the film industry was something I never really considered a possibility. During my senior year of university, I had an opportunity to visit LA and through some personal connections was able to meet a number of executives and producers in the industry. They all had helpful career advice for me if I decided to make the move west. In the final weeks of college, my energy was focused on completing my cult opus: Verge of Darkness. The positive reaction to the film fueled my desire to make movies for a living. A couple of weeks after graduating college I decided to take a gamble and moved to Los Angeles. My first paying job in LA was as a production assistant on a sitcom for ABC Productions. It was a great experience, but my real goal was to work on films. An executive at ABC knew this and she recommended me for an opening at Tim Burton Productions. I remember her asking “Would you be interested in interviewing for a position at Tim Burton Productions?” After getting over the initial shock, I went through a couple of rounds of interviews and was hired as a runner, just as Mars Attacks! was in pre-production. I was extremely fortunate to be working for an idol of mine months after making the move to Los Angeles. 2. In what ways have working on films for Burton and Disney influenced your sensibilities as a filmmaker and your approach to your own work? Derek: I felt a strong affinity for Tim’s work from the very first film I saw of his: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. I remember seeing it at a drive-in movie theater – they were showing a double feature of Pee-Wee and Goonies. I went mostly to see Goonies, it was massive at the time and all my friends were talking about it. Goonies is a great film, but I was blown away by Pee-Wee. I’d never seen anything like it. From a kid’s perspective, it was very funny, odd, strange and unique. On the top layer, it seems really ridiculous, but there’s a lot going on. There’s an artistic richness to the film and it widened my perspective as to what a movie could be. As time went on I followed his career. Beetlejuice, Batman, and Edward Scissorhands were films I would watch repeatedly and ultimately prompted me to pick up a camera and make films of my own. As a fan, his films were ingrained in me and inspired me, long before I ever had the chance to work with him. Watching him work and create continues to be a huge inspiration to me. 3. You have numerous credits as a producer and associate producer, what other roles do you play behind the camera, and do you have a preference? Derek: I have played a number of roles on various projects. It’s always a real thrill and honor to produce for Tim and help him actualize his incredible vision. I love so many aspects of the process but enjoy directing the most. The symmetry and excitement generated between the camera and your subject is the most satisfying. 4. Have you ever worked on the other side of the camera, as an actor? How does that experience compare to being a crew member? Derek: I’ve never worked as a paid actor. It never really appealed to me though I have a lot of respect for people with that skill. In college, I would play roles in my early films, mainly out of necessity. I had stories I wanted to tell, and it was a collaborative effort with all of my friends helping out in front and behind the camera. In the end, we’d all pitch in, filling in roles that we were (or weren’t) naturally inclined for. 5. When I reviewed Green Lake, I noticed that you had credits for the story, but Leah Gallo was the screenwriter. Could you describe that process? How do you work with the writer to go from concept to script and what does the revision process look like? Derek: For Green Lake I had the general outline of a story but knew Leah would do a great job writing the screenplay. The story revolves around a strong female character and has many elements of fantasy – of which Leah is a fan. I thought the story really needed to be told from a female perspective and I think that is one of the greatest strengths of the film. 6. You played several behind the scenes roles in your horror featurette “Green Lake”, how do you juggle the sometimes-conflicting demands on a film as cinematographer, director, and editor? Derek: Juggling many roles is something I’ve always assumed without hesitation. For short films, I think it is a challenging and a healthy exercise – and it’s great to immerse yourself on such a complete level. I will say on a project like Green Lake, which creeps closer to a feature-length running time, taking on so many roles was extremely challenging. Shooting at real locations, many of which were on or under water, combined with makeup and effects, proved a huge undertaking. Our small cast doubled as basically our only crew. It took a toll on everyone physically and emotionally. Looking back, I think everyone appreciates what we went through and the end product. It certainly helps when the film does well and receives praise. That has been therapeutic. 7. Could you describe a day in your life when you’re in the middle of a big production for Burton and/or Disney and how does it differ from your day as an independent filmmaker? Derek: Each day presents its own challenges and unexpected hurdles. A workday can be strikingly different from pre-production to filming to post-production. Generally, when filming you’re on your feet a lot, moving from between sets and locations. It can be quite a transient lifestyle. During post and prep, it’s a bit more of a stable office/cutting room environment. The hours are always long, but I thrive on a heavy workload and embrace it. During the rare time I have off, usually around the holidays, I’ll try to film a project of my own. It’s a nice antidote to work on smaller projects where I have complete control over how and when they’re made, versus a studio project where you are responsible to the powers that be. 8. Other than Disney’s much anticipated “Dumbo,” what projects are currently in your cue? Derek: Aside from producing Dumbo, I’m in the process of developing a stop-motion anthology series based on the characters from Tim’s book: The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories. I’m editing a music video, Pangea, that I recently directed in Hawaii for Professor T and the East Side Shredders. It’s going to be a wild trip through history and around the world. Looking further ahead I’m developing a couple of feature films: Awkward Endeavors with my frequent Philadelphia collaborators the Minor Prophets, and Quiet Fire, a story about the recording of the album Kind of Blue and the creative collaboration between Miles Davis and pianist Bill Evans. Read More The Original Van Gogh's Ear Anthology: Freely showcasing the most creative minds on the planet. An Interview with Derek Frey April 21, 2018 Derek Frey is best known for his work with Tim Burton on such films as Big Fish, Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland, Frankenweenie, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Dark Shadows, Big Eyes, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. He has worked at the helm of Tim Burton Productions since 2001 as well as running his own film banner Lazer Film Productions, which has created several award-winning films, most notably The Ballad of Sandeep and Green Lake. His most recent endeavor finds him producing the upcoming live-action Dumbo film for Disney. Slated for 2019 the film features Colin Farrell, Eva Green, Danny DeVito, and Michael Keaton How has life changed most for you since we spoke last (while you were working on Big Eyes)? Daily life hasn’t changed all that much. I continue to challenge myself and stay busy. I’m now a father to a three-year-old, so that’s a fairly new addition to my life. I view my life from project to project, so after Big Eyes I executive produced Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Childrenand am currently in post production on Dumbo. Tim’s art exhibition The World of Tim Burton continues to tour, which is always exciting to help put together and visit the different cities in support of his work. It just finished its run in Mexico City and will be in Genk, Belgium later this year. On the personal side, I’ve made a few more films and music videos since then. I think right after Big Eyes I was deep into Green Lake, which was released in 2016. With Green Lake, I was inspired by my lifelong love for B-horror films, and also the mystical setting in Hawaii really spoke to me. I’ve explored B horror before but not quite on that scale. It was a tremendous amount of work, but I was really pleased with the result and surprised it received the recognition that it did. Last year I directed the music video God Came ‘Round for a band from the Big Island of Hawaii: Professor T and the Eastside Shredders. When I first heard their new album the track really stood out to me. It has a lot of fantastical and paranormal elements in its lyrics by Trever Veilleux and immediately Deep Roy came to mind for the lead character. Luckily enough, Deep was coming to London and I pitched the idea to him. After that the whole project came together very quickly. Deep got to play a myriad of different roles with many costume changes and it’s been a success on the festival circuit. It was great to reunite with Deep. I’ve worked with him on a number of Tim’s films tracing back to Planet of the Apes, Corpse Bride and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, and then I had the opportunity to direct him in The Ballad of Sandeep. Working with him again was a great pleasure. He’s always game for whatever we throw at him… literally. I’ve also continued to work with my friends and collaborators the Minor Prophets, with Motel Providence and Kill the Engine. I’m perpetually inspired by their writing which has been described as commentary on 21st century man. Poking fun and putting a spin on the meaning of manhood and the ridiculous things men do to sustain it. I try not to take anything too seriously and can relate to that. How has becoming a father changed your outlook on the world and life in general? What do you love most about it? I’d say you definitely reflect more on your own life. Seeing life through my son’s eyes, I look back and recall things from when I was young. We share a great appreciation for Godzilla movies. He knows the names of all the characters, whether they are “good guys” or “bad guys’, and he’s assembling quite a collection of vinyl figures. We have good vs. bad Toho-Kaiju smackdowns. He usually prefers the bad guys, I think because in the vast Toho universe, the good guys are unfortunately outnumbered. Becoming a father hasn’t really change my outlook. I’ve always had a concern for the state of the world and unfortunately the times we’re living in only heighten that concern. Not only for today and tomorrow, but also the world we’re leaving for the future generations. That’s definitely something I think about more now and feel like the stakes are higher. Obviously past generations dealt with their own world threats, and personally I hoped our civilization had evolved to a point where we wouldn’t be dealing with quite as many issues. But with all the active threats and destabilizing forces at work today – the combination seems to make the future a more perilous uncertainty. Do you think being a parent encourages adults to revisit their own imagination? It absolutely does, and more so it encourages me to channel it in different ways. One of the things my son enjoys most in our time together is telling stories. Each night I’m having to think up two or three thrilling tales, and while they’re not the most inventive he seems impressed by them. Ultimately what it does is allows me to revisit the things that inspired me. As I dig into the mental recesses to come up with all these sagas, I end up sharing with him the things that I was inspired by as a child. What are you currently working on over at Lazer Film Productions? I’m currently editing a music video, Pangea, that I filmed earlier this year in Hawaii for Professor T and the East Side Shredders. Like the title suggests we aimed to create something globally epic and I think it’s going to turn out great. I’m slowly making my way through the editing process but hope to have it finished in another month or two. I’m also developing a feature film with the Minor Prophets. We’ve had success with a number of short films over the years and are now moving forward with Awkward Endeavors which we’re planning to shoot next year. What is the most challenging thing you face in continuing work on your personal projects and working at the helm of Tim Burton Productions? When it comes to my projects with LFP, the greatest challenge is really finding the time. I usually find myself filming over breaks and holidays and the editing process takes a bit longer than usual. It’s always a cathartic experience but really that is the biggest challenge, just finding the time to do my own stuff. The flip side of that is because I’m involved with these projects on every level, I also have the freedom to finish on my own schedule. It’s a great thing to work without any outside pressures and to have complete control over something you call your own. At Tim Burton Productions things are never idle. The projects are larger so the stakes are higher with many gears at work. One of my main responsibilities as a producer on Tim’s films is to help him carry out his amazing vision. It keeps me on my toes but is a welcome challenge to help him see that vision through, from development all the way to the release, through every stage of a film. How is the live action version of Dumbo coming along? What are some of the most daunting challenges faced with bringing Dumbo to life outside of the original animation people are familiar with? Dumbo is going extremely well. We filmed last year and it’s a production I’m proud to be a part of. We’re in post-production now and eyeing a March of 2019 release. Every one of Tim’s films is unique and demands its own consideration. On this one, the approach was very much filming a practical movie on a grand yet intimate scale. We built the majority of the sets which enabled the cast to perform within real environments. The technology comes into play with the star of the film, Dumbo, and much of the effort in post-production is animating that character. A big goal for the character is maintaining the emotion that people love from the original film. It’s still early stages in the process but I’m confident that Tim will achieve everything he is hoping to. Were you a fan of the film as a child? What about it stands out most in your mind? I went to the movies often when I was a child and although I was really young, maybe four or five, I remember seeing Dumbo in the theatre. I recall feeling strong emotions, the heaviness of Dumbo being separated from his mother, and that melancholy sadness. I probably didn’t see it again until recently, when we began work on Tim’s Dumbo. I was completely taken by how potent the film is. Even at sixty-four minutes it is full of emotion and a beautiful, simple story. The impact it has is something that not only a child can experience. I think as an adult, and maybe as a new dad, I felt those feelings quite strongly again. I also felt excitement at the prospect of Tim telling Dumbo’s story. The cornerstone being to maintain the same emotional bond between a son and his mother. Now, close to eighty years since the original was released, technology is at a point where you can believably recreate an elephant on-screen, and Tim’s expertise in animation will bring that lovable character to life. When the news first broke that Tim was directing a live-action Dumbo, people were sort of unsure about it and scratching their heads. But for me reading the screenplay for the new film, I realized that Dumbo is an outsider and an outcast. People accuse him of being a freak and he moves past those perceptions to embrace what makes him special. If you look back at Tim’s catalogue he’s a champion for these types of characters. And looking through the Disney canon of characters, I don’t think there’s a better fit for Tim to interpret than Dumbo. Do you think traditional animated film will ever come back to forefront? Film is a broad art form, and there is room for stories to be told in every single form available. There may not be many films being made in traditional 2D, but there is still a place for it and I hope there will always be. It’s the same with stop motion. I know for Tim it’s a very special way of making films and he’ll continue to utilize that form. I don’t think traditional animation is dead, these things come and go. There is always interest in looking back at different storytelling mechanisms. Maybe we’re just in a lull now and we’ll see a wave of 2D crop up in a few years. Let’s hope so! Will this film feature a lot of CGI or will it have more practical effects? When Tim made Alice in Wonderland it was a virtual approach with completely green screen sets and a lot of computer-animated characters. Then fast forward to something like Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children which took a very practical approach, real locations and not a lot of CG at all. I think when things look so good these days people just assume that it’s a computer-generated set or environment. But Miss P was very much a practical film. I would say Dumbo sits somewhere between the two, but definitely closer to a practical approach. The sets and the world that the characters live in were all built and created, and although we did shoot on sound stages, that was mainly for the sake of controlling the light and not running into problems with weather. Dumbo needed to have a fable or storybook feel and shooting on stages helped create a heightened sense to the world. As I spoke about before, the main character Dumbo will be computer-generated, and that is out of basic necessity. We can’t use a real elephant, nor would you be able to get the needed performance out of a real elephant. So, while Dumbo will be animated the goal is to create a truly believable elephant. An elephant who sits within this world and you don’t question it. The fantastic ability of this elephant is that he can fly, so it’s about making that believable too. I understand this is the first time Michael Keaton has worked with Tim since the first two Batman films and DeVito since Big Fish. What is it like to have them on board for this project? I was really excited for Tim to be working with Michael and Danny, two people that he’s had close collaborations with in the past, and I know it got him excited about the project as well. My initial thought was: Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, and Danny DeVito together… it’s like a Batman Returns reunion! But then seeing them get into their work with Tim, they have an instant shorthand on set, you realize this is not just a trip down memory lane. These guys are looking forward, creating exciting new characters, and working at the top of their game. I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people. It was quite an energy on set. Aside from Michael and Danny you have Eva Green, who Tim worked with on Dark Shadows and Miss P, who is going to light up the screen in this one. And Alan Arkin who worked with him back on Edward Scissorhands. It’s almost like a greatest hits package of these wonderful actors that Tim has worked with in the past. I remember in one of the scenes we had Michael, Danny, and Alan all together. It was an incredible moment for everybody, myself included, to see them together again with Tim. At the same time, you have the talented Colin Farrell, who is an amazing and generous presence on set, working with Tim for the first time. They gelled immediately, and their shorthand was instantaneous. To see all of this talent assembled and fitting comfortably was a joy. What do you enjoy most about working with Tim? After all these years and all these projects, it’s still an honor to work with him. He continues to inspire everyone around him, because he’s always pushing his own creativity. While he does work with the same people from film to film I wouldn’t say it’s ever easy or repetitious, it’s always a fresh experience. You can never guess what he’s going to do that day on set or how he’s going to approach things, he will always surprise you. And that’s what makes Tim the real deal and why he is who he is. I feel that every day working for him. As a creative person you find yourself inspired by other creative people, and he’s the most creative person I’ve ever met. As someone who is a self proclaimed introvert what have you found are some of the benefits of being less social? What do you think extroverts could learn from the less socially inclined? I think over the years I’ve had to break out of my introverted behavior, because it’s important in my work to be an effective communicator. That is not to say that being introverted is a bad thing, it’s just for what I need to do, I can’t be like that all the time. But I will say that some of my most fruitfully creative periods were times when I could sink back into myself and explore my own brain. That’s one of the challenges of my job. Because I have to communicate with people constantly it leaves little time to do that. So, although I have broken out a bit (which I think is a good thing for me personally) I pine for my more introverted days. There are benefits of going inside yourself, becoming self-aware and nurturing your creativity. I think ideally you can find the best of both worlds. How have you changed most as an individual since your early days? You think about that more as you get older, about how you’ve changed or how you were in the past. I hear people say they feel different from when they were younger. But the fact is I feel very much the same. I’ve often wondered whether something was wrong with me that I don’t feel much different? I’ve always been a high energy person, so maybe I have mellowed out a little bit. I’m probably still more hyper than anyone else I know, except for my son. If anything, I am shocked at how much time has gone by, I find myself trying to make the most of every moment. I guess that’s an important thing that I didn’t think about when I was younger, trying to take advantage of every moment here for the best. What projects are you looking forward to bringing into existence? Aside from Awkward Endeavors, I’ve been developing a project called Quiet Fire. It tells the musical relationship between Miles Davis and pianist Bill Evans, and the recording of the album Kind of Blue. That’s something I’m very excited to see happen. It’s a story about the creative process, but it also covers themes about race and substance abuse so there’s lots to chew on. It gives new insight into Kind of Blue which is considered by many to be the greatest jazz album of all time. For Tim Burton Productions, I’m developing an anthology of shorts based on characters from his 1997 book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories. We’re looking to re-tell the stories using stop motion, which would be visually distinct and something for fans to get excited about. Is there anything you’d like to say in closing? Thank you again for the opportunity. It’s been a pleasure to take some time out of the daily grind to reflect upon the past four years. Read More How Dumbo‘s Producer Carves out Creative Space for Tim Burton. By Hugh Hart for The Credits. March 28, 2019 Twenty-three years ago, Dumbo producer Derek Frey started working for Tim Burton as a gofer on Mars Attacks. Over the course of Burton’s next 11 movies, Frey rose through the ranks to become a trusted consigliere to the visionary director. Among Frey’s chief tasks: making sure that Burton gets to be Burton. “Tim’s an artist,” Frey says. “He treats every project like a canvas. I always try to – I don’t want to say ‘protect’ — but I try to ensure that Tim has the space he needs to delve into his creativity because certain people within the studio system—they want answers now. They want to see things before they’re ready to be seen.” Especially for Dumbo, a mostly live-action re-make of Disney’s 1941 flying elephant fable featuring Danny DeVito, Colin Farrell, Eva Green, and Michael Keaton. The London-based filmmaker needed time to shape Ehren Kruger’s script to his liking. Pre-production began in October 2016 and Dumbo only wrapped final edits three weeks ago, Frey says. “Before we had the elephant rendered, we weren’t really sure what the movie was going to be, so I helped carve out that little corner [for Tim] and told the studio, ‘Guys, you’ve got to trust us on this one. Look at Tim’s track record. You know he’ll deliver something wonderful.” In re-creating the wonder that is saucer-eyed baby elephant Dumbo and his world, Burton enlisted long-standing collaborators including Frey, composer Danny Elfman, costumer Colleen Atwood , and production designer Rick Heinrichs. Frey sees Team Burton as a de-facto repertory company, not unlike the itinerant entertainers depicted in the film. “Tim’s group in a way is really like a circus troupe,” Frey says. “We’re kind of a ragtag bunch where each person brings their own talent to the table, with Tim front and center” as the ringmaster. In fact, the Dumbo set outside of London often times resembled an actual circus. “We brought in real circus acts from Mongolia and Brazil and Eastern Europe and Spain and Russia,” Frey says. “Five months before we started filming, they put on a show for Tim at Pinewood Studios and he selected a short list of performers for the movie. When you see Danny DeVito and his Medici Brothers Circus, there’s always stuff going on in the background with jugglers, knife throwers, people on a high wire. They’re the real deal. It was really cool to be part of a movie where you’d see these people in the corner every day doing tricks or rehearsing some kind of acrobatics gearing up for their time on screen.” The circus environments designed by Oscar-winner Heinrichs (Sleepy Hollow) was constructed on a Pinewood Studios soundstage near London and the massive Cardington Airship Hangar once used to build World War I blimps. “We researched real locations in the U.S. that paralleled places in the script but Tim decided to shoot the movie on the new soundstage at Pinewood where we could completely control the light and color and camera,” Frey recalls. “From a production standpoint, we wouldn’t need to deal with rain or weather elements or [changing] light. We used a green screen for Alice in Wonderland, but for this one, we felt the elephant was the fantastical element and everything else should be as real and tactile as possible.” The folksy Americana backdrop, circa 1919, evokes a lush context for the story but at its core, Dumbo requires an adorable and fully plausible baby elephant to drive the drama. After finishing his 2016 contemporary fantasy Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,Burton turned his attention to the big Dumbo questions. Frey explains, “It really became about the development of the look for Dumbo. A, what could he look like in a live action environment and B, could the visual effects pull that off realistically?” The answers came from MPC company, which had just finished state-of-the-art visual effects in The Jungle Book. “MPC had already taken a stab at Dumbo on their own and when they showed us their tests, it proved you could create a flying elephant that looks convincing. That’s when Tim decided the technology had arrived for us to make this movie.” Frey regards Dumbo as a culminating moment in Burton’s filmography, and he should know. Long before joining the director’s inner circle, Frey admired Burton’s black-humored brand of surrealistic horror aesthetic from afar. In high school, he watched Edward Scissorhands dozens of times at the local movie theater. In college, Frey found personal inspiration in Burton’s bio-pic of D-movie director Ed Wood. “It’s probably my favorite Tim Burton movie ever,” Frey says. “Ed Wood made me recognize even if you’re making a horrible film that nobody sees, you can still have a passion for the actual process of getting a bunch of people together, grabbing a camera and running around getting shots. That movie gave me the strength of purpose to pursue film as a career, and looking back, I feel very fortunate about my trajectory.” As for Burton’s artistic trajectory over the past two decades, Frey believes the man he works with nearly every day has remained essentially unchanged. “Maybe he’s slightly more comfortable in his own shoes than he was 25 years ago but Tim is still very much a champion of the outsider, he’s still talented and touched and unique and very much an outsider himself,” Frey says. “The moment that he’s not the outsider, the moment that Tim Burton is universally accepted? Then it’s over!” Read More ‘Dumbo’ Producers Derek Frey and Katterli Frauenfelder on How ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Influenced the Production. by Drew Taylor for Moviefone. March 28, 2019 When you watch “Dumbo ,” Tim Burton ’s fantastic reinvention of the beloved Disney animated classic (you know, the one that made Harry Truman cry), it’s hard to not think about what it must have taken to pull off. Besides wrangling an impressive cast of heavy hitters (many of them, like Danny DeVito , Eva Green and Michael Keaton , Burton regular players), the scope and scale of the production is totally staggering – countless costumed extras (all in period-specific and still Burton-whimsical garb), giant physical sets, and a main character who didn’t actually exist. It’s an epic in every sense of the word. And much of the logistical planning and preparation fell to “Dumbo” producers Derek Frey and Katterli Frauenfelder , who we were lucky enough to sit down with for a few minutes in Beverly Hills. During our discussion we talked about what it took for Burton to say yes to another live-action remake of an animated classic, how long it took to get Dumbo right, and what they learned from the notoriously difficult “Alice in Wonderland .” From your point of view, what made “Dumbo” so perfect for Tim and for reinvention? Derek Frey: There’s so much to pull from. Dumbo is one of the original outsiders. It’s one of the first feature films from Disney and he is an outsider. Tim has such a great history, almost every single one of his films revolves around an outside. So that combined with the fact that it comes from Disney and it’s animation. It’s almost like a personification of Tim himself. He started at Disney, he started in the animation world, he has a history of outsider characters that are animated. So to bring a 2D animated character into a reimagining of a live action motion picture for Disney, aside from all the story points and the lovely script, Tim felt like the right person to pull from his toolbox. And the final result shows that. Katterli Frauenfelder: And he was very emotionally attached to the story and to Dumbo. Did it take any convincing for him to do another animated-to-live-action adaptation? Frey: Here’s the thing – we receive a draft of a script from Disney, we see that it’s “Dumbo” and instantaneously you kind of go, Here’s another reimagining. But after Tim read it, he understood pretty quickly that, yes, it’s another reimagining but it’s lovely. It’s ideal. It’s perfect. He was really touched by the story. It was actually a very quick process. I don’t think Disney expected him to respond as quickly as he did. It was immediate and it was, Count me in. And that’s rare. That hardly ever happens. And there are stories that he was offered other live-action remakes. Frey: He had dabbled in a couple and it didn’t work out. Here’s the thing – a lot of those original Disney animated films deal with all the things of life – love, loss, tragedy and good messages in there. I think Tim as a child was greatly impacted by those things. So the idea, with the technology that’s available now, that you could believably create that elephant in a live action film and do it successfully, that was something that really interested him. On a technical level, this movie is filled with huge sets. How much of that was a response to his experience on “Alice in Wonderland” and just having a green sheet up? Frauenfelder: A lot. Because I think that he really feels that, though “Alice” went really well and we did our best to give a reality to the actors, Tim felt very strongly that as much set as we could have for the actors to act against and react to and with, was very important to him in this one. We even had a little guy who played Dumbo so that the children always had eyes to look at and also the other actors. I think it was very important. There was always a connection to the set or to Dumbo. I think that, for Tim, it became very important after “Alice.” Frey: I think there’s also something about embedding a computer-generated character into a live environment. Because if you are dropping “Dumbo” into a virtual environment, that’s kind of two levels into something that your brain processes and knows is not reality. But with real sets, the challenge was, Okay now we’re going to drop this elephant into real lighting scenarios and interaction and touch and all of those things. A movie like “Jungle Book ” proved that you could animate at that level. But those were virtual sets so. That’s the real change up in this film – the sets are real, the actors are real, but we’re dropping the star of the film into that. How long did it take to finesse that character into existence? Frey: We finished last week. Listen, MPC did an incredible job but Tim saw what the technology could do and he just kept pushing and pushing and pushing it until we had to finish the movie. Frauenfelder: And Tim is a perfectionist so he sees every detail of Dumbo. But it was last week. Frey: I think they’ve learned a lot. I think they learned a lot. They brought things to an entire new level. And it shows when you watch the movie. You question, “Is that real? How are they touching it?” I’m astounded when I see it. There’s the old metaphor of movie productions being like circuses. Was this movie more Medici or more Dreamland? Frauenfelder: It was both. Frey: No, it was both. Because our production was split up very much like the film is – where, the first half you’re in that Medici world. We didn’t shoot necessarily in order but we did do more Medici stuff at the beginning and then we went to Dreamland. There was definitely a parallel there. But I will say that the group that works primarily with Tim over the years, we’re Medici. We’re a ragtag bunch of misfits who believe in something and get behind Tim to help him. It is life imitating art a bit. Read More Q & A: 'Dumbo' Producer On How Tim Burton's Reimagining Differs From Other Live-Action Disney Remakes. By Josh Weiss for Forbes. April 1, 2019 This past weekend, Disney released its live-action remake of 1941's Dumbo, the poignant story about a floppy-eared elephant who learns that he has the unique ability to fly. Naturally, Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Alice in Wonderland) was the natural choice to direct, given the film's fantastical premise and larger-than-life circus/amusement park settings. Excitingly, the project reunited the filmmaker with his two of his biggest collaborators, Danny DeVito (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Michael Keaton (Spider-Man: Homecoming), who faced off against one another in 1992's Batman Returns as The Penguin and Bruce Wayne. Dumbo flips this original dynamic, however, by making DeVito (small time circus owner, Max Medici) the good guy, and Keaton (ruthless entertainment tycoon V. A. Vandevere) the villain. In addition to those big names, Burton was also able to snag Colin Farrell (The Lobster), Eva Green (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children), and even Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method) for the rest of the cast. Since the titular character is a flying pachyderm (an impossible-to-find breed these days), Dumbo had to be brought to life via the latest CGI technology, but that didn't mean he had to be a lifeless tennis ball perched atop a wooden stick on the set (more on that later, though). The live-action Dumbo's biggest change from the original feature involves the introduction of humans that were not in original, mainly the Farrier family (led by Farrell's Holt), which is reeling from the effects of World War I and the Spanish Influenza pandemic of the late 1910s. Just as Milly and Joe Farrier (Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins respectively) have lost their mother to the devastating flu, so too Dumbo has lost his own mother to the cruelty of man. The fates of these characters become intertwined as Dumbo learns to soar (in an effort to see his mom again), while Holt (an injured veteran of the Great War) reconnects with his children. What ensues is a heartwarming (and sometimes heartbreaking) story about the importance of family, the pitfalls of greed, and, at its very core, being kind to animals. That only just scratches the surface of what Burton strove for in this movie, which feels like his purest, most wondrous endeavor in years. To get a better sense of what makes this film different from its source material—as well as what sets it apart from Disney's other docket of live-action remakes—we caught up with Burton's longtime producer, Derek Frey. Josh Weiss: You’ve been a producer on Tim Burton’s movies for a while now. What have you learned about his filmmaking and/or visual style after so many years of working together? Derek Frey: That’s a good question. Tim is obviously well-known for his visual style and a certain kind motif. We hear the word a lot of times, ‘Burton-esque.’ I will say he occupies a ... certain specific, unique space and I feel like it’s something that is harder to come by these days. He is one of the last auteurs in a way, where he has a very distinct style and look—he’s still the best at representing that. I know you’ll see films from time-to-time that seem like they’re trying to do what he does, but I kind of feel like unless it’s him helming a project, it’s gonna lack something special about it. It’s been a great journey, I’ve worked with him for a long time and it’s still awe-inspiring to see him work and the energy and enthusiasm and passion that he brings to a project. The attention to detail is always a real wonder to watch and that continued on Dumbo, probably to a degree I’d never even seen before. I think he ramped it up a few notches on [this movie], where every nuance of Dumbo’s character, every single aspect visually to the film, he had a hand in. If you haven’t seen the film yet, when you do, I think people will realize that there’s something really special about the look and especially Dumbo, the character himself. Josh Weiss: When you found out you’d be working on Dumbo, what was Tim’s sort of pitch/vision for the way he wanted to reimagine the original film? Derek Frey: Disney sent us a draft of Ehren Kruger’s script and Ehren kind of pitched his take to the studio that you kind of tell the story that the original film did up to a point. And where the original film leaves off, that’s where we pick up. It’s almost like the point where the world discovers that there’s an elephant that can fly, now what happens? The screenplay had all the things in place that I think appealed to Tim and certainly, I think one of the biggest draws is that Dumbo, the character, is an outsider and is one of the original Disney outsider animal characters. Tim’s always been a champion for these kinds of characters and Dumbo seemed to fit really well into that realm. Then add to that the amazing settings that [the film is] set in, the time period, and this kind of grand dreamland destination, Coney Island-esque setting is something that, when I read the screenplay, I couldn’t visualize it, but I could tell that Tim would definitely be able to run with it and make something really incredible. For Tim, it was taking that screenplay and making the story his own, developing the design and look of Dumbo. That was something that, from the offset, Tim embraced [asking] ‘How are we gonna adapt this character into a new film, into a live-action kind of environment?’ Obviously, the visual effects were [advanced enough] where we could create a realistic-looking elephant and then it was really Tim that brought the nuance to the character. For a character that doesn’t speak at all, he has a lot of personality and a lot of that personality came from Tim’s direction on how to animate him. Josh Weiss: The project reunites Burton with some of his most famous collaborators, mainly Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito. Did it take some time for them to recapture their Batman repartee or did it just click back into place after so many years? Derek Frey: It was instantaneous. One of the first days early on in [production] we had one of the scenes in the sky boxes at Dreamland and it was Alan Arkin and Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito all together in one scene. I think everybody was soaking in the energy that day … We’ve worked with Danny a lot, this is the fourth film that Tim has directed Danny in; they’ve collaborated on a number of different things over their careers. That, I knew would be instantaneous. Tim hadn’t seen Michael in a long time and from the moment they actually met when Michael reached town and they were going through costume tests, they just clicked. There’s a shorthand there. I think the people that Tim collaborates with often, that shorthand is already kind of present, but to have these guys working together in the same scenes was something really magical to watch. From beginning this film, [Tim] expressed that if he could populate and cast a lot of these characters with people that he’s worked with in the past, people that he thought were right for the roles, but people that are kind of his film family, that was something that was going to excite Tim and make for a better film. I don’t think Tim followed that path to get fans and audiences excited, but it is really great to see that people are looking back and [that] they are excited see this reunion and I don’t think they’ll be disappointed. It’s pretty exciting to see them all together again, and it’s not like they’re rehashing anything or retreading or redoing something. They’re kind of blazing into new territory on this one and creating really strong, new characters. Josh Weiss: Aside from DeVito and Keaton, you’ve also got Colin Farrell, Eva Green, AND Alan Arkin. Was it a challenge to juggle so many talented actors and a flying CGI elephant? Derek Frey: Not really. Again, really good people gravitate to working with Tim and this cast, across the board, they understand Tim’s process. I think Colin and the kids were the only major roles where those actors hadn’t worked with Tim previously and Colin, it just felt like he was part of that family. He fit right in—that shorthand was right there, and I look forward to Tim and Colin working together again because I think they were a really good fit. For the kids, this was kind of their first movie, so I think it was really great for children stepping into this big world; they felt very comfortable because the people that work with Tim, obviously they’re very familiar with him, it’s a real comfortable kind of setting. It’s a circus kind of environment, so inherently, there’s a lot of fun and there’s a lot of moving people juggling. There’s never a dull moment, so I think that they were able to flip into this world and feel very comfortable. They’re both very confident and competent actors in and of themselves. Josh Weiss: I’m glad you brought that up. Do any fun moments/anecdotes from set stand out? Maybe from the actors reacting to an elephant that wasn’t there? Derek Frey: When it came to Dumbo, he was the only thing that wasn’t truly present on set, at least in terms of his final look. We did have a Dumbo actor by the name of Edd Osmond who would wear a very peculiar-looking kind of green screen suit, which doubled for Dumbo in terms of eye line and movement and contact with the actors. As ridiculous as his costume looked—we coined it ‘The Ant-Man Costume’—it enabled the actors to have something to play off ... One of the things that I’m really taken by is how real the contact and the movement and interaction between the actors and Dumbo [is]—it really plays off well and a lot of that has to do with having someone present for these scenes. Nico [Parker] and Finley [Hobbins], who play the children, they had the best stories because they spent a lot of time with Edd ... They had a real rapport with him. It was a real interesting kind of relationship between the three of them … But I can’t speak of anything really specific; it was just the general absurdity of the the day-to-day and how quickly we adapted to how ridiculous that Dumbo double costume looked. A lot of that had to do with Edd’s performance because he brought a lot of feeling to it. The first couple days on set it was kind of like ‘How’re we gonna get a real, true, heartfelt reaction from the actors having to play off of this character?’ But then his performance was so real and pure, that you went with it, you really felt it on set and it comes through in the final picture as well. Josh Weiss: In the original, the relationship between Dumbo and his mother and the poor treatment of his mother is some of the saddest stuff in cinematic history. How does that carry over into the remake? Derek Frey: Disney films, especially the early animated ones, there’s a lot of scenes of loss and tragedy. There’s real life lessons that were told in those stories, and I think that’s one of the reasons why they resonate so strongly in people. It was something that, in this reimagining, we felt it was really the heart of the story. The heart of the story is a baby elephant trying to reunite with his mother, and that’s the kind of the takeaway that people have from the original. I found that lot of people remember how they felt watching the original, but they may not remember every single beat of the story, and I think that’s mainly because it’s something that people watched when they were very young and we knew that this story had to maintain that pulse. The original’s a 63-minute long film. Obviously, for a feature-length live-action film, we had to provide something a bit more extensive and Ehren Kruger ... aside from expanding the story once the world finds out that there’s a flying elephant, he also felt it would be good to introduce human characters with a family story that kind of parallels the plight of Dumbo. That’s where the the Farrier family comes into play. So, I think it plays really well; there’s a real touching parallel story of these children and their father trying to connect and deal with their mother who has passed away. I think it’s made for a real kind of lovely update of the original story. When [people] watch it, they’ll get enough of the original and how they felt watching the original and there’s enough nods to the original that they’ll feel like it’s doing it justice. But it also takes it into a whole new realm and they’re not gonna feel like that was a bad turn. I think they’ll go with it. Josh Weiss: Based on the trailers alone, the sets alone look breathtaking. Can you talk a little bit about their design and construction? Derek Frey: A term that Tim used from the very beginning was ‘grand intimacy’ and his meaning behind that was in the original animated film, you are firmly tracking Dumbo and his mother and the story of the circus. There’s a certain scale and color scheme that’s really bold and memorable and in this film, it’s a big movie, but Tim never wanted to lose focus on the tale of this family and of Dumbo. While you do have this big world that everything is set in, you never get lost in it. At least I find in a lot of bigger budget films, sometimes you lose yourself in the scale of the world ... over the substance of the characters and the story. Tim wanted to make sure that we maintain a certain intimacy of the story and the characters. That being said, we’ve done films like Alice in Wonderland, where it’s completely set within a CGI world and most of the filming took place on green screen sets. Because Dumbo is one of the biggest visuals effects in the film, Tim felt it was important to build [practical sets] as much as possible in terms of the setting. For every scene, our characters, the initial world, the immediate world that we’re tracking, is all on real sets. Although it’s done really well, it’s hard to tell sometimes, the horizons, the world beyond, the skyline ... those are the elements that we’ve added later. But the initial world from Danny DeVito’s Medici Circus, the down and out dusty circus, and through Michael Keaton’s Vandevere Dreamland, those sets were all practically built. It creates a certain design aspect that is really strong, because you sense that you’re in a real world and it enables to us to believe the elephant [is real] in a way because the visual effects team was able to effectively create this Dumbo elephant into a real world. I think when you have two layers of the unreal, like an unreal setting and an unreal character, it’s a little bit harder for your brain to process and go with it. Each time I’ve seen the finished film now, I’m really astounded at how well Dumbo plays within these environments. Josh Weiss: How is it different from all the live-action remakes Disney has released or is planning to release in the coming months? Derek Frey: I’m not familiar with the trajectory of the storylines for Lion King or Aladdin. From what I’ve seen, it seems like they’re definitely looking back at the original films. Those original animated films [from the] late ‘80s, early ‘90s, they’re a little fresher in people’s minds. You have a generation of people that grew up with those pictures and they now have kids of their own and those films mean something really fundamental to them. While I’m sure there’ll be some changes, I would suspect that they wanna stay true to a little more of what those original films were. We had a little bit more liberty with Dumbo, because it came out in 1941—it’s a 63-minute-long film. We had a little more flexibility in expanding upon the story and maybe people not being quite so dear with it. Again, I’m not sure what they’re doing with those [other] films, but I do think Tim was able to exercise his amazing creativity to its fullest on this and I think it’s something people will accept and embrace and really enjoy. Interview with Filmmaker Derek Frey (GOD CAME ‘ROUND) GOD CAME ‘ROUND played to rave reviews at the February 2018 ROMANCE FEEDBACK Film Festival on Valentine’s Day in Toronto. Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film? Derek Frey: I was drawn to creating visuals to the song because the lyrics involved fantastical situations and paranormal elements. As someone that’s always been interested in the paranormal, I loved the confluence of a sci-fi fantasy and a hopeless romantic fantasy. Also, the pairing of Deep Roy (playing a ghost, leprechaun, and alien) with Aiko Horiuchi (who played the evil spirit Kayako in The Grudge 3) was pretty irresistible. 2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this short? I first heard the song and conceived the story during a long-haul flight last April. I reached out to actor Deep Roy a few days later and he agreed to be part of the project immediately. We filmed over 2 days and 2 nights in late May around London, and I finished up the edit by the end of June. From start to finish I think it was the quickest project I have ever been part of. 3. How would you describe your short film in two words!? Off-kilter. 4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? It ended up being an extremely smooth shoot. There were quite a lot of things that could have gone wrong that fortunately didn’t. Deep was game for anything we threw at him, literally. We had a challenging number of setups and costume changes which kept us on our toes throughout. 5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video? I was certainly nervous before hitting play. Knowing that the festival was held on Valentine’s Day and may have been a romantic outing for audience members, I wasn’t sure what reactions they would have to our slightly odd music video. I was relieved to find the responses to be spot on. The film is intended to be off-center, not meant to disturb but perhaps present a spin on romance and relationships. I could see from the reactions the film did just that! I especially liked a women’s comments that Deep’s character “looked and felt like a stalker”. We wanted to have a touch of that slightly creepy aspect, so it was great to have that recognized. 6. How did you come up with the idea for this short film? Trever Veilleux’s songwriting and poetic lyrics were the initial inspiration. I’ve been a fan of his music for a while now and this song spoke to me creatively. I first collaborated with his band Technical Difficulties in 2001 on a music video for the song “Sex is Easier”. I listened to an advance copy of his new album Professor T and the East Side Shredders and the track “God Came ‘Round” jumped out as something that could become a unique, funny music video. The vision of Deep dressed as a gondolier, selling flowers and experiencing all of these strange characters struck me instantly and by the end of the flight I had the entire film outlined. 7. What film have you seen the most in your life? It may be a three-way tie between Vertigo, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Edward Scissorhands. 8. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway, what are your feelings of the submission platform from a filmmaker’s perspective? Platforms like FilmFreeway have really streamlined the process. Prior to online submissions it was a daunting experience – mailing physical copies, filling out forms, printing press photos, etc. It’s also much easier to have a site where you can view all of the various festivals and find ones that may be a good fit for your project. Having the ability to present your film and supporting materials on a site like FilmFreeway keeps the focus on the creative – and allows prospective festivals to consider a project in a form shaped by the filmmaker. 9. What song have you listened to the most times in your life? “Pictures of You” – by The Cure. 10. What is next for you? A new film? I’m currently in London producing a live-action version of Dumbo directed by Tim Burton, which is a reimagining of the classic 1941 Disney film. That will keep me well occupied through post-production this year. I’m also developing a stop-motion anthology series based on characters from Tim Burton’s book: The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories. I’m editing a music video: Pangea, which I directed recently in Hawaii for Professor T and the East Side Shredders. Looking further ahead I’m developing a couple of feature films including Awkward Endeavors with my frequent collaborators the Minor Prophets, and Quiet Fire, a story about the recording of the album Kind of Blue and the creative collaboration between Miles Davis and pianist Bill Evans. Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every single month. Read More EXCLUSIVE: Producer Derek Frey Talks Bringing Dumbo To Life - by SA'IYDA SHABAZZ JUN 25, 2019 When Disney first announced that they were making a live action version of their animated classic Dumbo, people were skeptical. And how could they not be? The character of Dumbo is an icon. How could they manage to replicate that same magic of seeing an elephant flying around a circus tent? But, they had Tim Burton as a director, so many fears were soothed. Now. Dumbo is being released on Blu-Ray, and ahead of it's release, Moms.com was able to talk to producer Derek Frey about what it was like to bring the iconic film back to the big screen in such a new way. The original Dumbo was released in 1941, almost 80 years ago. It is still one of Disney's most simple and yet beautiful stories. Obviously, there are major differences between the original and this new version, but they all make sense to the story. One major change is moving the time period during which the movie takes place. The original seems to take place during the time it was made, in Post Great Depression, Pre-World War II. This new version is set in 1919, post World War I and after the Spanish Flu epidemic. In the new version, humans get more focus for obvious reasons. Timothy Mouse, who was Dumbo's champion and cheerleader, has been replaced with the Farrier family. Father Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) returns from the war to the Medici Bros. Circus, run by Max Medici (Danny DeVito.) His children Milly and Joe have been cared for by other members of the circus after the death of their mother Annie. Max has sold the horses that were apart of Holt and Annie's act, and now that Holy has returned injured (he's lost an arm) and with no act, he's put in charge of the elephants, which includes the pregnant Mrs. Jumbo. At its heart, Dumbo is a story about the discovery of self. From the first time we see Dumbo tumble out, his ears splayed all around him, we know he has a hard road ahead. He's different, and even in a circus full of misfits, he's still an outsider. But with a little time, and a "magic" feather, the Farrier kids able to turn what makes him different into what makes him a star. Their story is discovered by V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton,) a Barnum-esque character who runs 'Dreamland', a theme park for the people with money to spend. He decides to turn Dumbo into the star of the show, alongside aerialist Colette (Eva Green.) Honestly, it's hard to imagine anyone but Tim Burton directing a live action version of Dumbo. "Throughout his career, he's [Burton] been a champion for the outsider character, and it has so many of those elements that Tim strives to incorporate in his films," Frey explains. "To be able to take something so iconic and bring it into a live action environment was an exciting opportunity." While the animated version isn't particularly fantastical, it isabout a flying elephant. Burton really does a good job at blending those familiar elements of the original with the story of the new version. He keeps all of the emotional beats that make Dumbo such a wonderful movie. Dumbo's mother, Mrs. Jumbo still has the same plot, after accidentally killing a cruel handler, she is sold away from the Medici circus. While it's set up differently, "Baby Mine" is still a beautiful, tender moment between Dumbo and his mother. Frey explains that he was most excited to see the 'Pink Elephants on Parade' sequence on the big screen. In the animated version, it's a drunken hallucination Dumbo has, which almost reads as a nightmare. But in the Burton film, the sequence is turned into an elaborate performance in Dreamland, complete with dozens of dancers. "When I first read the script, I was excited to see it there. I knew Tim Burton taking this scene and putting his touch on it, and Danny Elfman doing the music. And then it was in 3D so it just seemed wow. I know a lot of people were excited about it, and they weren't disappointed." Dumbo himself was a unique challenge, but Burton and crew found the best way to make him come to life. He is 100 percent CGI animated, but instead of just having the actors interacting with air, they figured out a way to give him a presence. In the bonus features section of the Blu-Ray, we see that they used actor Edd Osmond as a stand-in for the baby elephant. Dressed in a green screen unitard, the cast was able to interact with Osmond in those scenes where they need to touch the elephant, like when they're giving him a bath. Dumbo has other iconic moments and characters. Another is Casey Jr. the circus train. Casey Jr. has a ride at Disneyland, so there's no way they could leave it out. But obviously, they had the challenge of taking a cartoon train and making it real. When we asked Frey about balancing beloved moments of the original, he said "You don't want it to be too close to the original animated film, but you wanted it to feel real and have gravity to it. To see that train full scale was an exciting time and then to see it moving was amazing." "Tim's imagination is endless. You had these two completely different worlds [Dreamland and the Medici Bros. Circus] and the way Tim felt he'd have the most control of it was to build sets. It was a tremendous challenge [to build Dreamland] but to see it all come together, every day was a new adventure and something to look forward to," Frey says of the challenges of bringing this new world to life. Read More INTERVIEW: TIM BURTON & DEREK FREY TALK EYE-OPENING STORY OF MARGARET KEANE WITH ‘BIG EYES December 22, 2014 With nominations from the Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards and Critics Choice Movie Awards already to its credit, there’s no question famed director Tim Burton’s latest film, “Big Eyes,” is in serious contention for more honors as the film world draws closer to the Academy Awards. But truth be told, the twice-Oscar nominated Burton has never been interested in winning awards himself, and would rather forgo a trip to any podium to make sure the people who most deserve the accolades finally get their due. Burton said in the case of “Big Eyes,” any awards attention means a bigger victory for Margaret Keane, 87, the subject of one of the strangest cases of art fraud the world has ever seen. Passionately brought to the big-screen by Burton and his “Ed Wood” screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, the film tells the story of the artist (Amy Adams), who in the 1950s and ’60s stood silent as her scheming husband, Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), took credit for her world-renown paintings of big-eyed children — until she found the courage to expose the fraud. “Scott and Larry showed Margaret the movie while I was still finishing it, and she got quite emotional,” Burton recalled for me in a recent interview. “It was interesting to hear things like, ‘Oh, my God, that was like Walter.’ Because we weren’t there and the history is sort of sketchy to us, it was gratifying to hear that we sort of captured some emotional things that really touched her. It was really nice to hear those things because she really is a special person.” Burton largely credits Adams with capturing the spirit of Margaret Keane, who appears in a background cameo early in the film, as well as in a photo with the actor during the end credits. “From Amy’s point of view, after meeting her, she really wanted to do her justice,” Burton said. “It’s hard, because it’s a strange character. She’s very quiet, very shy, but not a victim. She has a really strong core, and she found her voice in a way that she only could do it. It was important to me, the writers and Amy to get things right.” Big influence Anyone familiar with Burton’s artwork well knows that the characters in his sketches and paintings generally have big, rounded eyes with small pupils — characteristics that have been most often realized on the big-screen in the director’s stop-motion animated classics “Vincent,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Corpse Bride” and “Frankenweenie.” And while Margaret Keane’s big-eyed subjects have large pupils, Burton said he was no doubt influenced early in his life by the artist’s distinct style. Born and raised in Burbank, California, Burton said he vividly recalled the “Children of the Damned” meets Rod Serling’s “Night Gallery”-type of spooky images by the San Francisco-based artist thought to be Walter Keane hanging everywhere. “What probably influenced me was the mixture of emotions that you get by looking at the images,” Burton observed. “There’s sort of an eerie quality and sadness, as well as a darkness and humor and color. All those things together obviously resonated with people. There were a whole other artists that tried copying it, but couldn’t quite capture that unique strangeness of the images.” While “Big Eyes” gives Burton the opportunity to tell Margaret Keane’s story through the medium everybody knows the filmmaker for, the material actually holds a deeper meaning for him because of his background as a sketch artist and painter. “Big Eyes” executive producer Derek Frey — who has been collaborating with Burton since “Mars Attacks!” in 1996 — says the revelation of the depth of his friend’s work in the 2009 book “The Art of Tim Burton” (Steeles Publishing) and subsequent exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City that same year without question put Burton on the path to direct “Big Eyes.” “‘Big Eyes’ is probably a film that he wouldn’t have made five or six years ago,” Frey told me in a separate interview. “When I started working with him, I knew of this hoard of art work he had and how prolific he was. People knew that he sketched and that he came from animation, but what they don’t realize is that he continues to draw something every single day. It wasn’t until the MoMA show started that people started to understand that this was more than something he did when he was young. It’s something that still drives him as an artist and a filmmaker, and that is something that really drew him to the ‘Big Eyes’ story.” Apart from connecting with Margaret Keane as an artist, Frey believes the similar reactions people had to Burton’s films and Keane’s paintings, respectfully (or disrespectfully, in the case of critics), were major factors in his commitment to directing the film. “Of course, he knew of Margaret Keane before getting the script and knew of her story in the 1950s and ’60s, but what drew him to the project initially was the fact that the work was embraced and consumed by the general public, but then panned by the critics. Tim could relate to that,” said Frey, referring to the uneven critiques of the director’s work over the years. “The reviews of the paintings weren’t positive, but yet the exhibits continued to break records with people coming all over the world to see them. They inspired people to go to museums or pick up a paint brush. As Tim the filmmaker, being able to relate to how critics viewed his work was definitely something very personal to him in relation to ‘Big Eyes’ and Margaret Keane as an artist.” The windows to Margaret’s soul Burton said that throughout his career, he’s been fascinated by certain actors’ eyes and their ability to help tell a story, from frequent collaborators Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter to Winona Ryder and Eva Green — the “Dark Shadows” star who has the lead role for his next film, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.” Perhaps it was a bit of a happy accident then that Adams — whom Burton cast to paint, in a cinematic sense, the big-eyed children — had a mesmerizing set of eyes herself to help reflect Keane’s view of the odd circumstances she was trapped in. “What was so amazing to me about Amy was, by just staring, you feel so much emotion in her. At least I did,” Burton said. “You feel this sort of conflict going on inside of her without her doing anything. You feel it just by looking at her. I find those kind of actors amazing.” Burton believes the reason Adams’ portrayal is resonating with preview audiences and yes, even with those pesky critics, is because her portrayal isn’t just merely about recreating brushstrokes. Instead, Burton captures through Adams’ eyes and the window to Margaret Keane’s soul the inner-turmoil of a woman in a time where females’ roles in society were greatly unappreciated and far under-valued. What made the situation unique, of course, was that Margaret Keane was also an artist in a time where women, apart from Georgia O’Keefe, were not accepted in the art world, and she was effectively being forced by Walter Keane to follow his lead without questioning his motives and churn out the big-eyed children for immense profit. The relationship — an odd dynamic of a man trying to suppress his wife’s self-esteem while she was expected keep her creative impulses intact — did not exactly reflect the typical portrait of a nuclear family 50 years ago, Burton said. “They sort of represented the times to me in a way, where the idea of the American Dream with a husband, wife and kids was changing,” said Burton. “With the Keanes, you had this dysfunctional relationship where they were creating these weird, mutant children with these paintings. So in some way, their story represents, symbolically, something to me about the time and how it was changing from one era to another from the ’50s into the ’60s. They captured the spirit of the changing times, but in a weird way.” Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for “The KQ92 Morning Show” with Tom Barnard on KQRS-FM, “Paul and Jordana” with Paul Douglas and Jordana Green on WCCO Radio, “It Matters with Kelly Cordes” on WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “Let’s Talk Movies with Tim Lammers” with Tim Matthews on KRWC-AM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere, and reviews streaming programming on WCCO Radio’s “Paul and Jordana” as well. On TV, Tim has made hundreds of guest appearances on NBC affiliate KARE on the news program “KARE 11 News at 11”. Read More Island Beat, “Big Screens, Big Fun” article excerpt by Katie Young Yamanaka May 26, 2016 For filmmaker Derek Frey, the natural mystery of the Big Island itself was inspiration for his film, “Green Lake,” a horror film inspired by the Green Lake in Kapoho. “I’ve always been inspired by the beauty of the Big Island,” says Frey, whose home base is London. “I’ve also shot a couple of other short films in and around Hilo. It’s my favorite place to go to re-energize. “I had heard of the Green Lake, but I didn’t know many people who had been there. When I finally went, I was so struck by the beauty of this place, but also its power … and I felt there was a little bit of a darker side to it, too.” Frey started looking into local legends about the area and was prompted to do a film about preserving nature, but also about the consequences of venturing into areas you shouldn’t go. “It’s been classified as a horror film, but I’d like to think there is something more poetic to it as well,” he says. “I went with the vibe I felt there. I think it’s something you feel in a lot of places that are off the beaten path in Hawaii. There are areas with tremendous beauty but also that have a haunted feeling. You get into areas where you feel like you shouldn’t be there. “Industry is treading on a lot of these secret little places, and Green Lake is certainly a place like that. It’s important to protect and preserve it.” Frey, whose used a cast of locals from East Hawaii, says he hopes people will be entertained, get a little scared, but also tap into the emotion of the story. “Green Lake” just started making the film festival rounds this past month. “We got into 10 or 12 festivals … and we won Best Horror Film at the LA Independent Film Festival,” Frey says. “A song that appears in the film, written by Hilo band Technical Difficulties, also won for Best Original Song. At HIFF we won a gold award and have been nominated for other awards at other festivals, too, so we’re off to a good start.” Frey says that while it seems like everyone is doing film festivals now, BIFF is regarded as one of the top 25 film festivals that filmmakers want to get into. “It’s not just because the beautiful setting, too, it’s because they take great pride in what they do and so they attract great talent,” he says. “BIFF puts a lot of effort into making the festival part of the community. As a filmmaker, you just want your film to be seen, so to have it in a place where people can gather together outdoors is fantastic.” Keep Creating and Embrace Limited Means: Interview with Filmmaker, Derek Frey by Nathan March, Follow Magazine February 11, 2018 When Derek Frey approached me to talk about his short film, God Came 'Round, I jumped at the chance to speak to the producer of a swag of Tim Burton's projects about his own films and how he connects with his audience. God Came ‘Round is a beautifully emotional comedy that has picked up a swag of film festival awards so far. What do you attribute its success to? The story was inspired by Trever Veilleux’s poetic song lyrics which conjured for me an array of imagery. What was initially meant to be a straightforward music video developed into something more. Actor Deep Roy plays the lead role with great depth and morose comedy; when people see Deep in these outrageous scenarios and costumes, combined with his heartbreaking performance, I think they really identify with him. You often introduce paranormal elements into your work. Do you feel that it’s something your audience has come to recognize and even expect in a Derek Frey film? The paranormal is something I’ve been drawn to since I was a child. My earliest films always contained otherworldly aspects. It’s still something I’m passionate about and suspect fans have come to expect an element of the bizarre in my work. I love to make people laugh as well as scare and surprise them, and the paranormal is an excellent vehicle for that duality. The track the film is set to is a tender love song, but with some extraordinary twists – essentially the main reason I was compelled to tell God Came ‘Round. How important do you feel it is to have a recognizable style as a filmmaker? For me, it’s about creating projects that have a unique feel. I do see similar aspects running across my work. I operate the camera and edit, so there’s a recognizable style in those areas which helps create a distinct tone. Some of the most iconic filmmakers have a cohesiveness throughout their filmography – whether through tone, cinematography, score, screenplay. I think the best directors have unique perspectives on life that make their work strong, original, and memorable. The design and cinematography for God Came ‘Round are rich, featuring bold colors and deep layers within the frame. Why have you made those choices? The film is pretty short, (5 minutes), so I had to make a strong impact in a limited amount of time. We never hear Deep’s character speak, so I wanted to bring the viewer into his world by making the visuals simple yet appealing. He’s a guy looking for love, so I chose intense reds and greens to convey passion. Creating this on a low budget, we relied on our locations around London to provide a richness to the story. Most people make films that they want people to see. At what point in the process do you start to think about who the audience might be for this film and how to connect the film to that audience? On my own films, the drive to create comes from wanting to tell a story that I’m passionate about. It’s only natural to hope that your work finds an audience and connects with people on some level. For me, thinking about the audience comes in wanting to show them something they haven’t seen before. On bigger budget films I produce within the studio system, the stakes are higher and there’s definitely a greater responsibility to consider who the story may be intended for and if the audience is going to connect and be entertained. Do you have a marketing strategy for God Came ‘Round? The approach to marketing has been to engage fans of my previous films via social media, and fans of Deep Roy , which are many around the globe. His work in the Star Wars and Star Trek films, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The X-Files (to name a few) have built him an incredible fan base. We’re also trying to target music lovers since the short is essentially a music video. It’s been helpful to have the new album, Professor T and the East Side Shredders , to tie into the film’s release. The festivals and awards the project has garnered have helped fuel promotion since they come with their own groups of followers as well. What are the different components of a marketing strategy for you? The imagery associated with a project is something I take particular interest in and these elements serve as a good jumping off point for marketing. Posters, still frames, and behind the scenes images can really help a project stand out from others, and having strong visuals draws people in on social media and the film festival circuit. I was fortunate to have an incredibly talented artist and friend, Giulia Rivolta, create the eye-catching poster for God Came ‘Round. You have a massive following on Facebook. How have you built that community? I’ve had a Lazer Film page on Facebook for some time now. I use that as a source for people to keep informed about my latest projects, festival screenings, links to view the films, etc. The followers have built up over that time through many projects. There’s also a component of people who have found their way to my page through my work on larger films with Tim Burton. Do you find it works for individual films to have their own social media presence or do you think it’s better for the production company to have the account and then post updates about films on that account? I have a few films currently on the film festival circuit and I enjoy promoting past endeavors – so for me, it’s more streamlined to promote and post under my Lazer Film Productions banner – on Facebook , Twitter , Vimeo , etc. I think for short films and music videos it has worked well for me, and I think it helps maintain a long-term relationship with fans and followers. I also have my website, lazerfilm.com , where people can go to if they want to take a more in-depth look at my work, including my earliest films. If you were to give one tip to emerging filmmakers about how to build a career, what would it be? Filmmakers today are very fortunate to be creating in an age where the technology is affordable and within reach and there are so many forums to have your work seen. My best advice is to just keep creating and embrace limited means. Sometimes it’s those limitations that stimulate your creativity and help you to achieve something beyond what you thought was possible. What’s next for Derek Frey? I’m currently in London producing a live-action version of Dumbo, directed by Tim Burton, which is a reimagining of the classic 1941 Disney film. That will keep me well occupied through post-production. I’m also going to direct a music video for another Professor T song, Pangea, in Hawaii at the end of this year. Looking further ahead I’m developing a couple of feature films, including Awkward Endeavors with my frequent Philadelphia area collaborators the Minor Prophets. Delco-based filmmakers bring work to Philly’s FirstGlance Film Festival by Kevin Tustin, Delco News Network (excerpt) February 11, 2018 The work of local filmmakers will be part of the official selection for the 20th FirstGlance Film Festival in Philadelphia this weekend. Drexel Hill native son Derek Frey will have his short project screen at the local independent film festival. God Came ‘Round stars Deep Roy — who portrayed the Oompa Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — as a lonely flower seller who falls in love with a girl, portrayed by The Grudge 3’s Aiko Horiuchi, who doesn’t like him. Roy plays all of the major players in the film including a leprechaun, God and a ghost. “I was drawn to (the song) because the lyrics involved fantastical situations and paranormal elements,” said Frey. “A lot of these lyrics aren’t meant to be taken literally. As someone that’s always been interested in the paranormal, the pairing of (Roy) with ghosts, leprechauns and aliens was something I had to do.” The video has a more understated relationship between Roy and Horiuchi that Frey noted. He said it was Roy’s Oompa Loompa character and Horiuchi’s titular Grudge ghost falling in love. God Came ‘Round is Frey’s fourth FirstGlance selection following Sketch in 2001 and Motel Providence in 2015, both playing in Philadelphia, and The Upper Hand at the fest’s Los Angeles installation in 2000. Frey may be a FirstGlance veteran, but he expressed his appreciation for the festival and the opportunity it brings to the area to see professional productions from local talent. “For me, Delco and Philly are still very important to me, and to be recognized (at FirstGlance) is the best thing because you have an opportunity for people from your hometown to see your work,” said Frey, who made God Came ‘Round under his Lazer Film Productions banner. Over the last few years the film landscape of Delco has been evolving. From the shooting of the Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook to the opening of a film and television production facility in Chester Township, and even a Comedy Central-ordered series called Delco Proper, Delco has been exposing its creative minds and locations to the world. In addition to heading Lazer Films, Frey also leads Tim Burton Productions and has helped bring films like Big Eyes and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children to the silver screen, but coming back to Delco to shoot films with friends keeps him grounded, and the creative juices flowing. “People find me a bit of a curiosity because I work with Tim Burton, but what I always say to people is doing music videos and shorts around Delco helped me maintain those roots and fuels my creativity. It’s a strange dynamic,” he said. Frey looks to shoot a film next year in Delco. Producer Derek Frey Talks Tim Burton, Disney and Making an Elephant Fly. By Jason Gorber for That Shelf. July 5, 2019 Derek Frey has been a collaborator with Tim Burton since the mid-90s where he began as an assistant on set and has risen to be the head of Tim Burton Productions. Their latest collaboration, the live-action remake of Dumbo, recently arrived on home video. We had the chance to discuss his collaboration with the iconoclastic director, Derek’s own rise within the company, and the challenges of avoiding repeating oneself while still drawing on the skills and expectations that a lifetime of films from this director has produced. Your personal journey in Hollywood story is fascinating. Could you talk about initially working with Tim Burton and then developing into one of the core members of his team? I was very fortunate. After college I moved out to LA and worked on a television show for a while. I always was a huge fan of Tim’s – I remember seeing Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in the drive-in theatre, it was a double feature of Goonies and Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, and I went to see Goonies – I didn’t even know what Pee-wee’s Big Adventure was – and I remember leaving, thinking, what was that movie? From that point I was really curious about who Tim Burton was. Then Beetlejuice and Scissorhands – I was in love with his films! I was very lucky to land a job as a runner, or a gopher, in his company. That was around the time they were just going in to shoot, so my first film experience in Hollywood was on the set of Mars Attacks. I don’t think you’ll ever see a film with a cast like that again, and the spirit on that movie was just so much fun, that I look back and realize just how lucky I was for that to be my first film experience in Los Angeles. Over the years I just kind of stuck at it at [Burton’s] company and worked my way up. I kind of went where the river took me, from each project. It really doesn’t feel like as much time has gone by as has, but it’s been one of the great pleasures of my life to be a part of the journey of his films. Each film is its own new experience and the people he works with are like family. That being said, as producer you’ve got to have an objective, a third person point of view. What’s it like needing to say no to someone that started as a hero? I’ve always worked really hard to be someone who can help Tim see his vision to its fullest. Obviously there are times on different projects where you may have to find a different way around that, but I’ve always been somebody who tries to be honest with him, even if sometimes it’s a hard truth. I will say on Dumbo I was very fortunate because we’re working with Tim’s family of collaborators and they are the best at what they do and they’re very responsible. Tim’s a very responsible filmmaker, and they know what the parameters are going in to making a film like this. We worked very hard to keep within those parameters, and it also went in line with what Tim wanted to make in this film. He obviously wants it to be something amazing and sweep you into another world, but he also wanted it to be intimate and wanted the focus to remain on Dumbo. He didn’t want you to get lost into this world. Sometimes in films there’s so much focus on the world, and that’s when the budget gets out of control and you lose focus on the story. On this film you’ve got people like Rick Heinrichs and Colleen Atwood, they know the drill, they’ve been through it before. They’re going to deliver what Tim wants within the means that we have to make the film. So on this one, I was lucky. It’s become more and more rare in some ways to have a director with as much vision, sort of the old school way we think of a director, when we hear “A Tim Burton film”, we certainly have expectations of what it’s going to be. But in the same way, we have expectations about what is going to be a Disney film, what is going to be about Dumbo, you’re navigating all of these expectations. Could you talk about the joys of that, the short hand of “this is going to be a Tim Burton production” so you can bring the family together, but also the challenges, as a creative producer, to actually bring these to light in a way that doesn’t feel redundant or repetitive to what’s come before? I think a lot of that came from Ehren Kruger, the screenwriter. He pitched this to the studio before Tim was involved, the idea of doing a reimagining of Dumbo and bringing it into a live action world. In the original the audience learns that Dumbo flies and that’s where the original film kind of ends. Ours picks up from that point about a third of the way through. It kind of answers the question – now that the world knows there’s an elephant that can fly, what’s going to happen? It’s one of those age-old tales where he’s exploited, and then what are going to do to save this elephant from this situation? A lot of that came from Ehren, and then he worked a lot of the things that people love about the animated film, nods to that. Out of the classic Disney characters it seems Dumbo may speak to some of Tim’s own narrative proclivities. At its core, Dumbo is an outsider, one of the original outsiders in the Disney universe. That goes in line with a lot of Tim’s iconic characters within his filmography, so for me, it felt like just a perfect match of those things. The original has some heavier, darker moments. I knew Tim would be able to put his spin on it. I was actually surprised to find that while visually the film is incredible I think it’s like nothing he’s made before. I think the movie looks stunning, I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s darker than the original animated film, there’s actually a lot of colour in it, and a lot of life, and a lot of humour in it as well. Burton started as this Disney animator that couldn’t quite fit within the rigid structures of Disney. There’s a rigid, much more staid version of what counts as a “Disney film”. Here Tim is, working within the system, with Disney giving him the freedom and the liberty to make the film very much his own. It makes the fact that it’s a theme park being destroyed take on metatextual significance. Do you guys have these kinds of discussions, of the bigger connections to Burton’s general body of work, or is that just stuff we do on the outside while you’re just trying to make sure you’re making the day and getting all of the pieces together? I think it’s much more of a subconscious thing for Tim. I don’t think he’s even consciously thinking about it, but he’s bringing to the table his experiences, his life, his relationship with the studio. They’re an undercurrent, so people pick up on them. I personally find them quite amusing when people do pick up on these things because sometimes they’re something that we haven’t really thought of, or there’s kind of a different spin on it. For Ehren, the screenwriter, Dreamland, it was kind of based on the Coney Island-like ittle parks, near the big city. I think some of the critics were making the parallels like, oh, it’s like Disney land, the D, the Dreamland. They’re not conscious things that we think about, but I definitely do after the fact. I do see Dumbo as kind of a personification of Tim to a degree. Tim was someone that worked at Disney, and then at a certain point he kind of went on his own path, because he felt that he maybe didn’t fit in there, and then Disney kind of caught him back. They brought Nightmare Before Christmas, which was something definitely unlike anything they had created before, and they weren’t sure about it at the time. So it’s something quite interesting when you look at it from that angle of Tim being an original Disney outsider as well. Burton’s such an iconic director and has such an iconic vision for much of the stuff he does, but by being so, inevitably artists repeat themselves. On the one hand, the positive we talked about, is that it brings this incredible history. On the other hand, you want to be cautious that you’re making something original. Could you talk about the challenge of that, of making sure that this new project, you’re not just using the same old tropes, especially given the fact that it’s based on a classic which itself? Are there meetings where you’re like uh, I feel like we’ve done this before, let’s try a different direction to stretch ourselves? Absolutely. I would say first from the approach of making this one, we took Tim’s mandate – he kept using the term “grand intimacy” and wanted it grounded in a heightened reality. He didn’t want our human characters to be running around digital sets with a computer generated elephant, he wanted it to look real. Tim wanted you to question where that line was between what we were creating practically and what we were creating digitally. So much work went into that because it was something that maybe had been approached differently in the past, like for instance Alice in Wonderland, with one human character within a complete CGI playground. There’s a certain look to that, and that worked for that kind of a film, and we could have gone that approach in this movie. But Tim chose to build the sets, to surround our characters in this beautiful, rich world. It should feel like it’s a real place that existed in a real time, in 1918 or 1919, but it has a certain heightened reality to it, so that when we put our elephant into this environment, he should look real, but it should feel grounded in a certain reality. From an aesthetic point of view, Tim approached this based off of all of the experiences he had had on films in the past, whether they were good or bad. He took all of the knowledge and the technology to make this the best-looking film. From a story standpoint, there were definitely discussions where maybe there’d be certain action sequences or points where it’s, like, you know what? We kind of did this before, let’s try to do something a little bit different here. Those things definitely happen, you definitely have reoccurring things that maybe you’ve done before. Tim never gets involved in anything just for the sake of redoing it again, so he’s constantly challenging himself to try something new. And although he works with the same people quite often – and I think people think oh, it’s quite easy, it’s less work – nothing could be further from the truth. People work with Tim repeatedly because they enjoy that challenge, and they know each film is going to be pushing things to the limit again, myself included. We love that, we love that challenge. Can you talk about one instance where you’re reading the script and you’re thinking oh my God, how are we going to do this, or are we at a point now in terms of making films, where basically what’s on the page can be done somehow or other, given current technology? That kind of ties in to what I was just saying where, yes, you can do anything these days and pull it off. But because Tim approached this film from very much a practical standpoint, where he wanted to build as much as possible, that kind of locks you in to a certain way of making the film. You approach it from a practical, old-time filmmaking level. Michael Keaton mentioned a couple of times walking on to these sets that it made you feel like why you make films in the first place, it swept you in to the world. People don’t make films like this anymore. I think it’s a good thing because it made you kind of feel like there were limits. Maybe when you approach a film and you feel like there aren’t any limits, that’s not always a good thing. It’s good when there’s certain restrictions because it makes you think about things from a practical level and then makes it more believable from an audience’s standpoint when they see what’s happening on screen. You can kind of process it in your own reality register. If you just kind of do anything you want, it kind of just goes into outer space and then you lose the audience. For the sake of Dumbo, we had to make an audience believe that an elephant can fly. That had to remain the most fantastical element of the film, and everything else had to feel like it could be possible. ONE REELER INTERVIEW WITH GOD CAME 'ROUND DIRECTOR DEREK FREY February 11, 2018 OR: What was the inspiration for your film? DF: Trever Veilleux’s songwriting and poetic lyrics were the inspiration. I’ve been a fan of his music for a while now and this song spoke to me visually. I first collaborated with his band Technical Difficulties in 2001 on a music video for the song Sex is Easier. I listened to an advance copy of his new album Professor T and the East Side Shredders and the track “God Came ‘Round” jumped out instantly as something that could turn into a unique, funny, and touching music video. It’s an incredible album and I look forward to creating more videos to accompany it soon. OR: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized? DF: I first listened to the album and heard the song during a long-haul flight this past April. I reached out to actor Deep Roy a few days later and he agreed to be part of the project immediately. We filmed over 2 days and 2 nights in late May around London and I finished up the edit by the end of June. From start to finish I think it is the quickest project I have ever been part of. OR: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format? DF: Each and every shot counts. You have less time to tell a story so your opportunity for impact is condensed. For this project I knew storyboards would help immensely so I created as many as I could as a guide in our short production time. OR: What was the most challenging aspect of your production? DF: It was an extremely smooth shoot. There were many things that could have gone wrong that fortunately didn’t. It was still a challenging shoot and the number of setups and costume changes required kept us on our toes throughout. OR: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers? DF: Just get out there and create. There are so many stories to tell and these days there’s nothing to hold you back. Let your passion guide you and always have a camera by your side. And the winners are...2012 Big Island Film Festival exceeds all expectation. Hawaii Tribune-Herald. June 6, 2012 The 2012 Big Island Film Festival gathered directors, producers, actors and film critics from around the world over Memorial Day weekend to watch, reflect, and admire award winning short, feature length, and foreign films. The seventh annual celebration of the moving picture art form, hosted at the Mauna Lani Resort, welcomed over 2,200 people and raised $4,200 for the Fisher Tripler Army Medical Center. Local and state honors were award to both festival directors and filmmakers. Jan and Leo Sears, founders of the BIFF, received an appreciation plaque from rep Elisa Leonelli, from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who was attending the festival to evaluate foreign language films for possible Golden Globe consideration. Among the 12 winning category awards of the BIFF, announced on Monday, May 28, Big Island residents Kelly Winsa and Peter Henderson’s “Hi, Honey” received the Audience Choice for Short Film and O`ahu’s producer/director/writer Alexander Bocchieri’s “Flat” won for Best Hawai`i Short. However noteworthy the festival’s award winners, so too was the camaraderie and patronage that filmmakers felt with the “Talk Story” festival. Directors Dane Neves and Derek Frey were just two of the reasons that the BIFF has become an increasingly successful event. While Neves, a 25-year-old O`ahu native screened his third BIFF movie, a short titled “Giant Monsters Attack Hawai`i,” and Frey, a first time BIFF entrant and seasoned associate producer for Tim Burton films, directed “The Ballad of Sandeep,” the two have one thing in common – a passion for Hawai`i and independent film festivals. Neves, who attended the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawai`i- Manoa, has a lifelong passion for film, particularly those with puppets. “I’ve always been a fan of The Muppets,” said the young director who made “Giant Monsters” through various visual and after effects programs. “I have always wanted to make a Godzilla movie.” Neves’ BIFF eight-minute short (previously accepted were ”Cotton Cool” in 2008 and “The Green Tie Affair,” which won Best Family Short in 2011) is a Waikiki take on the classic, stereotypical monsters-attack-city flick. “In college everyone was doing romantic comedies and coming of age movies, I wanted to do something different,” said Neves, who shoots all of his films in Hawai`i but commissioned Sunny Vegas from Chicago, a master puppeteer, to bring to life his puppet designs. “There is a message in this film, to embrace your true potential and don’t let anyone hold you back.” Neves himself has taken personal solace in his movie’s mission. Working full time at `Olelo Community Media, he makes movies in his free time to hone his artistic skills, not for profit sake. He is already in production on his next short puppet film “Poison Apple,” a musical story of Snow White told through the perspective of the apple. His repeated submissions to the BIFF– and he plans to submit more– have been because of what Neves called a friendly relationship with the directors, a familial closeness that is unique to the festival and captures the nature of the Big Island. It is this same personal tie that has Derek Frey, director of “The Ballad of Sandeep,” returning to the Big Island and its residents for the past 10 plus years. “I first visited in March of 2001 as part of the film crew on Tim Burton’s ‘Planet of the Apes,’ said the director, who said he fell in love with the scenic beauty and visual inspiration of the island. “I caught the band Technical Difficulties playing at Fiascos in Hilo on St. Patrick’s Day and was blown away by their musicianship and dynamic compositions.” Frey returned to the island five months later to shoot a music video for the band and continued to return to the island over the past decade to film additional music videos and help film a concert at the Palace Theater. “It’s been quite an inspiring collaboration and I’ve remained close friends with the band. What really made filming on the Big Island possible were the friends I made. I’m very fortunate to have met so many artistic souls who share a passion to create. On any of the projects I’ve mounted on the Big Island the intent has always been to merely create something for the sake of itself and there has been a team of devoted people at the ready to give it their all.” Two of these dedicated individuals include Volcano residents RaVani and Thom Durkin (RaVani was the lead singer for Technical Difficulties). Both husband and wife have assisted Frey on his previous film, “The Curse of the Sacred Stone,” which was filmed entirely in Puna and his 2012 BIFF submission “The Ballad of Sandeep,” starring Deep Roy (Star Trek, “The Neverending Story,” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” etc.). “Derek (Frey) is a wonderful person to work with,” RaVani, who graduated from Waiakea High School and UH Hilo, said. “ He’s so patient, friendly, and professional. It was really fun working on the films and very exciting.” With RaVani working the make-up and costuming departments and Thom’s assistant directing and tackling sound recording the two were an instrumental part of the limited crew that filmed the 28-minute movie in the outskirts of Philadelphia. “We got by with a handful of devoted and hard working friends and family. Although extremely limited by a shoestring budget I feel we were successful in telling the story we intended to,” Frey explained about the film that fits the bill of the festival’s narrative focus. “We wanted to tell a story where Deep (Roy) had the opportunity to step from behind the makeup and portray a character closer to the man he really is. The story also touches upon the aftermath of difficult economic times in the United States. Many Americans have recently faced the harsh reality of having their jobs outsourced to countries such as India. The Minor Prophets (a comedic group of a Philadelphia), having encountered this reality in their own day jobs, took what could have been a simple premise and turned it on its head.” Due to Frey’s close ties with the Big Island he was hoping his latest comedic short would make it in to the “Talk Story” festival. “I know selecting a lineup for a film festival is extremely competitive so I didn’t want to get too excited at the prospect,” Frey said. “Out of all of the film festivals “The Ballad of Sandeep” has been accepted into, I have to say being part of the Big Island Film Festival means the most.” For additional information on “Giant Monsters,” visit facebook.com/Giantmonstersattackhawaii, and Derek Frey’s website www.lazerfilm.com , which includes music videos and a short film shot on the Big Island, or go to www.theballadofsandeep.com . Technical Difficulties Big Cameo: Big Isle Band has part in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory By John Burnett For the Hawaii Hawaii Tribune Herald July 8, 2005 When Tim Burton’s new film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” opens nationwide a week from today, sharp-eyed Big Island moviegoers may notice East Hawaii rock band Technical Difficulties in a cameo of sorts. Eleven seconds of the band’s video “Mr. Quiet” will appear on a screen-within-the-screen in the film, which stars Johnny Depp as Willie Wonka and promises to be decidedly different from 1971’s semi-psychedelic musical “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” “There’s a scene where each child is reading a portion of the golden ticket,” said Derek Frey, CCF’s associate producer and director of all of TD’s rock videos. “On the golden ticket, there are instructions on how they are to enter the chocolate factory on a particular date and time. It’s almost like a montage sequence where each child is in their own environment at home. Mike Teavee is into violent videogames and wears a shirt picturing a bloodied skull. He’s kind of a weird techie-punk kid who thinks he knows it all. He has a very large-screen TV behind him which is supposed to represent what he would be watching. And the ‘Mr. Quiet’ video fits into the genre of what he would watch.” While it may appear that Burton included the video clip as a favor to Frey, a longtime associate who is also a friend and benefactor of TD’s, the famed filmmaker says that is definitely not the case. He says that he was looking for a thrash-metal video to play while introducing Mike Teavee, the kid who is ultimately shrunk by Wonkavision. “I watched some of the music videos sent from Warner Brothers,” Burton explained. “None of them fit the bill. Derek asked me to have a look at the ‘Mr. Quiet’ video. I thought the ending was perfect for the scene in the film -- quick editing, kind of horror-campy. The music sounded very heavy metal, which was what I was looking for. It was impressive. I kind of liked the fact that they're not recognizable yet and thought this could help them get to the next step.” TD also gets a music credit at the end of the movie. Pretty heady stuff for an indie rock band from Hawaii, said guitarist-vocalist Trever Veilleux. “Just that alone is exciting and is an honor,” he mused. “It seems like whenever we do anything, like the ‘Mr. Quiet’ video, people ask, ‘What are you going to do with it?’ That question doesn’t really cross our minds. The creative process is what inspires us and what drives us. So whenever anybody asked what we were going to do with this video, we couldn’t answer them. Then, a year later, it’s in a major motion picture. Now, what that means for our future -- and I get asked that a lot -- I have no idea, and it’s not really something that I spend a lot of energy thinking about.” Burton, who met TD vocalist-alto saxophonist RaVani Flood while filming the remake of “Planet of the Apes” on the Big Island, eventually saw the band play in London, where CCF was filmed and where TD recorded and played club gigs this spring. Burton was impressed enough to ask TD to play the CCF London premiere party July 17. “They just look like these nice people that are going to perform pleasant songs,” Burton said of TD’s set at Caernavon Castle, a rock club in London’s Camden section. “Then they rip into an intense 30-minute set giving it everything. It was all-out rock. Someone next to me called them (bleeping) demons. I'm pretty sure that’s a positive comment in the UK.” Actually, that someone was David Arnold, a Grammy-winning British film composer and record producer whose film soundtracks include the last three James Bond movies and whose production résumé includes Bjork, Aimee Mann, Damien Rice, Pulp, Iggy Pop, k.d. lang, Chrissie Hynde and Garbage. Arnold was struck by TD’s eclecticism. “Amongst the funk, rock, soul, folk, punk, jazz and R&B chaos there is a perverted sense of genius,” he commented. Veilleux said that the band will not be deterred by Thursday’s horrific bus and metro train bombings by terrorists. “That’s not something that’s likely to happen in Hilo, but it could have happened anywhere,” he reflected. “You can’t let things like that stop you.” And while TD has an invitation to play the premiere -- an honor usually reserved for a Warner Bros. act -- they will have to pay their own way to London. The band is putting on its fundraising “Chocolate Fantasy Party” tonight at 9 p.m. at Uncle Mikey’s in the Waiakea Villas. Other bands on the bill are Downstar, Shiva and Augustine. Tickets are $10 advance at CD Wizard and Rock Island Gallery, $15 at the door. The night has a chocolate theme. Admission includes a raffle ticket for a chance to win Tim Burton t-shirts, books, DVDs, and other movie memorabilia. “It’s going to be fun performing with three really good bands that we’ve never played with,” Veilleux said. “We’re putting a lot more energy into this show than just a regular club gig. We’re aiming to make it an event.” An interview with and the photography of Derek Frey. The ORIGINAL Van Gogh's Ear Anthology: Freely showcasing the most creative minds on the planet July 2, 2014 Filmmaker Derek Frey is best known for his work with Tim Burton, running Tim Burton Productions since 2001. He is currently serving as Executive Producer on the upcoming film Big Eyes starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. Derek Co-Produced the 2012 Academy Award nominated Frankenweenie and has worked as Associate Producer on such films as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. He began his career in the film industry assisting Tim Burton on films such as Big Fish, Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, and Planet of the Apes. Derek also creates his own projects under the banner Lazer Film Productions which offers an eclectic line of his film, music video, and photographic works. His most recent films, The Ballad of Sandeep and Sky Blue Collar, have been a success on the festival circuit, collecting multiple awards. For more information on his endeavors please visit http://www.lazerfilm.com . Where are you from? What was it like growing up there? I grew up in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. It’s a big, diverse township with a good school district. Being an immediate suburb to Philadelphia I experienced a real sense of American history and patriotism. I would describe my upbringing as pretty typical of suburban life in the 70’s and 80’s. Did you always have an active imagination as a child? I think my imagination was categorized as hyperactive. I was always staging shows at home for the family around the holidays. I loved Halloween from a very young age. I also became interested in music and played saxophone. Music became a healthy outlet to direct my creativity and it remains a major influence. Can you remember what your very first favorite film was? Seeing Star Wars at a drive-in theater when I was four had a profound impact. Close Encounters came out a year later and that was a favorite – and still very much is. Films like Jaws, Superman, E.T., The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark that instilled a sense of wonder in me and really set the course in terms of my love of films. It was such an amazing time for movies. When did you first know you wanted to work in film? What was it like when you realized that was your life’s work? I began experimenting with a video camera in high school and moved on to making shorts and eventually feature length films in college with friends. I never seriously thought I could work in the film industry as a career – Los Angeles seemed a world away from Pennsylvania. Even though it started as just a hobby I knew making films is what I felt most confident at and enjoyed the most. I had an opportunity to visit Los Angeles for the first time my junior year of college and was seduced by all of the entertainment industry overload. Instead of going on a spring break holiday my senior year, I returned to LA and established a few contacts and showed some of my work to producers and studio executives who said “If you come out here, give us a call.” It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, so I made swift plans to move to LA upon graduation. There was no turning back from that point. Who were some of your influences? What do you love most about their work? Like many filmmakers of my generation, Spielberg was a towering influence from my childhood. Through high school, names like Raimi and Burton became centerpiece. I admired their more personal voice which I found inspiring and also kindred to my sensibilities. I couldn’t get enough of Edward Scissorhands and Batman. I remember watching The Evil Dead on VHS and feeling immediately compelled to pick up a camera and create something. Hitchcock also became a big influence in college. Vertigo is still my favorite film of all time. What advice would you offer others who wish to work in the field? I feel very fortunate to have worked with some of the best people in the industry -both professionally and personally. It can be a very rewarding and creative industry but it comes with a price. There’s a lot of personal sacrifice, long hours and hard work. Sometimes it can seem trivial. You have to be really committed and tirelessly enthused. It’s important to keep in mind that in the end, it’s all for make believe, so don’t forget the people that are really important in your life and remember where you came from. You can’t expect to be handed much – you have to do your time and work from the ground up. If you do, you’ll be better off in the long run. The industry is a machine but it’s also a team effort. It’s important to make yourself invaluable in some aspect of a team. What do you love most about the magic of film? Films are an escape from day to day reality. There’s nothing quite like the experience of sitting in a theatre and being swept into another world. It can expand your mind. They can also teach us more about ourselves or the world around us. Aside from the magic, it’s about the power of film. It can help enlighten people about topics they wouldn’t necessarily learn about in other forms, and even make a change for the better. Of all the projects you have worked on is there one that you hold most dear? Of all the projects I’ve worked on with Tim, Big Fish was a personal one. It was such a unique experience filming on location in Alabama and I love the film. The upcoming Big Eyes is something close to me as well. We really took a low budget “let’s just do it” approach and the result is something really special. From my personal projects I hold The Ballad of Sandeep, Captain Crabcakes, and my college horror opus, Verge of Darkness, close to my heart. You put so much into each project that they all become a part of you. What would you say is the strangest thing you’ve have encountered in your work so far? This is probably the toughest question. I could write volumes on strange things I’ve encountered. To name a few; Island of the Dolls in Mexico, Robot Restaurant in Tokyo, Van Damme in Cannes, Deep Roy (as the Oompa Loompa) in the White House. How did you come to work with Tim Burton? My first job in Los Angeles was as a production assistant on a television sitcom. When the show was cancelled someone at the network knew I had moved to LA to work in the film industry. She had contacts at Tim Burton Productions, heard they were hiring and recommended me. She called asking if I would be interested in interviewing for a position. I remember thinking “Are you kidding?” Although I was extremely nervous, the interview went well and I began working as a runner for the company a few weeks later. What is he like as an individual? What would you say is the most important thing you have learned from working with him? This is a question I encounter quite often. I think people expect to hear some really weird tales but Tim is quite normal – caring, creative, but also very level headed with a great sense of humor. He’s someone I was very nervous to meet for the first time because he was one of my idols and I was afraid that upon meeting him my view might change. But he was such a nice, down to earth guy that if anything my opinion was reinforced. Tim is the genuine deal – a creative genius and a naturally creative spirit. He is always drawing in a sketchbook – everywhere. From working with him I’ve experienced every aspect of the filmmaking process, which has been invaluable. You also work as a photographer, what is the most important thing to remember when trying to capture a great shot? Well, photography has always been more of a hobby for me. My wife is the professional photographer in the family. I’ve always loved the camera and it has been the driving force when I’m making one of my own films. My tip to getting a great shot is patience and to ALWAYS have a camera nearby, ready to go. As someone who has worked as a writer, producer, director do you enjoy all three equally or do you love one more than the others? I love it all but do certainly enjoy directing more than anything. It’s what I feel most confident at and it’s the one role that challenges and engages me fully. Do you feel grateful that you have been able to pursue a career doing what you love? I am extremely grateful and try my best to always remember how fortunate I am. I get to do something I enjoy every day, and continue to be challenged by it. It’s relentless work but there’s certainly never a dull moment. Are there any little known things about you that your fans might be surprised to learn? Even though people that know me consider me pretty extroverted, I personally feel like I’m still very much an introvert. I’ve always felt shy around people I don’t know very well. This industry has helped me break out of that a bit. What are you personal feelings on life after death? How do you hope to be remembered when your own time comes? The film Poltergeist taught me everything I need to know about the afterlife. All are welcome. There is peace and serenity in the light. And don’t forget your tennis balls. I hope to be remembered as a good son, brother, husband, father and friend to those close to me. If I can leave behind a memorable movie or two, for everyone else, that would be the icing on the cake. What do you think is the key to a life well lived? I think it’s important to burn hot and fast – keep looking forward but don’t forget what is behind. It’s all about the journey and the lives we touch. Enjoy the now –life is too short no matter how long we’re here. What was the best advice anyone ever gave you? Don’t pass up opportunities just because they’re not the most idyllic (or out of fear) – you never know where one will lead to another. Don’t discount opportunities that may come your way. Things can happen overnight but usually it takes a lot of time to get to that night. How did Lazer Film Productions come into being? What projects are you working on at the moment? Lazer Film Productions is the name of the “company” that my friends and I made films under in college at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. I still use it as a banner for my own films and music videos. I’m currently editing Green Lake a horror featurette I directed last summer on the Big Island of Hawaii. I’m also finishing work on a comedy short, Motel Providence, written by and starring The Minor Prophets. I’ve had a string of successful collaborations with The Minor Prophets http://www.theminorprophets.com – a comedy troupe from Philadelphia, of which some of the members were childhood friends of mine. I hope to unleash both Green Lake and Motel Providence by the end of this year. Do you have a dream project that you’d most like to bring into existence? I’ve been developing a feature film called Quiet Fire about the creative relationship between Miles Davis and jazz pianist Bill Evans surrounding the recording of the album Kind of Blue. I’ve also been working with The Minor Prophets and Deep Roy to get a feature film version of The Ballad of Sandeep http://www.theballadofsandeep.com off the ground. The script is complete and we’re ready to go. Now we just have to find funding. Aside from these my wife and I have been working on a werewolf script which has been great fun! (It’s kind of like the Heathersof werewolf movies.) Anything you’d like to say in closing? That was all very cathartic. Thank you, Tina, for the opportunity! Elfman thrilled over Burton film music concerts, 'Nightmare' re-release. By Tim Lammers for Direct Conversations October 29, 2014 Twenty-nine years after he first worked with director Tim Burton, composer Danny Elfman is keenly aware that it's unique for a duo like theirs to have such a long and successful collaborative partnership. And as another set of concerts this Halloween weekend in Los Angeles celebrating his music in Burton's films quickly approaches, the shows remind Elfman once more just how lucky he and Burton were that the right eyes and ears were watching and listening at the right time. After all, Elfman told me in a recent interview, he didn't even think the score for their first film together, 1985's "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (which was Burton's and Elfman's directing and scoring debuting, respectively) would even live to see the light of day. "I could not imagine that I was going to have a career in film composing at that time, nor did I imagine anyone would even see 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' or my score wouldn't get thrown out," Elfman said with a laugh. "There were many 'could not imagine' instances that went on with that film. When I wrote it I thought, 'This is a crazy score and once Warner Bros. hears it, they're going to toss it in a quick second,' but they didn't to my astonishment." Minus the score of "Big Eyes" -- which is Elfman and Burton's 16th film collaboration set for a Christmas Day release -- music from the duo's first 15 films will be performed at "Danny Elfman's Music From the Films of Tim Burton" LA concerts, set for Halloween night and Saturday at Nokia Theatre, and Sunday at Honda Center. The music will be conducted by John Mauceri with special performances by Elfman, and will feature visuals from several of Burton's films, including "Batman," "Beetlejuice," "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Alice in Wonderland" and many others. The visuals, however, don't only consist of clips. Audience members at the shows will also get a look on screen at some other exciting visual elements put together by Burton and the likes of such collaborators as his longtime producer Derek Frey and photographer Leah Gallo, Elfman noted. "They put together a thorough visual presentation featuring costumes, images, sketches, production and design stuff, so you get a good sense of Tim's development of the films," Elfman said. "They put a lot of work into it." Elfman said while the timing of the LA concerts happen to fall on Halloween weekend, the concert will not have a special emphasis on the holiday or Burton's films that deal with horror or the supernatural (two more concerts are set for Dec. 12 in London). The set list is the same as previous shows because there's a lot of ground to cover when you're talking representing every one of their films together over a two-hour-and-20-minute time period, Elfman said. "The big challenge with this show was fitting in 15 suites given the time limit that we had," Elfman explained. "I wanted each suite to be representative of the score, not just a hit parade of titles to each of the movies. In fact, I even tried to challenge myself to write original bits in each of the suites, so I could have something recognizable, and something deeper into the score that is less-recognizable, but important if you want to understand the score and hear something you didn't think existed before the concert." 'Nightmare' re-release While legions of Burton and Elfman's fans outside of Los Angeles won't get a opportunity to see the concerts, Walt Disney Pictures is giving them a chance to celebrate one of their collaborations in a big way this weekend with the re-release of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," set to play in more than 200 theaters across the country. The stop motion animated film and its music have inspired millions of fans in the past 21 years, including Derek Frey, who went on to help produce Burton's two other stop motion features, "Corpse Bride" and "Frankenweenie." "'Nightmare' came at a time in my life where I was a big Burton fan and before I worked for Tim. Also, as a huge fan of Halloween, that film took me to somewhere where other films haven't," Frey told me in separate interview. "Even though I worked on 'Corpse Bride' and 'Frankenweenie,' the whole concept of the worlds of Halloween and Christmas and the character arc of Jack Skellington, 'Nightmare' is the stop motion film that resonates with me the most," he said. "I watch 'Corpse Bride' and 'Frankenweenie' quite differently, but with 'Nightmare,' it's fun learning new things about the film because I was not a part of the filmmaking process." The element that pushed "Nightmare" over the top for Frey, in particular, was Elfman's music. "I was a Danny Elfman fan and even bought the soundtrack before the movie came out," Frey said. "I was really ready for that movie, and I think the musical side of that film is what for me made it very special." Amazingly, like "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," Elfman's confidence going into the final phases of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was shaky before the film was released in 1993, even though he and Burton had clearly demonstrated a winning track-record by that time. Of course, the big difference with "Nightmare" and their previous films, though, was that Elfman was providing the singing voice of Jack (vocals that fans will get to hear once again at the LA concerts this weekend), and that it didn't enjoy the success -- initially, at least -- that "Pee-wee," "Beetlejuice" and the "Batman" films did. "For me, at least, 'Nightmare' was the great disappointment of my career at that point," Elfman said. "So much work had gone into it and nobody seemed to understand it when it was released. Disney didn't know how to market it. I remember the one test screening they did was catastrophic because there were a lot of kids there who didn't get what the hell was going on." Time, of course, has righted the ship, and the film is as popular as ever. "When it became clear the film had a second life, it was just thrilling," Elfman said. "It was exhilarating, because I just figured at first, 'Well, that's life.' I never worked harder on anything in my life up until 'Nightmare' and I really believed in it, and felt, 'Well, it just never found an audience.'" Oddly enough, it took Elfman more than a dozen years after the release of "Nightmare" to fully realize the impact the film had, not only on audiences in the U.S., but worldwide. "I was on a press tour with Tim in Tokyo on 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' when I really realized that it had caught on. Tokyo was filled with 'Nightmare' images of Jack and Sally, and there was even a club inspired by the film," Elfman said. "Every store we went into was filed with 'Nightmare' stuff and Tim would say, 'God, I've never seen half of this stuff before.' So for the film to have this second life is astounding." Beyond the numbers, though, Elfman said he's most moved by the experiences fans share with him about the movie. "It's the greatest thing when people tell me, 'My kid knows all the words from this song and that song from "Nightmare" and he's only 4.' That's just amazing to me," Elfman said, humbly. "Very, very few films that get a second life, like a 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' or 'Donnie Darko.' There are films that get re-discovered, but it's rare. So the fact that 'Nightmare' was one of those few was a wonderful surprise. '

Film Reviews Viaticum: A Comedy on the Things We Take (Down) With Us on the Way Out **** by Indie Shorts Mag Team Derek Frey’s Viaticum is a 14-minute dark comedy about dying while religious. Co-written by The Minor Prophets (David Amadio, Gil Damon, and Steve Kuzmick), who also form the majority of the four-member cast, the film is funny and atmospherically disquieting. There is a claustrophobia in the frames, brought on by the confines of the low-ceilinged room struggling to contain the outsized hostilities between the nurse and the priest, and there, looming in the foreground, the bare, dying body. Appropriately, Jason remains crouched for nearly the entire scene—he is not the point, and neither is his father. Ironically, the nurse is as, if not more, invested a catholic than the priest himself. As they butt heads over what is or is not acceptable in the eyes of their god, father and son vacillate in and out of relevance, until finally, the violent climax enacts a reshuffle that the players are not meant to survive. Amadio plays Jason, amateur saucier and dutiful son of Albert (Damon), a dying man in need of a priest to perform the last rites. Thus enters Father Kettinger (Kuzmick), introduced in a brief scene with Jason that is brimming with farcical sincerity. Meeting Nurse (and Coach) Auerbach, (Kathleen Kozak), he immediately has a bone to pick with her. Their differences only find more fuel when Kettinger is willing to move past a murder confession. The best of the film’s comicality is reserved in the performances, in that aforementioned farce of sincerity, especially visible between Jason and Father Kettinger. Auerbach, impelled by duty to remain quiet, is nonetheless amusing to watch in the background as her face travels a range of emotions of mostly the same classification: annoyed, disapproving, and disdainful. Kettinger and Auerbach’s battle is written like a rom-com, only to be supplanted by shock and comedy. As the end approaches, it falls a little short on the latter. The drama is far more watchable; unfolding in black and white, there seems to exist something coiled and waiting. The feeling is reinforced by what we do not see: the part of the room on the other side of the bed. Indeed, the lighting and concomitant shadows play an interesting role in emphasizing the claustrophobia, leaking in from the doorway directly onto the ceiling. There is something about it that evokes the entropy of death, spilling and not spilling in odd, heavy ways. Viaticum is interestingly designed. The trivialities of living go on as they must in the midground, and life is changed every moment while we do not pay attention to it. In the meantime, there’s bread and sauce. AWKWARD ENDEAVORS - TOP SHORTS REVIEW: Turning Rom-Com into Comedic Cringe Director Derek Frey turns the rom-com genre on its head in his short film, Awkward Endeavors. Written by The Minor Prophets, this film stars Gil Damon as Greg, a lovelorn middle-aged piano student of Melinda, the talented, kind piano teacher played by Kathleen Kozack. What in other films may have been the climax of a rom-com film, the heartwarming profession of love, turns into a cringe-worthy comedy, a schadenfreude for the audience. Greg doesn’t have a lot going for him. He is a middle-aged pizza man who presumably lives alone. His one desire is Melinda, who seems to have a lot going for her. She has multiple students including a child prodigy piano player, Desmond Frey, whose immense skill highlights Greg’s un-remarkability. Melinda also has a loving husband and a home. Nothing about Greg’s love for Melinda appears reciprocal, and yet Greg pursues her in an endearingly pathetic way. The presence of Melinda’s husband, Jerome played by Steve Kuzmick trimming bushes in the backyard as the love declaration is about to happen ramps up the film’s tension. While Melinda deals with Greg inside the house, Jerome has his own awkwardness to deal with outside the house in the form of a chatty neighbor named Paul played by David Amadio. Paul has an obsession with movie trivia. From Jerome’s exasperation, it sounds as if Paul has come over to bother him multiple times in the past. This film would not be possible without the clever breadcrumbs of backstory built into the screenplay. Moreover, the performances nail the backstories - from each look to line read. The audience is only given a moment with all of these characters, and yet every perspective seems clear and unique. While the film is simplistic in production, lighting, and sound design, it captures the story elements well - the rising tension, the awkwardness, the characters, and the comedy. The film had an animated short film feel to the comedy. That is, it was full of visual gags that gave it charm. The cleverness of this film comes from questioning genre conventions and the honesty within absurdity. If a man like Greg hit on a married woman like Melinda, a response like the one in Awkward Endeavors seems more realistic than the plethora of rom-com love declarations out there. Awkward Endeavors isn’t Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks meeting in a park “for the first time” in real life ala You’ve Got Mail or Tom Cruise having Renée Zellweger at hello. It’s a poorly timed, poorly executed, reading-all-the-wrong signs comedy of errors. The reversal is refreshing and delightful. Read More REVIEW of Awkward Endeavors - World Premiere Film Awards There are many who don’t see value in making short films. "Nothing meaningful can be said in ten minutes or less,” or “It’s impossible to tell any meaningful story with a short." To be honest, I may have muttered something similar once or twice. The truth is, it’s all about the story! A good storyteller knows how to entertain and not every film is going to be Titanic or Schindler’s List. Sometimes it’s simply about provoking a thought or emotion or simply putting a smile on the viewer’s face. Greg is a stocky, middle aged pizza delivery dude. The film opens with him parked outside a pleasant suburban house. Instead of a pizza, he grabs a Leila Fletcher piano lesson book and jumps out of the car, leaving behind a Guns & Ammo magazine on the passenger seat. From the walkway we hear birds chirping and a piano running through exercises. The pleasant atmosphere quickly turns cold when he is greeted at the door by Jerome who offers a beverage. There is a definite tension between the two. Continuing into the parlor we find a child prodigy riffing up and down the keyboard. Next to him sits Melinda, his teacher. Greg is noticeably intimidated and glances around the room pausing on some family pictures next to him. One is a shot of Melinda and Jerome. He flips it over. Greg is obviously hot for teacher. When the kid finishes his piece, he gives Greg a growl on his way out. This is a fun project with no deep meaning or life lesson. Just a goofy pizza guy with a mad crush on another man’s wife. The story works and you’ll definitely be left with a smile on your face. The best moment for me was watching Jerome pruning the hedges outside the parlor window, with Paul, a quirky neighbor running over his favorite M. Night Shayamalan films. Jerome has his eye on Greg, and Paul… well, he’s all about Shayamalan. Silly and absurd always work in the hands of a gifted storyteller. Blake Edwards and Carl Reiner come to mind as does the gang from Monty Python. Gil Damon (Greg), Steve Kuzmick (Jerome) and David Amadio (the Shayamalan fanboy neighbor) wrote the script… and it’s funny and quirky and slips into gear right away. After watching the film I scanned the overview and was more than impressed with the team that put the project together. Director Derek Frey’s list of credits is a mile long. This guy knows his way around Hollywood. The story is actually an excerpt from a feature written by The Minor Prophets. I have always believed comedy is a state of mind. It’s how you see the world around you. These guys could’ve written about painting a bathroom and it would’ve been funny… because life is funny. It’s all in the way you see it and as filmmakers, how you tell the story. Awkward Endeavors clocks in at just under ten minutes. The actors did their jobs and were believable. Desmond Frey, who plays the child prodigy, is an absolute scene stealer! What makes this work is how Frey paced the film. Sometimes the difference between a gag working and not working is simply how long you hold a shot. He’s a pro and obviously knows his stuff. The lighting and camera work were great. I love what these guys do and am pleased to see that this is simply one of a series of projects the ‘Minor Prophets’ have done together. I can’t wait to see more. Very nicely done. Brian Lutes – World Premiere Film Awards Read More REVIEW OF AWKWARD ENDEAVORS -Madcap Comedy International Film Festival September 12, 2022 Director/cinematographer Derek Frey and writer The Minor Prophets’ short is certainly one of the funniest in this year’s Festival, with what seems to be a standard tale of slightly cringing unrequited love taking a terrific, WTF-type turn. Gil Damon, Kathleen Kozak and Steve Kuzmick are all good here, but it’s David Amadio who steals the show with his out-of-nowhere, walking non-sequitur Paul, a character that seems to exist in a world of his own, and who keeps calmly yabbering on over the end credits and the lovely Mendelssohn. He really should have his own movie, and yes, it should be directed by the very unfunny M. Night Shyamalan. REVIEW of Awkward Endeavors - Filmnet.com 4.5 out of 5 Stars Let’s talk “Awkward Endeavors”! Now originally when I saw the title I was like OK I should be in for a wild ride with this. Let’s just say the film remained true to the title! This short shows three lives of men that are trying to find where they fit in the world with weird conversation and odd objectives. The main character is a guy that takes piano lessons from a lady and it’s clear that he has not practiced or worked hard to know anything for class, so when he gets to class they practice on very simple skills and it is clear that he is there for one specific reason. Now the beautiful thing about what they do with the short it’s not just solely focused on him. While his plot is running there are other storylines running outside of the house as well. One of my favorite characters in particular is the neighbor that is obsessed with giving random movie facts; he reminded me of myself. That was very relatable content. Now let’s talk about the cinematography side of things! I love that the director took a still approach with the camera; it wasn’t much shakiness it was just very direct ,very clean, very crisp. It made the watching experience very smooth and fun. One of my favorite things about the short is the script was very grounded. They didn’t push it but they also had some hints of comedy and drama in there. Overall, the theme of loneliness really tied nicely in with the plot. I’m really really excited to see what this director has in store. Let’s talk about the actors chemistry throughout. The cast had a really really strong chemistry. I was really in love with the star actress that portrayed the piano instructor. She had such an ease and such a sense of smoothness about her. Now let’s talk about the creepy guy that was trying to just take lessons from her because he found his self to be in love with her; he truly gave me the creeps which means he did his job amazingly! This short should be shown to the world for many reasons. Number one…. everyone needs a friend and sometimes we can judge others and not really know why we’re judging. Number two.. beware of people just trying to use your services just to get close to you for ulterior motives. And number three.. kindness goes a long way and that’s what the world needs a lot more. Thank you for this story that both made me laugh and also enlightened me along the way! "AWKWARD ENDEAVORS" Directed By: Derek Frey 4.5/5 Read More Awkward Endeavors: Emptiness and All We Do to Get Away from it. Review by Indie Shorts Magazine November 13, 2022 In Derek Frey’s Awkward Endeavors the lives of three men intersect, for barely an hour, but which shines a bright, unflattering light on who they are. Only one of them may have any awareness of it. Itself nine minutes long, the film brings together these three lonely men as they make varying attempts to find connections with others. The first is middle-aged Greg (Gil Damon), who has arrived at his much younger piano teacher, Melinda’s (Kathleen Kozak) place for his lesson. He encounters Jerome (Steve Kuzmick), the teacher’s husband, unexpectedly at home. Jerome, in turn, has to contend with his neighbor Paul (David Amadio), who loves to talk about M. Night Shyamalan. As Jerome tends to the garden and puts up with Paul, Melinda is abruptly confronted with the truth of Greg’s visits. As is Jerome. The narrative intercuts between the unfolding drama between Melinda and Greg inside, and Jerome and Paul outside. Melinda tries to carry on with her lesson, Greg makes advances, Paul talks about Shyamalan, and Jerome prunes. Several threads thus run simultaneously and each discordant with the other, Paul’s running monologue being particularly entertaining. The clumsiness of Greg’s advances, the awkwardness of the whole situation (including Paul’s ramblings) is the crux of the film’s comedy, and derivative of first, Jack Nicholson’s act in About Schmidt, and then, The Man on the Train. There is an intentional blandness to the visuals, particularly emphasised by the 16:9 aspect ratio, that embodies the stasis and lack of meaning in the characters’ lives. Greg seeking out Melinda, Paul seeking out Jerome, and—in the midst of it—Melinda and Jerome’s marriage, are all driven by a languor. It is important that there is no ill-feeling, but mere manifestation of an unbearable discomfort with existing as is. Awkward Endeavors creates humour out of a certain kind of loneliness that grows best behind neat suburban facades. The three men express it differently, all directed outward and twisted into something divorced from the original problem. Read More REVIEW of Awkward Endeavors - by Film Threat The lives of three lonely men intersect in director Derek Frey’s short comedy, Awkward Endeavors. Home for the day is Melinda’s husband, Jerome (Steve Kuzmick), who is cutting the shrubbery outside her window and peering in on the suspicious Greg. Soon, Paul (David Amadio) arrives to bug Jerome about his latest M. Night Shyamalan conspiracy theories. Finally, a series of awkward events is set off when Greg becomes a little too handsy during his piano lesson. Awkward Endeavors finds its inspiration from the crime thriller The Man on the Train, but without the crime. It’s pretty much a comedic sketch about these three men and their seemingly inconsequential relationship with one another. Like a wind-up toy, the film puts these three characters in this potentially awkward situation and lets them go. The humor is mild as it becomes much more interesting to see where the story takes us. By Alan Ng | October 9, 2022 Read More Film Snobbery review of AWKWARD ENDEAVORS. Directed by Derek Frey and written by David Amadio, Gil Damon, and Steve Kuzmick, AWKWARD ENDEAVORS is a tidy short comedy film about a man professing his love for his piano teacher. Unfortunately for him, she happens to be married, and even more unfortunate, he’s home. The gentleman caller doesn’t stick around for long, as the piano teacher makes it quite clear that she wants nothing to do with him, and escorts him out of the house. The humor in this piece is subtle. Good for a few chuckles rather than belly laughs and guffaws. The neighbor character who constantly talks about movie trivia is someone very relatable to the lives of anyone who works in the film industry (chances are, they ARE that person). The cinematography is fairly standard for a lower budget short, but it would have been nice to have the audio cleaned up a little more. It seemed a little un-mixed in places and overdriven in others. The acting was on the mark. The brief scene with the child actor, giving the blank stare to the gentleman caller was really well-played. Kathleen Kozak is pitch perfect in her role as the piano teacher (and pulls double-duty as the composer and performer for the end piece “Our Song”). A solid outing by Frey. It’s a short film that doesn’t overstay its welcome and doesn’t leave you disappointed. Direction 4/5 Screenplay 4/5 Cinematography 4/5 Sound 3.5/5 Acting 4/5 A film critic for over a decade and a die-hard supporter of independent film and those that make it. Nic LaRue hails from the state of Massachusetts and spends his free time running a woodworking business (LaRue Creations), cooking, and taking time outside with his dog, Luna. Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube CINEMA COMEDY FILM REVIEW FILMSNOBBERY INDEPENDENT FILM INDIE FILM MOVIES NIC LARUE SHORT FILM Read More CULT CRITIC FILM MAGAZINE REVIEW OF AWKWARD ENDEAVORS Reviewed by Rohan Bhattacharya Our lives are filled with instances that shape us into better versions of ourselves in the long-run. Some of these circumstances are happy or depressing, and some are simply awkward. Despite all of these embarrassments, these “Awkward Endeavors” define our personalities, and often bring us closer to other awkward individuals. Derek Frey’s aptly named short, “Awkward Endeavors” tells us a similar, awkward tale of three men, whose lives are entangled by a rather cumbersome thread: a thread of circumstances, that they might have desperately wanted to rid themselves of. While someone makes it out of this awkward mess with a smile on his face, and a song in his heart, others were not that lucky. The film starts with a long-shot of a man sitting in a pizza delivery car with a house behind him; while he looks at his reflection in the rear-view mirror, we hear the faint sound of a piano. He picks up a music book, and heads out with confidence. Interestingly, as he lifts the music book, we see a guns and ammunition magazine underneath it. By the way he carried himself, it was somehow understood that he was going to meet someone he was romantically interested in. With merely expressions, the actor was able to make the audience relate to his character, and bring about an air of nostalgia that might have resonated with many of us; that anxiousness one feels when they head out to propose the love of their life. As the man approaches the house, the sound of the piano booms. He knocks, and the door is opened by a man he had not expected to see. The man invites him inside, and after an awkward exchange of one-sided greetings, the pizza delivery man enters a room where a woman teaches piano to a child, who is extremely good at it. Later, we realize that the man who had opened the door was in-fact the woman’s husband. Nevertheless, the pizza delivery man was determined to propose the woman today, and so he did. However, things didn’t go quite as he had expected them to. Despite the premise of the film being quite simple, the director has beautifully handled the cinematography, it almost felt as if he was intentionally trying to add on to the awkwardness that was brilliantly built by actors and their splendid performances. Awkwardly rigid shots, and occasional close-ups of the expressions added on to the awkward beauty of the film. Moreover, the choice of wider lenses while shooting indoors with the pizza delivery man, and the piano teacher was appropriately made; it brought about a sense of openness to the homely teaching environment. Similarly, the director’s choice of lens for outdoor shots of the husband, and his friend was extremely appropriate, and blended well with the context. The shots felt claustrophobic and tense, and we could visually relate to what the husband was feeling while he could literally see the pizza delivery man trying to make a move on his wife. Derek Frey’s use of natural lighting, and color palette can certainly make the audience relate more to the scenes in the film. It is truly strange how the audiences can relate to almost all the characters in some way or the other. We have been in the shoes of the pizza delivery man, trying to confess to the person we have developed a crush on. We have also been in the shoes of the insecure husband, who loves his wife so much that he’s afraid to lose her. The director’s treatment of the husband’s friend as a character was beautifully executed; we could see how someone’s words that might have been important in any different situation became white noise to the husband whose mind was on something more important to him. Finally, the book on guns and ammunition and the leaf-cutter added intrigue in the film. Some in the audience might feel something dreadful might transpire at the end; however, it was quite pleasing to see that they served a completely different purpose altogether. While the pizza delivery guy sacrificed his passion for guns in order to learn the piano for the teacher’s sake; the teacher quite literally cut him out of his life by pointing the leaf-cutter at him! LARGO FILM AWARDS REVIEW OF KILL THE ENGINE It takes a very clever writer and director to take a topic that is so negative and emotional such as suicide, group suicide no less, and turn it into a comedy sketch that still has heart and meaning. Fortunately, in this case that’s exactly what happened. The film begins with three guys trying to start a car and through the conversation and sub textual inferences we make, it becomes clear they are trying to gas themselves. From the off the three main characters have a great rapport which helps the audience connect with them. They aren’t your typical suicidal characters which makes them more human, they have identity. The fact that they can’t get the car to start is what brings in the humor but it is subtle and done well. The overlaying joke is the fact they are trying to breathe life into a car (literally at one point) that is eventually meant to kill them. It’s that sort of ironic dark humor that works really well here. The script is clever, both in its subtle use of dialogue which isn’t over used or too expositional, and in the structure of the narrative. It’s simple yet clever and effective. The audience are given just enough to get in on the jokes, and just enough physical comedy that it doesn’t turn slapstick. The ending works particularly well. This suicide attempt has actually brought these guys together and the fact that they accomplish their goal leaves them elated, until they realize what it ultimately means. The end. But we never see what they choose to do. The hose pipe in the car window offers a suggestion but it isn’t conclusive, and it’s that which leaves the audience questioning and talking. That is what effective film does, it stays with the audience. An excellently constructed short film that utilizes its dark comedy perfectly. With strong performances and a well-written script, this is definitely one to watch Flickering Myth Review of IN SEARCH OF TOMORROW July 25, 2022 Directed by David A. Weiner. Produced by Derek Frey, Robin Block, Nick Bosworth. Starring Lance Guest, Clancy Brown, Sean Young, Wil Wheaton, Catherine Mary Stewart, John Carpenter, Adrienne Barbeau, Paul Verhoeven, Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Kurtwood Smith, Jenette Goldstein, Joe Dante, Carrie Henn, Bruce Boxleitner, Shane Black, Dee Wallace, Mark Rolston, Barry Bostwick, Ivan Reitman, Billy Dee Williams, Ronny Cox, Bill Duke, Alex Winter, Jesse Ventura, Gene Simmons, Bob Gale, John Knoll, Oliver Harper, Corey Dee Williams, Adam Nimoy, Brad Fiedel, William Sandell, Stewart Raffill, and Ed Gale. SYNOPSIS: If you’re a fellow Get Xer who grew up on 70s and 80s science-fiction films, you’ll want to check out In Search of Tomorrow , a massive five-hour documentary that explores sci-fi cinema during the 1980s. Many well-known actors, actresses, writers, directors, and others were interviewed for the film, which is on sale now through August 7th. It’s available on digital and Blu-ray and well worth your time. I recently saw a tweet that asked aspiring screenwriters to pitch themselves as writers using existing movies as comparisons. A friend from high school responded: “Raised by Indiana Jones and Star Wars, along with my siblings Back to the Future and The Goonies.” If that quote gives you a warm feeling inside, then you’re squarely in the demo, as they say, for In Search of Tomorrow , a five-hour (yes, five-hour!) documentary that digs through sci-fi films of the 1980s while also exploring the cultural, technological, and socio/political trends of that time. It takes you through that decade year by year, using a series of what I’d call micro-featurettes about select films released that year, followed by one of several discussions of different aspects of moviemaking at the time, such as that era’s ascendance of practical effects while ushering in the nascent days of computer-generated images. The documentary also does a good job of establishing context for that decade, touching on movies from the 70s and 90s to explain where 80s sci-fi cinema came from and where it was headed. Wil Wheaton of Star Trek the Next Generation fame is more or less your host for the documentary, popping up repeatedly to comment on various movies and trends from that era. I don’t think the list at the top of this review covers every single person who was interviewed for this gargantuan documentary, but it hits the highlights for sure. Many participants speak to not only the films they were involved with but also movies and people they admired during the 80s. In Search of Tomorrow touches on pretty much all the major movies of that decade while delving into plenty of minor ones too, including some that I’ll confess I’ve never heard of. A repeated visual motif uses a wall of images that I assume were meant to evoke VHS covers as the camera zooms in on the particular movie that will be discussed next. You may wonder about some of the inclusions and omissions (for me, Mac and Me getting a micro-featurette while Brazil was barely touched on in a couple quick clips was an interesting choice), but those are minor quibbles. To anyone who really makes a big deal about the filmmakers’ choices, I can only say: Make your own documentary, then. I watched the film on a Blu-ray disc that looked very nice on my setup, and I noticed that most of the movie clips were high-quality too. (It looked like they procured pre-Special Edition clips for Return of the Jedi, which was a nice touch.) The movie trailers that were sampled varied in quality, but that’s not a surprise given the fact that a lot of old film trailers aren’t really worth restoring. The Blu-ray also includes a physical booklet that has messages from Weiner and Block, who was executive producer, along with photos of many participants and a checklist of the featured movies. The disc’s menu allows you to quickly access any year or any of the interstitial chapters that you want to revisit. The sole bonus feature on the platter is a discussion with Weiner and Block that’s moderated by host Rocco T. Thompson and runs a little over an hour. It was conducted via Zoom or some other videoconferencing solution, which isn’t a surprise given the pandemic that was happening while they created the movie and is still persisting today (The fact that they’re in different time zones probably played a role in that decision too). It’s an in-depth discussion about how the project came about and their approach to it. Toward the end, Weiner answers a question that was on my mind while examining this disc: Yes, there is plenty of extra material from the many interviews he conducted, and it’s being saved for a potential sequel, much like he followed up his In Search of Darkness documentary about 80s horror films with a second installment. I had been wondering why there wasn’t a section for cutting room floor material on the disc, but now I know to watch my email inbox for news of In Search of Tomorrow: Part II. I’m eagerly looking forward to it. In the meantime, make sure you grab your copy of In Search of Tomorrowbefore the sale ends August 7tj. Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Brad Cook Read More Forbes Review: ‘In Search Of Tomorrow’ Is Expansive & Poignant History Of 1980s Sci-Fi August 3, 2022 Directed by David A. Weiner. Produced by Derek Frey, Robin Block, Nick Bosworth. It seems only fitting that a behemoth-sized documentary chronicling the history of the greatest science fiction movies to come out of the 1980s be described with the same adjectives we often use for the cosmos at large: epic, sprawling, awe-inspiring, mysterious, grandiose, beautiful, and perhaps most important of all, a stark reminder of the lofty heights we as a species might one day reach. In Search of Tomorrow (or ISOT for short) — writer-director David Weiner ’s latest exploration of Reagan-era pop culture — is all those things and more, effortlessly living up to its subtitle, which heralds the film as “The Definitive ‘80s Sci-Fi Documentary.” The rather ambitious project represents essential viewing for the post-Stranger Things era, where modern-day storytellers re-contextualize the themes, narrative beats, and watershed special effects and creatures made famous by the likes of Spielberg, Lucas, Cameron, Dante, Zemeckis, Reitman, Scott, Miller, Carpenter, Verhoeven, and other moviemakers who dared to dream big and make an indelible mark on Hollywood. “Grand stories of the imagination have always taken center stage in my life,” Weiner states in the official press notes. “As a teen in the ‘80s, I was at the perfect age to get lost in the big-budget blockbusters and straight-to-video fare that shaped perceptions and inspired creativity like no other.” As he did with his equally excellent In Search of Darkness trilogy (which placed ‘80s horror films under the same multi-hour microscope), Weiner doesn’t just touch on one facet of ‘80s cinema, he explores them all, gleefully skipping from decade-to-decade like the time traveling spaceship voiced by Paul Ruebens in Flight of the Navigator. The pendulum swings from the mainstream (Star Wars, E.T., Back to the Future) to the more obscure (Saturn 3, Cherry 2000, Earth Girls Are Easy) and back again with ease. Interviews with and behind-the-scenes anecdotes from a vast array of creatives, actors, and experts — including the late Ivan Reitman — keep you dialed in the whole time, even if you might find yourself sporadically wishing for a larger roster of participants. It would have been amazing to see input from industry titans like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Henry Thomas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Sigourney Weaver, and others, but their absence from the proceedings is, as Mr. Spock would say, pretty logical. There’s still plenty to chew on here, especially when you factor in testimonials from trailblazing VFX wizards and unsung heroes, Phil Tippett and John Dykstra, whose iconic visuals helped turn that aforementioned list of filmmakers and actors into household names worth billions of box office dollars. In any case, the documentary’s wide breadth of topics underscores the magical ability of stories, especially the ones projected onto the silver screen, to bring us together and shape an almost universal understanding of the world (a core tenet of science fiction, particularly where the Star Trek franchise is concerned). At other end of the spectrum, you have the dichotomy of a certain idealism envisioned by the genre and the disheartening reminder of how far we still need to go in order to obtain it. One of the first movies discussed in ISOT is 1980’s Galaxina and while it might not have been the pinnacle of the art-form, you still find yourself experiencing a cognitive dissonance stemming from the movie’s satiric jubilee of all things sci-fi and the absolutely tragic murder of its star, Dorothy Stratten, the same year. The eternal struggle between our baser instincts and a desire to keep pushing forward, both culturally and technologically remains the beating thematic heart of Weiner’s impressive undertaking. There is a certain disappointment over the fact that humans are not perfect creatures, as evidenced by the documentary’s interlude on the Challenger disaster in 1986. Sometimes, our reach exceeds our grasp. Despite the utopian visions of the future we keep coming back to in science fiction (this idea of living in harmony and settling amongst the stars), we cannot put aside our penchant for violence, selfishness, destruction, bigotry, miscalculation, and negligent oversight. Nowhere is that sense of pessimism more apparent than in the ‘80s when the specter of nuclear annihilation once again reared its ugly head — first in Cold War geopolitics and then in movies like The Day After and Miracle Mile. The notion that the civilization we worked so hard to build could instantly disappear in the plume of a mushroom cloud felt all too real in those days, more so than humanoid robots and a United Federation of Planets. That’s not to say In Search of Tomorrow is a total downer. Quite the opposite, in fact. Weiner has crafted a well-researched, tightly-edited, and eminently engaging celebration of the genre touchstones that have shaped our culture for a little over four decades. Sci-fi has captivated our imaginations and, in turn, made our lives better with technological progress inspired by the big screen entertainment we hold so dear (not every step forward signals another tick on the Doomsday Clock). Yes, the world is a scary place, but the documentary never dwells in the dumps for too long. One minute you’re having an existential crisis and the next, you’re embarking on an adventure across the Eight Dimension with Peter Weller and Clancy Brown, or else hearing the writer-director of Mac and Me praise Paul Rudd for keeping the E.T. knock-off in the public consciousness for so many years. The craziest thing of all is that despite its hefty runtime, ISOT feels like it’s only just scratched the surface. But like I said at the start, this movie shares a lot in common with our own universe, whose own mysteries we have barely started to unravel. Should Mr. Weiner come back for a second helping of ‘80s sci-fi in subsequent installments, rest assured that he’ll boldly go where no one has gone before. Review by David Weiss for Forbes Magazine Read More Independent Shorts Awards Review – Kill The Engine With 32 titles as a director on his résumé, along with helming Tim Burton Productions since 2001 and the production of dozens of films, including Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Dumbo (the new reimagining of the classic Disney musical), Derek Frey is a reference name in the film industry. In this context, not surprisingly, ISA award-winning Kill The Engine is a high standard work on all levels, above all because of the challenges it surmounted, namely turning a drama into a comedy, with no clichés and an effective 10-minute story spent in a garage. The plotline is simple: three men decide to kill themselves by carbon monoxide poisoning. But what would happen if the car fails to start? Actors Gil Damon, Steve Kuzmick, and David Amadio form this suicide group and they do everything they can to get the car to work on behalf of their demise. And here begins the secret to the effectiveness of Kill The Engine, brilliant performances based on a black-humored text that does not give in to the easy joke. Neither do the trio of actors, who manage to put out an excellent rhythm and many subtleties in their performances. Derek Frey’s experience is evident with a safe and highly competent cinematic approach. Fast shots, alternating between closeups and mid shots, with a camera that infiltrates all the space available in this small set, not repeating itself, always looking for fresh points of view, capable of recording the nuances and participating in the action as an element of humor. Derek Frey’s excellent technique is reflected yet again in the lighting and fast-paced editing perfectly suited to the film’s goals. It is not easy to film in such a small space with three characters and a black-humored story that essentially lives on the dynamics of the dialogue and how the characters evolve – so that a connection with the audience is established and viewers can laugh. Moreover, it is not a physical comedy, but mainly psychological, so the challenge is even greater: start with a dramatic element to do a caricature of it, the suicide decision that stumbles onto an unexpected setback. It is true that we know very little about the three protagonists and their reasons for attempting suicide. The film does not give any clues, which may lead some to question the density of the characters, if they are real persons with an emotional core, or if the short is a mere caricature of a limited situation with no other narrative aspirations. It can be a relevant aspect for more demanding viewers. Still, this lack does not neutralize the fun of this 10-minute film. Kill The Engine is, therefore, an excellent example of entertainment production, consistent in technical terms, and perfectly effective with the impact it seeks. Lake View International Film Festival Review – “Kill The Engine” Kill The Engine is a film written by the Minor Prophets, and directed and produced by Derek Frey. It depicts three broken men who decide to kill themselves by carbon monoxide poisoning. However, the film is about reinventing oneself and not giving up. In a span of time lasting ten minutes, thirty seconds we see the beginning of an end, frustration turned into inspiration, need into invention. Through excellent scripting and smart storytelling, we witness the mental journey of three men who are about to give up on life. In no way could one be bored or distracted – for the film definitely grabs your attention. It is compact, entertaining, and meaningful. The message is clear and hard-hitting. The storytelling is neither too complex, nor is it cliché. Derek Frey has directed the film at his very best. Perfect shots, perfect lines, and perfect actions carried out at the right time with just the right emotions. Transitions are simple, no complicated cinematic techniques to startle the audience. The storyline is extremely intense and strong. There is a constant flavor of comedy prevalent throughout, keeping one hooked to the screen until the end. The constant process of trial and error seen throughout the film is a depiction of life itself. The story begins with hopelessness and ends with happiness, yet keeps the audience wondering. Like a truly good film it leaves the audience with a handful of questions for them to interpret and contemplate. It successfully ignites a multitude of thoughts in the minds of its audience. The leading men were damn good to watch on screen. The key cast members, (Gil Damon, Steve Kuzmick, and David Amadio), have given praise-worthy performances. Their expressions and delivery capably establish the mood of the film. The dialog stays crisp and fun, without too many lengthy exchanges. The only location in the film is a garage, yet it gives viewers a variety of experiences packed together in one small capsule. In short, Kill The Engine is among those few films which successfully deal out complicated and heavy messages in a way that is relatable, easily understood, and palatable. Overall the film is a lot of fun to watch, and a great lot of things to understand. Voices From The Balcony, “GREEN LAKE” Review by Jim Morazzini Green Lake is the larger of two freshwater lakes on the island of Hawaii. Residing in the crater of an extinct volcano and reputed to be bottomless. It is a beautiful place and the legendary Mo’o is tasked with keeping it that way. When a group of friends decide that it would be the perfect place to take hallucinogenic mushrooms, they awaken its wrath. The 36-minute short GREEN LAKE is a cheerful throwback to films like CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON with its amphibious creature wreaking havoc on those who would defile its domain. Unlike the Black Lagoon’s Gillman, the Mo’o is a supernatural being which does change the dynamics of things a bit, but the feel is much the same. This extends to the creature being portrayed by a person in a suit, not CGI. Like the older classics, it’s also light on gore, relying on its script, camerawork, and atmosphere for shocks. Director Derek Frey has helmed many shorts and worked as a producer on a number of features, several with Tim Burton such as ALICE IN WONDERLAND and DARK SHADOWS . His experience shows in the finished film. Frey has referred to shooting GREEN LAKE as his “mini-Apocalypse Now” due to how difficult it was. A quick look at the cast and credits shows everyone was filling multiple roles in front of and behind the camera. The results were worth it as the film pulled in a huge number of awards in its festival run. Frey remains proud of his film, and its message. “It was the most challenging shoot I’ve ever been part of but also the most rewarding and I’m so proud of the result. Green Lake is more than your typical horror film, it’s a warning to everyone that we must maintain our balance with and respect nature, or face the consequences.” And he’s put the film up on streaming site where it can be seen free. And you can’t beat free, especially for a good film. And GREEN LAKE is a very good film. Long Story Shorts Film Review of GREEN LAKE Derek Frey’s project showcases some beautiful surroundings from around Hawai'i, highlighting the deep and powerful mystical vibe of this land. Starting from an apparently simple premise, this short film draws inspiration from the Hawaiian lore of the Mo’o - a female, shape-shifting-type of lizard that used to protect freshwater-based systems in the islands. A group of friends decide to go on a short trip in the remote areas of the Big Island of Hawai'i. They’re young and restless and some of them decide to delight in the warm water of the famous Green Lake, while others are exploring the area. The water has a dark-green-ish color and though there seem to be no snakes or other predators, it still gives us the chills and makes us expect something strange to come out of it. Suddenly, while one of the guys seems to have found some magic mushrooms, a character that resemblance the girl from ''The Ring'' film appears on the screen and her presence totally frightens the viewers. Moreover, this is just the beginning of what the supernatural imagination of Derek Frey is capable of. The film looks like its main influence comes from the classical horror films, managing to create a tensioned atmosphere for the fans of B-Horror and monster movie types, without using a great amount of blood or violence, like in the nowadays horror films. Although it’s a microbudget film, the setting is very complex and pays great attention on the details. The beauty and mysticism of Hawai'i is enhanced by the mysterious tone of the soundtrack that conveys an intimidating atmosphere, always anticipating a second jump scare. The actors don’t make an exceptional performance, being very unconvincing especially in the stressful situations. Derek Frey’s short film is fascinating, but somehow very entertaining at the same time, because it’s not an usual horror film. Starting from an urban legend, he managed to create an interesting experimental film with the help of a committed crew. We bet that the shoot must have been really exciting and we’re expecting future projects created in the same enthusiastic manner. Read More CULT CRITIC FILM MAGAZINE REVIEW OF GREEN LAKE Derek Frey’s 30-minute featurette, “Green Lake” (2016) reads like a classic horror movie. A “Creature of the Black Lagoon” of sorts, with the added intrigue of being filmed on location, at one of only two lakes in Hawaii. Mythological shapeshifters are the fabled guards of these precious fresh water sources, and legend has it that if their land is disrespected or trespassed upon, a Mo’o possesses the power to wreak havoc. Frey gives us a classic horror set-up. A group of friends, unaware of the danger that lurks in their surroundings, decide to make the worst possible decision. The lush beauty engulfing the lake does seem like the perfect backdrop for a good old fashion psychedelic mushroom trip. And it could be a great bonding experience, except for the issue with the pissed off protector of sacred land who woke up to join the party. The dark shape of a woman materializes from the murky waters of Green Lake. Her visage is reminiscent of Samara moving toward the audience after emerging from the well, in Gore Verbinski’s famous scene from “The Ring.” Unlike Samara, the Mo’o is seductive. She hypnotizes her victim as she slinks ever so slowly in for the kill. Her skin is smooth and reptilian. Her hair, long and matted with seaweed gives her the appearance of a being who is part of the eco-system. Frey’s use of practical effects blends into the natural world. A CGI creature would have appeared too perfect, too modern in this setting. Instead, using costume and make-up, along with body movements and some clever editing produced a believable rendition of the mythic creature. It’s no wonder Frey has such a strong affinity to practical effects; he has spent his career working with Tim Burton. Matthew Reid’s original score adds substance to the opening narration, transforming the narrator’s words into folklore. The music drifts and bounces throughout the film, moving seamlessly connecting scenes. Reid’s score combined with the skillful use of foley sound adds a sense of anticipation, and outright panic, perfectly timed. Frey also called in some of his Big Island musician friends, Technical Difficulties and Delight Talkies, who wrote songs specifically for the film. In true Indie fashion, everyone had multiple roles; cast doubled as crew. For nine grueling days, the small band of filmmakers weathered the elements and went without sleep to the point of exhaustion and mental breakdown. Frey calls “Green Lake” his mini “Apocalypse Now.” The Mo’o rising from the water does call to mind one of the famous scenes from Francis Ford Coppola’s movie; however, Frey could be referring to the mental and physical pain that he and his friends went through to produce the film. The sacrifices must have been worth it because the result of their perseverance has garnered numerous festival awards. “Green Lake” is a solid, entertaining horror film that keeps you hanging on until the end. All great horror movies have an underlying meaning, a warning about some mistake that humanity is making, and “Green Lake” is no different. It’s a warning to everyone that we must maintain our balance with and respect nature or face the consequences. Always remember, “Horror Dwells Deep.” Read More Independent Shorts Awards Review of God Came ‘Round ISA award-winning filmmaker Derek Frey gives life to the song “God Came ‘Round” by Trever Veilleux cleverly and beautifully. While Frey plays with the appearance of God, aliens, and ghosts, and creates a fantastic supernatural atmosphere, the influence of his past work with Tim Burton Productions is clear to see. At some point, “God Came ‘Round” can be interpreted as a satire of all clichés in romantic comedies. It tells the story of a flower seller (Deep Roy) who makes a connection with the girl of his dreams, but immediately God gets in the way and doesn’t allow the pair to interact. Next, we see the seller try to cope with his heartbreak, and this is shot and performed in a way that makes it hilarious to watch. Roy’s performance is very impressive. Through his facial expressions, he tells us everything the character is feeling. It is always a significant challenge to perform without any dialogue, but Roy does it amazingly. Perhaps it is a contrast between the performance and the song that makes it so funny, but it sure is hard to do what he did. The cinematography is something that should be highlighted as well, especially when the seller has his first encounter with an alien. The lighting is breathtaking, as well as the shot composition. The fog in the background references all the alien tropes found in movies, forcing the idea that this piece is a satire of clichés. Yet it is done subtly, in some moments it might not even be noticeable on the first viewing, but it is the small details that make it so extraordinary. Even though “God Came ‘Round” was based on the song and serves the purpose of illustrating the lyrics, the images are so strong and carry such narrative, that sometimes it even takes the spotlight away from the song. For the viewer, the performances are so incredible and the story so engaging it leaves a certain curiosity in the air – wanting to know what is going to happen next, making one drift away from the lyrics of the song (not to say that the song is not as amazing as the video, because it indeed is excellent). Everyone involved in this project did a fantastic job and created a unique piece. It is hard to make an audience laugh, but with “God Came ‘Round” it’s even harder not to laugh. Read More Cult Critic Magazine Review of MOTEL PROVIDENCE Directed by Derek Frey | Reviewed by Rich Monetti Statistics show that 15-20% of Americans have cheated on their spouse at some time in their marriage. A lot of unhappy people, why shouldn’t there be a branch of behavioral therapy that tries to facilitate the process and maybe minimize the damage. Who knows, these restless souls might get it out of their systems, and ultimately, everyone lives happily ever after. So no heavy objects thrown or families laid waste, Motel Providence by Derek Frey has a couch all set up, and for your viewing pleasure, what could possibly go wrong? The healing takes place at a seedy roadside establishment, where it looks like a read of the guest list would include quite a few Mr and Mrs Smiths. There appears to be no shame in the work either. The number 5 room is clearly labeled as “Cheating Counselor” and inside the professional fields an incoming call without missing a beat. “Look, I’m with a client right now, I’ll see you in a little bit,” the Cheating Counselor (Steve Kuzmick) assures. The interruption passing due, the client succinctly lays out his feelings. “I want to cheat but I don’t know how,” Gil Damon completely legitimizes the suffering. In accordance, the therapist’s matter of fact intervention reinforces the possibilities of establishing a new branch in the field of behavioral science. He methodically takes his client through the scenarios as though they were dealing with a pressure filled job interview or the stress of their mother-in-law’s next visit. The same goes for the cinematographic framing by Frey. The shot is cropped closely like we feel in the reassuring solitude of a session, and thus, the overall tone of normalcy sets the comedic stage when the actual intervention goes off the rails. In turn, the two parties don’t even realize how decadent a course they’ve set in motion. In this, Kuzmick masterfully conveys the satisfaction of another happy customer upon session’s end, and Damon exits with the glee of someone who has finally found himself. Obviously things must then go awry, and Client Two (David Amadio) throws the wrinkle. The married man seeks help in hopes of getting the Cheating Counselor to derail the urge to be unfaithful. So true his profession, the counselor upholds his job description and keeps the slow burn comedy on track. “I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place, my job is to talk you into it.” Kuzmick doesn’t ’carry a hint of duplicity, and done so well, the viewer willingly allows the professionalism and sleaze to coexist to the point of hilarity. Client Two doesn’t let the Cheating Counselor off the hook, though, and brings the potential carnage of each case home in a very personal way. The Counselor suddenly has his professional ethics go out the window, and he becomes one of us. Defensive, angry and while holding his ground, the Cheating Counselor requires all his muster to not be moved to violence. He may just be persuaded to see the error of his ways, but thankfully, the therapist didn’t go to college for nothing. He gathers himself, remembers the degrees on the wall and stays the course. As it turns out, nothing can go wrong, so let’s hear it for The Cheating Counselor and the hope he brings. Next!!!! Rich Monetti was born in the Bronx and grew up in Somers, New York. He went onto study Computer Science and Math at Plattsburgh State. But after about a decade in the field, he discovered that writing was his real passion. He’s been a freelancer since 2003 and is always looking for the next story. Rich also dabbles with screenwriting and stays active by playing softball and volleyball. Read More Moviescramble review of Motel Providence The sexy bastards at Moviescramble have been asked to judge the self-professed grass roots Loch Ness Film Festival 2015. The Festival takes place on the 24th to 26th July in venues along the stunning shores of Loch Ness in the village of Drummnadrochit. You can find further details of the venues here (http://lochnessfilmfestival.co.uk/festival-info/venues/ ). If you haven’t managed to venture to that part of Scotland yet, it is well worth visiting. The loch itself has a wonderful presence, and can be enjoyed from the various walks along the Great Glen Way and by boat on the loch itself. Entries for the festival have come from all over the world from a diverse range of talented filmmakers. We are rather excited to have been asked to judge Best Film, Best Comedy and Best MicroShort Film. One of our notorious discussions is already underway about which filmmakers deserve to be recognized for their ability to move us, make us laugh, or encourage our sense of wonder at the incredible world we live in. Nominated for Best Comedy is “Motel Providence”. Pennsylvanian Derek Frey more famous for producing Tim Burton movies collaborates here with The Minor Prophets, an award winning troupe of film makers, actors and musicians. “Motel Providence” is like a joke realized on screen, as a “cheating counsellor” is forced to question his own theories when one of his clients brings him a problem that is all to close to home. Confident and assured, “Motel Providence” is a tongue in cheek skit. Vhairi Slaven Writer and film geek with as much love for the classics as the films that turn everything on its head. Read More Film Review: GOD CAME ‘ROUND, Romance/Comedy March 14, 2018 This five minute romantic comedy is a bizarrely literal take on a music video. Sandeep (Deep Roy), a flower peddler who can’t catch a break, falls passionately in love with a beautiful passerby he believes to be the girl of his dreams. She, however, doesn’t feel the same way. Sandeep is dragged through depression, hope, despair and desperation while trying to win her affections. Utterly hilarious with its vibrance, literal comedy and the wonderful performance stylings of Deep Roy, GOD CAME ROUND will make you laugh. A comical trip worthy of watching for its absurdist comic style and total commitment to literal humor. The piece sparkles with Deep Roy as the star and Derek Fey’s direction is sharp and effective. A film to sure to entertain. Review by Kierston Drier Film played at the 2018 ROMANCE Film Festival on Valentine’s Day in downtown Toronto, Canada Read More FEEL THE REEL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: REVIEW OF KILL THE ENGINE When it was first published in 1996, Andrey Kurkov’s "A Matter of Death and Life" was a game changer in the novelistic world; the story of Tolya, a man living a hard life in post-soviet Ukraine who is trying to make the most out of his existence. And when we say the most we mean an impeccable and (why not?) artistic death. Tolya hires a hitman to assassinate him in a café in order to make his death spectacular. And the situation is almost the same here in Derek Frey’s short movie ‘Kill The Engine’. Three friends are trying to kill themselves by carbon monoxide poisoning, but their plan falls apart when the engine of the car they are using refuses to start. What can they do next? Well, the engine needs a fix-up, and this is exactly what they will do… more or less! We must admit it has been a while since we’ve had such a good and funny comedy short in our festival, and 'Kill The Engine' made the entire wait worthwhile. The three main characters are amazingly funny even though the main theme is not. The dialogue is insane you literally cannot watch this short without bursting into laughter. The cinematography is really neat, having at the same time some Wes Anderson influences that are easy to spot, giving this short great cinematic effect. The ending of Derek Frey's film is priceless – after trying multiple possibilities to get the engine running again, the three men work it out and succeed. The engine is purring like a cat, the men are hugging each other and are insanely happy… but they seem to have forgotten something! If Jerome K. Jerome lived today and watched this movie he would be jealous. This type of comedic discourse and narrative is always a good sign that this world is going places. LARGO FILM AWARDS REVIEW OF GOD CAME 'ROUND ‘Unrequited love’ is, and always will be a popular topic to explore within film, and all media, as it is one that resonates with most audiences and one that is fraught with emotion but also often a ridiculousness that in hindsight is hilarious. This is what we see in this film. A look at unrequited affection and how it manifests itself. The loneliness and the sadness that you often feel when life is happening, ridiculous things that you need to share, but have no one to share them with because they won’t pick up the phone. This film deals with this topic in a satire, almost slapstick style which gives it an ‘easy’ air and makes it an enjoyable watch, yet at its core is still this unrelenting truth and sadness. The body of the film is structured around a song, which adds to the juxtaposing uplifting feeling of the film, despite the content. The overriding musical element means that the cast have no dialogue, yet the emotion is still evident throughout which is a testament to both the acting talent and the direction. Being able portray a character effectively with no words is no mean feat, but it is one that is achieved in this short film. The FX in the film are obviously cheap and cheerful, but this is the whole point and it adds to the B movie farce-like elements of the film which offset the trauma well. The camera work is well executed, shooting POV shots from the height of the lead. It results in the rest of the cast looking down on him which is often how unrequited affections feel. Overall a well-executed film that makes light of an emotional issue without losing respect for it. KILL THE ENGINE – “WE CAN’T EVEN DO THIS RIGHT” by Helen Wheels, Cult Critic Film Magazine Fade in … A big, hollow, steady drum beat begins to play. We’re looking head-on at the outside of a classic red barn somewhere in the rural countryside. Cut to … a close-up of a garden hose duct-taped on one end to a car’s muffler. Jump cut to … a side-view of the car. We see the hose has been inserted inside the car’s window and sealed with more shiny silver tape. The steady beat of the drum continues. Inside the car are three men: sullen, depressed … ready to die. The man in the driver’s seat attempts to start the car. It won’t start. The drumming stops. Kill the Engine is a twisted little buddy film about three men who attempt to commit suicide through carbon monoxide poisoning. The car, or perhaps some universal intelligence would have it otherwise. The engine will not start and the trio are therefore unable to finish their plan to take that long road trip in the sky. This turn of events inspires them to work together to fix the car so that they can finish their final group project. The relationship between the three is both ridiculous and charming. It is apparent that they have experienced a lot of life together. There are some laugh out loud moments in the dialogue conjured by “The Minor Prophets”: Gil Damon, Steve Kuzmick, and David Amadio. The trio are 100% believable as long-time friends who have given up on life and want to end it all in the same way they lived it, together. Their true friendship shines through and is part of what makes their interactions so entertaining. Damon and Kuzmick play the typical buddy film duo who are like a couple that has been married since high school, while Amadio cracks one-liners that make him the “nagging parent”. Director Derek Frey has a lot of experience with stories that are bent. He has helmed Tim Burton Productions since 2001, and more recently produced Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Big Eyes. The influence of this Dark Comedy style of filmmaking shows in Frey’s short film through the positioning of the characters within the frame and the angle of the camera. In one shot, Frey has the camera angled up and the characters framed in a tight close-up, giving the impression that not only is the trio looking at the engine, they are being observed. Maybe the engine not starting wasn’t just a case of bad timing. Maybe there is a lesson here to learn. The comedy in Kill the Engine lies in the relationship between these three misfortunate souls, who consequently are not so misfortunate after-all. The theme of depression and suicide is no laughing matter. Yet, the response to laughing at things that make us uncomfortable or scare us is not unusual. University studies have led psychologists to agree that “having an opposite reaction to an emotional situation helps to regulate emotional responses”. Derek Frey’s Kill the Engine elicits this response and by placing three lifelong friends in the situation together, he leaves us feeling that connection to others is the ultimate answer. Read More Short & Sweet Film Festival Review – God Came ‘Round God Came ‘Round is Derek Frey’s visual interpretation of the song by Trever Veilleux. Derek is known for award-winning works such as Frankenweenie, and blockbusters like Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The film features actor Deep Roy, who does an amazing job delving into multiple characters, including the main protagonist, Sandeep. We feel bad for him. We root for him. In return he makes us laugh a little. Aiko Horiuchi does an amazing job with her role as Deep’s love interest. She and Deep Roy play well off each other. The talent pulled together in this video goes to show how networking can pay off and give us something worth watching, as each of these people have worked together on previous projects and know similar artists. God Came ‘Round was filmed in a very short time period of time and in several locations - including Camden Town, Primrose Hill, and Belsize Park in London. It’s easy to tell that the cast and crew had a great time shooting this music video. It’s a pleasure to watch the myriad of characters interacting with one another, in public and also on a more personal level, while maintaining the lightheartedness found in the song’s lyrics. It’s almost like this song was written so Derek could make a music video about it. And he relishes the opportunity to play with his favorite paranormal elements, which he says are “commonplace” in his works. The cinematography, shots, angles, lighting, and scenery are truly enjoyable to watch, and the use of visually rich locations enhance the experience. For the shoot, Derek brought together a cohesive and productive team. It really pays off when a cast and crew work well together like a well-oil machine, because the end product is what will benefit, and ultimately the audience’s experience. Initially, this project almost didn’t come together, because Derek and Deep Roy were working on projects on different continents, but then the universe “came ‘round” and gave us an amazing music video. It’s also worth mentioning that the editing of God Came ‘Round is very well done. Each scene has just the right tempo, moving along perfectly with the song. The sounds and music are cool. The costumes are done nicely. The sets are simple yet full of life, movement, and color. The whole video is enjoyable from beginning to end. The thumbnail image is what first grabs your attention, and then the rest takes you on a fantastical journey… wondering what will happen to Deep Roy’s character(s) next. Read More Film Review: KILL THE ENGINEThe Farsighted Blogby Garrett Smith (excerpt) The short of the day was the final film in the block, Derek Frey‘s Kill the Engine , which basically asks the question “What if the Three Stooges tried to kill themselves via exhaust inhalation?” This was absolutely hilarious, featured a great cast, and in just 10 minutes developed some really great characters. I had a ball with this one, and want to point out that this is from the same filmmaker as God Came ‘Round, which I distinctly did not like, and just goes to show that you should never write an artist off, even if you don’t connect with all their work. Man was this movie funny, I absolutely loved it.” Frightfest Review of The Day the Dolls Struck Back! Right out of the gate, this one had the audience roaring with laughter. It was a trailer for a movie series that doesn't exist, treated as part of an ongoing saga (the first 3 parts were supposedly made in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, respectively). The premise is just what it sounds like...plastic baby dolls wreak havoc on the world! This was some hilarious shit, let me tell you. The sets, effects, costumes, editing, all excellent quality. Total b-movie homage all the way, served with tongue firmly in cheek. Experimental genetically-altered spiders crawl into the dolls and turn them alive! How cool is that? The highlight for me was the reel from the 80s w/ the breakdancing doll." Cult Critic Film Magazine Review of “GOD CAME ‘ROUND” by Dr. Nabadipa Talukder The existential angst of all human beings is what “God Came ‘Round” conveys and deals with throughout the wider section of its plot. And this is something that connects us as an audience, as we live through the regular humdrum affairs of our lives. Directed by Derek Frey, “God Came ‘Round” is a story of the dramatic turnout of a man, with his love life as the baseline. The story is about romanticizing the unachievable, with wisdom taking responsibility when everything goes topsy-turvy. Sandeep (played by Deep Roy) portrays all the honest emotions of joy, sorrow, anxiety, and despair over the course of the film… ultimately giving in to patience and returning to his normal life after his anticipated venture with the girl he dotes on takes an unfortunate turn. What’s striking is that Sandeep, who is a flower seller, looks for hope each day through his fantasies – so much so that he starts to believe he has imaginary friends. An alien visits him, but real life hits him straight in the face (literally), and optimism leaves his side. He is visited by his conscience in the form of God, only to be reminded of his nugatory trials. The editing and the cinematography are done with sheer excellence and makes the music video hit all the right emotional chords. Through the expertise of the director, the story is knit into a sublime emotional tragedy. It seeks the attention of all lost and forlorn in love and the particular scene I fell in love with is where the protagonist offers each passerby a rose to buy for a dollar. We see how this simple rose is ignored by, which would hardly cost them a buck. This emotional paramount wraps us sentimentally and shoots us back to reality. A topic so versatile yet so unexplored; most of the time, we choose to neglect ourselves and seek happiness through bleak and unrealistic desires. Seen wonderfully executed here is the constant war between our inner and outer world and our consciousness gripping us with questions of who we really want to be. Brilliant acting is done by Deep Roy, who suits the role perfectly with his sensitive performance. What leaves a spectator confused is how abruptly the plot ends. The depth of the story lies in how the character would have handled the situation which is compromised in the climax. Yet here, the question remains: how shall we spend our lives; waste it away just to get what we want the most; or be content with what we already have and find bliss in it. Overall it is a warm film, laying all the fundamentals of emotions, with layers of stories, sending up a message that no matter what… you have to stand up for yourself; you are your own Savior and you have to find your own bliss. VAMPIRES KISS/BLOOD INSIDE - Review by Richard Trejo of Trulydisturbing.com If you crave 80′s goth rock and love yourself some vampires than the next film is right up your alley. We started off Day 2 with one of the most unique horror shorts shot in two parts set to the music of UK Goth rockers Witching Hour. “VAMPIRES KISS/BLOOD INSIDE” is Produced and Directed By Derek Frey with a cast starring Yusura Bush Watcher, Valery Richardson, Sabrina Lecordier, Leah Gallo, Benoit Moranne, Chris Nuttall, Malcolm Davis, and Tim Burton as Van Helsing. That’s right folks the Edward Scissorhands man himself makes a cameo as the famous Vampire hunter. The film is shot as a music video with the music providing the pacing of the film. The film follows 3 women who wish to invoke the powers of the vampire goddess. I found the imagery to be almost dream-like heavily infused with the sexuality that vampires used to be associated with. With recent vampire adaptations falling short of portraying true vampire nature it is refreshing to see that Derek still respects the vampire genre and this film is a direct reflection of that. All the way till the very end of the film you are entertained and you’ll be left with the sultry tunes of Witching Hour for hours to come. Read More FIlm Review: The Ballad of Sandeep The Ballad of Sandeep is a drama-comedy film with a sharp message about fairness. It represents the current economic hardship of American workers being less valued because of competitive advantages from other countries. Taking place in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania the film tells the story of middle- aged , Indian-born Sandeep Majumdar (played by Deep Roy) who suddenly loses his IT job because the company has outsourced his work to Bangalore , India. After a futile effort to find employment elsewhere, he manages to get back his job, only by pretending to work from Bangalore under the alias Sudesh Patel—with a significantly reduced salary and increased working hours. The writers, The Minor Prophets, have created a unique, humorous and poignant tale which is quite timely considering the world's economic climate. Carrying on this social virtue, Derek Frey , the producer, direct or, cinematographer, and editor of The Ballad of Sandeep has brilliantly demonstrated his burning passion to make this film e ntertaining and interesting. His original and creative compositing of shots, combined with s mooth editing, allows the story to flow fluently. A s an American, Derek Frey has succeeded to make an Indian styled film. The score to The Ballad of Sandeep is entertaining with the main theme song pleasantly jolting the audience with its world music style combined with a funny and light rhythm. Deep Roy has successfully enlivened the character of Sandeep Majumdar , a neat and noble man who refuses let his predicament become the graveyard of his American dream. Once again, a cultural approach towards humanity and betterment for life is created by this excellent short film . It is fit with our mission, and therefore, The Ballad of Sandeep is a finalist in our festival. Irene Christina, Festival Co-Director International Film Festival for Peace, Inspiration and Equality Read More REVIEW OF AMERICA'S GAME by the Miami Movie Critic "A hysterically funny tribute to faux Americana." America's Game is a little easier on the eyes than other Minor Prophets movies, but what really sets this one apart is the score by Steve Portland. It's absolutely dripping with fake ultra-patriotism - think of John Williams' score for Saving Private Ryan but pumped up on steroids - and it perfectly captures the comedic tone the Prophets are going for here. An extremely proud American (Gil Damon) suffering from osteoporosis goes out to the local ballpark to watch some kids play a game of baseball. He just about weeps at the apple-pie wholesomeness of it all as he recounts how baseball is the only original American sport. He notes that Lacrosse was stolen from "the Injuns" and football is "just a gay version of rugby." His sentimental views come up against some harsh realities when he gets beaned in the head by a baseball and robbed. The man is under the mistaken belief that Abner Doubleday invented the game. This myth has been debunked by many sports historians, but of course the Minor Prophets know that. That's why they make great movies. Damon provides a hilarious voiceover that sounds like those old Pepperidge Farm commercials. You'll fall out of your chair laughing when he talks about savoring "the smell of the hot nuts and the rosin bags." Director Derek Frey cleverly splices in such symbols of American freedom as the bald eagle and Hulk Hogan. America's Game is a hysterically funny tribute to faux Americana. Open Film review of 4th and 99."Kind of like Broken Lizard’s Club, except funny." 4th and 99 is the funniest thing to come out of Pennsylvania since M. Night Shyamalan. The difference here is that the filmmakers, a comedy troupe known as The Minor Prophets, are intentionally trying to make us laugh. Kind of like Broken Lizard’s Club, except funny. As played by TMP regular David Amadio, football player Bobby Makefield is somewhere between 12 and 35 years old. Bobby is at loggerheads with his dad (Gil Damon). That’s because Mr. Makefield botched a call while officiating one of Bobby’s games, thus preventing his son from scoring the winning touchdown. He instigates a confrontation between Bobby and another player, Tommy Johnson (Steve Kuzmick), and the “boys” face off in an epic one-on-one match on the field. The hostile parenting on display here is simply hysterical; wait until you see Mr. Makefield do a belly-flop victory dance after Tommy scores a touchdown. TMP movies always have an element that’s a little… well, insane. Here, it’s Brian Gillin as “Favre.” I have no idea why he’s named Favre. He wears the former Greenbay god’s jersey, and he has a picture of the quarterback strapped to his wrist. The first time we see him, he’s walking out of a women’s restroom. This is the stuff of bizarro, unexplained comedy, like when Ron Burgundy and his friends got into an all-out brawl in Anchorman. 4th and 99 is better filmed and better edited than other TMP movies I’ve seen. The action on the field is excitingly choreographed and easy to follow. The actors and filmmakers find just the right note of comic cruelty – they tickle our funny bone, but they do it with a jagged edged sword. Long live TMP! Two Handers, for the most part – Vancouver International Film Festival October 10, 2014 My two absolute favourite shorts of the night just happened to be the two shortest films in the package: Sky Blue Collar (dir. Derek Frey, 8 mins) and In Passing (dir. Alan Miller, 5 mins). Sky Blue Collar is a modern day twist of the Shakespearean classic Romeo and Juliet, only here, it is the tale of a businessman and carpet warehouseman who must sneak away from their class-conscious bosses to share a joyous ride on a forklift. By use of subtle dialogue and delightful acting, viewers are encouraged to come to their own conclusions about the details of the relationship. Both Sky Blue Collar and In Passing engage their viewers in serious topics, but they do so in silly, unique and uplifting ways. Both shorts work so well, they stand alone. They both tell complete, interesting, and engaging stories, and do so in less than ten minutes.Some stories are just meant to be short. Open Film Review of The Upper Hand by the Miami Movie Critic. March 11, 2001 "It's got helluva trick up its sleeve." About half of this movie is in no way believable. Get this: It's about three college-age slackers who find a secret map and go digging for treasure. That scenario might have worked with Will Holloway and Jim Nightshade (from Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes) or maybe The Goonies. Still, don't write this movie off too early. It's got one helluva trick up its sleeve. Following an enigmatic dream sequence, the story proper begins with three roommates (played by Brian Diederich, Scott Ford and Josh Jacobson) hanging out on a boring Saturday. The mail arrives (delivered by the surprisingly hot Jill Kocalis), including a mysterious treasure map. There's also a note explaining that the treasure must be found by tonight. Whatever, just go with it. Where the movie starts to get good is when the treasure-hunters get to the beach where the treasure is supposed to be buried. One of them claims that the beach is haunted, and tells a story about a Chinese fisherman who laid a curse on the place sometime in the 1800s. This turns out to be pure misdirection, like the long subplot in What Lies Beneath where Michelle Pfeiffer thinks her neighbor has murdered his wife. The twist at the end of The Upper Hand turns out to be very clever. I'm guessing this was the initial idea that Derek Frey and Aaron Tankenson had when they sat down to write this story. I won't spoil it, but let's just say that if you wanted to cover up a crime, this would be a fairly ingenious way to do it.