Thursday, December 7, 2017

How to create a cult film in 35 yrs - no money





Yes, we were running short and I was not able to get that great chase on top of the hotel. We had about a week planned and having a stack of years of commercials and documentaries, we simply said the chase will be inside. Actually later, it was a good idea as the hotel had become one of the characters in our movie.

We added a long stretch for actor Murray Ord to go off into the snow and left in deep snow way off in the distance. But now we had lead actor Riva face off with crazy Georgie Collins (the old lady even though she wasn't that old she says she always gets old parts). Georgie is a good actor, and one of the best I've ever worked with. I miss her as I she passed away this spring.

So face off: Riva is alone against Georgie and the monster John MacMilIian who is very tall. We did the final in the hallway of the hotel with Georgie and Riva facing off until Riva shoots and Georgie is down.

But there still in the creature and there's no way out for Riva. And I did the only thing I could.

Riva becomes the Ghostkeeper although there was no Ghost, just a big guy, but as she sat in front of the fireplace, we know it's all okay. Finished on time, not what we necessarily wanted but we got enough and it worked. This little piece gets comments as I told an interviewer that we ran out of money and this seems to be a "director comment" bit that a lot of the viewers like.

It finally opens at a theater in Calgary March 4 1982.










 That ended most of Ghostkeeper. We had a sales agent, which of course is also known as a thief. They take films to film companies and always seem to have not made money. For us, the makers. 

And Ghostkeeper disappeared. I had sales in Canada and I don't think it ever played anywhere in north America. I was a little sorry that it didn't do well but we had no money to push it. That's where I learned how to watch sales agents. I have one now, and he actually paid me.

Then I got an agent in LA.

But that's another story as Ghostkeeper disappears from my life.

Or does it?

So this is the first part of Ghostkeeper. Remember 1992. 

 Monday

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