Hickory Never Bleeds

Analog and Digital Formats

admin — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:56:08 +0000

Being a big fan of “older” audio/video mediums, and given the opportunities the documentary style presents, Hickory Never Bleeds will incorporate a mixture of analog and digital footage + sound.

Shown above: VHS, VHS-C, Super8, CF/digital and Audio Cassette.

Main footage captured on Canon 7D and audio recorded via Marantz PMD-660 (modified by Oade Brothers Audio) with supplementary video recorded on a couple of VHS/VHS-C cameras and a Bauer-C1 Super8.

Editing…

admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:53:58 +0000

I knew from past experience that a good habit of properly logging the clips after each filming day would be a huge help when it came time to edit. (Looking at a pile of unorganized video and audio files with cryptic names is not the biggest morale booster.) In addition, syncing the audio + video clips in the editor was another one of those best-done-in-small-doses procedures that I’m glad to have completed along the way.

Thus begins the process of putting the film together.

New Recruit

admin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:36:05 +0000

Munn Feith (played by Sonny Howard) brings his Army Engineering experience to the table.

“Where some people see a valley… I see a choke-point.”

Target Practice

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 23:32:51 +0000

Emil Sutton gives Ard Bridges a crash-course in rifle safety, followed by a bit of target practice.

Fear conditioning

admin — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:26:41 +0000

“You can’t overcome that fear until you put yourself in front of it. Even if it’s just gradual.”
- Leland Walles, in regards to fear training through audio cassette playback.

Kamikaze Goats

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:04:16 +0000

Here’s a clip from Len Marshall, a good friend of mine who gladly let me film him and his goats.

As with everyone involved in the Hickory project, I gave a brief run-down of what’s going on (ie. “something’s lurking in the woods”), along with some vague descriptions and encourage them to give their own theories about what it is, and what should be done about it.

I was not expecting this…

It was one of those fun moments where the people on the opposite end of the camera (me, running camera + sound, and his son Caleb, standing nearby) do our best not to snicker out loud.

“It’s hard to do a dress rehearsal with a kamikaze goat.”

News 27

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:19:59 +0000

Throughout the film, many of the citizens make references to the nonchalant nature in which the media covered the bizarre occurrences in Farr. So I figured it would be a good idea to produce an actual news clip to go along with this.

Kayla Carlisle plays the skeptical and semi-sarcastic reporter for Channel 27 News. Here’s a framegrab of her interviewing “Doreen Williams”, played by Kayla’s mom, the very witty Laura Carlisle.

Shot on the Canon 7D at 1280×720 @ 60p, exported to VHS for that nice, low-fi interlaced video look, then imported back into the computer.

Anelle Carrol (Kayla’s grandmother), Kayla Carlisle, and Ken Carlisle (Kayla’s dad) – who ran sound.

A great bunch I’m glad to call friends.

Retired Machinist turned Weapons Expert

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:09:09 +0000

Mark Forte is a bit of a local legend.

Some would simply call him a “character”.

I’d written Emil Sutton as a “retired machinist turned weapons expert” and planned on hunting down a gruff, world-weary kinda guy to play the part. But getting Mark to play the role was more than I hoped for. He fits the image, has a knack for on-the-spot dialog, and as an extra bonus – comes equipped with an impressive workshop.

“Image is critical.”

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:57:18 +0000

Torrey Harriel – the youngest member of the cast – plays the character of Ard Bridges, who moved to the small town of Farr to escape from city life.

As the self-appointed “public relations manager” of the Monster Defense Team, Ard is concerned with the team’s public image. Coming from a graphic design background, he enthusiastically busies himself with producing a professional logo for the team.

“They can’t all be country.”

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:33:20 +0000

Although a monster lurking in the woods of a southern, rural town is generally met with an attitude of “let’s do something about this”… you’ve got to have that one person with an opposing view.

But in keeping with the tone of the film, that person still had to be quirky. I believe Sherri Marengo, who plays the part of Sharon Gill, succeeded in achieving this.

Here’s my good friend Ken Carlisle, who ran sound on this shoot.