INDIE SPOTLIGHT: MIDNIGHT PRESTIGE…Those Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear…AND Today

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feb_4

Original art for February 4th

Independent filmmakers are a dedicated lot; they have to be.  They also have to be very passionate about their work, willing to spend long hours, all their savings, and a lot of their time on the phone begging for money…thus, they also have to be a little bit nuts.  But personally, I’m thankful for that bit of insanity; some really great stuff comes outta the pipe because of it.

Midnight Prestige is one such dedicated, crazy band of artists.  An award winning troupe consisting of fellow filmmakers Chris Gierowski, Scott Gleine, Nathan Pinsoneault, and Stephen Snowden, the Prestige met each other at the University of Toledo, where they studied Film/Video Production. Over the years, their late-night discussions of their love for horror, sci-fi, comedy, and supernatural films began to impact their style and craft, and after being spread out over the country since college, the group has come back together to continue to create, branching out to festivals, through internet outlets, and wherever else they’ve been able to reach out to us Fellow Fans.  Through their shared love of film and obvious knowledge and respect for our beloved genre, these guys show that a goodly portion of that aforementioned dedication and passion can fill in the gaps left by a small, sometimes infinitesimal budgets.

sadie_jane

Original artwork for Sadie Jane

Case in point:  Their film February 4th, was intended as a sort of birthday gift to one of their idols, George Romero.  It’s a zombie tale told from a POV of a survivor, trapped in a small apartment with his roomate and two strangers who’ve come in from the beginning apocalypse.  All things considered, I felt that while the acting didn’t always seem entirely natural and the black-and-white, handheld camera work was at times jarring, it was still all pretty damned good to just be four guys with a camera and an idea; added to this was the fact that the choices of lighting and angles, all from a handheld, were pretty impressive.  When I found out that the entire film was shot in a single afternoon and completely improvised, using only their knowledge and affinity for the zombie genre, my level of respect grew.  February 4th was an Official Selection at the 2013 Zedfest Film Festival, where it also took home three awards:  The “Outstanding High Concept” award, “Outstanding Group Ensemble”, and “Outstanding Camerawork”. 

 

A more recent addition to their portfolio is Sadie Jane, a little Halloween vignette based around a couple of urban legends I’m sure we’re all familiar with.  Here we see that their equipment, techniques, and acting skills have grown with them as filmmakers (although some needed very little improvement; as in February 4th, Nathan Pinsoneault plays the ‘whiny scared guy’ to a “T”); most of the six-and-a-half minutes of the film are spent in a tiny bathroom, lit by candles…but you won’t see the camera reflected in the mirror or a glare from a camera light.  The blocking and staging of the short is well-done, and the effects were ingenious and inexpensive (their entire estimated budget was around twenty bucks).

In addition to their films (and quite interesting to an old fogey like me), Midnight Prestige has also tried their hand at the creation of an episodic audio anthology called Schlock Shock Radio, executed in the style of such old-time radio shows as The Inner Sanctum and Macabre.  The sound work and narration is a wonderful tribute to those old shows, and if you sit and listen in the dark, you can get a taste of what your great-grandparents had for their horror entertainment.  You can lend an ear to their talents by checking out the Schlock Shock Radio playlist (my personal favorite is The Maumer, but that’s just me).

When all is said and done, these guys do what a lot of us merely talk about when it comes to horror films; they got their act together and went out and made something.  A tip of the hat goes out to Midnight Prestige, and I certainly hope they keep chasing their dreams, making films, and keeping Schlock Shock Radio going!

–Mouse

 

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Andrew Thompson

Writer at LeglessCorpse
The Mouse...just your average guy with what is most likely an unhealthy affinity for horror movies, sci-fi, superheroes, bacon, old cartoons and horror movies. Oh, I almost forgot, I really dig horror movies; new ones, old ones, it matters not; I love 'em. Husband, father, veteran and scribbler. I like bacon as well. The Mouse abides ;)