'Devil May Cry' hitting the big screen

If you’re into the Devil May Cry video games and anime series, I have some news for you. The popular video game franchise is now in pre-production for the anime film big screen debut. Movie rights were sold to Screen Gems, the same company that acquired the Resident Evil movies. A new screenwriter, Kyle Ward, is already lined up for the role.

Devil May Cry was originally intended to be a sequel to the Resident Evil  zombie series, but ended up being original. It revolves around Dante (the son of a powerful demon, and who’s role has yet to be filled for the film) who is a demon hunter and fights to avenge the murders of his brother and mother. It consists of heavy combat scenes, collecting items and getting graded based on performance.

It is still unknown whether or not the first game in the series (Devil May Cry) or the sequels (DMC 2DMC 3: Dante’s AwakeningDMC 4) will be the focus for the movie.

Whatever the plot, the partnership between Capcom and Screen Gems bodes well since their last partnership was with the successful Resident Evil films.

- Jen Danczak, PPC Intern

Paranormal activity in Britain on rise

Awesome Ghost illo, courtesy www.albinokraken.com
Ghostly phenomenon is occurring in Britain more often than ever according to The Press Association.

The new study, conducted by psychologist Richard Wiseman and YouGov, shows 25% of British adults, which consists of more than 11 million people, claimed to have had a paranormal experience with ghosts in their life. In the 1950s, it was only 7% with encounters, 14% in the 1990s, and 19% at the start of the 21st century.

Out of the 2,400 adults polled, more women than men have claimed to experience such phenomenon, with 31% compared to 18% of men.

The increase in claims has been leaving people scratching their heads. Could it be said that actual activity isn’t increasing with time, but that claims are escalating due to the rising awareness of the paranormal in general? Is it because of the mass amount of television programs and paranormal groups that have become famous in the last decade?

Or is activity actually on the rise and heck, it has something to do with 2012?  Yeah sure, why not? That sounds like a good enough reason.

-Jen Danczak, PPC Intern

The Night Shift: A cozy evening of ADR


The Night Shift is the production diary of Fighting Owl Film's new independent supernatural-adventure-comedy of the same name currently in "post" in Mobile, AL. Over the course of the next several weeks and months, you'll get an insider's peek at what it's like for filmmakers to craft a new entry of paranormal pop culture from Erin Lilley, a producer and actress on the film.

Cozy Evening of ADR 

There's nothing like a quiet evening at home. Thomas and I had a romantic, homecooked dinner, where we discussed home improvement ideas and maybe renting The Social Network. Now, I'm cuddled up on the sofa, comfy cozy, typing away, and he is ... on the other side of the room, watching Khristian record his ADR. Ain't love grand?

Let me back up a bit. Last Friday our fab Sound Editor, Shaun, emailed that he needed to record some additional dialogue. There were excellent reasons that I won't go into, as they are numerous and, frankly, boring. In any case, we set up a conference call for Saturday evening, to discuss the additions and the current state of the mix.

Saturday morning, I had some non-movie related (does that even exist?) music stuff to tend to (in my "other" life, I'm a working classical singer), then grocery shopping and normal, everyday life activities. I think Thomas got a haircut. You see, we were still blissfully unaware of what was to come.

Saturday evening, we called Shaun. Two hours later, we'd whittled an astounding 28 pages of ADR down to a manageable seven. I started emailing actors, reworking schedules and running around like a chicken with its head cut off. The mix will be amazing, and every syllable to be recorded is, without doubt, necessary. We just have some important deadlines looming over our heads, and have to get this finished as soon as possible. Like, you know, yesterday.

So, Sunday and Monday, I recorded my dialogue. Tuesday and Wednesday, Khristian (Rue Morgan) took care of his. Thursday and Saturday, we'll have supporting actors over. With any luck, that'll take care of everything, and the mix should be finished shortly. Color correction is underway, and a finished product is imminent. I swear. 

This has been awesome, and I can't wait to see the final product. I have to say, though, it'll be nice to have a quiet evening at home, just the two of us. 

We're still plugging away at this thing. In the meantime, you can follow The Night Shift at www.thenightshiftmovie.com. You can check out the poster, trailer, cast and crew, and some fun downloads. Heck, if you like, you can even be our friend on Facebook and Twitter (@NightShiftMovie), where you can follow more of the progress of the movie.