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.
Monster Marriage
Time is a funny thing. Today is my wedding anniversary. Thomas and I have been married three years, and I guess you could say The Night Shift is our first child.
We finished our first short, Camp Hill, a couple of months before the wedding (I know, most couples are fussing over flowers at this point. We were learning how to make fake blood. We're weird). The day we finished filming, we ran into a discount store to pick up some snacks to munch on while we looked at the footage. Halloween had just passed, so the store had some of their creepier merchandise on sale. Thomas was toying with this idea he'd had for an Indiana Jones-style adventure comedy about a cemetery worker, so we took a couple of minutes to peruse the shelves, when what to his wondering eye should appear but an animated, talking skull! It was only 10 bucks, and Thomas had considered the idea of giving his leading man a friend. This might work!
Thomas and I went back to his apartment (well, our apartment, really, but I didn't move in until after the wedding) and he proudly set the skull on the living room coffee table.
Me: Put that thing somewhere else.
Thomas: It's cool!
Me: It's creepy, and I don't like it. Plus, nice people don't keep skulls in the living room. I will not have a skull on my coffee table, and that's final!
Three years, six shorts, eight film festivals and one feature later, there's hardly a room in my house that doesn't have a skull in it. Herbie's actually the first thing you see when you open the front door. That notion about a cute little zom-com has snowballed into a ride I never could have imagined, but am infinitely grateful for, and the rollercoaster ride is really just beginning.
Thank you, Thomas, for coming up with this crazy idea. I love you very much, and look forward to many more years of fake blood in the kitchen and skulls on the coffee table.
And yeah, I'm spending my anniversary embossing press folders with my beloved, but honestly, I don't think I'd have it any other way.
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.