The Evolution of “Cyclone”

Back in April 2009 when I first wrote the short film “Cyclone”, I had no plans  for anything other than a simple short film that could be shot in a weekend and when it was done I was going to put it online for all to see. I didn’t have plans to market it, sell it, or develop it further. Quite simply, I wanted to tell a story, get it over and done with, and move on. Several weeks ago, when asked what I’m going to do with “Cyclone”, my response was simply I’ve done all that I’m going to do with “Cyclone”. It can be watched for free, there are behind-the-scene commentaries on the site, and there is a shirt or two you can buy if you’re interested. That’s it. Done. Moving on.

As I found out while putting “Cyclone” together, things can take on a life of their own and often times, other forces can determine what lies ahead for a project. “Cyclone”, in this instance, is no exception.

 

In just the past week (2nd week of May 2011) I’ve come to realize that “Cyclone” wants to be much more than it currently is. At the recent 2011 Full Moon Horror Film Festival, where “Cyclone” earned “Best Cinematography” honors, I discovered the faces and met the people demanding much more from “Cyclone”. When “Cyclone” went online in August 2010, I’d read the comments posted and the emails sent to me asking “How does the story end?” and “This should be a feature!”, it didn’t make sense to me at that time to heed those calls. However at the 2-day Festival, held over a weekend, those calls hit me like a ton of bricks. I ran out of promotional t-shirts and had more email addresses than I knew what to do with. By Monday morning, the plan had been born. Phone calls were sent out, emails were being crafted and as of this writing I can now say, “Cyclone” will be a feature film.

 

Financing is in place for production of “Cyclone – the feature” for the month of August 2011, almost two years to the date when “Cyclone – the short film” was shot. Locations will continue to be in and around Carthage/Gordonsville, Tennessee with possible pick-up locations in Mt Juliet and Nashville-proper. Nikki Estridge and Tracey West will return to reprise their roles of Kris and Buck Turner, respectively. Auditions and castings will further round out the developing cast of characters. And let’s not forget about the score. Michael Carty’s score and original music gave massive life to the short film and he’s coming back to score and compose the feature.

 

And because no man walks alone, I’ve brought together a core team of individuals, the Thumbin’ Three, who will manage, produce, and give life to this project in ways that I alone never could. I’ll soon be introducing this trio to you (or duo, as you already know me).

 

In the coming months, you’ll see a complete redesign of Thumbin.com as it’s positioned to serve up more than just my work, thoughts, and musings. Soon you will be able to buy Thumbin’ merchandise, as well as limited runs of “Cyclone” merchandise that ties-in to the feature film. Additional photography and short films will still rule the day and those elements will continue to be a foundational component of Thumbin’ Sleazoid Cinema.

 

All in all, I’ve realized there is a small, but quickly growing, audience for not only “Cyclone – the feature” but for Thumbin’ Sleazoid Cinema and there’s now a team in place to deliver to this audience in a manner that will be incredibly satisfying to them, to me, the Thumbin’ Three, and all involved.

 

Stay tuned for more.

Mike