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FanFilm Makers
Host Panel at Dragon*Con 2003
PanicStruck Productions had a strong presence at this year's Dragon*Con, the country's top science fiction, fantasy, and popular culture convention. Director Shane Felux and producer Dawn Cowings joined top fanfilm makers in sharing production stories behind their movies and encouraging other fans to create their own stories.
The panelists were a true cross-section of fanfilm diversity, from the low-tech humor of Jeff Cioletti (Silent But Deadly 1 and 2) and the slick parody of John Hudgens (Darth Vader's Psychic Hotline and Jedi Hunter), to the meta-commentary of Chris Hanel (The Formula and currently working on Broken Allegiance II) and the classic Lucas-style adventure of REVELATIONS.
The panelists spoke of what inspired them to put so much time and energy into their movies and recounted the trials and rewards along the way. John spoke of filming in 100+ degree California weather, as Boba Fett slowly wilted while wearing full street clothes under his bounty hunter gear. Jeff talked about turning necessities into virtues -- there isn't a single special effects shot in his movies. The greatest difficulty Chris faced, he revealed, was the day he had to fire a good friend and recast a major role. The friend simply refused to learn lines or make the same sort of commitment that the rest of the cast and crew did. Dawn spoke at length about the depth of commitment shown by the REVELATIONS folks, citing the studio shoot where Karen (Zhanna) was extremely ill, yet managed to nail her takes, and Gina's (Taryn) hospital stay (complete with blood transfusions) only days before major filming. Wondered Chris aloud, "What are you doing to those people?"
Shane brought up a point that everyone agreed on: if you don't ask, you don't get. Anyone who has been on location with PanicStruck knows how true that is! Dawn added another universal fact -- a well-fed crew is a happy crew. While the other filmmakers certainly believe this, it was clear from their mentions of pizza and doughnuts that REVELATIONS was one of the best-catered fanfilms ever. Hmmm, maybe it's true what they say about a woman's touch....
The panel concluded with a well-received showing of the updated REVELATIONS teaser-trailer, now available for download on the website.
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