If you've been following my work, then you'll remember 'Disregard The Vampire,' a short film by Mike Messier shot in early 2014 in which I played a vampire named Valentine. You might also recall that the set had some trouble with organization; parts of the script was being rewritten each night, shot lists were overlooked, and coordinating scenes with our schedule wasn't going too well.
Promotional photo, Geena Matuson and Anna Rizzo for Mike Messier's 'Disregard The Vampire'.
However, the footage looked great, as you can see from my previous blog posts featuring some behind-the-scenes images, and screenshots from filming. Mike wanted to use the footage for something, but wasn't sure what. Then, one day, he decided that this was such a learning experience, he wanted to share this experience with other indie filmmakers.
And so, the idea for 'Disregard The Vampire' documentary was born!
This documentary will feature clips shot during the initial, narrative filming, plus scheduled interviews shot over the summer, 2015. I was also interviewed and will be part of this documentary, and I'm very excited to be part of it!
The interview was filmed by Chris Hunter of Collective Thought Media. Chris was also the cinematographer for the initial filming of 'Disregard The Vampire,' so this was perfect. As I said to Mike, I'm happy he's able to not only use the original footage, but also create something educational, giving new filmmakers an insight into hands-on film direction that most film students don't get in school. Believe me - I've been there.
My hairdo - combined with an angle that is admittedly not my most flattering - made for some funny interview stills. I sounded great during the interview, though, so I said keep it; people can always Google me and see some hot photos, haha.
In the early fall, I'll also be a guest on Mike Messier's show 'Messier Mantra,' an ongoing series that looks at filmmakers and creators in the New England area - and their personal mantras! My mantra has always been 'the more I do now, the less I have to do later' - so you never stop, because it's always 'now'! Do you have a mantra?
You can see more of Mike Messier's work and follow him @ www.mikemessier.com!
- Geena
