The Lost Journal

This time from THE BRICK BULLETIN.

Check it out: http://bulletin.gmnews.com/news/2008/0807/front_page/004.html

So, Mike and I will be on the internet radio show THE FIXX tomorrow night to talk about LEEDS POINT
Feel free to call in and harass us.
You can listen LIVE at http://www.burnoutmedia.com
The show starts at 6, but we won’t be on until around 7ish.
Listen in, and gives us a call. Hopefully it’ll be fun!

So, as you guys already know, I will be adapting Brian Keene’s short story The Ties That Bind into a short film in the coming months.

As a tie-in for those of you who are hardcore Keene fans (and you know who you are), we’re holding a little contest that just might put YOU in the film. As the film is pretty much a ‘for the fans, by a fan’ type of thing, I thought this would be a great way to get some of you involved in the production process, and get your own creative juices flowing.

I’m going to be getting some prop newspapers made to be used in the film. These fake newspapers will be featured prominently early on in the film, to help show just how badly the world has gone to hell. You remember that opening scene in the original Dawn Of The Dead, when the newspapers are flying around, and we catch a glimpse of headline screaming THE DEAD WALK THE EARTH? That’s how I want these newspapers to be…big, exaggerated headlines with a photograph accompanying the story.

For example, something like this:

Big headline, huge photo. Just, you know, with less tractors. And more zombies. Unless those people in the background are zombies. They might be. Who knows?

Anyway, that’s where you guys come in.

I want YOU to create the photographs.

Gather up a bunch of your buddies, deck yourselves out as zombies (and maybe even some victims), and show us the kind of carnage that is going on in the world.

Simple enough, right? I really think this is a cool way to get some of you guys involved and have some of you make a cameo in the film. Here’s a great example of the type of vibe we’re looking for in the photos:

We’ll pick the best one (or few!) and those photos will be used on the front pages of the newspapers seen in the film. If your photo is picked, I’ll even send you a copy of the newspaper so you can show all your friends how you made headline news.

As with any contest, there are rules:

- Feel free to enter as many photos as you like. The more, the merrier!

- Do it in a cemetery, do it on Main Street, do it where ever you think would work best. However, please use common sense when taking your photo. Do not do it in such a way where you can get in trouble.

- Be creative! Remember, you’re trying to capture a photo that would look good on the front page of a newspaper, so make it interesting!

- If you cannot take an actual photo, but you are artistically inclined, feel free to whip up something by hand or digitally! Just remember, do not use any copyrighted material, otherwise we can’t even consider it.

- If your photo is chosen, you (and anyone else involved in the photo) will have to sign a likeness rights form, allowing me to use the photo in the film. If you do not sign and return the form, your picture will not be used.

Send your entries to jeff@bamferproductions.com with the subject line ‘TIES THAT BIND CONTEST.’

I’ll keep accepting entries as long as they keep coming in! I’ll probably stop around mid-September so I can actually get the papers printed up, but until then, send away!

So, that’s it! Feel free to email me at the address above if you have any questions, or discuss at The Ties The Bind post it over at Brian Keene’s web forum.

I hope you guys do this, because I think it’ll be awesome. I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with! Good luck!

Howdy folks!

So, it’s been a few months. Sorry about that. Been kind of busy, you know?

Lots of cool stuff coming up in the pipeline in the next few months. In no particular order (but in list format, because I’m lazy):

- The Ties That Bind will be filmed in late September.

- Due dates for the book have been pushed back until October 1st due to a scheduling error on the publisher’s part. This works out nicely for me, as it gives me more time to round it out and fix all the rough edges.

- Freaky Fruits 2. Need I say more?

- Leeds Point is playing at a lot more festivals in the coming months. As soon as we get the screening dates and times, they will be posted here.

And finally, I’m teaching a Film class next week at Ocean County College. I did a similair thing last year for iD Tech Camps, which was a cool experience (well, the first week was. Everything after that, when they moved me to another (nazi) camp was a nightmare). This time, it’s my own course, created from scratch. It’s Mon-Fri, with two sessions each day (one for younger kids, one for older). Apparently, within a week of them announcing the class, they were filled up and had 5 kids on the waiting list. Kinda cool!

I’ve had some problems so far with the organizational structure of these classes (not my fault, but the bitching will be saved for a later post), but hopefully the classes themselves will go smoothly.

For those of you who might be taking the class, here’s a map of where our classroom will be located:

That’s all for now. I’ll be back real soon, though! I promise!!

How ya been?

First off, let me officially announce that the contracts are signed, and I now have the rights to Brian Keene’s short story “The Ties That Bind.” This will be one of the projects I do this summer. I’m very excited about it!

I went out with the Garden State Ghost Hunters ago a few weekends ago to Fort Mifflin.

I had an absolute blast, as they are great people to begin with, and the investigation itself was awesome.
First off, if you’ve never been there, go check it out. Even without the ghost hunting part, Fort Mifflin is a historical landmark, and definitely worth the trip.
Ghost Hunters were their for the season premiere for this past season, but I didn’t get a chance to see it.
Regardless, I made my own memories there.
About nine of us went. The place was creepy as hell…in the casemates, when we went lights out, it really was lights out. Most places, after awhile, your eyes adjust, but here, there is literally nothing to adjust to. It’s just pitch black. It’s incredible.
We split into three groups of three for the duration of the night.
During one of these ‘lights outs, ‘I got touched on the shoulder by something in the “Powder Casemate.” I turned the flashlight on right after, and no one was near me. Creeped me out for the rest of the night.
My brother, who was in another group, saw ’shadows’ darting around corners.
Toward the end of the night, we all camped out at the far end of one of the casemates, as far away from the door as possible. We sat in silence for a few minutes, and then everyone heard someone shuffling across the floor to get closer to us. And then, we heard something heavy being dragged across the opposite side of the room (it was in the prison area, probably one of the bunk beds)
All in all, fantastic. Go there. Check it out. Worth the trip

Anyway, some pictures, if interested:
http://bamferproductions.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=2429

EVPs I got:
http://bamferproductions.com/evps/
Under the Mifflin folder

Explaination of them:
Competition - This is when Rob, me, and Lynda were in the “Powder” casemate. Right after I was touched, rob asked if they could touch you. It sounds like a voice saying ‘competition’ and then we can hear rob saying how cold his back is.
Did You Touch Jeff - Rob asking the question, and then it SOUNDS like a voice in the background…could just be Gary outside, though
Talk To Us - Still in the powder place, rob asked them to talk to us, and toward the end of the clip, it sounds like someone sighing heavily. I don’t remember rob or me or lynda doing that.
Voice in Kitchen - I was with Ronnie and Marissa in the kitchen area, and we were doing EVP work. No body asked a question here, and we were just silent for a few minutes, and then this voices talks. I have no idea what it is saying. It could be Ronnie, but he speaks right after the voice, and it doesn’t sound the same.
Who Is It - Elizabeth’s room. rob asked if it was elizabeth, or who is it, and as soon as you’re done talking, it sounds like ‘me’
Howl - From Rob’s recorder. Right before Bryan speaks, there is a strange noise…personally, for those of you who watch LOST, it sounds like the Smoke Monster about to attack, haha
It Does Move - From Rob’s recorder. We were in the casemate, and Rob felt his bunk shaking. They were trying to see if it shakes on its own, when a voice says “It does move”
What’s Your Name - Two versions of this. One from Rob’s recorder, and then one from mine, with the extra noise removed. While in the casemate again, Rob asks what their name is, and something responds. It’s hard to hear in his, but in the cleaned up version, it does sound like it says a name
Yeahhh - Rob proclaims his dislike for spiders, and an incredibly freaky voice says “Yeahhh…” right before Rob spots something

Totally awesome stuff. Hope you enjoy!

A few years ago, while still in college, I interned at the New Jersey Film Commission, located in Newark, NJ. That semester was probably one of the best of my entire college career.

Working on that side of the business that I loved so much was definitely an eye opener, and made me see things in a completely different perspective. It taught me a lot about the business end of things, and how much hard work really goes into getting a film off the ground. It also provided me access to my first real ‘on-set’ visits (Find Me Guilty and War of the Worlds) that I still cherish to this day.

Not only that, but I made some great friends while there. David S is the second in command at the NJ Film Commission, and a great guy. He has a real love for movies, and will talk your ear off endlessly about them. He was incredibly smart in the business end of things, and really knew how to get stuff done. Steve G, third in the chain, was always there to tell me a story about the ‘biz’ that I would enjoy, and answer any of my (seemingly endless) questions. Andrew and Charles, also in the office, were also fantastic people. Andrew always made me smile with his overly sarcastic readings of that day’s Family Circus (’And, haha, get this…and then PJ says…’), and Charles is a great friend that I still constantly speak with today.

A few weeks ago, at the Garden State Film Festival, I ran into Dave again. He was there with his partner in movie making crime, checking out this year’s entries. We were talking for a good while, and he told me that, due to budget cuts, it was almost certain that Corzine was going to shut them down this year.

Truth be told, I didn’t make much of it. The same thing was threatened, back when I was there, and McGreevy was in office. I just assumed that it, too, would pass, and the Commission would continue to live.

But then the news came out about Corzine cutting back on a TON of public spending. Though he eased up on the toll hikes and the closing of the parks, he decided that he still wanted to shut down the Film Commission. This would take place on July 1st, 2008.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

For those of you who don’t know, NJ is literally the birthplace of film. Edison created the first movies right here. Film has a very long, deep, and rich history in the Garden State…a history that still continues to this day.

In fact, last year alone, filming in the state generated $92 million dollars. That’s a lot of money.

However, in an age where Corzine is making off the wall decisions to ‘balance our budget,’ he is cutting off several aspects of our state that are pretty much guaranteed money makers.

I’ll admit to you all, in the grand scheme of things, I’m no one. However, I am a lover of film, as it’s something that I’m extremely passionate about. And as much as I rag on it, I love New Jersey. I grew up here, and all of my memories are of this place. Hell, this is even the birthplace of film for ME.

Closing the New Jersey Film Commission would be a tragic mistake. Not only would it cut back a great deal of revenue that this state undoubtedly needs, but it would also cut short the life of film in New Jersey.

I don’t ask you for many things, but I will ask this. Please visit www.savenewjerseyfilm.com and read what they have to say. Sign their petition. Send in a letter. Do anything that it takes to help save film in our state.

Please help stop the closing of what is one of our state’s most valued assets.

Thank you.

So, this past Saturday, Lynda and I went out with the Garden State Ghost Hunters Society to Burlington County Prison. It was for research for one of the books, and I think this section is going to come out quite nicely.

First off, everyone in the GSGH is extremely nice and welcoming. They made us feel right at home. While they were setting up all of their equipment, Lynda and I walked around the Prison, taking photos, and just getting a general feel for it. It actually would be a nice day trip for a lot of you folks out there who are into historical places. They are open to the general public quite often, and it’s extremely interesting.

By the time we finished, they had finished setting up their equipment. I was very impressed with all of their gear…various camera set ups, EMFs, digital recorders…they pulled out all the stops.

We had a brief ‘meeting’ before the investigation began. Boni and Rob, the co-founders of the group, introduced me to everyone again, and let me explain what exactly I was there for and what I wanted to do. After, while they had a ‘general meeting,’ Marisa, one of their members, and the prison’s curator, took Lynda and I on a more in depth tour of the prison. She explained all the historical, paranormal, and generally interesting aspects of the place.

By that time, it was time for the first ‘lights out.’ We went with Rob and Boni to the top floor to do our investigating. I was impressed with how everyone worked like a well oiled machine together. They all knew what to do and when to do it.

Overall, there was a total of three ‘lights out’ periods, and at the end of each one, the group came back together to discuss their findings, and try to corroborate stories together. It was definitely a fantastic experience for me. I don’t want to go into too much depth(I’m saving it for the book!), but it was definitely well worth my time.

Aside from meeting this fantastic new people (who I hope to go out with again soon!), we definitely saw some things that went above and beyond normal explaination!

Also, as per usual, I took along my digital voice recorder, so when I could easily store all the answers to my questions, and everything else I learned during the night. It also served a dual purpose of trying to record EVPs.

Since my book won’t contain audio, I’m going to post them here for you to enjoy, and explain them as well as possible.

You can listen to them all at www.bamferproductions.com/evps

For most of them, I included the original piece, lifted straight from the recorder, and then a version with the background noise modified out. The modified ones have a little bit of ‘electric interference’ but it helps you hear some of them better.
I’ll explain each one the best I can, and where it was taken from:
Unknown Voice 1 - I’m unsure about this one. This is from the first ‘lights out,’ when we were on the top floor. We moved to another debtor’s cell to try EVP again. Rob says ‘Let’s try this again,’ and you can faintly hear something. I could be hearing things, but it could be a voice.
Unknown Voice 2 - This one I’m a bit shaky on still, too. This is from the first ‘lights out’ when we were on the top floor. You can hear it right before Rob asks a question. I vaguely heard something when I was listening, so I isolated the clip, and reduced the noise. It could be a voice from downstairs, or something outside…or something else entirely.
I’ll Fix… - Taken when we were downstairs in the basement, second ‘lights out.’ Rob asks for them to come toward the green light, and afterward, it sounds like “I’ll fix it,” or something to that extent.
Pot Roast - From the basement, during second ‘lights out.’ I didn’t hear it when we were down there, but this is someone saying ‘Pot Roast,’ that Rob and Lynda both heard.
Stop It - Taken during the second ‘lights out,’ right in the hallway where the guard was killed. Rob asks ‘Are you a guard?’ and it sounds like someone says ‘Stop it, stop it!’ Very creepy, considering what happened in that area.
He’s Bad - Taken inside the dungeon during the first ‘lights out.’ Rob asks about a favorite newspaper, and it sounds like a voice whispering ‘He’s baaaad.’
Humming - Second ‘lights out,’ in the basement. Rob heard a woman humming, but no one else did. It sounds exactly like he described it, though. Clear as day!
Screaming/WeCanTellHim - This one, I have absolutely no explanation for. This is during the second lights out, in the basement. There is a bit of commotion of us moving around, and you can hear us talking in the background about something. Then, out of nowhere, a woman lets out a blood curdling scream of ‘No!’, sounds like she’s about to say stop, before she is cut off by a voice saying ‘jesus christ.’ Then, you can hear us talking again before another voice says ‘We can tell him,’ before getting cut off by a rather hostile sounding man saying ‘Shut up, bitch.’ This one literally scared the hell out of me. I got cheers when I heard it the first time. Very, very scary.

You can also view some of the photos I took at http://www.bamferproductions.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=2062

Overall, a great night! Be sure to check out the Garden State Ghost Hunters Society’s website at http://www.gsghs.com/

A very special thanks to Rob and Boni for allowing me to join their group for this investigation!

So, this past weekend was the Garden State Film Festival, and the premiere of Leeds Point.

Friday night was the opening cocktail party, where Mike and I were out in full force promoting our film. We put posters and little fliers EVERYWHERE hoping that people would see them and come out.

We also learned that our venue was changed yet again. The 5th Ave Pavilion, where it was supposed to be, was apparently under construction. A lot of it. So they moved us directly across the street, to The Wonder Bar.

Saturday, we spent most of the day wandering around, and checking out a few screenings, and promoting our screening a bit more. By the time 8 PM rolled around, we had a ton of people ready to come see the film.

In fact, they had to turn many people away, due to fire hazards. For a place that fit 150 people, though, we managed to squeeze in over 200, which was pretty awesome. The screening itself was nerve wracking, but it went over extremely well.

Sunday was the awards dinner, which was huge for everyone! Kevin won the Rising Star Award, which is a pretty big deal. He definitely deserves it.

Also, we won Best Horror Feature AND the ever so pretigious Audience Choice Award! Whooo! Go us!

All in all, very good weekend, and more festivals to come.

You can check out all the pictures and press coverage we got over at the photo gallery I set up.

…didn’t it?

Lines on the Pines went well. Hung out with Harry Leeds for a bit, met some great folks, and had a good time! Next year, I’m going to try to get a table, because my two books should be out by then. I can pimp them out AND DVDs of Leeds Point.

I’m also officially a member of the Jersey Devil Hunters now. When I met them a few weeks ago, they were all super nice, and we had a great time. We spent close to four hours at the diner we met at. I’ll be going on their ‘hunts’ with them soon, so I’ll be sure to tell you some of the stuff that goes on. I’ll also be taping it as well, so look for a video ‘blog’ too.

The investigation with Jersey Shore Paranormal was canceled, but they are looking to reschedule for sometime soon.

April is a busy month for me…hunts, investigation with Garden State Ghost Hunters, the Garden State Film Festival…should be a nice one for me.

I have fairly busy week lined up in front of me. Should be some good stuff!

First off, this Sunday is the 3rd Annual ‘Lines Of The Pines’ festival at the Clearwater Casino down near Atlantic City. It’s a big conference where a bunch of local authors get together to peddle their wares and there are a few panels about Pine Barren folklore.

The big draw for me is that Harry Leeds, supposed descendant of the Jersey Devil, is the one that invited me down. He’s going to be there, along with a few people that have had experiences with ol’ JD as well. So, I’m basically going down to meet him finally, after trying to get together with him before we shot Leeds Point last summer. It will be nice to finally talk to the man. Every time I speak to him on the phone, he’s always so full of information, and so willing to help. I’m dragging Lynda along with me, so at least I’ll have some company.

Tuesday night, I’ll be heading down south yet again to meet the NJ Devil Hunters for an interview. Not a book interview, mind you, but to join their group. I applied a long while ago, and they just started getting back into the devil hunting game again, and they got back to me.

I talk to Laura Leuter, the leader of their group, on their message board occasionally, so it will be nice to meet her as well. If they like me and invite me to join their group, I’ll get to go on some hunts with them. That’ll be great stuff for the book.

And finally, on Friday the 14th, I’m heading to Millville, NJ with the Jersey Shore Paranormal group for an investigation. I don’t have all the details on it yet, but I’m very much looking forward to it!

I’ll let you know how everything turns out!