Thank You!!!!

... of styrene caves and carcasses


"AWESOME!" I yelled after ending the phone call informing me that I had been hired as Production Designer for Paper Dolls.
There wasn't much offered salary wise nor would the budget allow me to hire any art department crew but I was so excited by the script I would have agreed to do it for Craft Service alone. It was one of the best I had read in LA, certainly the best one I had ever been considered for. What it called for in creativity would give me the chance to further spread my wings as a production designer on film. Moreover we were to shoot in Montana, which was a chance to go somewhere I had never been nor knew anything about yet again, and since travel is my favourite form of education it was all too good to be true.
It proved to be all that and more...

I knew no one on the crew except for one person I had shot a short with years before and who had gotten me my interview. Other than him, all were strangers and there we all were in the wilderness in the northern Montana Mountains to make art - incredible!

Needless to say - but I will anyway - the challenges that arise on every film shoot were coupled with others they paled in comparison to and took us from inspired ingenuity to downright vandalism. In addition they took me from buying nightstands and fluffing flowers one day to stabbing a chainsaw into huge blocks of styrene the next as I careened scene to scene as I was called to stage a suburban kitchen one moment to the bone filled den of a Sasquatch at another; from making caves in a garage to being elbow deep in cow carcasses on the side of the highway at midnight.

Without an assistant full time I was kept jumping. Remembering it now, including the all day drive for what felt like a clandestine meeting at some gas station in a town of two buildings to pick up a small stash of weapons from our explosives engineer, it seems as though I was on some deranged steeple chase/scavenger hunt/decathlon.

It was all a total blast that I remember with more than fondness and a lot of laughter. Still one of the best work experiences of my life that yielded a film of which I am extremely proud and feel lucky to have been a part of creating.

Musing on the Life of "Paper Dolls"

This coming Saturday night, we'll be celebrating a little horror film we made back in '06 called Paper Dolls. For the first time ever, it will be available to stream LIVE here at www.badfritterfilms.com. Until now, the only way to see this elusive film was during its successful run on the festival circuit in '08 and '09, or if you happened to know the filmmakers, of course (but chances of getting a copy from us were slim as every one that landed in our hands was quickly eaten by our mailboxes and on its way to possible distributors or sales agents). So now, nearly 5 years after its completion, Paper Dolls is finally getting the life it deserves: a world-wide audience.

While of our 3 films Paper Dolls has seen the widest audience, it still remains relatively obscure in the world of independent horror films. A distribution deal has evaded us, and self-distribution, while a viable option and still on the table, takes more money, money we don't presently have. I remember thinking, due to how fast everything moved after Roulette that Paper Dolls was just the next small step on the fast-track to my inevitable (and greatly wished for) career in the film industry. But after the reality of how "the biz" actually works set in and us without a distribution deal and nobody shoving money in our pockets to make our next big one, disillusionment pried my eyes open and cast a shadow across my destiny. I was proud, of course, to be the co-writer and co-director of a multiple-award winning film, but for me, getting Paper Dolls to a global audience (and--not gonna lie--reaping a little financial reward) was the ultimate goal then. That was the sign of success; if Paper Dolls never found distribution and didn't immediately lead to our next project, we failed.

This didn’t stop us from making more movies. In ’09 we shot several pieces pertaining to our horror epic The Madness, and in 2010 shot Cliff Lake. Of course, these were made on something smaller than a micro-budget, but were nonetheless legitimate projects that sharpened our storytelling and filmmaking skills. The point is that we kept working. We didn’t let the fact that Paper Dolls’ progress seemed inert stop us, nor did we give up hope that it would eventually get picked up by some company for distribution and find a new life. I’d be lying, though, if I said I didn’t think (and, on darker days, still DO think) Paper Dolls might never be given the life we expected it to have. But how often do our expectations ever really match our reality?

I am excited and proud to be given the opportunity to finally share Paper Dolls on this scale. For three days, it will be available to everyone. All those emails from curious horror film fans, all those messages requesting the film, all the questions asking if Paper Dolls was just a practical joke, this event is for those people. On behalf of my BadFritter band mates, we truly hope you enjoy what you see and that the wait was well worth it. Thank you for hanging on and keeping curious. It is your breath giving life back to our little horror film.

Thank you.

Record Release Party for "i was a bad boy: The Music of Cliff Lake" THIS TUESDAY NIGHT!

Firework Brain presents TheDarkWoods, an audio/visual experience celebrating the record release of "i was a bad boy: The Music of Cliff Lake" this Tuesday night at the Old Towne Pub in Pasadena, California.

Doors open @ 7pm, live music @ 8pm and TheDarkWoods begins @ 10:30. $5 gets you in the door $10 will get you in the door with a CD in your hand! As always $2 PBR's!

Come shake your ass with some of the BadFritters, and feel free to try out your plan B costume.

Don't be scared. No, be scared.

"Cliff Lake" re-release TONIGHT!

If you missed it last summer, here's your second chance. And if you didn't, watch it again.

C l i f f L a k e

Part of BadFritter Films' 5 SHATTERDAYS OF SHOCKTOBER!

www.badfritterfilms.com

A Special Look Inside the Mechanics of BadFritter Filmmaking

The 5 Shatterdays of Shocktober have, to this point, been about sharing some of our frightful, nightmare visions and campfire ghost stories in the hopes of successfully scaring you (and at the very least, entertaining you). Now, for our 3rd installment, we want to share something a little more than our stories and visions. We want to share our process, our progression, and our personalities. 2 summers ago, the BadFritter team reunited after a long creative hiatus in order to film an all new story that had been simmering in one form or another for quite awhile. It was conceived as an intimate tale set against the backdrop of enormous catastrophe. During the filming of "Cliff Lake," the cameras never stopped rolling and what was captured was almost as good as the film itself.

This is a special look behind-the-scenes of the making of "Cliff Lake."

"Making Cliff Lake" to premiere THIS SHATTERDAY!

Last summer, we premiered our short film of survival horror called "Cliff Lake." This Shatterday, go behind-the-scenes to see how we did it.

BadFritter Films' 5 SHATTERDAYS IN SHOCKTOBER continues this Shatterday with "Making Cliff Lake," an exclusive look into the filming of our gruesome tale of staying alive at the end of the world.

5 Shatterdays in Shocktober Continues This Weekend!

Be here, www.badfritterfilms.com, on October 8th for another treat! We'll be giving an old film a new life on the web--but only for 48 hours! So check it out while you can!!

Celebrating the 5 Shatterdays in Shocktober ALL MONTH LONG!

I was a Bad Boy

I returned to Los Angeles for the premier party of "Cliff Lake" and to decorate the event. Up to this point I had only worked on "Cliff Lake" long distance sending props and story boards etc. from San Antonio. Needless to say I was eager to see the finished project, work with the production team and get some of the ideas that "Cliff Lake" had inspired out of my head and into the physical. It was my first opportunity to get knee deep in it - finally. I decided to use the world in which "Cliff Lake" is set and decorate with a story based interactive art installation that furthered the ambiance of the film and it's plot. For the premier I thought we should bring the world of cliff lake into the environment of the event space. to decorate the spaces as if they were an extension of what could have or might yet happen to the characters on the screen. And i wanted to use a lot of blood. I chose to decorate as though we were in what had been a safe place for survivors /refugees of some disaster, only after it's security had been breached and something brutal had happened to the survivors that had been there maybe only moments before. I used a lot of blood.The screening area was staged as the survivors/refugees personal communal space and was decorated for comfort while viewing "Cliff Lake" with things like tents, sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, backpacks, footlockers, and suitcases (all packed with character driven costumes and props while some contained further clues to character and plot lines ). This area was "encompassed" with a reinforced barricade of found objects like pitch forks, shears, and other barbed things. I used a lot of blood.The food was served from a wrecked van staged as though it had driven through the fence and crushed a cyclist in the process. I used a lot of blood.In the enclosed garage space which served as a cocktail lounge was where "I Was a Bad Boy" played. I created an slapdash Head Quarters / safe room here. Character driven decor was installed in defined areas, and there was some blood. This was also an interactive installation where the audience was invited to explore and snoop through the arrangements where they may find clues, evidence and secret information on various characters or pieces of the plot's puzzle, and a lot of blood.Clues, story lines, character secrets, and integral plot information were in view and hidden through out the space and a lot of blood. A narrative thread could be derived by going through photographs, post cards, Top secret files and dossiers on central characters, maps with escape routes and restricted areas, specimen, medical and electronic experiments, survival guides, reference materials, literature classics as well as philosophy, evolution, and creationism theory, aliens, the Maya... I used a lot of blood. I knew that some live performances were scheduled and addressed the stage decoration. I decided that while en route to LA i would film as much movement and light patterns as I could thinking this would serve as an interesting light show and visual for a backdrop, especially for the acoustic performance by Stilwell and Cotton - which rocked despite it's lack of blood. Not only was this to be the first opportunity I had to roll my sleeves up and get to work on this project it was also the first time I got to see the final cut and hear the music in its ultimate recording.The music of "Cliff Lake" I discovered was more than just a soundtrack to this film but ironically becomes the voice to a film with virtually no dialogue."Cliff Lake" and "I was a Bad Boy " while both strong enough to stand alone when experienced together bring a more completed (though unnerving) picture of what is happening in this already brutal story. The music and the sounds so wickedly laced through out the piece by Cotton help create stronger visceral experience while still keeping this a cerebral horror and moral nightmare.Ultimately we put together in interesting night that seemed to really inspire Stilwell. For the next few days and nights we filmed the decorative installation along with a variety of images and various areas around LA. that we thought captured the mood and unsettling tension of both the film and the music. This footage Stilwell combined with the film I had collected on my train trip, some film he had previously shot, and footage from "Cliff Lake". This he then weaves together with the songs and sounds of "I was a Bad Boy" and gives us a compelling, disturbing, yet mesmerizing journey that not only retells the story of "CLIFF LAKE" but slowly drags the audience deeper into it's darkest shadows.

"i was a bad boy" kicks off 5 Shatterdays of Shocktober!

Mere hours away from kicking off our 5 Shatterdays of Shocktober with the Planets' epic (and terrifying) musical companion piece to BFF's short film, "Cliff Lake," you may be wondering what exactly is a "listening party"? It is precisely what the name implies: a large (or small) group of people--in this case, you, us, your friends, our friends--gathered around a particular piece of music--again in this case, that piece is the disturbing masterwork, "i was a bad boy: The Music of Cliff Lake"--and listening to it. Of course, part of the fun is knowing you are not alone (even if you are alone in front of your computer), as many others from different cities and states will be listening with you. And it may help to know that. This music (along with the odd, nightmarish visuals that accompany it) will creep its way into your mind like a persistent worm with a mouthful of teeth, and may make you wish you'd been watching it in a brightly lit room with a dozen of your closest friends. Or your mommy.

If you saw "Cliff Lake" last June, you'll be in for a real treat. Within the dark melodious landscape of this "sonic extension" you will hear campfire conversations of the characters from the film. So to know the whole story, you cannot simply only watch "Cliff Lake." You must also sit in a dark room, turn up the volume, and brace your nerves for "i was a bad boy: The Music of Cliff Lake." Right here, at badfritterfilms.com.

"i was a bad boy"

Back in the dark woods of our minds lies a music. In the last month of 2010 with an eye on making a musical companion to our short film "Cliff Lake", Adam Cotton and I walked through those dark woods. We cleared the furniture in the living room and I spread out a variety of glass jars, pencils, broken drumsticks and a cantine on the wooden floor. Cotton sat behind me in his room with his acoustic guitar. We put a mic in his room and a mic in the living room with me. After 40 minutes, the music (if you can call it that) stopped and i looked up from my trance and admitted, "i was a bad boy."

Upon listening back, Cotton and I were literally scared of what we heard in the sounds we created...and we LOVED it. This 40 minute piece was chopped into a few different sections and influenced the rest of the record that has become, "i was a bad boy" The Music of Cliff Lake.

We are extremely excited to invite you all to a brand new audio/visual experiment that we've created in which you will hear the entire full length record. So, please join us at www.badfritterfilms.com, follow us to the dark woods of your mind and become a "bad boy".

love,

stilly

Just Arrived at Los Angeles BadFritter HQ!

David here! Arrived safe and sound in Los Angeles, and immediately, was put to work! (which doesn't mean I don't have a beer in my hand...=) There's still a lot to get done here in preparation for the Fundraiser/Premiere Party on Saturday. BFF Production Designer Greg Mannino is also here unloading various (fake) body parts from his amazing Trunk of Props, and we're getting ready to splash a little blood here and there. The backyard is going to look like a refugee camp (themed for the Cliff Lake party, of course) that was attacked (by ????) and abandoned. Its. Gonna. Be. Rad.

Adam Stilwell just officially launched our Kickstarter page, so we're up and running trying to raise money for our next film project, currently titled Ragnarok.

(curious?//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnarök)

Signing off for now! See you on Saturday!!!!

Press Release: BadFritter Films Releases Short Film "Cliff Lake" June 26

At the end of the world, there is only one question: How far will you go to stay alive?

Los Angeles, C.A. (June 14, 2011) – BadFritter Films releases its much-anticipated short film “Cliff Lake” online on Sunday, June 26 at 7 p.m. pst. The film opens on a man, starving in the Montana wilderness, who answers a call for help that brings him face to face with what he’s been hiding from since the world changed.

David Blair, writer, director and principal of BadFritter Films considers the production to be the indy-team’s most avant garde work yet. ”Cliff Lake is a story about hard choices,” explains David. “It’s about thinking you’ve finally found a place of rest, only to discover you’ve been sleeping beside the predator. It’s about sacrificing everything to stay human, or become the villain. It’s about that place and time where we decide to make our final stand, win or lose, live or die. For three young survivors, that place is Cliff Lake.”

The idea for the film surfaced through the team’s desire to capture the innate human need to survive. They merged a fledgling story idea with their desire to gain control of release and distribution for their films, and provide their fan-base with easy access to their work. The short film, 15 minutes in length, will go live online at http://www.clifflakemovie.com on Sunday, June 26 at 7 p.m. pst.

The team is using Cliff Lake as a launch pad for their next production, an un-scripted documentary loosely referred to as “Ragnaroc.” The filmmakers will follow a close friend into a “rogue community” based in Eastern Montana. Members of the community have agreed to let the team document their lifestyle and interview the founders. Funds to help the production of “Ragnaroc” are being raised through Kickstarter.

Press Contacts:

Jonna Bell | badfritters@yahoo.com | (206) 395 5208

Adam Stilwell | badfritters@yahoo.com | (406) 250 1712

About BadFritter Films

BadFritter Films is a three-man team of writers, directors, actors and producers. Adam Stilwell, David Blair and Adam Pitman have been making frightening, thought-provoking and independently funded movies since 2004. Their first film, a chilling ghost story titled “Roulette,” caught the attention of financial backers. The boys returned with a new production, “Paper Dolls,” a Sasquatch-origin story with a psychological twist. Both films successfully ran the festival circuit and garner favorable reviews and several awards.  More information about the BadFritter Films can be found at http://www.badfritterfilms.com and http://www.clifflakemovie.com.

###

Caitlin Rose "Own Side"

YOOO! Soundbusters studio (BadFritters sound/music arm hailing from the salty sweet streets of Alhambra, CA) is happy to announce the completion of "i was a bad boy" The Music of Cliff Lake! More on that sharp piece of work later...

Pitty's headed on a cross country road trip tomorrow and we've got a deadline for this whole Kickstarter sha-bang, so i'm about to cut my teeth editing. Fingers crossed! Come on pinot, help a brotha out...

this is gonna be romantic.

Reporting on 'Cliff Lake' goings-on...

Hello, 'Fritter fans! David here! Currently on Facebook recruiting friends to help spread the word about the online "Cliff Lake" premiere! Paul Cieslewicz, you are a champion!

Cliff Lake -- The Logline

This is David, intensely shooting CL.

Hey all - c'est moi - Jonna.

As Stily, Adam P. and David do their final tweaks on Cliff Lake and the soundtrack (Bonus in the Kickstarter tiers!) my job is to be their guru in all things online and press, to get the word out and help keep our little ship afloat in the big broad world of communications.

I'm up to my eyeballs in CSS these days getting the 'fritter sites fine-tuned and ready for the launch of Cliff Lake (plug: Sunday, June 26 at 7 p.m. PST at www.clifflakemovie.com). I'm not a developer, nor am I a graphic designer but that's the way we roll these days in the 'fritter world. Donning whatever hats best fit the needs of our outfit. This is also my little plea to you -- donate to the 'Fritter's Kickstarter cause so we can expand our team and get more people who do more of the things they love. Basically, that means make movies that you will love.

That's the news that's fit to print right now 'fritter fans. See you all at www.clifflakemovie.com on Sunday night and, in the meantime... SPREAD THE WORD.

Loves ya!

(one more time..... www.clifflakemovie.com)