Homemade Hollywood is an incredible book based on a much beloved passion of many: the fan film. Written by Clive Young, this book tracks the history of the fan film. This is an incredible book that goes behind the scenes of several fan filmmakers, including:

Don Dohler (Cinemagic Magazine)

John Cosentino (Paragons Paragon)

 Stuart Basinger (Moonraker ’78)

Dan Poole (The Green Goblin’s Last Stand)

Sandy Collora (Batman: Dead End)

Trey Stokes (Pink Five)

Donald F. Glüt (Spy Smasher)

…and and UNBELIEVABLE amount of other inspired artists. Now, I plan to do an in-depth review of this fantastic book in the near future. However, I urge you to check out this tome as soon as possible. It talks about the triumphs and the tragedies these fans have experienced making their dreams come true, as well as finding out what big time Hollywood feels about it. You can buy a copy of it HERE.

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Okay – a few posts today folks.

First up I am very, very happy to hear that the person that had assaulted beloved actor George Stover earlier this year has gotten life in prison with no chance of parole. Mr. Stover has recovered nicely and is continuing to act. You do NOT mess with the Stover! We love you George!

I have a couple of fantastic people helping me do movie reviews now. I will be posting Hugh Robertson’s review of  TIED IN BLOOD sometime in the next week. Stay tuned!

Director Wayne Shipley is working on a new independent Western called DAY OF THE GUN. Examiner.com covers the story!

Hollywood Producer Edward L. Plumb has been really busy on a fantastic new web series SILICONE ASSASSIN: DEAD RECKONING!

The Blame Game, is an independently produced film, that was funded using crowd-funding through Kickstarter. The film is the brainchild of writer and director Zack Gross, which he made in collaboration with producer Nathan McFarland. The two of them assembled a cast and crew over several months. Then, over the course of two weeks, completed filming of the feature length movie, with a modest budget of $4,000. Currently The Blame Game is in post-production, and there are plans for a Fall/Winter 2012 release.
A little info on the filmmakers:

Both Zack Gross and Nathan McFarland are currently students finishing up their Bachelor’s degree in Film and Video from George Mason University. Zack Gross has directed two films prior to The Blame Game, including The Odd Spot, which is available on DVD.
Nathan McFarland is a filmmaker and musician from Manasas, Virginia whose credits include creator/director for the webseries Deep Cover, and producer for the webseries Absolution.

TEN SUNDAYS PRODUCTIONS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ten Sundays Productions (Cannibal Cheerleader Camp, Boxing Day) is proud to present the feature horror film Veil.

The film stars Joseph Durbin (Deadlands 2), Devon Marie Brookshire (Ninjas vs. Vampires), Josh Davidson (Ghosts Don’t Exist), Kendra North (Witch’s Brew), and newcomer Meghan Nelson.

LOGLINE
The temptation to have a one night stand leads a man to a distant town and a woman with a dark agenda. When he doesn’t return, if falls upon his black sheep sister to uncover the truth about what happened.

The film is written & directed by Paul Busetti and produced by Busetti along with Chris Kiros (Zombthology) and Josh Davidson (Dead iSland). Executive Produced by Leo Curbelo and Elizabeth Katheryn Gray.

Filming took place over the winter on location in Virginia & Maryland. Veil is currently in postproduction.

Also I will be posting the premiere episode of Smash or Trash again on youtube and am busy editing the 2nd episode as well. Stay creative!

Hello again devoted fans to independent filmmaking! We have a brand new review posted for another Chemical Burn Entertainment. It is NINA – CRAZY SUICIDE GIRL and it is brought to us by guest reviewer HUGH ROBERTSON. Check out the reviewer HERE.

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The monsters are running amuck and terrorizing Alice!  Phil Cook and Eagle Films have done a great job with episode 8 of MALICE, and it can be found – in full – at this link HERE.

For those of you not in the know, filmmaker John Cosentino – in 1974 – did the first recognized Star Trek fan film called PARAGONS PARAGON. This was a very ambitious undertaking. Done well before the days of CGI, this 100 minute 8mm film involved sets, costumes, makeup, miniatures, props, and optically printed visual effects.

Unfortunately the whereabouts of this film – and Cosentino himself – have been a mystery for decades. This is a true shame because he played a huge part with such publications as Don Dohler‘s CINEMAGIC and designed some of the creatures for both Dohler’s THE ALIEN FACTOR and GALAXY INVADER. These are not small accomplishments!

Fortunately the man himself has surfaced on the web in early 2012! He now hosts a blog site that recounts his days of working on his film, plus the articles he had written for CINEMAGIC, and his days of working with Dohler in the 70s. There are loads of pictures and clips of his work uploaded. For a person that loves do-it-yourself special effects, this is a dream come true.

I hope to interview John in the near future. For now click on the image about to go to his amazing site!

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Very pleased to announce a new review of a project by independent producer John R. Ellis: The Steve Canyon Special Edition DVD! This 1958 television show starred the talented Dean Fredericks as the title character, and you can get some background on this terrific series HERE.

Brett Piper is getting to be a filmmaker that I really admire. He is unashamed to do fun, entertaining B-Movie genre flicks that are fantastic! Smash or Trash review his 2009 movie MUCKMAN. Check it out!

Just a little note to let readers know that there is going to be a little change here at Smash or Trash. After – hopefully – the movie CRAWLER gets completed, I will be retiring from independent filmmaking. After 30 years at it, I find it tougher to get any enjoyment out of it. If something isn’t fun or rewarding, you shouldn’t do it. However, I will still be updating this website with interviews as well as movie reviews – so there will still be plenty new to check out.

It’s been fun, but it’s time to call it a day.

Robert Long II

creator of Smash or Trash Independent Filmmaking

This week we wish Joe Ripple a very happy birthday. Joe is the director of such cult films as Vampire Sisters, Sealed Fates and Jebediah. He is also the CEO and founder of Scares That Care, a charity organization of horror community-minded people that help men, women and children that are afflicted with life-endangering illnesses. We salute you Mr. Ripple and your organization’s great works.

I’m very proud to say Leanna Chamish has written up a great article about the Filmmaker’s Summit over at Smash or Trash! A must read for the independent filmmaker. Great job Leanna! You can find the link HERE.