The Valley Of Fear

Next week filming starts on The Valley Of Fear. This is an ultra low-budget, digital, direct to DVD indie horror film that my playwriting instructor, CW, has written and is directing. She started doing films a couple of years ago, but this is her first production that is both full-length and which involves a sizable cast (I think both of her previous full-length works were one-person).

This will be my first acting for film since the student films I acted in when I was in college. And now that I have some experience, I may actually do a decent job. I really need to do some script analysis, though. And maybe find a book on acting for film (which is, among other things, more subtle than stage acting).

This film is being shot at CW's ranch in O'Neals, CA, which is about 40 miles north of Fresno. For those of you unfamiliar with California geography, here is the 162-mile route from Mountain View to O'Neals.

That's right. 162 miles. Each way. I'll be going up there five or six times over the next few months, including the first three weekends of February. I'm not going to complain, though, as CW drives that route for the Wednesday night playwriting class every week school is in session. That's 36 times a year. For the trip back, she leaves at the end of class on Wednesday at 10:15pm, which means she gets home at 1:30am.

So, no complaints.

There is one segment that will be shot at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, in May. This segment will also require lots of extras, so if you live in the area and are interested in being an extra, keep watching this space for more information.