Graham Killeen's Blog

"Six Bullets"

- December 2006

A few hours ago I walked through a crowded room to accept an award for Best Milwaukee Filmmaker from The Shepherd Express. Needless to say that's a huge boost for "Six Bullets"! There's simply no way I would have won without all your support. We'll post video and pics of the event ASAP for you to enjoy. And check out The Shepherd starting this week; I should be in there.

Jon and I left the festivities early to celebrate with Steve and his family. It was a pleasure as always.

On our way home from Menomonee Falls on Highway 45 we hit a patch of black ice and my car spun around at incredible speeds bouncing off of guard rails. Other cars around us were losing control too; I saw what looked like a minivan flip over maybe fifty feet in front of us. When we had come to a stop, Jon ran out onto the highway to try and warn oncoming cars (extremely heroic by any standard), and I jumped back into my cavalier as another vehicle struck my stopped car. I only had minor back pains but I was rushed by ambulance to the hospital where my x-rays came back fine. Sadie and her mom took Jon and I home. So here I am, typing this. The award, chipped in the accident, sitting next to me.

I don't really know the extent of the damage to my car, or just how sore we'll be tomorrow. But I feel lucky. Damn lucky. Things could have been so much worse I don't even want to think about it. Life is so precious and so fragile. A moment when you think things are under control can turn into a huge wake-up call amazingly fast. In some ways you all have been like a family to me through this project, and I was going to thank you for the award. But what I really want to thank you for is sharing your lives with me and letting me get to know you and enjoy your company over the years. Thank you. Thank you.

We need to celebrate all we've accomplished, and even before tonight's events Jon and I had decided to release the first "Six Bullets" teaser trailer. Check out sixbulletsmovie.com to see a brief glimpse of the film to come and leave your comments on the messageboards. And tell your friends. The Shepherd is a victory for us all! You are all in my heart.

"Six Bullets"

- Fall 2006

And then you wake up one morning after so many months of looking forward, to find yourself looking back. I have officially finished editing "Six Bullets", and I couldn't be more pleased with the final results. I feel we have truly succeeded in bringing the western genre into bold new territory, visually and narratively. Rest assured, you will all see the fruits of your labors sometime soon. Remember though, "Six Bullets" is a short film, and as such we were forced to leave quite a bit of footage on the cutting room floor. We worked on this indie project for more than three years (photography alone took 40 days!), and the final cut runs less than 30 minutes. The good news is that almost all of the actors (even supporting roles) ended up with some screen time. I hope to get the chance to watch "Six Bullets" with each of you at an event to be announced in the near future.

The Autumn brings winds of change, and true to form, we've seen a lot recently. Now most of our attention has turned to promotional artwork, independent film festival deadlines, finishing FX touches, and of course the soundtrack. It has been a matter of months since I have seen many of you (perhaps a year already), but I've rarely gone a day without seeing your faces as I've edited the movie. It has been a summer of some hardship regarding my surgery, and a mostly disastrous experience directing community theater, but continuing to collaborate with all of you through editing the footage we shot together, has helped me get through it. It has been great to hear from several of you.

So I'm writing to say thank you all again. And it won't be long until the wait is over. Meanwhile, keep checking the website for trailers, news, and other goodies. And if you were still planning on giving me a best local filmmaker vote online or through the mail with The Shepherd Express, please remember to also include a vote for 76 Juliet (Paul's Band) as the best cover band, and Amanda Shalhoub as best radio personality.

"Six Bullets"

- Spring 2006

"The fall'll probably kill you." -Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Hello Everyone- This will be the last group email from me for some time. The huge workload involved with finishing "Six Bullets", as well as other creative endeavors are all factors. It has been my distinct pleasure to keep up with you all over the past couple of years, and rest assured we will be in touch as our targeted DVD release date approaches this autumn. Throughout the summer you may hear from Catharine, Jon, Jason, or some of the other creative people whose work continues to dramatically shape this indie film. You can still reach us through this email adress. That said, here it is... my last update for the production of "Six Bullets"!

After some scary computer problems, things are back on track with post-production. Foley (sound effects recording) is on target to be completed very soon. Additionally, the new music Nick has been composing sounds great, and Jon has been working diligently on the visual-effects and color correction. Soon Catharine and I will begin to schedule ADR recording/ re-recording. Our target right now is early May. Again, this doesn't effect all of you. (Only Jim, Lori, Steve, Amanda, Donna, Rachel, Ben and Paul) Our schedule will be flexible. I had a chance to talk to some students about independent filmmaking the other day at The Milwaukee High School of the Arts. Of course all of them wanted to see a clip from "Six Bullets". We're still keeping pretty tight-lipped about the movie though, so I couldn't show them anything. Rest assured some time over the summer we'll make a trailer or extensive still photographs available for you to check out online. By the way, your friends can sign up for the newsletter through either of our websites signalfirefilms.com, or sixbulletsmovie.com!

I wanted to give you guys a little more info on the show I'll be directing this summer. The name of the musical is "Cotton Patch Gospel", and its being produced through Lakeshore Productions, a community theater in Random Lake. From the 6 Bullets staff, Jason will be Technical Directing the show, and Sean George will assistant direct. Jon Zautner, one of the owners of Revolution School of Dance (where we rehearsed) will choreograph the performance. Auditions are May 22 and 23 at the Random Lake High School auditorium. It'll be a lot of fun for anybody looking for something to do this summer.

As post-production continues, and jobs keep getting finished more and more of the work on "Six Bullets" is being done by a dedicated few. We are absolutely committed to making sure "Six Bullets" is an amazing indie film, and I promise that in the next few months we can start giving you a sneak peak (whether in the form of a clip, a trailer, or a photo) of some of what we've all toiled so hard to achieve.

"Six Bullets"

- Winter 2005/06

"Please don't forsake me, oh my darling..."-High Noon

Hello again, Hopefully you're all enjoying this mild winter. I know I promised we were giving you something special for the holidays and then left you guys hanging. The truth is we were, but over the last couple of months the editing has really caught up with us (In fact there have been numerous days when I've ended up cutting the movie straight through the night). That's also why I haven't written in awhile. Additionally we've filmed a handful of new scenes, including a new flashback with Rachel reprising her role as Hyacinth [Daughter] and Sean [George] standing in again for Steve (as well as a cameo with me in it that didn't make the current cut of the film). In my personal life, Sadie and I finally moved in together, and celebrated our nine-year anniversary!

So ... as of this past Saturday night, the picture is locked. That means that over the next several months I will not be able to edit the movie. During that time period Jon will tirelessly complete the color timing and visual effects, as well as frame rate conversions. Nick will be composing the score, recording it, and along with Jason completing foley. Catharine and I will be readying the script one last time for our final ADR sessions. We still have a couple of actors to record for the first time, and there will be small one-line changes for some of you including Paul, Steve, Rachel, Amanda, and Donna. By early April all of this will be complete and while I make final last minute alterations to the film, the focus is going to shift to marketing and DVD authoring. The bottom line is after working ridiculous hours for the last two months, "The Six Bullets" is still on schedule for film festival submissions this summer. Then we'll start talking about a premiere. I am so happy with the way the film has turned out (better than I ever dared to hope). Its running at an overwhelming 27 minutes right now, a fury of color and movement. Everyone's hard work has absolutely paid off.

As a side note, for those of you that are interested, all of Sundance's 2006 short films are available online for free download. I would recommend checking them out. I truly believe that there's a revolution in independent filmmaking going on right now. Next up for me is to take some time off and get some sleep, though there's only a few months left before absolutely completing "The Six Bullets" and beginning work on the stage production (with a cast of 80) I'll be directing this summer. It would be great to see some of you at auditions, but more on that later.

"Six Bullets"

- November 2005

This past month has been very busy for us. With just a few exceptions, ADR has been completed. I'm so happy with the quality of voice acting we've gotten from everybody. Thank you all for being so patient. Thanks so much again to Nick and Laura for putting up with us in their beautiful new home.

I think in all cases the new sound not only matches the on location tracks, but it surpasses the acting from the original recording. We've also been shooting pick-ups. Jon and I actually went inside of a burning building during a firefighting training exercise to get footage for a new scene. Sean George stood in for Redcloak around the outside of the building. Let me tell you, the shots are outstanding.

Up next, Nick's going to be working on the sound-effects, foley (with Jason's help), and the score. Jon's still busy with color timing and special effects. Sadie's been focusing on our viral marketing and film festival plans. And I will begin coordinating some winter pick-ups and reshoots. I don't want to panic anyone; as of right now we will not be doing any new lines. We won't even see the faces of some of you who will be called in, and this only affects a few of you. So don't panic. If you're one of the people on the following list think of it as an invitation to a pleasant afternoon at our house (hot cocoa supplied, of course), with filming only taking half an hour or so. Right now the people we're looking at are Rachel, Sean George and Sean Andreassen, but more people may be included. If you guys could give me a call to go over your schedules, that would be great (We're looking at January).

"Six Bullets"

- October 2005

Well it's been awhile, but the last few weeks have been busy ones. Endless Blue's CD release [for "Smoke Through It"] went very well (check them out on the web at endlessbluemusic.com). Not wanting to be left out, Paul the zombie asked me to remind everybody that he's in a band too. His band, 76 Juliet is out playing around Milwaukee almost every weekend, so they'll be easy for you to track down. I wanted to point out as well that Sadie and I will be acting in the University of Wisconsin Washington County's fall play this year, "Cavedweller" (Christine's in it too, and Jon has been working on lights). Sadie's the lead, and I know she'd like to see as many of you there as possible. [...]

As for the rough cut of Six Bullets, slowly but steadily we're making progress. It doesn't make for an exciting email to say we're still editing... The truth is some weekends Jon and I spend 20 or more hours in front of a computer screen. Actors will get to see some of the footage during voice over sessions. But I ask you to remember first that its still a VERY rough version of the indie film, and secondly that (especially when making a short film) almost all scenes have been abbreviated. I think you'll really like what we have though. While I'm working with you guys and Nick (our sound designer) on dubbing lines, Jon will be focused on visual effects and color timing. After ADR wraps in November we'll be on to foley (sound effects), and music, as well as getting back to the editing room to really start to shape the film.

For the next update I'll be revealing this year's holiday item. Last year we made T-shirts, this year ... Well, you'll see, but I think they'll make great gifts. Hope you're enjoying the autumn. I always like watching the leaves change color. Next time that happens, Six Bullets will be finished.

"Six Bullets"

- September 2005

After a year of preproduction and a year of shooting, the indie movie "Six Bullets" has WRAPPED PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY! This is, obviously, a huge milestone for the film. Ben and Lori were the last of our lead actors to wrap shooting after a short but fun day, followed by Sean who did a few stunts for us. The only thing left is reshoots, pick-ups, and 2nd unit photography. Reshoots are obviously if we need to redo something we made a mistake on, and pick-ups are adding a scene for some reason (however none of these are slated so far). 2nd unit photography will get us through the "tintype" and "map" close-ups, no actors involved.

I wanted to write a little bit early this month to let you guys know about the release party for the new album by Endless Blue. The members of EB are the ones who will compose our score. The party will be at The Binkery (actually we used The Bink as one of our locations for "Six Bullets") in West Bend on the night of September 16th. The show starts at 8pm, and I'll be there. They are close friends of mine and, if you're an actor on this film and you haven't met them yet, you probably will. Nick will be doing all of our Additional Dialogue Recording (or ADR), so you'll get a chance to work with him in October or November. During ADR you'll repeat all of your lines, grunts, screams, moans, etc... in a digital recording studio as you watch a VERY rough cut of your scenes from the movie (you will not be able to view other scenes from the movie, or the movie as a whole). Don't worry about the rerecording, Nick and I will walk you through it. By the way, if anybody else that has contributed to the movie has any other special events they'd like me to mention in the monthly update, send them in. I can't promise to include all of them, but I'll do what I can.

Jon and I are making significant progress on assembling the movie (i.e. putting all the pieces together in a very unfinished way). So far the footage really looks great. Its going to take an incredible amount of time to polish it, add our visual effects, and our sound, though. As always, I'll keep you posted.