The Big Plan or for A Few Dollars More
A little private exchange after my most recent post.
Margot: The August/September schedule for shooting the film and the March/April 2026 release are the plan. The ‘other project’ is not another film. There’s something we’re doing that needs a month or so to set up. It does not affect any other work, as a matter of fact it helps all the projects since it has to do with funds and if it works, lots of it, and it needs our full attention. It’s very technical.
You might want to say that in your Crux Forum string so others don’t come to the wrong conclusion as I did.
What I wrote in the post I’m referring to here is: Our work will now be dedicated to alternative funding possibilities and to the BIG plans we have for other work, of which Crucified Four is part of but not the most urgent at this time. The rest of April and May will be completely taken by one BIG plan that I cannot reveal until it is all set. It will take most of next month.
The BIG plan is funds related. We constantly need to find sources for funds. Our stores work well enough, they keep us going and selling our films certainly helps us make more films which we then sell and that helps us make more and it can go on and on and on.
But there are some projects like Crucified Four and Maleficarum Excruciati that need a lot of more funds than what we normally have access to on a regular basis.
We have a very interesting story of where those funds sometimes originate.
Way back in 2010 we were preparing Amy’s second feature film, Barbazul, when she received an offer. Some good funds for a movie, any movie, as long as it had one particular scene. A beautiful woman being roasted over hot coals.
It seemed something we could do, but we had a lot of the work for Barbazul, pretty much way ahead, we already made commitments and deals that included Veronica’s plane ticket from France, the far away location was already reserved, the cast and crew were all in place, with Mila ready to perform in her very first role in a film where, for the first time in her life, would do a nude scene or two.
Everything was set so, the question was, can we handle two films? There was no way to do the roasting scene in Barbazul.
Jac had an inquisition idea in the back of his head, something he had been looking into for a couple of years, he even had a location in mind, a basement club where a friend’s band performed way back in the 90’s. The club was in an old part of the city and had a colonial look that was perfect for a torture chamber.
That year, 2010, we released Amy’s first film, Sirwiñakuy, in theaters and it was a success, it run for SIX months! and it was bringing some money and fame. Lot’s of people wanted to work with us. So, the inquisition movie had potential.
The money offered became a message from the universe and Jac said… we’re going to make a film about the SANTO OFICIO! (Holy Office) That became the working title.
In November of 2010 the production of Maleficarum began, it was briefly interrupted when the cast and crew went to Chivisivi, the far away location to shoot Barbazul, the plan was to be there 12 days, but it only took 10 to shoot all the scenes for Amy’s new film.
The cast and crew were back in the city to continue shooting Maleficarum, including the scene that began the whole thing, the roasting scene, where Amy was put to the test in what she thinks was the most painful, dangerous scene she ever made for a film.
By the time 2011 began there were two films produced, and after Maleficarum was done, there was some extra time left on the lease for the torture chamber, so Amy and Jac came up with a simple idea to shoot one more film using the same location, decorating it a bit different and with a simple yet great story.
Le Marquis de la Croix was born, a film where Jac tortures Mila to the extremes. The one film where Mila was going to be nude in a couple of scenes turned into Three Films with nude scenes, in two of them Mila is tortured, in the nude, most of the time.
One offer of funds for one scene in one film helped us make two movies on top on the one we had already planned. Sometimes things happen that way.
Maleficarum wasn’t the only film that began with an offer of some cash for a scene, but that’s the subject for my next post.
Amy discusses her experiences shooting the roasting scene in Maleficarum.
Cruxlover24 Will you update videos of the rehearsals for those films? Like the fighting scenes the warrior will have?
A more detailed explanation to my original response to Cruxlover24 comment at Crux Forum.
It takes a lot of effort to have videos of rehearsals and the training for the fighting scenes. We didn’t have a crew when Dani was learning a lot of the fighting techniques she needs in two films. If and when she goes through other training sessions we could have a crew in the place if it is worth the effort and expense, but so far, it is not.
We could make the effort if we saw that there’s strong support for the films; but unfortunately, months of attempts on my part to get that backing did not bring the results I was aiming for. We got a couple of new contributions recently which brought our total funds raised until now to a bit over 900 US. Far below our goals.
I’ll be promoting our films, as usual, and when the new projects are getting ready, I’ll be updating their progress, but I don’t believe I’ll have videos of rehearsals or the fighting for general release. Sorry. A few pictures sure, like always.
Cruxlover24: Maybe to show the rehearsals to people who contribute could be something good!
Maybe. We don’t have plans to shoot rehearsals at this point. We are working to make sure we have the resources to make the films. That’s the priority. 930 dollars helps, a little, to get some of the stuff we need. But the actual production takes thousands of dollars and we have to find those resources. The perks we offer in the campaign is what the contributors will get.
If we come up with other ideas, I’ll be discussing them.
And now for something completely different.
Simonne is making her debut internationally as a film director!
Yes, you heard right. Our amazing actress recently made a jump behind the camera and directed a 10 minute documentary, produced in ten days, for an international contest. The film is currently screening at:
https://docs-enlinea.com/peliculas/pollerita
It is in Spanish and the site is from Mexico, where the international contest is hosted.
So, to me, that’s an international debut as a filmmaker.
Cool. Right?
