Now that Jason Beware 2 has been out in the wild for a few months I figured I would offer a little behind the scenes look at how this fun project came together.
Back when we created the first video for Jason Beware we had no idea what we were doing. We went to a park, dressed up as some creepy characters and did a couple shots on an iPhone. I think the idea was originally just to do a photography session with the kids dressed up but it kind of turned into it’s own thing and we made a very short movie with no lines and really no plot.
A year went by and my son asked if we were ever going to do another movie and I said “absolutely!” So we got to work on the sequel. I had an idea of how we could make the sequel really a prequel that tied into the first movie so I got to work writing the script. Before I knew it, I had written a nice draft that actually could work with our zero budget, non-technical skill, and amateur child actors. By April 2021 I had the script finished and started planning the production, however there was just one issue. I had 1 extra role than I had actors and that’s when I thought of a cool idea. Secure a popular actor or celebrity to perform this extra role. It was a voice only role, so I figured it could possibly be easier for someone to lend their voice than it would be to schedule them to be on set. So I started my search.
I began my search by just reaching out the easiest way possible, social media. So I crafted a message that I could send to various people with the hope of getting someone to reply and hopefully join our cast. I must have sent out a dozen or so messages to different voice actors, screen actors, YouTube stars, and more. I casted a wide net and I wasn’t very confident that I would even get a reply, and I was right.
A little bit after my contact blitz I learned about a website called Cameo. On this website there are dozens upon dozens of celebrities that will send you a video message for a fee. I thought, maybe this is how I can make this happen. So I got myself a budget of $20 and found who I thought would be an amazing additional to the cast, George Hardy from Troll 2. His Cameo was only $20 and it looked like he was pretty responsive to previous orders, so I figured why not, let’s try it out. I will admit, I was very disappointed in Cameo’s interface, you are very limited in what you can send to the actor. You only get so many characters to type out what you want. So I had to convey a message of what I am trying to do, as well as send him the script, all in under 150 characters. I figured this wasn’t going to go well, but I got to try for the sake of the fan-film. I trimmed as much from the lines I needed as possible and sent the message. The next day George Hardy sent his Cameo, and it was nothing like what I thought we would get. What I was sent though, is still amazing and something that we will cherish forever.
Now a month after the script had been finish I was dead set on making this happen. At this point I got the bright idea to start reaching out to former Friday the 13th actors, writers, and directors. First I started with some of the actors like Adrienne King, Derek Mears, Warrington Gillette, and several others. I never got a response from anyone and I was feeling a bit defeated until I tried one more, Victor Miller. He was the screenwriter for the original movie and I had read that he had also done some voice work. So I reached out and not even 20 minutes later I had a reply! Mr. Miller agreed to help with our fan-film. So I sent over the small part and by the end of the day Victor had already recorded and sent his part back to me!
After three months of searching for an actor for this very small role. We were finally ready to make this movie happen.
Everything really started to come together once that piece of the puzzle was found. I gathered up props and did some scouting for a nice creepy shooting location and made a plan for it all to happen. Luckily for me, my other actors and actresses had been practicing their lines this whole time. So when the time finally came for a table read, they were ready!
Because of how organized I was with everything, and how prepared the kids were, we only had two days of shooting! The kids did great, from the acting, to helping with set design, handling clapsticks, props, and other behind-the-scenes stuff, I am very proud of them all and the work they put into the movie.
Editing took a bit longer to finish up. I knew I would need some sound design for post-production, so I reached out to my cousin to see if his aspiring beat making son would like to produce some scary music for the fan-film. I wanted to create some creepy tunes as well to really round out this production.
After about a month in the editing bay, things were looking good and I could see a target goal of August 13th, 2021 for a release date. It was going to be Friday the 13th after all. With the final things left to do being designing the movie poster and planning a premier party, I would say things were just rolling right along.
Our party was a success and the fan-film has been getting some views. We are all extremely proud of the work we all put into making this and we all honestly cannot wait to make another. My wife and I even decided to get little Oscar awards to give to the kids for things like best actor, best death, etc. They loved getting them and also enjoyed the goodie bags with fake weapons, Jason mask, and candy!
It’s crazy that even a small project like this can take months to come together, and then when it finally does, it is amazing. This crazy cast of characters are sure to make you laugh and probably wince a little too. Our movie is creepy yet funny and definitely worth the watch.
So please, enjoy our Friday the 13th fan-film, and also be sure to like and subscribe to our Facebook page for Jason Beware, the kids love seeing the views go up, likes, shares, and comments! Anyways, without further ado, may I present, Jason Beware 2: The Origin.
