About

Synopsis

Blood: a Butchers Tale, is the harrowing tale of Sam, a simple butcher who discovers that the love of his life, Darcy, is being seduced by a vampire.

As he investigates further, Sam realizes that his destiny is to become the destroyer of this blood thirsty race. Sam begins a killing spree with the slaughter of his beloved wife, then her blood addicted lover.

Sam then makes it his duty to systematically destroy the remainder of the clan, until he hesitates about killing Lily (Campbell), the last of her race. Helplessly he falls in love with Lily and learns to respect her desire to be normal.

Eventually Sam must battle with the possibility of repopulating the planet, with the exact race he set out to destroy.

Background

A multi-textured story, both narrative and cinematically. Loosely based on the Indian Mythology of the Nataraj, The Dance of Lord Shiva -- as he destroys life, he inadvertently creates it. Sam (Douglas) is a melancholy anti-hero who is repeatedly forced to destroy the precious things he loves the most.

His profession as a skilled butcher conditions him to endless repetition of slaughter. In contrast to his harsh environment, Sam is really a loving and gentle man. Yet he is slowly feeling Darcy (Sciole), the love of his life, fade away, both physically and emotionally. As he investigates the deadly catalyst of her condition, he must dig deep into his heart in order to decide on the correct course of action.

Simple in thought and execution, yet complex in emotional agendas, Sam chooses a path of race cleansing. He employs a simple objective; destroy those who are responsible for destroying his life. His actions force him to examine the hollow recesses of his tortured soul, until he encounters the final survivor of the vampiric race. Luminescent and pure, Lily (Campbell) becomes the desire and passion that suppresses Sam’s killing spree.

As they begin their emotionally cautious courtship, Sam responds to Lily’s stark and slowly warming demeanor. It is at this trusting juncture, when Lily reveals her true intent, to initiate the process of an age old prophecy: Repopulate and conquer. Emotionally, the final betrayal sends Sam reeling into a state of self sacrifice.

Design

Cinematically, the film's design means to reflect Sam’s emotional and psychological state of mind. Through the various location environments, the filmmakers intend to develop a significant contrast. The butcher shop will be a crimson infused, blood splattered place of work, where everyone seems to be indifferent to the ongoing carnage.

However, it is in Sam’s residence where the slightest imbalance sends him reeling and affects him dramatically. Throughout the course of his journey, as he develops his instability, thematically the film will subtly shift the shadows and backgrounds askew, as to reflect the unbalanced behavior of Sam and his situation.

This will be accomplished through having the majority of backgrounds simulated through CGI. This technique will be applied in most environments. The film will be treated in a hyper realistic fashion. The colors and tones will exaggerate any form of reality, thus creating a lush and colorful artistic palate.

Camera angles and aesthetic will be comprised of forced perspectives and detail oriented close ups, to accentuate the narrative. Most importantly are the performances. The Green-Screen process places the actors in a “theater stage” environment. This gives the director considerably more time to explore the emotional depths of the actors and characters.

Technology

The filmmakers are using leading-edge technology to become the first in the horror genre to create a look and feel similar to “300” and “Sin City”.  They are employing the Silicon Imaging SI-2K Camera, which shoots at higher resolutions than HD, to blend stylized graphic and live-action elements seamlessly. 

The SI-2K is the first 2/3" digital cinema camera with 10-bit Cine-Form RAW™ and 12-bit uncompressed 2K direct-to-disk recording. It offers unprecedented image quality, over 10 f-stop dynamic range, a touch-screen interface and IT-friendly connectivity. It is also the first to deliver in-context, 3D color-corrected "look" visualization and a complete raw post-production workflow.

Ari Presler, Silicon Imaging CEO stated, "The transition to digital cinematography started when George Lucas first shot 'Star Wars: Episode II' in HD.” "Today, we have completely eliminated the need for film or tape and now offer the ability to shoot at even higher resolutions than HD, edit while each shot is taken, and have a production ready for distribution within weeks instead of months."

Production

The film is written and directed by Mark Tuit (Subhuman) and produced by Pacific Gold Entertainment, Inc., RTG Productions, and Handpicked Films.

The Video Game (Blood; Butchers Block) will be released simultaneously, likely bundled and/or cross marketed with the film. Pacific Gold Entertainment is also producing the full length Graphic Novel, Soundtrack and all associated merchandise, related to the “Blood” franchise.

Pacific Gold Entertainment and its producing partners are currently in pre-production with their new film “A Premature Burial”. Not only is this film a CGI-heavy thriller, with a video game attached, it is also being considered for 3-D process shooting.