Back From The Dead

Before I bring you up to speed with all things Stag Night, I just want to put an end to a rumour that has been circulating for the last few weeks. The reason the blog hasn’t been updated since we got back from the Cannes Film Festival has got nothing to do with me being arrested for stalking and subsequently languishing in a French jail. I don’t know who started this rumour but it’s got to stop right now.

And for the record, Cameron Diaz quite liked having her feet sniffed.

So what’s been happening behind the scenes of Stag Night of the Dead? Well quite a bit so pull up a comfy chair, dim the lights and pour yourself a small glass of something nice.

OK so since the last update Neil and myself went off to Cannes to get pissed meet with a number of potential distributors for the film. The Guvnor is threatening to post the video diaries he shot whilst we were out there so be sure to check back in the next few days to laugh heartily at my attempts to speak at 3 in the morning. (Mental note to self – don’t ever go on the lash with a teetotaller).

Here’s what the Guvnor had to say about the trip:

Cannes was a blast . Mike and I are still feeling the effects of the meetings , private parties, alcohol and the yacht incident with Cameron Diaz (like to tell you more but can’t). We met more distributors than you could shake a severed arm at, and have decided on a shortlist to show the screener to.

SNOTD was very well received but we need to polish the cut so it’s absolutely spot on hence we have been busy re editing and the new cut is slicker and moves the story along. As a result the film will be finished in August.

For the record the buyers chose the poster of Candy and the zombie arms as the best promo and even the hardened ones laughed at the bollocks gag on the trailer.

Fright Fest want to premier SNOTD but we won’t make their August festival.

Be patient the end result will be worth it and we’re still having a London/Ipswich premier in the Summer.

Source – Stag Night of the Dead Facebook Group

One of the things I loved about Cannes was getting to see what new movies will be coming out over the next few months and two I’m particularly looking forward to are Lesbian Vampire Killers and Cockney’s vs Zombies. I would imagine they’ll both be well worth a watch!

We also met up with Ian Rattray from FrightFest whilst we were there and recorded something for their Cannes podcast. Sadly the film isn’t going to be ready in time for this years festival. Shame as the line up for this years festival looks cracking. I’m hoping to get along for a couple of the days so if any SNOTDers out there fancy joining me leave a comment here.

So where are we with the film? Well after the feedback we had from distributors in Cannes we decided to make a few changes to the running order of the film, cut a few scenes, add a few bits in and, well, basically recut a lot of what we’d done. The result is that the release date has slipped back and we’re now looking at August as being the earliest date for our test screenings.

Once the test screenings are out of the way and we’ve made any changes that come from the audience feedback we should be in good shape to get the film out in time for the American Film Market in November. Who knows? We might even have a Halloween screening in London. Not that I’d like to start any rumours of course

The Wrangler is back from the cabbage farms of Poland and is wading through hours of tapes to put together the behind the scenes footage for the DVD. Word has it that some of this stuff might just find its way onto YouTube in the next couple of weeks but, again, I’d hate to start any rumours

Talking of YouTube, which I just was, the Stag Night of the Dead trailer has now been viewed 500 times. I was a bit disappointed with the way YouTube compressed the video file as standard. Sure they offer a high quality option but why present the low-res version as standard? Anyway be sure to let your friends know that they can see the trailer on YouTube and – ahem – vote for it.

Finally congratulations to our editor Ben Mitchell who got married a few weeks ago. From everyone at Zomball Films we hope you had a fantastic day, that you enjoyed your honeymoon and wish you all the best for your marriage. Now get back to work, you bastard!

So I think that’s just about everything squared off. I promise not to leave it so long between updates and will post some more of the Directors Diaries this week and maybe…just maybe…some of that behind the scenes footage but, again, rumours…starting…blah blah blah…