Kickstart This | Geekscape

Michael Reeves Is Heading To Cannes To Raise ‘Blood Kiss’ Awareness!

by Derek KraneveldtMarch 26, 2014

Briefly: Back in May of last year, we featured an incredible project called Blood Kiss in our ‘Crowdfund This’ column. By the end of its campaign, Blood Kiss had surpassed its Kickstarter goal by more than $38’000! Pretty amazing, right?

Now, with production set to begin this Summer, Blood Kiss creator Michael Reeves (who did a lot of work on a ton of amazing projects, including Batman: The Animated Series), along with the film’s production crew are heading to the Cannes International Film Festival in France to help market his vampire-themed film.

The film has been getting much attention in part because award-winning author/screenwriter Neil Gaiman (who needs no introduction here), will be making his acting debut in the film. Also joining the team will be acclaimed comic book artist Tom Mandrake who will create original artwork for the film.

Mandrake even drew Jonathan's character in the show. — Mandrake even drew Jonathan’s character in the film.

On the trip, Reaves said that he’s “thrilled to bring our vision for ‘Blood Kiss’ to Cannes and bring it one step closer to fruition. So far we’ve received a lot of support for the film and we want to bring some of that energy to this great film festival.”

Blood Kiss is set in 1940s Hollywood with a classic film noir tale of a sexy jazz singer in distress and a private investigator who gets a little more than he bargained for when he takes on a case involving mysterious vampires.

If you’re looking for more from the film, you should definitely check out Geekscape 292, producers Daniela Di Mase and Leah Cevoli chat with Jonathan about the film. We’re unbelievably excited that Michael and everyone involved are able to make the film a reality, and we really can’t wait to see more.

Excited for the movie? Be sure to sound out below!

Crowdfund This: Michael Reaves’ ‘Blood Kiss’

by Derek KraneveldtMay 15, 2013

With talent like this, I wonder just how quickly Blood Kiss is going to hit its goal.

Emmy Award winning writer Michael Reeves has developed an ambitious new film project, but he (and everyone else involved) needs your help if the feature is ever going to see the light of day. The project is called Blood Kiss, a ‘Vamp Noir” film (an entirely new genre) that revolves around detective Joe Belicek, who must solve the murder of a vampire before a deranged killer murders them all.

Inspired by Film Noir, Blood Kiss is set in 1940’s Hollywood, and already has some fantastic names attached to it. Blood Kiss will feature the acting debut of the incredible Neil Gaiman, who had some fantastic words to say about the film’s script:

“Michael sent me the script. I told him, “it’s a terrific script.” and he said, “I want you to act in it.” I replied “There’s nobody else I would act for.”

Blood Kiss will also star writer/director/actor Amber Benson, who is no stranger to vampire media after spending three years as Tara Maclay on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It’s easy to see that Blood Kiss is going to be phenomenal, so let’s help the project get made! The Blood Kiss Kickstarter launched earlier today, and in just a few hours has raked in over $7000. There are some some amazing rewards up for grabs for anyone that contributes to the film, including digital downloads, posters, Blu Rays, premiere tickets, and much, much, more. If Blood Kiss sounds like your cup of tea, head to Kickstarter and pledge, pledge, pledge!

Watch the project’s Kickstarter video below, and don’t forget to check out Blood Kiss on Twitter and Facebook! We’ll be sure to keep you updated on this one as the campaign continues, and as we learn more about it!

Crowdfund This: ‘Nobility’

by Derek KraneveldtApril 2, 2013

Are you ready to take back Sci-Fi?

That’s exactly what Cowboy Errant and the rest of the team behind Nobility want to do. The brainchild of Cowboy Errant founder and Science Fiction enthusiast E.J. De la Pena, Nobility is an upcoming Sci-Fi dramedy web-series that’s being dubbed as The Office in space. How has this not been made yet?

The Sci-Fi genre is filled with ripe examples of fan involvement keeping projects (and dreams) alive. From Star Trek conventions molding the franchise into what it is today, to ILM inventing entirely new pieces of technology to make George Lucas’s Star Wars a reality. Nobility aims to be the first Science Fiction project that puts fans front and center. Nobility is for you, and can only happen with you, so why wouldn’t the creative team want you to be involved?

Just how involved can you be? Straight from the Kickstarter campaign, Nobility promises to “be in constant communication via social media, have regular podcasts detailing every aspect of production, and we’re even going to open some roles up for fans – for you to truly be a part of the series.”

There are definitely some cool folks attached to Nobility too. First (as mentioned above), series creator and Cowboy Errand founder E.J. De la Pena. He’s been an actor for years, starring in projects like 1996’s Jingle All The Way, to the currently in post-production Starship: Rising. From the Kickstarter video (embedded below) it’s easy to see just how heartfelt E.J. is about the project and how much of a Sci-Fi enthusiast he truly is. The project’s director, Neil Johnson, is no stranger to micro-budget Sci-Fi, and has helmed movies like Humanity’s End and Alien Armageddon. Babylon 5 alumni Claudia Christian has also joined the Nobility in a starring role.

Claudia Christian in 'Babylon 5' — Claudia Christian in ‘Babylon 5’

The project’s test footage looks great, and Nobility has some great folks attached to it, so why not give it a chance? Cowboy Errant is looking for $45’000 to fund the project, and at the time of writing (just over a day into the campaign), it’s sitting at $1126. If you’re a Sci-Fi fan, you can clearly see that E.J. and his team are too, so let’s do all we can to make their dream come true. Being a Kickstarter project, there are of course plenty of incentives up for grabs, including DVD’s, Behind-the-Scenes packages, posters, scripts, and even a few spots on the show.

Check out the project video for Nobility below, and if you like what you see, back the project and share!