I recently experienced a temporary, but nerve racking setback with the film. I came home early in the week to find that a power surge had killed my editing computer. [Despite the surge protector.]  Stifling the urge to scream, I quickly setup my laptop and connected the external drive that holds all the crucial files for the film. The hard drive worked, the film was intact. Whew! Thousands of hours of editing had not been in vain. But the editing computer remained dark. After troubleshooting I found that it was, in fact, inoperable. I am currently working to repair it and hope that it lasts for awhile, until I can raise some additional funds for a new workstation. Until I can edit again, I took the opportunity to create a recent backup.

So to summarize.  The film is safe. The computer is dead (or at least in a coma. I hope this is temporary.) And despite the difficulties of filmmaking, I am still in love with the process.  I am still in love with No Sanctuary: The story, the characters, and the journey to bring it all to life.

- Jake Stetler

The one sheet movie poster for No Sanctuary has been completed.  It was designed by graphic artist, Dustin Bennett.  Those of you who have subscribed to the email list will receive a preview of the poster by email.  Those of you that haven’t yet subscribed can still preview the poster by following these simple steps.

• Locate the box to the right.
• Enter your email address.
• Hit SUBSCRIBE.
• An email will be sent to you asking you to verify the subscription.

DON’T FORGET THIS CRUCIAL STEP!  You must respond to the email.

That’s all there is to it.

Random subscribers will receive a 4″X6″ Mini Poster Refrigerator magnet featuring the new design!

Despite the photographic evidence that follows; the work environment on the set was rarely tense or antagonistic.  The cast and crew were professional, devoted, and great fun.  There were a few strained moments, but nothing compared to what could have happened between a group of fiercely creative individuals working with a limited budget in the sweltering heat of summer.  I am deeply grateful to everyone who participated.

Drew Whelpley [Midnight Jack] prepares to “shoot” the director [Jake Stetler]

Fred Waters Jr. [Bartimaeus] takes a hit from Melissa Dunphy [Tanner]. 

Currently I am working with graphic artist, Dustin Bennett on the one sheet that will be used for the film’s release.  Dustin has created a mockup that looks very promising.  It features an image that I have created from production stills.  That image is posted on the temporary home page of the official website.  [It is an iconic shot of Deacon composited with Bartimaeus, Tanner, and Lucy.]  When it is complete, 4″X6″ magnets of the poster will be produced and offered for sale for a nominal fee.  This is a small part of a new initiative to raise some additional financing or “completion funds” for the film.

For those of you who haven’t seen the original preview poster by Rich Johnson, please click HERE.

Going through some early notes for the No Sanctuary screenplay, I found a list of possible names for the antagonist, the Captain of the Highwaymen, the man ultimately known as Midnight Jack.  [Note: I experimented with many variations. Not all were great. Several I omitted from this post because they were way off the mark.]

• Captain Asher Flint
• Brimstone
• Flintlock
• Travellin’ Man
• Gideon O’ the Road

Looking back I am pleased with the choice of “Midnight Jack”.  I couldn’t imagine that character known as anything else.  Although I still kind of dig the name “Gideon O’ the Road”.  It would be interesting to hear your opinion.

The new No Sanctuary trailer is online!  For background on this video check out the previous post New Trailer to be Released Soon! I have decided to leave the Preview Trailer online for now as well.  I posted the video on two sites.  The video embeded here is the best quality if you connect to this link and hit watch in high quality as soon as the page loads.  I also placed the video on Revver.com if you want to check out the encoding quality on that site.

Director Jake Stetler prepares to film Drew Whelpley as Midnight Jack.

Crew member, Kris Kissell, holding a collapsible reflector. All of our outdoor lighting was achieved this way. Notice the shirt I am wearing in the foreground. It came from the Action Film Academy that Fred Waters and I attended in Storm King, New York.

Crew member, George Weiss III, assisting Scott Snyder with sound.

Early on in the production of No Sanctuary I read an article stressing the importance of high resolution promotional stills. Through experience, I now realize how important this task is for a project. I have a considerable amount of images, but I almost wish I had more. That being said… Many excellent photographs were taken by Jessie Hill on the set. These have been critical for website construction, press kits, and promotional items. Eventually though, despite the quality of these photographs, the cost of film development became prohibitive. The production invested in a digital still camera with a respectible megapixel count. I would occasionally snap high res shots in between setups. Unfortunately I didn’t do this often, I was more concerned with getting performances on screen. I should have had someone dedicated to taking digital stills and maybe even “behind the scenes” video footage. Perhaps I should have consulted Ms. Hill? I also must thank Ted Stoltzfus for the high quality photographs that he took during the few days he was on set.

Due to the dedicated work of graphic artist, Chad McComsey, I am excited to reveal the new logo for No Sanctuary. It will still incorporate the branded title that the production has been using since preproduction, but now it features a symbol depicting the archangel, Michael.

There are two designs. I have not decided which one to incorporate. If you have an opinion, please contact me. I would love to have feedback.