the undergraduates: production

This 17-minute short was shot on Super-VHS at an undisclosed, ungodly expensive liberal arts college in the north-central part of the United States. (It may look like Oberlin College, but the similarities are only superficial. Really.) The final budget was approximately $500: the camera rental was free, filming was done guerilla-style, special make-up fx and props equaled about $100, and the remainder was used to rent a camera and an editing facility.

No one was ever meant to see this movie again. Filmed in early 1991 as "The Hellfire Club," this project was considered lost until 2002, when its edited version was "rediscovered" in a pack-rat pile of boxes.

Crowfeather Films recently remastered the film in order for it to be presented on this site as a download for study by other aspiring, zero-budget filmmakers. The movie had a tumultuous history, one with enough pitfalls and lessons to make up a large book on the do's and do-not's of no-budget video filmmaking. A lot was learned in the production of this movie, and ultimately there is no better teacher than pure experience.

Friends don't let friends make movies

All of the cast and crew were friends. Everyone was also getting college credit for participating in the project, so it was not necessarily a "just-for-fun" production. As painfully evident from the final product, no one on board was a seasoned actor (or director, for that matter), not even with one or two stage productions under their belt.

Because the film itself was so non-politically-correct and violent, we had a difficult time attracting any actors in the college drama department. Everyone who turned down a role did so purely based on "subject matter." No one who rejected working on the short had even read the script. Perhaps, they were wiser than we gave them credit for.

A Method to the Madness

The true purpose behind the movie was to make a feature length "serious" film. "Serious" as in, not being a comedy, a parody, a spoof, or a tongue-in-cheek takeoff of a genre. The original goal was to tell a story "straight" within the parameters of a genre. Because the budget was so small, the genre chosen was "psychological thriller," which was slowly becoming the new catch-phrase in Hollywood at the time. Everyone involved knew it was going to be hard, but no one knew how hard.

Who Needs Equipment?

This was the only equipment used: a Super-VHS camera without any override controls (such as white balance, exposure, focus), a tripod, and a long extension cord. That's about it. We mostly used natural lights. Because we couldn't control the lens, the few times a light was used, it washed out the image. Sound was recorded directly in the camera without an external microphone. We only had a simple A-B editor, so there was no color correction available. We didn't realize we needed any of this equipment until after we finished shooting. Ah, to be young and naive again.

Original Screenplay

The original screenplay was 85 pages long. The final screenplay turned out to be a full 18 pages long. Because the actors had very little or no experience, the script was heavily edited at the last minute, so that the actors could actually deliver the lines with any degree of conviction. As a result, a lot of the motivation and character development was tossed out the window. Even entire scenes were erased or improvised.

The Screenplay in the Crotch

If you watch carefully during an early scene, you can see that the other actors spent most of their time staring at another actor's groin, almost as if hypnotized by his zipper. The scene was pivotal for the movie, but most of the actors had not bothered to learn their lines. The dialogue was rewritten in large letters and taped on the actor's crotch; three pages condensed down to one. (Thank God no one was nearsighted and had to look closer. What an intriguing shot that would have made.) Needless to say, the final scene came off as far less than spectacular.

More Blood, Dammit!

Jeremy Young was the master of the blood FX. He followed the same formula that was used in Coppola's The Godfather, but he even went so far as to slice himself open to make sure the fake blood was the right color and consistency. Luckily the producers couldn't afford a dismemberment scene, or else who knows how far Jeremy would've gone to achieve that realistic look.

Since the blood's primary ingredient was Karo syrup, the bathroom used in the final battle was sticky for months afterwards. The residents of that dorm are still cursing Robert's name to this day.

Uh, Isn't This Illegal?

The butterfly knives, axes, and hunting knives used in the film could get you permanently suspended if found on your person. None of us even thought about this fact at the time of filming. Although the actors were running around campus with bloody axes, no one bothered to say anything to them or the producers. In short, everyone got off lucky. We here at Crowfeather Films do not advise you doing this. Get permission first before you start slicing people up.

Jeremy Young is God

Without Jeremy Young, this short film would never have been possible. Right now, we would probably still be serving time for murdering a few select members of the cast. Of all the people working for the defunct Ominous Zygote Films, Jeremy was the pro. His advice, humor (mostly dire), and perseverance truly saved the day.