Saturday, May 16, 2015

Launching the Freya 7

Christian Matzke is looking to finish his "Alien" fan film "Last Flight of the Freya 7". I would really like to see that happen, for a couple of different reasons. First, take a look at his pitch video.


"Alien" is my absolute favorite film. I've seen it hundreds of times, from when it was initially released in theaters, through the days of VHS videotapes, and now in digital form. It's a masterpiece, and the most successful Lovecraftian film ever made. Mr. Matzke obviously loves it just as much as I do. Just look at those props! Taking the time to recreate things like the Rescue Helmet and Gateway shuttle demonstrates not only his attention to detail, but his commitment to getting it right. Browse the project's Facebook page and you'll see more examples like that. Sweet Fancy Moses, he even duplicated the Nostromo's galley!



Beyond his skill as a propmaker, Mr. Matzke also has a track record of actually making movies. As someone peripherally involved in the industry I can't emphasize how important that is. There are a lot of people who want to make films, but actually putting in the work to see a project to completion is all too rare. Given his track record I'm confident "Freya" won't be vaporware.

Last of all, I owe a personal debt to Mr. Matzke.  His "Propping Up the Mythos" site was the direct inspiration for Propnomicon.  Long before I was doing this he was there, offering tutorials and highlighting the work of propmakers and fans.  You wouldn't be reading this if it wasn't for him.

I just finished tossing in a few shekels to the IndieGoGo fundraiser.   If you could help him reach his goal I would appreciate it.  If you can push him past it, I would be ecstatic.

1 comment:

CoastConFan said...

That’s a worthy cause. Here are a couple of interesting links somewhat on the subject:
http://www.horror-fix.com/2015/05/05/interview-the-makers-of-last-flight-if-the-freya-7/

https://www.pinterest.com/FreyaSeven/last-flight-of-the-freya-7-web-series/

As a mild suggestion to Propnomicon's readers, I think it would be economically possible to make a period film based roughly on the concept of the Lovecraft inspired film Alien, taking place mostly on a tramp steamer in the 1930s. All you would need would be the rights to film on an older ship, some costumes and a few props. As for the “monster” a little careful filming not to show the horror until it’s time to be revealed, then some 3D CGI rendering would do the trick. The point is to create a psychological horror story, more than a monster movie. It’s really about character and their relationships with each other and their beliefs more than an action film. It would be reasonably cheap and easy to film a 20 minute feature under such a situation. A little cribbing of technique from Alfred Hitchcock on suspense wouldn’t hurt either.