John Fallon Official Blog

Choosing the right DP can make or break your movie in my opinion, especially one that is as visually driven as THE SHELTER. We’re not making a found footage flick over here! The Shelter relies more heavily than the norm on composition and lighting to communicate its substance and themes.

I mean, what would Kubrick’s THE SHINING be without DP John Alcott? Argento’s SUSPIRIA without DP Luciano Tovoli? Exactly! Having a good director of photography is essential to making THE SHELTER all that it should be, it’s a HUGE part of the puzzle and we know we have the right man in BOBBY HOLBROOK. A little bit about Bobby:

Bobby Holbrook is a second generation director, producer and cinematographer, is production manager & part owner of Holbrook Multi Media, a 36 year major production house.. Working on set since he was 7, he has allowed himself to be involved in most every aspect of the business as producer, grip, gaffer, shooter, DP, director, editor and colorist on countless Documentaries, Indie & Feature Films, Long Form Presentations and hundreds of regional and national TV commercials. Bobby spends most of his days editing, color grading, and shooting and operating his Steadicam & 35ft Jimmy Jib. His pet projects like the “F65 Project” has received worldwide attention which lead Bobby to a small group workshop in Burbank hosted by CML’s Geoff Boyle that sees top cinematographers from across the country unite.

To be honest; before I met Bobby, I was a bit nervous, because all the credentials in the world can’t account for chemistry. I needed a DP I could get along with, one that understood the project, one that thought on his feet, one that I could collaborate with as opposed to butting heads. Basically our energies had to mesh. I know it sounds tacky, but I don’t know how else to say it.

Thankfully, after spending some time with Bobby, I quickly realized that would not be a problem. We had found our man and he came on board with both six shooters fully loaded! Looking forward in going to war with you bro! Welcome to the platoon!

Producer Donny Broussard and I recently went through the audition process in terms of casting the remaining roles for my feature length directorial debut THE SHELTER, which is set to star MICHAEL PARE.

And we pretty much found what we were looking for. One role will require call-backs, but other than that; golden. The first piece of casting we are ready to announce is the lovely and talented GAYLE JAMES who recently wrapped BAD COUNTRY which stars Willem Dafoe, Amy Smart,Tom Berenger and Matt Dillon. She will be taking on the role of MARYAM, who is THOMAS (Pare) wife in the film.

Gayle blew us away with her audition (s). What I esteemed about her was that she obviously had solid instincts as an actress, a chameleon like quality (she read for two roles, it was night and day), the camera simply loved her and she knew how to play to it. Moreover she will be able to keep up with an actor of Pare’s experience which was very important to me. Finally she had the look that I was looking for in terms of the role of Maryam. Her eyes spoke volumes, I need that.

So yes, I am happy.

Welcome aboard Gayle! We are elated to have you part of our team!

In terms of what’s next for The Shelter, expect further cast/crew announcements sooner than later and a crowd funding campaign to pop up online in order to raise more money. To be honest with you all, I do have mixed feelings about doing a campaign, with that the more money we have, the better movie we can make.  So we’ll see how it goes and take it from there.

To be continued! Till then follow us on FACEBOOK HERE!

A film I starred in; David Cholewa’s DEAD SHADOWS finally comes home, yes the French film just nabbed its France and UK distribution. About F-ing time! Here are the deets from the Hollywood Reporter:

TLA Releasing has closed a pair of multi-territory deals in Cannes, snatching up David Cholewa’s genre feature Dead Shadows from DC Medias for release in the U.K. and France. Cholewa’s French sci-fi horror film is set against the arrival of Haley’s comet, an event that begins to turn the world’s populace into violent mutants. TLA is planning a cross-platform release in France and U.K. for the title.

Congrats to David Cholewa and everybody else who had a hand in making DEAD SHADOWS happen!

Even though I am not at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in person (I got The Shelter to prep), two of my projects are. Dead Shadows will screen there (Cannes Market) as it still has some territories to lock and there’s my new project EYE SEE DEATH which Rurik Salle and I have been developing.

EYE SEE DEATH is written by Jason Hewlett from a story by myself and Rurik Salle. It will star myself and Rurik while the fight choreography will be done by Manu Lanzi (JCVD, Chinese Zodiac, Kiss of the Dragon, District 13, Unleashed). The film is a horror, action hybrid.

See a promo poster within this story (this is by no means the final poster, it’s something we whipped up real fast to make Cannes) and the synopsis is below.

New York. One year, ten women brutally stabbed to death in their homes. This is the work of the serial killer the media have dubbed ‘The Uptown Slasher’, and it’s a case that has become an obsession for no-nonsense homicide cop Shane Carter (John Fallon). In France, the maverick Inspecteur Malterre (Rurik Sallé) has dedicated a good portion of his career in patrolling the most violent of suburbs, dealing with the toughest gangs and street thugs. When Carter takes down The Uptown Slasher in a decoy operation, they find out that the assassin is actually french.

In order to help the US unit on the case and to bring the madman back home for trial, the french Police sends Inspecteur Malterre over to New York. Alas, the Uptown Slasher eventually escapes his captors, and heads back to France with Carter and Malterre hot on his trail. But things are about to get worse. The psychopath has a secret; he can’t sleep and has been living under heavy medication for years. Without his pills, not only is he awake twenty-four hours a day, but his perception of reality gets heavily distorted, bringing forth horrific visions. During his eva-sion, his medication was lost and now The Uptown Slasher sees hell everywhere he looks and he won’t stop until he lets the apocalypse loose onto the world… Will the clock run out before justice is served?

DEAD SHADOWS is going straight to DVD in North America via Shout!Factory but it’s going theatrical in Greece. Very cool! You can check out a TV Spot pushing its release below! Big congrats to everybody who worked their asses off on the film! Cast, crew, effects peeps, food peeps, random french dude on the streets that spared me a couple of cigarettes at the time…everybody!

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Dead Shadows was directed by David Cholewa and written by Vincent Jule. It stars Fabian Wolfrom, Blandine Marmigère, Rurik Sallé and myself. Here’s the film’s synopsis:

Dead Shadows tells the terrifying story of a young man, named Chris (Wolfrom), whose parents were brutally killed 11 years ago, on the same day that Halley’s comet could be seen from earth. Tonight, a new comet is appearing and everyone in his building are getting ready for a party to celebrate the event. There’s even an apocalypse theory going around. As the night falls, Chris discovers that people are starting to act strange – and it seems to somehow be connected to the comet. They are becoming disoriented and violent and it doesn’t take long before they begin to mutate into something far beyond this world. In a fight for survival, Chris tries to escape from his building with the help of a gun taunting tenant named John (Fallon) – but will they make it out alive?

On set with director David Cholewa...I didn't want to hear it

My short film THE RED HOURS aka the short film that keeps on giving will be playing at the upcoming CanadaDrome on May 26 in Vancouver, BC. Get the info below and HERE! The flick stars Deke Richards, Amy Wickeneiser and Heather Westwood. It was shot by Donny Broussard. Am proud that my little baby is still hitting the big screen now and again 4 years after its initial release. As Ash would say… GROOVY!

The third CanadaDrome is at the Pacific Cinematheque on Sunday, MAY 26th! Come and see the pulse-pounding short film “The Red Hours” from Montreal filmmaker and film critic (arrowinthehead.com) John Fallon – along with Creepy Six Films’ “Catholic Cheerleaders for Satan”! followed by a special screening of the kick-ass backwoods killer-comedy “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil”! A few special guests will be in attendance (TBA soon) and, as always, we’re totally licensed so if you feel like having a brewski or vino, we’ll have the bevvies available for $3.50 (damn cheap!)

On set with Amy Wickeneiser.

Two positive David Cholewa’s DEAD SHADOWS  reviews surfaced recently! Check them out below!

The first is in Greek from Horrorrant.com:
“Wolfrom steals hearts and has a brilliant career in front of him, and experienced action man Fallon gives us something extra, although it could have a bigger role. Dead Shadows is a low budget film that looks like a Hollywood production!”

The second is from the UK site Geek Chocolate:
“Conversely, John Fallon despite his extensive experience, is asked to do little beyond demonstrate his affinity for a variety of weapons, at which he is remarkably adept.”

Dead Shadows will be released shortly in North America via Shout! Factory.

I recently stopped by the WE CAME FROM THE BASEMENT SITE to shed a bit more light on my next film THE SHELTER, here’s an excerpt, read the whole thing HERE!

Tell me a bit about where the idea for The Shelter came from.

t was winter and I was walking back from a hockey game during a snow storm. I saw a homeless man sitting on the ground begging for change, he was obviously freezing. I felt bad for the guy, so I gave him a couple of bucks and kept walking. As I walked on, I started wondering how the man got to where he was now. Then I started inventing scenarios in my head about him trying to find shelter from the storm and what would happen if he did.  Once I arrived home, I had a found an initial premise for a script and jolted it down. I wrote the first 40 pages fairly quickly, but it took me 3 years to find the rest of the script. It was the first time (and hopefully the last) that happened to me; getting “stuck” on a script. With that, there was something about the story that resonated with me; I couldn’t give up on it for some reason. So for years I had The Shelter on my mind, always trying to solve it. And yes, I was elated when I FINALLY did.

We recently opened a Facebook Page for my upcoming film THE SHELTER and you can LIKE IT here!

The Shelter stars Michael Pare and here’s its synopsis:

On a star filled night, widower and homeless man Thomas (Michael Pare) finds shelter for the night when he falls upon a vast two story house with the lights on and an inviting open front door. He strolls on in thinking he just caught a lucky break and for a while, it would appear as though he did. Inside, with nobody in sight, he finds all of the comforts that he used to have. After taking a bath, feasting wholeheartedly on some food and relishing the silliness on the tube, he gets some well-earned shut eye.

All is well until a restless Thomas wakes up in a panic and finds a loaded revolver resting on his lap. Baffled, he picks up the weapon, checks the barrel and notes that it is fully loaded. A visceral sense of unease invades him immediately. Something is very wrong and he decides that it is time to leave. Alas he finds out swiftly that the premises won’t let him depart so quickly. The doors are all locked, and the windows puzzlingly cannot be opened or broken. Destiny has brought Thomas to this place. Will he survive the ordeal?

For my feature length directorial debut, I am trying to surround myself with people that I know and trust.  So the same M.O. went for the lead role of Thomas in The Shelter. I needed an actor that I knew as a person on some level (I’ve known Mike since 2006 or so, my bud Eric Red introduced us), had the chops to do the role justice and who would be an ally on set.

Michael Paré was the first name on my list; in fact, I had him in mind when I wrote the script.  He’s my kind of guy; straightforward, committed, intelligent and humble. He is also very talented. And in terms of The Shelter, he’s perfect for the role on every level. So yes, I am very happy that Mike responded to the script/the role and that he’s doing it

Here’s what Mike had to say about the script:

“I read John Fallon’s script “The Shelter” and it tells a great and painful tragedy. Not about global disaster or war or economic collapse but of the individual human heart. The human heart and soul is what all art seeks to unravel. Guilt, regret and shame kill the heart and soul. When our lower animal nature dominates our character our soul is lost.”

Yeah,  he got it. Am in the process of assembling my team with Producer Donny Broussard. More news on the project when I have some. I smell location scouting in the near future.