Moviegoers who clamored to see Scream 4 opening weekend and chose the Madison Theater in Albany as their theater of choice, got a little something extra. They viewed a 28 minute and 50 second `preview` that was actually a short horror film called `Hinnon Valley,` written, directed and produced by Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake graduate Rick Greenwood.
`It went pretty good. It was a little less people than I had expected but the people who did come were willing to stop by and give their input. It was nice to meet face-to-face with people,` said Greenwood, who estimated about 500 people got a peek at his work.
Greenwood is now a graduate student at The New York Film Academy at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, Calif. and `Hinnon Valley` is his short thesis film that marks the launch of his professional film career.
Jay Pregent, co-owner of the Madison Theater, helped him mark his new beginning in a big way.
`He worked out a great opportunity for me by screening my film as an opening bonus to the opening weekend of ‘Scream 4,’` said Greenwood.
The storyline goes like this: Hinnon Valley, a small, secluded city within a mountain range was the perfect place to test a new military weapon. Things get out of hand when the flesh eating inhabitants begin to take over. It’s up to Dr. Allison Westlake, who teams up with a young girl named Erin, to find a cure to stop the outbreak while eluding an opportunistic military general and his henchman.
`Hinnon Valley` rolled before the first two screenings of the latest `Scream` installment at 6:30 and 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Greenwood said it was a chance to get feedback and drum up interest in his work.
`I had a survey ready to have people fill out I was selling copies of the movie to raise money to get it into festivals and stuff,` said Greenwood. `Overall it was a pretty good response. People really liked it and said they wished it was longer every single person who responded said ‘yes’ they’d like to see a feature version.`
That’s a good sign, since Greenwood has every intention of extending `Hinnon Valley` to be a full-length feature film.
`I’m trying to get a feature done in order to really legitimize myself as a filmmaker and to take that next step trying to do a Hollywood film,` said Greenwood. `I have to prove that I can do and handle a feature film and finish it and have it come out successfully.`
`Hinnon Valley` might be a stepping stone to bigger and better things, but that doesn’t mean it looked like an amateur production. Greenwood took special care to produce a film that looked high budget, on a low budget.
`It was a very ambitious project and I really wanted ultimately to do something that was very polished,` said Greenwood. `It was penny pinching as much as possible and that’s where pre-production was so important.`
Greenwood conceived `Hinnon Valley` early on, which gave him about six months of pre-production and made the nine days on set more productive.
`I think with rehearsal and spending time with my actors and casting ahead of time really helped when we got to set, and having a great crew and people around was probably the reason it all came together,` said Greenwood.
The biggest obstacle will be money. Since he was a student, Greenwood got a break by having access to some production equipment and discounted locations to shoot. From now on, he’s on his own.
`It’ll probably have to happen on an independent level I’m trying to get in touch with potential investors who have the funds in order to make it happen,` said Greenwood. `I have the contacts with the cast and crew, it just comes down to the money in the end.`
The film’s genre will hopefully help drive its success, said Greenwood, because horror films tend to attract a cult-like following.
`It’s a genre that people tend to gravitate toward, especially a real true fan base, myself included,` said Greenwood. `I’ve always gone to the darker side of things, whether it be horror or even a drama, but I tend to stick to horror because I like to excite people and scare them and make stuff that’s gripping.`
With the premiere of `Hinnon Valley` close to home, Greenwood hopes to start building that crucial fan base.
`I need to create a good fan base to support me and hopefully that will give me an edge to create future projects. Horror fans are probably the most committed and most ravenous, they want more material and want to get their hands on stuff,` said Greenwood.
Don’t expect to see fluffy, predictable and shallow `slasher` films, though. For Greenwood, it’s all about the characters.
`I like to have good, strong characters. That’s the way you draw people in,` said Greenwood. `It’s like the original ‘Star Wars.’ People love those movies because of the characters, it wasn’t about special effects.`
`Hinnon Valley` might be serving as a jumpstart to what Greenwood hopes will be an illustrious film career, but he has other projects in his back pocket.
`I’ve been searching and throwing around ideas and scripts I’ve written,` said Greenwood. `I’ve been getting some interest in a vampire western movie, I have a script about a fallen angel and a drama about prostitutes.`
Greenwood will also help produce a comedy horror film this summer that he hopes will open doors.
For more information about `Hinnon Valley,` search for it on imdb.com and to see a movie trailer, search for it on YouTube.
“