If you were a teenager in 1999, chances are you sat in a dark theater with your friends, peeking at the screen through your hands, while watching the 麻豆精品 S渇ound footage 麻豆精品 S� of three student documentary filmmakers who disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Md.
麻豆精品 S淭he Blair Witch Project, 麻豆精品 S� by Haxan Films, celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, after grossing more than $248 million worldwide and receiving critical acclaim, which included winning the Award of the Youth for Foreign Film at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Orange Award at the Florida Film Critics Circle Awards.
The highly successful indie horror film was the creation of five UCF alumni: Michael Monello, 麻豆精品 S�92; Robin Cowie, 麻豆精品 S�93; Daniel Myrick, 麻豆精品 S�93; Eduardo Sanchez, 麻豆精品 S�94; and Gregg Hale, 麻豆精品 S�95.
We caught up with Hale, one of the movie 麻豆精品 S檚 producers, in Portland, Ore., where he currently lives with his wife, Adrian (Steinbach), 麻豆精品 S�00, and their two kids, Amelia, 8, and Decker, 6.
Hale and Sanchez still own Haxan Films and continue to make indie movies, as well as television shows, games and comic books, and also do some creative consulting. Most recently, the pair produced a show for ABC called 麻豆精品 S淭he Quest, 麻豆精品 S� a fantasy-based reality competition, which began airing at the end of July and wrapped up in September. In addition, their Bigfoot horror film, 麻豆精品 S淓xist, 麻豆精品 S� comes聽out聽Oct. 24.
麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 a cycle of developing and then producing, 麻豆精品 S� Hale explains. 麻豆精品 S淲hen we do the indie thing, we have to sell them. So, we 麻豆精品 S檙e trying to transition more into television, which is steadier. There 麻豆精品 S檚 more money in it now than there is in indie films, and we don 麻豆精品 S檛 have that cycle of taking a long time to create something, then make something, then sell something. We can get in and do it and not worry about the sales aspect. 麻豆精品 S�
Hale and fellow 麻豆精品 S淏lair Witch 麻豆精品 S� producer and UCF alumnus, Monello, also are the the founders of Campfire, a marketing agency that shapes perceptions and enhances brand preference through social storytelling, digital content and physical experiences 麻豆精品 S斅爅ust like the promotional campaign they did for 麻豆精品 S淏lair Witch, 麻豆精品 S� which had many people believing the movie was real. Hale remains with the company as an advisor, while Monello serves as its full-time chief creative officer.
麻豆精品 S淚 like the work that we did for Campfire, 麻豆精品 S� Hale says. 麻豆精品 S淲e did a lot of cool stuff, like the first season of 麻豆精品 S楾rue Blood 麻豆精品 S� and the first season of 麻豆精品 S楪ame of Thrones, 麻豆精品 S� and we did some cool movies and a lot of video games. It 麻豆精品 S檚 good work, but I don 麻豆精品 S檛 get passionate about that. I 麻豆精品 S檝e still managed to stay somewhat passionate about TV and film. So, I just opted to do the thing that gets me going. 麻豆精品 S�
In 2013, Hale and Sanchez directed a point-of-view zombie segment called 麻豆精品 S淎 Ride in the Park 麻豆精品 S� for the horror sequel 麻豆精品 S淰/H/S 2. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淏eing a filmmaker is the only thing I ever really wanted to do, 麻豆精品 S� Hale says. 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檝e known since I was 11 that that 麻豆精品 S檚 what I wanted to do, when I saw 麻豆精品 S楽tar Wars 麻豆精品 S� (A New Hope). I was young enough to be totally amazed by the movie in that kid way, but old enough to realize somebody made it 麻豆精品 S斅爐here was a camera, and people behind a camera, and somebody decided what the set was going to look like and what Darth Vader looked like. When Darth Vader walks through the door at the very beginning of the movie, it blew my mind 麻豆精品 S斅爐he visuals, the music, everything. That 麻豆精品 S檚 the moment I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker. 麻豆精品 S�
As a child, Hale used a Super 8 camera to make short films, stop-motion animation and zombie movies. And, in true young, male filmmaker fashion, he also blew up toy soldiers with fireworks and filmed it.
Before Hale was in the spotlight for 麻豆精品 S淏lair Witch, 麻豆精品 S� he worked as a set dresser for Disney 麻豆精品 S檚 麻豆精品 S淭he All New Mickey Mouse Club 麻豆精品 S� and on the swing gang in the art department for the HBO miniseries 麻豆精品 S淔rom the Earth to the Moon, 麻豆精品 S� both of which were produced in Orlando.
Hale grew up in Kentucky and was on his way to California to pursue his film education at UCLA or USC ( 麻豆精品 S渂ecause those are the big, famous film schools 麻豆精品 S�), when he got a call from a childhood friend who was working on 麻豆精品 S淪uperboy 麻豆精品 S� in Orlando. That was right before Universal Studios Orlando opened and right after Steven Spielberg told the world via 麻豆精品 S淭he Today Show 麻豆精品 S� that Central Florida would be Hollywood East. So, Hale, like all of the other film students who weren 麻豆精品 S檛 already working in L.A., decided to head south.
Before starting college, Hale served in the U.S. Army to earn money for school. He 麻豆精品 S檇 already been working in the industry when he started taking film classes at Valencia College, where he learned聽the technical skills necessary for filmmaking. When he got to UCF, he says he enjoyed the opportunity to make his own films in a structured environment, with access to resources and instructors.
His advice to current UCF film students? 麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 talent and intelligence and all of the other attributes that are part of being a successful filmmaker, but you need perseverance, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 a hard business. If you allow yourself to get discouraged, you 麻豆精品 S檙e not going to make it as a filmmaker. There have been a lot of ups and downs for me and Ed. Since 麻豆精品 S楤lair Witch, 麻豆精品 S� we haven 麻豆精品 S檛 had that level of success we started out with, and that can be a downer at times. Things don 麻豆精品 S檛 always go the way you want them to go, but you have to stick with it. It 麻豆精品 S檚 a blessing and a curse. 麻豆精品 S�
LET’S GET REEL Q&A
Q. Favorite UCF memory?
A. Going to class. I enjoy learning. The classes I enjoyed the most were film theory and film history. They were non-production classes, where you 麻豆精品 S檙e just learning for learning 麻豆精品 S檚 sake.
Q. If money was no object and you could make any movie, what story would you choose to depict?
A. We have a couple of properties that we 麻豆精品 S檝e been developing that are 麻豆精品 S減ie in the sky. 麻豆精品 S� So, I 麻豆精品 S檇 like to make a big fantasy thing that my kids could go see. The TV show that was just on ABC [“The Quest”], my kids could watch, which I was super psyched about. It 麻豆精品 S檚 the first thing I 麻豆精品 S檝e done that my kids could actually see.
Q. Most memorable work experience so far?
A. I feel super lucky to be doing what I 麻豆精品 S檓 doing, and to be able to have done it as long as I 麻豆精品 S檝e done it. When 麻豆精品 S淏lair Witch 麻豆精品 S� got into Cannes, we all went, and got to go to some big parties 麻豆精品 S斅爐hese crazy, over-the-top parties. We 麻豆精品 S檙e standing on this beach with drinks, dressed in jeans and T-shirts, and there were guys with Rottweilers on chains guarding the edges of the party. We 麻豆精品 S檙e just standing there like, 麻豆精品 S淲hat in the hell are we doing here? 麻豆精品 S� That was all such a whirlwind.
Q. Last movie you watched?
A. 麻豆精品 S淜elly & Cal 麻豆精品 S�
Q. All-time favorite movie?
A. 麻豆精品 S淔ellowship of the Ring 麻豆精品 S�
Q. If someone made a movie about you, what would the title be?
A. 麻豆精品 S淥ne Lucky Dude 麻豆精品 S�
Q. What TV show are you embarrassed to admit watching?
A. 麻豆精品 S淣aked and Afraid 麻豆精品 S�
Q. What 麻豆精品 S檚 the hardest thing you 麻豆精品 S檝e ever done?
A. Staying in the film business when I wanted to get out of it
Q. What subject do you wish you 麻豆精品 S檇 paid more attention to in school?
A. Typing
Q. Favorite place to visit?
A. It 麻豆精品 S檚 a tie between Japan and New Zealand. New Zealand is one of the most spectacular visual places I 麻豆精品 S檝e ever been with maybe the nicest people on the planet. And, Japan is just a very foreign culture that I 麻豆精品 S檓 really drawn to. I really like the way the Japanese people do everything.
Q. Something you learned in the past week?
A. Salmon stay at sea three to four years before returning to spawn. I just went and watched the salmon run yesterday.
Q. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
A. Historian