Posts tagged 2023-2
Tales From Black Manor, “The Land of Death and Dreams” Out Now!

Happy Holidays! The latest episode of Tales From Black Manor can be watched right now! 

The Land of Death and Dreams, Official Synopsis:

When one of the Seven Deaths crosses paths with Jones, a brave young soldier fighting for his life in WWII, the two fall for one another. But when Jones is killed in the line of duty, she brings him to the Land of Death and Dreams.

The Expanding Lore of Black Manor

Black Manor is so fun for us because we get to discover it as we create each episode since the sandbox is an ever evolving one. This is part of the experimental nature of the project. So far we’ve learned that other families have inhabited Black Manor, such as the Winters, but we’re also about to find out about The Seven Deaths, as well as The Land of Death and Dreams. 

New Article on RAINDANCE!

Check out this brand new article on RAINDANCE! We discuss some of the behind the scenes and inspirations for Tales From Black Manor. 

Here’s an excerpt:

Early on in our filmmaking journey an interview with Alfred Hitchcock made a big impression. He was talking about the context between two different shots. The first was the close-up of an actor and the second was what he was looking at. When editing these two shots together, context is created. The edit decides what the actor is looking at, which then informs the audience’s opinion about the character. 

This has been one of the main guiding principles as Tales from Black Manor has come together. How to create context from shots that at one point, had nothing to do with one another. Then from there, how do you create an entire world of fables, folklore and myth? 

You can read the Full Article on the Official Site:

Tales From Black Manor, “Mister Winter” Out Now!

The latest episode of Tales From Black Manor can be watched right now! 

Mister Winter, Official Synopsis:

During World War II, German soldier Adolphus Winter becomes consumed by the legend of Black Manor. He’s heard whispers that Death resides there with his ability to grant eternal life. As his obsession drives him deeper into darkness, Adolphus abandons his morals, willingly sacrificing everyone in his way.

BackSpace Spain Premiere! 
 

BackSpace will be making its Spain Premiere November 23! BackSpace will be featured at the ROS Film Festival as part of their fifth year celebration or V Edition.

Here’s the official Festival mission:

Since the early days of cinema robots have been an inspiration for great directors: Fritz Lang, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, etc. starring in an endless list of films.

In recent years, film production with robotics theme has experimented a special boom, mainly due to the technological evolution of robots themselves, but also because the relationship between humans and machines is getting closer and closer and is increasingly becoming part of the social imaginary.

We’re thrilled that BackSpace will be screened again as the film makes its way around the world! If you haven’t already seen BackSpace, you can watch it here on the site along with the sequel BackSpace Returns! BackSpace Forever, the third film in the trilogy is currently in production.

And you can check out the Official ROS Festival Site here:

 
Tales From Black Manor, “Mister Winter” First Look

The Different Eras of Black Manor

As we continued to explore the different aspects of Black Manor, one of our favorite discussions has been about the different time periods that surround the manor itself. Looking back at Series 1, the tale of Ivy and the tale of Anastasia are certainly different time periods. The second episode also has two very different time periods connected by characters and their immortality over the course of decades if not centuries. 

For this second series we began to look at Medieval settings, World Wars, and the 80s. These were some of the ideas that really excited us since each tale could have such a different tone. For Mister Winter, we settled on World War II. We also thought it would be interesting if the manor had changed hands throughout the ages and brought in another family - The Winters.

Check out the First Look stills below for the upcoming tale: “Mister Winter.”

BackSpace & BackSpace Returns Screening in Greece!

We’re so excited to announce another screening of BackSpace and BackSpace Returns! Both films will be screening at this year’s Icona Animation Festival! The festival takes place in Greece November 30 - December 3 and will be featuring some really great films! 

The aim of the Ionian Contemporary Animation Festival ICONA 2023, which is organized by the Department of Audio and Visual Arts of the Ionian University is to present the best from the field of animation from all around the world.

The festival also aims to preserve and help develop the cultural heritage of short animated film, contribute to creation of new films, provide ground for potential international co-productions and encourage dialogue between professionals, filmmakers and the public.

Make sure to check out the Official Festival Site right here:

Tales From Black Manor, “Alice & The Watch” First Look

Welcome Back to Black Manor

When we finished Tales from Black Manor, we always knew there could be more tales to tell. During the writing process of the first three episodes, the lore of the world continued to grow, as did the family. We began wondering what it would be like to grow up in the House of Black - and while the main characters in Series 1 craved immortality - what if that wasn’t always the case? What if someone didn’t want to live forever? The character of Alice began to emerge and she had a very different opinion than the previous narrators.

Check out the First Look stills below for the upcoming tale: “Alice & The Watch.”

BackSpace and BackSpace Returns at Universal Film Festival!

We’re thrilled to announce that both BackSpace and BackSpace Returns will be playing at the Universal Film Festival this week as a double feature! 

Every year the Universal Film Festival takes place in a different country and a different city. Last year’s festival was held in Germany, where Tales from Black Manor took home the award for Best Horror Film! 

This year’s festival will take place in Kansas City, Missouri. The event kicks off on September 28 with a Red Carpet and the Awards the following evening on September 29.

For more information on the Universal Film Festival make sure to check out their official site here:

Brand New Article on Bold Journey!

Super cool and inspiring magazine and website, Bold Journey, just interviewed us about what keeps us creatively inspired! 

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“At the start of every year, we make a list of the impossible things we want for the year. These are things we really want to do but don’t know how to do them. They can be for our company, a direction we want to take our lives, or a personal impossible thing we’d like to do. That list goes at the top of our to-do list and we stare at it every day.”

”We let these impossible things percolate inside our heads and think of ways to accomplish them. Over the next 12 months, most of those things that seemed impossible at the start of the year, ended up not being so impossible after all. We slowly chip away at them. And a funny thing happens. Usually 9 times out of 10 we accomplish all those things we thought were impossible.”

You can read the full article on Bold Journey: