So… I saw the Kickstarter and full confession I checked it out because my inner fangirl saw Amber Benson of Buffy was in on it…but I backed it cuz it sounded cool.

And it does.  David wants to tell you more about it, and you can also read about it here.  If it sounds cool to you to you as well, maybe you can help back it, too…

On to David Raiklen, Producer/Composer

First, thank you Shiloh for letting me guest blog, I feel honored to contribute. There’s a sense of magic and romance on this site.  And that leads to Blood Kiss.

There’s a sense of wonder and magic in the screenplay and the people involved. I want to help bring a unique story to life, and work with some of the most wonderful creative people in the world. Neil Gaiman, Amber Benson, Michael Reaves, and Tom Mandrake are warm, funny, creative, and inspiring. Every day one of them says or does something that makes me think, laugh, and do better than I could before. Being part of a great team is key to having a successful project, and somehow I fit into this creative team. We blend our skills and make something new happen every day. I’m a composer and love the Golden Age of Hollywood. That was an era of gorgeous melodies and lush orchestrations.

Blood Kiss is set in that world and gives me a chance to update those grand romantic gestures and spice them with otherworldly electronica. To do that takes money to hire live musicians. People are better than boxes. And more authentic. That means we have to raise enough money to hire great performers, string players and brass. In a project like this everything goes on screen and the more we raise the better our production values. Everyone knows what classic movies sound like and I have to create that sound. A real challenge. But with the support of fans it’s possible.

And did I mention that Amber Benson sings? She plays Ruby Day, a world-famous chanteuse with a dark secret that hardboiled Detective Joe Belicek discovers. But it’s too late, he’s in love with her.

Michael tried to get the studios to see the value in a new kind of character driven, glamorous Hollywood vampire tale. They didn’t get it. But you do. We can do this together with your support. That’s kind of amazing, that Michael’s dream can come true, Neil gets to act, Amber can sing, I can orchestrate melodies, do things we really believe in and do well. With fans giving us the green light.

A big reason I’m part of Blood Kiss is that crowdfunding gives me a chance to to my best work, be creative in ways the old system might never allow. If we have great success, maybe we can even change the system a bit.

We all want to make the best movie possible, and that involves a lot of people, time, money, and resources. With such strong personalities there are differing opinions, and finding a middle way that works for everyone is a real challenge sometimes. Designing the campaign for Kickstarter took months, and everyone contributed. Because we believe in the project, the final version looks great and holds your attention. All the parts fit and help tell the story.

In a sense it’s a microcosm of how the whole filmmaking process works.

Collaboration-Communication-Completion.

I’m grateful to Michael, Neil, Amber, Tom, Daniela, Leah, Dave, Dan, Tommy, and Fernando for doing amazing work. Please see their work at PledgeBloodKiss.com.

We’re making magic here!

Thank you again!