John Borowski's Blog

My First Letter from a Serial Killer

2011-05-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

On May 28, 2011, I arrived at Birdy’s bar and grill in Indianapolis, Indiana for The Crime Scene event. Matthew Aaron, the driving force behind the show, was given an unopened envelope by the owners of the bar. The letter was sent by serial killer Kieth Jesperson from the Oregon State Prison. The envelope was addressed to Birdy’s Bar and Grill, Attention: The Crime Scene.

Here is the full text of the letter:

23 May 2011

Dear the Crime Scene

I know Joe Hiles and have heard of several who are there. What I am interested in is John Borowski, filmmaker. Hoping he will consider doing a film on my story. Especially my first murder case here in Oregon. The Bennett murder where Multnomah County sheriff’s and prosecutors coached Laverne Pavlinac into pointing blame at herself and John Sosnovski for killing Taunja Anne Bennett on January 20, 1990.

5 ½ years they spent behind bars before I, Keith Jesperson, was able to (?) my total guilt in the case and got them released.

Follow my story John by going to www.keithjeserson.com Joe Hiles is helping Tod Bohanon put together my website to tell my story and sell my art.

Good luck on your convention.

Sincerely Keith Jesperson.

PS I have six murder convictions to date.

#1 Multnomah County Oregon 30 years, 20 minimum

#2 Washington County, Oregon 37½ years consecutive

#3 Clark County, Washington 34½ years consecutive

#4 Laramie County, Wyoming 25 to life consecutive

#5 Santa Clara County, California life without parole consecutive

#6 Riverside County, California 25 to life consecutive

Keith Jesperson

#11620304 OSP

2605 State Street

Salem, Oregon97310

Albert Fish now on itunes.

2011-05-26T08:59:00.001-07:00

In sin he found itunes: VIEW NOW

Holmes coming soon to itunes.

PANZRAM FILM FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN

2011-05-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

In an effort to complete my vision for my film, Carl Panzram: The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance, by the end of 2011, I have begun an online fundraising campaign in collaboration with Indie Go Go. I would appreciate any help and support. If you cannot contribute a minimal amount, then maybe you can help spread the word via email, facebook, myspace, or posting the widget or banner on your website(s). I am also available for TV, radio, and print interviews to help spread the word.

Here is the Site: http://www.indiegogo.com/Carl-Panzram-The-Spirit-of-Hatred-and-Vengeance

Take a moment to check it out on IndieGoGo and also share it with your friends. All the tools are there. Get perks, make a contribution, or simply follow updates. If enough of us get behind it, we can make Carl Panzram: The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance happen.

Thank you for all of your help and support.

Why is it so difficult to freelance as a filmmaker in Chicago?

2011-03-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

In a big city like Chicago one would think that there are many film/video freelance opportunities. Yet I have been living back in Chicago for over two years and I have found very little work in the field. Does anyone know why this is? I post ads on Craigslist for my cameraman and editing services, yet I do not receive any interest. Is there anyone out there who can point me in another direction for film/video opportunities in Chicago. There must be a need for filming/editing projects in this huge city.

SXSW Film Festival: Typical Hollywood Politics

2010-11-23T08:47:00.000-08:00

I was told today that the panel selection process is not final and that there is a minimum of four panelists and I am in the running for one of two slots as the "big names" are automatically chosen for two of the slots and us little guys have to wait in anticipation to see which of us will be lucky enough to be selected. The two panelists who are automatically on the panel are: Michael Mann's daughter and John McNaughton, whose film Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer was released in the Jurassic era of 1986, over 26 years ago! Needless to say I was very upset that I was told that I was on the panel and to publicize the fact that I was selected on the panel, only to now find out that it is still in the selection phase. Here is part of my response to this news:

"Why does the selection of four panelists not include Mann and McNaughton as it seems they are automatic choices? To be truly diplomatic, all of the names should be considered and not jut the "big names". This seems to be yet another case of the bug guys muscling out the little guys and that is sad. But believe me I understand the politics of Hollywood and that is why I left LA in disgust. Henry was released in 1986, that is over 24 years ago! Whereas I am a true crime filmmaker CURRENTLY immersed in serial killers and films on serial killers, CURRENTLY working on my third film on a serial killer. This proves that the panel selection is the typical practice of the Hollywood political system, which is very sad for a film festival such as SXSW to be participating in and is exactly why I tell filmmakers NOT to enter their films in festivals as they are throwing their money in the trash.

If you can please keep me posted on the selection process, that would be great, but to tell you the truth this whole thing has left a bad taste in my mouth and rather than spending my limited funds on airfare and food for the conference, I may just allocate those funds to completing my film on Panzram. I am pretty certain that John McNaughton will not be paying for his own airfare."

2010-11-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

John Borowski is a confirmed panel member of the SWSW 2011 panel entitled: Reel Murder: From Crime Scene to Big Screen - Exact date and more info coming soon!

John Borowski has been awarded the Indy Film Wisconsin Film Hero Award (non studio).

Audio from Albert Fish wil be featured in a song by Sparzanza, to be released in February.

Albert Fish reviewed at Hayes Hudson's House of Horrors.

John Borowski has begun production on a documentary titled: SERIAL KILLER CULTURE. The documentary will examine how serial killers have influenced modern culture.

Panzram is finalizing production filming.

Panzram Shoot September 4 and 5

2010-09-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

The weekend began stressful and began beautiful.

O.K., I am so over the Chicago Film Office debacle. I will document it in it's entirety soon as it is yet another strange story in the Panzram film saga. These last two days were amazing shooting days with plenty of great footage. What a great team: Eric Richter as D.P., Matthew Aaron as tattooist and still photographer, Ernesto Ghinaglia as Still Photographer, and excellent performances by David Salmonson and Brett Jetmund. Thank you everyone for your time, patience, and devotion.

We will all be waiting outside the Chicago jail at 7am. Waiting to hear from the Chicago Film Office. They last told me they will not know the status of permission granted to shoot at the jail until after 9am. The time agreed to by the Chicago Film Office is 7am. I first began speaking with them in April about shooting Panzram at the jail so now everyone can realize why I am so upset about the situation. Why wait until the day before the shoot to obtain all the signatures that are needed?

Anyway, I am over it and the weekend was great.

To Willy Laszlo: Nice to hang out with you back home! It was no Ringo concert, but I had a blast with you and Doug. Thanks man.

Chicago Film Office gives preferential treatment to Hollywood, Pt. 1

2010-09-04T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Chicago film office gave preferential treatment to Hollywood and screwed me for my Panzram shoot next week, even though I have all my materials to them way in advance. More to come.

2010-08-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

NEWSLETTER, August 2010

Panzram reenactments are to be filmed around Chicago in September. Jail reenactments of Panzram's friendship with Henry Lesser are filming at the same City of Chicago jail where Public Enemies was filmed with Johnny Depp.

Holmes and Fish storyboards are featured in the book:
The Documentary Moviemaking Course.

Matthew Aaron is the tattoo artist for Panzram. Matthew designed the tattoos based on early American Sailor Jerry tattoos.

Scot Ryersson has completed a key prop for Panzram.

New Albert Fish Review at The Black Glove.

Borowski is teaming up with filmmaker Daniel Kraus for a third time and authoring his work series film, Professor, to DVD.

Chilean filmmaker Patricio Valladares' film, Toro Loco is now in post production. Borowski is an associate producer on the film.

NEWSLETTER April, 2010

2010-04-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

CASTING PANZRAM
Shooting: Late June. Seeking Caucasians–Young Panzram: 18-25, brown hair, slightly muscular, stocky build. Adult Panzram: 30-38, brown hair, muscular, stocky. Henry Lesser Jewish Jail Guard, 24-28. Send pix to: John Borowski, P.O. Box 607085, Chicago, IL 60660, email: johnborowskifilm@gmail.com. Pay, copy, credit, meals. Nonunion.

SEEKING SET DESIGNER
Seeking a set designer who can build a jail cell set which includes a cell door that slides open and closed. Basically three walls and jail bars/cell door. Very low budget and small scale period(early 1900's) documentary reenactment production. Must be creative and have walls that can be disconnected and switched out for different looks. Will also utilize green screen and shadows for effect. Pay for materials and your time.
EMAIL: johnborowskifilm@gmail.com

2010-03-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

JOHN BOROWSKI NEWSLETTER March 2010

Netflix begins streaming HH Holmes and Albert Fish on April 15
Add the films to your Netflix cue and stream to computer, PS3 or XBOX!
NETFLIX
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Diabolical Radio Interview
Listen in as Diabolical Radio interviews Borowski. March 17, 10:00pm Eastern
DIABOLICAL RADIO
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"Albert Fish" screening in Greece. Grab the olive oil for flavoring!
Fish will be screened as part of the Screamin' Athens Film Festival on April 9 & 10.
SCREAMIN ATHENS FEST
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"Toro Loco" brings Borowski on board as Associate Producer
Borowski is an associate producer on Chilean filmmaker Patricio Valladares' film, Toro Loco.
WATCH THE TRAILER
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Borowski appearing in "The Dead Light District"
Filmmaker K.M. Jamison has chosen Borowski to play "Kemper" in his horror film shooting in Chicago summer of 2010.
DEAD LIGHT DISTRICT FILM SITE
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Development of three part trailers for "Siren" commences
For the release of John Everson's latest book, Siren, Borowski is teaming up again with Eric Richter to film three trailers which will be released in the three weeks leading to the release of the book.
JOHN EVERSON SITE
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Reel Chicago Article
Borowski finishing last doc in ‘Killer Trilogy’ - New “Panzam” in same real-life murder genre.
Thanks to Ruth Ratny and Peter Adams
REEL CHICAGO ARTICLE
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Borowski writing for In Cold Blog
In 2007, the site In Cold Blog nominated Albert Fish for a Capote Award for Best True Crime Documentary Film. Now, John Borowski is writing a monthly article for In Cold Blog. The article will discuss Borowski's films as well as true crime films and books.
IN COLD BLOG
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Diabolical Radio Discusses the "13th" Trailer
Author John Everson discusses the Borowski-directed trailer which the interviewer states is "Definitely one of the better book trailers out there."
LISTEN
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PANZRAM UPDATES

11-13 Year Old Male Actor Needed ASAP
Seeking young male actor to portray 12-year-old Carl Panzram.
Send pix & resumes to: johnborowskifilm@gmail.com or mail to: John Borowski, P.O. Box 607085, Chicago, IL 60660.
Seeking –Young Carl Panzram: 11-13, brown/black hair. Pay, copy, credit, and meals provided. Nonunion.

Recording John DiMaggio Voice Over in April
John DiMaggio's V.O. as Carl Panzram will be recorded In Los Angeles this April.

Filming in Minnesota
Filming commences in Panzram's birthplace, Minnesota, in April. Filling the shoes of historical detective, Borowski hunts down killer Carl Panzram's childhood farm based on a deed of land purchased by Carl's father, John Panzram. This deed was sent to Borowski by a gentleman who grew up in Minnesota and now resides in San Diego, CA. Borowski will also film the exterior of the Red Wing institution and interview Minnesota state historical society.

Reenactments to be Filmed in Summer of 2010
Reenactments for Panzram will be shot at various locations around the Chicagoland area this summer.
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Merchandise
Visit the True Crime Film Merchandise Store where you can order T-Shirts, Posters, and more:
TRUE CRIME STORE

Chicago Filmmakers

2010-01-27T07:24:00.000-08:00

I attended the Chicago Filmmakers Meet up last night, which was very enjoyable. The meet up is like speed dating, where you are given so many minutes to talk to an individual then you switch and talk to another. A great way to meet other artists int he film community.

So I was talking to a composer who teaches at Columbia College whose name was Hummie. Let me preface this by stating that I am a huge film music fan and collect film soundtracks. The composer asked me if I was a fan of Mel Brooks. Of course. He then tells me he scored Brook's last two films. Then it hit me. This was Hummie MANN, film composer. I really love his score to Year of the Comet. Talk about shock and awe! I was honored to meet Hummie Mann. These are the little gems which are so great about Chicago film.

PAYDAY

2010-01-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

I was updating links on the Fish site and noticed something odd, but funny.

Look at the link next to my head which is a link to the actual payday loan site. Payday loans has a sense of humor!

Horrorbles Screening

2010-01-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

There was a full house in attendance last night for the Horrorbles screenings of Holmes and Fish. Two people walked out on Fish and I thanked them as it was the ultimate compliment that they could not take any more of Fish's disturbing story. I was very impressed with atmosphere and style of the gallery at Horrorbles. The 16 seat theater is furnished with actual movie theater seats which are very comfortable.If you are a fan of horror, then you must visit Horrorbles.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

I was Sweeny Todd for Halloween this year. It seemed appropriate that I portray a serial killer. At the first party I met up with my niece, Amanda who was Mrs. Lovett, so we had a great conversation about how to make pies of people. Who would of known that a friend of Sweeny's would be at the party, Hannibal Lector.

The second party was a blast where Sweny found more victims to relieve his blood lust.

My kind of town

2009-10-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

Chicago has been showing me some love. Below are new reviews of Holmes and Fish.

Horror Yearbook - SHU-IZMZ - Horror Society

Keep an ear open for John appearing on SHUIZMZ Radio soon.

John with Kelsey Zukowski from HorrorYearbook.com and Horrormoviefans.com.
2009 Chicago Horror Film Festival

October 09 update

2009-10-02T07:17:00.001-07:00

The Chicago Horror Film Festival was held at the Portage theater this last weekend, Sept. 25 thru 27 and was a fantastic event. The program listed me as"John Borowski Presents...", which is awesome as a friend of mine once told me that I should distribute other filmmaker's dvd's as "John Borowski Presents", I guess it's a nod to Hitchcock. At the fest, I unveiled the new dvd artwork for H.H. Holmes (now includes the awards won on the bottom 1/4 of the cover art.) as well as autographed DVD's and was on stage to screen trailers, discuss Panzram and also had a Q&A with Mr. Willy, the fest's host. I encourage more people to check out the Portage Theater as they screen many classic films in 35mm, like the classic "The Bat" which is screening soon. http://www.portagetheater.org/

Since moving back to Chicago from Los Angeles, I have attended several festivals here in Chicago. It is so great to be welcomed back to my home town. In future blogs I will discuss bot the highs and lows of living in LA. I actually miss some aspects of it now, Amoeba music being the number one thing I miss- there are now music stores in Chicago! Since the closing of Tower and Virgin, there is only Best Buy. I am on the search for smaller music stores which sell vinyl and used cd's/dvd's. I know Evanston has some music stores.

Panzram is moving forward. Panzram's case is the most research heavy film I had done so far. I have a mountain of paperwork. Panzram fascinates me more than any other subject as there is no one label that can define him.Every time I work on the film, I am discovering new aspects of Panzram's personality. The next steps are to shoot in Minnesota and record John DiMaggio's voice.

Marc Levits' has chosen me to author the DVD for his excellent film, Feast of the Assumption: The Otero Family Murders. More info here: http://feastoftheassumption.unsubfilms.com/

This month, I will be interviewing the owners of a house on the property where H.H. Holmes murdered Howard Pitezel for inclusion in a Holmes special edition DVD.

2009-05-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

Apple makes it impossible for indies to get their work on itunes.

2009-02-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

It really sucks that we can edit with their software but not have our films distributed through their itunes store.

http://cinematech.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-get-your-indie-film-on-itunes.html

Check out Createspace for the best distribution outlet for indie filmmakers through Amazon.com.

Download Serial Killers

2009-01-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

January, 2009 marks the first time ever that I have entered the digital download phase of distribution of H.H. Holmes and Albert Fish. Amazon.com has opened amazing opportunities for independent filmmakers by allowing filmmakers to rent and sell their films online via digital downloads. For $1.99 you can rent the films and view for up to 7 days. For $9.99 you can download and own the films.

Here are the links: H.H. Holmes - Albert Fish

These are the only legal downloads of these films which I have personally authorized. Purchasing the digital downloads from Amazon and purchasing the DVD's from the official sites are the only methods I approve for viewing and purchasing these films.

I also recommend any independent filmmaker who wishes to distribute their films get in contact with Amazon and pursue these same distribution methods. I author DVD's if you need these services. The great aspect of downloads and print/view on demand is that the filmmaker authors a DVD then incurs to further out-of-pocket costs. The filmmaker receives a profit which can be verified online, there are no hiden fees or marketing fees, which is a huge problem with the traditional distribution process.

These methods of distribution are the future of independent filmmaking.

Filming Leavenworth

2008-10-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

This is a journal of my trip for Panzram filming (October 16-18, 2008) focusing on Leavenworth Penitentiary which will fill in much of the second half of the film.

October 15, 2008

As I prepare to fly into St. Louis later in the night, I receive a call from Cindy Ashman who is the Executive Assistant at Leavenworth Penitentiary. Several weeks before I emailed Ms. Ashman and asked permission to film the exterior of the prison as well peckerwood hill, which is the prison cemetery where Carl Panzram is buried. Ms. Ashman’s First Reponse was: “Regarding your request, you take pictures of the facility from the public areas; however, you are not authorized to enter the institution's property.”

Of course I do not take no for an answer. Joel Goodman once commented on my research skills and compared me to a pit bull, stating that once I grab hold, I never let go. So I informed Ms. Ashman that I might walk onto the grassy area of the Prison to obtain closer shots of the exterior. She called me and left this message: LISTEN

No reason was given as to why I could not enter the facility. I am sure it will come as no surprise to other Americans that everyone I mentioned this occurrence to blamed the decision of Ms. Ashman on September 11 and the need for increased security. This is a blanket blame that is easily used as an excuse when certain privileges are not permitted in this country.

October 16, 2008

12:00 A.M. My birthday is today. When I arrive in St. Louis I pick up Dimas Estrada, who is working with me on this trip. We drive 4 hours to Lansing, Kansas, which is where we will have a couple of hours of sleep before waking up and filming. After we wake we drive directly to Leavenworth Penitentiary which is on Metropolitan Street in Leavenworth, Kansas. The exterior front of the prison is massive. Modeled after the U.S Capitol Building, the prison seems more like a regal king’s palace than a maximum security storage facility for the nations worst criminals. I stand across the street from the penitentiary and film the exterior. It was very frustrating as I had to wait for the busy street to clear before I could obtain a decent shot. Regardless, I filmed some nice shots. As I stand before the prison I realize that on this day of my birth, I am now the same age as Panzram was when he was executed at Leavenworth.
A truck pulls up. I am prepared to be accosted by the federal authorities. Surprisingly, the driver is Kenneth LaMaster, Leavenworth Penitentiary’s resident historian who has agreed to be interviewed for Panzram. He mentions that we can drive over to Fort Leavenworth and ask permission to film the disciplinary barracks which Panzram was incarcerated in after stealing items from an Army base he was stationed at. At the gates of Fort Leavenworth, I.D.’s must be shown, the car is searched and the hood is lifted for inspection. We follow Ken LaMaster into Fort Leavenworth. As we drive through the base, we approach the U.S.D.B which I recognize from historic photos. I am dismayed to see that construction is under way on the front of the prison. Looks like I will have to settle for historic photos of the U.S.D.B. We speak with several people at the base and are met by staff of the Fort Leavenworth Garrison Public Affairs Office who walk us over to the U.S.D.B. We approach the west wall of the U.S.D.B. which Panzram helped build in 1909 when he was incarcerated there. I film the wall as artfully as a forty foot wall can be filmed. While walking away from the wall, a truck pulls up and out steps an officer in Army fatigues. He asks us what we are doing and I tell him and point o the public affairs staff who are present. The officer walks over to them and scold them for not having their “badges” on them. He takes down their information. AS we leave the base, we pull into the 7-11 parking lot across the street and film the Fort Leavenworth sign. We then drive to the Missouri river and obtain shots of the wide river. We meet Ken LaMaster at the Leavenworth Public library, who were kind enough to let me interview Mr. LaMaster in their library. Ken is an encyclopedia of knowledge on Leavenworth Penitentiary, having authored a book on the prison and currently working on his next book focusing on Fort Leavenworth. Ken tells me about the Fallen Officers memorial inside Leavenworth Penitentiary which has a memorial to Warnke, the laundry room supervisor who Panzram murdered. The memorial is another location inside the Penitentiary which we cannot film. After interviewing Ken, Dimas and I drive to the prison to film at night. The lit prison is eerie and awesome at the same time.

October 17, 2008

We drive to Claremore, Oklahoma and arrive at the J.M. Davis Gun Museum. We meet with the museum curator, Jason Schubert and his intern Caleb Mitchell. Even though I am against every form of violence including weapons, the museum is fascinating. In addition to the collection of over 14,0000 guns, the museum displays Nooses and hoods from executed criminals, knives and swords, music boxes, war posters and other weapons and memorabilia, including the skin of a 14 foot Anaconda!
As I begin Interviewing Jason on the noose, hood, and harness which hanged Panzram, we blow the power strip and all the production lights go out. Jason saves the day and brings another power box. We begin again. A green gel we are using for the backlight falls off of the light. We have to stop rolling again. Is this Panzram making his presence known? Jason does an amazing job and gives a great interview. As I film b-roll of the items, I cannot resist touching the noose and hood with my bare hands.

We wrap up filming and drive to Springfield, Missiouri.

I am sad to hear of the passing of Levi Stubbs, singer of the Four Tops and the voice of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors, one of my favorite films.

October 18, 2008

Around noon we arrive at the office of Charles Dudley Martin, who is the owner of the handwritten manuscripts of Robert Stroud, The Birdman of Alcatraz. I interview Mr. Martin at length on Stroud and how he came to defend him and finally own the manuscripts of Looking Outward and Bobby. Mr. Martin offers to drive us through the Federal Hospital where Stroud was transferred after Alcatraz, eventually dying there. We drive by the ominous barred-windowed facility. Afterward I film the building’s sign. Dimas and I were warmly welcomed by Mr. Martin and his family and spend an enjoyable evening in Springfield.

All in all it was a great trip. Every one of the interviewees were cordial and informative which made up for the disappointment of not having access to film inside Leavenworth Penitentiary.

Is it possible for the film industry to stoop any lower?

2008-10-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Beverly Hills Chihuahua: #1 film. Need I Say more?

Shame on you Hollywood.

Dreary Day :)

2008-10-04T14:03:00.001-07:00

It is an overcast, dreary day in LA today with a slight drizzle. I like it. It only rains about three days a year here in LA so this is a welcome change.

Panzram Updates

2008-09-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

The next few months will be a busy time as I will be fervently working on Panzram. In addition to recording the voices of Panzram and Lesser, I am traveling to Leavenworth Prison, Claremore, Oklahoma, and Springfield, Missouri where I will be filming interviews.

Since I really do not want to visit Blockbuster and rent Speed Racer or The Love Guru, I have been watching the Yokai Monsters, an Asian trilogy filled with samurai swordsmen and malicious monsters. The Fox Horror Classics Vol. 2 is also excellent. Vincent Price is my favorite actor and it is always nice to see him in a non-horror role.

Anyone following the Zodiac killer identity? The results should be interesting.

Very Scary

2008-08-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

Really scary:

Texas town where teachers are armed

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/17/usa1

Trailer Park Boys

2008-08-15T07:13:00.001-07:00

I want to tell everyone about Trailer Park Boys, a Canadian comedy TV series which I am currently addicted to. I discovered the series by renting Trailer Park Boys-The Movie (which is great). I then began my search to find the series and, unsurprisingly, I could not find any DVD's of the series in the film and TV capitol of the world, Los Angeles, CA. So I had to purchase the DVD's direct from the great land of Canada. The writing is great and the characters are endearing. I am a huge fan of the show and am now on season five.

The video games I am currently playing are: Turok and Bad Company.

My daytime work gig is taking up all my time and energy. I hope to bounce back and begin work on Panzram again soon.

I viewed The remakes of The Fly and The Fly II recently in preparation of seeing The Fly opera in LA this September. I really enjoyed the films, especially the Fly II and noticed that Darabont was involved and it makes so much sense why I enjoy it so much. The relationship between the young Seth and his dog is very touching. The make-up F/X on both films is amazing. The films prove that makeup was at it's height when CG came into being. The beginning of Hollywood's laziness which continues through today.

Ringo Starr

2008-07-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week. The big news is that I have secured a voice artist for Carl Panzram, which will be announced soon. For the last several years I have heard the voice for Panzram being portrayed by this actor and I am thrilled that he as accepted the role.

I am a huge fan of the Beatles and it has been my goal to see one of the surviving members and last night I acquired tickets to the Ringo Starr show Aug. 2nd. at the Greek Theatre in LA. I can't wait.

Spent some time at Venice Beach here is a pic:
Looking forward to Hellboy 2 which I will try to see this weekend.

First Rant

2008-07-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Right out of the gate, here is my first rant:

One of the frustrations in DVD distribution is the gatekeepers. These are the product buyers at all of the stores we shop at. They are the ones who determine, many times based on personal preferences, what products stock their shelves.

Lately, I have been receiving emails from people interested in my films stating that they cannot find my films on shelves at any stores. Well, now you know the reason why.

Every time I enter Amoeba Records in Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard, I do not find the DVD's of H.H. Holmes or Albert Fish. I spoke with my distributor and stated that the buyer is "focused on new release product and doesn’t appreciate the money in evergreen product." So I thought I would visit Amoeba and speak with the buyer myself as I have been a shopper at Amoeba since I arrived in LA three years ago. I walked upstairs to the video department and asked Eric if the buyer was in. He seemed very unhappy and was not interested in anything other than being yet another gatekeeper. He told me that the buyer was probably not in today and without even listening to me further stated that the consignment desk for product is downstairs. I asked him about the DVD stock of Holmes and Fish. He then went to the computer and looked both titles up and state that they stopped stocking Holmes because it stopped selling. No further information was provided. How long of a time period did it stop selling for? A week? A month? A year? They seem to stock many other serial killer documentaries, by prominent labels and distributors by the way, that are always in stock and never seem to sell as I am positive I know Amoeba's serial killer documentary section better than they do as everytime I shop there I take a look at the section to observe if the HHH and AF DVD's are in stock as well as what else is selling.

So I went downstairs and took my brand new shrink wrapped DVD's of Albert Fish and H.H. Holmes to the counter where Amoeba buys used product from customers. I sold each of the DVD's to the counter for $5.00 each. I then went upstairs and informed Eric of what I just done and that now I can revisit the store and observe whether or not the product stuck on the shelf or sold. He then snottily told me that their modern computer technology tracks it and has already proven that it does not sell.

So every week I must take DVD's of HH Holmes and Albert Fish to the used DVD counter and sell them to Amoeba. This is the only way to get them to stock my product. How sad.

These are the trails and tribulations I deal with on a daily basis in addition to breaking my back making my films.

Recently, myspace deleted the Albert Fish film account for no rhyme or reason. I was not even notified by mysapce of the account deletion. After contacting them numerous times, I received the same stock answers such as: "The profile in question has been deleted. We do not keep records of removed profiles or images. If it was removed by myspace, it was because of a violation of our terms and conditions - which can include a number of issue (inappropriate images, spam, cyber bullying, underage use, etc). Please review our terms for further assistance." Of course this explains nothing since there are no inappropriate images on the page and I have never spammed anyone as I do not believe in it. Thank you for supporting independent film myspace.

One more!

I am really thinking about pulling my films from youtube based on the new ruling that youtube must had over all of it's user information to Viacom. Read here: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/07/judge-orders-yo.html

Now, there are many other sites to post videos on such as yahoo and aol.

I read the Daily Rotten news here: http://www.dailyrotten.com/ This sis a great source of news that you rarely see in the mass produced media outlets. Yes much is depressing, but hopefully some good can come from reading about these issues.

My new blog.

2008-07-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings and welcome to my new blog.

I have been interested in sharing my views on film and updates on what is happening in regards to the films I have made so I decided that this would be the perfect outlet.

Be prepared for straight-forward, no nonsense talk. I also may not update this blog as often as I should due to other commitments I have made but I will post blogs as often as I can.

Many times my frustrations about the film industry fall on deaf ears, so this is a chance for me to post these thoughts and hopefully someone out there in cyberspace will read them.

Enjoy my thoughts and many rants!

John Borowski, filmmaker
Waterfront Productions
West Hollywood, CA
http://www.johnborowski.com
http://www.panzram.com
http://www.hhholmesthefilm.com
http://www.albertfishfilm.com
http://www.strangecase.com

MYSPACE:

http://www.myspace.com/johnborowski
http://www.myspace.com/panzramfilm
http://www.myspace.com/hhholmesthefilm

YOUTUBE:

http://youtube.com/filmmakerjohnb