Birdemic: Shock and Terror
Short description
Birdemic: Shock and Terror is an American horror-romance-thriller about Rod, a young man whose life is going well: he drives a hybrid Mustang, hopes to install solar panels on his house, closes a major business deal and begins a romance with Nathalie, a model. Their prospects are interrupted when eagles and vultures descend on their small town and attack the residents, killing many. The cause of the birds' aggression is unclear, and Rod and Nathalie must try to survive the onslaught.
The film was written and directed by James Nguyen and produced by Moviehead Pictures, running 93 minutes. It stars Alan Bagh as Rod and Whitney Moore as Nathalie, with Janae Caster, Colton Osborne, Adam Sessa and Catherine Batcha among a credited cast of 46. Its modest production values are central to its reputation: on IMDb the film holds a critics' rating of 4 out of 10 from 17 reviews, while on TMDB it sits at 2.2 out of 10 from 379 votes, a gap showing that reviewers were somewhat less harsh than the wider audience.
Released in 2010, the film belongs to the early part of Nguyen's directing career and has become known among enthusiasts of low-budget cinema for its rudimentary special effects and amateur style, an appeal that grew largely through word of mouth online.
What's left behind the scenes
- A video was posted on YouTube where more realistic computer-generated birds were added to a couple of scenes, and the visual effects in the weapon scenes were improved. Whitney Moore even appeared in some of the added scenes.
- Working on the film took James Nguyen four years.
- In the DVD commentary, actress Whitney Moore, who played Natalie, stated that James Nguyen did not bother obtaining permits for any of the filming locations. The crew and actors simply showed up wherever they needed to be and started filming until they were asked to leave immediately. According to Moore, while filming on a route popular with local joggers, Nguyen began shouting at the runners who kept appearing in the shot. When she advised him not to yell at people who had nothing to do with the production, Nguyen became angry and did not speak to her for three weeks. During this period, he relayed all instructions to Moore through her co-star Alan Bug (who played Rod).
- Director and screenwriter James Nguyen was unable to hire a full-time crew due to budget constraints. Because of this, the actors themselves occasionally had to perform the duties of certain crew members. When it came time for the credits, Nguyen invented names for the crew members he didn't actually have.
- At one point, Paramount Pictures informed director and screenwriter James Nguyen that they were open to showing the film in theaters. Nguyen immediately announced that Paramount Pictures would distribute the movie and that he was even considering filming a sequel with a $20 million budget. Shortly thereafter, the studio reneged on its plans, which infuriated Nguyen. He refused to admit that he was partly to blame, as he had begun discussing the distribution of the film and the sequel before any definitive decision had been made.
- Just two weeks into filming, two makeup artists quit, and Whitney Moore (who played Natalie) took over the makeup duties.
- After the film was rejected by the Sundance Film Festival, James Nguyen hung banners on his van and decorated it with fake blood and fake birds, then began driving around the area to promote his movie. His efforts paid off, and he managed to attract the attention of Severin Films, which became the film's distributor.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
