WHAT ARE WE ALL ABOUT?

Vengeance Is Venom is the third and final installment of the three part feature film, The Misadventures of Sam Slade. 

MISADVENTURE 1 - SLEEP IS FOR THE DEAD

It all started back in July of 2011, when Writer/Director Zachary Robert Craft began writing Sleep Is For the Dead, (Misadventure 1). The screenplay told the story of Sam Slade, a young man who is thrown into the underground world of crime and politics, when he witness' the murder of a young man on the streets of Chicago. When this young man hands Sam Slade a piece of blank paper, he is then pursued by crazed vigilantes that will stop at nothing to see him dead. Along the way, he runs into a young woman by the name of Emily Miller, who joins forces with him in an attempt to stop these underground criminals.

The film was shot in the fall and early winter of 2011, wrapping in late November. It was a long four weekend shoot, but the film is currently in the mixing stages at Columbia College Chicago. This first portion was successfully funded by the backers of Kickstarter and was a great experience overall. 

MISADVENTURE 2 - CAFFEINATED DAY DREAMS

From there Craft dove into the central problems of the film, with a more darker and experimental quality on Caffeinated Day Dreams, (Misadventure 2). This second part of the film shows Sam's transition from the wronged man, into a man with a mission, a mission to save Emily Miller after her capture at the end of Sleep Is For the Dead. This transition takes a toll on Sam Slade who slowing becomes a young man out for blood and revenge. With the help of a group headed by the mysterious J.R., a man hidden behind dark sunglasses, Sam begins to see the truth of what his Misadventures are all about. 

The film was shot in the winter of 2012, with an amazing cast and crew dedicated individuals. It was another long shoot. Two days longer than the previous film, however it was a film that non of us thought was possible. This portion of the film was funded by independent backers and our wonderful backers on IndieGoGo, (Sorry Kickstarter, we went Rogue for bit. BUT WE'RE BACK) 

MISADVENTURE 3 - VENGEANCE IS VENOM

That leads us to where we are now. Vengeance is Venom the conclusion of Sam Slade's story. In this film Sam realizes the gravity of his situation, the transition he has made from who he truly is, and most importantly, what the hell is really going on. The film is packed with twist and turns, and sam really fun action sequences. 

The film will be shot this August for two whole weeks in Chicago. It's time to bring this story to an end!

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP!!

As many of you know, making a film is a very hard process. It takes time, energy, hard work, no sleep, and unfortunately most importantly, money. Without the funds for this film Sam Slade's story will never had a completion which means the first two films will be taken and shelved never to see the light of day. Okay, a little histrionic I know. But it's true really. 

Every dollar counts, even $1!!! We really need your help to make this film a reality. In return for your funding, you will receive some awesome rewards. And yes, everything that says personalized is actually personalized!! Cool, right? 

WHAT DO WE PLAN ON DOING WITH THE FILM?

For young filmmakers as ourselves we back high end work for cheap. With this being said we plan on releasing all three parts of the film as a feature length for, much like a Tarantino film, or old Hollywood films from the Golden Age, with Intermissions. 

Once the film is assembled (Edited, Color Corrected, Mixed, and Titled), it will then be submitted to Film Festivals around the world in search of Screenings and possible distribution. 

Some festivals on our hit list:

Chicago International Film Festival 

Raindance Film Festival

SXSW

San Francisco International Film Festival 

Detroit Independent Film Festival 

and any others we see fit to gain more exposure!!! 

We want to make films for people to see and enjoy, not put on a resume and call it a day. Please help this quest happen and you won't be disappointed.

HOW DO WE KNOW THESE KIDS ARE ANY GOOD?

Well we will leave you to be the judge of that. 

WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER - Zachary Robert Craft

Zachary Robert Craft is a Chicago based filmmaker with 14 short films to his credit. His first film was written when he was still in Middle school at the age of 14. By the time he was 18 he had directed four films. The latter two, Promise, a short drama about a group of killers, won a Superior Rating at the International Thespian Society in Michigan. The other, Rejected, an art house trip into insanity, gained him even more recognition when the two films collectively earned Craft, Columbia College Chicago's prestigious Presidential Scholarship. Since entering Columbia, Craft has made 8 short films, two of which are the first two chapters of the The Misadventures of Sam Slade. He currently in Pre-Production for Vengeance Is Venom, Post Production on Sleep Is For The Dead and Caffeinated Day Dreams, and also Pre-Production on a short 15 minute romance titled, Seeing You Seeing Me.

http://www.facebook.com/

http://zacharyrobertcraft.tumblr.com/

https://vimeo.com/user4856517

CINEMATOGRAPHER - Korey VanHuis

Korey VanHuis has collaborated with Director Zachary Robert Craft on multiple films stemming back to a short horror film titled Lay Me Down To Sleep, which screened at Columbia College Chicago's prestigious Take1 Film Festival as well as the CineYouth Film Festival. From gaffing to cinematography, Korey had brought the visual aesthetic of Waltzing With Death, Something New, Cerebral, Sleep is for the Dead, Caffeinated Day Dreams, and now Vengeance is Venom, to life for Craft and their working relationship seems to grow stronger and more dynamic with each film. VanHuis is also the winner of an Academic Achievement Scholarship for Columbia College Chicago. Recently Craft and VanHuis' Experimental Narrative piece, Cerebral screened at the CineYouth film festival. 

CREATIVE PRODUCER - David J. Olinger 

David J. Olinger is a master of multiple fields. From Directing and Producing, to designing films and clothing, David has an array of talents. Returning from his first collaboration with Craft on Caffeinated Day Dreams, which he produced and designed, David is a Columbia College Chicago Junior with 9 films to his credit, ranging from short films to features and Music Videos. He is currently hard at work directing his feature length film Zehn, a film about the mind manipulation of Nazi soldiers during World War 2. For more information on him and his work check out the following links. 

http://www.facebook.com/Studio14p

http://www.zehnthefilm.com/sechs

https://vimeo.com/studio14p

http://www.indiegogo.com/zehnthefilm?a=392021

SAM SLADE - ALEXANDER K. SCHIFF

Alexander K. Schiff returns as Sam Slade in the third and final installment of The Misadventures of Sam Slade. He is currently a Junior at Columbia College Chicago where he studies theatre. Schiff has countless stage and screen credits, performing everything from Shakespeare to Christopher Durang and more. Schiff also lent a hand as the Producer of Caffeinated Day Dreams, and is constantly performing in and around the Chicago area.