About this project

PRESIDENT WOLFMAN is a feature length comedy horror movie made entirely out of 'found' public domain and stock film footage. 

Inspired by current events! Gnawed from the headlines! This is the story of what happens when the President of the United States gets bitten by a werewolf. While on a hunting trip, President John Wolfman unknowingly trespasses on Native American land and unleashes the ancient curse of a magical coyote. Returning to Washington, he struggles with a faltering economy, political deadlock and unparalleled threats from foreign governments. How will the President deal with the current domestic crises while battling his formidable inner demons? Can he save the country by day while wreaking havoc on the citizens of the capital in the evenings? Will he salvage his relationship with his only son, who needs the love and support of his father now more than ever? Hail to the teeth!

RECYCLED FILM FOOTAGE

The footage used to create this film has been recycled from grainy old educational reels, weird industrial shorts, government sponsored public service flicks, forgotten b-movies fallen out of copyright and vintage stag loops of yesteryear. Most of the footage is available to everyone and can be used for free. Stag Films developed the technique for creating "green movies" and have one several prestigious international awards from film festivals and environmental organizations. The majority of the footage that will be used in President Wolfman has been compiled, so the movie is essentially in post-production. The money raised here will be used for editing, voice recording, voice actors, sound design, effects, sound mixing and DVD production.

While this recycled footage may look faded, scratched, warped and garbled, we proudly stand by the aesthetic of our films. For many, they bring back nostalgic feelings of sitting in a darkened elementary school classroom or Driver's Ed course and being forced to watch some strange instructional lesson over the sound of a noisy projector. Perhaps they remind us of old grindhouse cult movies best viewed on late night TV after a hard night of partying. Either way, we see the utilization of these aging reels as a statement. By reusing and repurposing unsung creative work deemed outdated and irrelevent, we are bringing it back to life -- like Frankenstein. Because most of the material is in the public domain, we also hope to inspire other filmmakers to create new works of their own using the same methods. It's a wonderful way to make a movie without relying on the thousands or millions of dollars in can cost to go and shoot one of these things on your own. And by recycling footage, our productions leave nary a carbon footprint. They're good for the environment!

LOW BUDGET MOVIEMAKING

As a filmmaker, I've been on a Ponce de Leon-style quest to seek out innovative ways of producing great movies for very little money. I am a student of Roger Corman, Ed Wood, Herschel Gordon Lewis and Russ Meyer, all of whom made cheap exploitation genre flicks that were wildly entertaining and highly objectionable to the more responsible elements of society during the 1950s-70s, the 'golden era' of the drive-in movie. The spirit in which these films were made inspired me to journey along the same grimy path they blazed. While 15K may seem like plenty of money to making a feature like this (we've all heard stories of filmmakers doing it for less), most independent films cost around a million dollars and the average Hollywood- produced fare is upwards of twenty million. It's not that money is wasted on these productions, it's that to do it the right way, filmmaking is an extremely expensive endeavor. We've figured out a technique that bypasses that system, and our message to filmmakers and those aspiring to make films is this: You can do it, too!

The exact ingredients that go into the making of a 'green movie' are as guarded a secret as Kentucky Fried Chicken, but I will say that the process is like making a film in reverse. The reason for this is that we start with the footage 'in the can,' which is where most productions finish. The screenplay must be written and the footage professionally edited into a cut. Actors are cast, dialogue is recorded under the supervision of the sound engineer. More editing as the dialogue is laid into the cut, as well as any music we are able to acquire. Then the movie is taken to a post-production facility, where sound design, sound efx and a first-class sound mix will be added. This is about the time that the money will run out, but no fear. The film will be finished and screeners ready to print. Any additional funding will be used to submit to film festivals, dvd production and publicity.

The master plan is to make "President Wolfman" a successful enough venture that we can continue to churn out 'green movies,' make them a sub-genre all their own. The more of you who join in on the fun, the more likely this is to happen. The ball is rolling, we just need YOU to climb aboard. Please donate. 

Thank you for you participation, it will be rewarded!

--Mike Davis, Stag Films