Today, I am incredibly happy to announce that our LOOOOONNNNGGG awaited film, Under the Rainbow is FINISHED! It only took 6 years to finish my first feature film! In all seriousness, this film was a flat-out endurance test of patience and perseverance. First let me tell you what the film is about. It centers around a drug-addicted and suicidal teen named Vivi, who runs away from home. She soon finds herself lost in a strange, foreign world where it is unclear whether she is dead, hallucinating, or something worse. All the while she is being hunted by the mysterious and ruthless Queen and her henchmen, including the sadistic Jester. Under the Rainbow is a dark fairy tale, sort of like a twisted Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland. I started writing this film when I was 24 (I am now 32) and it went through many different incarnations before it finally went before the cameras. Filming took place over the course of two summers until everything was shot, thirteen days total. The shoots themselves went very well, we got everything filmed that we needed, and moved on to post-production (editing). This is where things became a nightmare. I did not have the proper equipment or knowledge at the time to edit this film myself. Other editors volunteered to work on the project, but one editor came down with cancer, and another moved to the Philippines. So for quite awhile this film sat on the proverbial shelf, collecting digital dust. Finally, I hired a new editor to finish the film. Life tends to get in the way, and it took years before that final edit came together. When we began shooting this way back 6 years ago, I lived at home with my parents. Since then I have moved numerous times, got married, had a son, changed jobs, put out other films, etc. I am basically a totally different person than I was when I decided to direct this little micro-feature. Being that I was fairly inexperienced, I learned a TON from this film in so many ways. I consider the process of this film to be as valuable an experience as anything I learned in film courses and programs. Anyway, here we are all this time later. I am sure most people, even cast and crew, doubted this film would ever see the light of day. Hell, even I had my doubts more than a couple times, but now it is finally done, finished, wrapped, in the can and ready to be seen. Being that it was my first attempt at making a feature, there are obviously strengths and weaknesses to the film, but overall I think it is a truly unique, fun and twisted film that will appeal to anyone who enjoys dark fantasy, horror, or just a plain old fashioned weird tale. Now I just have to cut together a trailer for it, plan a premiere, burn some DVDs and maybe some BluRays, and maybe put this thing up online On Demand. Lastly, I just wanted to say a sincere and giant THANK YOU to everyone involved...cast, crew, and everyone who has heard me blather on about this film and seen pictures, posts, etc...Thank you all for being so patient and so great for all these years, at least this little feature length flick will finally be out there and you can see all your handwork and patience pay off a little bit.

Well after a long blog-hiatus, I am back. I would like to keep this blog up to date as much as possible, although it does seem to get lost in the mix quite often. Anyway...our new film, The White Faced Man, has officially been released on DVD. I decided to try my hand at full self distribution with this one. Instead of just offering the film on a DVD, I decided to put together an extensive Collector's Edition to make it a bit more worthwhile. Being a new face in the filmmaking world, it is hard to get people to take notice or care, so doing a Collector's Edition is just my way of saying I care about the product I am selling, and want the buyer to get the most for the buck. This is not my invention of course, many indie filmmakers, especially in the horror game, have mastered the art of adding bonus materials and packaging to make their films more appealing. However, when it comes down the the bottom line...you can put all the special packaging and features together that you want, but the film still has to be good. Hopefully people appreciate The White Faced Man as something different from the typical, by the numbers slasher film. Being in the underground horror scene, some people just want to throw as much tits, ass, and blood onscreen. While I enjoy films like that, I strive to put something out that makes you think a little more...something that has unique characters in unique situations that haven't been done to death 1000's of times before. Anyway, in other news. I just shot my first "found footage" short for an international short film anthology, "PLAY", which is being produced and put together by a duo from the UK called Sick Bunnies. It is sort of a minor-league version of the V/H/S movie franchise which has become very popular. My short film segment is called, Souvenirs of a Hitchhiker. It was a VERY small shoot. Just Rachel Labadie, Brian DiBonaventure, and myself. These two are great people to work with, and they have been in just about every movie I have ever made. It was a great shoot. We shot the entire short film in one day, and I edited the entire thing together that night. In the past, it has taken me forever to finish films, so to be able to finish something in one day was an amazing and inspiring experience. Again, the film is part of the PLAY anthology, so as soon as I have release information I will pass that on! In the meantime, I posted some screenshots below to wet your appetite. This one turned out really great...disturbing, incredibly acted, and just overall fun to watch. Can't wait to show everyone!

That's all for now. -luke

Recently I have been working tirelessly on finishing up The White Faced Man. I find this project to be the best West 2nd Production to date. This was a film that was originally supposed to be a one day shoot about the Grim Reaper picking off a few random people. As the story evolved early on, it became more of a character study of the humans involved. The film centers around Draven (yes, that is also my son's name, who wouldn't name their killer-for-hire character after their own son?!) who is a seasoned professional killer. Draven is a good guy at heart though, he only kills the scum of the earth. That's not to say he doesn't enjoy his profession. I'm getting off topic now...basically this film became something much more than it was originally supposed to be. I'm very excited about getting this finished and out to everyone to enjoy. It has been a tough process. Our son was born LITERALLY days after shooting wrapped. There are actually scenes in the film in which I left the neonatal intensive care unit to go shoot and then came right back. Anyway, enough ranting for now, but I promise that you will soon see what "The White Faced Man" is all about when it is unleashed on you this summer! Thanks for supporting us and our films! -luke

Hey everybody! We are reviving this blog to keep everyone up to date on happenings here at West 2nd Productions. We will be updating on a day to day basis. A little update on what's happening around our corner of the universe: Our feature films, "Under the Rainbow", and, "The White Faced Man", are both nearing the very end of post-production and WILL FINALLY SEE RELEASE THIS YEAR! Thanks to everyone involved in these projects as well as our supporters who have stuck with us through this tough and lengthy process. Filmmaking is quite a challenge as it is...throw in a baby and a wedding and you have a SERIOUS challenge, but we are persevering and ready to release some great, disturbing shit upon all of you! Today we submitted our no-budget short, "A Family Affair", to the first annual “COME TO DADDY: HORROR SHORTS SOIREE”, hosted by FANGORIA MAGAZINE contributor John Nicol. Check out the film festival website HERE. If you haven't seen it yet, here is your chance to see "A Family Affair"!

SANTA CLAWS RELEASED!

Shot two years ago...our new West 2nd Productions' short film, "Santa Claws", is finally finished and online. The film is an example of micro-budget film making, as it was shot in one day for about $50. It's not meant to be a masterpiece by any means, more a fun side-project. Please check it out and leave any feedback. The film stars: Brian DiBonaventure Rae Labadie Gerald Prince Dessaline Stevens Chris Pierce Robin Ramer Allie Houle Make-Up effects by Amy Trauger. Lighting by Ed Ballinger Shot by Ed Ballinger and Luke Ramer Edited by Luke Ramer Production Assistant and On-Set Photographer: Scott Cameron. Special Thanks to everyone involved for their patience on the project being finished. A Very Special Thanks to Ed Ballinger for his help with this project.

Under the Rainbow wrap

My first feature length film, "Under the Rainbow", wrapped this week after about a year of shooting. In total the film took 13 days to shoot. It was an incredible experience. The hardest, most stressful thing I have ever done in my life, but such a satisfying feeling to finish filming.

The cast and crew were incredible, they stuck by the project for a long time and everyone was extremely dedicated and hardworking. That's one of the things I love most about filmmaking, seeing people come together and work so hard, not for a paycheck, but for the passion of making a film. Everyone pitched in in so many different ways to make everything come together, so I definitely want to thank everyone sincerely for their efforts and for believing in this project. People don't realize how much time, effort, dedication, thought, and money goes into making a full length film...it truly is an exhausting process, especially working at a no-budget independent level where you need to utilize your imagination to make the film work. But that's what makes it worth it in the end I suppose.

Now the post-production process begins. Hopefully the film will be finished by summer 2011. Look for updates, teaser trailers, and many many more pics to come. In the meantime, here are some stills from the production...

Also, please check out and become a fan of the Under the Rainbow Facebook Page

Pics...