The Nocturnal Third in Tuscaloosa!

Band on the Search - World Premiere!

 

Starring A Genesis Found's Elliot Moon and The Nocturnal Third's Kevin Maggard, it's the hilarious mockumentary BAND ON THE SEARCH, directed by N3rd unit photographer, effects man, and tech advisor Gilbert Stark! This is going to be awesome!

Here's the official press release for our upcoming screening in Tuscaloosa! Take a look and share like crazy!

-Ben

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WONDER MILL FILMS TO SCREEN INDEPENDENT FILM “THE NOCTURNAL THIRD” AT GREEN BAR IN TUSCALOOSA
Huntsville, AL – Wonder Mill Films announces a special screening of its second independently produced feature film, The Nocturnal Third, at Green Bar in downtown Tuscaloosa, at 8:00 PM, on Thursday, May 24th, 2012. 

Dubbed a home-brewed mystery/thriller, The Nocturnal Third is the story of Eli Gottfried, a pensive art-hobbyist whose family connections have led him to an ill-fitting job at Stafford Stoneworks, a local stone fabrication facility. Facing increasing debt and late bills, Eli reluctantly takes the third shift on a crucial night—from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. The pressure of deteriorating machines, a crushing schedule, and a recurring nightmare begin to be too much for Eli to handle. 

When a suspicious co-worker is severely injured, Eli finds his only solace in the ways of a stranded stranger…. 

Produced from the ground-up entirely in Huntsville, Alabama, with much of its cast and crew made up of Tuscaloosa natives and University of Alabama alumni, Wonder Mill Films’ second feature film is a tense neo-noir, set against the backdrop of a developing Southern economy. 

Their first feature film, the science fiction adventure A Genesis Found, was filmed on location in Moundville, Alabama, in 2008, and was featured at a special screening at Tuscaloosa’s Bama Theater in 2009. 

The May 24th screening of The Nocturnal Third will come at the mid-point of the innovative “From the South to Your Couch” crowd-funding campaign, designed to raise funds for final distribution for both of Wonder Mill’s films. Proceeds from the campaign will be used to submit The Nocturnal Third and A Genesis Found to online movie platforms like Netflix Instant, Hulu Plus, and iTunes.

The Free Screening of The Nocturnal Third will be hosted in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at Green Bar (2209 4th St / Huntsville, AL) on May 24, with the film starting at 8. Cast and crew will be on hand to talk about the production of both films, the “From the South to Your Couch” campaign, and to answer questions. Admission is free and the event is open to anyone over the age of 21. The bar will open at 7:00 PM. 

More about Wonder Mill Films
Based out of Huntsville, AL, Wonder Mill Films was founded in 2006 by Benjamin Stark and Lee Fanning, their first legitimate production company after co-founding the student “banner” Off the Set Films while at the University of Alabama.

After producing numerous short films, the company’s first feature, A Genesis Found, was produced in the summer of 2008, and began a festival run in 2009. The film was completed and released on DVD in 2010, and toured to numerous Colleges and Universities throughout the Southeast from July 2010 to March 2011. Some of the major universities visited include the University of Tennessee, the University of Georgia, Auburn University, the University of Arkansas, and the University of South Carolina.

Produced in the summer of 2009, The Nocturnal Third is their second feature-length production. Premiering in Huntsville in September 2011, the film has received positive reviews from established web sites such as FilmThreat, Man I Love Films!, and SheMovieGeek. 

The Nocturnal Third Synopsis 

EVERY MACHINE NEEDS FUEL.
Eli Gottfried is lucky to have a job, but that doesn't mean he loves what he does. Caught in the hustle and bustle at Stafford Stoneworks, a fabrication shop in rural Alabama, Eli is unsure of his future, short on sleep, and creatively dried up. He and his wife, Ellie, struggle to make ends meet, facing medical bills, a swollen mortgage, and student loans. The Stoneworks, in turn, is cutting corners and working overtime to take the next step in establishing its economic foothold in the surrounding community, securing a contract that could change everything. 

EVERY MACHINE NEEDS REPAIR.
Tasked with the dreaded third shift, from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, Eli must overcome his own disastrous sleep cycle and a recurring nightmare to man under maintained and increasingly deteriorating machinery. Things take an ominous turn when Harold, a mistrusted co-worker, unexpectedly arrives to work alongside Eli. The question is, how closely is Harold tied to Lee Kirby, ex-employee and bitter competitor of Stafford Stoneworks? 

EVERY MACHINE BREAKS DOWN.
The night comes to a dead halt when Harold is severely injured in a careless accident. As the deadline approaches and the machines deteriorate, Eli is unlikely to hold up under the pressure, let alone tend to Harold's failing health and suspicious behavior. He finds a sort of relief when an outsider appears - Jeffrey, a stranded traveling salesman. Jeffrey's carefree perspective offers a solace from the demanding work, and maybe with his support, Eli can take control of the situation. 

Moody and textural, The Nocturnal Third is a slow-burn workplace thriller that begins with a seemingly domestic situation and meticulously transforms into a tense neo-noir. This gripping story of corporate espionage takes a young man through a single harrowing night as he faces the limits of the human body, his own future, and his role in a system that is beginning to break down.

Popcorn Potion

All of the above images are going to be moving in a theater this summer. That's crazy. I've always felt a strange pressure to reconcile the reality of being a suffering, no-budget filmmaker with a fandom of big, splashy summer superhero movies. In a strange way, my affection for popcorn movies fuels my desire to tell small, character-driven stories through digital filmmaking. I can't draw a straight line between the two, but I suppose it has something to do with a kind of trickle-down effect. Like them or not, big spectacles are the apex of cinema, and I somehow garner more inspiration to create real and honest stories from them than I do small, intimate movies (like the kind I make). It's all very strange, and I suppose I shouldn't analyze it too deeply.

Regardless, the proof is in the pudding. I've been flooding my consciousness with Spider-Man cartoons, Avengers movie scores, and Batman comics for the last three months, and yet I've finally emerged from the creativity-deprived gulch I spent most of the year in. I'm trying hard not to bug Lee about the feature script he's writing for me to direct, and I've had some awesome conversations with cinematographer Stephen Lucas about collaborating on a myriad of projects.

Right now, I've got another little baby to take care of, but soon and very soon, most likely amidst sporadic visits to the multiplex, I'll be back on board a story that I really feel is worth telling. That's an exciting feeling.

-Ben