ILLUMINATION CINEMA
  • Home
  • Our Work
  • Podcast
  • About Us
  • Blog

BLOG

First Clip from BRIMSTONE TERRACE!

4/22/2025

0 Comments

 
It’s Alan’s first night in Hell and he’s getting surprise visit.
Check out the first clip from BRIMSTONE TERRACE and consider supporting our Indiegogo campaign!
0 Comments

Big BRIMSTONE News!

4/18/2025

0 Comments

 
Hello all!

As mentioned in previous posts, we've been working crazy hard on our animated film BRIMSTONE TERRACE this year. Recently, we launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in order to raise funds to finish the film and begin distribution. We also want to give you a chance to get involved and get some neat perks. Including blurays, books, vinyls and more! You can take a look at our pitch video to see us gab about it. Honestly, I think it does a pretty good job of painting a picture of what we're wanting to accomplish with the film itself. In a few days, we will release the first clip from the film! We just finished putting it together last Sunday and I can't wait for everyone to see it. I recently screened it at an event in Kansas City and I was pleased with the response. Stay tuned to our social media over the next month to get updates and visit our campaign page to learn more!

​- Tyler
0 Comments

DEATH Has Come! More Coming Soon...

3/1/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hello all!
I'm popping in to sum up all of our latest updates. Meant to get to it sooner, but we kept having new things happen. A good problem to have, honestly.

DEATH IN LAVENDER
After wrapping up our longest festival run, our co-production with Altisma Films has finally found its way online! For anyone that hasn't been keeping track, DEATH IN LAVENDER is a '30s inspired noir film shot on 16mm that we produced in late 2022. It was a very fun novelty project to put together. After about 20 festival appearances, the short is available for all to see. You can see the film HERE!

​A COMPLEX HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
Our documentary film has had a couple announcements since our last blog post. The first being that our composer, good ol' Jamie Zin released the soundtrack on Spotify. You can listen to it HERE! You may know Jamie through is many contributions to several of our projects over the years. More recently, Jamie has focused on film scoring and did a fantastic job putting together the music for this project.
If we posted this a week ago, we would've been telling you how excited we were to announce the premiere of the film. However, First City Film Festival, which was set to be the premiere screening, had to cancel the event this year. It's a sad announcement to have to make. We've enjoyed screening there in years past and we hope they are able to bounce back for next year. As for our premiere, we're cooking something up. Don't you worry.

PODCAST
We've kicked off our 11th season of the Illumination Cinema Movie Podcast. Starting with our annual Golden Jamies episodes and more recently, Direct to Dumpster Vol. 10. Be sure to stay tuned. There will be lots of great episodes this season.
0 Comments

2025 & Brimstone Terrace

1/2/2025

0 Comments

 
Man, this is awkward. I haven't updated this thing since September. I'd say I had a good reason, but...

2024 Catch Up
Probably the biggest thing that happened between posts was the premiere of ARRIVE ALIVE at Tallgrass. It was yet another great year. You'll have to take my word for it. I didn't take any photos. We had a really good turn out though. We're excited to see where we'll go next with it.
Also, vaguely related our scores for ARRIVE ALIVE and PERSONAL HISTORY are now on Spotify.
Lastly, as of December, we wrapped up our tenth season of the podcast! My goal was to get 30 episodes, but we fell just short. The last few months of the year were very busy. You'll see why.

A COMPLEX HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
In the gap between updates, we finished Chris's documentary. We completed the edit just before Halloween. This is new territory for us, so navigating the release of the film next year will be a journey for sure. 
BRIMSTONE TERRACE
It's finally time to let the cat out of the bag. The mystery animated feature we've been teasing for about two years now has finally been revealed to be BRIMSTONE TERRACE. For those who have followed our studio for a while, you may remember our 2013 webseries of the same name. This is a feature film reimagining of that concept. A totally clean slate.
For that reason (as some of you have already noticed) , we have more or less put the original version in the vault temporarily . We want to make sure anyone looking for the new film will have an easy time finding it without being utterly confused by the old version. I swear it will be back once the film is out. We'll even give it a remaster or something to sweeten the deal. ​
The film is a blend of retelling the original story and concepts for what would have been a second and third season all sort of packaged in a digestible new story. I'm writing and directing with the help of my producers David Wayne Young and Jillian Elaine. Needless to say, I've been developing the story for a very long time. There are notes in my phone from over a decade ago that are finally becoming scenes. We've worked really hard to make sure audiences new and old are able to enjoy it.
Production started in the summer of 2023 with Tori Kamal, Jamie Zin and I returning to voice our respective characters in a crazy three-studio international voice over session. Since then, we've been balancing working on two other features as well as commissioned projects in order to keep this one afloat, while also trying to squeeze in time to work on it. The good news is, we're about 2/3 of the way through animation on it. That said, there is still a lot to do. 2025 will be a busy year with a major focus on producing this film.

There will be so much more to share in the coming months! Hopefully that means I'll keep this blog updated too. We'll see.

​- Tyler
​
0 Comments

ARRIVE ALIVE Trailer (and more)

9/13/2024

0 Comments

 
Hey everyone!

If you haven't seen already, ARRIVE ALIVE has had some pretty big news! For those unfamiliar, our latest live action feature directed by Gina Bryant has set it's premiere date! That being October 25th at the Tallgrass Film Festival. We actually made a fun little announcement video with Gina and Molly (the lead of the film). The ending has been a little spoiled for you, but it's still fun.

That happened at the end of August. In more recent news, we released the trailer for the film (which can be seen below). We hope to see some local folks at the festival next month. Hopefully more good news is on the way!

​- Tyler
0 Comments

Something ARRIVING Soon...

8/6/2024

0 Comments

 
Hello everyone!
A new month, a new update. There have been developments on all our current projects.

PODCAST
I usually don’t lead off with this because it’s such a side project, but although we released three new episodes in July, until recently, only one of them made their way to all major podcast platforms. It seems annually we had some kind of issue with our hosting service and it’s that time again. When I got in touch with them, their response was about as good as, “fix it yourself”. Ultimately, we moved over to a new host that has been much more accommodating. So be sure to check out Direct to Dumpster Vol. 8 and Deadpool & Wolverine. The former featuring special guests Lolo Loren & Patrick Poe. New episodes coming this month!

ARRIVE ALIVE
Good news! We know when are where we will be premiering our next feature. Where? We can’t tell you yet! I’m sure we’ll be whipping up a fun way to do so, very soon. Or we’ll just tell you in a boring blog post. I dunno. We’ll see how much effort we have to expend.

ANIMATED PROJECT
It’s happening, folks! We’re one month into the animation process and progress is being made. Still not ready to announce a title yet, but it’s worth checking in. We will also be completing a few more sessions for voice over soon. All focus is slowly shifting onto this.

COMPLEX HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
Speaking of voice over, David Cantu’s narration sessions have come to an end. We’ve been spreading these out over the last couple months and wrapped up a little over a week ago. Now on to more editing!

That’s pretty much it for the moment. Here’s to more great news in the near future!

- Tyler
0 Comments

Three Feature Intersection

7/6/2024

0 Comments

 
Time for another long overdue update. My monthly streak crashed in May, but here I am picking up the pieces. There's been a lot going on, but it's all boring stuff. Let's break it down anyway!

ARRIVE ALIVE
​The film we shot last year has been in post-production for the first half of this year. I won't lie, we're pretty much sitting idly at the 99% mark. We had a big rush to get to that point so we could submit a watchable work in progress around. That said, all plans for release are up in the air. Each new feature leaves room for experimentation, this is no exception. While we wait, let's enjoy the first still form the film. Intriguing? I hope so.
There will be more to say when there's more to say.
Picture
Molly Strickler in ARRIVE ALIVE (2024)
A COMPLEX HISTORY OF THE US
This one is making some strides! Chris has completed his first cut of the documentary. The biggest thing happening right at this moment is that our very own David J. Cantu is recording narration for the film.

OUR NEW ANIMATED FEATURE
The often mentioned, yet to be revealed animated project has also had some major developments. As mentioned in the last post, we held a screening of LEFT HOOK to raise funds for a new drawing tablet, as the one I had been using  croaked. Good news! The new tablet is in and it's being put to use! Now a year into this production, it's still the one with the biggest hills to climb. That's making an animated movie for you. We're still not quite ready to announce what the project is, but that will come soon enough. The animation process has officially begun and personally, I'm really thrilled about it. Things are really heating up with this one, can't wait to share more about it.

That's all I've got for now. No promises when the next blog post will be. I've already tarnished my record. Don't want to break your heart again.

​- Tyler
0 Comments

A Big Screening & Big Things in the Works!

4/23/2024

0 Comments

 
Hello everyone! I'm doing it! I'm writing another blog post on a monthly basis!

LEFT HOOK SCREENING
If you haven't seen already, we have an exciting event coming up. Our film, LEFT HOOK, will be screening at the Tallgrass Film Center in the city we call home, Wichita, KS! In spite of being made here, due to the pandemic, the film never actually got to screen here. We're making things right on May 4th and celebrating the fourth anniversary of the film. This will also serve as a fundraiser for our new animated project, which hit a bit of a snag recently. My animation tablet keeled over on me. Replacing it will be a bit of a large expenditure that we weren't expecting, so any assistance helps. Buying a ticket goes a long way! Which you can do HERE!
The screening is actually happening on Free Comic Book Day, so we will be giving away a limited number of free single issues of our comics THE DOG PARK and A SCRIPT CALLED MISERY at the venue. It should be a fun evening. Hope to see you there!
Picture
View from the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City.
ARRIVE ALIVE
We've been making some progress on our most forthcoming feature. As of last night, I finished the score. Jillian and her team are working on audio. Caitlyn is color grading everything. All I have left is to grab a couple more pick ups, do a few ADR sessions and some VFX work. It's all slow and steady, but it's almost done.


A COMPLEX HISTORY OF THE US
What the hell is that? The title of Chris's documentary we've teased a couple times! Chris has been hard at work the last couple months assembling a mountain of footage for it and at the end of last month, I had the privilege of visit the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City to grab some additional footage. Major thanks to them for letting us do so, definitely visit if you are in the area!


PODCAST
Lastly, the podcast has been delivering on it's multiple episodes a month promise this month. We started off with a favorite of mine, The Silly April Fools Special, followed up with the beginning of this season's multi-parter Science Fiction Double Feature and today we close things off with Torture Podcast VIII in which the Davids and I chat about some real stinkers from when we were kids; WILD WILD WEST, MASTER OF DISGUISE and SHARKBOY AND LAVA GIRL. It's gonna be something.
Next month should also have its fair share of episodes, so stay tuned!

That's it! That's all I got!
Let's see if I can keep the blog post streak going for next month!
I know you're all dying to find out!

​- Tyler

0 Comments

A bunch of little updates, but at least one big one!

3/17/2024

0 Comments

 
I'm putting a minimal amount of effort toward keep this blog updated semi-frequently. We'll see how long I can keep up with that. This time, I mostly just have little updates, so I'll start with those first.

DEATH IN LAVENDER
The short film we worked on, DEATH IN LAVENDER, has been doing pretty well in festivals lately. Enough to where I feel like I'm having to catch up a little bit. We have several screenings happening throughout Oklahoma in the next couple months, as well as Kansas City Film Festival International and later this week, First City Film Festival in Leavenworth, KS.  You can see our events page for information on each one. It has picked up a handful of award nominations as well. It's a cool movie, doing some pretty cool things and I thought it was worth bringing up.

PODCAST
We've had some pretty good episodes so far this year. With it being the tenth season, we have pretty big plans, but it's been a little bit of slow start. February had a pretty last minute release and so will March, but the plan for the next few months is to have multiple episodes roll out. We've been working on several things at once at the moment, so we haven't been able to really kick things into gear just yet, but we're almost there. April is supposed to be pretty big. Just wait for that.
Picture
Naythan Smith, Jered Becker, Lolo Loren, Victoria Gayer and Sam Schurter (right to left)
Picture
A totally normal and not weird person.
ARRIVE ALIVE
This movie is in post-production with an assembly cut completed. We are mostly done with some of the additional shooting we needed to do. The major hurdles we have left are sound, music and color. I for one am looking forward to getting through these processes and getting this thing out to festivals. We're still on track to have it premiere this fall... fingers crossed.

THAT BIG NEWS I PROMISED
Look at us! We just keep growing! We've added a new team member! Caitlyn Cody, who has been our director of photography on both HOLE IN THE GROUND and ARRIVE ALIVE is the newest addition to Illumination Cinema. We worked with her a lot last year. Not just on IC projects, but other places as well. She's proven herself as an essential member of any crew. I'm excited to not only continue that trend, but see what we can do to help her own projects come to life in the near future.

That's it!
​Will I actually be back with another blog post next month?
Heheh! Time will tell, my friend.

- Tyler
0 Comments

HOLE IN THE GROUND is Online Now!

2/10/2024

0 Comments

 
Picture
The day is finally here! HOLE IN THE GROUND is now available to watch online.
We had a really nice festival run with one, which definitely could've gone much longer. With another feature around the corner, we needed to clear a path and with Valentine's Day approaching, this felt like an appropriate release window.

Around this time last year was when we set out to shoot this one. It was a pretty quick turn around. Only a couple months of prep and a one day shoot. I remember reading the script and having zero hesitation agreeing to produce it. It was incredibly moving and easy to relate to. I know we're all eager to share this with the world and let them soak it in the same way.

See the film HERE!

- Tyler
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Categories

    All
    A Complex History Of The United States
    Another Day Colder
    Arrive Alive
    A Script Called Misery
    Blindsight
    Brimstone Terrace
    Carrier Pigeon
    Chekhov's Hand Grenade
    Death In Lavender
    Falling Out
    General Updates
    Good Listener
    Hole In The Ground
    How Much
    IC Recap
    IC Tries
    Left Hook
    Living After Midnight
    Nightmare Drive
    Personal History
    Podcast
    The Broken Key
    The Dog Park
    Time Less
    Wish You Were Here

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    January 2025
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    October 2023
    April 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

Picture
© 2013 - 2025 Illumination Cinema
​Version 11.7.4

Home  -  Our Work  -  Podcast  -  About Us  -  Blog
  • Home
  • Our Work
  • Podcast
  • About Us
  • Blog