ORIGINS

"Blood Son" originated from a short story of the same name, also known as Drink My Red Blood by Richard Matheson in 1951. Matheson is renowned for penning "The Incredible Shrinking Man," "Twilight Zone: The Movie" and numerous episodes of the original Twilight Zone series.

Michael McGruther, while living in the town adjacent to Matheson's hometown of Allendale, NJ, became an avid fan after reading Matheson's I Am Legend. He had been seeking the right project to produce as a short film, and had finally been able to connect the dots with Blood Son. "When I read Blood Son I knew immediately that at long last I had found just the right piece of material to begin my career as a director. " says McGruther.

The production took shape in the spring of 2005, with McGruther's adaptation of the 9-page short story into a 15-minute short. "It wasn't a challenge to adapt into a screenplay," McGruther says, "as the dialogue and characterizations of a disillusioned, distanced teen translated well into the 21st century." Stylistically, McGruther sought to honor the classic image of Dracula avoiding the trend of slash and gore common to vampire movies today.

PRE-PRODUCTION

Producers Tom Macdonald and Michele Santos managed pre-production out of Los Angeles, but it was decided early on that the locations would be based in New Jersey, both "in tribute to Matheson's home state" and to bring a richness and timelessness to the locations that come naturally from Eastern small towns.

Embraced by the New Jersey Film Commission, Macdonald and Santos managed to secure many locations remotely. There were, of course, a few difficulties. The original screenplay called for the lead character to steal a vampire bat from a local zoo. Unfortunately, even the smallest zoos, while charging only $2 for each patron, would require a fee of up to half of the production budget to shoot for a single day. Macdonald recalls, "The price of the zoo location soared through the roof the moment that they heard it would be featured in a "film" -- regardless of the fact that it was a short independent film."

McGruther went back at the drawing board to adjust the script's location, placing the original zoo setting into an Antique Store. "I chose an antique store because the legend of Dracula has been forgotten by pop culture. So, in a way we were dusting off an old antique of a story, shining it up and making it fresh and new again. The setting of an antique store also plays well into my intent to expand BLOOD SON into a feature."

Even as the shoot was executed in five days, the film was really made in preproduction. "The entire project came suddenly," said Tom Macdonald. "I had been encouraging Michael for years that he should direct his own project. But even so, the speed with which this project came to life was incredible. One day I got a call from McGruther, and it was on, fifteen hours a day, instantly."

Macdonald broke down the script into all its separate elements. Constantly communicating with McGruther and Santos, the needs of each department were listed, shopped for, and built.

THE CAST

Casting via a single ad in Backstage resulted in over 500 submissions. "We wanted only non-union players due to budgetary constraints. The quality of the respondents impressed us," Santos says. McGruther, together with casting director Pete Fasanelli, narrowed the list to 100, all to be seen within a single day. "Because of time constraints we were limited in the number of days we had to use for casting so I wanted to make sure that there was a good diverse mix of talent in the sessions we had," says Fasanelli. McGruther found it "refreshing to see the many different character actors that you can only find in New York apply for the roles." But applicants for the principal role of Jules were scarce. "Many respondents looked too mature for the part, limiting our call-ins to 4-5," says Fasanelli. McGruther, in scanning through the discard pile the night before auditions, spotted one actor, obviously older than the advertised 'must be able to play 15-16'. "There was just something about his headshot that caught my eye...for the few hours in which we waited for his confirmation to audition the next day, I worried that he might not get the message in time. Luckily for us he confirmed that he could make it," says McGruther. That actor was Lucas Wotkowski.

"I was a little excited because I had never done any kind of horror film before." says Wotkowski. "I went to the audition not really knowing what to expect. I just thought I would be screaming and running away from a psycho killer or something. Upon arriving and reading the sides, the character of Jules was the polar opposite of every character I have ever played, [but] during the audition, Michael could not have been more helpful. I not only left with a better understanding of who Jules was but I also felt a sort of connection with the character."

The only part not cast from the session was the role of the School Teacher - a counter to Jules' decline in the climax of the story. McGruther returned to L.A. to show his producers the audition tapes, knowing that he'd have to find an actress when he arrived in NY to finish prep -- with just two weeks before physical production began.

Casting director Fasanelli placed some calls to friends in the NY theatre scene and arranged a coffee shop meeting between actress Julie Finch and McGruther with less then a week to go before shooting began. "I knew exactly what I was looking for and hoped for the best when I met with Julie over tea." Julie muses, "I rather prissily and pompously said I loved Jane Austen." McGruther gave her the part on the spot.

A cast rehearsal was scheduled a week before shooting. McGruther recalls, "I was impressed with the preparedness of the actors cast. Their commitment and professionalism, their eagerness to be a part of the film, all the elements tantamount to a successful production. Acting is certainly not easy, but for me, working with great actors is."

A first time director, McGruther likewise garnered respect and praise from his cast. "He is someone who knows what he wants, but is not locked into a priori idea. If something new and interesting comes up, he becomes excited and immediately adjusts. You always have a sense that it is a real collaboration," said actor Robert Hancock. McGruther, with his background in acting, knew one of his biggest challenges as a first time director would be in finding a common language with each of his cast, keeping them in the moment. "Michael created a safe and comfortable environment for me to explore and find my character," said Wotkowski.

CREW and PROPS

In crewing up, McGruther put his trust in producer Tom Macdonald. Macdonald saw an NYU short film shot by Tim Nuttall and recommended him as DP for the project. "The Director/DP dynamic is the single most important relationship to me. My deciding to work with Tim was not about whether he could he frame a shot and make it look good -- it was whether he understood what I wanted when I explained it to him. We hit it off and I was confident that a critical piece of the puzzle was in place and fit perfectly," says McGruther.

One hurdle to overcome with less than a week before physical production was with one of the main characters -- the vampire bat. Originally, recognizing that the proliferation of CGI was eliminating the need for handcrafted works of art, Buffalonickel attempted to promote the dying trade and arranged with master animatronics puppeteers for the rental of a fully functional bat. The script was finalized, checks written, and cast set for rehearsals and pickups -- when the bomb was dropped -- the rental would cost an additional 60 percent more than the negotiated cost for "clean up and shipping." "It was an unfortunate turn of events," says McGruther. "I didn't panic -- instead we ended up using a $20 rubber bat that I bought at a prop shop in NYC the day before shooting - it worked better than we could have expected."

The "Bat Box," one of the key props in the film, was a specialty item that had to be built from scratch. Macdonald and McGruther designed a prototype that could facilitate the camera for certain shots, all of which were mapped out and storyboarded. They then built the box and distressed the wood, adding vintage hardware that created a look that would help set the perfect tone for that element. "Even though we were a tiny unit, we tried to conduct business as though we were making a large-scale feature," said Macdonald. "We brought in individuals that had very high standards technically, and who were driven to make the finest film they could. I knew with the caliber and commitment of all involved we could create something to be remembered."

The film was shot digitally on the Panasonic DVX1000 24P camera on MiniDV in late May with a crew of seven people over five days in and around Morris and Bergen Counties, NJ.