User:Disco dude rock/sandbox
Jeff Frumess | |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2010–present |
| Website | https://www.frumess.com/ |
Jeff Frumess is an American regional filmmaker, writer, and podcaster from Westchester, NY.
Career
Film
Frumess was inspired to take up filmmaking after watching The Snowball Effect — a documentary chronicling the production of Kevin Smith's first feature film, Clerks. Frumess built off this interest by filming a series of amateur short films.
Frumess's initial breakthrough was provided by live music production and documentary work. Over time, Frumess has shifted into narrative filmmaking, producing feature films Romeo’s Distress and Gouge Away. A third film, My Shadow, is currently in production.
"They Came From Lodi"
Upon returning home to New York, Frumess began working on a documentary project recording the history of the seminal punk band The Misfits told through the eyes of those who surround the band as well as their contemporaries and notable musicians who would draw great influence from the original 1977-1983 band.
Since 2021, the project has undergone a vast revision in its scope and approach, with interviews and other materials still being gathered.
Horror Punk (2011-2017)
Conducting interviews for They Came From Lodi introduced Frumess to the Horror Punk scene and the bands it represented. He teamed up with Sal Bee from Sardonica to started a YouTube show called Rock and Roll Cooking with Sal Bee. Various bands would come to Lodi where Sal lived and he would cook a band themed inspired meal followed by a song performance or two in the kitchen studio. Bands who appeared on the show included Doyle, Blitzkid, Nim Vind, The Jasons, The Independents, Stellar Corpses, Cancerslug, Whiplash, Cinema Cinema, Sardonica, Michale Graves, and Dr. Chud's X-Ward. The show was to feature Mister Monster and The Undead, but ended before the episodes could be taped.
Michale Graves: Live at Europa (2012)
In 2012, Frumess handled production duties for European shows for ex-Misfits frontman Michale Graves. Graves had previously assembled a new band in preparation for a forthcoming LP and acoustic/electric tour dates, informally dubbed the “The Dumonts.” Frumess taped the ensuing shows for a proposed live DVD, but the release was abandoned over inconsistencies in the live performance.
Blitzkid: Return to the Living (2012)
When Blitzkid announced farewell U.S. and European tours, Frumess toured with them as a documentarian, doing 46 shows in 10+ countries from Moscow, Russia to Santa Cruz, California. The proposed documentary film that would be one part band history, one part road movie, and one part concert film but was ultimately shelved before release.
Blitzkid: Live at Conne Island (2014)
On the Hellnights leg of the European tour, Blitzkid played Conne Island in Leipzig, Germany to a sold out crowd. The resulting show was shot with four cameras and soundboard audio, which Frumess used to produce a feature-length concert film to release as a limited edition DVD for Kickstarter pledges of the Return to the Living Documentary Kickstarter campaign.
Long Live the Horror (2018)
After Blitzkid: Return to the Living never materialized, Frumess took the footage he shot surrounding the Horror Punk festival Ghouls Night Out at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ and produced another feature length concert film. The live footage used was originally envisioned to be the third act of Blitzkid: Return to the Living.
The resulting material was turned into Long Live the Horror. It was intended for horror punk fans who contributed to crowdfunding campaigns for both Blitzkid: Return to the Living and another unassociated project, Ghouls Night Out that was separately helmed by its concert promoter, Matt Pathetic. Since Blitzkid had played their last U.S. show at the Ghouls Night Out festival, Long Live the Horror was intended to serve as something for all parties affected. The feature film was intended to be released exclusively for free on YouTube but currently remains shelved. A hard drive with a copy was stolen and never recovered.
Romeo’s Distress (2017)
Inspired by Jeremy Gardner's The Battery, Frumess set out to make his true directorial debut with a no-budget narrative feature in August of 2014. Romeo's Distress is a gothic, neo-noir horror film that takes its name from the Christian Death song of the same name. The film follows a creepy man named James, his unrequited love for a beautiful girl named Jane, and her father's sadistic response to the affair.
The film had its world premiere at the Macabre Faire Film Festival in January 2017, where it was nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Feature Film Director, and winning Best Feature Film Screenplay. Romeo’s Distress was also nominated for Best Feature Film Screenplay at Nightmares Film Festival and winner of the Esprit De Gore independent Spirit Award. Romeo's Distress was well-received by critics. Kieran Fisher of Dread Central called it "the personification of a passion project, a smorgasbord of influences ranging from avant-garde cinema, Gothic literature, punk rock and more."
The Transformations of the Transformations of the Drs. Jenkins (2021)
In late 2020, Frumess directed a segment along with a slew of other filmmakers for the almost unclassifiable The Transformations of the Transformations of the Drs. Jenkins. To call Jenkins a mockumentary would be as wildly accurate as it is inaccurate: Determined to create the ultimate pandemic movie, filmmakers recruit 20 of their friends to each shoot a segment of their art film. A lot goes wrong.
Creating a unique kind of anthology film showcasing the creativity of 20 different filmmakers (each given no direction and only one rule: use only what you have on hand), combined with an engaging and side-splittingly funny wraparound about the making of the film, the end result is an enormously entertaining midnight movie that doubles as a highlight reel for some of the best indie talent working in the genre. - Stephanie Malone, Morbidly Beautiful
Gouge Away (2023)
On April 21, 2021, Frumess began work on what would become his second narrative feature-length film, Gouge Away. The film is a sequel to previously incomplete film called Wash Away (2020). Gouge Away had its world premiere at midnight, Saturday, September 3, 2022 at the [[GenreBlast Film Festival]] at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, VA, and winner of the GenreBlast Forever Independent Spirit Award.
Kuyashii Gonzo: Blood Visions and Chaos Magic (2024)
Kuyashii Gonzo: Blood Visions and Chaos Magic is a Gonzo documentary in a similar vein to American Movie (1999). It started life as a behind-the-scenes featurette for the upcoming Blu-ray release of Gouge Away, until a larger story revealed itself and broadened the scope.
Over a hundred of hours of video diaries and behind-the-scenes footage spanning nearly two decades were utilized in telling the story of the incomplete film, Wash Away, and its Corman-esque transformation into its own continuing sequel-like story, Gouge Away.
Wash Away initially fell apart when production halted in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The revenge thriller was originally about a therapist named Stanley who is given the opportunity for nefarious indulgence and retaliation against a former nemesis who ruined his life years prior.
My Shadow
Following the premiere of Gouge Away at the GenreBlast Film Festival, Frumess began work on My Shadow, a new screenplay for an old idea called Dead Dog Robert. It is envisioned as Frankenstein by way of Pet Semetary via Little Shop of Horrors.
The synopsis follows Robert, a painter, who struggles with the sudden demise and grisly resurrection of his best friend — a Rabbit named Shadow. Now, all Robert wants to do is take the-girl-next-door Sydney to the Jovial Halloween Ball and have a good time. But it's hard to have fun when your best friend aspires to be a rock n roll singer and won't stop eating the people you know.
The story is named after the song "My Shadow" by Jay Reatard. Preproduction is set to begin in 2024.
Podcasting and YouTube
In March of 2020, while in quarantine at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Frumess began to livestream to make new content and interact with his audience. He began creating streams on Facebook before moving onto YouTube. Videos are unscripted and often run longer in duration, covering a variety of topics.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | Actor | Cinematographer | ||
| 2012 | Michale Graves: Live at Europa | Yes | — | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2014 | Blitzkid: Live at Conne Island | Yes | — | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2017 | Romeo's Distress | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2018 | Long Live the Horror | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2021 | The Transformations of the Transformations of the Drs. Jenkins (Segment Director) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |