Mike Pecci lends his cinematography skills to director Rudy Hypolite's new film This Ain't Normal.
BOSE Better Sound Sessions directed by Mike Pecci wins HATCH award
Congrats to the McFarland & Pecci production team and director Mike Pecci for scoring a Hatch award for their work on the gorgeous BOSE Better Sound Sessions series. You can watch them online or at Bose desplays in Best Buy!
To Hell and Back: The Story ‘12 Kilometers’
After a near-fatal accident and grueling recovery filled with vivid hallucinations and waking nightmares, Mike Pecci sprang back to make the most ambitious — and personal — film of his life.
TWITCHFILM: 12 KILOMETERS Plunges Into The Depths Of Atmospheric Sci-Fi Horror
From the start, 12 Kilometers is a feat; it's one of those short films --- clocking in at just under 28 minutes --- that feels like a big budget feature film. This short feels even more so because it's sci-fi horror. Writer/director Mike Pecci is a talented guy; you'd probably never be able to tell that this 1980s period piece set in Kola, Russia was shot in Massachusetts in 2015. The film was influenced by the "Well to Hell" urban legend of a Russian team lowering a microphone into the Kola Superdeep Borehole --- and ultimately recording the voices of those trapped in Hell.
DREADCENTRAL Exclusive: Director Mike Pecci Talks 12 Kilometers
We’ve seen some downright bizarre monsters in horror films over the years, but a hulking mass of black fluid? That’s a new one on me.
12 Kilometers started as a proof of concept short, which director Mike Pecci is now expanding into a feature. As he tells us in the following interview, the idea for a diabolical pile of black gloop actually came from a very personal experience.
Mike Pecci is a badass motherfucker who has just made some outstanding grindhouse short films
Video Express was the store that set Director Mike Pecci on the path to becoming a filmmaker. It was a small shop with your local outcast running the register, watching an obscure title that you had never seen. Mike Pecci walked straight for the horror films, browsing the box covers with exaggerated cover art, promises of gore and dismemberment, whether it delivered it or not Pecci wanted in. When he wasn’t rocking horror, he was staying up late with his mom who would bust out some vintage Steve McQueen in THE GETAWAY or Bruce Willis in DIE HARD. Mom was just that cool, and Mike was just that interested. Today that interest is paying off in spades.
WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS: New Trailer For Mike Pecci’s 12 KILOMETERS
With only 3 days left on kickstarter, Mike Pecci has released a brand new teaser trailer for his upcoming horror film 12 Kilometers.
Director Mike Pecci (Grindhouse Shorts / The Dead Can’t Be Distracted) knows these corridors all too well. While ice skating for the first time earlier this year, Pecci slipped and cracked his skull open, suffering a hematoma and multiple concussions. Five days in intensive care, over two months of recovery time and a flood of painkillers later, a storyline began to emerge in the form of Pecci’s original horror film, “12 Kilometers.”
GREG RUCKA posts about TDCBD
CBR - PREMIERE TDCBD TRAILER
There are fan films, and there are fan films -- filmmakers Ian McFarland & Mike Pecci aim to release the latter with "The Dead Can’t Be Distracted," a movie inspired by and based on Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto's acclaimed run on Marvel's "Punisher" comic. With a professional background in directing and producing music videos, mini-docs and horror and Grindhouse films, McFarland and Pecci certainly bring some pedigree with them, and in this exclusive first look at the teaser for the film, fans can get a taste of what to expect from the full movie, which the filmmakers plan to release this summer.
ROLLING STONE PREMIERE
Massachusetts metal maestros Killswitch Engage will release their new LP, Disarm the Descent, on April 2nd through Roadrunner Records. Now you can take an exclusive first look at the band's new video for its first single, "In Due Time," which mixes footage of the band performing the take-no-prisoners thrasher with relaxed, behind-the-scenes shots of the making of the video itself.
"I [originally had] the idea of doing a sort of a tongue-in-cheek video, as I am a huge fan of some of the early Foo Fighters videos," vocalist Jesse Leach tells Rolling Stone. "However, when I read the treatment that [directors] Ian and Mike sent over, it was perfect. To me, this video shows the band as we are, a balanced push and pull of intense and sincere verses fun-loving, down-to-earth guys. We had our actual crew and friends in the shoot to create a natural vibe. So what you see is what we are: a band and a family that doesn't take ourselves too seriously."
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/killswitch-engage-strike-a-balance-in-due-time-premiere-20130227#ixzz2igQmYc9d
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook
ADOBE CREATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Apr 25, 2013
Creative Spotlight: McFarland & Pecci on Creative Cloud
Twisted, dark and awesome. Three words that describe the work of the creative team and visual artists that make up McFarland & Pecci. Still relatively new Creative Cloud members, these fellas have wasted no time utilizing the broad range of tools and programs to create one-of-a-kind work. A documentary film for well-known “metal core” band, Killswitch Engage? They’ve done it. High concept cover art for the Boston Phoenix? Sure. See what we mean about twisted, dark and awesome?
We engaged in a lightning round Q&A session with them to get more details on why Creative Cloud works for them. The diverse amount of products offered, the seamless syncing, constant updates, and bug fixes are just a few reasons why this duo takes creativity to a whole new level.
PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH MIKE PECCI
An Interview With Mike Pecci - Director Of The Punisher Fan Film The Dead Can't Be Distracted.
Will and John are joined this week by director / photographer, Mike Pecci who discusses his recent fan film based on The Punisher and how the film came to be shut down by Marvel for copyright infringement.
#TDCBD
CBR - MARVEL CEASE-AND-DESIST
In May, CBR debuted a teaser for the impressive Punisher fan-made film "The Dead Can't Be Distracted," based on Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto's acclaimed run on Marvel Comics' "Punisher." Filmmaker Mike Pecci has updated fans about the status of the film on his personal website, and the news isn't good for those expecting the film to see the light of day. Marvel has sent Pecci a cease-and-desist letter, demanding that Pecci "immediately stop [the] unauthorized use, advertising, sale and/or distribution of any production of The Punisher or any other Marvel character-based films."
US vs FILM - TDCBD ARTICLE
Mike Pecci’s “The Dead Can’t Be Distracted” (Punisher fan film)
James Rios
Hates movies, but loves films. Although he can be a tad harsh on certain movies, James enjoys all genres of cinema... as long as it's well put together and brings something new to audiences.
The reason why we started Us vs. Film was because we love seeing and talking about new and upcoming filmmakers that make something told from the heart and shows audiences something original. Unfortunately the Hollywood industry distributes a lot of the same things over and over again that we’ve seen before when they should be giving talented upcoming filmmakers a chance to show their vision.
A very interesting story has been brought to our attention that everyone should read about. The Punisher is a Marvel comics character that has been adapted three times into unsuccessful and not well received films. Filmmaker Mike Peccihas made a short fan film that he wanted fans of the Punisher to see in a whole new light that hasn’t been seen before. Fan films based on comic characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, and even The Punisher have been posted online in previous years without any complaints from studios or comic creators. Mike’s vision of the character, however, cannot be shown to us.
PHOTO NIGHTS BOSTON
Mike Pecci: More Than Just Pictures
Mike Pecci will take you on a journey back and forth between still photography and filmmaking, blurring the lines enough to ask 'is that a still from a movie? or a movie packed into one single editorial frame?' Using a DSLR to create it all, Pecci is a Boston-based photographer, director, artist combing passion and talent in everything he does, whether for personal or corporate, documentary or grindhouse, it all shines and screams Pecci.
- See more at: http://photonightsboston.com/blog/2013/mike-pecci-more-than-just-pictures/#sthash.gyMJMLvb.dpuf
STOP & STARE GIFS
By Alice on My Modern Met
A few days after we wrote about Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg's gorgeous, cinematic gifs, we received an unexpected email. It was from Mike Pecci who said someone had shared our cinematic gifs link with him and that he was "in shock!" As he explains, "This was a theory I have been working on for a few years now, and 'Bam!' these guys are doing the same thing! Insane!" Rather than beating himself up about the fact that he didn't release his gifs first, Pecci was happy for Beck and Burg's success. "My friend asked me if I was sore about not breaking them first," he says, "and I said hell no man! It’s all about the photography!" (How can you not love that?)
After about two years in development, Pecci just released his very own set of gifs he calls Living Images. "They are more than gifs," he tells us, "they are high definition images that can fill your screen and high concept poses and actions the really make you stop and stare. We are using all sorts of cutting-edge technology, and working hard with the new HTML5 testing a new technique that hasn’t been done yet. Really cool stuff." (We agree!)
PODCULTURE REVIEW
A bunch of wonderfully awkward folks review the Grindhouse DVD
"Today’s flavor of Guilty Pleasure is Grindhouse. Glenn gives us a history of the genre and shares his new screener copy of Mike Pecci’s Grindhouse Shorts. Glenn enjoys the comic book style of the multiple-covered DVD. Everyone loves the mood and style of the intro shot and opening menu of the DVD from this gritty photographer-turned-moviemaker. Glenn appreciates the composition and the artistry of this impressive presentation. Christina’s favorite part is the Mommentary, the commentary with his mom."
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ART NOUVEAU - BOXED LYNCH
Drawing for most artists is a warm up to a more elaborate work. For Dave Lynch
it is his version of a highly realized end result. Dave has been
drawing since he was a child and recently he set out to fill a blank
sketch book with over 400 cartoons. This mini art film, shot and edited
by Mike Pecci, gives insight into the man behind the sketches. Take a
closer look and find out about his work, and what some might call
his therapy.
THE AV CLUB - KSE DOC RELEASE
Watch a mini-documentary about the making of the new Killswitch Engage album
Massachusetts-based metal act Killswitch Engage has a new record on the horizon—Disarm The Descent, out April 2—and is offering fans an evil little glimpse at life inside the recording studio. Shot by directors McFarland And Pecci, New Awakening is a five-part, 30-minute documentary chronicling the making of the record. Featuring interviews, rehearsal and studio footage, and the return of original singer Jesse Leach, New Awakening aims to show fans what life in the studio is like, which is to say both musically enthralling and mentally exhausting.
ADOBE CREATIVE SPOTLIGHT
By: Jennifer Kremer on Adobe.com
Twisted, dark and awesome. Three words that describe the work of the creative team and visual artists that make up McFarland & Pecci. Still relatively new Creative Cloud members, these fellas have wasted no time utilizing the broad range of tools and programs to create one-of-a-kind work. A documentary film for well-known “metal core” band, Killswitch Engage? They’ve done it. High concept cover art for the Boston Phoenix? Sure. See what we mean about twisted, dark and awesome?
We engaged in a lightning round Q&A session with them to get more details on why Creative Cloud works for them. The diverse amount of products offered, the seamless syncing, constant updates, and bug fixes are just a few reasons why this duo takes creativity to a whole new level.
Adobe: Describe a project you are currently working on or have completed with Creative Cloud.
Pecci: We signed up for Creative Cloud a few months ago and jumped right into a few projects with Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Photoshop. McFarland & Pecci is a creative team of directors and visual artists. We create everything from high concept photo shoots to feature films and documentaries. The past few months have kept us busy in post-production on the new Killswitch Engage documentary called “New Awakening”, the new music video for CZARFACE featuring Inspectah Deck from Wu-Tang, one of the final high concept covers for the Boston Phoenix, and an upcoming ”double secret” comic book film.
What was your inspiration behind the project?
We love to tell stories, and we tend to be drawn to darker subject matter and artists that are obsessed with their craft. The film on Killswitch Engage was a fun project that allowed us to focus on the guys as a family unit and we kept our gear tight and our crew small. The CZARFACE video is deeply rooted in our love for Grindhouse flicks and Shaw Brothers films, and the ‘End of the World’ photo shoot was completely influenced by the epic magic of Michael Bay!
How has the Creative Cloud changed your creative workflow?
We switched to Premiere Pro to simplify our workflow. Plain and simple. We shot CZARFACE with the RED EPIC in 5K with Hawk anamorphic lenses. The piece required a lot of compositing in After Effects and color grading. The fact that I could bring the raw files right into my timeline and directly export to After Effects made our lives so much easier. A competitor’s program has really dropped the ball when it comes to professional editing these days so we were looking for a smart move. Just the time saved by not having to transcode footage from the RED and/or DSLRs was enough of a reason to make the jump to Premiere Pro.
What tools specific to Creative Cloud enable you to work more efficiently?
As mentioned earlier, all the new benefits of Premier Pro were our big draw in the video side of things, but the new version of Photoshop and its retouching tools and amazing smart layers really helped us composite these giant “End of the World” files. We have always been Adobe fans in one way or another, but having it all in one spot really helps us. The cloud helps us keep both systems identical in our edit bays, and the constant updates have fixed a lot of software bugs already.
Describe your style of work in three words
Really F$#Kin Awesome!
Fill in the blank: I couldn’t create without _________.
Our twisted minds and the tools that can keep up with them.
What advice would you give to an individual who is considering Creative Cloud?
If you are a video editor, make the jump to Premier Pro. Just do it. Creative Cloud is the smart choice; you sign up and download everything you need. It even runs on two systems. Makes having a post house a lot easier.