A Word from Marty Hudzik and Mazen Mawlawi
Directors of "SEEDS OF DARKNESS"

I?m not sure we were ready for a project of this magnitude. We have had a script in the can for a feature length "action adventure" film for several years now but were hesitant to start it because of the large scale of the production. So we decided to take on a "small scale" film and see it through to completion and then make our "feature". Well, let me say that the Star Wars universe has a funny way of growing and expanding - this film is no exception.

As production started this film was slated to be a 10-minute short that would primarily consist of a Jedi battle on the surface of a hidden planet. It was to serve as a test for our special effects skills and a chance to perfect the postproduction process (including a full Dolby Surround Mix). What happened was a few of our 3D experts just kept coming to us with expanded space sequences. The quality of the ships and the environment were too much to pass up. So what was a minimal sequence now became a key sequence in the development of the story.

Then we decided to add another element and that would force us to add another element. The story began to be flushed out and it became aware to us that this film was a monster with a life of its own. As I write this the film will run approximately 25 minutes. Other TFN filmmakers know that 25 minutes of a Star Wars film is like 2 hours of a non-SFX film. So needless to say this has turned into a huge project. All the while our core team has been working diligently - all 5 of us. We would like to thank everybody that put his or her time into this project to help us make it happen. Just because Mazen and I are movie freaks doesn?t mean everyone has to be!

We hope everyone enjoys the film. We put a lot of hard work into it. As with most of the TFN Fanfilms, the short little film everyone sees is just the tip of the iceberg. Most of us have put endless hours of filming, cutting, editing, rendering, compositing, chroma-keying, filming some more, re-editing, ordering Chinese food to keep us nourished in the wee hours of the night, doing voiceovers, sound effects, Dolby Surround mixing, color correcting and finally mastering. That?s when its time to sit back and enjoy. But only for a moment - there is another film to be made. If we could just finish this one first!!!

Marty Hudzik and Mazen Mawlawi

Directors, Seeds of Darkness