Category Archives: News

2 Million Views

November 22, 2018NewsTony

I’m still rather gobsmacked by this. When we made our little movie a few years ago I would never have imagined this.

After numerous rejections from film festivals, and finally deciding to post the movie to YouTube, I would have been happy with a few thousand views. So to hit 2 million views is mind boggling to me.

Thank you so much to all of the fans that have watched the movie, shared the movie, and kept spreading the movie. We would never have reached this milestone without you! I don’t think you’ll ever understand how truly grateful I am, and humbling getting here has been.

There is an animation project that we are working on currently. More news on that another time. For now, I’m just going to celebrate this milestone with Mike, and do a couple of shots.

Last year we had a big health issue with one of my children. That took all my energy for the year. But I have put together a HD version of the movie (it was shot in 1920×1080) and if there is ever a way to monetize that, it will be released. Frankly, monetized videos on YouTube generate next to nothing .

Here’s to 3 million! And please, keep sharing our little movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqziPSVIsmE

1 Million and the Blooper Reel

December 8, 2016NewsTony

So we did it…. we finally broke a million views (actually we broke it back in the second week of October, and we’re almost to 1.1 million). I’m trying to find a good quality version of the behind the scenes video we played at the wrap party, but I have only been able to locate snippets. As soon as I track a copy of the complete video down, I will post it.

On another note, we did a rebuild of the website, to make it more mobile friendly. So thanks for continuing to visit the site, and yes, we’ve been paying attention to the traffic.

On a related note, based on the number of views, I can assume most viewers don’t know this is floating around out there.

Take a look.

900,000 views

August 22, 2016NewsTony

900,000 views. WOW!
As we close in on a million views, I wanted to share some more behind the scenes stuff.
To celebrate another milestone, here are more poster concepts that we opted not to use before we did the final concepts and photo shoots for the posters. These were never intended to be final designs, just mock ups used to pick the direction we were going.

If you’re interested in seeing the final design you can see it here:
final poster design

Also, if you haven’t seen it already, there is the blooper reel from the production of the film.

There was a behind the scenes documentary that Kelly had put together for the wrap party. It has only been shown there. When we hit a million, we may celebrate by adding that to the Youtube channel.

Thanks again so much to everyone that has watched and shared the film!!! Please keep spreading the word about TYAI. And don’t forget to like and subscribe to the youtube channel.

800,000

June 22, 2016NewsTony

Yay!

In honor of the milestone, here’s one of the poster concepts that wasn’t used.

700,000 views

January 4, 2016NewsTony

A new year! A new milestone. On January 3rd we crossed another milestone with 700k views.
Another 50k and we’ve hit 3/4 of a million!

If you enjoy the film, please like and share it!

600,000 views

August 22, 2015News, ThoughtsTony

This morning at 10:04 AM, the Year After Infection broke 600,000 views.
It’s a proud moment for us as film makers.

When we were submitting the film to festivals, and distributors, we heard over again… “too weird”, “too different”, “too complicated”, “too slow”, “too depressing”.

Here we are 600,000 views later, and TYAI did find it’s audience. It’s still being watched and spread to others. We still get subscribers and comments. I confess I don’t read them.

I’m still proud of it. I got to make the film I set out to make, with no compromises. Some people love it. Some people hate it. And that’s exactly the kind of film we set out to make. No playing it safe. No middle ground. You either get it, or you don’t.

In retrospect, it’s weird to look back and realize that we were halfway into principal photography when they announced “The Walking Dead” on AMC. (No, I’m not a fan… SURPRISE!). Mike and I were standing on the bridge where we shot the climax of Summer, and when discussing it I told him “This is either very good, or very bad for us.” I’m still not sure which it is. We were making a niche film. Walking Dead made zombies mainstream.

So at the end of the day, it was a successful failure as a film. I don’t quite know how to feel about that.

Not too bad for a film that was rejected from over 22 festivals. Each one costing $25-100. Each rejection was a soul crushing experience. The problem is you start to believe them.

When it was all said and done, we never got our theater premiere. We never got to put an “Official Selection Smitty’s Backyard Old Time Film Festival” on the poster. We never bothered to press the DVDs, or print the sleeves, even though all the artwork was done, and the DVDs mastered.

When we finally decided to post it on YouTube, just to get it out there, I would have been happy if 5,000 people watched it. And when we posted it, I wasn’t sure it would reach 5,000. So to reach 600,000 is a great feeling.

Being an actor and getting rejected is tough, but being the guy who wrote, directed, and edited a film and getting rejected is a gut punch. So work on your core fellow film makers. A gut punch is what killed Houdini.

And if you plan on getting rich on YouTube with a feature… well you can set that thought aside. Our ad revenues have only left us about 96.5% in the hole.

I should have bought the Lotus.

I’m sure part of the reason we haven’t dove into another feature film is because I’m still a bit raw over the experience of the last one. We will make another film. I just don’t know if it’s going to be the labor of love that TYAI was. It’s like dating after your first real relationship. You want to love again, but this time you’re far more cautious, far less trusting, and far more critical.

I had planned a long time ago to do a series of posts about in jokes that were peppered throughout the film, but, when you don’t think anyone is going to see the film to appreciate the joke, it just seems like a waste of time. Well, you proved me wrong. I may just do that series of posts when we hit a million. That seems like an appropriate landmark. (We still have all the props and wardrobe)

So do me, the cast, the crew, and everyone involved in the film a favor. If you watched the film, and you liked it, pass it on to a friend. Word of mouth has been what got us this far, and I don’t see any reason that it shouldn’t continue that way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqziPSVIsmE
https://www.facebook.com/yearafterinfection?ref=bookmarks

Much love to the fans. Thanks for making it all better.
And to the folks that kept telling us “no”, we still have the film in HD if you’re with Netflix, Amazon or a distributor that is interested.

500,000 views

March 12, 2015Media, NewsTony

The Year After Infection has now been watched a half a million times. Thank you all so much for passing it around, and continuing to watch the film.

Congrats to Colby Raines

January 8, 2015Cast & Crew Profiles, Media, NewsTony

Congratulations to Colby Raines (Matt in Summer) for his upcoming Nat Geo Appearance on Remote Survival

Each episode features two new ‘Remote Survivors’, or contestants. One is guided by Cliff Hodges, the other by Alex Coker. Contestants must follow the experts’ instruction to travel from a drop point to an extraction point of a period of several days (exact length unspecified) while performing various survival skills along the way. Contestants have the option to be evacuated at any time by using an emergency GPS transponder located on their shoulder strap.

Find out more:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4457950/plotsummary/?ref_=tt_ov_pl

Cold Call

November 4, 2014Media, News, UncategorizedTony

This started life as a 48 hour short film, but I was never happy with it. Featuring 4 faces from TYAI. So here is the Director’s Cut of our short film.
Enjoy!

400,00 views

October 8, 2014Media, NewsTony

Another milestone has been passed, as we pass 400,000 views. Thanks to everybody who has watched and shared our little movie. Please keep watching and sharing!

300,000 views and a Impact, our new short.

July 23, 2014Media, NewsTony

TYAI has blown past our 300,000 viewer, and we launched a short film today.

It’s our first of a couple of planned shorts, before we start on our next feature.
The name of the film is Impact. Hope you enjoy.

250,000 Viewers and Posters

May 28, 2014Media, NewsTony

A major milestone for the film, as it passes a quarter million viewers.

We have a very limited supply of movie posters that we are offering for sale for $30.oo plus shipping.
These were done to help promote the film, and we have fewer than 10 of each poster.

The posters are uncut, and some have mild discoloration on the edge from being stored, but this will be invisible when framed, or matted.
You can view and purchase all 5 posters on our store page.

We’re also debating on getting DVDs done. If you would be interested in getting a DVD, please let us know using the poll to the left.

Watch The Year After Infection for FREE on Youtube.

October 28, 2013Media, NewsTony

As way to say Thank You for all of the people who have been patiently waiting to see the movie, you can watch The Year After Infection for FREE on Youtube.

Just click the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqziPSVIsmE

Runtime is 2:10 minutes.

Hope you enjoy it.

Happy Halloween from the cast and crew!

HorrorMovieNews.net reviews The Year After Infection

January 9, 2013Media, NewsTony

“The fact that this is Antonio Greco’s first crack at writing and directing a feature leaves me hopeful for his future; he has some really good ideas and he knows how to get them across on film. Also, actor Julian Thomas really shined in his role as Marcus, the loner who befriends the child in the “Winter” segment.”

read the entire review below

The Year After Infection

“The Year after Infection” is a heavily character-driven film asking us to take a look at what life might be like after the zombie apocalypse. The movie is broken out into four different stories cleverly titled, “Spring”, “Summer”, “Fall” and “Winter”. The first story centers on a woman who is surviving alone with only her zombie boyfriend to keep her company. Next is a gang of campers who are trying to make their way to freedom by use of a river. Then we’re shown the story of some survivors who are lucky enough to have a doctor in their midst. The final story is of a loner who finds companionship in a child he finds living alone in a house in the woods.

While the movie tends to drag, it certainly doesn’t lack charm and creativity. First-time writer/director Antonio Greco weaves an interesting tale of fear and survival that culminates in quite a nice little surprise at the close. The majority of the acting leaves something to be desired in most spots but that is to be expected from an indie with a limited budget. What you hope for with a film like this is bright spots and there are bright spots in this flick. The fact that this is Antonio Greco’s first crack at writing and directing a feature leaves me hopeful for his future; he has some really good ideas and he knows how to get them across on film. Also, actor Julian Thomas really shined in his role as Marcus, the loner who befriends the child in the “Winter” segment.

If you happen to catch “The Year after Infection”, don’t expect tons of action or piles of gore. You’ll get some action but you’re not going to get hordes of sprinting zombies chasing Ving Rhames through a mall. And you’re going to get some gore but you’re not going to get a crowd of zombies ripping poor David in half as he hangs out the window at The Winchester Pub (if you know what I mean).

What you will get is a solid first effort by a young film-maker looking to make his bones in the industry; sometimes that’s enough for me. Check it out.

Added: January 4th 2013
Reviewer: Larry Dwyer
Score:
Hits: 731
Language:

Vertice Films participates in the 48 hour film festival

July 6, 2012Media, News, UncategorizedTony

While we’re sitting here waiting to hear back from the film festivals we’ve submitted to, we decided to bust out the gear and give the 48 hour film festival a go. If you’re not familiar with the 48 hour film festival, you have 48 hours to write, film and edit a short film. The audio isn’t perfect, but here is our film as we submitted.

The First Review for The Year After Infection

June 15, 2012Media, News, UncategorizedTony

Mark L. Miller of Ain’t It Cool News is the first site to review The Year After Infection.

” if you’re a fan of zombie horror, you are more than likely going to find something about this indie film to admire.”

Read the full review here

Advance Review: Currently touring festivals!
THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION (2012)
Directed by Antonio E. Greco
Written by Antonio E. Greco
Starring Trinka, Stan Davis, James Eason, Nichole Fischer, Joe Hammerstone, Ben Bovee, Dennis Dashley, Christopher M. Johnson, Eric Warrington, Timothy Lantz, Rhonda Husak, Julian Thomas, Dereck Krebs, Clark Pearson, Elyse Bertani
Find out more about this film here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug

I’m a dedicated supporter of indie work, be it comics or film. And THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION is most definitely an indie film. Many have difficulty with films such as this because of amateur acting and clumsy editing and problematic pacing of story. All of those things are present in THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION, but still, if you’re a fan of zombie horror, you are more than likely going to find something about this indie film to admire.

Let’s get to the problematic stuff first here. THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION has a lot of pacing problems. Maybe it was because of the amateur acting, but a lot of this film drags like the zombies that star in it. There are huge chunks that I feel could really be clipped away to make a faster moving story. There are a lot of nice elements here, but there is also a lot of meandering between these moments. A snip and slice here and there in the editing room could make for a much more enjoyable movie.

Now, the amateur acting might have been what made this film seem too long. Though I understand it’s hard to get great actors for a low budget film, if you know the actors are not the best, again, editing can cover up a lot of that. Here, despite the fact that these aren’t the best of actors, a lot of time is spent on them and a lot is expected from them. Because of this, the lack of professional acting skill is evident.

That said, I think the stories at play in these four vignettes which are titled by the seasons that pass are pretty fun. One centers on a survivor whose only friend is a zombie. Another follows a group of survivors paddling down a river filled with zombie infested waters. Another features a clinic where experiments on the dead are being made to find a cure. Finally, the best story of the bunch features a loner who finds a young child holed up in a house and must confront his inner demons in order to properly care for him. All of these are winning concepts filled with nice ideas that are touched upon in these short installments. Antonio E. Greco’s stories should be commended for the fact that they are creative stories focusing on the zombie apocalypse, and though the execution is often problematic when it comes to acting and editing, the ideas themselves are strong.

I also have to admire this film for the fact that it chooses to shy away from an outbreak story. So many zombie films focus on the outbreak. It’s a tried and true way of amping up the scares and emotion, but it’s a story so often told that I tire of seeing zombie films because it feels as if that’s the only story people want to tell. Here the outbreak occurs and this is more about adjusting to these changes rather than being shocked by them initially. In many ways I understand, given the walking wounded feel of zombie films in relation to reactions of helplessness to 9-11, but maybe it’s a good sign that series like THE WALKING DEAD and like this film have shied away from the initial shock and focused on what to do next. Though it makes for equally harrowing stories, it also can be said that this is an optimistic way of looking at being a survivor rather than a helpless victim.

Cultural significance aside, the redeeming factor with THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION were the little moments of cool (the canoe riders come across a bridge filled with zombies who drop on the boats from above like kamikazes as they pass under them) or moments of fun (a doctor empties a bedpan filled with blood and bile onto a zombie’s head far below). The ending of this film shows that Antonio E. Greco has a lot of talent in the way he pulls the final moments of story together while giving a nod to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, the zombie film that started it all. Though rough around the edges, THE YEAR AFTER INFECTION redeems itself though clever ideas and fun moments.

Changing Gears

March 17, 2012Media, NewsTony

We’ve switched gears from Post-Production to submission mode. With the last bits of editing, scoring and DVD authoring done, we get ready to start submitting to film festivals.

If you want to keep up with the film festivals we will be screening at, you can sign up here.