Cinevid Productions, turns a million dollar dreamhouse into a madhouse for their feature length psycho-thriller, MADNESS.
 
Written by Cinevid’s lead producer Bill Johns, the film deals with the social issues and psychological causes surrounding many of the recent spree killings. Although a fictional story, MADNESS examines many of the true to life scenarios being played out in our society today. "I think our movie is going to be like a big traffic accident; you won’t be able to pass by without looking." says Bill, who will also direct. "I want to make an entertaining film that’s well worth the price of admission, but at the same time I want to shed a little light on a very dark subject."
 
He found the location while scouting in the Chardon, Ohio area, but had no hope he’d be able to shoot there. "I mean, come on, it’s a million dollar house for sale and the man of the house still lives there. It’s a bizarre twist of fate that we are getting it at all, let alone for free," Bill exclaims. Although he’s quick to mention that everything will have a cost once the film gets picked up for distribution. It’s still an amazing feat that he’s been able to gather a complete cast, crew and locations with no money. "I have people coming from as far away as Canton, Youngstown and North Olmsted to be a part of this, so it’s really a huge stamp of approval to get this kind of dedication," says Bill. However, the people involved in MADNESS came to the project because Bill had already gotten several ‘stamps of approval’ for his short films; winning a Silver Telly for "Left for Dead" and Best Action Short at a film Fest in LA for "We Have Your Daughter."
 
The story of MADNESS centers around a young man who’s too old to still be at home, but too timid to go out on his own. His parents have left on vacation and basically told him not to be there when they return, so he plans to do some mischief before he leaves. However, his step-sister returns home from college unexpectedly on her way to a ski trip with three of her girlfriends and they all get stuck in the house when a blizzard rolls in. As his actions and plans are discovered, the girls start dying off one by one until it’s just Alex and his old crush, Megan. "Except for a few flashbacks," injects Bill, "the story is pretty much in ‘real time’ with every event happening one right after another, sort of like a barrel rolling down a hill till it crashes into a wall."
 
When asked if his film would be considered a horror film, he responded, "I believe so, but not with monsters and goblins, just real horror, you know, the kinds of things people really do to each other." With auditions at Tri-C West, The Beck Center and Cinevid Productions’ studio, the producers found talent from all over northeastern Ohio. "This area has the talent in cast and crew to make great films that rival Hollywood movies," says Andy Schofield , the film’s coproducer, "and Bill Johns has been proving himself all along as one of the best filmmakers around, so we’re very excited about getting his first feature film off the ground."
 
Besides short films and videos, Bill has been Director of Photography on four feature films, but MADNESS will represent his directorial debut in a feature length film. "Everything is on the line with this film," he asserts, "I only have one chance to make a first impression, so I want MADNESS to be the best it can possibly be."
 
On the technical side, MADNESS is being shot with the Canon XL2 and Bill is using a set of proprietary filters and effects to render the final project to HiDef for film printing. As to the sharpness and clarity of the final image, Bill exclaims, "The results have been amazing, maybe not 35mm, but certainly as good as 16."
 
View Trailer: Madness

For information and to view stills visit www.cinevidproductions.com