Going from ground zero with an extremely limited cash supply, the producers networked within the Austin and Waco, Texas film communities as well as throughout the country. The producers convinced numerous film professionals as well as prop and costuming vendors (Some from as far away as Massachusetts and Los Angeles, California), from the 1st Assistant Director on down through an entire crew list to come aboard the project pro bono with the understanding that if the funding for the feature film was raised in full, they would have first job offer on the same crew positions they filled on the concept film.
The Concept Film was meant to be just that – a visual conception of what this film is about… A depiction of William Blesch's dream for this project and a way to show investors what we want to do. Most of the crew for the concept film had just come off the set of the independent feature film “Risen” which recently entered into a lucrative distribution deal. It is possible that these same film professionals would have worked on the ‘Blade of the King’ motion picture along with many others.
‘The Blade of the King’ concept film was shot at just over $3,500. This included the cost of food, travel expenses and some equipment rentals.
Because ‘From the Flames Productions’ was an unaffiliated independent film production company, it was without the resources of the major film studios. On the concept film, we had to improvise with the resources we did have. When you understand that we spent a total of 1.67% of what the cost would have been if we had paid all associated costs for just the concept film alone, you can imagine what we would have been able to accomplish once we had the full budget for the ‘Blade of the King’ feature film.
‘The Blade of the King’ concept film was shot over a period of about five days total at several different locations throughout Texas including Zilker Botanical Gardens, in Austin and at Savernake, a Norse themed village just south west of San Antonio.
During the shooting, cast and crew alike worked through adverse conditions including 104-degree weather, camping and spending money out of their own, individual pockets because of their belief in this project. It is their belief, and ours as well; that it is time that Texas takes its rightful place as the Third Coast in the United States film community.
