I couldn’t believe it. Someone forwarded me an article about Microsoft and Activision pulling out of a company called GAME. The writer describes the event like this: “GAME is still dragging its broken legs behind itself as it crawls across a field of broken glass, suffering further indignity today with reports that both Microsoft and Activision have decided to pull back their support of the company.” The header photo used in this article is the picture you see attached to this blog. The Demon Lo, dragging is broken body towards the pentagram.

As a filmmaker I am flattered that someone would use my character as a metaphor in an article they write. Nowhere in the article does it give credit to the photo, so I imagine many people will be confused how the two tie in…but it’s a cool thought that he knows and maybe thought others would as well. Hey, Huffington Post, CNN, Fox N…nevermind. Maybe you could start using Lo to represent the economy or one of the other few hundred issues congress drags their crippled bodies further away from every day. Do it! Make Lo a super star!

Link to the article HERE.

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Read the post HERE!

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Best Screenplay and Best NO to LOW Budget Film.

Lo was up against some pretty amazing competition in the genre. Films like Splice, Frozen and Triangle were all duking it out in the category, but in the end, our frisky demon lit up a smoke and laughed in their faces, taking home BOTH awards! You can listen to the awards show and hear me accept the awards HERE!

Much love.

Travis

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Much love
Travis

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Cover Art for the Lo Web Comic

I’ve been truly amazed at how many people have seem my indie demon-comedy-love story flick, Lo. It appears to be making the rounds into peoples homes through a number of formats, but most consistently, Netflix Instant Play. I’ve received many emails from fans telling me how much they enjoyed the movie and I can’t tell you how much that means to me. When you create from your heart and choose to do things a little different it’s a very scary thing. People’s reactions can be brutal at times. Fortunately, so many folks are digging the demon with a heart. One girl in particular…

Apparently she was inspired enough by Lo that she wanted to turn it into a web comic. I stumbled upon it one day and checked it out. There’s a truly great feeling when you create something and people respond positively to it, but it’s an even greater feeling when what you made inspires others to pick up their own tools of art and put stuff out into the world.

Justin summons his demon

Her name (or at least her screen name) is MayelV and she lives in Mexico. The web comic of Lo is something she has been working on when she has the time, so every couple weeks there ends up being a few more frames. She has started at the beginning of the movie and is recreating it frame for frame more or less. MayelV does credit me, explaining that I am the creator of the characters and the story and that this is “based on the movie of the same name. This comic is entirely fan-made. With the only purpose to entretain and not to make profit from it.” I was very flattered and have been enjoying the installments as they come in.

The artist herself - MayelV

She also has another web comic she does called. WANTED: DEAD OR DEAD, with the synopsis; Two greedy undead bandits cause havoc in the wild west until one day a misterious little girl in a weird outfit hires them in order to help her father. Demons, monsters and wild west action!

Check out the Lo web comic HERE.

Check out MayelV’s Deviant Art page HERE.

I am thrilled to be able to inspire as it also introduces me other artists out there doing because they love it. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to let me know how much you have enjoyed something I have done. It means more than you will know.

Much Love

Travis

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Directing my actors in my demon love story, Lo

I learned very quickly to take all criticism with a grain of salt. When my first feature, joshua, was released on DVD in 2006, the very first review I ever got regarding my work was from bloody-disgusting.com, and it could not have been more glowing. I was on cloud 666 (that’s the cloud for horror fans) and already rehearsing my Academy Award speech. Shortly after that review, some “jack-hole” (as I referred to him at the time) commented on the review talking about just how awful my movie actually was. Every scathing word he wrote heated up the cauldron in my stomach. To top it off he decided to bash some of the shots in the movie I was most proud of, saying that I did these pointless shots just because I could. By the end of the ego-popping, hate letter I was so worked up that I hit reply to this uneducated dope (my view of him at the time) and wrote: “You’re damn right I could…and I did!” Or something like that. Basically I made a jackass of myself and lashed back, giving him all the power and making me look like a whiny little filmmaker. I regretted it immediately and since that day I have never responded to a negative comment again. I learned that if I took these words to seriously then I was a  fool and should quit making movies. This faceless person who hated my movie had the right to his opinion. Now sure, some people can be harsh or mean just to be mean, but every minute I let that get to me is a minute wasted. I make unconventional movies. I do this because I am not interested in the re-hashed drivel that passes for entertainment these days. I like to challenge myself and my audience. I want to tell stories in a unique way that will leave an impression on people, wether that be good or bad. In short, I make movies that some people hate and some people love, and that’s pretty damn cool.

Ward Roberts sits for the duration of the movie

So, making a movie that takes place entirely in the confines of a circle on the floor, with a man and a demon doing very little other than talking the whole time is gonna make some people angry. Since the release of my movie, Lo, yesterday, some of the sites are already buzzing with negativity as well as supporters. I thought it would be interesting to bump some of the criticism up against each other, because such vast difference in opinion interests me and fuels me to make more cool flicks. THE GOOD are quotes from people who loved the film and took something unique from the experience (and NOT written by friends). THE BAD are quotes from people who didn’t hate it, but saw some flaws (all written by friends…kidding). THE UGLY are quotes I scraped off the bottom of the hate barrel. All do an excellent job, I feel, of making me pay the price (good or bad) for making something I truly believe in. thus is art. Thus is awesome!

The Good

“Lo is the kind of movie that has cult potential. Think The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

“The story ends on a surprise note of genuine emotion which I found to be imaginative and moving, giving the entire film an unexpected resonance that lasts through the fadeout.”

“If you’re looking for a raucous horror comedy with lots of mindless action and gore, LO will probably bore you to tears. But if you can tune into the cockeyed vibe that Travis Betz is going for here, you may find yourself having quite a rewarding time knocking around inside this impressive indy flick’s freaky little head.”

“Creative, unique, quirky and initially comedic, Lo shows Travis Betz’s writing ability and the film will likely be seen as a stepping stone towards more expensive and elaborate productions.”

“Writer/director Travis Betz was wise to focus on dialog and makeup effects. Both are terrific, and setting the majority of the narrative in one small, claustrophobic location amps up the tension in the game between human and monster.”

“Jeremiah Birkett’s Lo manages a surprising range of emotional expression under the mask. His performance is specific and layered.”

“Bare bones storytelling at its very finest.”

“Needless to say, love it or hate it — and I’m guessing some of you may find my love for it suspect — this is one unique flick.”

“Betz stretches the limits of what can be done technically and in terms of production design on a modest budget while providing for independent filmmakers a stellar example of how to assemble a quality, technically proficient film with largely convincing special effects on a limited budget.”

“Roberts is one of those rare actors who can play both extremes of the emotional spectrum, sometimes in the very same scene.”

The Bad

“Shot on a micro-budget Lo seems, at times, like too much of a play.”

“Lo” is a modern variation on the “Faust” story and has its clever moments, but ultimately its reach way exceeds its grasp.”

“Every time the film returns to the aforementioned flashbacks, it pretty much sucks all the air out.”

“Distinctive but felt to me like it dragged even at just 80 mins.”

The Ugly

“WOW! First horror film, that put me to sleep.”

“How can such a strange movie get even 1 good review?”

“WTF? This movie was excruciating. I absolutely despised the fact that it wasted my time.”

“A little piece of advice, unless your desprate dont watch it.”

“I cannot understand how anyone with an IQ above that of a rhizome could possibly enjoy this improv dreck. It succeeds only in making demons and hell, well, just boring.”

“This movie sucked. PERIOD. everything was just stupid. actors sucked. story sucked. lighting sucked. props sucked. you sucked.”

“Simply the worst movie EVER.”

“It was more like A Christmas Carol with a $5 budget. Waste of time.”

“This is one of those movies that tries to be clever by poking fun at itself and the genre. It fails. Its low budget, poorly filmed and over-acted.”

“Dumb. Its dumb. Sorry not funny, just dumb. Oh sorry, its boring and dumb. So boring its dumb and so dumb its boring.”

In conclusion: Everyone’s a critic and always will be. Either roll with the punches or get out of the game. And now it’s time to make more movies!

Much Love

Travis

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I am so very excited to write this blog. This particular blog. A journey that started almost three years ago is coming to an end, and I would be the happiest filmmaker nobody knows if you would join me on this moment. That movie I made, the comedy about the demons in love called LO, is being released nationwide on DVD this Valentines Day weekend!

Got a Netflix account? It’ll be there. Gotta Blockbuster account? It’ll be there. Amazon, BestBuy and hundreds of other outlets and online services will have Lo. True, I am asking you to support my film. The more you rent, buy, rate and review the more opportunities will open up for me as a filmmaker. That being said, I am not just asking you to blindly support. I truly believe that you will enjoy this movie. It is unique from anything Hollywood is putting out and embodies the true spirit of independent filmmaking. It is funny, odd and even touching. Try something different this Valentines Day and explore the idea of love through the eyes of those who live in Hell. Once you do, let me know what you think!

Here is a trailer for the movie. It comes off looking more like a horror film here, but do not be fooled. The distributor asked me to cut it this way in order to better sell it to the bigger chains who did not know how to market a demon love story.  After you’ve watched it, check out below for some ways in which you can help support this little love of mine.

A few ways to help support if your bored and totally awesome:

1. Rent/Buy the movie. Put it on your Netflix or BlockBuster queue or pre-order it from Amazon or Best Buy. This will show the companies that there is a demand for it. I will supply links to all below.

Netflix: http://tiny.cc/Lo7HD

BlockBuster: http://tiny.cc/dqDDK

Amazon: http://tiny.cc/JOMzX

BestBuy: http://tiny.cc/f7Eha

2. Check out our page on IMDB. Every click to that site raises our STAR METER, which is a good thing. If you like chatting on message boards you can do that here as well.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1047490/

3. Spread the word. Tell people about it. Blog about. Make videos about it. Whatever. Every little bit helps.

4. Rate the film on the sites mentioned above and leave reviews. WARNING: Please do not do this blindly or just to be nice. I am not a fan of fake reviews. If you truly have something nice to say then compose to your hearts content. If you hated it and need to tell the world, then I give you the same advice. Write that review! Good or bad. There should always be balance. To much of a good thing is ALWAYS fishy. Netflix, Amazon and IMDB are great places to write reviews on.

Finally I will leave you with a couple early reviews of the film that I recently discovered. I was tickled blood red to read them, especially since they come from unbiased sources.

Hk and Cult Film News: http://hkfilmnews.blogspot.com/2010/01/lo-dvd-review-by-porfle.html

Blog Critics: http://blogcritics.org/video/article/dvd-review-lo/

The Spooky Brew (horror blog post labled us the #7 best horror movie of the decade, even though I wouldn’t consider us straight up horror): http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheSpookyBrew

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My feature demon love story, LO, is now an official selection of the Austin Film Festival! I am very excited because not only is this a great festival to be a part of, but I have never been top Austin. If you’re from the area, then please come out and support the film. It’ll be screening two nights at the Alamo Draft House, so you can have yourself a libation while enjoying awesome indie cinema. I’ll be in attendance to answer all your demon related questions! Details below:

LO

Saturday, October 24th at 10:30P.M.

Monday, October 26th at 10:00P.M.

Alamo Draft House – Lake Creek

13729 Research Blvd, Austin, Tx 78750 – 512-219-5408

Purchase tickets HERE!

Hope to see you there!

Much love

Travis

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Much love

Travis

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