Making Monsters; A Sneak Peak Behind the Scenes of the Horror Film, Maya.

The first month of the year is over!

January was a fantastically abundant month and oh man, did it fly.  I've been posting a lot of behind the scenes pictures and video clips on my social media because the month was filled with travel, prep, filming and shoots.  Since I haven't have much time to explain the shift back to my 'normal,' I figured I'd start you all off with an explanation about the film I've recently been cast in as well as give you some special, first looks at our behind the scenes process.

 

One of the biggest things that filled the first month of this year was my work on the film 'Maya'!

'Maya,' is a horror film written and directed by Paul C. Hemmes (Scream Machine).  The film, as he describes it, 'is a straight up horror movie; written by and for horror fans. Our intention is to make a smart horror movie, one with depth and sophistication, while maintaining the elements horror audiences have come to love.''

I play Maya, and my character is somewhat of a mystery.  The story centers on a group of friends who go on a hiking for what they think will only be a few hours, however, as soon as the hike starts so do the dark and perplexing occurrences.  

The group first stumbles upon Maya, mysterious and alone in the woods.  Finding Maya gives them a semblance of hope, however ends up giving rise to more questions than before.  The story follows the group, and Maya, as they continue on, attempting to gain a grasp on the dark and insidious occurrences happening around them. 

I'm extremely honored and grateful to have the opportunity to bring Maya to life.  I was extremely impressed with the script and am having a lot of fun creating the character.  Creating the character for Maya goes a little further into character development as not only am I working on her attitude and demeanor, but undergoing physical changes as well. 

The first week of the year found me on a flight to LA where I soon met and was fit for prosthetic pieces by the insanely talented artist and director, Joe Castro and his lovely assistant Lisa Lex.

   Walking into to Joe's fx house, I was immediately greeted by severed heads on shelves, bloody body pieces laying on tables and a giant green screen to my right.  

I felt right at home.  
I slipped on some gym shorts, huge tube socks and a trash bag shirt.  

And  then they started:

 Oh, whoops, there goes my sight!

 Thank the gods, I'm not claustrophobic!

 Then I wait....

Then he wraps...

 

J/k

Now I wait some more....

 It takes all 3 of us to remove the mask..

 woah! It's my face!!!

 Too cool!

 Thanks, Joe and Lisa!! 

The crafting process takes about 2 weeks after the initial casting, so it was back to character development, costume fittings and meetings until we filmed our first scene.  
The entire experience has been unique.  I'm working with teams of artists I'd never worked with before and creating a character unlike any I've ever portrayed.
I'll be back with more behind the scenes and pictures of my changes as we continue to film! 
In the mean time, you can find me on 
Twitter: @VictoriaPaege
IG: @Pocketsized21
FB: Facebookcom/VPaege

Are you a horror fan? What's your favorite? Old school, slasher films? Dark mysteries? Psychological thrillers?  Monster movies??
Let me know in the comments below!! 

See you all next time!

~Vee.