Defanged: Edward Bass and today’s less frightening movie beasts

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Edward Bass is a producer who has mastered the technique for inspiring fear among his audience. His movies often play on a person’s deepest insecurities—fear of pain, of death, or of being placed in a precarious position. The fear of the unknown is also one of these fears, and he is not the only producer, director, or writer who incorporates this fear in the art of camerawork.


Ghosts and entities of the paranormal and of legend are often effective tools of bringing across a message laced with fear. The most popular characters include vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and witches. For producers like Edward Bass, these are film characters full of potential.




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However, recent years have seen a change in these concepts. Vampires have evolved to portray beings with a human-like conscience. Werewolves have also become kinder and in control, far from their established characters as violent, beastly creatures.


Genre often has a lot to do with it. Vampires and werewolves were often featured in adventure and horror films. They used to be frightening even in comedies. However, today’s creatures of the dark are no longer as terrifying.




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Count Dracula returns to his native Transylvania in Disney’s Hotel Transylvania, this time with a teenage daughter named Mavis. Mavis is being pursued by a teenage human boy named Jonathan—but far from plunging a stake through her undead heart, the pursuit falls on the romantic side. In Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows, Barnabas Collins is portrayed as an imprisoned vampire who returns to straighten out his dysfunctional family.


Vampires being portrayed as fathers or patriarchs is indeed strange, detached from their original image of being soulless bloodsuckers who take lives without much ado.




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Read more about Edward Bass and his movies at www.edwardbassfilms.com.

Edward Bass: Going beyond the Ponzi scheme

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Before Bernard Madoff, there was Charles Ponzi, the proponent of the infamous get-rich-fast scheme that has become one of the world’s greatest financial scams. However, acclaimed filmmaker Edward Bass has chosen not to delve exclusively into the genius of the Ponzi scheme. He has opted to offer a character study of one of the most notorious con-men of all time.

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Unlike what happened in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar that has left an ambiguous impression of FBI’s powerful head, Ponzi will tackle Charles’ secret life outside the carefully orchestrated financial chicanery in order to paint a picture of a delusional, yet likable man who doesn’t appear 100% evil.

Legend tells that Charles boarded the gravy train when he was still young. He told his first victim to lend him $20 and that he would return $30 in 90 days. Succeeding in this intriguing offer, Charles went off to victimize another and the Ponzi scheme came into fruition.

Producer Edward Bass says, “It's amazing to me, that today, 9 out of 10 people know what a Ponzi scheme is, but don't realize there was Charles Ponzi. And furthermore, people have fallen for these same cons over and over."

The film can be dubbed as a significant literature unraveling the true character of a man with a propensity to fabricate facts about his life. Some of the issues that the film would explore are Charles’ motivation behind the fraudulent act, his family, and how he felt about his success story gone wrong.

Edward Bass image credit: edwardbassfilms.com

Edward Bass’ upcoming film is produced in cooperation with Victorino Noval Productions. For more details, visit www.edwardbassfilms.com.

Director Edward Bass films Belle Gunness, the horror of La Porte

Director Edward Bass couldn’t get over the life of serial killer Belle Gunness who used her prolific writing skill to ensnare dozens of men to her La Porte home where they were murdered, robbed, and dismembered.

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Belle sent love letters and advertised in newspapers to coax gentlemen to sell their properties and travel 3,000 miles to bring the cash to her. Her advertisement reads:

"Comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts of La Porte County, Indiana, desires to make the acquaintance of a gentleman equally well provided, with view of joining fortunes. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with personal visit. Triflers need not apply."

From Edward Bass

Director Edward Bass is too fascinated with the gender-bending dynamics of Bella’s life that he wanted to discover what it was about her writings that lured men into her confession of love. He said that the screenplay doesn’t just focus on the essence of woman’s charm but also on the social and psychological motivations of her killing spree. Bass says that the film’s gripping account of one of the most diabolical killers in history aims not just to appeal to audience’s cinematic expectations, but also to contribute to the literature about the relationship between gender and crime.

Director Edward Bass has produced films notable for their cinematic spectacle and substance. Visit www.edwardbassfilms.com for more information on his work.

From Edward Bass

Director Edward Bass unveils winning ideas for successful film making

Edward Bass Film School founder Director Edward Bass always tells his students to read intelligent scripts, watch critically-acclaimed movies, and read informative books so that they will have a more vivid understanding about the dynamism and complexity of filmmaking. As a mentor, he tries to practice what he teaches.

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Bass’ film school was established to serve as a training ground for film aficionados who wish to broaden their knowledge on filmmaking and related fields such as photography and graphic design. It offers a variety of courses, subjects, and curricula that were developed from combining the researches, experiences, and knowledge of its expert faculty associates. The school also offers programs for young handicapped filmmakers.

From Edward Bass

As a director, Edward Bass often uses storyboards to make filming productions more flawless, systematic, and controlled. However, he always thinks of improvisation as an option, especially if circumstances call for it. Filmmaking is a multi-faceted process and if expanding its parameters will help in the development of the field, Bass is willing to test new waters and break tradition.


“I never look at what was before. I always start with the next picture and believe that every picture stands alone,” states Edward Bass. “It all begins with a script and ends with a script. The devil is in the details; with the planning, casting, getting the right cinematographer, and putting together the right package. Once you bring those together, it’s not so much a difficult process.”

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More information about Director Edward Bass can be accessed at www.edwardbassfilms.com.

Edward Bass: Three-way wonder

Edward Bass, a Golden Globe nominee, is known for his driven, frank nature. It is these very facets of his personality that helped him immensely in achieving the remarkable feat of having financed five independent films in a span of two years.

From Producer Edward Bass - Edward Bass' Blog

Facing life’s challenges head-on has helped to further shape his outstanding character. It also contributes greatly to his creativity, drive, and insights. Throughout his motion pictures, documentaries, and plays, these experiences are sprinkled with complex and diversified elements to mirror his real life.

Another side of Bass involves leadership. His extraordinary managerial skills have led to his having managed a range of talents, from ballerinas to boxers. Among Edward Bass’ talents was Julio Caesar Chavez, who under Bass’ wing went on to become the highest-paid super middleweight boxer in the history of boxing.

From Producer Edward Bass - Edward Bass' Blog

On top of all that, Bass also pioneered the breaking of the AIDS stigma among the United States. It was the acclaimed filmmaker who arranged a public meeting between Ronald Reagan and Ryan White, a young man who had been expelled from school after being strained by the HIV virus. This move by Bass led Reagan to publicly support AIDS research, which subsequently pushed the Iran-Contra news to the back pages.

From Producer Edward Bass - Edward Bass' Blog

For more information on Edward Bass and his films, visit his website at EdwardBassFilms.com.

Edward Bass, Producer Extraordinaire: Learning a Thing or Two about Directing From the Master of Suspense

Edward Bass, a producer whom many people in the film industry admire due to his remarkable organizational skills (which enabled him to independently finance five pictures in the span of two short years), will soon test the waters with his first stint as a director in the movie, Belle, the eponymous story of America’s most prolific female serial killer, Belle Gunness.

From Producer Edward Bass - Edward Bass' Blog

With the film’s forbidding plot, it is nice to know that Edward may have been taking note of the techniques used by Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, “The Master of Suspense,” (his favorite director) in his films which are mostly in the suspense and psychological thriller genres.

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Some of the techniques which Edward Bass, producer extraordinaire, may have looked at are:

• The use of a camera made to move in a way that mimics a person’s gaze—an effective way to engage viewers.

• The use of framed shots—a technique used to maximize anxiety, fear, or empathy.

• The use of innovative film editing—a procedure to enhance the thrilling effects of a film.

During his 60-plus years in the film industry, Hitchcock has managed to direct more than 50 feature films. He is often regarded as the best filmmaker Britain has ever produced. In 2007, he grabbed the top position in a poll done by film critics in Britain’s Daily Telegraph, where he is dubbed as “unquestionably the greatest filmmaker to emerge from these islands.”

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More information about Edward Bass is available at www.edwardbassfilms.com.