What is "The Shadow Sea"?

My name is Richard Chambers and "The Shadow Sea" is my baby. It's a feature length noir/mystery film currently in pre-production that began its life as some very hasty and very poor-quality scribbles I made in a notebook in 2009. I had no idea exactly what those scribbles were about or where I was going with it or, for that matter, if it was going anywhere at all. Over time however those scribbles gave birth to other ideas which led to others and, well, such is the nature of inspiration: you never know when it will strike or where it will go but you follow it.

By early 2010 I had a story. At this time I envisioned a graphic novel and began drawing it out (more on that in later posts). Late in 2010 after subjecting the narrative to the first rewrite and taking two cracks at the visual style I began to feel again that the story needed more work. Unsure where to take it however I put the project on hold to think it over. I took intermittent cracks at resolving the story throughout 2011 without any success. Early in 2012 however, when I was in the midst of the 6th or 7th rewrite a simple thought crossed my mind: "This story really wants to be a movie." It was one of those moments that had the ring of absolute truth about it and from that moment on I became committed to seeing The Shadow Sea find a home on the big screen.

Ceiling mural Venetian Palace, Las Vegas

Over the past year as The Shadow Sea morphed from a book to a film project I've been joined by many great people who've come to believe in the project. Actors, camera people, other film makers and just friends and acquaintances eager to lend a hand. They've donated a lot of time and sweat and expertise and ideas to help get the project to its current state, which I'll get into in greater detail in upcoming posts.

A little background on myself: I've been a painter since the age of 12, have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and over the years have studied with some amazing artists, including Eric Fischl. I've done Super-8 films in the past as well as experimental video and programs for the Boston Neighborhood Network. I've sold hundreds of original oil paintings and was part of the team of artists that painted the world famous mural cycle on the ceiling of the Venetian Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (left).

While "The Shadow Sea" is my first foray into feature films I'm confident it'll have what it takes to hold its own in the creative marketplace.