Hot Seat: Media Monday Indy Filmmaking in the Mohawk Valley with CrowsNest Pictures 5-19-25
In this episode of Hot Seat: Media Monday, we’re hanging out with filmmakers Jonas America, Aidan Ferguson, Siulee Olivera, and Kelsey Zimmerman. They’ll be presenting The Haunting of Nahhahmacher Hall, as well as exclusive clips from an upcoming project, Bumps in the Road, on Saturday, May 24th at the Newport Short Film Showcase, which will be at 6 pm at the Kuyahoora Community Center, 7408 Main Street, in Newport, NY. Both of these projects were produced as part of their Crows News Pictures movie studio.
Their work combines comedy and satire in the horror genre. They elaborate on their filmmaking process, from inspiration and character development to production and feedback from test audiences. The film The Haunting of Nahhahmacher Hall is a comedic satire that follows YouTube influencers on a ghost-hunting adventure. The filmmakers draw inspiration from the popularity of ghost-hunting YouTube videos and iconic media like Scooby-Doo.
They discussed their intention behind visual styles, drawing inspiration from Wes Anderson and emphasizing lighting techniques. The film utilizes different camera approaches to capture both the standard film look and a more handheld, candid style reflective of YouTube vlogs. The filmmakers emphasized collaboration in character development, working closely with actors to refine roles and incorporate their input into the script, resulting in more dynamic character portrayals.
Crows News Pictures is online at https://www.crowsnestpictures.com/, Facebook , Crows Nest Pictures (@crowsnestpicturesllc) • Instagram photos and videos Crows Nest Pictures and https://www.youtube.com/@CrowsNestPictures
Jonathan Brooks/ DJ J-Easy is the sound engineer. He is online at Facebook.com/easyatm315, Instagram.com/j_easy315/, and https://on.soundcloud.com/XGKd3e4AZeNtrD2X9
Jim Hale is the photographer and records the show for video and podcast streaming. He is online at Jim Hale (@instanteon) • Instagram photos and videos
Nabil Khan is the entertainment correspondent for Hot Seat: Media Monday. Nabil is online at Letterboxd.com/1andonlynabk/and Instagram.com/instanab.k/.
Brian Lazore and Lazore Photography are online at lazorephotography.smugmug.com, Facebook.com/LazorePhotography, https://www.threads.net/@lazorephotography and YouTube.com/@LazorePhotography. The Off The Record with Lazore Photography podcast is online at Spotify and Amazon Music
Ron Klopfanstein is an award-winning multimedia investigative journalist, news and features editor, and creative content producer for 95.5 FM “The Heat” broadcast and streaming. He hosts Hot Seat: Media Monday every Monday at 5 pm, broadcast on 95.5 FM and streaming at 955TheHeat.com. Podcasts at: https://open.spotify.com/show/4nbrIF49K56OxbPljuw1Lv?si=7e000e7279f54c2a Like him at Facebook.com/ReadRonKlopfanstein, Follow him at Bsky.app/profile/ronklopfanstein.bsky.social, Threads.net/@RonKlopfanstein, Instagram.com/RonKlopfanstein, Tiktok.com/@ronklopfanstein, and subscribe to his channel at YouTube.com/@RonKlopfanstein. Read all his work at Muckrack.com/ron-klopfanstein.
