While I was in the Capital Region last weekend, I found myself talking with a friend about a film he’s been working on. At one point, it occurred to me that quite a few people I know have small, independent projects in various stages of production. Unfortunately, I feel like their work sometimes gets back-burnered in my mind due to how much time I spend dealing with high-profile projects with studio backing and ample opportunity for big-name casting.

So, in the interest of pushing a little well-deserved attention their way, I thought I’d provide a little roundup of some of the films on my radar due to the involvement of friends, family and longstanding drinking buddies in the film’s production.

First up is Victim’s Song. Here’s the synopsis, which I feel provides a great explanation of why it was more than just a friend’s involvement that had me interested in this project:

Eric Chandler (Nicholas Wilder) enjoys a life of privilege in a quiet suburban community. A well-respected neighbor and family man, Eric appears to have the perfect life.

All of that changes one terror-filled night when his wife and daughter are brutally murdered.

With little evidence and no leads, the police turn their focus to Eric. After hours of questioning, the police are forced to release him.

The media sensationalizes the tragedy and paints the former family man as a cruel and calculating killer. All too quick, the community turns their back on Eric, believing him to be guilty.

Fueled by the media hype are two hapless outcasts, Bucky Buckwalter (Tansey) and Travis Mathis (Pfizenmayer). Convinced of Eric’s guilt, the two conceive a plan to succeed where the police have failed. They are determined to extract a confession from Eric, by any means necessary.

Driven by an insatiable need for justice, Bucky and Travis embark on a twisted and brutal course of retribution. As the misguided vigilantes come face to face with this suspected killer, they confront a very real possibility – Eric could be innocent.

The story really hooked me on this one, and the final product is really quite impressive. There’s a trailer for the film on YouTube, too.

Another film that friends of mine are involved with is The Crimson Mask. The folks at ESP Films are putting this one together, and from what I hear, they’re having a good time doing it. It doesn’t look like the film has much of a website at this point, but there is a film production blog on MySpace with some information about the project.

For the horror film fans, a few friends and former co-workers of mine are working on a film called Cry that puts a scary spin on the Irish legend of the Banshee. The website for the film is pretty comprehensive, and has a decent amount of video clips and background information on the project — including its ties to the comics scene:

Kara Fallon hears something. Crying. She heard it when her grandparents passed on. Again when her parents died. Crying… but not a human cry.

When Kara finally comes face to face with the haunting image from which the cry emanates, she feels as if her sanity is beginning to slip. It is only when she stumbles upon a cult comic book creator’s frightening depiction of the same ghostly woman that she begins to believe she may not be alone.

CRY is a ghost story, a love story, a nightmare, a legend, and much more – a film that resonates like the wail of the Banshee itself.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how this one turns out, as the filmmakers are a some very, very creative people.

Finally, Razor Sharp is a project that’s already on its way up the ladder, with its star landing a role on Smallville for the upcoming season. I met the film’s producer/writer/director Marcus Perry at one of the Wizard World shows a while back, and not only is he a nice, down-to-earth guy, he has a real hit on his hands with this film. After Jessica and I watched this film, we couldn’t believe how well it was shot, acted and scripted. It doesn’t have any of the negative connotations of an “independent” film at all, to be honest. This is definitely one to keep an eye out for down the road, as it’s already won a ton of awards and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see it headed to the next level.