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Director's Statement
I love creepy toys. I have a small collection of them myself and it seems to grow every time I go to a convention. While I love the killer toy movies like Child's Play, I've always wanted to take an indirect stab (yes, the pun was intended) at making a creepy toy film. I'm also a huge fan of W. W. Jacobs "The Monkey's Paw", so when I started thinking of a creepy clown doll film, the two naturally came together. Mr. Buttons, the doll himself, has a very polarizing effect on people. Their either think it's cute or they say it is creepy as hell. Personally, I think he is a little of both.
- David Quitmeyer
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Production Notes
The story behind Mr. Buttons was based on a concept for a silent, black and white project that David Quitmeyer had been working on in early 2006. After several attempts at a script for a silent film it was decided that there was too much story to tell and that a full-color short would be the best way to tell the world the tale of a little rag-doll named Mr. Buttons. David found inspiration for the story in the classic W.W. Jacobs tale The Monkey’s Paw and his love for horror-themed toys.
David drew a sketch of Mr. Buttons while brainstorming for plots in the script. After showing a number of people the sketch to confirm that the doll did indeed have a “creepy” look, David trusted in the services of Desiree' Bradanini to help him bring the doll to life. Two versions of the doll were constructed along with a separate head that was used for effect shots.
Knowing well that any good horror film needs a good amount of blood and gore, David enlisted the help of Lisa Keeping, a talented special effects artist. She has created some impressive work for TV shows such as Supernatural and the Blade TV series. Planning for effects and makeup began approximately two months before filming started.
Mr. Buttons was filmed over a 5-day schedule that was scattered across various Saturdays from October 2006 to December 2006.The cast was assembled from a combination of casting calls and actors who had previously worked. Over 380 actors submitted their head shots for the auditions and more than 50 attended the auditions. Auditions and rehearsals were held at Activity Road Studios, a rental space that is also home to the Independent Film Group of San Diego.
The budget for Mr. Buttons was approximately $2,500. The majority of the budget was dedicated to makeup effects, wardrobe and prop fabrication. All of the actors volunteered their time for the film and all of their sacrifices are greatly appreciated. Production costs were kept to a minimum in part because David owns his own camera, lighting gear and editing equipment. David was also aided in production efforts by his wife Kristen and several of his close friends who love to watch him film.
Principal photography was completed with a Sony VX2100 using MiniDV media. David edited the film with Adobe Premiere Pro on an HP computer running Windows XP with 4 GB of RAM and an AMD Dual Core processor. David also used SoundSoap, Magic Bullet and Adobe Photoshop for various effects throughout the film.
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