This blog is in response to Film Effects Artist (lmao) Jim A. Choate bashing Filmmaker Jonathan Straiton publicly about his experience on Straiton's film "Night of Something Strange" in which he was hired for Make Up and Effects then Fired then Cried about it. See Choate's facebook post below then Straiton's follow up- I will follow up with emails as well at a later time- enjoy-
Jim Appleburger Choade then responded to a comment- "Asking who the filmmaker was?"
Dear Jim,
In response to your mis-posts of the facts, let me set a
few things straight – not only for the dozen or so people who might care, but
maybe to help other filmmakers avoid making the same mistakes I did when
considering hiring you.
1--It was a year ago that you were fired from my set- not
three years ago- 2010 isn’t even three years ago!
2-- You negotiated your price only to bitch about it
later, then half assed your efforts - and you were so disrespectful to everyone
on set, which included thirty plus cast and crew who were all working for far
less than you. If working on someone’s
movie for “half” your “normal” rate (which I dispute that) means that don’t even get
half your normal effort, then you shouldn’t victimize them by working on their
movies.
3—The first time we all ate, you weren’t fed first and
you threw a hissy fit – and calling it a hissy fit is putting it midly. After that, you were always fed first, before
any cast or crew including myself and my leads.
You also refused to stand in line like everyone else to get your food-
so we had to always have it brought to you.
Diva much?
4-- You insulted my actors, even calling them retarded
and gay and, I quote you- " I don't give shit if they die!" - when they complained of you jamming your cheap
bristle brushes in their eyes, purposefully rubbing your genitals on their legs
or asking inappropriate and unnecessary questions such as if they shaved their
privates or not!!!!!!
5- Your own assistant recommended other FX artist when we
fired you- probably because he was sick of your daily temper tantrums. Remember the one day when you got so mad at
him you actually threw a HAMMER at him?
If it wasn’t for his respect for the production and comradery with my
cast and crew, he would have quit working for you immediately.
And thank GOD he didn’t, or we wouldn’t have gotten any
effects done with you. PS Jim, you do
good makeup, when your brain isn’t “foggy”, but you are not an effects
artist. Not one of your effects worked
right. Stop ripping off filmmakers and
saying you are an effects artist. It’s
downright criminal.
6 - I paid you thousands of dollars for preproduction of
effects, weeks in advance, to be ready on set (remember that giant binder
filled with daily schedules of what FX were needed which days? You know, the one you never bothered to open
and look thru?), and you arrived with nothing done and were making them on set
the day they were needed – sometimes just hours ahead of time! Your failure as an effects artist put me
weeks behind schedule and cost me thousand in reshoots, not to mention forcing
me to cut key moments in my script. A
good FX artist supplements a production, not hinders it. In addition, you
didn’t have any of the materials I gave you money for – yet you did have plenty
of weed for the shoot – and I would have to send much needed crew members off
to local stores to purchase these materials – costing me even more money.
7- The monsters and zombies you created for my movie were
ALL my designs and concepts. I printed
off and supplied you hundreds of pages with over 8,000 detailed storyboards and
concept drawings that I spent years working on, which you then ignored, created
things as you wanted, and then threw fits on and off set when you had to redo
them… which you then never redid right and we’re almost all unusable.
8- I offered you room and board but you insisted on
bringing your trailer which I DID pay for, (reread the contract where I agreed
to pay for your trailer and I have all my receipts to prove it – seriously Jim,
could you misstate more facts?). You
then hibernated in your pervert mobile, smoking pot and, I don’t know, sniffing
latex fumes (?), when you weren’t trying to lure the female actresses into it. And you were such a diva about it - only
myself or my producer’s had permission to knock on your door to retrieve you
when you were needed on set. I think if
we had you on set much longer you would have insisted on everyone calling you
as "Princess Jim".
9- We had an agreement that the pictures revealing key
zombies and plot points would not be posted until the trailer was released,
which you agreed to. Months after I
fired you, you then asked if you could post these pics because you we're having
trouble finding work (weird...
surprise, surprise).
I didn’t want you to, but against my better judgment I felt sorry for
you and compromised and said you could email the pics to potential
clients. You thanked me… then posted the
pics to FB anyway! I politely asked you to remove them, and you responded by
insulting my skills as a filmmaker and stated you had every right to post these
images. I can repost all the emails
detailing this conversation and the subsequent fall out Jim – want me to?!! As much as I despised you Jim, I have always
kept things professional, but you send me these ranting, slanderous emails
filled with spelling and grammatical errors that read like a grade schooler
wrote them, taking personal jabs at me and insulting my production. I never insulted your lack of FX skills to
you privately or publicly, but I can show actually footage of your FX failures
in action! Besides all else, you don’t
need to post these pics – you have plenty of pics that show off your
skills. You just seem to want to post
them to damage my production, because you feel wronged and need revenge in some
way. You’re always striking out at a
world that won’t hire you. Jim, let me
be honest with you in the hope you see the light and the error of your ways -
you’re not getting work not because you don’t have pics from my movie up. You’re not getting work because, well, you’re
a dick.
10- I don’t know if it was all the pot smoking, or shell
shock from your years during the Civil War, but you blew continuity on a
regular basis. The zombie make up got
darker and darker as the production progressed – despite all the pics you took
you never matched anyone up the same way twice!
You blew effect after effect and then got seriously pissed when I wanted
another take, or at least one “good” take.
Jim, I don’t claim to run a Hollywood Studio here… I am a
low budget, independent filmmaker who pours every extra cent he has into his
labors of love, and I rely on good, competent people to help me realize my
visions. Unfortunately, for me and everyone
who busted their ass on my movie, I crossed paths with someone as
unprofessional as you. You look down on
indie productions like they are beneath you, like cheap weed not worthy of your
least favorite bong, and yet strive to work for the big boys who won’t hire you
because you’re just not good enough. I
have secured distribution from reputable companies with every one of my films
and won numerous awards all over the country, yet you call me a wanna-be
director. You, on the other hand, were
fired from my set, then fired from the very next film you worked on for the
same reasons.
Yes Jim, I heard all about it at the weekly " I
hired Jim Choate for my film and Didn’t Get the FX I was Promised"
Club. You charged this filmmaker
thousands of dollars for realistic werewolves only for them to look like teddy
bears that Spencer's would reject for being too “sissy”! Even the last production you went out for -
they rejected you and then you threatened legal action (btw, do you still have
the same imaginary lawyer?) because they didn't pay for your cost analysts, a
cost analyst you admitted you told them you would do for free. You even got
fired as a casting director in North Carolina! Just look over all your FB posts
over the last year… you are constantly bullying filmmakers left and
right because they don’t want to work with you.
Anyone who reads your fb posts can see right through them
to see what the “real” you is like. It's not a surprise you can't find work
(recommendation here: seek work as a “saddle”).
And yeah, this could be another case of an irate
filmmaker battling a “skin prematurely aged from over exposure to chemicals” FX
artist, but I have everyone on my set who will back up my statements here. You don’t even have your own assistant to
back you up! I have kept quiet about you long enough while you have publicly bashed
me - but not anymore. I will respond
here, once, as I have better things to do (except one day, if time permits, I
will post a detailed account of working with you). I think it’s time people knew the truth about
you… as I said above, maybe it will help them avoid making the same mistake.
Thank you and God bless, Brother!
Peace
Jonathan
