MAKING ITS MARK: Looking back at Episode 1- 15 years later

As part of Mark of the Wolf's 15th Anniversary, we'll include blogs and posts from the men and women involved in MOTW over the years. Under the heading "Making Its Mark", we'll post their reflections in their words.

First up: William Phelps, who wrote, directed and starred in MOTW's first episode "Conundrum" 15 years ago.

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When Mark asked me to provide a write-up commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of “Mark of the Wolf,” I was hit with a deep sense of nostalgia and gratitude.

In this day and age, finding moments of solitary reflection are increasingly rare with the hustle and bustle and grind of life. Fortunately, I am grateful to carve out a sliver of time to take a stroll down memory lane. That is to say, I have the memory of a sieve; I envy the folks who have such a vivid, crystal clear memory—able to conjure up exactitudes and recite recollections verbatim with a fluent ease. But I will do my best with putting myself back in the shoes of my 13-year old self!

Mark and I connected on the internet on a filmmaking forum in the early 2000s when YouTube was on the rise—back when it was a true DIY hotspot for indie filmmakers, and not plagued with ads and clickbait nonsense. Mark and I bonded over our mutual appreciation of filmmaking, storytelling, superheroes, and folklore.

Back then, I was blessed with that online community, which included Mark, of course. These folks supported the films I created with my family and friends, which were all shot on a Canon digital camera with the highest resolution of 360p, and then, eventually, I graduated onto shooting on miniDV tape, which felt like today’s 4K.

Mark and co. taught me the values of taking criticism, advice, and to solely focus on the process and striving for improving—not perfection. These folks truly shaped my early years as an artist, and helped me navigate to where I am now as a working actor in the business. And for that, I am truly grateful. But I digress!

What memory serves me, Mark shared a promo for his new project on said filmmaking forum. The trailer featured and was made by Eric Smigiel, a filmmaker who I looked up to greatly [you can now see Eric in Chris Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”]. I was mesmerized by Mark’s concept—a collection of short films made by indie filmmakers from all over the globe under the umbrella of werewolf lore with only a few requirements to tie the whole “Mark of the Wolf” world together. Essentially, Mark provided us with the building blocks and log-lines to jumpstart our creativity, and gave us free rein to create.

One night, Mark hit me up via AOL Instant Messenger [nothing will ever top AIM], and asked me if I would be interested in making an episode for the series. Being the ambitious, wide-eyed scrappy kid I was, I, of course, said yes. In retrospect, I am very honored and full of gratitude Mark had asked this young teen filmmaker from Minnesota. I don’t remember if Mark had told me my episode would be the first one to introduce the series, but if he did, I didn’t feel any sort of pressure [oh, to still possess the same childlike innocence of creating without ego].

Back then, I would simply just sit down at the laptop, open up Celtx, and write whatever came to my head. And was there any sort of second guessing? Rewriting? Editing? Nah! What I typed was good enough! And, then, I embarked on shooting it on my own.

Since I didn’t remember too much about the actual shooting of this episode other than covering my body and clothing with soot from the fireplace [much to my family’s dismay—tracking it all over the house and dirtying up the furniture], I decided to rewatch the episode, which is something I never like to do. Similar to most artists, I never like to rewatch or dwell on past creations; always focusing on what lays ahead instead.

Watching “Conundrum,” I anticipated cringing at my younger self. But I didn’t. Instead, what I saw was a kid full of spunk, enthusiasm, and fervor; focusing solely on the act of creating itself with the means I had at my disposal. What a trip it was to revisit this.

Thank you, Mark, for fostering my passions, your unbridled support over the years, and for being a building block in my life path as an artist. Big love and congratulations—I can’t wait to see what’s to come with the world you have created.

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