The Predator's Prey

The Predator's Prey is a 2010 Advanced Filmmaking film written by Mike Weinstein and directed by Nugent Cantileno under the production banner Oz Films. It stars Woody Gaul as TV host Dorian Phillips, Andres De Vengoechea as Officer Hatch, John Christopher Morton as Steve Foxworth, and Patricia Nicastro as Emily.

The film tells the story of a fictional television program entitled The Predator's Prey (based off of the Dateline NBC program To Catch A Predator), and its attempt to trap an innocent man.

Since it's debut to almost universal derision and disdain, The Predator's Prey has been virtually disowned by all those who have participated in its production, with the exception of editor Robert La Rosa (The film can still be viewed on his Youtube channel.) However, the film has earned an almost cult status for its poor quality and quotability, and is now considered to be among the worst in Post's history.

Plot
The film opens on the upstairs of a suburban home, wherein Officer Hatch (Andres De Vengoechea) and two members of The Predator's Prey crew work dilligently on their laptops, while host Dorian Phillips (Woody Gaul) does his "pre-show routine". He inquires as to who the day's target is, and Hatch identifies him as Steve "Steveman" Foxworth (John Christopher Morton). It is revealed that Steve has high-functioning autism, but this doesn't dissuade Phillips.

Steve arrives at the house, and meets with Emily (Patricia Nicastro), whom he is unaware is an actress working for The Predator's Prey. He talks a while with Emily, while Dorian feeds her suggestive statements to say to Steve. Steve reveales that he lives in a home for the disabled, and his mother passed away. In an attempt to comfort him, Emily puts her hand on his. Dorian determines she has "made contact" and decides to intervene.

Dorian and a camera crew approach Steve and Dorian informs him about the shows premise. At first Steve doesn't understand, but as Dorian chastises him for being a "bad man", Steve begins to break down, terrified. Officer Hatch decides to intervene, demanding that Dorian show him the "chats" on which he is basing his accusations. When it is revealed that the chats are non-existant, Hatch takes Steve home. Left alone, Phillips utters a final line of desperation: "No one's safe without me! I wish it were your children! I wish they would F**KING BURN!....AYY!"

Cast
Woody Gaul as Dorian Phillips, host of The Predator's Prey.

Andres De Vengoechea as Officer Hatch, a police officer on set.

John Christopher Morton as Steve "Steveman" Foxworth, a man with high-functioning autism who is falsely accused of attempt to commit acts of pedophilia.

Patricia Nicastro as Emily, an actress working for The Predator's Prey.

Nick Young as Camera Operator

Dani Teman as Boom Operator

Jae Kim and Robert La Rosa as Crew

Inception
In February of 2010, each member of the Advanced Filmmaking class was asked to pitch a film, and the classwould vote on the three they wished to make. Of those pitched, the three which were selected were Mike Natale's "The Parting Glass" (later to become Nocturne in C# Minor), Nick Young's Mother, and Jess Frederickson's "Cyber". This last film would become The Predator's Prey.

Writing
The Predator's Prey went through multiple drafts, the earliest of which involved an actual romance which occured between what would become the characters of Steve and Emily, who bonded over the film Shakespeare in Love. This script is infamous for its multiple logical and grammatical errors, the most memorable being its typo in the title, which labeled the film as "The Predictor's Prey". The nickname has since stuck, and is often used in reference to the film, rather than its actual title.

The second draft abandoned the original idea in favor of telling the story of a pedophile who arrives at a party held for him, wherein he is celebrated for being the "1,000th Pedophile" they've caught on their show, and in being such, they intend to let him walk away. This is revealed later to be a dream.

After being encouraged to return to the original format, the final draft of The Predator's Prey was composed.

Production
The Predator's Prey was originally set to film in upstate New York, but on the suggestion of editor Robert La Rosa, the group shot instead in La Rosa's home in Valley Stream. This led to multiple production issues, the most significant being the 6 foot high cieling not accomodating the 6 foot 2 inch actor Woody Gaul.

Post-Production
Much to the chagrin of the crew, The Predator's Prey was edited on Final Cut Express, using 1-channel color correction. The score is comprised of royalty-free music.

Critical Reception
The Predator's Prey was met with almost universal disdain. Though giving praise to the film's premise, critic Mike Natale says of the film "Tragically, the film derails past the concept." The film is often criticized for it's laughable dialogue, it's poor acting, and it's odd editing. Natale goes on in his review to criticize many of these aspects: "Michael Weinstein’s dialogue itself is not very laughable, and under better circumstances could have resulted in compelling drama. Unfortunately, the film was almost entirely horribly miscast. Overacting to such a degree as to make Japanese Kabuki seem reserved, glaring mistakes such as extras looking at the camera, an inexplicable choice of ending and odd shot choices make the film a clusterfuck of confusion."

The film ranked in fifth on Mike Natale's "6 You Can Skip" list for the Non-Thesis night of the 2010 C.W. Post Student Film Festival.

Scenes

 * When Emily reaches her hand out to Steve, the shot it cuts to is clearly the opposite hand than the one she initially moved.
 * Early in the film, when the camera cuts to the two crew members played by Jae Kim and Robert La Rosa, Jae Kim is clearly looking at the camera.
 * When Steve's car pulls up, one can clearly see Robert La Rosa driving the car, as he is wearing the same bright green shirt he is seen as a crew member of the show.
 * Many remember Dorian Phillips' "pre-show routine" which appears to be only awkward arm movements and clapping.

Dorian Phillips

 * "No one's safe without me! I wish it were your children! I wish they would F**KING BURN!....AYY!"
 * "They were all normal people, before they were exposed."
 * "I have the chats!"

Officer Hatch

 * "Dorian!!!"
 * "I am the authority."
 * "You've been playing all of us. You've been playing this poor S.O.B."
 * "Who da fuck is this guy?"

Steve "Steveman" Foxworth

 * "I’m not a bad man. I’m not a bad man! Help me Mommy!"
 * "Mmm...these are so gooey and delicious" (sometimes heard as "good and delicious")

Dailogue
Emily: Who's Henry? (Henry is never identified in the film) Steve: Silly, you don't prey on children, you prey next to them.
 * Steve: Look Henry, I'm making so many new friends.
 * Dorian Phillips:...My name is Dorian Phillips, and I'm doing a show on adults that prey on children.