BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Amateur filmmakers Rickey Bird and Jason Sanders of Hectic films create short films guerrilla style. They don’t have budgets, big name actors and don’t use storyboards when filming. They often choreograph scenes as they film, based on notes, loose scripts and on-the-spot creativity.

They also lean on others in the Central Valley filmmaker community for creative support, various filmmaking equipment and acting talent.

Sunday night was no exception as amateur filmmakers Hectic Films and Dark Knight Productions, both from Bakersfield, joined forces to shoot the Batman short film, “Batman Darkness” in downtown Bakersfield.

Images: Batman Fan Film Shot In Downtown Bakersfield

“Batman Darkness” is the brain child of Dark Knight Productions Rod Reed who told Nick Belardes of ABC23 that he wanted to create a Batman fan film for more than two years.

Set in Gotham, the plot of the unnamed short sees Batman battling vampires who want to convert the already dark hero to their deathly version of dark side. Most of the film takes place in one of Gotham’s dark city alleyways.

“I think once we get done it’s going to be really nice, something everybody’s going to want to see,” Reed said. He added that he wanted to come up with something that would take viewers out of reality for a while.

Although the film may seem like a living room production, its costumes, makeup and lighting were no small feat. The film shoot had all the feeling of big budget meets guerrilla filming.

Hectic Films has their own special effects animation wizard in Jason Sanders, a green screen in a small studio, and for this film, a makeup artist already used to making ghouls for haunted houses. A generator was used to power lighting along the Bakersfield alleyway used for the film.

Reed has his own high-end Batman costume built from costume parts from all over the world, some from as far away as Switzerland. “I have an even newer suit on the way,” Reed said.

Filmmaker D.T. Carney, also from the Central Valley, plays the ghoulish lead vampire. He often contributes props, lighting and dollies to Central Valley film projects. He said while examining the alleyway set, “I should have brought a stunt pillow for jumping off walls. We could have used it.”

All the action and fight choreography was created on the spot in an alley next to the old Brock’s department store. Filled with trash bins, high walls and flickering lights that naturally lend to a comic book movie, the alley between Chester Avenue and K Street, and 19th and 20th streets, has all the angles needed for their film.

“This has the Batman feel we’re looking for,” said Rickey Bird of Hectic Films taking ABC23 into the alley.

During one dark alleyway scene a car prop was used that Batman threw villains against. One of the actors portraying a vampire, Connor Faulk, suggested fight tactics, which the filmmakers incorporated into their own ideas for Batman fight scenes.

With filming lasting past midnight, the film crews only worries were their generator running out of gas and their film shoot being shut down by the Bakersfield police.

“It seemed like police vehicles were circling us for a while there,” Bird said.

Filmmakers from Fresno’s Zombiehouse Productions, who have a podcast called “Beyond the Grave,” came to check out the filming. “We’re here to show support for Central Valley filmmakers,” said James Cruz.

Asked when people could expect to see the film, Bird only offered a tease. “We’re going to have a trailer in a couple weeks on our Web site on Hecticfilms.com,” Bird said.