Tuesday, October 27, 2009

What's with all this horror?

Greetings horror lovers. Welcome to Hell.

So what is today's blog about? I recently wrote one for horrorbid.com about the nostalgic VHS tape vs. the crisp clear DVD. You can read that one HERE.

Onward to our next subject. What's with all this horror? Well, it seems as if everyone with a handycam and home computer wants to make one if they like the genre. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it seems as if anything goes. (now before you get mad at me, I made a horror film too and it isn't perfect, so I can talk about this)

I see forum upon forum filled with q&a about how to make special effects, how to make that home made dolly, lighting, this, that, oh my brain is starting to hurt...

There is a slew of horror out there. Some which you can tell had at least some type of effort put into it; and some that looks like someone gathered up what they could and simply slapped it together.

I'm all for making a movie, but come on people, at least try to put some quality into it. Sometimes it seems like this was one of the causes of piracy. People are tired of being lured in by fancy cover art and cool teaser trailers.

So let's break this down and take a closer look.

Cover art: You grab a movie and look at the awesome picture of a hot babe tied up, or that cool car racing down the road chasing someone, or that creepy looking house...that isn't even in the film. It's deception plain and simple. A picture should have a thousand words, and be an actual part of the movie itself.


That Badass movie trailer...that's 5 minutes long.

Alright folks, hold on a minute, that's about 4 minutes too much. If I want to see the movie, I'll buy a copy. No one should have to sit through a 5 minute montage of the best parts of the show. Hell, in 5 minutes, you've basically seen the movie. A minute-minute and a half is all you need there professor, and save some of the good parts for later.


How about those crappy special effects? Okay Okay, I'm guilty of this one. In one scene it is a bit obvious...oops, don't want to spoil it. Special effects are tough I admit. But let's see if we try and find someone with a little experience in the field instead of letting a PA squirt a 70/30 mix of ketchup and water out of a squeeze bottle; or using those cheap plastic knives with the chrome plated retractable blade.


Alright, moving on to sound. Oh brother, sound is important. Please, whatever you do, get a good boom mic. (and keep it out of the damn shot) Shop around, borrow one if you have to. Sound is half the film babe. Get it right, and that goes for sound effects. Experiment if you have to. Grab that wonderful boom mic and record some stuff.


Actors. Well, this is a touchy subject, but here goes. Take your freekin' time and cast the right people for crying out loud. Unless your buddies are actors with some type of experience, quit giving them lead roles! And don't forget to pay them. What did I just say? Pay? What's that? Trust me folks, no matter who a person is, they lose their enthusiasm when they're doing a freebie. Extras who are excited about just being in a film, fine. Lead and supporting roles, a little pay goes a long way.



I'm sure there are other subjects to discuss like editing, original score, etc. But I think you get the point.

Horror filmmakers, there's a ton of us out there. Let's put an effort to supply our viewers with something worth watching. Don't rush it. As a viewer I want to sit down and watch a film that looks like it had some effort put into it.

As a fellow filmmaker, I want to improve where I can, and rightfully so. I realize that budgets and resources can be limited, but do the best with what you have. Do some research. If you shoot a low budget film, try to be creative as possible. Sometimes low/no budget sticks out like a sore thumb.

We can't have millions like Hollywood, (though I still hear complaints about some of their material too)
but we can apply ourselves a little better to give the audience what it deserves. I sure want to.

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