I Have No Idea........

......what to write about today. So I'll start with this: (get comfortable, this may take a while)

Here lately I have been in a whirlwind of writing scripts, chatting on forums, and trying to think of what the hell to do as far as making another movie...or should I even bother since there is already a plethora of films out there. (Do you know what a plethora is, Hefe'?) Well, yes, I should, and will.

After all, I love what I do.

Let's get back to the subject at hand, whatever that may be. Let's just say I'm trying to figure this whole thing out. After reading other blogs, I notice that some have the same thoughts as my own. So how do you write something new? It may not matter since everyone's opinions are of the same or similar subject, but worded a different way.

Sound familiar? It should. It's called the movies. What in the hell can any filmmaker do to be different? Probably not a whole lot of anything. It's all been done.

Many topics such as this have been covered many times, not to mention that the entire infrastructure of entertainment is changing. The world of the internet has made it's mark.

Let's start off with piracy. No need to explain what's going on there. After a 3 day binge of research on the subject, I realized that the general public now has the option of viewing a film before they buy it. I can't blame them. I want to drive a car before I park it in my driveway every day. The main response to this is that most people will go ahead and buy a copy if they watch it and decide they like it. Not too bad eh? Well my fellow filmmaker, what if they don't like it. No show...No dough.
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So, you have made a movie. Good for you. What do you do with it? You have to market your product, but how? Simply put, you either should have a budget for marketing, or you must settle for the ol' social networking world. Let me tell you from experience, it only goes so far. That Facebook, MySpace, discussion forum and website is only going to take you so far. If you're lucky, less than half of everyone you know will buy a copy after your friends and family pitch in with their own purchase.

Then you give nearly a hundred copies away to cast/crew, film reviewers (and that's another subject I'm after) and other promotional attempts, the reality sets in. Sure you might get a few stores here and there to sell copies along with the dozens of other selections.
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Since I'm so close to this, let's go ahead and slip the reviewers in here. Oh baby, watch out. This is mostly what makes or breaks your bold attempt. The man the myth, the almighty reviewer. These fine folks are not afraid to speak their mind. They're the film alarm; *whoop* *whoop* danger danger, bad movie alert! You might get away with one or two bad reviews, but if the ratio of bad to good doesn't weigh out, it's trouble in paradise.

Now granted, some people just have to find out for themselves. Maybe they'll disregard all the reviews because they want to form their own opinion. But wait, remember that little subject I mentioned earlier that starts with the letter "P"? That's right folks, good news travels, bad news travels fast. But in the defense of filmmakers, I'd like to see any reviewer go out and make an independent film, and actually finish it.
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So what's next? Hmmm. How about....uh....horror. Yes, the genre that requires boobs, blood, and well...boobs and blood. Yeah, I tried the ol' psychological horror with no nudity and no massive gore.

oops. Take 2

So anyway, I read this blog recently about where horror is headed and will it ever die. Are you kidding me? Horror will never die, but the majority of people have become numb to it. Once again, it's all been done. You can slice and dice, re-hash, redo, remake and reheat it for leftovers, but you just can't make it what it used to be. Maybe a select few come through as champions, but with so much of it out there, it's difficult to take the cake. With this remake jamboree that's going on in Hollywood (don't shoot Hollywood, it's only a blog) many viewers are torn between their original classics and the re-heated version of what made them shit their pants 20 years ago. Maybe it is just the fact that the new generation is being catered to. Okay, I'll buy that.

It seems nearly every major film has been remade. Will it dive even further into the B-movie territory? It's anyone's guess, and it may not be so bad. Maybe the indie world can keep the consumer going. It's a tough world with low budgets and lesser resources out there. Maybe a better price on your product would help you out there a little bit professor. Fifteen bucks for a no-budget indie doesn't seem to be the going rate. (unless you have a good one on your hands, then more power to ya)

As far as that goes, your first film is more of a learning experience than anything. There's always room for improvement.
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Speaking of improvement, how about our writers out there. I won't get too far into this one since it is a very difficult task. Writing a script is no easy job. I wrote my first feature script a few years ago. It took me 4 months to write it. I set it aside and wrote Gun Town just last year. That one took me 3 months. It was a much more simple story and script to write. It gave me the opportunity to make my first feature, and I did.

Fast forward nearly a year later and wow, what an eye opener. Forget GT, that was my learning experience. I pulled my first script back out and gave a peek for about 30 seconds and realized one thing...it belonged in the trash, and that's where I put it. Without boring you, let's just say that this story was boring, had little development, and away to file 13 it went.
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So what is one to do? I say let's just keep the ball rolling. Like it or not, adjustments take place, markets change, people don't spend like they used to. Can you blame them?

I love movies. I watch them whenever I can. I think I'll keep writing another, hopefully better screenplay this time around.

After all, I love what I do.