Making your indie film in Hollywood... and an introduction to Brad Paulson

note: This is the first post from Brad Paulson, a good friend of mine, who also happens to be an indie horror filmmaker living in Hollywood. He'll be posting every once in a while about all the stupid stuff he see's, does and goes through to get films made. Without further ado...

WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN INDEPENDENT HORROR MOVIE? HERE'S A FRIENDLY WARNING... P.S. - REMEMBER THAT OLD GUY IN THE FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH MOVIES THAT TOLD PEOPLE NOT TO GO TO CRYSTAL LAKE OR THEY'D GET KILLED? GUESS WHAT, HE WASN'T FULL OF SHIT.

Hi, my name's Brad Paulson and this is the first blog in an ongoing series based on my experiences trying to make it in Los Angeles as a writer/director. Why should there be another blog by some jackass writing about their experiences in the movie industry? Simple. I'm going to tell you the truth. What you will read in my contributions to Dead Harvey is the complete opposite of what you see on most dvd featuretes. A.K.A., an absence of bullshit.

To those of you wanting to make it in the movie industry, here's some advice. Which, please take with a grain of salt because not only am I not successful, I'm one step away from homeless. However, I am making movies, so I guess, technically, I'm qualified. That being said, here we go. If you're thinking about moving to Los Angeles to make your mark in the movie industry, this is what you should consider:

LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY:

All those people you're close to that you're a little annoyed by. You know, those people with the same questions every time you see them: when are you going to get married? When are you going to get a real job? When are you going back to school? This last question, decoded, means: when are you going to wake up and get a career in something you can actually make money at?

Let's get at the root of the problem: why are all these questions asked? Is it because these people all have dreams that have gone to s and they want you to share in their misery? Have they become tied down to their mundane, boring existence and this is their way of dragging you into the mud with them? There's probably some truth to that theory. Mostly though, they're just looking out for you and don't want you to fail. What it all boils down to is odds. Going to film school is not like going to law school or med school. Not only are you not guaranteed a job after you graduate, you're out an s ton of money.

Long story short, if you're going to move to L.A. to pursue the movie business, especially in the low budget horror scene, you'd better favor the odds against you like Han Solo favors the odds when he battles the empire. Don't be resigned to the dream you're going to make a living making movies. Millions of people live in L.A. with the same goal. However, that doesn't mean dreams don't come true in the city of broken halos. It's just few and way far between. However, if you're crazy, have a relentless passion for making movies and can cast aside any aspirations for material objects, the ability to pay your bills or afford health insurance, you might just be able to stick it out in this town.

Sounds depressing, doesn't it? Sorry, but happy endings are for g-rated Disney movies. And, like I said before, I'm not going to bullshit you. I can promise you some entertainment though. Upcoming articles will feature my adventures, or more appropriately misadventures on the set with adult babies, midgets and a whole cavalcade of interesting characters and life lessons I usually don't learn from. And as long as my good friend Dead Harvey keeps sending me all those cool horror movie screeners, I'll keep writing.

See you on the next one,

Brad