"The Chair" - Another Case Study in Making Indie Horror Films

So, I'm really excited about this latest entry into our 'case studies' in indie-horror and I'm going to try something a little different this time because of it... What we usually do is ask a bunch of questions, then go through the responses and put together the post, basically cutting and pasting from the answers. Now, that usually leads to two things... (1) We end up having to cut out some cool information and (2) it takes us forever to get through each interview and get the post up. Now, we're fairly backlogged on screeners and interviews right now and this interview with Brett Sullivan, director of the Lionsgate released "The Chair", posed a bit of a problem... the problem was, he gave an awesome interview. It's filled with information that any filmmaker, up-and-comer or veteran, would find useful, entertaining and informative. So, I'm going to make the entire interview available, uncut, as a pdf. You can find it here. Below, you will find a brief synoposis, but you should really read the whole interview... by the way, if you would prefer me to continue doing all the case studies this way, let me know in the comments section.

Film: The Chair
Written By: Michael Capellupo
Directed By: Brett Sullivan
Released By: Lionsgate

About: "The Chair" was released on DVD by Lionsgate on May 27th, 2008 after running the festival circuit. It won best feature at Shriekfest, two awards from the Canadian Filmmakers Festival and it just won another one at the Winnipeg International Film Festival. Essentially, it's a ghost story revolving around the character Danielle, who unleashes the soul of a vicious child killer.

Getting it made: It was shot on digital with a small MiniDV camera and they cut corners wherever they could to keep the budget down, including shooting the bulk of the film in the directors old house, using practical effects vs. CG effects, etc. The final product is very professional and I'd love to know the budget, but Brett didn't divulge that information...

The effects: This is yet another reason that the film is a must-see... not only did they manage to use no CG effects, the practical effects that they did use are extremely effective. Point of interest here and hopefully it doesn't get buried here, but... If you want to see how to build tension, be creepy and scare the hell out of people on a low-budget, Brett Sullivan shows you the way in this film.

Distributing the film: He elaborates more in the full interview, but, like I said, the film ran the festival circuit and is now available everywhere through Lionsgate.

I was intentionally brief and I really encourage you to read the full interview. Once again, you can click here to read the full article. You can purchase a copy of the film through Amazon here, you can go to The Chair's website here and you can find out more about Brett Sullivan and Panic Pictures here.

"Harvest Moon" - A Case Study in Making Indie-Horror

Alright, here's the next case study on how guys are getting their indie-horror's made. This time around we talk to Brent Nowak, director of "Harvest Moon". You can always check out our other case studies in the archived section and, as usual, if you're a filmmaker and would like us to cover you and your film, just let me know.

Film: Harvest Moon
Written By: Tyler Massey
Directed By: Brent Nowak
Released By: Cedar Street Productions

About: Brad Ashten, the guy who plays the lead in the film, was producing and directing theatre and the director, Brent Nowak, had just finished producing a few short films, when they got together and decided to make a feature. They "felt horror had the best possible return on investment (and) in 2004 they were paying upfront money for horror with no names attached." With that, Brad came up with the first idea, "to use human blood to help with a marijuana crop." Tyler Massey, who was the eventual writer of the script, changed it to apples because they had access to an apple orchard. Brent "nominated (himself) director" and they were off... and when it was all said and done, what resulted was a top-notch horror that looks and feels like a film with ten times the budget. The plot revolves around Adam Baldini (played by Brad Ashten), who just inherited his father's prized apple orchard. Unsure if he wants to continue the family business, Adam invites his new girlfriend Alicia and her friends to spend the weekend enjoying the secluded and secret beauty of the orchard and to help bring in the harvest.. But of course a secret location isn't just a good place for an orchard -- it's a good place for murder.

Budget: The budget, which Brent Nowak secured through personal resources, "started at around $15K, but ended up growing to just South of $50K" and he admits, "the hardest part is finding the money".

Getting it made: Harvest Moon was "shot on the DVX 100 with 35mm lenses" and they "found (cinematographer) Matt Boyd on Craigslist", who Brent describes as "an amazing talent and gets better with every project (he) sees him do." The film was "shot 13 days straight at the cabin, one day car scene, one day pickup and one night on the new scene", which was added after the film was shot because "distribution companies were complaining on a slow start to the film." In the end, "not counting ADR and green screen, it was about a 16 day shoot". The location was integral to the film and two of the guys involved, Brad Ashton and Diego Garcia, actually worked there. They almost lost their location when "after investing $5K insurance and equipment the owner wanted to back out... Luckily his wife talked him out of it." In the end, the film turned out great, however there are a few things that Brent would have done differently, such as "more action, a little more fear involved, more jumps, more effects. Those things scared (him) as a filmmaker, but (he's) not afraid of them anymore and the next one will be way more intense."

The effects: The film did deliver on gore and effects and when Brent was asked what his favorite effect was, it was "the throat slashing scene of the character Mel, not because (he) played him, but because the prop knife didn't work as (they) hoped and Lincoln came in and made a really real and cool throat slash."

Distributing the film: I believe they're still in the process of acquiring distribution, but Brent does offer up some advice for other filmmakers. "Be patient and look at non-exclusive deals, they're out there. My fear is giving away the rights to a lower end company for 3 years to watch them stick the profits in the expense account and we never see a dime back. Know your risks before you ever start. Make a good film. Don't think it's going to sell just because it's genre. Take your time and make it great."

What’s next: Since "Harvest Moon", Brent's "directed two more shorts, both (which) have won awards." He's also taken "a 6 month break and (is now) gearing up for the next feature to shoot in Wisconsin. No script in place yet, so (they're) looking. He follows that up with asking, "if (anyone has) anything (they'd) like to option, you could email him at info@cedarstreetproductions.com. Don't expect anything more than a % of the film, but at least it'll get made!"

For more information or to purchase your copy of "Harvest Moon", you can go to http://www.harvestmoonmovie.com/, it's definitely worth the $10. For more information on Brent Nowak, you can go to his site, http://www.cedarstreetproductions.com/

"Fear House", another case study in getting an indie-horror made.

Here's the next case study on getting your indie-horror made. This time around we talk to Michael R. Morris, the writer and director of "Fear House". Check out our other case studies in the archived section and, as usual, if you're a filmmaker and would like us to cover you and your film, just let me know. However, I've gotta say, I've got quite a few to get through now... and these case studies don't write themselves... but I will get to them all, I promise.

Film: Fear House
Written By: Michael R. Morris
Directed By: Michael R. Morris
Released By: Lifesize Entertainment

About: When Michael Morris came up for the idea behind "Fear House", he was looking to do "a low-budget horror movie in a single location with a relatively small cast". Further, he "wanted to do something in the psycological vein" and was "interested in the positive or, in this case, negative power of the mind". With the parameters set, he came up with a story about a group of friends and family who pursue an estranged writer to an isolated house only to find that, once they've entered, their own fears will kill them if they leave. "It's creepy, the idea that what's going to kill you is like a snake tied to your ankle: every step you take, it's always right there." Originally, he didn't write the script intending to direct it, but he had just made "Last Seen at Angkor", which he "wrote and directed for pocket money in Thailand and Cambodia" and that gave him the 'in' to direct Fear House.

Budget: Morris received financing from a private investor through Lifesize Entertainment, which was the distribution company that had just distributed his last effort, "Last seen at Angkor". The budget was around $100K and this was Lifesize's "first from-the-ground-up production". Morris "was not personally involved in raising the financing, though (he) did everything he could to cut costs, find people who would work for very little and even (shot his) own B-roll or pick-ups after the shoot was over."

Getting it made: "The film was shot on the Panasonic HVX200, one of the compact HD cameras." As Morris has worked as a cinematographer before, he can talk more specifically about how he achieved the look, "the important key here is that we used the P&S Technic Mini-35 lens conversion to get the 'cinematic' depth of field you're used to seeing in films that are shot through a 35mm gate." With his previous camera experience, he "had a pretty close hand in the shots". In fact, he "may have been a bit annoying for the DP Skye Borgman because (he) was always on top of her about little details". According to him, "she was pretty kick-ass. She worked hard" and to both of their credit, if you have seen the film, it did look great. As for how the shoot went, it was 14 days with a few days off in between and "it would have been nice to have a few more shooting days", but there isn't much he would've changed. "Some scenes (may have) suffered... due to how fast (they) had to shoot them" and it "was a little dark in some places", but he was "very happy with the cast, since they were mostly unknowns off the street". "I hope most of them really go on to great things"...

The effects: The film had some great effects and there was one, in particular, that stood out... Morris went into detail on a few of them, but we'll talk about the decapitated head that ends up in a bucket on the lawn...

"The fact is, we weren't allowed to break the castle windows, nor did the metal fasteners on them allow us to temporarily replace them. So we came up with a clever way to shoot the shot from an angle, eject broken shards of glass along with the fake head out the deep set window casement without actually having to break the real window glass... Next was the flying head through the air. That's self-explanatory, except that I had a real face off with the assistant director, with everybody in the cast and crew watching, about how to do it. We were so pressed for time, and I think he had some elaborate way to orchestrate this shot. I was like, "Let's just throw it!" He was sure we would end up destroying the head and ruining chances for using it in other shots. In the end I won and we just threw the head through the air and a couple of PA's caught the head in a blanket. Probably did about 12 tries to get it right.

The piece de resistance is the actual head in the bucket. I didn't want some fake head in the bucket looking obviously lifeless. I wanted the look of terror on the actress's face as she realized that her severed head was drowning in a bucket (alas, her worst fear). So we shot this with two elements: 1) we put the actress in a kiddie pool with a cut-away bucket around her head, a little red food coloring to come out of her mouth and bingo. 2) the next shot was just the empty bucket sitting on the dirt. We "processed" the two shots together and it looks like a live person's head is severed in the bucket. We originally thought we'd have to have skin flaps and cut flesh, but with the shadowing of the light, we didn't need it. (This shot was influenced by a shot in 'Wolfen' when, after a guy's head is lopped off by a wolf, his mouth is still moving)."

Distributing the film: Because Lifesize financed and distributed the film, they already had distribution secured before they shot a frame. However, Morris offers advice learned from his first film, which Lifesize eventually picked up. "Research festivals and production companies before you even shoot anything. A lot of those entities are very slanted or political, so learn their bias ahead of time. Often times you get a better perspective of what 'works' in your movie before you waste a lot money doing if from the hip." Further, "know who your audience is. I struggled with that on my first film, a vampire movie set in the New York after hours club scene. There are a few basic requirments in the horror genre that helps it sell. You should know how to incorporate them before you finalize your script." However, he then offers up that he feels the genre is getting saturated and "now's a great time to do something never before seen and combine it cleverly with the tried and true genre elements. Go for it."

What’s next: Morris is working on a few things right now and the one he's most excited about? "Shaolin Zombie Masters... need I say more?"

For more information on Michael Morris, you can check out his profile on Alive Not Dead, for more information on Fear House, you can check it out at IMDB and to buy it off Amazon, click on the link below...

"Satan's Whip" - Our continuing case studies on getting your indie horror film done.

Continuing on with our new feature of doing case studies on filmmaker's indie horror efforts, here's the second one... which means I'm going to have to acutally set up a link to archive them on the left now. This time, we talk to Jason Maran, the writer and director of "Satan's Whip". As usual, if you're a filmmaker and would like us to cover you and your film, just let me know.

Film: Satan's Whip
Written By: Jason Maran
Directed By: Jason Maran
Released By: Brain Damage Films

About: Being honest, having seen the film and looking at the cover art now, I really have no idea what it has to do with the movie, but... that's Brain Damage for you. "Satan's Whip" is billed as straight horror, but it's really got a lot more to it than that and, by that, I mean that it's really more of a dark comedy, with some twisted horror elements. The film screened at various festivals, including Shockerfest international Film Festival, Terror Film Festival and the Filmmakers Series in NY and it's the story a young priest, Claude, who embarks on a quest to find a missing priest, which spirals into a blood-bath of witchcraft, insanity and cannibalism.

Budget: Jason Maran managed to secure financing on his own and "all in all, the film cost approximately $15,000", but there were a few incremental things that may have pushed the budget up slightly. A rarity in low-budget filmmaking, Jason usually "had between 5 and 7 paid crew members, making between $75 and $150 each", on the set. However, "the grip/electric equipment rental didn't cost much and someone loaned (them) the camera for the shoot, so (they) saved there". If you do check out the film, it does have the look and feel of a more expensive film, so they really did do a good job at stretching those dollars.

Getting it made: The film was shot in eleven days, spread out, unbelievably, over nine months, and it was shot on mini-dv, using a 24P camera. As mentioned above, for a $15K budget, the film looks great and Jason gives credit where credit is due - "the credit for the cinematography goes to Chris Benker, who also produced". Shooting over nine months is not really optimal and the reason they had to do that is because of two factors that were out of their control and one that was in their control... The first two factors were that "almost all the actors worked for free, so (they) had to be as accomodating as possible", as well as that they "pretty much (ran) out of money and (Jason had) to take a temp job", which would, obviously, delay them a few more days. However, if Jason could've changed anything, it would've have been the third factor, which is securing locations. They had couple locations drop out on them and "if (he) had done a better job of locking down locations before the first day of the shoot", they may have avoided that. "To spread eleven days of shooting over nine months is absurd."

The performances: All things considered and by his own admission, the actors were "very patient with a director who was, at times, indecisive and inarticulate" and who also "violated a cardinal rule of directing." "Supposedly, a director is never supposed to make an actor watch a film or television for inspiration... I think it's a bullshit rule, so I did show them some stuff." Whatever he did, the performances were way above par for low-budget indie horror. In fact, there was a stand out performance by Pete Barker, who plays the old priest, Father William. First off, rarely do you see older actors in low-budget horrors, but to see one that gives a good performance is extremely rare. He did a great job and "in fact, the only reason why (Jason) wrote an 'old' character was because (he) know he would do it." As for the other actors, Jason "found almost all (of them) by placing an ad in Backstage, which is a publication for actors." Jason adds, for "a filmmaker who can base his casting out of NY or LA has much to choose from. There are a great many actors who aren't rich or famous, but who are good and are willing to work on no-budget stuff."

Distributing the film: The film was picked up by Brain Damage and "distribution is going about as well as it possibly can." Asked if there's was anything learned from the distribution process, "you have to tell the audience what they're getting, so they know how to react to it. "Satan's Whip" is being marketed as a hard-core horror film, when...it was intended to be a comedy, albeit a dark, weird one." So, what about that reaction? "I've gotten a kick out of the public reaction to the film, which has been pretty negative. One fellow from Nigeria wrote on IMDB that he wept for humanity after seeing it. For my part, I have never seen a film that has made me weep for the future of the world. Not even Pasolini's Salo. I hope he had Kleenex."

What’s next: Jason is currently working on a script that he hopes to produce later this year and, it's another absurd, weird comedy.

For more information on the film, you can go to the "Satan's Whip" Myspace page or to buy a copy of "Satan's Whip", you can click on the link below: