Why You Should Bother with Screenwriter Contests and Film Festivals

Yup, it's been a while since we last posted anything...  but, I'm ready to get things back on track.  What can I say?  I want to get in touch with more horror screenwriters, filmmakers and festival folks.  I want to give more indie horror projects promotion and help get stuff out there.  I have to keep posting because we have to elevate this little sub-genre!

Anyhow, over the last, I don't know, year or so...  I've decided to make a serious effort to take this whole thing to another level and that's really why I haven't had time to post anything.  We've been working on launching a new website (more on that in the coming weeks), I've submitted some of my scripts to some screenwriting competitions and I've been trying to help produce some films.  The attempt to produce films has really taken a lot of time, but I'll tell you what... it's a huge learning experience.  One thing I've learned, and that I'd like to pass on to you, is that the film festivals and screenwriting contest are more important than you think.  Here's why...

There's a million ways to produce a film, but let's simplify this a bit - on one side, you have the equity financing model and on the other side, you have the debt financing model.  Equity financing means you have the equity - long and short, you've got the money and you're funding it yourself.  If that's your model, have at it.  You can write, direct and produce your project any way you'd like.  Debt financing, on the other hand, means that someone is willing to pay for the final product and you then get someone to lend you money against that promise to pay, so you can go and produce your film.  Most indie films are, at least in part, financed this way.  Yes, there's lots in between and that's a very simplistic view, but I'm making a point here, okay?  Now, how much this person is willing to pay for this unmade project depends on how you've packaged it up.  There's three major components: talent, script and director.  The big thing is talent... who are the actors?  If you're a friend of Brad Pitt's and he's willing to attach himself, boom... you're good to go.  Don't worry about the script.  However, most of us need to convince talent to come on board and we need to convince people that this is a good project.  So, that leaves the writer and director.  I'm going to concentrate on the writer here, as I feel the script is the true foundation of any project, but this is just as pertinent to the director.

You need a good script, where do you get it?  A script by a produced and/or working screenwriter is one thing, they have proven that they can write material that works.  I'm not talking about your micro-budget film that you produced and financed yourself, either.  I'm talking about a script from a working Hollywood screenwriter.  Get a script from one of them, you've got a good base.  However, getting a script from a well known or produced writer can be tough, especially if you're an unproven producer, so you might have to go a little further down the trough... or you might want to use your own material.  If that's the case, you need something that makes that script stand out, something that says, "this is worth taking a chance on".  So, what separates you from the rest of the pile of unproduced and non-working screenwriters?  See where I'm going with this, yet?  It's awards and accolades.  Where do you get those?  From winning film festivals and screenwriting competitions.  I've read bio's on writers that say things like, "quarter finalist in such and such" or "top 20% in this and that"...  and that makes the bio on the writer far more compelling than, "I think I'm a pretty good writer", which is what you're saying if you're unproduced, unpaid and haven't won any awards.  Don't kid yourself, most people won't read the script.  They'll read your bio, the logline and, if you're lucky, your outline.  You want to separate yourself from the pack?  These awards and accolades make a big difference.

So, do yourself a favor, enter the festivals and competitions.  Even if you're just producing and financing your own film - it helps sell it once it's done.  Also, on the writing side, if there's an option to get coverage, take it.  It costs you a bit extra, but you can learn where you can improve and you can learn what these guys want.  Then, you'll know what you need to do when you enter the next festival to get some accolades.  Once you have accolades, you're on your way to being a produced and working writer and/or director.

What do you think?  Got a different opinion?  Let me know!    

Mass Indie Film presents a Night Supporting Independent Film

If you're in the New England area, you need to be aware of the fact that Mass Indie Film is presenting a Night Supporting Independent Film. Details are below and you can also read the picture, as I think I left it big enough to read. I should also mention that if any of you have an event or film that you want to promote, please send info our way!

On April 26 At Belmont Studio Cinema, Mass Indie Film is presenting a night showcasing independent film with screenings from some of the best filmmakers in New England. This is the perfect opportunity for film fans in the area to support independent film by simply buying a ticket. If you work in film we want to hear from you! The night will also be a great networking opportunity for people in all aspects of filmmaking. We will be conducting interviews to shine the spotlight on all the talent that independent film has to offer. If you are interested in sharing your experiences working in indie film drop us a line on our website at www.massindiefilm.com.

Tickets are $9.

All proceeds go to support independent film production.

Doors open at 7:30pm Show starts at 8:00pm.

There will be a Q&A.

"Her Heart Still Beats"
 DIR: Christopher Di Nunzio

"Christopher Di Nunzio is able to hit all the right beats in adapting and modernizing Poe’s classic tale." -Ain't It Cool News

"2 A.M."
DIR: David Trodella

"Along A Dark Road"
DIR: Bryan Casey "Longreach - The Web Series" (Preview)
Written By: William Decoff

"Certainly Never" (Preview)
DIR: Matt Phillion

“The Loudest Sound” (Preview)
DIR: Jason Miller Belmont

Studio Cinema: www.studiocinema.com

Interview with Douglas A. Plomitallo, the writer, producer and director of the web based anthology, "Scared Stiff"

I think we're all well aware of the fact that the online world is the future of distribution for us indie horror filmmakers.  It sounds stupid to say that, actually.  I mean, we all know it to be true and people have been saying it for years, but... it hasn't really happened yet.  The technology is all there, it's all possible, yet, for some reason, we're just not there.  Having said that, there's a few guys out there that are blazing the trail and Douglas A Plomitallo is one of those guys.  Check out this great interview about his web based project, "Scared Stiff". 

Tell us about your project, what’s it all about?

“Scared Stiff” is an anthology series of short horror films. The show features a variety of stories featuring an assortment of zombies, ghosts, vampires, serial killers and other fun creatures.

If you don’t mind us asking, what’s your budget for each episode and how do you secure financing?

The show is completely self-financed. Our talented cast and crew graciously volunteer their time to help make the show the best it can be. Over the course of the past three and a half years, I have been slowly purchasing higher-end equipment to help achieve the high production value that we strive for. As far as budget for each episode goes, not counting the cost of the equipment purchases, the cost of each show is actually quite minimal. It is actually rare for the cost of each production to go over 100 dollars. On some of our productions, the only cost will be food and refreshments for the cast and crew.

As of right now, what are your goals for the project and what kinds of things are you doing to make sure you reach your goals?

As the show goes on we aim to continue to raise the production values and to reach a much larger audience. On top of investing money in new gear, we’ve continued to gel as a team and strengthen our talents to help improve the product. We’ve been trying to do some new stuff with the show and add different kinds of content to attract different audiences. We try to give a little something for everyone on the show and I’m confident that with our high quality entertainment and original stories, fans are bound to come across “Scared Stiff” at one point and share with other horror fans. On top of that, we’ve been more active in the social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to try to spread the news of our product.

You’ve chosen to distribute your project online in webisodes. How’s that going and what are your goals now that it’s out there?

On top of creating new content, our goal is to introduce as many people as possible to our existing episodes. “Scared Stiff” is available to watch for free on many sites including YouTube, Vimeo, and Blip and can be downloaded for free on our own website, ScaredStiff.tv. We are confident that by allowing the viewers free access to the content, they will like what they see and want to watch more. We hope to grow our fan base to the point where we can show investors that we have a big enough following where they can help fund our future films with little gamble.

Where can people find out more about the project and watch it?

People can watch and download our shows for free on our website, www.ScaredStiff.tv or they can watch the shows in high-definition on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/scaredstifftv.

Talk about the production. How did it go? Tell us one good or funny story that demonstrates the trials and tribulations of being an indie filmmaker.

Well one story from last summer I won’t forget anytime soon. We were shooting in an old girl scout camp in Kent, CT that had been abandoned for the last 20 years. (The camp is less than a mile way from the location used as Camp Crystal Lake from Friday the 13th Part 2!) To avoid any possible interference, I always kept the gate to the camp locked whether we were in there or not. One afternoon, I was coming back to the camp from lunch and there was a state trooper’s car blocking the gate. I got out of my car and slowly walked up to the patrol car to find out what the deal was. As I approached the car, a trooper immediately jumped out, pointed his gun at me, and yelled “Hold it right there”! He questioned who I was and why I was there. He wouldn’t tell me what was going on but told me to open the gate so he and another trooper could check the premises. The whole time I had no idea what was going on and thought that the production was going to be shut down! To make a long story short, there had been two guys who had been pool hopping around Kent and decided to go skinny-dipping in one of the pools. Little did they know that they had jumped into former speaker of the house Henry Kissinger’s pool and it had now become national security! One thing I am glad I did was before the Patrolman left to go into the camp I warned him that we had a prop gun on set and that one of the actors might have it on him. It turns out that at the time we were driving down to the set, they were testing out the prop gun. The thing looks and sounds like a real gun. I could only imagine what would have happened if the patrolman happened to arrive on set as that gun went off without warning!

What about you? Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into indie horror.

I had always been a big horror fan and always wanted to make horror films since I was a kid. A few years ago, I was working a job that regularly had me there for 60 to 70 hours a week. As a creative outlet, I decided to start writing a book of short horror stories to keep myself sane during the demanding schedule. Always being more of a film guy, I couldn’t help but visualize them as movies. I had always being a fan of anthology horror shows such as “Tales from the Darkside” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” so I was excited about the idea of actually shooting these stories. I wouldn’t have time to shoot full-length television episodes, and at the time there were no other horror shows on the web so I figured short mini-horror movies would be a novel idea.

Talk about the indie horror scene. Where do you think it is now and where do you see it going?

There are so many different options for distribution now than there were just 5 or 6 years ago. The Internet has completely changed the game. Now with YouTube, Vimeo and other video sharing sites, people can share their work all over the world. It is now possible for even low budget indie films to get a distribution deal with Netflix and Hulu. And with niche market message boards and with the influx of social media sites, it is much easier to introduce your film to an audience. Although the other side to it is, with so much material out there, it is easier to have your films get lost in the shuffle so filmmakers need to use that as motivation to try harder to make their films stand out.

Do you have any more projects in the works? What’s next for you?

In addition to “Scared Stiff”, I am constantly working on new projects. Last summer, I produced a feature length zombie film that we hope to have in film festivals this summer. I am also currently editing “The Housesitter” which is the first in a planned trilogy of horror films. Also, very recently I started shooting a documentary that will be released next year. When I am not making movies, I run a production company, D2 Media, which produces television commercials and corporate videos. On top of my film work, I also have several web projects I am working on and am currently writing a book that I hope to have out next year.

News Out of CES that you should care about...

Do any of you guys give a shit about CES?  If you don't, you really should...  and if you don't know what it is, it's the Consumer Electronics Show and it was in Las Vegas last week. Lots of celebrities hit it up and all the major technology and media companies make big announcements there.  For example, Tom Hanks was there announcing that he's partnered with Yahoo for his next creative venture, "Electric City".  He even went on to say that while feature films are "supposedly the top of the pyramid", the ecosystem is changing.  Since then, Hulu has announced that it's developing a series for online distribution, Netflix is already in the game with it's "Arrested Development" reboot and other big time online projects are popping up.  Online, as a distribution network, is just heating up... and I'm going to do a post on that soon.  Until then, there was some other news out of CES that I found interesting and it has to do with Ultra Violet and Blu-ray.

Everyone knows that the disc format is dying, right?  It's VHS, Beta and 8 tracks all over again, isn't it?  Well, apparently, Blu-ray boosted Hollywood's home video business in 2011, growing 20% and topping $2billion in sales.  That's pretty big news, considering that everyone keeps saying that the home entertainment business is in the dumper.  Sure, overall spending was down, but only slightly... 2%.  That's a far cry from what the studios would have you believe.  So, is home entertainment dead or is it just changing? This is interesting for us indie filmmakers because the theatrical market isn't an option for us... Online isn't going to be a viable option for at least a few years and with the DVD and home entertainment market dying, where are we supposed to turn?  Here's the thing...  I'd argue that a lot of Americans still put a disc into a player to watch movies and aren't going to stop soon... way more than you think, and that's good news for us.  Variety did an article on all the numbers, you can find that here.

The other thing that I found interesting, which they talked a lot about at CES, is Ultra Violet.  Have you heard of this?  Basically, there's a consortium of 70 businesses, called the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, that back and are connected to Ultra Violet.  What is it?  Basically, the idea is, content (films, shows, whatever) is stored in the cloud and once you buy that piece of content, you get access to it on any device that you'd want... forever.  Read this article on CNET to read more about how it works.  What I like about this... and any online distribution format, is that, technically, if it catches on, the barriers for indie filmmakers to distribute their content should lessen.  Imagine being able to upload your film, make up a profile page and then it's up to you to market it.  You just collect on all the people who access it.  Think about what it would mean for the indie film festival market, too...  the future could be very bright.

We've got a few interviews with filmmakers to post this week, so stay tuned for that!

     

Interview with Screenwriter Danek S. Kaus

It's been a while since we spoke with Max Perrier, the producer, cinematographer and director of the indie film, "The Ante". We spoke with him in early 2009 and the film actually came out in 2006. It's a great indie film and if you want to read our interview with Perrier, you can click here and if you want to find out more about the film, you can click here to go to its page on IMDB.

Anyhow, not too long ago, I received an email from one of the writers of "The Ante", Danek S. Kaus. Kaus not only wrote that screenplay, but he's a represented writer that's been hired to adapt books into screenplays, he's had scripts optioned and he's been approached by various networks and magazines. Long and short, he's pretty good at this whole screenwriting thing. Now, that's usually enough to warrant us doing an interview, but in this case, there was something else that really piqued our interest. He's currently working on a project called "Swords of the Dead" and, quite frankly, we want to know more. We had the chance to discuss that project and more here... definitely worth the read, folks!

Tell us about the concept behind Swords of the Dead, what’s it all about and where did the idea come from?

I used to do some publicity work for several martial artists. Also studied a little off and on. Learned just enough to be dangerous – to myself.

A couple of years ago, maybe longer, I was brainstorming for screenplay ideas. I wanted something in a genre that already had a good following that was fun to write.

Martial arts and horror usually do well, so I thought about combining them. But then, I had to decide what kind of horror, what kind of monsters would the martial artists have to fight?

Vampires never seem to die and werewolves shed on the carpets, so I decided to use zombies. But zombies are often unarmed, sometimes literally because they tend to lose body parts, so I decided to give them weapons. And so Ninja Zombies were born, uh, un-deaded?

The story is about a guy named Mike Striker who is hired by a beautiful mystery woman to kill Ninja Zombies that have invaded her town. He puts together a crew of misfit martial artists to help him destroy the zombies.

It has good characters and dialogue, humor, romance, lots of marital arts action and, of course, Ninja Zombies. Sorry world, but somebody had to unleash them on you.

What’s your ultimate goal for Swords of the Dead?

My manager in LA, Blair Silver, thinks Swords of the Dead could become a franchise, like Friday the 13th, complete with action figures, graphic novels and trading cards, etc., so that is where I would like to see it go.

What stage are you at with the project now and talk a bit about how you got to this stage.

The script was finished last year. Showed it to an internationally-known martial artist who has done feature films and TV. He loved it. Don't think I should mention his name at this stage.

The graphic novel version of the screenplay is in progress. It's being serialized now on Facebook. People can find it here

I believe that you don't have to belong to Facebook in order to view the page.

Blair and I are shopping the script now.

Readers should know that you’re an accomplished screenwriter. So, tell us, what makes a good horror story?

I think many of the best horror stories touch our primal fears – the dark, things that go bump in the night, the fear of being eaten, childhood fears, creepy-crawly things, Death, with a capital D.

In zombie stories, the Dead are coming after the characters. The fact that the zombies are rotting themselves, reinforces the concept of Death chasing people.

In my own case, I still recall the terror I felt growing up with frequent zombie outbreaks in the neighborhood. Didn't help the property values either.

Psychological terror can be scarier than physical danger. A prime example of that is The Exorcist. In the original version of The Haunting we never see a ghost, but we experience their effects in other, terrifying, ways.

Also, the best horror stories have characters that we care about. We root for them to survive. Too many horror films are just about the body count. The characters are often one-dimensional.

AMC's The Walking Dead has great characters. We really do root for them. It's as much a drama as it is a horror story. Nice job.

The script is being made into a graphic novel. How did that come about and what’s your reasoning behind doing that?

That was Blair's idea. Through the years he had observed the growing trend to make movies from comic books and graphic novels.

Now, tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get in to indie horror and film?

I always loved horror films as a kid. I was responsible as a child, so when my parents would go out to dinner or something, they trusted me to be by myself. I would watch the schlocky horror flics on TV and then be too scared to go to sleep until they got home.

Max Perrier, asked me to do the original script for his award-winning indie film The Ante. I was finishing a book and didn't have time, so he hired another writer.

When the script was finished, Max was unhappy with it. By then, I was freed up. He asked me to do a re-write. I changed about 90% of the original script. It's a story about a man falsely accused of murder. For example, in the original, his wife was loving and supportive. I decided to create more conflict by turning her into a greedy harpy. That set the plot off in a new direction. I created a lot more plot twists and punched up the dialogue, also adding some humor from time to time.

"The Ante" got a great review in Variety and so far has shown in nine film festivals in North America and Europe.

I wrote several more of my own scripts, one of which a producer for Lifetime network was very interested in. But it was a period piece, which made it more expensive, and she was unable to get funding.

A couple of my other scripts have been optioned.

A few months ago, a production company hired me to adapt the true story book "Under the Overpass" for the big screen. It's about two college students who wanted to understand how to better help the homeless by becoming homeless themselves in several U.S. cities. For five months they slept on the streets, panhandled and ate from garbage cans. I've been told that Random house bought the original publisher of the book and is releasing a new edition this month.

The film is in development.

Film school: yes or no?

No. Took a couple workshops, read a several screenwriting books, watched a lot of movies.

Talk about the indie horror scene, where do you think it is now and where do you see it going?

I'm not an expert on the indie horror scene, but I think it is going to continue to get better, especially with production costs coming down because of digital cameras. Shooting with film and the cost of developing it was a big barrier to indies. In addition, the Internet has opened up more avenues for distribution, which has been a problem for indies.

And zombies continue to grow in popularity, which is good for me – and the zombies.

Where can we find out more about you, your projects and, most importantly, "Swords of the Dead"?

One important note about Swords of the Dead fan page. Anyone who becomes a fan has the chance to become a Ninja Zombie in the graphic novel. We're going to pick one person at random for that honor.

My website is called Turn Your Book into a Movie

Facebook fan page

Twitter handle is @swordsofthedead

My email, in case you want to hire me, is dkaus@sbcglobal.net

Are there any other projects in the works?

I was recently hired by two authors to adapt their books. One is a true story and the other is a novel.

I'm also working on some of my own scripts.

Interview with writer/director Robert Filion

It's amazing to me that we've done something like 150 interviews with indie filmmakers. That's an unfathomable amount of insight, lessons and trials & tribulations about the indie and micro-budget film world. I've archived a few, but years have gone by since I've added more to that list. I know, I know, I've done a piss poor job, but I swear, one day... one day, I will do them all justice. Until then, guess what... you're just going to have to keep checking in or going back through our posts.

So, that got me thinking... ten years from now, I'm betting that I'll go back and look at all these and one or two of the filmmakers that we've talked to will have made it. Made it big... and hopefully they remember me. Really, there's just too much talent, too much imagination and too much spirit and drive in here, that it's impossible that someone doesn't make it. The big question is, who's it going to be? Every time I read through an interview, that thought crosses my mind. Could it be this guy? Could it be that guy? Could it be you? Maybe it's me... or maybe it's Robert Filion... who's Robert Filion? Well, let me introduce you.

Robert recently finished a short film called "Lot 66" and, quite frankly, it's a cool little piece. He's worked on quite a few different projects and he has a few things in the hopper, so I expect to see more and better things in the near future. He's obviously skilled with both the camera and the computer, as he did all the CG effects for the film. "Lot 66" is a tense thriller with some great effects and it's certainly worth checking out. I'm going to embed it right before the interview, so you can either watch it now, then read what Robert has to say about it, or read the interview, then scroll back up and check it out. Either way, check it out and check out the interview that follows.

Lot 66 ©2010 from Robert W. Filion on Vimeo.

Tell our readers a bit about "Lot 66".

Lot 66 was a sort of test short. I was curious if I could make something tense in a short running time and have it take place mostly in the light. I also wanted to give my friend Michael Melendez a good role since he’s been helping support my addiction to filmmaking for several years, and I traditionally have only tossed him police officer roles. The story is based on a game I have played with my wife in the past, but I can’t really talk too much about that since it could spoil the experience. We shot it right before Christmas 2009 over a two day weekend in Fort Mill, SC with a solid crew and small cast. The rough cut was completed within 2 days, and all of post was completed about 3 months after due to the voluminous VFX pieces required.

If you don’t mind us asking, what was the budget and how did you secure financing?

The budget was less than $300 and that bill was carried by Lee Miller, my producing partner, so he got the Executive credit on this one… thank you, Lee! Of course, there are always intangibles and favors involved in the equation which drastically impact the overall production value. For example, a local company will periodically lend me a jib for use during a weekend shoot if it’s not being rented, or the cast and crew will largely cover the cost of fuel… these things are really what make shooting possible. On this project, a friend of my family lent me a rather expensive spec home to shoot in, so the production value in that home elevated the whole piece.

The camera work was great, what did you shoot on?

Thank you, I shoot with a JVC GYHD110U in HDV 720p. I’m typically my own DP as I have yet to find someone who shoots like I need my projects shot (at the price I can afford). I’m not really a micromanager, I just have a very strong visual sensibility, and need things to look a specific way lighting wise and compositionally.

There were some great tracking and dolly shots, did you have a crane or a dolly? If not, how did you accomplish the shots?

Most of the short was shot with a 6’ Porta-Jib. It’s my hallmark tool as it’s quick to setup and maintain with a small crew – I’m saving up for my own Porta-Jib Explorer.

The effects at the end were awesome, tell us how you accomplished all the gunshot wounds and splatter.

Because of the complicated nature of shooting in a practical location, there is seldom the budget in place on my short films to do interior makeup effects work like splatter. I mean, there’s the potential of breaking things with pyro, splattering walls with fake blood, causing ants and other insects if you don’t clean all of it up properly, carpet soiling… the list goes on. On this short, all of the splatter was composited in after the shoot, to include the entry wounds. There’s no greater fun than tracking in an entry wound on an actor’s cheek as he descends backwards to the floor, or compositing splatter in a 3D space. Of course, I’m being sarcastic… it was not difficult work, but tedious and time consuming. I live for the completed piece, not the imminent work caused by my over-exertive nature.

At any rate, there were additional effects shots perhaps not immediately obvious… I had to create a digital version of the house and modify the windows a bit for some exterior dolly shots as I cannot afford the equipment to pull this level of shooting off practically. So one of these shots involved me creating and animating a thunderstorm and hundreds of trees as I pull out of a second story window and descend into the forest. A neat shot, and I could have spent even more countless hours perfecting it further, but I set goals for myself so I can complete work; I don’t like working on the same short for years as some of my peers do. In yet another instance of VFX work, I had to create a basic prison environment… a sort of mental confinement for our protagonist. In this digital set, I had another dolly out through bars as his mental demons were frolicking about in front of spot lights so as to pique his terror. This was something I had not created to this complexity prior, and I found the bitter limits of After Effects, I can tell you.

Now, tell us a bit about yourself. What are your influences and what got you in to film?

I have been a filmmaker since childhood, and have always wanted to direct for the big screen. I was born in National City, CA, and as we were a military family, moved several times until I found my way on my own in Rock Hill, SC (just outside of Charlotte, NC). I have been building myself in this area since the late 80’s. The Army put me partially through college with the GI Bill, and upon graduation, I went for 5 years working as a wedding videographer, stage hand, editor and news videographer… just experiencing the whole freelance landscape. Around 1999, I began to really push myself out as a filmmaker. Now, I have never made enough money at what I’m passionate about to do it full time, so I have always held down a full time day job as either a computer technician, web designer or freelance video professional. With all this on me, I still seem to get work out and finished in a fairly slim amount of time. As for what or who inspired me, I’d have to say my late mother greatly inspired me. She was a multifaceted artist, and gave me appreciation for the arts. In respect to filmmakers who have influenced me, I’d have to say George Romero, Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson and Danny Boyle.

Film school: yes or no?

Kind of, but not really. I have a degree in television production, and always wanted to make motion pictures. I decided I couldn’t afford film school, so went with its less creative cousin. That did help, but I’ve spent years getting out from under that mindset. I would never shoot a news segment like I shoot a short film. It seems obvious, but once you learn a certain style, and have it ingrained in your psyche, it’s difficult to get out of that box. I had to teach myself to pull out from my subject and not fill my frame up with over-information, and that negative space was a good thing.

Talk about your goals behind making “Lot 66” and your other short films. Is it for accolades, for a reel, for festivals? Did you accomplish your goals?

Everything I do is a step toward making a feature film. The shorts I have been making have been honing my skills and the skills of my casts and crew and getting our names out there. The misstep I always seem to make is that I never allocate enough money toward more festivals… they’re expensive, and you have to choose carefully if your budget is $0. Festivals largely don’t seem to care about that as it’s difficult to get feedback from them if you don’t make the cut, and if you do (get feedback), it’s sometimes as though the reviewers didn’t actually watch your short, but enough with the rant. My thought on any of these short films is to get a quality product out there that everyone can be pleased with. Nothing is worse when you freely invest your time in something than the work falling short of quality… that negates what we’re supposedly pushing for as filmmakers. Success cannot be measured at this point, however, I can say I’m making strides toward my goals... like an inchworm moving a mile. As for the brass ring, nobody has given me a real shot yet… I suppose some of my work is about just that – you won’t give me a shot, well, how about I, or we give me or us a shot with our own resources, and when we’re further in this life, you’ll be kicking yourself for not wanting to help when we needed you. I don’t even know if that makes sense to anybody but me. I hope so.

Talk about the indie horror scene, where do you think it is now and where do you see it going?

Well, gone are the days of pioneering filmmakers like George Romero, John Carpenter and Wes Craven. These guys by today’s standard had it easy because there was so little quality competition doing what they were doing. Now, “Hollywood” has been so inundated by poor quality, redundancy, internet garbage, etc. that they have all but closed all doors to the indie market. Getting in is only by force majeure. The only thing I can see to do since I’m so far removed from “the system” is to keep putting out solid work and hope that someone notices. I try to attend conventions to meet people and get stuff seen, but so far, there has been little movement. This all sounds bleak, but there are opportunities. I can see private investment in my projects as possible as I can compete with the bigger guys with even fewer resources. Also, the internet is a powerful ally, and there are websites setup to give assistance to the indies. OpenFilm, Vimeo, and YouTube are integral pieces of the puzzle, and I feel are the sites viewers will be going for years to come for entertainment.

Where can people check your films out?

vimeo.com/imageimpact, imdb.com and facebook.com/imageimpact

What’s next for you?

I’m currently wrapping up a short film I shot for the Halloween Horror Nights 2010 Competition called “The Promise Jar”, and have 3 feature scripts ready to go. Two from novelist Michael Louis Calvillo, and one from Chad Law and Evan Law called Abominations (I just finished shooting a teaser for investors for this one). I’m also currently attached as Co-Director on a feature called Ghost Trek. Lots going on, hopefully something sticks and we can all move forward with bigger gigs.

Lessons For Indie Filmmakers - Following Up With Christopher DiNunzio

They don't write too many books on the business of indie film... at least none that I can find. I mean, there's a million books on film, lots on the film industry, and more than enough on screenwriting, filmmaking and producing. I'm talking about the gritty in's and out's of the business of indie film. Not "independent film", but true, micro-cinema. Dead Harvey stuff. I'm knee deep in a couple projects right now, but I'm seriously considering writing a book on the micro-cinema world. I've got some ideas on how it should work and I have PLENTY of content, so if you're in the book world and think you can help me out, let me know. Anyhow...

Somewhere in this lack of information is where we try to fit in. We talk to the festival directors, the filmmakers and the distributors and we try to let you in on how this all works. Quite frankly, we've got a long way to go until our heads are around it, so we keep talking to people and asking questions, then posting them for you to read. Today, like I hinted at a few weeks ago, we follow up with Christopher DiNunzio, the writer/director of "Livestock".

We originally spoke with Chris over a year ago, right as he was looking for distribution. You can read the original interview here. So, how did it go? Was he accepted to the festivals? Did he get distribution? Did he make some money? Let's find out...

Let's remind our readers about both you and "Livestock". First off, tell us about the film. What's it about, where did the idea come from, when did you start shooting and when was it released?

The short synopsis is "A mysterious cult and two best friends take a new direction in life and soon dark secrets are revealed when their worlds collide. " The idea started as a film based around online dating but it ended up morphing into this gangster horror film. We shot it in Fall of 2007 and it was released in November 2009.

Now, tell us a bit about yourself. What are your influences and what got you in to indie film?

My influences are Michelangelo Antonioni , Dario Argento, Sergio Leon, Kiyohsi Kurosowa, John Carpenter, Roman Polanski and many more. I've always loved film and I got into filmmaking after seeing Argento's films. That's the first time I saw film as an art and I knew this is they way I wanted to express myself.

Last we checked in with you, you had just submitted the film to the film festivals and didn't have distribution. First off, how did it go with the film festivals? Any lessons learned there?

"Livestock" was accepted into 3 festivals, so I'm pretty happy about that. We didn't apply for too many. Unfortunately the funds weren't there. I'm more aware now of which festivals actually support indie films, rather than catering to studio films. I've learned to make sure that the festival I'm submitting to is going to be a good fit for my film. With all that being said, it can still be a big crap shoot.

Now, let's talk about distribution. If I remember correctly, the film was picked up by R-Squared Films. Talk about the process of finding them and getting a deal.

They actually contacted me through my website, so I sent them a screener and they liked it and picked it up! The process was pretty easy, but you need to be patient. Also, you want to do as much research on them as possible to make sure that you are the right fit. We actually had a few people contact us and I even learned so much from them just from hearing what they had to say.

Looking back at the time from when the film was finished to now. What things did you do right and what things would have done differently?

I wouldn't do anything differently. The whole process was a learning experience and now I feel battled tested. Going through it a second time I feel even more comfortable. I believe that with each film I will improve more and more, becoming more proficient. You just can't be afraid to fail. That's the worst part about filmmaking. You have to overcome your fear of failing.

Let's talk about monetization. You don't have to disclose actual figures, but, generally, has the film been a financial success for you? Is there anything you can pass on to other filmmakers, as far as what they can expect to get back after they finish their film?

It's doing good, but it could be doing better. I would love to see more promotion for the film. But, I can't complain too much because it is widely available. You can purchase it on Amazon, Best Buy and soon on Netflix. My goal for "Livestock" was to just get it out there and prove that I could do it. You can't only expect money in return. You have to look at it as an opportunity to become a visible filmmaker.

Let's talk about the last year... overall, talk about the work that you've continued to do for "Livestock". Have any unexpected things come up?
Anything you could pass on to other filmmakers?

I've had to push the promotion here and there, but not too much.
Mostly I've been trying to move on to new projects. There's not too much you can do once you get picked up other than hope that the distributor does a lot to promote the film. Once you're done with the film you gotta just take a nice look back then move forward.

Have you been working on any other projects over the last year? What's next for you?

Absolutely. I just completed a feature length documentary "Viva!
Saint Agrippina". It takes place in Boston's historical North End and it's about the Saint Agrippina Benefit Society, who have been hosting an annual feast in honor of the martyred Saint since 1914. I loved working on it because its way out of the box for me. Most people who know me know that I'm not religious, but I've had family members involved in this for years. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for me to try a different style of filmmaking. Overall I really loved the pacing and freedom of working on a documentary and would love to do more in the future. But, for right now I'm itching to do another horror film or a gangster film, but this time I don't want to blend the two. It has to be one or the other this time.

So, has your opinion on the indie film world changed at all and has this process encouraged you or discouraged you to continue making films?

I think my opinion has changed as far as what people expect from an indie film. It's just interesting that sometimes people assume just because you make a low budget horror film it has to be all tits and gore. Don't get me wrong I love all that but I wish people would give horror films more credit that that. It can be a very artistic subject if you want it to be. Horror has many faces. However I'm happy to know that there are a lot of people out there that are very supportive and more than happy to back an independent film. But I'm not discouraged at all. I'm hard-headed, so I won't quit!

The Weekend Box Office and The Week in Horror on DVD

Over the weekend, "Inception" became the fourth movie of the year to go three straight weeks at number one. The other three? "Avatar", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Shrek Forever After". Also, "Inception" has now become the seventh highest-grossing film of 2010... So, batten down the hatches, folks. We've got a hit on our hands here. Now, if you haven't seen it, I do recommend it. It's a mind-fuck movie and it's got lots of twists and turns and great effects, but most importantly, it's Christopher Nolan and he's proving that he's a top-tier filmmaker. Also, I love that he came from pure indie roots. His first film, "Following", which came out in 1998, took over a year to shoot because the whole cast and crew had other full-time jobs and they only shot on Saturdays. Sound familiar? His next film after "Following" was "Momento" ...and if you don't know that film, I'm not sure what to say, but go get it... and now. As for the rest of the box office, "Dinner for Schmucks" was a new release and it did well for a comedy, coming in second. "Salt" was third, "Despicable Me" was fourth and both weren't new releases. "Charlie St. Cloud" came in fifth and "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" came in sixth, both were new releases and would be considered disappointments... I assume. As for the week in horror on DVD, it's not bad. So, let's get to it. You can check out all the trailers on our Youtube Channel and you can click on the titles to be taken to the films page on Amazon, where you can read more and/or buy it.

"Hoboken Hollow", written and directed by Glen Stephens, has a great cast, including Jason Connery, C. Thomas Howell, Michael Madsen, Robert Carradine and the late Dennis Hopper. I can only assume that Hopper's passing has something to do with this release, as it originally came out in 2005 and it didn't really do much then. It's sort of a hillbilly horror with some roots in reality. It's about a ranch that picks up workers, usually vagrants and poor folks, and then, well, tortures the crap out of them. Apparently this stuff happened, at least there's lots of urban legends about it. So, that tends to make it just that much more creepy... also, price is right on this DVD, they're selling it for $6.99.

I like the concept behind "Open House" and I think there's a lot of room for other filmmakers to explore this little sub-genre. I'll explain... horror is about fears, right? Taking things that people are scared of in real life and then throwing it in their faces. Well, there's something scary about buying and selling a home. In fact, there's LOTS of scary things about it. From having strangers and random people coming through your house when you try to sell it all the way to not knowing what kind of house you're buying or what kind of neighborhood you're moving in to? Get it? Really, it's scary stuff and there's a lot to work with in this whole concept. Anyhow, "Open House" deals with a couple that's trying to sell their house, but finds out that one of the potential buyers never left the open house.

Robert Beaucage's "Spike" looks a little odd and may not be my cup of tea, but... it could be yours. It did win an award at Shriekfest 2009 - best fantasy feature film, so I may be the odd man out. Actually, I haven't seen it, so I may be jumping to conclusions, but anyhow... The film draws heavily on Grimm's fairytales and, in fact, calls itself a Gothic fairytale. From what I can tell, a group of people head into the woods where they encounter a beast... but the beast leaves a poem behind for one of the girls. That's right, we're talking a gothic "Beauty and The Beast" horror here. Anyhow, it could be interesting. In fact, I'm actually turning myself around here, maybe I'll check it out.

"Secrets of the Clown", from Ryan Badalamenti, is also a bit of a rerelease... I only say that because I remember it from a while ago and it came out in 2007. It won best feature film at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival and it preys on everyones favorite fear, the fear of clowns. Price is right on this DVD, as well... again, $6.99.

I have to comment on the Asylum double-pack, Blu-ray release of, "Haunting of Winchester House / I Am Omega", because I love Asylum releases. "I Am Omega" takes the "Omega Man" idea, where the main character is the last human on earth, and gives it a bit of an action spin. It came out right around the time that "I Am Legend" came out... Martial Artist Mark Dacascos takes on the zombies and does some serious ass kicking. "Haunting of Winchester House" was brought out after the slew of haunted house films came out, notably "The Haunting in Connecticut", which I'm assuming this was based on.

Box Office Review and a Good Week for Horror on DVD

Wow, I am in no condition to be operating my computer, let alone be writing this post... I was out of town for a gong-show wedding where I drank like a sailor on his last weekend before heading out to sea, then flew back home late last night. Flight was delayed three times, finally got home at 4AM... alarm went off at 7:30. Brutal. Anyhow, I'm ridiculously tired and terribly hung-over, but I'm going to try to power my way through this.

The box office was, once again, dominated by "Toy Story 3", but that's no real surprise. "Grown Ups", the ensemble Adam Sandler flick, did as expected and came in second. Third was "Knight & Day" and the press is all saying that the Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz film was a bit of a let down. However, I heard it was tracking really badly. So, the fact that it pulled in over $20Million isn't that bad as far as I'm concerned... having said that, I don't know the budget off hand. Further, I was talking with a few people that saw it and they said it was actually a pretty good movie. Lastly, just to add insult to injury, "Jonah Hex" had the worst week to week decline, falling 70% to just over $1.5Million - poor "Jonah Hex". As for upcoming films, we all know that "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" has all the Twi-hards going crazy and it's going to dominate the next few weeks. However, I'm more interested to see how "The Last Airbender" does, as I really can't believe that studios still give M Night Shymalan money to make movies. Horror-wise, just around the corner, we've got "Predators" and "[Rec]2" coming out on July 9th. "Predators", the Robert Rodriguez reboot of the "Predator" franchise, is opening wide, "[Rec]2", not so much. Anyhow, on to the horror that's coming out on DVD. As usual, check out our Youtube Page to see the trailers and you can click on the titles to be taken to the films page on Amazon where you can read more and/or buy it.

Okay, (Ted's note), I've gotta whip through these because I'm fading fast and have way too much to do today, so I apologize for anything that appears cryptic or doesn't make sense...

The big release of the week is the remake of the Romero classic, "The Crazies". Quite frankly, I thought it did the original justice. Especially considering that most people don't consider the original to be a classic. They did change a few aspects from the original, but it was really just to update it a bit. It's worth checking out, for sure.

"The Eclipse" is a dramatic horror film from Conor McPherson, who's adapting a stage play that he did. It's dramatic, it's slow, but it is a horror. If you're used to more visceral horror, this may be a bit too slow for you.

"Versus" is actually about ten years old, but it's getting a rerelease on Blu-ray this week and it's kind of a kick ass Tokyo Shock film. Good versus evil, kung-fu, blood, guts... it's worth picking up if you haven't seen it.

If you like your vampire films mixed in with a little sexy-times, "Temptation" is for you. I haven't seen it, but it looks like you can expect it to be a bit heavy on the lesbians and nudity, light on the gore. Not that there's anything wrong with that... nothing at all.

"A Nocturne: Night of the Vampire" is an indie horror out of Australia, being distributed by Troma over here. I haven't seen it, but it comes from the Australian underground and it's a so-called 'goth original'. It's getting great reviews and, apparently, is shot really well and has a great look and feel for something that's shot on DV.

Lastly, I have to mention two awesome rereleases: "Teenage Hitchhikers" and "Uncle Sam" on Blu-ray. You know, I'm thinking that "Uncle Sam" may be ripe for a remake... I'd like to see a reboot of that. "Uncle Sam wants YOU... dead".

A Slow Weekend At The Box Office and the New Horror Out On DVD

Interesting weekend at the box office... and, by that, I mean that it was interestingly terrible. "Shrek" won it again, but only by default. "Sex and the City 2" and "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" both underperformed. "Sex and the City 2" was closer to expected, I guess... it just attracted NO males, unlike the first one... and I'm serious. Warner Bros. did an exit poll and they estimated that 90% of the audience was female. I'm assuming that, over time, "Sex and the City 2" will be a moderate success and possibly lead to another one. However, "Prince of Persia" really missed the mark. Disney sort of just called this one in, assuming it would be a hit. The parts were there; Brukheimer, decent title, swashbuckling, fantasy and a big marketing budget, but it didn't cut it. The marketing was a bit poor, to be honest, it wasn't really intriguing and Gyllenhaal may have been a bit miscast here. Who knows. Did anyone see it? If so, how was it? Speaking of missing the mark, "MacGruber" tumbled 63% and that's tough to do, considering how little it made last weekend... it's well on its way to becoming SNL's lowest-grossing film of all time. So, not much to talk about there. Anyhow, on to the home entertainment market. Let's take a look at the horror that's coming out on DVD this week. As usual, you can check out our Youtube Page and see the trailers OR you can click on the titles to go to their Amazon Page, where you can read more and/or buy the film.

We've all known about "The Wolfman" for a while now and, for me, it was one of the bigger disappointments of the year. Not that the film was that bad, it's just that you wait so long for something, you get so excited and then the film is just... average. As for how long we all waited for this... it was originally announced in March, 2006 with a release date of November 12, 2008. Then, it was pushed back to February 12, 2009... then April 3, 2009... then November 6, 2009... then, finally, it came out on February 12, 2010. Now, here it is on DVD.

Go figure... I had NO clue that Steve Guttenberg was still working. Now, here he pops up in the horror/comedy, "Cornered". Now, a lot of you are going to have problems with this film. Why? Because it's a horror/COMEDY and the cover art is a little misleading. Actually, the trailer is a bit misleading, too. There's far more comedy in the film than they lead on and I think they should show that. Like, your film IS what your film IS, advertise and market it appropriately. Anyhow, it did win a few awards and is getting some good reviews. So, check it out.

This is actually a rerelease of Chad Ferrin's "Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill!", but it's worth talking about. His latest film, "Someone's Knocking at the Door", just came out last week, so I'm assuming that's why this is coming out this week. It's a low-budget slasher that's coming from a Troma-vet, so you know what you're in for. A good, twisted romp about a bunny-masked killer.

Then, there's a couple of mock-buster disaster films, "Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York" and "Absolute Zero". You can get them separately OR as double-pack. Not only that, they're at a great price. $6.99 for the individual films or $9.99 for both. "Disaster Zone" has Michael Ironside in it and it's about, well... a volcano under New York. Turns out that some geo-thermal experiments triggered volcanic activity and now, lava, ash and earthquakes in New York. "Absolute Zero" is about an equally unlikely natural disaster, the Ice Age hitting Miami. The temperature is plummeting to absolute zero... or -459.67 degrees and Jeff Fahey and Erika Eleniak and a few other hopeful survivors head to a special chamber in Jeff Fahey's lab.

There's a whole bunch of new Blu-ray versions of old films coming out, including the classic Troma film, "Class of Nuke 'Em High", as well as "Dark Nature", "I Know What You Did Last Summer / I Still Know What You Did Last Summer", "Bram Stoker's Dracula / Grudge" and "Focus/Refocus"

There's also a mountain of rereleases a double-packs coming out, including "Village of the Damned", "The Hitcher II - I've Been Waiting", "Identity / Secret Window", "Long Time Dead", "Darkman 2 - The Return of Durant" and "Darkman III - Die Darkman Die". I shouldn't have to explain any of those films, you should know them... if not, click on them and go to their Amazon Page.

Misconceptions About Hollywood - Getting An Agent

Well, I was planning on having an interview to share today, but... people are taking their time getting back to me. No worries, I've always got something on my mind to share. Today, I wouldn't mind talking about a misconception that most people have about Hollywood.

So, life isn't exactly black and white, but it's so much easier to explain when you break it down to one side versus the other, so I'm going to do just that. Let's look at Hollywood as those who are "IN" and those who are "OUT". People who are "IN" get work from studios, they have agents, managers and can get stuff done. They get meetings, they get paid and people know who they are. People who are "OUT" have day jobs that may or may not be related to what they want to do, but it certainly isn't where they want to be, they'd kill to have an agent or a manager work for them and they don't even care if they get paid for what they create, as long as it gets their name out there. Black and white, right? So, how do you go from the "OUT" to the "IN"? Really, that's what we all want, isn't it? First off, let me just say that the transformation won't happen over night. It can take years, decades, to slowly move from an "OUT" to an "IN". However, I figure once you're an "IN", it's yours to lose. When you're an "OUT", well... you're out. Not to tough to maintain that status. Now, there are lots of ways to get from an "OUT" to an "IN" and most people think the first move is getting an agent or manager to represent them.

Alright, so... I've just finished the first draft of my most recent screenplay. I've sent it off to a few trusted sources, then, after that, what do I do? Well, most screenwriters would write up a query letter to any and all agents that accept query letters and hope that someone gets back to them. Either that, or they'd submit their script to one of those online submission sites... spray and pray. Well, not only have a just finished my script, I'm also continuing to read "The Writer Got Screwed (but didn't have to)" and I just happened to come across an interesting chapter on how to get an agent or manager. In order, this is what they recommend: 1. get a recommendation from someone who knows you. 2. Submit to a screenwriting contest. 3. (and least recommended) submit a query letter to an agent.

I was halfway through my generic query letter to any and all agents when I read that. Then, I thought back... you know, I have had numerous agents and managers read my previous work, granted it was all to no avail, but I did get them to read it. How? Friends, friends of friends and networking. It really is the best way to get your shit read. I had even forgot about some of the people who read my stuff, I'm going to have to go back through some old emails and rediscover them. Really, if you ask anyone that you know who's in the industry, chances are you'll get lucky. "Hey, know any agents? I'd love to get my work in front of someone" Keep asking, it'll work, even if you're asking your Mom's friend, who's cousin works in catering for "The View". The second thing, the screenwriting competitions, is an interesting one. I didn't know it, but if you place in a contest, you'll probably be contacted by some young, aggressive agent. They're always looking for the next big thing and the competitions are a great place for them to search. I've never entered one of those competitions, but I may be with this most recent script.

Anyhow, there's some ideas for fellow members of the "OUT" crowd. Hopefully I'll have an interview ready for you on Friday. If not, I'm sure I can come up with something to blather on about.

"Kick Ass" Gets Pummelled and The Upcoming Week in Horror On DVD

So much for that experiment... "Kick Ass" fell flat at the box office, losing out to "How To Train Your Dragon", which has been in the theaters for a few weeks now. Now, as usual, there's a lesson to be learned here. They're calling this sub-genre a superhero-comedy and this particular sub-genre does not do well when it's not geared for a very young audience. The most successful film in this sub-genre and, really, the only successful film out of this sub-genre, is the animated film, "The Incredibles". If you expand the sub-genre, you could make a case for "Watchmen" to be in there, as it's not exactly your typical superhero film, either. It wasn't a comedy, but it did step outside the comfort zone of a standard superhero film. Regardless, it ALSO underperformed. So, what can we learn? Well, for screenwriters... stay away from the superhero genre all together. I certainly wouldn't be pitching it. Audiences haven't been flocking to spoofs, comedies or any other type of sub-genre that steps out of the typical superhero framework and that means that the studios won't exactly be clamoring over each other to get at another one, especially one that's on spec. However, I think this may open up an opportunity if you're in the indie or micro-budget film scene, as I do think we may be ripe for a new take on the superhero genre and it's going to have to come out of the low-budget world. This is an arena where risks can be taken and I'd love to see a low-budget superhero horror or something that really turns the genre upside down. Something can be done here and it's got my brain going... if you're an indie-horror or micro-budget filmmaker that's looking for an idea and this got your wheels spinning, shoot me an email - I've got a few ideas. Anyhow, let's take a look at the horror that's coming out on DVD this week. As usual, head over to our Youtube Page by clicking HERE and you can see all the trailers. You can also click on the film's title and be taken to its page on Amazon, where you can read more and/or buy it.

So, I really liked "The Lovely Bones". It's not a slasher film, it's not gory and it's not really that scary, to be honest. However, there are definitely some thriller-type moments, the film deals with death and purgatory and, well, there's a serial killer in it. The film had a budget of $65Million, which is quite low by Jackson's standards, and it only grossed just over $93Million worldwide, which makes it a bit of a dud, money-wise. Although it gets a bit preachy and sappy, it's worth seeing, especially if you're a fan of Jackson's earlier, non-gory work like "Heavenly Creatures". Also, I have to say, I'm always a sucker for any film that explores the after-life, I just like seeing people's interpretations...

This is the first that I've heard of the film "Homecoming", but it does star Mischa Barton and it was directed by Morgan J. Freeman, not the Morgan Freeman that you're thinking about, Danny Dufraine, but the guy who made "Hurricane Streets" and won three awards at Sundance in 1997 with it. Freeman also did "Desert Blue", some of "Dawson's Creek", "American Psycho 2" and was a producer on "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County". The film is about a former small-town golden boy and his new girlfriend that come home to discover that his high school sweetheart, played by Barton, has an unhealthy obsession with him.

"Fraternity Massacre at Hell Island" is written and directed by Mark Jones and he's doing some interesting stuff here... sure, you have the typical fraternity tom-foolery surrounding a killer clown that's escaped from a mental home, but you also have the main character battling homophobia. Jones has made a few gay-themed projects, including a web-based soap opera called "The Edge of Happiness" and another feature called "Eli Parker Is Getting Married?". To be honest, the inclusion of gay themes in your film almost guarantees you exposure at festivals and in the media, as well as distribution. It's an interesting angle to take, whether or not you're actually gay... may help you get financing, too. Just some thoughts.

"Knife Edge" is a British film that came out in 2009. It's about a successful Wall Street trader that returns to Britain with her family to find that her new home in the countryside contains a disturbing secret. The film is directed by Anthony Hickox and it's a return to horror for him. His first film was "Waxwork" in 1988, then he went on to do such films as "Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth" and "Warlock: The Armegeddon" before getting into more mainstream straight to DVD stuff like a few Dolph Lundgren and Stephen Seagal movies in the late nineties and early two thousands. Welcome back, Anthony, let's hope that Dolph and Stevie don't miss you too much.

"Braincell" is a micro-budget film from Alex Birrell and it's about a wave of violence that spreads due to the strange experiments of Dr. Joseph Cornwall. The film has a great cast of micro-budget and low-budget horror stars, including Raine Brown, Joe Zaso and friend of Dead Harvey, Billy Garberina. Top of my list for the week, for sure.

There are two films from Khavn De La Cruz coming out this week; "Vampire Of Quezon City" and "The Family That Eats Soil". He's done a ton of films, they're all messed up, and he's the outspoken, experimental filmmaker that's considered to be the father of Philippine digital filmmaking. In the late nineties, he owned and managed Oracafe, which was a cultural hub for Philippine writers, musicians, filmmakers and other artists and went on to make twenty three features and over seventy short films. Very interesting guy and I want to check out a bunch of his films now.

Short Films and an Interview with Andrew Newall, the Writer/Director of "Someone Else"

Just a few days ago, I had yet another conversation about how hard it is to break into this industry as a creative type... They happen occasionally and people who haven't "broken in" are, obviously, far more prone to them. What's interesting to note is that everyone that I went to film school with that concentrated on something more technical, say... camera or sound, has done very well for themselves. In fact, one of my good friends from film school, the guy who shot all of my films, went on to shoot reality TV. He's great at networking and has subsequently travelled the world as a cameraman and is now directing a reality show for MTV. On the other side of the coin, I know of no huge success stories of people that concentrated on just the creative stuff like writing or directing or filmmaking, as a whole. Is there a moral here? I don't know, but then again, it all depends on your definition of success... and I'd like to think that our stories aren't over yet. In fact, I'd like to think we're still in the first act.

Anyhow, the debate rages on in our little circles, usually after far too much booze. Someone got a nibble from a studio, someone has a literary agent reading their material, someone just finished a script, someone just had their indie film distributed, yet... here we all are. Waiting around for success to come knocking. What's the best route to take? Should you write spec scripts? Should you make low-budget features? Should you make short films? Or should you just take a job in the industry, somewhere, then pursue your filmmaking and writing on the side and wait for the two worlds to merge? If you're looking for an answer, I don't have it. All I can say for sure is, you're not going to succeed if you don't keep trying and nothing happens overnight, so you might as well be doing one of the above mentioned things. Myself, I'm concentrating on writing, but I do think the world of short filmmaking is going to explode and it's going to be a great place to be.

Let me just say that if you've made a short film, I encourage you to send it over to me. Usually it doesn't cost anything, just post it online and I'll watch it. It's for completely selfish reasons, too. Due to how people consume media now and where things are going, I think short films are going to become more and more marketable and are going to be getting more and more respect and I like checking them out. Whether we know it or not, we're watching more and more short films all the time through Youtube, on Facebook and other sites, not to mention all the festivals that are popping up. Anyhow, I just recently saw another great short film, this one called "Someone Else", from Andrew Newall and I spoke with him about the film. Technically, the film was great. It was acted well, shot well and it looked fantastic. However, for me, where it excelled was in how it was all put together. The film really opened this little window into this horrifying world and told a complete story. He could've flushed it out, but he didn't. It was quick, it was concise, I mean it was only four minutes long, but the story you get is so much longer. In fact, I was left thinking about it for a lot longer than four minutes. Anyhow, we had the pleasure of discussing the film with Newall...

So, tell us about your short film, “Someone Else”.

It’s a 4 minute film about a young woman who lives on her own, who frequently finds things have been moved out of place here and there. This has been going on for a while and she’s not sure if she’s done it herself or if there’s someone else somewhere in the house. The young woman is played by Karen Bartke.

If you don’t mind us asking, what was the budget?

The budget was around £200 (approx $300). Most of that went on hiring the office location for a day. Cast and crew all worked for nothing, which was fantastic.

I love horror films that are based around fears and anxiety revolving around what happens when you sleep. Really, it’s when we’re at our most vulnerable. So, where did you get the idea from?

I wanted to write something that would scare an adult, so I thought the best thing to do was ask an adult what scares them and go from there. Psychological fear seemed to be a common theme, and I was looking to do something more psychologically scary than gory anyway - not that I don’t like blood and guts. I make time for zombies and vampires.

The film is only 4 minutes long, but you did a great job of telling a full story. The antagonist doesn’t say a word, yet… with just a few actions, in just a few seconds, I completely get her character. Talk about how you flushed out the idea and developed the characters.

The antagonist (played by Sharon Osdin) never had any lines from the beginning. I felt her scene didn’t need any. The actions would hopefully explain themselves. From the start, I knew it was going to be a real person hidden in the house. A real threat gave it a more eerie feeling. The trickiest part in the character development was making it feasible that another person could be in the house, unnoticed. How did they get in and why were they there? Writing a quick character bio helped, even though her background isn‘t mentioned. She became a stalker taken to the extreme. She monitors the house owner’s actions/reactions, mannerisms, day-to-day patterns, until she decides she wants to take her place. I’m glad it came across as a full story, and not a couple of minutes taken out of a longer film.

Now, tell us a bit about yourself. What are your influences and what got you in to film?

The interest in film was there from a young age, but the idea of being seriously involved just seemed away up in the clouds. I used to work beside Simon Ross, who co-produced Someone Else. He was doing film production at college and I talked to him about it all. He suggested I get a book on screenwriting as a start, so I did, and started pouring out ideas on to scripts. Mark Boggis, the DoP on Someone Else, was a filmmaker friend of his and I helped them out on a couple of their early projects, running for them, storyboarding, etc. I saw every project we worked on was bigger than the last, and in 2002, we wrote and produced Cool Blue, which Mark directed. It got shown at a film festival in Glasgow and I saw my name on the big screen as a writer and producer. That was a buzz, and I thought if I could do it with that one, I could do it again.

As far as influences go, I get most inspiration from reading interviews with writers/filmmakers, and watching their DVD commentaries. That way, I’m hearing about what they do in their own words, whether they’re from here in Scotland or wherever. I like what I’ve seen of Christopher Nolan’s films. His Batman films have been good, but I really liked Insomnia. I think he could direct a good horror. I also like some of Brian De Palma’s work. I’ve seen some smooth camera movements in his films and that’s what I was looking for in Someone Else. In Scotland, the first names that pop into my head would be Peter Mullan and Lynne Ramsay.

Film school: yes or no?

Can’t answer that one as I haven’t been to any but it sounds like a sensible start.

What’s your goals for “Someone Else”? Are you looking to enter into festivals and get some accolades? Are you just using it as a calling card and are looking to open some doors? Talk about why you made the film and what your goals with it are. Have you accomplished those goals?

I made it to enter into Zone Horror’s film competition in 2009. As it happened, we missed the deadline but it was too long anyway (Zone Horror’s film has to be 2 mins max). We had two scripts to choose from: one was a horror comedy and the other was this one. My immediate goal is to get it into festivals, not to go looking for accolades but just to see how it holds its own in competition, and to see if people get scared!

Have you entered it into any festivals? If so, how did it do? Is the festival scene something that you would recommend to other filmmakers? Why or why not?

I’ve submitted it to some but so far, it hasn’t played. It had a screening in Manchester in February. Even if it didn’t play at all, I’ll promote it other ways. Reviews so far have been fairly positive, I’m happy to say. I’d recommend the festival scene because you’re getting it promoted and it’s being seen by an unbiased audience. One thing you’d maybe want to watch for is the entry fees can mount up if you’re targeting the major ones all the time.

Did you learn anything through the process of getting the film made that you could pass on to other filmmakers who are looking to go out and make a short film?

The biggest lesson I learned from the whole production was to be as organised as possible before the shoot.

Talk about the indie horror scene, where do you think it is now and where do you see it going?

I think we’ve been seeing more psychological horror in film in recent years, as opposed to mainly gore or “jump” scares. Using an example from short films, Kasting was good. It won the 2008 Zone Horror competition and I thought it was very well done, very atmospheric and kept tension building. It made perfect use of their 2 minute rule. El Orfanato (The Orphanage) was a Spanish feature from 2007 which I enjoyed. I liked how it used the children’s game near the end. Where do I see the indie horror scene going? Well zombies and vampires don’t look like they’re going away any time soon…

Where can people check out “Someone Else”?

Nowhere at the minute, unless I send them a DVD copy! Hopefully at a festival soon. After I’ve taken it as far as I can, I’ll upload it to you tube. Cool Blue, our other short, is on there.

What’s next for you?

We’re determined to film another short this year. We have a few scripts we’re looking at. Personally, I’m hungry to do another one. I had a short story I wrote make it to the finals in a competition in the U.S. I think it would make a good short.