What Dave Mustaine Reminded Me About Indie Horror

I'm not going to lie, I'm in rough shape this morning... actually, I've been in rough shape over the last couple of days, but nothing as bad as this morning. This all started when my PC blew up a few days ago. I got it working again, but now the keyboard won't work for some stupid reason, so I have to buy a new one today... which may or may not even fix the problem. So, essentially, right now my computer is completely useless and all my Dead Harvey content is on there. In response to that, I got all drunk and went to see Slayer and Megadeth last night. Now, I'm up early for a conference call that I have at 8AM and I feel like death. I should be able to fix everything and get back on track over the next few days, but... until then, I was thinking about something that Dave Mustaine said last night...

Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, who closed the show and kinda sucked, stopped to talk a bit before their final few songs (Symphony of Destruction & Holy Wars, if you're interested). At the time, I thought it was a little embarrassing when he went to thank the opening acts and forgot the name of the first band, Suicide Silence. It got a bit of a laugh and I felt a little bad for them, but it got me thinking about a conversation I had with an L.A. agent not too long ago. We were discussing how indie horror filmmakers need to think like indie bands. When you start out, you need to get your film seen anywhere you can - you just need exposure. Go to a bar and ask if you can screen it on an off night, rent out a room, whatever. Put up flyers, start a facebook page, just reach people any way you can. Make a press kit from all that and then submit to festivals. Keep on building and building. Maybe you start out with short films, as they're easier to screen and easier to get into festivals. Then take that and leverage it... keep building. The point is, at the end of the day, being able to create the product is just the start, then you have to think like that indie band and get as much exposure as you can, any way you can... which brings me back to Dave Mustaine forgetting the name of Suicide Silence.

You see, Suicide Silence shouldn't be upset. Megadeth and Slayer are like the "Friday the 13th" and "Drag Me To Hell"'s of the metal world. They're the big stage and Suicide Silence got to open for them, which would be like your short film playing before one of those films in a theater. They've already played the dive bars, they've cut low-budget demo's, they've put up flyers and played the shitty festivals and been booed off stages. On the timeline of success, they're nearing the latter stages. So, I didn't feel so bad for them... but where are you on that timeline? Sure, you can make a film, but when it's done, the work is just starting. I'm not even talking about artwork and posters, I'm talking getting into festivals, going to conventions and talking to indie horror websites and magazines. Get in touch with them all. We're always happy to help out, send me your screener and info, we'll talk about it... then, if we're lucky, I'll keep all your info in my PC, where I can't get access to it.

Point is, there's lots of people who will help you by giving you some promo. For example, check out this new site that was brought to my attention - IndependentHorrorFilms.com. I should really develop my links page, as these sites are great tools for you to use... and once it's all done, you can thank Dave Mustaine.

Damn, I need to load up on water and get through this day...

So, you want to be a Hollywood director?

I remember when I was in film school, there was a certain Hollywood director who came in to talk with us and he opened up his speech by asking the crowd something to the effect of, "raise your hand if you want to be a Hollywood director". Sure enough, almost everyone raised their hand... He replied to that with, "Have a back-up plan, chances are it's not going to happen". At the time I thought, "What a prick", but the truth is... he was right. To the best of my knowledge, no one that I went to film school with is now a "Hollywood director". Sure, there's a lot of success stories, but no one who would be mentioned in the trade papers or anything. I think the most successful guys were the guys who did technical stuff; camera operators, sound guys... you can make a good career doing that. In fact, one of my film school buddy's started as a camera guy on reality shows, moved up to being DP and he's now directing the odd show. On the flip side, most of the guys who just wanted to be directors, still just want to be directors, but I digress...

That was then, this is now... check out this article that I just read in Forbes on Alan Horn, the guy who runs Warner Bros. They're basically saying that, to make money these days, they have to make half the movies at twice the cost. They require almost all movies to be 'tent-pole' movies, like "Dark Knight" or "Harry Potter". They require the ability to have a sequel, video game tie-ins, merchandise, etc... Now, juxtapose that with what we're seeing out of the indie world... especially considering the fact that most studios have stopped making what THEY call indie films - those $5 - $20Million dollar "indie" films are done, the market is WAY over saturated with that shit and they're not going to be able to compete for screen time against the studios, especially knowing that the studios collude with the theater owners, but whatever... The point is, once again, the gap between Hollywood and TRUE indie film widens, yet again. So, how are you supposed to be seen in this industry? How are you going to 'make it'? How are you supposed to compete?

The easy answer is, don't. There's a long list of companies, big and small, who gained success by doing the complete opposite of what the guy who dominated the market was doing. The fact is, embrace the fact that you can do whatever the fuck you want and give up the dream that you're going to be the next Scorsese, Del Toro or John Waters. In all honesty, do you want to be filthy rich and famous or do you want to make films? If it's just about making enough dough to get by and make films, great. You're past the first step. Now that you've come to terms with that, remember that Hollywood HAS to be PG-13, they have to cater to everyone... YOU don't. You should be doing what they can't do. You need to find a particular, little niche and be the BEST shit in that genre. I don't give a shit if it's MMA related gore films. If it is, go make a film about a group of MMA fighters in a gang war, who happen to all be cannibalistic werewolves, I don't know. The point is, it's WAY better to be the BEST in a small, little niche, than it is to make another film that tries to cater to everyone. Go crazy, be fucked up, do something that's WAY out there. It's better to be noticed for something that's insane and ridiculous, than to not get noticed at all. Remember, Scorsese made it because he OWNED that gritty, New York gangster scene, Del Toro OWNED the Mexican horror scene and John Waters OWNED fucked up, retarded films that made no sense to anyone.

So, go find YOUR niche and OWN it... maybe you'll get noticed. Maybe it'll lead to a job directing a "Hollywood" film, who knows? But, I promise you that just doing what everyone else is doing will lead you nowhere.

linkapalooza - September 23, 2008: Actually Getting Paid in Hollywood... and Other Useless Junk

None of my links this week are really 'breaking news', per se... but they are interesting. This is stuff that may actually help you as an indie horror filmmaker. However, before I get to those links, let's look at a link where we're just trying to help you get a job... you know, so you can actually pay those bills. ...and, I know, the picture has nothing to do with any of this... or doesn't it? You decide.

Ten Ways To Break Into Hollywood on forbes.com: This article could be just kinda funny to you, but it's from Forbes and it goes through the ten easiest ways to get a job in Hollywood... and it got me thinking. If you're an indie filmmaker, especially an indie horror filmmaker, you can expect to live fairly close to the poverty line for a while... especially if you're concentrating on your writing and filmmaking more than you are on that whole 'making money' thing. So, your best bet is to try and get a job in Hollywood and pursue your indie horror dreams in your spare time - no one said this is an easy way to make a living, remember. Leisure time is, well, a luxury. If you get a job in the industry, you're going to be able to network, get ideas and be close to the action... which, at the end of the day, will be a catalyst for your career as an indie horror filmmaker. It's also better than doing something completely unrelated, like driving a cab or working as a telemarketer or something.

Sundance Channel to offer new pay-per-view option on latimes.com: If you read the next blurb below this, you'll see that people aren't making too much dough off of paid downloads, but it is nice to see that they're trying to change the field up a bit. Sundance Channel is now offering a pay-per-view option that's 'dedicated to independent films that did not have a theatrical release'. They seem to think that this service could 'democratize and emancipate independent film' and if I knew what 'emancipate' meant, I may agree... however, I can say this. You're probably not going to see too many slasher flicks available on this service. It's nice to see that they're laying the groundwork for someone to make a horror version, though.

DVDs Account For 81% of Video Spending on Multichannel.com: This article resides in my 'get to know your audience' file, which I've been kind of hammering on people lately. Really, it's basic marketing. Find out as much as you can about your consumer (in this case, audience), find out what they want, when they want it and how they want it, then give it to them. That doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your artistic vision, but it could give you some direction. This is very generic information, but interesting, none the less. So, to sum it up... DVDs is where the money is (we knew that, though), but there are a few interesting things there when you break it down. 41% of consumers PURCHASE the DVDs versus 29% on RENTALS... only 0.5% is spent on paid downloads. Knowing that, what would make someone BUY your DVD over the next guy? (Think added value, like: extras, a poster, bonus CD, artwork, who knows..) There's more in there, too... interesting stuff. Know your audience!

HBO launches Web series on THR.com: It's interesting to see what the big guys are doing in online media. This article is about HBO's "experimental offshoot" called HBOlab, which, I'm guessing, just comes up with crazy ideas that use other distribution methods... namely, the web. It does seem like there's lots of people who get discovered through their online efforts, then sign a TV or film deal. However, there's very few TV or film guys that can make a successful web-based show. There's two things to take from stuff like this. 1. You have to keep an eye on what these big boys are doing. 2. Get ideas from what they're doing... the web is the only place where we're on even footing with these guys. We may not be able to get in the theaters or on TV, but we sure can do what they're doing on the web.

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

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

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

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

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

LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY:

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

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

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

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

See you on the next one,

Brad