linkapalooza - November 6, 2008: Hellraiser in Capable Hands

I sometimes wonder how our kids or grandkids will think of the era that we're living in right now... I mean, think of the amount of change that we've seen... seriously. I remember being a kid and my Dad setting up a projector in the basement to watch home movies, I remember when he brought home a "VCR", I remember video games when they could only be played in an arcade, I remember not having an email address. Hell, I remember getting our first microwave. Think about if you were born in 1890. By 1920, how many changes took place? I guess there's two ways to look at it, either we're living in an era that will forever be remembered as a time of massive change OR... we ain't seen anything yet. All this and I'm not even touching on the fact that we just saw the first African American voted in as President of the United States - a mere 50 years after he wouldn't have been able to drink out of the same water fountain as his Vice President elect. Crazy. Anyhow, right now, I just care about the changes and news that effects indie horror filmmakers. So, here's some shit that's going on out there...

'Hellraiser' redo in Laugier's hands on THR.com: Remember how the Weinsteins originally announced that they were going to have Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury remake Hellraiser? Then that fell through after investors saw "Inside", their latest film, and decided it was too fucked up and got worried about what they would come up with for the new Hellraiser? Granted, "Inside" WAS messed up... and awesome. Side note: if you haven't seen it, you should. That's not my point, though. My point is that they've now announced that Pascal Laugier will helm the remake, whose last film was MORE fucked up than "Inside". His film, "Martyrs", was not only compared directly to "Inside", it's been called the "new yard stick against which all forms of extreme genre films should be measured against." So, maybe the rumors that what Bustillo and Maury brought the Weinstein's were false and it was some other reason that they left the project. Maybe Laugier brought in a more friendly version, I don't know. Either way, it looks like the film is STILL in good hands. It'll be interesting to see how this does... are American audiences ready for a big budget gore flick? We'll find out soon enough.

MySpace top site for young filmgoers on Variety: Here's a shocker... filmgoers are going to Myspace to research films. Here's what surprises me... a lot of indie filmmakers do NOT use Myspace. When I'm looking into a film, there's only a few places I look. IMDB.com is one, I use Amazon.com a lot, but Myspace could be tops. It's free, it's easy and I'm surprised at how many people don't use it. If you're going to get into this whole space, you need to know how the digital world works. Please, if you're unsure or weary, go set up a basic account under a fake name, such as "Labia DeVulva" or "Fuk Yue", and just play around with it before using it. Set a few hours a week aside to learning and maintaining and you'll be surprised at how quickly you can get the word out about your film, meet other filmmakers, network and all that. Anyhow, people... please. If you're not using new media like social networking sites, please start.

Hollywood may not be recession-proof this time on LAtimes.com: Once again, what's bad for Hollywood can be good for you, the indie horror filmmaker. Okay, the article is SUPER long, but I can summarize it for you here pretty quickly. This whole recession thing is here, it's not going anywhere for a bit and when we do come out of it, it's going to be a different world. How different? Who knows... but people are going to be spending less money and doing some budgeting, that's for sure. Now, during the great depression, Hollywood and entertainment, as a whole, didn't suffer. In fact, it flourished. They found out pretty quick that people needed little escapes and entertainment MORE in times of crisis. Makes sense, right? Because of that, they've always said that Hollywood is recession-proof. Well, it's not this time around. Why? Because in 1930, they didn't have many choices, did they? Now, they do. In fact, how many of you could disconnect your cable and live off of streaming video and pirated DVDs? My bet? A lot. So, how does this help you? Well, as people turn off network television and stop going to the theaters, they're going to turn to the internet and other digital video resources... and guess what? That's where indie filmmakers should be living... So, you've got a whole new audience coming your way soon, be ready for them. And, please, give them a good deal if they want to buy something.

Vampire tale stalks FearNet on Reuters.com: This is about a music-driven vampire-themed series that will air on multiplatform horror-thriller network FearNet, written and directed by Mary Lambert. A little background on Lambert, first... she's done a ton of music videos, but she also helmed a few horror classics, including: Pet Sematary, Pet Sematary II, Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary. So, she's been around the horror block a few times. What interests me is that she's a decent name attached to an innovative project and it has absolutely nothing to do with network TV or the studios... aside from the fact that FearNet.com is owned by Comcast, Sony and Lionsgate. My point is this series will only be available on the FearNet website and on the FearNet VOD network. Read my last paragraph on the recession, then this one... there's new platforms coming, folks. Make sure your project can use them!

Linkapalooza - October 21, 2008: Horror Bucks The "Pricey" Trend

It's been a while since I did a Linkapalooza and looked at what's going on out there in the industry... so, here's a few things to take note of:

Priciest films the most profitable, says study on THR.com: Now, this will show you how insane Hollywood truly is. Well, in my mind, anyhow. Long and short, this article says that "animated films have the best average profitability", by contributing "an average net profit of $230.6Million". It goes on to say, after analyzing 1,000 or so films, that "the two priciest segments surveyed showed the best profitability." What are the two priciest segments? Animated and Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Third, by the way, is Family. By any chance, could those be the most profitable segments because they reach the broadest audience? Animated, Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Family movies are films where a couple of parents take a bunch of kids... and the kids usually like to see the movie 10 times, then buy the action figure. By the way, Sci-Fi/Fantasy isn't "AVP2", it's "Star Wars" or "Transformers". Could it be that the "priciest films" are "the most profitable" because you're throwing your money at the biggest money making segments? Also, I think it's fair to say that the bulk of those profits came from a handful of films, they're definitely not ALL profitable. Anyhow, two conclusion points here, one... it just seems to me that they're justifying spending a shit-load of money and trying to prove it to their financiers with a "study". Two, they do offer this one tidbit, which is VERY interesting from the perspective of an indie-horror filmmaker. They say there's ONE exception to the "costier-is-better premise". Horror. "Horror had the best results when produced for $10Million or less". For me, that says that horror fans don't need a glossy, polished film, they just need a good film. Remember that... when you're making your film for a fraction of $10Million... or a fraction of a fraction.

Sci Fi, RHI ink pact for five telefilms on, once again, THR.com: This link is for you Sci-Fi Original fans, I know you're out there! Just for you, it's a peak into the future! RHI Entertainment produces a lot of the Sci-Fi Originals and they've just been tapped to make 5 more. The article actually goes through all five films... Personally, I'll be looking forward to "Alien Western", where monstrous buglike machines from another world attack an Old West town in the 1890's.

The American Film Market on ifta-online.org: The American Film Market, or AFM as they like to call it, is coming up this November 5 - 12 in Santa Monica and I thought I'd just tell you about it. It's an annual event that attracts over 8,000 industry people for eight days. Participants from over 70 countries converge in Santa Monica to buy and sell distribution rights for completed films or to gain financing for projects in various stages of production. It's not a festival, it's more like a massive tradeshow. If you attend, you'll be in the company of acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, press and an array of other people who provide services to the industry. Long and short, unbelievable networking and a wicked opportunity... however, that, of course, comes with a cost. A one day pass costs $275, a pass for the full eight days costs $895. That's a lot of money. Personally, I'd go down to Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and/or the Le Merigot Beach Hotel, where it's all held, and hang out in nearby bars and restaurants... probably bars. You're sure to get people coming in for a beer or lunch. Save the $275 and spend it on drinking. It's a no-lose proposition.

In closing, I'll leave you with a couple of Fewdio Horror Shorts that I haven't mentioned yet...

Linkapalooza - October 1, 2008: The Film Industry Continues Marching Into The Digital Age

I used to actually link to a lot of horror fan shit in the past, but I've started to just link to things going on in the industry that I think will interest indie filmmakers... as well as stuff that I think indie filmmakers need to know about. Anyhow, today is no different. There's just too many changes going on in the industry to not comment or look into.

Michael Moore to release film online for free on msnbc.com: I'm not a big Michael Moore fan. Let me just get that out there... and it has nothing to do with his political stance, it's more his stance as a filmmaker. I don't want to get into a debate on it, but I think he's fantastic at getting his point across, which makes him a great filmmaker; but piss-poor at getting the truth across, which makes him a shitty documentary filmmaker. Now, having got that off my chest, let's give a bit of free promotion to "Slacker Uprising", his next film. His last film, "Sicko", was pirated very early and every torrent site had it 3 weeks before it came out in the theaters. Knowing that, he's releasing "Slacker Uprising" for free, for three weeks, as a free download beginning Sept. 23 and he claims it's gift to his fans. Go to slackeruprising.com and sign up, you can download it after a few clicks. However, here's the thing. Nothing's for free... and I see what he's doing here, but it works out well for you, the audience. First off, he probably has some deal with bliptv.com, they are the guys who are distributing it. They're going to get a bunch of traffic, so I'm sure they paid something. Also, I think he looks at this as a loss-leader. When you sign up, he asks you to punch in the email addresses of friends who may be interested. So, he gives away the film for free, but at the end of the day he gets a massive database of fans that he can now email, spew his rhetoric on and sell other shit to. I have other thoughts here, but I'll save them... Any way you slice it, interesting concept and delivery.

SanDisk rolls out new medium for music on SFGate.com: Ever heard of a company called SanDisk? You probably have, you just don't know why... SanDisk is a California based company that "designs, develops, markets and manufactures products and solutions in a variety of form factors using its flash memory, controller and firmware technologies." Yeah, so, they're a tech company that specializes in flash memory (meaning that no power is needed to maintain the information, it has faster access times and it's REALLY shock resistant. Translated, it's perfect for portable devices). Now, here's why they're an interesting company... they're partnering up with some of the biggest music labels to create a new music medium based on its microSD cards and it'll feature full-length, pre-loaded albums and additional content. They call it slotMusic AND it's going to be compatible with more than "a billion cell phones, MP3 Players, PCs and game consoles". So, as an indie filmmaker, why should you care? I'll tell you why. The first version of the microSD card will sell with 1GB of storage, with future models having up to 8GB of storage. What's that mean? That means movies are next. So, let's see here... if your movie could be distributed on a microsSD card, you just opened yourself up to a billion potential new devices for your film to be watched on. Yeah, I'd say that's significant. Between online distribution, DVD releases, VOD and now stuff like this... really, why are you still thinking about a theatrical release? Think EYEBALLS... so many eyeballs.

Coming Soon From Paramount Pictures: Digital Feature Films on adage.com: I've stopped keeping track of all the mainstream Hollywood people who are now venturing into web-based projects, but you can now add Paramount to that list. Like I've said a thousand times, the best part about these guys rolling out projects like this, is that you can watch what they do, how they do it and figure out what worked for them and mimic them. By Paramount Digital's own admission (in a round-about way), they don't know how to release this shit, but they're going to try a few different ways, including: "free, sponsor-supported, subscription and via paid download". So, let them spend the money testing it out, then figure out what worked for them and do that.

Q&A: JJ Abrams Talks 'Fringe' on Forbes.com: This is a wicked little interview with JJ Abrams about his new show "Fringe", which I'm starting to waver on a bit... but that doesn't take away from the concept, marketing and everything behind the show. But, am I the only guy who's waiting for something kick-ass to happen? Start tying shit together, already! Anyhow, it's cool to see what the thought process is like for a guy like Abrams, who could probably get anything green-lit that he wants. It's little interviews like this, that you need to soak about and think about next time you're putting together your own project.

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.

Linkapalooza - September 8, 2008: Woody's Battling Zombies and other stuff going on in the industry

I meant to have the up for this morning, but a bunch of shit came up today... so, you get it now. Excuse me all to hell.

Woody Harrelson versus the zombies on THR.com: Now, this seems like an odd project... not because it's another zombie comedy, but because it's from the guys who brought you "The Joe Schmo Show". Well, it's written by them, anyhow. Even odder, it's being directed by Ruben Fleischer, who's directed a few episodes of "The Jimmy Kimmel" show and not much else. I can't say I know too much about those guys, but good on 'em. Having said that, I can't believe that the zombie genre, let alone the zombie-comedy sub-genre, is still going strong and they're still green lighting a bunch of them. Whatever... doesn't bother me. I'm not sick of them.

Paramount Pictures acquires Screenlife on THR.com: I'm sure a lot of people glossed over this news when they saw it, but I think it's kind of cool, just for the rationale behind the acquisition. First off, Screenlife is the company that makes that video based game, "Scene It?". You know, where you throw the DVD in, it shows you clips, etc? Well, I'm not sure that Paramount gives a flying F about the game, BUT it does give a crap about digital content platforms and they see Screenlife as a portal to use digital media. So, just to keep reiterating my point - don't think of your film as a film... think about it as content. Then, think about all the different ways you can get that content infront of eyeballs.

Lonely Girl Seeks Money on Forbes.com: You remember the Youtube series, Lonely Girl 15... or is that lonelygirl15? I can't recall. Anyhow, remember how millions of people got all enthralled by it, thinking it was real... then it was revealed that it was actually a produced show? Well, the guys behind Lonely Girl, Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried, are back... and this time they want to get paid. The new project is called "LG 15: The Resistance". ...and, no, I'm not kidding. It's about "a group (that) battles a powerful secret society bent on controlling rare young girls whose genetic code offers the key to the fountain of youth." Regardless of whether or not you think that premise is ridiculous, what isn't ridiculous is the way they're distributing it. Not only will it go through web video aggregator's such as Myspace and Hulu, they're creating an in depth LG15 website where fans will "drive how each weekly show is edited for its weekly debut: by interacting with blog posts, short videos and puzzle-solving." Further to that, they're looking for real advertising dollars through product integration, web banners and short videos that are sponsored, so that users will interact with the brand that's sponsoring it. Premise of the story... could be a little off. How they're executing it... spot on.

Cable tries to keep command of crucial pipeline on Marketwatch.com: Oh, just another article on how the cable companies that deliver broadband to homes will be the media distribution companies and gate-keepers of the future. The internet, it's not just for porn anymore... although, it's still quite good for porn.

Fans Go Viral Over Fox's 'Fringe' on Adage.com: This is an article on JJ Abrahams and how he kicks ass at viral marketing. He's an f'ing genius at taking something that's two dimensional and making it jump off the screen through marketing efforts. This show hasn't even aired yet and, already, people are going nuts over "Fringe"... I'm a little excited. We'll see.

linkapalooza - August 18, 2008: '5 or Die' revealed, "The Gates of Hell" unveiled and other indie horror news...

Tom Holland Debuts New Web Series '5 OR DIE' on Bloody-Disgusting.com: Last week, I told you guys about that mysterious clip that mysteriously didn't get sent to us at Dead Harvey, but did get sent to a bunch of other horror sites... well, it was quickly revealed that "5 or Die" is a new short film from writer/director Tom Holland, they guy who did "Child's Play". It's debuting exclusively on Stike TV, which is that new online channel that a bunch of writers created during the writer's strike. A lot of people seem to think that Strike TV may be a huge catalyst for pushing people to online entertainment and something that will be a major thorn in the side of network tv, as it's one of the only online channels that is made strictly by professionals. I'm not sure how you go about finding "5 or Die", specifically, buy you can find Strike TV here.

"The Gates of Hell" trailer on Youtube: Not really news, but I came across this... and I had to share. It's the trailer for first time director, Kelly Dolen's upcoming film, "The Gates of Hell". It's about five adventurous filmmakers who set out to make an online interactive movie, exploring the nature of evil, who soon find themselves the subject of their own intentions as they accidentally uncover the heinous truth that has been secretly hidden in the bowels of Von Diebitsch Manor for generations. I know, I know... it sounds like something you've seen a thousand times, but trust me... click on the link up there and you'll find out what I found out - that this is going to be awesome.

Lionsgate Expects More Revenue Gains on THR.com: Guess what? Lionsgate is making money... and guess where they make it? "The growing Blu-ray and digital markets". Lionsgate finances a lot of their own movies, but they make tons of money off of aquiring and distributing indie horror films. Lionsgate is fun to watch because I think they really do have it right... they're one of the only major players that gets how lucrative the indie horror business is. So, if they're doing well, you know that there is a market for all this stuff we're making and putting out there.

How Virtual Reality Is Coming to the Movies on adage.com: I just thought I'd pass this on because it's just plain crazy. Basically, they're talking about "cinema 2.0" and how the worlds of film and video games are going to collide. Essentially, graphics cards are so fast now, that it'll be possible to render actors virtually, then make movies interactive... like a video game. Such as, "playing a movie at home, users can change plots, interact with characters and even create new endings." Further, as they can render actors into simulated environments, directors can "envision his film" before they shoot it. I'm betting I could finance 5 indie horror films for the amount of money they would spend on "envisioning" ONE scene.

Lastly, check out the poster for Saw V's Blood Drive (click to enlarge... I think):

Linkapalooza - July 30, 2008... FearNet's getting serious.

I don't know if you've noticed or not, but we've been posting a couple times a day lately. If you're wondering why, it's because we've got piles of interviews and case studies backed up and we'd really like to get them all out there. So, even though we're posting all those interviews and case studies, we can't neglect Linkapalooza... it just wouldn't be right.

VH1 scares up 'Queens' team on THR.com: I don't know why I find this that interesting or telling, but I do. James Gunn, who came out of the world of Troma to write the new "Dawn of the Dead" and write and direct the kick-ass "Slither", along with actress Shawnee Smith from the "Saw" series, "Repo! The Genetic Opera", among others, and an acting coach, John Homa are going to judge a 'Scream Queens' reality competition on VH1 where the winner will get a shot at winning a "major role" in a Lionsgate film. I guess it's interesting because it seems very mainstream for horror... I mean, horror has its ups and downs - late 80's were a low, late 90's were a high - and I don't mean that from a fans perspective, I mean that from a studio perspective. (Personally, I love the late 80's for horror) Anyhow, seeing something like this could mean horror's headed for a new high, after having a bit of a down period. "Fear Itself" has managed to stay on network TV, which I didn't think would happen. What's next? Anyhow, like I said, it's just kinda interesting.

Time Warner Cable Is FearNet's Latest Haunt on Multichannel.com: To continue where I left off from my last comments on that last article, horror seems to be slowly lurking into new corners. Sort of like a disease... or, maybe more like Brad after a long night/morning of drinking. Anyhow, FearNet inked a VOD distribution deal with Time Warner, which will take its online lineup to 29 million digital cable homes. If they can make a few more strategic moves, they could end up having FearNet become, essentially, its own network. Also, and looking at the big picture, this means that there's a demand for horror, it's just not at the theaters. Something I've been saying for a while.

Alas, the decline of the age of celebrity on Medialifemagazine.com: This article talks about how the public may finally be getting sick of celebrities. May be? I think it's official... sure, there's still a bunch of people out there who love following celebrities, but here's the thing. There's no mystic to them anymore. With the internet, media, blogs, gossip sites, etc... we know everything. We know that they beat their wives/girlfriends/mothers, we know that they get wasted a lot, we know they bang a lot of people. Basically, we know they're idiots. So, when their films come out, we don't care... because we take them personally. So, coming soon, star power won't be worth what it was. People are getting into franchises and brands. That's why they love films like "Transformers" and "Batman" and other projects that don't need stars necessarily, but can still sell merchandise and things besides tickets... that's why I'm always telling filmmakers, think like a brand, not like an individual film.

Horror Movies & Stuff - I haven't had much of a chance to clock many hours on this site, but I hear they have a fairly active forums section. They contacted me and wanted to exchange links, so I said I'd do more than that and mention them in a post. So, there you go... go check them out and let me know what you think.

Linkapalooza - July 25, 2008... the onslaught of comic book movies is coming.

Some light Friday reading for all of you... just some more links, news and information that I thought you'd all be interested in.

Comics-Based Movies Keep on Comin' on Wired.com: This is a pretty cool article from Wired that looks ahead at all the movies coming out soon that are based on comic books. I can't decide if this is troublesome or good news, here's why... A few years ago, Marvel Entertainment was just licensing out their characters for use by the studios and taking a licensing fee. Then, it dawned on Marvel, why don't we make our own films? We own the characters, why take a small cut, when we can take the whole thing and control the whole deal? So, they took out a massive loan ($525Million, if I remember) and set out to make "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" on their own, both of which were considered huge successes. Now, they've got a huge slate in development and they're off to the races as an indie studio. What they figured out is that things like built in audiences, existing characters and the idea of a franchise is where the money is. There's opportunities to expand beyond just a film and into, well, everything... now, all the comic book companies want in on the action and the studios are chomping at the bit to get involved. Here's why I think it's both troublesome and good news at the same time. It's good because the studios are starting to think and look outside the box for new ideas on new projects, it's bad because with all the recent success, they'll be playing in this sandbox for a while. Having said that, I think it's a matter of time before they start looking under them at all the indie shit being made and start grabbing ideas from that pool... until then, think like the comic book companies do and create characters and franchises. When the time finally rolls around where the studios look down for new ideas, you'll be ready.

Horror-Movie Directors To Make Short Films For Xbox on imdb.com: From out of the box thinking on getting ideas for films, let's look at out of the box ideas on distributing films. As you know, new forms of distribution is one of those things I follow closely... We knew that Microsoft and Sony wanted their respected gaming consoles to be the hubs of your living room by connecting to the internet and being able to stream films, but... guess what? They're looking for short form content now, as well. Side note: I really think short form will be the future of film. I mean, there will always be room for massive films like "Dark Knight", but there's going to be a whole new market for short form soon. Anyhow, a bunch of big name horror directors signed on to make short horror films for Xbox Live. If it's successful, maybe they'll be looking at short horror films from lesser known directors?

ZeeVee Introduces ZvBox PC-To-TV System on twice.com: My voice is hoarse from talking about all the new devices that will connect your PC to your TV. Here's another... this one looks to be doomed, though, as it suffers from the same things that's ailed all it's predecesor's, basically high cost and limited content. However, they way I read it, they're not looking to partner with a distributor. They just want to be able to connect the PC to the TV and let you decide what you watch. So, it must have an interface that allows you to browse your PC through your TV. Hmmm... interesting. I like that, putting the power into the hands of the consumer. Like I've been saying for a while, definitely a category to keep watching.

New Magid Survey: Short-Form Dominates Online Video Consumption and Hurts TV Viewership on videonuze.com: This just in, people are watching short form content online and it's hurting TV viewership. Is that really a surprise? Probably not... note this quote from the article, "short-form (is) a legitimate alternative entertainment format that creatives are embracing and audiences are adopting". Enough said... now, let's all go make some short horror films.

Linkapalooza - June 24, 2008 - Disney's giving its movies away, Clive Barker can't get his movie out there... and other news.

There continues to be some newsworthy things going on out there in the world of entertainment. So much so, that I'm saving a few articles for next week...

Watch Disney Movies Free Online Series Of Ad Supported Films on the Web - from WebTVWire: Remember how I mentioned a little while ago that I always keep a bit of an eye on what Sony's up to because they're a 'game changer'? Well, Disney is another company that I watch closely and would also consider to be a 'game changer'. Way back in the day, when studios were worried about this new invention called 'television', Disney embraced it and created it's TV program, which made it the first studio to show its recent films on television. The studios later fought VHS and Disney, once again, embraced it... finding new audiences for its older films. When studios were thinking box office, Disney was thinking branding and licensing. Long and short, they've always been ahead of the game. So, when everyone's bitching about online distribution, guess who the first studio to releases its movies for free online is? That's right, Disney...

Dark Knight Director Shuns Digital Effects for the Real Thing - from Wired.com: Big long article/interview with Chris Nolan, director of the upcoming "The Dark Knight", and how he opted for real stunts as opposed to CGI effects. If you're as stoked about "The Dark Knight" as I am, it's a good read. Also, I gotta say, ever since I saw those shitty CGI vampires in "I Am Legend", I've adopted a very anti-computer generated effects stance... so, you go Chris. Dead Harvey's got your back, buddy.

Horror Fans Angered After Learning Lionsgate's 'Midnight Meat Train' Is Now A DVD-Express - from Defamer: This whole story just won't go away... So, a quick recap on what's going on with "Midnight Meat Train": A major theatrical release turns into DVD release. Title is changed to "Midnight Train" from "Midnight Meat Train", is going to be given its theatrical release again. "Meat" returns to title, theatrical release becomes limited theatrical run... 'Barkerites' angered, demand wide release. So, what's next? Personally, I don't care. Here's what f'ing pisses me off - the film is done and I want to see it, period. So, if you're an indie horror filmmaker and you think the whole distribution side of the business sucks ass, what do you think Clive Barker and Ryuhei Kitamura think? Unbelievable...

Netflix boxes sell out - from Mercury News: I talk a lot about bridging the gap between the internet and your TV and how no one seems to be able to put a decent product forward... well, maybe Netflix has done it. First off, the price is right - $100 is cheap enough to where people will give it a go and it's simple and marketable. They're tapping an existing market, their own customers, and it, technically, is a win/win situation. Netflix doesn't have to pay for postage, packaging and things like that and the movies are available instantaneously for consumers. Now, here's the test... how many NEW subscribers will they get AND will they be able to tap into other content. That's what you need to watch for... if either of those things start to happen, we may have a winner on our hands here... and if we have a winner, we have a new way to distribute indie films.

Linkapalooza - May 28, 2008

I was hoping to have another case study done for today and I was working away on it, but I just couldn't get it finished... so, instead, you should get it tomorrow. In lieu of that, let's have a Linkapalooza, since we missed out on that this week. Now, I know that I tend to talk about stuff that pisses me off in the industry, but I want to pass on some links to some books and articles that may better you as a filmmaker... that's right, things you should read.

Every filmmaker should be reading scripts all the time and not just new ones, but old ones, classic ones, ones they like and even ones they don't like. I recently came across HorrorLair.com and it looks like they just link to horror scripts, which should trim a lot of the fat that we don't need. Long and short, I've never talked to a filmmaker that didn't think that story is the most important aspect of a film and the best way to learn how to structure a story is to read as many scripts as you can.

A while ago, I was talking with writer/director Mark Poole, the guy behind "Dead Moon Rising", which was one of the most ambitious no-budget horrors I've ever seen. Anyhow, when I was asking him what advice he would pass on to other filmmakers, he told me about a couple books that I had never heard of before. First one is "The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap" and "It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy". He told me that "the first tells you how to get the best effects possible, the second, how to be the best team leader/director possible. No kidding."

Since we're talking about books, let me tell you about the book I'm reading right now, called: The Big Picture: The New Logic of Money and Power in Hollywood. I'm barely half way through it, but I can say that it's great insight into how Hollywood actually works. It's basically about how the studios work and if you're into the business behind Hollywood, it's a great read.

Lastly, how about a magazine? Well, just an article from Empire Magazine, which is the biggest selling film magazine in Britain. They did an article a while ago called "50 Greatest Independent Films" and you'd never believe it, but horror's fairly well represented. There won't be any shockers in there, as it covers off "Bad Taste", "Evil Dead", "Night of the Living Dead", etc... but what's really cool are the stories behind why they consider them 'great independent films'. Click on the film and you'll get the story behind it.

Linkapalooza - May 20, 2008

Some interesting stuff going on out there in Hollywood these days...

Leading Man at Forbes.com - Okay, if there was a spectrum and at one far end, there was Dead Harvey, who's navigating, promoting and working the no-budget, indie horror scene... the other far end would be this guy, Peter Chernin. Some people consider him to be the most powerful man in Hollywood, basically because as President of News Corp, "he runs the most-watched TV network, the largest movie studio (based on year-to-date box office sales), a clutch of cable channels and an expanding array of Internet sites." All the guys who you and I would bend over a couch to get a meeting with would do the same (and probably more) to get a meeting with Chernin... and I mean that figuratively, I think. Anyhow, it's a great article on how he and Disney's Iger basically stopped the writers strike, how he's not going to let an actor's strike happen and where he thinks this whole industry is going. Very interesting...

Indies paving a self-distribution trail on YouMakeMedia.com - When I first saw the title of this, I thought it was going to be about self-distributing DVD's and content online, however... it's about how some indie filmmakers are securing theatrical releases all on their own. There's some great ideas in there...

Netflix to Sell a Device for Instantly Watching Movies on TV Sets on NewYorkTimes.com - Well, the future is here! Netflix is now selling a digital box for $99 that will connect the internet to your TV. It's not like it hasn't been tried before (AppleTV), but they're doing it at the right price. They will house the content on a server somewhere and you can watch whatever you want, on demand. I think we all agree, a box that connects the internet to your TV, tranlating content so it's easy to navigate is where we're going to go. I don't think there's any questions there. It's just about figuring out who owns those boxes and Netflix is taking a stab at it. The problem, once again, will be with the studios, who will be reluctant to give up their titles. Maybe, after they've squeezed all the juice out of them that they can, they might pass them on. However, if you take the studio's problems out if it, this should open up doors for indie filmmakers. Just think, can you see a day where Netflix (or whoever owns the boxes) has an option for you to upload content, design a page, then it's instantly offered to every household that has the box and you split revenues with them? I can...

'Dawn of the Dead' goes 3-D on TheHollywoodReporter.com - Is this for real? Is there really a big enough audience to justify "dimensionalizing" George A. Romero's 1978 original version of "Dawn of the Dead" to stereoscopic 3-D for a theatrical release? Considering that it costs a minimum of $50K per minute to do and that the film is 126 minutes long, someone's going to spend $6.3Million to create this? The original film had a budget of under $1Million! Someone's insane for thinking this makes economical sense... but, I'll go see it.

Linkapalooza - May 13, 2008

Sorry, again, for being a bit late on the post...

First off... "Midnight Meat Train". I know a bit about it, I'm excited for it, but I have to admit, I'm a bit pissed off at what's going on here. I know that it's based on the 1984 Clive Barker short story of the same name from his 'Books of Blood', I know that it's been in production hell for years now and has had various directors attached... and, finally, I know that the upcoming version was written by Jeff Buhler (with help from Clive) and directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. ...but, what's the f'ing deal here? First I heard that it wasn't going to get a theatrical release. Then, the Midnight Meat Train website says it's coming out May 16th (I'm assuming it's not) and, finally, imdb says it's coming out in August 1st, which is a Friday... which would mean that it IS getting a theatrical release. Then, there's the whole thing about the title, it was originally "Midnight Meat Train", then just "Midnight Train", now it's back to "Midnight Meat Train". The trailer looks great and it should be a good movie, so... just f'ing release it, we know it's finished. This is what pisses me off... horror's the only genre that doesn't fit with the studio's corporate plans. Comedies, dramas and action moves can all be cut down to a PG-13 without comprimising the film and, therefore, appeal to that wider audience. Horror can't do that... and especially horror like "Midnight Meat Train". So, the reality is, all these title changes and moving dates around have nothing to do with the quality of the film, in fact it's probably a good, gory horror and the studios simply don't know what to do with it.

One of our readers left a comment about internet financing, basically about how there are some sites that help filmmakers raise money. He left a couple of links in there, one to CinemaTech and another to a Yahoo! article. So, first off, to answer your questions, yes to both... I'm going to do a bit of research and come up with a bigger post on using the internet to raise money for your film and we definitely take requests. I've actually been thinking about doing a post on this ever since I talked with Christine Parker, who's one of the people behind The Adrenalin Group, the guys who brought you "Forever Dead" and the upcoming, "Fistful of Brains". They make their movies on the cheap and used a lot of their own money, but they did raise a fair amount of money by using ebay. Do an ebay search and you can usually find someone selling off producer credits or something. Any service that makes it easier for you to raise money is good. However, there will always be a caveat with each service. So, I will be writing up a bigger post on this because I do think it's worth looking into...

A lot of indie filmmakers overlook the process of marketing their film and there are some absolute bare minimum efforts that should be made, such as a website, Myspace page, a trailer on Youtube, stuff like that... Hollywood puts millions upon million into their marketing and, while you may have a marketing budget of zero, there's still some things you can do. Check this out... Indie Horror Film Viral Marketing Campaign Freaks out Okies - remember the old adage, any press is good press? Well, that's definitely true in film. The cop called it a publicity stunt gone bad, but, I'll tell you what... a lot of people in that town now know about the film AND I'll bet the premiere went well. This is good work, as far as I'm concerned. The other thing I came across was just kinda cool. To promote the exclusive thrillers and horror films on 13th Street, the bathrooms of a nightclub in Hamburg were specially prepared. Just after entering the room, the light suddenly goes out and the room is bathed in black light. And now a bloody crime scene becomes visible on the floor and walls: "See what others don't see. 13TH STREET. The Action and Suspense Channel." Check out the picture below...

Linkapalooza - May 6, 2008

And now... on it's new day, LINKAPALOOZA!

I Can Smell Your Brains Cinema presents Street Trash - I love what the guys over at I Can Smell Your Brains are doing... having a classic, low-budget horror film screen every other week or so and inviting the filmmaker, actors or writers in to discuss it. This time around, they're screening the 80's classic, "Street Trash" and actor Bill Chepil will be there for a Q & A and sign autographs. If you're anywhere close to Chandler, AZ, you should go check it out...

Blu-ray Disc Hardware Not Picking Up Steam - this article is about how Blu-ray isn't selling like they predicted... and I'd like to point out that I just deleted a huge, long post on my opinions on this because I thought it was too long winded and I didn't want to bore anyone with my ramblings. So, instead, I'll summarize my points. If you really care about the history and my rationale, feel free to email me. So, here we go... Blu-ray (at least how it's marketed now) is about increased quality and, with technology going where it's going, we're not into quality. We're into quantity... and choice. Blu-ray discs have ten times the space on them, so what I think they should be doing is putting ten times the content on there. Further, why replace a medium that has nothing wrong with it? When's the last time anyone complained about DVD's because the quality sucks? Lastly, if you are going to change something, get rid of the disc all together, we want it on demand and/or digitally... and I want more options. I want to scroll through an endless library of films, pick what I want and have it play instantly. I don't give a flying F if it's in 1080p. 720p will do just fine... thank you.

The complete eejit's guide to Filmmaking - I'm not sure how useful this is for our readers, but if you're just starting out, it's worth a look-see. I'm not sure how I came across it, but it's goes through some basics, such as "how to get your movie online" and "creating dramatic structure for screenplays". It goes through fundamentals... and I think there's more Hollywood studio execs who should go through this than low-budget indie filmmakers, but hey... that's just my opinion.

AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits - They have a pretty cool concept going that I KNOW a lot of you would be interested in. Basically, they take indie horror shorts that are just collecting dust, put them together and sell them as a compilation... and split the profits with you. A blurb from their website - "AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits was created by filmmakers for horror fans and filmmakers alike. We've made short horror films and we want discerning audiences to enjoy them long after their all-too-brief film festival runs. Let's face it. Most short horror films don't have much - if any - life beyond a handful of genre festivals in a few scattered cities. For horror fans and filmmakers, that's really scary. We aim to resurrect the best of the best of these horror films and unleash them in compilations for viewers everywhere to enjoy over and over..."

Linkapalooza - April 14, 2008

Blockbuster bids for Circuit City - link to Variety.com. This news was all over the place this morning, but from our perspective, what's really interesting is what you can ensinuate from this... and that is that Blockbuster believes that the future of entertainment is in how content is delivered, not in the content itself. Even an arm chair film fan could tell you that the DVD/video rental business has been sucking hind tit lately and Blockbuster's current CEO, who came from 7-11, believes that the key to Blockbuster surviving is to turn them into more of a retail outlet. That would mean that Blockbuster would offer the whole movie experience, which would include things like DVD players, TV's, whatever... thus trying to take over Circuit City. My take on this is that they simply don't believe that DVD's will be around much longer AND Blu-Ray will not be 'the next thing', like a lot of people think. They must think it's all going digital - downloading and streaming is where it's going to be at and if that's the case, sell (or rent) the vessel and make money on the players. Further, if Blockbuster figures out a business model that allows them to make money through renting or distributing content digitally, the idea of shelf space will be gone. The fundemental result? Infinite shelf space and low, low costs on stocking as many films as they want. Long and short, as an indie filmmaker, there will be absolutely no reason why your movie won't be available in every Blockbuster, everywhere... and that means revenue for you... not to mention a worldwide audience.

johnaugust.com - link to site. I came across this fantastic blog, written by award winning screenwriter John August, whose credits include "Go", "Big Fish", "Titan A.E.", "Charlie's Angels", "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle", "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", "Corpse Bride" and "The Nines". Self-titled as a ton of useful information about screenwriting, he basically answers questions from aspiring and up-and-coming screenwriters. If screenwriting's your deal ... or your weakness, it's definitely worth reading.

"Prom Night" takes the weekend in a big, fat, smelly way and "The Ruins" just smells... link to boxofficemojo.com. Okay, so "The Ruins", which is not a remake and is based on a novel of the same name, is actually a decent film that a lot of horror fans are giving good reviews to. Now, "Prom Night", which is a PG-13 remake, is getting shat on by all the horror fans. Result? "Prom Night" does over $20Million on its opening weekend, "The Ruins" has done just over $13Million in 2 weeks. So, what's going on here? A couple things... one, horror fans aren't going to the theaters anymore, they're getting their fix from DVD's. Two, the people who are going to see "Prom Night" aren't really horror fans. So, if you're the type of person that bitches and complains about how they keep remaking movies and bringing them out as PG-13 junk, don't blame the studios. They're just doing what the numbers tell them to.

Now, juxtapose what's going on in that last paragraph with what I'm going to say about "Inside", in this paragraph - link to trailers, summary on Shocktillyoudrop. "Inside" is the english bastardized title to the French film, "A L'interieue", which is a brutal horror film that's a complete attack on the senses that will leave you emotionally drained and just f'ed up. Reviews include phrases like: "the most stomach-churning movie I've ever seen", "the most powerful and disturbing films to come along in a long, long time", a "mutilated finger pressed firmly to the pulse of horror". Let's just say that "Inside" isn't getting a theatrical release over here, but it'll make money on it's DVD release. So, my questions is, why aren't we making movies like this over here? They're what horror audiences want, they're not that hard to make and, when done on a low-budget, they can turn a profit fairly easily... what am I missing?

Linkapalooza - April 7, 2008

Uwe Boll Will Quit Making Movies with One Million Signatures - link at /film. Here's the thing, press is press and Uwe Boll gets a lot of it. The filmmaker who actually got in a boxing ring and fought his harshest critics (and beat them all, three in a row, by the way) hasn't made a good film in... well, possibly ever and yet almost everyone knows his name. Further, he's got four films in production right now: "Tunnel Rats", "Far Cry", "Zombie Massacre" and "Bloodrayne 3". How does a notoriously bad filmmaker keep getting green-lit? I'll tell you why - because there's so many people that hate him, but they all have to go see his movies just to see how bad they are! So, what can you learn from him? Good, bad, ridiculous, terrible, awesome, whatever your film may be, if people talk about it, people will see it.

Free Frights from The Scream Factory! - link at Dread Central. Now, this is cool... the guys over at Dread Central wrote a post on The Scream Factory, which is an 'alliance of film, music, literary and comic book pros' and they're giving away ebooks for free over at Wowio. As most of you know, I'm a huge supporter of giving away free content and here's yet another company that's figured out how to make a win/win situation. Basically, you can go download free ebooks, but they're sponsored. So, the sponsor is paying both the author (and the website) for the opportunity to advertise to you, the person who's downloading the ebook for free. Everyone wins... go check out the site, check out The Scream Factory Myspace page and go get some free ebooks, there's piles of horror on there.

"Troll 2" Doc & Fan Film Contest?! - link at Shocktillyoudrop. Okay, what the hell is it with "Troll 2"? Why has it become this cult classic? It's seems like it came out of nowhere, a forgotten film from 1990 that was a so-so, b-horror and, all of a sudden, it's like the most popular horror film out there. It's been years since I've seen it, but I'm going to have to go back and check it out. For a while there, I thought it was just coincedence that "Troll 2" kept popping up on fan sites and in horror mags, but this proves it. There's something going on here...

Copyranter talks about "Zombie Strippers" - link at Copyranter. Now this goes to show that if you get weird, stupid or odd enough, you can both transcend the genre and probably get some free promotion. Copyranter is a blog written by an advertising copywriter (basically, a person who writes copy for ads) and they have no rhyme or reason to be talking about low-budget, b-horror, but here they are talking about Jenna Jameson's "Zombie Strippers", which is now getting a theatrical release, by the way. When I first read about it, I knew it was going to get some press. Having Jenna Jameson in a splatter-fest called "Zombie Stippers" is just too good (or, in this case, bad) to not go and check out.

Jensen Ackles is in final negotiations to play a lead in Lionsgate's "My Bloody Valentine 3-D." - link on Hollywood Reporter. WTF? Is this for real? Not that ANOTHER actor from the CW is ending up in a Horror remake that's geared at teenagers... but that it's in 3D? I understand the reason behind making 3D films: it's a spectacle, it'll get kids in the theaters and, theoritically, you'll need to go to theaters to get the full effect. However, the remake of "My Bloody Valentine"? Come on...

Linkapalooza - March 31, 2008

'Killer Tomatoes' ripe for a redo - link at hollywoodreporter.com. Wow, what a witty title... 'ripe', I get it - I get jokes. Why am I writing a blog for nothing and you're getting paid to write that? Anyways, "The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" is going to be remade and... I'm not pissed off about it. In fact, this could very well be the first remake that I'm not pissed off about. Reason being, Platinum Dunes isn't involved AND the guys that are involved, Kent Nichols and Douglas Savrine, are the guys behind "Ask a Ninja". I think that's pretty cool, not because I'm an "Ask a Ninja" fan... I'm not. In fact, I've never seen a single episode... however, I'm well aware of who they are - two comedians who started up a web-based project out of their apartment and ended up making piles of money. Now, they're teaming up with M. Dal Walton III and remaking "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes", not because they want to make a bunch of money... but just because they want to. Success stories, I like 'em.

Film Publicity Help: Tips, Tricks & Traps - straight talk about promoting film in the world of Web 2.0 - link to blog. This is a blog written by Jane Green, who happens to be a film publicist. She also has guest authors, Michael Klastorin (a Unit Publicist) and Karin Zauderer (a Marketing Manager involved in marketing and promoting film festivals in the D.C. area). They tend to write about fluffy movies, but almost all of what they write about are things that every indie filmmaker should know. Do yourself a favor and check it out every once in a while, apply what they have to say and they could end up making you some money.

The New Jason Voorhees Revealed!!! - link to article at bloody-disgusting.com. So, the new Jason is going to be 6'5" Derek Mears who is probably best known as Chameleon from 2007's "The Hills Have Eyes II". Take a look at his imdb profile here, you'll probably recognize him. To be honest, he kinda looks like Jason when he was a kid... in a mutant kind of way. I can see the connection, but... don't think this is going to get me excited about it. Platinum Dunes... Boo.

"Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" Myspace page - link to page at Myspace. I haven't actually seen "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" yet, but I hear it's fantastic - check out the trailer and poster on that page. It was the first Slamdance movie to get picked up and it's going to be released by Anchor Bay. I'm not sure when, but I'll be looking forward to it... in any case, check out the Myspace page... And a little something about the Myspace film pages - they're not that hard to make up. I wanted to make one up for Dead Harvey soon, so I looked into it and it's not that hard and doesn't take long - every indie filmmaker should have a page for themselves, plus a page for their film. It's easy, free marketing.