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Jan '19 *
The idea has been brewing in my head for some time. Has anyone ever had their own ideas about getting involved in something like this before? Curious to know. Obviously the main hurdle for most people is cash. No one really has vast sums of money lying around to invest (throwaway?) on a project like this but I think I could get some cash together if I really wanted to do this (and could persuade family members that I am not completely insane). Not a lot of cash, but enough for a micro-budget I reckon. I may even consider selling the house and downshifting to a smaller place if it ever came to it and the passion was totally in control of me, but I have a family and that is obviously a huge risk (and the wife would be extremely pissed). But if I found a script that was good enough, why not gamble? Trouble is, where do you go to find that magic script. There are literally 1000s out there, some with original ideas, some with not so original ideas but probably decent enough. But "decent" would not cut it. As for actually filming it, and getting it made.. it's obviously a hugely competitive market but if you did get lucky, as we know, the financial rewards could be substantial. Hell, if you made 0.5% of what Paranormal Activity or The Blair Witch Project made, you'd probably be content and consider it to be a successful venture. Maybe I am being hugely naive, but I think I know enough about horror and have seen enough horror movies to know what works and what doesn't. And then it's all in the marketing, how to get people interested, and that's where most of the costs are incurred.. trying to get it into festivals, etc.

The other thing for me personally, is that I write music and would love to do a score for any movie but getting your foot in the door is extremely difficult. By financing my own movie, I would obviously have that opportunity.

What do you guys reckon? Should I take the gamble or should I stop being so fucking naive and stick with a day job and care about your family needs first, etc.? And where would I go to find scripts?! Just ask around the horror community I guess.. I'd probably get a bunch of crap, or stuff that is way too hard to film with a micro-budget, but there might be something that crops up..


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Box_a_Hair says:
#1

Jan '19
I had long dreamed of making movies since I was a teenager. I'd watch movies, be inspired, and think about all sorts of ideas for movies. Over the years, my scope narrowed too much, and I got too into my own world, and I have a hard time thinking about movies, as I've moved on to regular story writing. I'm sure I could get back into writing a good screenplay. I'd written dozens of 'em before. Some of 'em had potential, and I still hold on to them in the vain hope that I can make them into actual movies. I also had all sorts of dreams about how to make a Dark Shadows' type of soap, and as cool as these ideas are, I'm just too damn lazy to coordinate stuff. That's why I stick with something I can do. Write.

I used to make short films. I gave up on that because I often get carried away in the big picture, and I can never figure out where to start. Plus, I don't have connections, and again, I'm too damn lazy. Time is also a factor. I work regular jobs, so I don't have time to fit in anything that could be considered fun.

If you're seriously considering doing this, a good script wont be hard to find. Hell, you can shoot the shit, figure out a theme, figure out a story, and the screenplay would come easily. That's the fun part. Then, you gotta think about how far you'll go with it, and how involved you plan to be.

I think great movies can be made on low budgets. Micro budgets, if you will. Your actors will probably want to get paid, because they have to make ends meet too, right? That's why I think it's best to keep things minimal. Keep things simple. Channel some of your inner Carpenter and make well-paced, simply stories, score them yourself, cast your friends, and bam. It might work.


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markus-san says:
#4, Reply to #1

Jan '19 *
Sound advice. Yeah the actors would have to be paid, or at least have their expenses covered if they just wanted something for their cv.. i.e. they'd do it for free. I wouldn't cast any friends though. I would guess $100/ÂŖ100 per day would cover it, and if it were a 12 day shoot, and with 4-5 actors, yeah it soon adds up especially when you factor in the crew too, although in terms of the director I'd find someone willing to do it for free, even better if it is their own passion project, or at least take a cut of the profits, if any.

Has anyone ever read your scripts/stories and given feedback? Are they usually geared towards more "serious" horror that would require good actors, etc. or stuff that is more "trashy" that could make do with crappy actors, or do you just do whatever comes naturally to you at the time (I guess like me with music). Yeah a good script wouldn't be too hard to find probably, but I feel like it needs to be exceptional and ideally as original as original can be these days. That is much harder.


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Box_a_Hair says:
#6, Reply to #4

Jan '19
I can write anything. I've written garbage, and I've written decent. I all depends on whatever type of movie the director is going to direct.

I've had a few people read my scripts, and over the years, I've evolved my writing method. I feel like I'd write more spontaneous now, in such a way that the director could interpret in whatever way they'd way. I used to write with it in mind to direct my own stuff because I had "vision", but I don't have that drive to get things coordinated, so my vision means moot at this point.

You just gotta ask yourself one super important question: What kind of movie do you want to make? Who are your influences, and what kind of hell do you want to put your audience through?


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markus-san says:
#7, Reply to #6

Jan '19 *
You're right, that's a super important question and one I haven't given much thought about because I am thinking, I will know when I read the script. It can be a gorefest, it can be a movie that relies solely on foreboding atmosphere. I am probably more inclined towards the latter with maybe just one or two gore scenes. But like I said, it all depends if the script inspires me to want to make it come alive..

I don't know. This could end up being a serious thing or just one of those phases we go through sometimes when perhaps we reach a certain age and think.. what have I done with my life and where is it going? Will I reach a ripe old age and think to myself.. what if I''d have taken that gamble..

Yes I can imagine how, when formulating a script, you would have your own "vision" as to how the scene would play out. I guess probably most screenwriters do that. It's a pity you can't really get to do it anymore.


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Box_a_Hair says:
#8, Reply to #7

Jan '19
It's tough to figure out what kind of movie you'd want to make. I could never decide. Think about subgenres. Think about who your favorite directors are, and how they inspire you. Would you want to make movies like they do, and how so?

Generally, I was more inspired by low-budget filmmakers and trashy directors than anything. Movies by John Waters and Lloyd Kaufman were more inspiring than most commercial directors. Harmony Korine really made me re-evaluate everything I know about movies. Find your influences, and start from there.


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sfpx says:
#2

Jan '19
I don't know, man. I certainly couldn't suggest what you should do one way or the other, being that you have a family. Maybe if you were a single guy with no kids...

People take risks every day, sometimes they do pay off though. Guess you gotta weigh the pros and cons, oh and....make sure the wife is on board! Cuz if things don't pan out, there's nothing worse than an unhappy wife.

Maybe instead of selling the house and downsizing (seems kinda drastic) you can get a loan?


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markus-san says:
#5, Reply to #2

Jan '19 *
Oh the wife would support it.. mostly emoticon. I could get a loan from my parents, but they'd probably think I was wasting my time and money and try to talk me out of it. You're quite right though, downsizing is rather drastic. I know projects can go massively over budget and that is usually when crazy decisions are made to get it done.. same with many business start-ups.

Or I could just go and be a primary school teacher..


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sfpx says:
#9, Reply to #5

Jan '19
Well hey, convincing the wife to be on board is probably one of the tougher things to accomplish so you're one step closer to achieving your dream, if you think about it.


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Johan_WoW says:
#3

Jan '19
Well Bryan already did some wise suggestions not to take too many risks. It would be cool if you teamed up with Box as a script writer.
I have been writing myself in the past, not scripts but stories mostly fantasy. I still have ideas for horror movies but to actually write something down I don't get down to do it always finding something else to do instead.



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