It's every film maker's worst nightmare. The lights go up, an uncomfortable silence envelopes the theater. A moderator walks to the front, microphone in hand. "Let's talk about the film you've just seen" he says, innocently enough, and unleashes from the audience a chain reaction of hate-filled vitriol, all aimed squarely at your baby - your carefully crafted, defenseless little speck of a film.
And yet, the cruel reality of any artist is that any art they manage to make, be it a painting, sculpture, novel, or film, no longer belongs to them once they share it with the world. It is now out of their hands. It has a life of its own. Whatever ideas they were actually trying to represent have no relevance to the effects that the art actually has on an audience.
And the reactions that it may elicit from an audience are wide, varied, and entirely dependent on a seemingly chaotic range of variables specific to each and every person: do they even like horror movies; does the lead actor remind them of someone they hate; are they hungry, tired, hot, at the time of viewing; did they just get in a fight with their boyfriend; did they once have an idea similar to yours and now hate you for having finished this movie? Who knows. Somehow, all these variables get wrapped up into a hazy glob of something called "taste".
Two people, sitting right next to each other see the same movie - one says, "I thought it was very clever and effective. It really drew me into the story. I was engaged throughout and was shocked by the ending - very well done." The next person says, "I thought it was cliched and boring - totally obvious and had no sense of what it wanted to be. I hated it."
It's easy for an artist to want to go around defending their work - "yeah, but that's not what I intended...", "I originally wanted to do that, but we ran out of time...", "no, I wasn't trying to rip that off - what, no I've never even seen that film!" For me, with Enter the Dark, the most obvious bit of criticism is that it's a rip off of Paranormal Activity. The cruel reality is that I had my idea before PA was ever released and had to watch in horror as accolades were showered upon a film that closely matched many of my ideas. I knew that most people would assume that my short was just a reaction to PA, but I didn't care - I did it anyway, knowing that at least some folks would be able to discern the difference.
And so, I bring to you, actual unfiltered reactions to my defenseless baby, Enter the Dark after a screening at Toronto's WILDsound Film Festival this past April. These are some responses from your average film fans - not particularly horror fans mind you. And some of the reactions are quite brutal. If I had watched this soon after I finished the project, I might have been quite crushed, but having some distance of almost two years, and many successes later, I can take a (somewhat) more objective viewpoint. Still, it does sting a bit. Thank goodness however, for the ever astute viewer that shows up around 4:30 in the video - finally someone who was actually paying attention!! Oh thank you, thank you Mr. Dreadlocked Dude - you actually make film making worth doing!
Well, what's a film maker supposed to do, given these types of reactions by seemingly equally intelligent and reasonable folks. How do you judge if your ideas are coming across to an audience? How can you tell if you are an effective film maker?
Well for me, before I finished Enter the Dark, I was very careful to show it to a group of people whose opinions I trust. These were friends and family from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some who love horror films, some who never watch them. Some who are also film makers, and some who have never created anything close to "art" in their lifetime. I asked them to be brutally honest. I asked specific questions pertaining to what was working and what wasn't. I asked them specifically about the ending of my film, as I was unsure whether I was giving enough information to explain it.
After the screening, we talked about the film in general, but I also handed out response sheets so I could look over their reactions at a later time and sift through the data. What I realized is that you can never take one single piece of criticism at face value. Never ever take a note from one individual and assume that it is correct. Each and every person has such a unique take on things, that to try to please everyone is a fool's game. You will end up with a film that has no relation to the personal insights you originally intended. You must ignore any criticism that isn't corroborated by multiple people's responses.
If one person says they don't understand the ending of your film, then fine, take a note - but do nothing. If THE MAJORITY of people get and like your ending, you are golden - don't mess with it! However, if you continually get the feedback that folks are having issues with your ending YOU MUST FIX IT!
Always keep in mind that you will never get 100% of your audience to like what you are doing - nor should you even want that. Any idea worth doing is going to piss some people off - if you're not offending someone, then you're not trying hard enough!
Showing posts with label enter the dark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label enter the dark. Show all posts
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Fits and Starts
The life of an indie filmmaker is one of fits and starts: you have a flash of inspiration; you carefully and lovingly coax that spark into a fully formed idea; you motivate your friends and colleagues to join you in making this dream a reality; you toil through the process of production and post production; you do the dance of the press and film festival circuit and then...
Well then, your real life slaps you in the face. Stuff happens. You get buried under the avalanche of your daily life. You need to pay your bills - do your taxes - find paying work - chauffeur your kids to baseball practice.
You know - real life. And not that it's all awful - it's not, it's just really time consuming - which leaves almost no time for flashes of inspiration to spark in your brain.
So, while I've been doing lots of work this past year, sadly none of it has involved directing my next short film. What has been going on is my usual assortment of editing corporate videos, documentaries, local commercials and various odds and ends - a typical freelancers bounty and one that I'm grateful to have in these tough times.
Recently, I completed editing, sound mixing and doing graphic work for the Goldman Environmental Prize videos. These videos will introduce and tell the stories of this year's recipients of the prize that is awarded to everyday folks who do extraordinary things to protect their local environment. Each year we also re-edit the stories together into a half-hour show which airs on PBS called The New Environmentalists. It's always a pleasure to work on something that highlights such inspirational and compelling people, and we've been fortunate to have won a regional Emmy Award for this show twice in the last couple of years.
I'd love to show you the videos for this year, but you'll just have to wait until their names are officially revealed. I can tell you that one of the stories was very interesting to do as it revolved around an issue that got major worldwide attention recently. I was in the unique position of knowing about some of the elements of this story just a week or so before it exploded in the press.
On an entirely different note, I had a very troubling experience as an editor recently. As a freelancer who works from home, I am sometimes put in a peculiar position of having strangers in my house. Most of the people I work with I've known for a long time and consider them friends as much as clients, but with more and work coming through Craig's List and other online sources, this is now not always the case.
So, I was in the position of working with a new client when he decided that he wanted to come over to finish up work on a demo video we were doing for a new piece of software. Nice enough guy, so no problem. We finish up that video and he mentions he wants to do a small thing and edit some footage that he took of his family around his house that will be included in a little "happy face" video to open up some meeting. Easy enough - I do these sorts of things all the time. Nice guy, nice family - no worries. We finish the videos, he pays promptly - says the videos worked great, everyone loved them, he'll be sure to be back on any new projects that come through.
Months later, I get a rather strange call from one of his colleagues at the company he works for. So, I call him back and he says "I just wanted to let you know if you hadn't heard from John (not his real name) lately, that unfortunately he's been out of the office for a while." He continues, "Actually at this moment we're not sure if he's coming back." He sounds really uncomfortable and I can tell he's sitting on some bad news. I'm expecting him to say that John has some terminal disease and how awful it is.
Then he says, "We wanted to let you know before you heard it on the news..." I'm thinking, wha?
"John killed his wife."
My head spins. I can't believe what I'm hearing. All I can think about is this guy in my edit suite, in my house, watching video of his kids - laughing and playing outside the home where this guy will soon kill their mother.
Ugh.
It's hard for me not to question my judgement on people. How can you know - how can you really know what someone else is thinking. What inner demons they are fighting with.
You just never know.
On happier news, I'm pleased to announce that a film I did some editing work on last year just had it's premiere at the Atlanta Film Festival. Without a Net tells the story of four kids from the drug controlled slums of Rio de Janeiro, who become involved with a local circus. It's really a great story and I'm so glad that my friend Kelly Richardson has completed her project and is making the festival rounds. Check it out if you get the chance.
Speaking of women-produced filmmaking, I also recently funded this cool looking film noir project on Kickstarter called the Lilith Necklace by Melanie Killingsworth. It's always nice to have the opportunity to help others see their visions fulfilled. I figure, "Hey if I can't get my project rolling right now, might as well help someone else get theirs off the ground."
As for Enter the Dark, it is still going strong, with upcoming festival screenings in Chicago, Toronto and even all the way up there in Saskatoon. It's now running on its own momentum, as festival directors are now contacting me and sometimes even waving the entree fee! This is the advantage of a film that has already screened in many festivals and won a few awards. Once a film starts getting some buzz, it creates a life of its own. Starting the buzz is always the hard part.
Which brings me back to my starting point - fits and starts. I've struggled through a couple of ideas, but I think I've settled on a nice, tasty little moment of darkness to work on next. I don't want to give away too much of the piece yet, but it is inspired by very real events in my lifetime.
And also this famous image:
If I can pull this off successfully then perhaps bigger things are on the horizon. But for now, I'll take things slowly.
One step at a time.
Well then, your real life slaps you in the face. Stuff happens. You get buried under the avalanche of your daily life. You need to pay your bills - do your taxes - find paying work - chauffeur your kids to baseball practice.
You know - real life. And not that it's all awful - it's not, it's just really time consuming - which leaves almost no time for flashes of inspiration to spark in your brain.
So, while I've been doing lots of work this past year, sadly none of it has involved directing my next short film. What has been going on is my usual assortment of editing corporate videos, documentaries, local commercials and various odds and ends - a typical freelancers bounty and one that I'm grateful to have in these tough times.
Recently, I completed editing, sound mixing and doing graphic work for the Goldman Environmental Prize videos. These videos will introduce and tell the stories of this year's recipients of the prize that is awarded to everyday folks who do extraordinary things to protect their local environment. Each year we also re-edit the stories together into a half-hour show which airs on PBS called The New Environmentalists. It's always a pleasure to work on something that highlights such inspirational and compelling people, and we've been fortunate to have won a regional Emmy Award for this show twice in the last couple of years.
I'd love to show you the videos for this year, but you'll just have to wait until their names are officially revealed. I can tell you that one of the stories was very interesting to do as it revolved around an issue that got major worldwide attention recently. I was in the unique position of knowing about some of the elements of this story just a week or so before it exploded in the press.
On an entirely different note, I had a very troubling experience as an editor recently. As a freelancer who works from home, I am sometimes put in a peculiar position of having strangers in my house. Most of the people I work with I've known for a long time and consider them friends as much as clients, but with more and work coming through Craig's List and other online sources, this is now not always the case.
So, I was in the position of working with a new client when he decided that he wanted to come over to finish up work on a demo video we were doing for a new piece of software. Nice enough guy, so no problem. We finish up that video and he mentions he wants to do a small thing and edit some footage that he took of his family around his house that will be included in a little "happy face" video to open up some meeting. Easy enough - I do these sorts of things all the time. Nice guy, nice family - no worries. We finish the videos, he pays promptly - says the videos worked great, everyone loved them, he'll be sure to be back on any new projects that come through.
Months later, I get a rather strange call from one of his colleagues at the company he works for. So, I call him back and he says "I just wanted to let you know if you hadn't heard from John (not his real name) lately, that unfortunately he's been out of the office for a while." He continues, "Actually at this moment we're not sure if he's coming back." He sounds really uncomfortable and I can tell he's sitting on some bad news. I'm expecting him to say that John has some terminal disease and how awful it is.
Then he says, "We wanted to let you know before you heard it on the news..." I'm thinking, wha?
"John killed his wife."
My head spins. I can't believe what I'm hearing. All I can think about is this guy in my edit suite, in my house, watching video of his kids - laughing and playing outside the home where this guy will soon kill their mother.
Ugh.
It's hard for me not to question my judgement on people. How can you know - how can you really know what someone else is thinking. What inner demons they are fighting with.
You just never know.
On happier news, I'm pleased to announce that a film I did some editing work on last year just had it's premiere at the Atlanta Film Festival. Without a Net tells the story of four kids from the drug controlled slums of Rio de Janeiro, who become involved with a local circus. It's really a great story and I'm so glad that my friend Kelly Richardson has completed her project and is making the festival rounds. Check it out if you get the chance.
Speaking of women-produced filmmaking, I also recently funded this cool looking film noir project on Kickstarter called the Lilith Necklace by Melanie Killingsworth. It's always nice to have the opportunity to help others see their visions fulfilled. I figure, "Hey if I can't get my project rolling right now, might as well help someone else get theirs off the ground."
As for Enter the Dark, it is still going strong, with upcoming festival screenings in Chicago, Toronto and even all the way up there in Saskatoon. It's now running on its own momentum, as festival directors are now contacting me and sometimes even waving the entree fee! This is the advantage of a film that has already screened in many festivals and won a few awards. Once a film starts getting some buzz, it creates a life of its own. Starting the buzz is always the hard part.
Which brings me back to my starting point - fits and starts. I've struggled through a couple of ideas, but I think I've settled on a nice, tasty little moment of darkness to work on next. I don't want to give away too much of the piece yet, but it is inspired by very real events in my lifetime.
And also this famous image:
If I can pull this off successfully then perhaps bigger things are on the horizon. But for now, I'll take things slowly.
One step at a time.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
What I learned from the festival circuit
After more than a year and almost 40 festival screenings, Enter the Dark's World Tour 2010 - 2011 is finally at an end. It's been a great experience and I've learned quite a few things that will help me as I move forward with new projects. I figured I might as well pass along some of these hard-earned nuggets to anyone who dares venture forth into the world of indie filmmaking.
First, in order to keep track of all the festivals I submitted to, I created a big-ole spreadsheet, including festival name, date of upcoming deadline, cost of entry, dates of the festival, location of festival, date when they would notify filmmakers of their decisions, whether I got in or not, and if we won any awards.
From these magic columns I can extrude the following data:
TOTAL SUBMISSIONS: 88
YES: 40
NO: 42
TO BE DETERMINED: 6
Almost a 50% batting average - not too bad. I can tell you this - in the future I would not submit to as many festivals. Since this was my first time, my main goal was getting as much exposure as possible and finding out which festivals were worth the entry fee. Having submitted to that many festivals, I now have a pretty good idea which are the good ones, and which are the shady ones.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Enter the Dark's FREE Online Halloween Premiere
It's been a great run.
My little horror film which started out originally as a simple exercise in micro-budget filmmaking has now played in over 30 film festivals worldwide, garnered 6 awards, and introduced me to a whole new family of horror and indie film enthusiasts.
Along the way, I've traveled with the film from it's premiere in Chicago last year, to screenings in Sacramento and San Francisco. I've made connections with fellow filmmakers and fans that I hope to nurture into collaborators and evangelists for my future work.
As I look back on the past year, it has been much more than I would have hoped. I am deeply grateful for all the help I received along the way - mostly from my tremendous group of friends that just happened to be my cast and crew, and also from the numerous horror fans, bloggers and festival directors that championed our cause.
Heartfelt thanks to all!
And now, as the festivals wind down, in recognition of the great year we've just had, I'd like to offer you something for free...
Yes, that's right kiddos, Enter the Dark will be going live on the big bad worldwide web this Halloween!
See what all the fuss has been about. See why folks much smarter than me have been saying things like:
Halloween - Monday night, Oct. 31, 2011 at 5PM Pacific Time, Enter the Dark will me made available for free for the first time ever on YouTube and Vimeo. And there it shall live - for all to see whenever you dang well please, in the comfort of your very own home. Copy it - send the link around worldwide - make fun of it - argue about it - I don't care, the more the merrier!
So now there's no excuses - you cheappos who won't pony up $1.95 to watch a 30-day stream from IndieFlix. Or you lazy types who couldn't bother to travel to one of the more than 30 festivals worldwide where it has already screened. No, that's fine - just stay right there. Yeah, don't move hardly a muscle - just click your little mousy-thingy and flood your computer with 17 minutes of spooky good times.
Be my guest.
Really.
Did I mention that it will now be FREEEEE!??!?!?
(good - just checking...)
My gift to you.
Enjoy!
Along the way, I've traveled with the film from it's premiere in Chicago last year, to screenings in Sacramento and San Francisco. I've made connections with fellow filmmakers and fans that I hope to nurture into collaborators and evangelists for my future work.
As I look back on the past year, it has been much more than I would have hoped. I am deeply grateful for all the help I received along the way - mostly from my tremendous group of friends that just happened to be my cast and crew, and also from the numerous horror fans, bloggers and festival directors that championed our cause.
Heartfelt thanks to all!
And now, as the festivals wind down, in recognition of the great year we've just had, I'd like to offer you something for free...
Yes, that's right kiddos, Enter the Dark will be going live on the big bad worldwide web this Halloween!
See what all the fuss has been about. See why folks much smarter than me have been saying things like:
…Enter the Dark, ladies and gentlemen, is what independent film making is all about.
The suspense was built up so finely that it almost started making me have a claustrophobic reaction in my room. HORROR SOCIETY
Miro's story works like a good horror tale should, suckering us in with one hand while it's preparing to pop up and scare us with the other. There's a command here that can't be taught, and Miro shows a natural gift for creating tension. FROM MIDNIGHT, WITH LOVE
…a very surreal, scary and realistic depiction of a universal fear that all of us have…
...a sonic achievement of style and horror, but in a very psychological way. SCARY FILM REVIEW
…Enter the Dark proves once again a good ghost story simply needs to put emphasis on the story and not flashy effects or big budgets in order to provide some fun and scares … delivers everything I look for in a horror short. ALL THINGS HORROR
Halloween - Monday night, Oct. 31, 2011 at 5PM Pacific Time, Enter the Dark will me made available for free for the first time ever on YouTube and Vimeo. And there it shall live - for all to see whenever you dang well please, in the comfort of your very own home. Copy it - send the link around worldwide - make fun of it - argue about it - I don't care, the more the merrier!
So now there's no excuses - you cheappos who won't pony up $1.95 to watch a 30-day stream from IndieFlix. Or you lazy types who couldn't bother to travel to one of the more than 30 festivals worldwide where it has already screened. No, that's fine - just stay right there. Yeah, don't move hardly a muscle - just click your little mousy-thingy and flood your computer with 17 minutes of spooky good times.
Be my guest.
Really.
Did I mention that it will now be FREEEEE!??!?!?
(good - just checking...)
My gift to you.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Enter the Dark summer updates
So, it's been a while since I posted about my little bundle of cinematic chills - or about anything for that matter. Seems like "real life" has been taking most of my time lately. My day job as freelance video editor has finally picked up again and since I've been quite slow the past two years, it's been time to simply bear down and bank some coin.
This is good since it means I can continue to do the little things like pay my mortgage and keep our house. But it's also quite draining so there's been little time for much else.
However, the 2011 Enter the Dark World Tour continues with or without me! It's been doing tremendously, making the rounds and picking up awards along the way. Here's some spots our short film has screened since last we met:
- Seattle True Independent Film Festival
- Fright Night Film Fest - Louisville, KY
- Pittsburgh Horror Film Fest
- Motor City Nightmares - Michigan
- Tumbleweed Film Festival - Washington
- Action On Film International Film Festival - Pasadena
In addition, we will be screening at a number of upcoming festivals:
Tuesday, Aug 23, 4pm - Abington Theater, NYC
Friday, Sept 2, 10pm - Atlanta, Georgia
Sept. 8 -17 - Toronto, Ontario
Thursday, Sept 15, 10:30pm - Atlanta Georgia
Friday, Sept 23, 11pm - Tulsa, Oklahoma
Saturday, Oct 29 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
If you're within spittin' distance of any of these events, please come on out and show your support!
We were also fortunate to have won a few awards, so I now have a growing collection of sharp-edged acrylic monoliths and other cool momentos:
Best Horror Short - Indie Spirit Film Festival:
Best Short Thriller - Bare Bones Film Festival:
Best Scare - Famous Monsters of Filmland Imagi-Movies:
 |
| Now that's really cool - I got a BANNER for that baby! |
Best Paranormal Short - Fear Fete Horror Film Festival:
 | ||
| Now I haven't actually received this lil' shirt-ripping dude yet, but I hope they'll send me one. How sweet is that! |
In June we also screened in my neck of the woods at Another Hole in the Head Film Fest at the Roxie in San Francisco. This was especially rewarding as I attended film school at S.F. State, so it felt like a homecoming celebration for film finals. Most of the cast and crew (as well as many friends and family) were able to attend the screenings, and actor Charles Yoakum and I were able to do a Q&A session afterwards. All in all, a tremendous time and one of those moments that makes it all worthwhile.
 |
| Outside the Roxie with Alaina Yoakum (Charles' wife) and hey, there's my dad too on the right! |
 |
| Yep, that's me with Kristin Nelder - Assistant Camera, Gaffer, and all-around great person. |
 |
| Charles and I gabbin' it up. |
As Enter the Dark nears the end of it's festival run, I am starting to gather the inspiration for the next short film. Once I get a little downtime, I'll jump on that baby and hopefully start shooting spring of 2012. Can't talk much about that one yet, but I'll leave you with this little visual nugget to chew on:
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Another Hole in the Head
... you know, like, "San Francisco needs another film festival like it needs another hole in the head."
Except in this case, San Francisco really needs this festival, because this is the only bay area film fest that celebrates horror, sci-fi, exploitation and general wackiness.
And y'all are invited to attend two weeks of mayhem from June 3 to June 16 at the Roxie Theater in the happening Mission District, S.F.
Highlights include:
- Helldriver, by Yoshihiro Nishimura (opening night)
- The Victim, Directed by and Starring Michael Biehn (who will be at the screening!)
- Absentia, by Mike Flanagan
- Red Ice, by Ralph Hyver (San Francisco Filmmaker)
- The Bleeding House, by Philip Gelatt
- Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, by Jalmari Helander
- Apocrypha, by Michael Fredianelli (Bay Area Filmmaker)
- I am Nancy (cool doc about actress Heather Langenkamp, "Nancy" from Nightmare on Elm Street)
AND...
Thursday, June 3 at 5:20 pm (We actually open up the festival, supporting the feature film, Haunted Changi!)
Friday, June 9 at 7:20 pm
I will be attending both screenings, along with some of my cast and crew, so if you're in the Bay Area and want to catch some cool films, drop on by.
Tickets can be purchased here:
Friday, April 29, 2011
The Next One...
With Enter the Dark, my main goal was simply to finally finish something. I've been very good at coming up with ideas in my lifetime, and horrible at actually finishing any one of them. I purposely made this goal embarrassingly easy to accomplish - shooting it in my own house, with my friends, with gear we already owned. No excuses. If I couldn't complete a short film under those circumstances, I never would and I should just accept that fact. Fortunately with the great help of my friends, we did indeed steam forward and not only finished the project, but made a pretty darn good one as well.
And why is that - you may ask. Well, it's simple - this has to be my calling card. There's no more goofing around. If I'm to ever make it in this industry - to actually fulfill my little ol' BA in Cinema from S.F. State University, then the time is now. This project has to be good enough for someone to look at and say, "Wow, this guy's good - let's give him a couple million and see what he can do with an actual budget. Let's give him a feature film to direct."
There, I said it - that's what I ultimately want to do.
So, you tell me, how can anyone actually produce good art under those pressures? You see, I have to play a game with myself - to forget what my goals are and just concentrate on the task at hand - writing a great story. But it has to be a story that not only speaks to me, but that enables me to showcase my talents as a writer/director. It has to be small enough so it is do-able (considering I still will have almost no budget), but big enough to explore inventive ideas.
In short, I need to produce a tiny, perfect gem of a story that will be the seed to my future. No pressure there…
UGH!!!
to hopefully have all this wash over me so that some of its brilliance may somehow seep into my pores. But I know I need to find my own true voice - I cannot allow myself to try to write to please others. Only by making the story personal will it connect with others on a deeper level. The things that work in Enter the Dark work because they feel authentic. I must focus on that.The good news is I think I've found the story - the architecture around which I may be able to create my film. I still need to flesh out the details, breathe life into the characters, find the heart - but I think I've found the vessel. Now, if I can just make the damned thing float!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Watch Enter the Dark for FREE
Friends, family, fans and horror freaks - now is your opportunity to watch our award-winning horror short, Enter the Dark for free in the comfort of your own home. But be sure to hurry, this event only lasts until May 13th.
Simply bounce on over to the FirstGlance Online Competition website - http://fgff.openfilm.com , click "Join" and enter your info to create an account.
Then click on the picture for Enter the Dark, press play, click the full-screen icon, settle down and get ready for spooky fun.
Oh, and please, be sure to watch it at night… alone… with the lights out… for full effect!
But wait… there's more! We would really appreciate it if you would take a moment to vote for our movie and help us win prizes and a spot at the FirstGlance Film Fest in Philly (try saying that three times fast!) Once you've watched the film to the end you will have an opportunity to vote (look for the stars above the film - wow, wouldn't FIVE RED STARS look really cool?!?! I'm not trying to influence your vote or anything… just sayin')
Now, in order for your vote to actually count, the official rules state that you must watch THREE films in their entirety and vote on them (I guess they don't want anybody stuffing the vote or somethin'), so browse through the list of other equally entertaining nominees and pick out two others to watch and vote for.
That's it - you're done! You've watched some really cool short indie films AND you've helped us tremendously!
If you don't have the time to watch three short films and just want to check out Enter the Dark, that's totally fine as well. Thanks so much for your interest, and I hope you enjoy it.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Enter the Dark - World Tour 2011
Big money baby - Big Money!!
Who says filmmaking doesn't pay off? My first official check for Enter the Dark from DVD and streaming sales at IndieFlix is a whopper! $21 big bucks! Looks like I can now pay off that line item for Oreos eaten during production of my little horror flick.
... In all seriousness, any money, no matter how small, generated from this film represents a huge success! And it's not about the money anyway - for now it's all about going through the filmmaking process, learning from it, getting my name out there and getting the film in front of as many folks as possible.
Speaking of which...
April through May will see ETD screened in theaters worldwide! I kid you not!
From Los Angeles to Scotland, to Australia the world will be abuzz with horrified viewers passing out in their seats, barely able to catch their breath from the terrifying menace that is ENTER THE DARK!!!
(well, actually just a few theaters worldwide... six to be exact... but it sounds much more impressive to say it the other way... and folks probably won't be passing out... unless they get low blood sugar from not picking up a snack before watching hours upon hours of indie films... or if they get up too fast from their seats after sitting too long for a while... that can do it to me sometimes, ya know... well, not actually passing out, but kinda light-headed and seeing a couple of stars pass by... that's gotta count for something, right?)
Anyway, here's the official-sounding dealio for Enter the Dark's 2011 World Tour:
Enter the Dark is excited to be an Official Selection of the following film festivals:
- A Night of Horror International Film Festival - Sydney Australia
Saturday, April 2, 4pm
- Famous Monsters of Filmland Imagi-Movies - Beverly Hills, CA
April 8 - 10
- Indie Spirit Film Festival - Colorado Springs, CO
April 14 -17
- Bare Bones Film Festival - Muskogee, OK
April 25 - May 1
- Dead by Dawn - Edinburgh, Scotland
May 5 - 8
- High Desert Shorts International Film Festival - Pahrump, NV
Friday, May 27, 11:15pm
Phew, now that's a whirlwind tour! I'd love to be able to attend all of these festivals, but alas, such is not the way for the lowly indie filmmaker. I'm planning on going to the High Desert Shorts (tie it in with a trip to Vegas), and seeing if I can make it to Famous Monsters in LA.
So far, 2011 has blazed to action with a blistering start and I still have many festivals to hear from. While it may seem excessive to enter into some 60 or more film fests, I find it money well-spent as it is really the only way for and indie filmmaker to have their work screened in theaters... or community centers... or casino ballrooms. It really makes no difference to me as long as the lights are out, butts are planted in seats and all the hard work of my cast and crew is projected on a screen. The ability to have people see our vision is priceless (well, actually on average, it's about $35/ per festival submission, plus burning the DVDs, shipping, making the postcards, etc.), but still, the marketing payoff is huge.
And speaking of marketing payoffs...
A number of months ago, I received the exciting news that I had won an award from the Maverick Movie Awards for Best Sound Design/Editing. I had also been nominated for Best Director and Best Special Effects. Now this was totally unexpected and very very cool news, but when I let people know, their response was tepid at best.
Now, let's face it, no one really knows what the Maverick Movie Awards are. I hadn't even heard of them myself, until I had submitted my film for their perusal. So, it's not like I had won an Oscar or anything, but still, any recognition is greatly appreciated.
Anyway, as with a lot of these award contests, the winners had an option of buying an actual award trophy or plaque for an additional cost. Now, my usual reaction to this had been "Eff that! This is all just a scam to make money off of inflated costs for stupid plastic keepsakes", so I wasn't really considering it. But then, these guys seemed like legit folks, and they weren't really pushing the trophies - just offering it as an option since so may people had asked. "Oh, what the hell", I thought, "I need something sparkly for my office and I can write it off as a marketing expense anyway."
So I pulled the trigger and bought the dang thing:
And do you know what I discovered? People are way more impressed with an etched piece of Acrylic-Crystal than I had imagined. Suddenly, this makes one seem legit. I am now an "award winning filmmaker" and I have the dang hardware to prove it. So there.
Lesson learned. Saying you have won an award is one thing. Having something people can actually see, hold in their hands and reflect upon is another. And while my natural inclination is not to toot my own horn, so to speak, I'm learning that shameless self-promotion is a necessary evil of this whole game of filmmaking.
Just a few months ago, my 8-year old was shoving his cheap, tacky plastic soccer trophies in my face, "Hey dad, how come you don't have any trophies? And why do you keep making movies that don't make any money?" Now I can blast him back, "Hah!!! Look at me now buddy! Feast upon the bounty that is my $21 check!! And bow down in worship to the mystical glory of my gold-tinted acrylic-crystal glittering monolithic behemoth!!"
Yeah... lesson learned...
Who says filmmaking doesn't pay off? My first official check for Enter the Dark from DVD and streaming sales at IndieFlix is a whopper! $21 big bucks! Looks like I can now pay off that line item for Oreos eaten during production of my little horror flick.
... In all seriousness, any money, no matter how small, generated from this film represents a huge success! And it's not about the money anyway - for now it's all about going through the filmmaking process, learning from it, getting my name out there and getting the film in front of as many folks as possible.
Speaking of which...
April through May will see ETD screened in theaters worldwide! I kid you not!
From Los Angeles to Scotland, to Australia the world will be abuzz with horrified viewers passing out in their seats, barely able to catch their breath from the terrifying menace that is ENTER THE DARK!!!
(well, actually just a few theaters worldwide... six to be exact... but it sounds much more impressive to say it the other way... and folks probably won't be passing out... unless they get low blood sugar from not picking up a snack before watching hours upon hours of indie films... or if they get up too fast from their seats after sitting too long for a while... that can do it to me sometimes, ya know... well, not actually passing out, but kinda light-headed and seeing a couple of stars pass by... that's gotta count for something, right?)
Anyway, here's the official-sounding dealio for Enter the Dark's 2011 World Tour:
Enter the Dark is excited to be an Official Selection of the following film festivals:
Saturday, April 2, 4pm
April 8 - 10
April 14 -17
April 25 - May 1
May 5 - 8
Friday, May 27, 11:15pm
Phew, now that's a whirlwind tour! I'd love to be able to attend all of these festivals, but alas, such is not the way for the lowly indie filmmaker. I'm planning on going to the High Desert Shorts (tie it in with a trip to Vegas), and seeing if I can make it to Famous Monsters in LA.
So far, 2011 has blazed to action with a blistering start and I still have many festivals to hear from. While it may seem excessive to enter into some 60 or more film fests, I find it money well-spent as it is really the only way for and indie filmmaker to have their work screened in theaters... or community centers... or casino ballrooms. It really makes no difference to me as long as the lights are out, butts are planted in seats and all the hard work of my cast and crew is projected on a screen. The ability to have people see our vision is priceless (well, actually on average, it's about $35/ per festival submission, plus burning the DVDs, shipping, making the postcards, etc.), but still, the marketing payoff is huge.
And speaking of marketing payoffs...
Now, let's face it, no one really knows what the Maverick Movie Awards are. I hadn't even heard of them myself, until I had submitted my film for their perusal. So, it's not like I had won an Oscar or anything, but still, any recognition is greatly appreciated.
Anyway, as with a lot of these award contests, the winners had an option of buying an actual award trophy or plaque for an additional cost. Now, my usual reaction to this had been "Eff that! This is all just a scam to make money off of inflated costs for stupid plastic keepsakes", so I wasn't really considering it. But then, these guys seemed like legit folks, and they weren't really pushing the trophies - just offering it as an option since so may people had asked. "Oh, what the hell", I thought, "I need something sparkly for my office and I can write it off as a marketing expense anyway."
So I pulled the trigger and bought the dang thing:
 | ||
| The mighty acrylic monolith next to a DVD copy of Enter the Dark (still only $5.95 from IndieFlix) |
Lesson learned. Saying you have won an award is one thing. Having something people can actually see, hold in their hands and reflect upon is another. And while my natural inclination is not to toot my own horn, so to speak, I'm learning that shameless self-promotion is a necessary evil of this whole game of filmmaking.
Just a few months ago, my 8-year old was shoving his cheap, tacky plastic soccer trophies in my face, "Hey dad, how come you don't have any trophies? And why do you keep making movies that don't make any money?" Now I can blast him back, "Hah!!! Look at me now buddy! Feast upon the bounty that is my $21 check!! And bow down in worship to the mystical glory of my gold-tinted acrylic-crystal glittering monolithic behemoth!!"
Yeah... lesson learned...
Monday, February 7, 2011
Enter the Dark Updates
Here's what's new and exciting with my little bundle of horror goodness:
FESTIVALS
Enter the Dark will be screening at a couple of really fun festivals this week.
First off, if you happen to be in the greater Boulder City, NV. region (or ripping it up in Vegas), be sure to check out the Dam Short Film Festival. We will close out their Wednesday evening block of horror shorts from 9:15 - 10:15.
Then, hop on over to Sanford FL, and their brand new Love Your Shorts Film Festival, where you can see tons of great short movies of all genres (including the Oscar nominated God of Love). Then stick around until Saturday night's sci fi/horror selections at 9:30 as we close out that evening's festivities as well.
We are also excited to be part of the High Desert Shorts Film Festival, May 27 - 29 in Pahrump, NV., another cool indie film short fest. I'll let you know exact dates when I have them.
... And now for all the rest of you horror fans, this March you will get your chance to see Enter the Dark for FREE!!! We were fortunate to be selected as part of First Glance Film Festival's short online contest:
REVIEWS
Enter the Dark continues to enjoy great reviews from some really cool bloggers. It has been incredibly rewarding to see that the vision I had for this short film is being well received.
From Midnight, With Love:
That's all for now. In the meantime I'll continue to play the festival circuit until October or so (do a full year to hit all that I can), and work on ideas for the next short film.
The we'll do it all over again!
Enter the Dark will be screening at a couple of really fun festivals this week.
First off, if you happen to be in the greater Boulder City, NV. region (or ripping it up in Vegas), be sure to check out the Dam Short Film Festival. We will close out their Wednesday evening block of horror shorts from 9:15 - 10:15.
Then, hop on over to Sanford FL, and their brand new Love Your Shorts Film Festival, where you can see tons of great short movies of all genres (including the Oscar nominated God of Love). Then stick around until Saturday night's sci fi/horror selections at 9:30 as we close out that evening's festivities as well.
We are also excited to be part of the High Desert Shorts Film Festival, May 27 - 29 in Pahrump, NV., another cool indie film short fest. I'll let you know exact dates when I have them.
... And now for all the rest of you horror fans, this March you will get your chance to see Enter the Dark for FREE!!! We were fortunate to be selected as part of First Glance Film Festival's short online contest:
In 2010 we presented over 50 short films online. More than any other festival in the world and awarded over $5000.00 in prizes.Stay tuned for more info on how you can watch and vote for a bunch of great short movies!
Over 5000 registered voters, voted over 14,000 times to create one of the most competitive online short contests for any film festival in North America.
We look forward to you being part of the next Short Online Contest.
The Short Online Contest begins in Late March 2011 and run for 6 weeks.
REVIEWS
Enter the Dark continues to enjoy great reviews from some really cool bloggers. It has been incredibly rewarding to see that the vision I had for this short film is being well received.
From Midnight, With Love:
Miro's story works like a good horror tale should, suckering us in with one hand while it's preparing to pop up and scare us with the other. There's a command here that can't be taught, and Miro shows a natural gift for creating tension.Dollar Bin Horror:
… this 17 minute short has no gags. It's just scary.Chuck Norris Ate My Baby:
It's just a really damn good film.
It's quick, fun and a bit spooky and, as promised, watching Enter the Dark in the dark makes it all the more effective.Fatally Yours:
Enter the Dark is an entertaining, scary and thought-provoking short film.
The acting is also top-notch, with actors Charles Yoakum and Rob Sandusky putting on convincing performances.
That's all for now. In the meantime I'll continue to play the festival circuit until October or so (do a full year to hit all that I can), and work on ideas for the next short film.
The we'll do it all over again!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Enter the Dark - Updates
The latest greatest happenings of my little bundle of spooky goodness known as Enter the Dark:
First, a couple of recent reviews:
Scary Film Review: … a very surreal, scary and realistic depiction of a universal fear that all of us have... a sonic achievement of style and horror, but in a very psychological way.
Killer Reviews: ...one of those short cool films that is efficiently produced and directed, well written and acted and a damn good use of a spare 17 minutes.
Be sure to check out these websites as they offer great insights and content on all things horror.
In other news, we were excited to find out that Enter the Dark received an Award of Merit from IndieFest!
From their website: "Indie awards go to those filmmakers who produce fresh, standout entertainment, animation and compelling documentaries. The Indie is a showcase for cinematic gems and unique voices."
Woo Hoo! While we're stoked to have received the recognition, I think we'll hold off on getting the actual trophy you see on the left. You see, that little baby would set me back another $350 bucks, and while it would be nice to see it up on my mantle, I can live with the JPEG image just fine.
Also, congrats and a shout-out to my friend Elisabeth Fies for taking home an Award of Excellence at the same awards for Sound Overall Impact for The Commune. Elisabeth and I, along with sound-recordist and mixer, Winter, spent a lot of time and effort on the sound design of that movie to really set mood, create tension, and emphasize plot points. I learned a lot, which definitely paid off when it came time to think about sound for Enter the Dark.
No new screenings or festivals at the moment, but hopefully that will soon change as many of the festivals I have submitted to will be making their selections any day now. Most of the recent submissions have been to short film festivals, or indie film festivals, so it will be interesting to see how the movie is received by a non horror-specific audience. I hope it will do well, as folks who have seen it already who don't normally like horror movies (my wife included) have so far responded well to it.
We shall see...
First, a couple of recent reviews:
Scary Film Review: … a very surreal, scary and realistic depiction of a universal fear that all of us have... a sonic achievement of style and horror, but in a very psychological way.
Killer Reviews: ...one of those short cool films that is efficiently produced and directed, well written and acted and a damn good use of a spare 17 minutes.
Be sure to check out these websites as they offer great insights and content on all things horror.
In other news, we were excited to find out that Enter the Dark received an Award of Merit from IndieFest!From their website: "Indie awards go to those filmmakers who produce fresh, standout entertainment, animation and compelling documentaries. The Indie is a showcase for cinematic gems and unique voices."
Woo Hoo! While we're stoked to have received the recognition, I think we'll hold off on getting the actual trophy you see on the left. You see, that little baby would set me back another $350 bucks, and while it would be nice to see it up on my mantle, I can live with the JPEG image just fine.
Also, congrats and a shout-out to my friend Elisabeth Fies for taking home an Award of Excellence at the same awards for Sound Overall Impact for The Commune. Elisabeth and I, along with sound-recordist and mixer, Winter, spent a lot of time and effort on the sound design of that movie to really set mood, create tension, and emphasize plot points. I learned a lot, which definitely paid off when it came time to think about sound for Enter the Dark.
No new screenings or festivals at the moment, but hopefully that will soon change as many of the festivals I have submitted to will be making their selections any day now. Most of the recent submissions have been to short film festivals, or indie film festivals, so it will be interesting to see how the movie is received by a non horror-specific audience. I hope it will do well, as folks who have seen it already who don't normally like horror movies (my wife included) have so far responded well to it.
We shall see...
Monday, November 29, 2010
Enter the Dark - Updates
First off if you are in the Boston area this Wednesday, Dec. 1, it's YOUR LUCKY DAY!
Thanks to Mike Snoonian and Chris Hallock over at All Things Horror, Enter the Dark will be playing with El Monstro Del Mar! (which recently took home the award for Best Feature at the Dark Carnival Film Fest), and two other nasty little horror short gems, The Living Want Me Dead, and Get Off My Porch.
ALL THINGS HORROR PRESENTS
Wednesday, December 1
El Monstro Del Mar! is an insanely cool exploitation monster flick from down under that has been generating some massive buzz for it's generous Russ Meyer meets Roger Corman vibe. How can you pass that up?
Speaking of awards...
I'm super excited that my little snack 'o' dread, Enter the Dark took home the award for Best Short at the Dark Carnival Film Festival! Wow - as a filmmaker, you don't do it for the awards, but it feels really great when you do get some recognition that all your hard work is actually having an effect on folks. I really wish I could have attended - it looked like everyone there had a blast.
Also, I just found out that Enter the Dark was nominated in three categories by the Maverick Movie Awards:
- Best Director
- Best Sound Design/Editing
- Best Special Effects
(Drumroll please...)
And we won for Best Sound Design/Editing! This is really cool for me because I do think that sound is enormously important in telling a story (especially a horror story) through the language of cinema. Although oftentimes overlooked, sound hits the audience in an immediate and subconscious way. For an indie film director, good sound design is the most cost-effective way to creating an authentic and deeply resonant experience. Try to imagine Eraserhead
without that jarring, industrial nightmare soundtrack.
The ironic thing about winning this award is that Enter the Dark has many instances of little or no sound. Just as composition in art is all about positive and negative space, so is sound. What many forget is that silence is sometimes the most effective way to heighten tension - and horror movies are all about tension.
We've also been getting some great write-ups by fellow horror bloggers and websites:
The Independent Critic: Enter the Dark is an effective, psychologically thrilling chiller ... involving, slick and suspenseful.
The Man-Cave: Miro provided me with something that I crave as a horror fan. A legitimate scare.
I Like Horror Movies: Fans of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY will be happy to discover this spooky short!
All Things Horror: ...effectively creepy with an atmosphere that kept me looking over my shoulder constantly.
Cinema Crazed: …a nail biting bonanza of moments that will definitely keep audiences watching in anticipation the entire time…
Zombies DON'T Run: …a short movie that's shot very well, creepy as all hell, and has a twist that may just catch you off guard…
For all you aspiring filmmakers out there, just be aware that none of this comes without work. Since I completed post-production on this movie, I have easily spent 20 hours a week making all this happen. From burning DVDs, contacting possible reviewers, submitting to festivals, mailing out DVDs, creating postcards, updating the website, Facebook and Twitter - all this is a non-stop marketing blitz. And I've really only done a small amount. If this were a feature film I really would want a professional publicist and marketing team, with the end result hopefully that ever-elusive distribution deal.
But for now I'll keep humming along - probably until next summer when I will have completed a full festival circuit. Then I'll start on the next project - probably another short that may hopefully help to sell a feature idea.
If I'm lucky...
Thanks to Mike Snoonian and Chris Hallock over at All Things Horror, Enter the Dark will be playing with El Monstro Del Mar! (which recently took home the award for Best Feature at the Dark Carnival Film Fest), and two other nasty little horror short gems, The Living Want Me Dead, and Get Off My Porch.ALL THINGS HORROR PRESENTS
Wednesday, December 1
The Somerville Theater
55 Davis Square, Somerville MA 02143
8 pm/$5
El Monstro Del Mar! is an insanely cool exploitation monster flick from down under that has been generating some massive buzz for it's generous Russ Meyer meets Roger Corman vibe. How can you pass that up?
Speaking of awards...
Also, I just found out that Enter the Dark was nominated in three categories by the Maverick Movie Awards:
- Best Sound Design/Editing
- Best Special Effects
(Drumroll please...)
And we won for Best Sound Design/Editing! This is really cool for me because I do think that sound is enormously important in telling a story (especially a horror story) through the language of cinema. Although oftentimes overlooked, sound hits the audience in an immediate and subconscious way. For an indie film director, good sound design is the most cost-effective way to creating an authentic and deeply resonant experience. Try to imagine Eraserhead
without that jarring, industrial nightmare soundtrack.The ironic thing about winning this award is that Enter the Dark has many instances of little or no sound. Just as composition in art is all about positive and negative space, so is sound. What many forget is that silence is sometimes the most effective way to heighten tension - and horror movies are all about tension.
We've also been getting some great write-ups by fellow horror bloggers and websites:
The Independent Critic: Enter the Dark is an effective, psychologically thrilling chiller ... involving, slick and suspenseful.
The Man-Cave: Miro provided me with something that I crave as a horror fan. A legitimate scare.
I Like Horror Movies: Fans of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY will be happy to discover this spooky short!
All Things Horror: ...effectively creepy with an atmosphere that kept me looking over my shoulder constantly.
Cinema Crazed: …a nail biting bonanza of moments that will definitely keep audiences watching in anticipation the entire time…
Zombies DON'T Run: …a short movie that's shot very well, creepy as all hell, and has a twist that may just catch you off guard…
For all you aspiring filmmakers out there, just be aware that none of this comes without work. Since I completed post-production on this movie, I have easily spent 20 hours a week making all this happen. From burning DVDs, contacting possible reviewers, submitting to festivals, mailing out DVDs, creating postcards, updating the website, Facebook and Twitter - all this is a non-stop marketing blitz. And I've really only done a small amount. If this were a feature film I really would want a professional publicist and marketing team, with the end result hopefully that ever-elusive distribution deal.
But for now I'll keep humming along - probably until next summer when I will have completed a full festival circuit. Then I'll start on the next project - probably another short that may hopefully help to sell a feature idea.
If I'm lucky...
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Your Worldview Terrifies Me: Se7en and the Four Shades of Horror
When it came time to shoot the final scene of my short horror movie, Enter the Dark, I knew it had to have a certain tone. This dark ending had to deliver a crushing psychological blow, like the amazingly resonant movies of David Lynch - especially Lost Highway
and Mulholland Drive
.
A few days before shooting the final scene, I got this gnawing feeling that I needed watch Se7en
, one of my all-time favorite films. As I sat in admiration of the incredible skill involved in that movie - the script, the acting, art direction, cinematography and of course, David Fincher's overall vision, I was mostly overcome by the absolute bleakness of its ending, and especially the amazing performance by Brad Pitt as he is forced to make an impossible decision with the realization that no matter what he does, evil has already won.
I knew I was watching the embodiment of what my ending had to be.
The night that we shot our ending, I had my actor, Charles step into my office, and we alone sat in the darkness and watched that ending of Se7en. Then we stepped into my hallway and shot our scene.
This got me thinking - what about this movie (Se7en) makes it so above the ordinary for me? Why does it emote such feelings of dread in me, while other so-called horror films seem so shallow. It struck me that in this movie, the key issue is that evil has already won. Throughout the film, Somerset tries to warn Mills that society is rotten to its core, but Mills only learns after he has paid the ultimate sacrifice.
To me, it is this pessimistic worldview that ultimately terrifies me. As I examined some of the films that have effected me the most, I realized that most of them contain elements of this same worldview. Extrapolating this further, I realized there are really four different worldviews that a horror movie (or any story, for that matter) can be set in. How a storyteller sees the world will greatly influence the shades of horror that he or she creates.
There are 4 primary worldviews: Light, Grey, Dark, and Empty. (I know these may sound silly - bear with me with the names, you'll see where I'm headed in a sec.)
-LIGHT - In this world, people are inherently good. The systems they create: Science, Education, Politics, The Media, The Police, The Military, The Church are all essentially good. Therefore, the world in which we live is essentially good. The occasional outbreaks of bad behaving people are anomalies that are swiftly and effectively dealt with by the systems we set up to protect us.
There is no evil - no monsters, no demons. There are simply misbehaving individuals that may have been damaged as children. Rehabilitation is always the best way to deal with misbehaving individuals. They can always be fixed - there is always a cure.
Good ultimately and always triumphs. The perfect refinement of our systems will ultimately lead to peace and nirvana.
-GREY - All people have good and evil within them. Who they become is determined by their upbringing, and ultimately their actions. Every one of us, every day by our own actions choose to be good or evil.
However, there definitely is real Evil in this worldview - some of which can never be rehabilitated. The systems we create may be corrupted by this evil and at times work against us. However, Good can always battle back when enough people band together to take a stand and fight against the exposed Evil.
The battle rages on...
-DARK - People are inherently selfish, greedy, violent, sadistic and destructive. The systems they create reflect their diseased state. Occasionally there may be glimpses of people who try to do good, but they are ultimately taken down by the true wretched state of mankind.
The systems we create perpetuate a vision that they are protecting us simply to keep us passive - like sheep being led to the slaughter.
Dystopia and destruction are the ultimate outcome.
-EMPTY - There is no good or evil, no right are wrong. Things just happen. There is no meaning.
The systems we create do what we tell them to - no more or no less.
In this Nihilistic vision, there is no final judgement -no God or Devil. What you do, how you treat your family, how you interact with the world matters not.
You are ultimately alone in the universe.
So, if we go back to my old pal, Se7en you might say that it lives squarely in the Dark worldview. I think that is what makes it so damn frightening to me. If you were to draw a graph (and you know how much I like graphs) and place Se7en on a spectrum from Light to Dark, you might see something like this:
Now, most films will not live entirely within one of these worldviews, but will tend to have elements of one or more. Looking at a bunch of my favorite movies, if I had a bunch of time to waste, I might graph them like this: (click on image to enlarge)
I find this to be an interesting way to look at movies, and horror movies in particular. You can see that most of my favorite movies tend to live in the areas of Dark or Empty, or some combo of both. You'll also notice that almost no horror films live in the Light worldview (no surprise there) so I added some stuff like E.T.
and Care Bears Movie
so you can see what would live there. And if anyone can find a movie that is both Light and Empty, please let me know. A happy, positively nihilistic film is something I'd like to see someone pull off - perhaps the ending of Life of Brian
comes close??
Of course this is all open to interpretation, which is ultimately what makes it so interesting. So, I invite you to argue with me, make your own graphs, chart tv shows, books, comic books do whatever. It might help illuminate why you've always been attracted to or repelled by certain stories.
The question also becomes then, how do you view the world? Where would it be charted in the above graph? I think for me, I'd like to live in the Light world, but know that's a fairy tale. More and more, I'm convinced we live in a Grey world - somewhere between Grey and Empty. Yeah, we exist in a world somewhere between Alien
and Jaws
.
Heaven help us all...
and Mulholland Drive.
A few days before shooting the final scene, I got this gnawing feeling that I needed watch Se7en
, one of my all-time favorite films. As I sat in admiration of the incredible skill involved in that movie - the script, the acting, art direction, cinematography and of course, David Fincher's overall vision, I was mostly overcome by the absolute bleakness of its ending, and especially the amazing performance by Brad Pitt as he is forced to make an impossible decision with the realization that no matter what he does, evil has already won.
I knew I was watching the embodiment of what my ending had to be.
The night that we shot our ending, I had my actor, Charles step into my office, and we alone sat in the darkness and watched that ending of Se7en. Then we stepped into my hallway and shot our scene.
This got me thinking - what about this movie (Se7en) makes it so above the ordinary for me? Why does it emote such feelings of dread in me, while other so-called horror films seem so shallow. It struck me that in this movie, the key issue is that evil has already won. Throughout the film, Somerset tries to warn Mills that society is rotten to its core, but Mills only learns after he has paid the ultimate sacrifice.
To me, it is this pessimistic worldview that ultimately terrifies me. As I examined some of the films that have effected me the most, I realized that most of them contain elements of this same worldview. Extrapolating this further, I realized there are really four different worldviews that a horror movie (or any story, for that matter) can be set in. How a storyteller sees the world will greatly influence the shades of horror that he or she creates.
There are 4 primary worldviews: Light, Grey, Dark, and Empty. (I know these may sound silly - bear with me with the names, you'll see where I'm headed in a sec.)
-LIGHT - In this world, people are inherently good. The systems they create: Science, Education, Politics, The Media, The Police, The Military, The Church are all essentially good. Therefore, the world in which we live is essentially good. The occasional outbreaks of bad behaving people are anomalies that are swiftly and effectively dealt with by the systems we set up to protect us.
There is no evil - no monsters, no demons. There are simply misbehaving individuals that may have been damaged as children. Rehabilitation is always the best way to deal with misbehaving individuals. They can always be fixed - there is always a cure.
Good ultimately and always triumphs. The perfect refinement of our systems will ultimately lead to peace and nirvana.
-GREY - All people have good and evil within them. Who they become is determined by their upbringing, and ultimately their actions. Every one of us, every day by our own actions choose to be good or evil.
However, there definitely is real Evil in this worldview - some of which can never be rehabilitated. The systems we create may be corrupted by this evil and at times work against us. However, Good can always battle back when enough people band together to take a stand and fight against the exposed Evil.
The battle rages on...
-DARK - People are inherently selfish, greedy, violent, sadistic and destructive. The systems they create reflect their diseased state. Occasionally there may be glimpses of people who try to do good, but they are ultimately taken down by the true wretched state of mankind.
The systems we create perpetuate a vision that they are protecting us simply to keep us passive - like sheep being led to the slaughter.
Dystopia and destruction are the ultimate outcome.
-EMPTY - There is no good or evil, no right are wrong. Things just happen. There is no meaning.
The systems we create do what we tell them to - no more or no less.
In this Nihilistic vision, there is no final judgement -no God or Devil. What you do, how you treat your family, how you interact with the world matters not.
You are ultimately alone in the universe.
Now, most films will not live entirely within one of these worldviews, but will tend to have elements of one or more. Looking at a bunch of my favorite movies, if I had a bunch of time to waste, I might graph them like this: (click on image to enlarge)
and Care Bears Movie so you can see what would live there. And if anyone can find a movie that is both Light and Empty, please let me know. A happy, positively nihilistic film is something I'd like to see someone pull off - perhaps the ending of Life of Brian comes close??Of course this is all open to interpretation, which is ultimately what makes it so interesting. So, I invite you to argue with me, make your own graphs, chart tv shows, books, comic books do whatever. It might help illuminate why you've always been attracted to or repelled by certain stories.
The question also becomes then, how do you view the world? Where would it be charted in the above graph? I think for me, I'd like to live in the Light world, but know that's a fairy tale. More and more, I'm convinced we live in a Grey world - somewhere between Grey and Empty. Yeah, we exist in a world somewhere between Alien
and Jaws.
Heaven help us all...
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, The Commune tells a tale of entrapment, sacrifice and familial dysfunction. It premiered at Dances With Films Film Festival and has received multiple awards.
