From ASAP TRIP: The Film Sensei’s Six Quick Tips to Keep Your Indie Film From Sucking!
And here, my loyal students, are those tips to help you avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered as a beginning low budget filmmaker.
1. Lay Off the Zoom!
Yes, I know that George Lucas did it in the new Star Wars films and, yes, I know it was popular in the new Battlestar Galactica show, but all playing around with the zoom on your camera will do is make your footage look like a tourist shooting vacation movies out on the Florida Keys. A really good cameraman can make a zoom look ok (or semi-acceptable)…a really really good cameraman, that is. For the most part, though, a zoom will look shoddy and amateurish. Your best bet is to break your zoom controller or, at the very least, the finger closest to it. A dolly, stedicam or even hand-held track in will all look 1000% better than a crappy zoom.
2. Vary Your Angles
One of the most common mistakes of most new directors and a whole heck of a lot of indie and guerrilla filmmakers is shots all looking alike. Most low budget films are shot very tight and never really open up for a long view – they’re full of close-ups, two shots and cramped quarters. They also tend to be diagram shots framed at eye level. If you want to make your film more excited, or more interesting, pull back for longer shots, tilt your camera, shoot from a bird’s eye or worm’s eye angle – use your camera angles to help set your mood and control your audience’s level of tension/suspense/drama. A good guide is to pull back further than you think you should (or push in further). Make sure to change things up a bit or your footage and your film will become stagnant and boring.
3. Use Proper Lighting
One of the hardest things for most indie, low budget and guerrilla filmmakers to learn is how to properly light for the DV or HD cameras they’re filming on. With a much lower contrast range and higher need for light than the human eye (and film), lighting for DV/HD cameras can often be a bit counter intuitive. In other words, what looks good to your naked eye often won’t work for your finished film. If you’re not careful you’ll wind up with footage too dark to use. If you’ve worked with, or lit for, film cameras then it may take a little while to get used to the change in methodology. I’ve shot with a number of really good DPs recently who made the mistake of lighting for their eyes and not for the camera we were shooting with. Shoot some lighting tests before you begin principal photography so you can get used to your camera’s dynamic range.
4. Write for What You Have
Since most low budget, indie and guerrilla filmmakers also happen to write their own material, the number one thing you should keep in mind when putting your new screenplay together is: write for what you have! The best way to give your film a higher production value is to make use of anything and everything you’ve already got access to. It’s tough to go out and find a cemetary or a muscle car or an airplane, but if you’ve got friends/family with unique locations, props or wardrobe then you can make your little $5000 movie look like you spent tens or hundreds of thousands on it. It worked for Robert Rodriguez and it will work for you.
5. Get a Good Tripod
Hand holding is great on a date with your girlfriend (or boyfriend, we’re not sexist here at the Film Sensei’s DOJO), but it should be used sparingly on a film set. Get a good fluid head tripod and make use of it as much as possible to give yourself a solid base to work from. Remember, hand held footage is great as long as it is used for a purpose and for an effect. If you’re just doing it because you’re too cheap to spring for a good set of sticks then your film will suffer for it.
6. Get a Good Mic
I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record after yesterday’s post about essential audio equipment for indie and guerrilla filmmakers. However, it’s a point well worth repeating over and over. While your audience may forgive a little wonky storytelling, dark images or even bad acting, the one thing no one will forgive is bad sound. There is almost nothing you can do that is worse than poor sound quality, and nothing that will make you look more like an amateur – well, short of accidentally filming all day with your lens cap on. Decent mics are available even for those of us on a more modest budget and there is absolutely no excuse to be shooting with your camera’s onboard mic – EVER!
There you have it: the extent of my wisdom. Yes, I know there are a lot more things to keep in mind and that will help (like making sure to get a good AD to help run your set properly or not hiring actresses you want to sleep with), but if you follow these six tips you’ll have a good head-start on keeping your first low budget film from sucking worse than a two-dollar whore.
That’s it from the depths of the DOJO for tonight. Until next time, Keep Shooting!
After several weeks of working with various designs – Geo, Brento and myself are proud to announce that we’ve found the winning formula for our first t-shirt design for G.H.O.S.T. and no one had to die to make it happen! We’re in the process of working up a few more shirt designs as well as several poster options – so stay tuned for more MVP news right here at Mutantville.com!
From EW.com: The Cult 25: The Essential Left-Field Movie Hits Since ‘83
25. THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION II: THE METAL YEARS (1988)
Most of the headbangers in Penelope Spheeris’ doc never made it, but Metal Years showcases their big-bucks dreams in a way that’s far more memorable than their songs.
SIGNATURE LINE ”I’m the happiest sonofabitch motherf—er there ever was.”
Get in the spirit with the G.H.O.S.T. desktop of the week. For every week of active shooting, Johnny Brento will be adding a unique desktop in tribute to the characters of the latest Mutantville Productions Film project. Yes, that’s right, ole J.B. missed a week. This one is a makeup for the week off.
Get in the spirit with the G.H.O.S.T. desktop of the week. For every week of active shooting, Johnny Brento will be adding a unique desktop in tribute to the characters of the latest Mutantville Productions Film project.
From Fangoria.com: If you want to talk about badass crap, you really can’t do a hell of a lot worse than the horror genre. Whether it’s crazy Eastern Europeans with slicked-back hair and overly developed canine teeth chomping down on the necks of scantily clad maidens or demented, murderous psychopaths running around in body armor made from human skin and carving X’s into the chest cavities of wayward coeds with gasoline-powered gardening implements, horror never seems to disappoint when it comes to violent homicide or paint-bombing dungeon walls with a thick coat of crimson substances. Therefore, in an effort to promote my new book BADASS: A RELENTLESS ONSLAUGHT OF THE TOUGHEST WARLORDS, VIKINGS, SAMURAI, PIRATES, GUNSLINGERS, AND MILITARY COMMANDERS TO EVER LIVE (in which I talk about such real-life badasses as the notorious Vlad the Impaler; see the trailer here), I will attempt to discuss some of the toughest heroes and villains the genre has to offer.
Now, I would never for a moment presume to try and dictate a definitive list of anything horror-related to a fan base as rabid as FANGORIA’s, so please allow me a brief caveat before I get too much further along in this process. I will say only that these are among my own personal favorites, and in no way an attempt to quantify or rank horror-movie badasses in any order other than chronologically. In the presumably likely event that you disagree with my decisions, I strongly encourage you guys to utilize the comments section below to express how brain-crushingly unfathomable it is that I didn’t include your favorite movie, character, fictional person, artificial construct, clothing article or food product on this list.
Abraham Van Helsing (DRACULA, 1897)
badassesofhorror1vanhelsingThese days, it seems like you can’t chuck a crucifix into a crowded room without accidentally impaling some crappy vampire-centric romantic comedy/drama about a dark, brooding, impeccably dressed blood-chugging metro douchebag flitting about in the woods with his whiny high-school girlfriend and talking about forbidden love ad nauseum, until pretty much everyone watching wants to barf up whatever is left of their rapidly shriveling brain cells. Well, back in the day (and by “the day,” of course I mean the late 19th century), everybody just thought vampires were complete bastards good for only one thing: getting pointy wooden stakes rammed through their chests at high velocity by Abraham Van Effing Van Helsing. This grizzled, hardass old Dutch physician/cryptozoologist/crazy occult genius dedicated his long and single-purposed life to training his mind and his body in the fine art of murdering the undead with extreme prejudice all the way up their cadaverous asses, and he was so good as his job that nowadays, his name is pretty much synonymous with stomping vampires’ balls into a thick marinara-like sauce smelling faintly of garlic and failure.
We had a rather productive day of filming this past Saturday – productive that is – until we were set to roll the cameras on our finale scenes when we lost all power to the opera house. We hoped it was nothing more than a tripped breaker or perhaps a blown fuse – but after three hours in the dark – we were worried that it was something a bit more serious. We sent the cast and crew home only to discover to our pleasant surprise – that the problem was indeed a blown fuse which was easily fixed. Before losing our power – we were able to shoot two scenes earlier in the day as well as an extended photo shoot featuring our full cast.
With help from assistants Sylvia and Sierra, our make-up FX expert Todd A. Britt was on hand to provide some amazing ghostly make-ups. Their make-up efforts were not lost as we were able to catch the supernatural victims in an exhaustive series of photos and promo shots. Expect to see those pop up as promotional posters somewhere down the line.
The producers of Mutantville Productions would like to extend a hearty thank you to our cast and crew. You all dealt with the delay like real professionals and we were able to make the best out of what was potentially a disastrous situation. Due to the set-back – we have extended the shooting schedule of G.H.O.S.T. to include November 14th and 21st – giving us just enough time to wrap before Turkey Day! Thank you all for everything you do. I look forward to seeing you back on the set for our finale this Saturday!
~~Streebo
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From indieWIRE.com: The following are Michael Lynne’s opening remarks from Friday’s Independent Film Summit, presented by MoMA & indieWIRE (with Zipline Entertainment).
As someone who grew up in the independent film world and helped shepherd a company from “Reefer Madness” to “Lord of the Rings,” it is a pleasure to be here today.
I think it is ironic that I have been asked to kick-off this Independent Film Summit, having been a principal in perhaps the most successful independent film company in history – which has nevertheless become one of the biggest victims of the consolidation of film production and distribution that has so negatively affected the independent film universe. Fortunately, we are living to fight another day in our new production company, Unique Features.
There are however, several very telling points which can be made in this regard:
1 – If you are independent and value the freedom which that brings – stay independent. There is no free lunch – if you are owned by a major studio, you will ultimately be governed by major studio guidelines and major studio decision-making. It is kind of a Faustian bargain. When New Line agreed to be acquired by Turner Broadcasting, we had access to wherewithal for production and distribution substantially beyond what was available to us as a free standing public company. The ambitions which we had for New Line could be accelerated by years. But there was a catch – as Ted Turner said to us about six months after the merger when we referred to him as our partner – “Yes, guys, we are partners in a way and we are definitely friends – but you did sell your company to me – let’s just keep that in mind as we go forward.”
2 – Independent filmmaking emerged in a significant way in the early ‘80s with the arrival of New Line, Miramax, Cannon, New World, Tri-Star and others. Each of those companies had a game plan and a strategy for the space they would occupy in the industry landscape. It was an earlier time of irrational exuberance and lots of capital and very expensive debt was available. The anticipation that we were on the brink of a new generation of film companies, was palpable. Obviously, some of those companies have left a significant film legacy, but the truth is, and this is very telling, none of them today, if they exist at all, exist in the same ownership configuration in which they existed then. And none is truly independent now.
3 – Just as there was an opportunity then for independent, maverick organizations to make films for underserved audiences and to create new paradigms, the same opportunity will undoubtedly come out of the very difficult times for independent filmmaking today as fresh, out-of-the-box thinking on content and delivery, from passionate and talented filmmakers and producers, finds its way through the ambient noise of the establishment to a public hungry for the new. It may be one of us in this room – or it may be a kid with a dream, a digital camera and a fire in his or her belly.
4 – We should be prepared to rethink all of the commonly accepted practices and pre-conceptions about film production and film distribution. There is and will be less funding available for the production of independent films and for the release of those films. (In fact, there will be less funding available for the production and distribution of films in general.) We will see the conventional timing and formats for film viewing re-invented to a meaningful degree. Where films are seen, when they are seen, who pays for them to be seen, are all going to change dramatically in the next 5 to 10 years. Some of those changes will make the process easier and some will make it much harder.
5 – Tough economic times may favor movie-going in theaters, but it won’t solve the shrinking DVD sector and, on balance, it has, and will probably continue to, encourage the production of safer product for a more mainstream audience looking for escape from their stressful private situations. Obviously, that has never been the basic mission of independent filmmaking. The real challenge is to work toward creating films that are original, thoughtful, even challenging, but which nevertheless can capture the imagination of audiences who will always be responsive to something new and unexpected and yes, to films that are entertaining, in the broadest sense of that word.
6 – As an industry we’ve tried to preserve the idea of windows of distribution, ordering the availability of our product by distribution channel, starting in about every instance with the theatrical distribution window. And I don’t know a filmmaker who doesn’t want his film seen in a theatre on a big screen with beautiful sound. But we should be prepared for the possibility – not clear how far off – that there will be 50 or 60 million flat-screen HDTV’s capable of receiving digital downloads around the world. And someone will have the quintessential tent pole which can be ordered for $40 a household before theatrical release. The stakes are high – maybe 2 or 3 billion dollars on one night high. Of course theatrical exhibitors will have something to say about that. But it will also be an opportunity for more niche product which can be targeted to a specific segment of that digitally connected audience, on an incredibly efficient and lucrative basis. For independent films, we are talking about a version of the long tail, which one day may be a real lifesaver for these special films with discreet audiences who can then be identified and addressed directly.
7 – All in all, there is a lot to consider. We are in a very interesting moment in time. It is a time of complicated issues but of enormous potential opportunity. Of course, everyone knows the famous William Goldman quote about our industry: “Nobody knows anything.” It is cautionary, humbling and probably entirely true. And we should all keep that in mind as we continue our conversation today. The fact is, there are no real experts on the future of our business or any business – although I think I’ve found one expert. He’s a true visionary who understood totally the risk of being too certain about what lies in store for us. So in addition to William Goldman’s sage advice, let’s keep in mind what Yogi Berra said (which applies very much to our topic today): “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
Michael Lynne, a co-founder of New Line with Robert Shaye, with whom he also co-founded the new production company, Unique Features.
2 – Independent filmmaking emerged in a significant way in the early ‘80s with the arrival of New Line, Miramax, Cannon, New World, Tri-Star and others. Each of those companies had a game plan and a strategy for the space they would occupy in the industry landscape. It was an earlier time of irrational exuberance and lots of capital and very expensive debt was available. The anticipation that we were on the brink of a new generation of film companies, was palpable. Obviously, some of those companies have left a significant film legacy, but the truth is, and this is very telling, none of them today, if they exist at all, exist in the same ownership configuration in which they existed then. And none is truly independent now.
3 – Just as there was an opportunity then for independent, maverick organizations to make films for underserved audiences and to create new paradigms, the same opportunity will undoubtedly come out of the very difficult times for independent filmmaking today as fresh, out-of-the-box thinking on content and delivery, from passionate and talented filmmakers and producers, finds its way through the ambient noise of the establishment to a public hungry for the new. It may be one of us in this room – or it may be a kid with a dream, a digital camera and a fire in his or her belly.
4 – We should be prepared to rethink all of the commonly accepted practices and pre-conceptions about film production and film distribution. There is and will be less funding available for the production of independent films and for the release of those films. (In fact, there will be less funding available for the production and distribution of films in general.) We will see the conventional timing and formats for film viewing re-invented to a meaningful degree. Where films are seen, when they are seen, who pays for them to be seen, are all going to change dramatically in the next 5 to 10 years. Some of those changes will make the process easier and some will make it much harder.
5 – Tough economic times may favor movie-going in theaters, but it won’t solve the shrinking DVD sector and, on balance, it has, and will probably continue to, encourage the production of safer product for a more mainstream audience looking for escape from their stressful private situations. Obviously, that has never been the basic mission of independent filmmaking. The real challenge is to work toward creating films that are original, thoughtful, even challenging, but which nevertheless can capture the imagination of audiences who will always be responsive to something new and unexpected and yes, to films that are entertaining, in the broadest sense of that word.
6 – As an industry we’ve tried to preserve the idea of windows of distribution, ordering the availability of our product by distribution channel, starting in about every instance with the theatrical distribution window. And I don’t know a filmmaker who doesn’t want his film seen in a theatre on a big screen with beautiful sound. But we should be prepared for the possibility – not clear how far off – that there will be 50 or 60 million flat-screen HDTV’s capable of receiving digital downloads around the world. And someone will have the quintessential tent pole which can be ordered for $40 a household before theatrical release. The stakes are high – maybe 2 or 3 billion dollars on one night high. Of course theatrical exhibitors will have something to say about that. But it will also be an opportunity for more niche product which can be targeted to a specific segment of that digitally connected audience, on an incredibly efficient and lucrative basis. For independent films, we are talking about a version of the long tail, which one day may be a real lifesaver for these special films with discreet audiences who can then be identified and addressed directly.
7 – All in all, there is a lot to consider. We are in a very interesting moment in time. It is a time of complicated issues but of enormous potential opportunity. Of course, everyone knows the famous William Goldman quote about our industry: “Nobody knows anything.” It is cautionary, humbling and probably entirely true. And we should all keep that in mind as we continue our conversation today. The fact is, there are no real experts on the future of our business or any business – although I think I’ve found one expert. He’s a true visionary who understood totally the risk of being too certain about what lies in store for us. So in addition to William Goldman’s sage advice, let’s keep in mind what Yogi Berra said (which applies very much to our topic today): “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
Michael Lynne, a co-founder of New Line with Robert Shaye, with whom he also co-founded the new production company, Unique Features.
The final two weeks of production on G.H.O.S.T. are upon us. We are more than pleased with our progress so far. Everything has been outstanding. All of the cast and crew have risen to the occasion time and again and we can never thank you enough. When we developed the idea of what became G.H.O.S.T. way back in January over a basket of nachos and salsa – we never expected it would become as good as it has. With the rise of interest in the paranormal sub-genre with the blockbuster success of independent films such as Paranormal Activity – this can only augur great things for the future of G.H.O.S.T.. Thank you all for your hard work. We have some tough shoots ahead of us – but we know that we have the right cast, crew and courage to see it through. See you on the set, MVP.
Welcome to Mutantville Productions MVP Blog. Join Streebo, Brento, Geo & the rest of the Mutantville Players as they set sail on the high seas of guerrilla filmmaking in their ongoing quest to bring you the finest in genre entertainment.
From ASAP TRIP: The Film Sensei’s Six Quick Tips to Keep Your Indie Film From Sucking!
After several weeks of working with various designs – Geo, Brento and myself are proud to announce that we’ve found the winning formula for our first t-shirt design for G.H.O.S.T. and no one had to die to make it happen! We’re in the process of working up a few more shirt designs as well as several poster options – so stay tuned for more MVP news right here at Mutantville.com!
We had a rather productive day of filming this past Saturday – productive that is – until we were set to roll the cameras on our finale scenes when we lost all power to the opera house. We hoped it was nothing more than a tripped breaker or perhaps a blown fuse – but after three hours in the dark – we were worried that it was something a bit more serious. We sent the cast and crew home only to discover to our pleasant surprise – that the problem was indeed a blown fuse which was easily fixed. Before losing our power – we were able to shoot two scenes earlier in the day as well as an extended photo shoot featuring our full cast.
From indieWIRE.com: The following are Michael Lynne’s opening remarks from Friday’s Independent Film Summit, presented by MoMA & indieWIRE (with Zipline Entertainment).
The final two weeks of production on G.H.O.S.T. are upon us. We are more than pleased with our progress so far. Everything has been outstanding. All of the cast and crew have risen to the occasion time and again and we can never thank you enough. When we developed the idea of what became G.H.O.S.T. way back in January over a basket of nachos and salsa – we never expected it would become as good as it has. With the rise of interest in the paranormal sub-genre with the blockbuster success of independent films such as Paranormal Activity – this can only augur great things for the future of G.H.O.S.T.. Thank you all for your hard work. We have some tough shoots ahead of us – but we know that we have the right cast, crew and courage to see it through. See you on the set, MVP.