Charlotte, NC –Our good friends at the Back Alley Film Series in Charlotte are hosting a screening of Ti West’s The Innkeepers in 35mm. The film starts at 7:30pm at the Carolina Cinemas Crownpoint.
“Hey Mutanville fans … tomorrow night (March 1st, 2012) at 7:30 PM BAFS brings you a good old fashioned ghost story! Ti West’s The Innkeepers. 1 screening only and in 35mm. Hope to see you there!”
After over one hundred years of service, The Yankee Pedlar Inn is shutting its doors for good. The last remaining employees -Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) – are determined to uncover proof of what many believe to be one of New England’s most haunted hotels. As the Inn’s final days draw near, odd guests check in as the pair of minimum wage “ghost hunters” begin to experience strange and alarming events that may ultimately cause them to be mere footnotes in the hotel’s long unexplained history.
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Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, one of the most fan adored monster movies of all time is available for the first time in a never before seen 3 hour long director’s cut at the Mad Monster Party on Saturday March 24th, 2012. In addition to this special rare event Nightbreed stars Craig Sheffer and Anne Bobby (marking their very first convention appearance) will be in attendance for a Q&A
session following the screening and will be signing autographs in the dealer room throughout the weekend.
Mark Miller, Hellraiser comic writer, and Nightbreed expert will also be on hand to introduce the film on behalf of Clive Barker and share some insights into Barker’s vision for the future of Nightbreed.
Join Mad Monster Party to champion the cause and be a part of the growing movement to give the Director’s cut of this beloved film its much deserved special edition DVD/Blu-Ray release. We’re doing our part by sharing this cut and conducting panels which will explain the great opportunities fans will have to offer their support. Many thanks to Nightbreed distributor and owner Morgan Creek for giving us their blessing to show the film. They will be watching, with interest, for audience and fan reaction so let’s show them how much we want this to happen.
Once again, THIS VERSION HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. Pulling from three separate cuts of the film, and working closely with Nightbreed’s original director of photography Robin Vidgeon, Clive Barker’s team at Seraphim Films has assembled a composite that will be the most complete version of the film that has ever been shown.
Come show your support. As a work in progress, it is possible that you may never again get to see this version of Clive Barker’s masterpiece Nightbreed, as it was always meant to be seen.
Kevin Smith has set out to prove the critics wrong! After spending years making stoner comedies in his own little world called the Askiewniverse, Smith has broken his own mold and made a horror film close to his heart. Smith shopped the script for Red State around to all of the usual suspects but was only met with rejection. Smith raised the money to shoot the film on his own and at Sundance earlier this year decided he would distribute the film himself!
It’s been a very productive week so far with the successful completion of the Muticia’s Movie Morgue segments for Tales From Mutantville. Cast and crew spearheaded by the lovely Vanelle brought the character of Muticia to life. The shoot went very smoothly and we had an absolute blast shooting the scenes. Big thanks to everyone who came out to make it possible – and of course a big thank you goes out to everyone that helped make Tales From Mutantville possible – we couldn’t have done any of it without you!
This weekend we’re still racing to get ready for the big convention next week – the Fright Night Film Fest in Kentucky. We’re prepping shirts, updating websites, completing post-production on Tales From Mutantville and so much more in an effort to be ready for the con. Actually, we’re getting ready for two conventions, because this year promoter Ken Daniels is putting on two great cons for the price of one with the addition of Fandom Fest.
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!
From ASAP TRIP: The Film Sensei’s Six Quick Tips to Keep Your Indie Film From Sucking!
