Got filmmaking questions?
Hi indies,
Recently we had our first showing on our feature length indie film Night Things. This was shot on Super 16mm film for less money than The Blair Witch Project. When I was making it I found it really hard to find answers to all the millions of questions I had on how I could make my own movie. So I just thought I would start this thread to offer any answers I could on the experience, and how we made a good movie happen for so cheap (I'll give you a hint, we mostly paid for it in blood). So any aspiring filmmakers, ask away! P.S. Before you ask, no we don't have distribution yet :) But you can ask about our experience with that process as well. P.P.S. Oh, and you can see a trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVHee1F6ISs |
Do you mind me asking what was the problem you've had with distribution?
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distribution
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But perhaps a larger reason was because we shot on film right before it got really cheap to shoot in HD. So once upon a time it wouldn't have mattered much, but now most distributors won't take SD because things like Netflix streaming and Hulu won't take it. So whatever you shoot on, make sure you have an HD rendering for distributors. We're looking to get it reconverted right now, but that is an expensive process that would also involve re-editing. Just bad luck on our timing, if we had shot 6 months later we probably would have shot on HD instead of Super 16. |
Fascinating-I knew the industry was trying to force HD onto us but I didn't know they were going to these extremes. Sad that distributors are forcing film-makers to go through such an expensive and (in my opinion) unnecessary process.
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Hd
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Yeah expensive is right. It involves having the lab re-transfer the film to digital, and then re-editing the whole thing. It's kind of a death sentence. And really, for what? I mean our movie is good because of plot and dialogue and sound design. It's not good because of 10 million dollar computer graphics, it really doesn't look any better in HD. And that same thing goes for about 95% of films out there. |
What type of camera was this shot on? How much did it cost? I'm a film student looking do a mockumentry/pov/found footage horror film. Yes I know this sub genre has been done way to much but I like it. I want the Blair witch feel to the film. I have a great subject that would make a great documentary by it's itself but I want to turn it into a horror film. I loved the Blair Witch Project and to try create something with little to no money. I have Adobe CS 6 master collection with all the editing programs plus others. I even have a great idea for a production company. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated.
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indie films
I can't remember the camera name, but it was an old Russian Super -16mm model. Not the kind of thing you would want for what you are doing. "Found footage" is going to either be on digital or sometime like old 8mm. Or a mix (which I think Blair Witch did). Adobe CS6 is plenty good for editing. My one tip here is shoot on HD, because Video on Demand services like Netflix these days require HD. If you want to go cheap, this is the right kind of movie for it, and HD cameras are cheap these days.
As far as the sub genre being played out, well some might say that no genre is played out as long as someone can make a great movie in it. But the downside is that you will be accused of copying, so make sure you have some really fresh things to throw in. Quote:
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Any recommendations for camera purchase around the $200 mark?
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Never thought about refurbished cameras. I'm gonna have to take a look into those.
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