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-   -   The Warby Range Massacre - Texas Chainsaw Fan Film (https://www.horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68243)

jackojacko 10-30-2017 05:51 AM

The Warby Range Massacre - Texas Chainsaw Fan Film
 
Hi everyone! I just released my new short film, The Warby Range Massacre. It's an homage to my favourite horror film of all time, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We had a lot of set backs during the making of this movie and we ran into a lot of issues but, regardless, I'm pretty proud of what we managed to make.

Let me know what you think of it; constructive criticism is appreciated!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp4HZvs7Jdk

GummySharkGuy 11-12-2017 04:44 PM

Hey man, I just watched your film, and I have some improvements that you can consider for the next one that you make.

So first off, I didn't find the characters to be particularly likeable, Jed (was that his name?) is pretty much responsible for getting Toby killed, and it was due to an aggravating lapse in common sense, which is a common horror pitfall that I would recommend avoiding in your next film. Who would accept that proposition from a man they've never met in an area they are unfamiliar with? Granted, I live in the US where constant fear and suspicion is a way of life here so that could be why I found that unbelievable. There is also an error in continuity where the girl (I forgot her name) is suddenly scared of your film's version of Leatherface and mentions her friends being killed even though she didn't witness any of it.

On a more technical level, the shot composition was really off, characters were frequently placed in the center of the frame, resulting in an awkward shot. Follow the rule of thirds, where characters and other objects of focus are placed along imaginary lines that divide the screen into thirds.
http://cdn.digital-photo-secrets.com...ot-overlay.jpg

There was further disorientation during the back and forth conversation shots. There was a scene where one character was facing the left side of the frame, and when it cut to the character they were talking to, that character was also facing the left of the frame. These placements confuse the viewer and doesn't provide a clear orientation of where the characters are. Not only does it help to have the characters facing opposite directions when cutting between them, it also helps to follow the 180 degree rule.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...e_rule.svg.png
According to this rule, when you're shooting a conversation between two characters, imagine a line connecting their centers. When alternating your shots, never cross that line, keep all of your shots within 180 degrees of your initial position.

Music was also conspicuously absent with the exception of the chase sequences. While there's nothing wrong with that, music is more effective in the dance before the chases, where it is used to help build the tension. Tension was noticeably absent as well, with the exception of when Jed encountered Leatherface in the shack with all of the chicken feathers. His kicking of the propane tank was a great example of a jump scare used properly, as it wasn't used as the scare, but to increase the anticipation for the scare. Another common pitfall of modern horror is having jumpscares of mundane noises (i.e. slamming a door or someone jokingly scaring another), and you avoided that very well by having the jumpscare be integral to the threat of trying to sneak past Leatherface.

Other than that, there were some little details, like the girl tripping while she ran from the old man and the bad decisions the characters make that stumble into horror cliches, but its nothing that can't be improved upon, and I respect the passion that went into the movie. I also really enjoyed the twist that their goal was to recreate The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and it gave it a distinct flavor and that extra thing it needed to be memorable. I look forward to whatever you're making next!


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