OK, so when you rent, buy or download an indie horror flick.. and I mean, micro-budget, under $10K, made in somebody's parents' basement indie, not $5 million "little studio" kind of indie, what are looking to get out of the movie?
Let me streamline it. Are you most interested in:
1 Original Story
2. Bizarre characters that studios wouldn't put on film.
3. Taboo subject matter.
4. Massive amounts of gore.
5. "Old school" special F/X
6. Campy cheese and a group of actors/crew that were obviously having fun.
Or something else. If you're expecting just another studio looking movie then you might as well get one of those, but maybe you want something to laugh at, be disturbed by or that untangible, "movie with heart".
Personally, I love old school F/X like puppets, costumes and models for spaceships. Even indies seem to be using a lot of CG now. I also like to see a movie with lesser know actors like Joel Wynkoop, Debbie Rochon, Monique Dupree and others that you can actually meet and talk to at cons and such. But I want to know at others get, if anything, out of these little movies.
Re: What do people want from an independent horror flick?
all of the above....i can deal with shitty acting if the story is good...spec. FX i like the old skool stuff i like how they play with lighting to let u see just enuff to make ur own monster...leaving it to ur imagination...i kinda see it like going to a strip joint...u see all there is to see and after a while ur bored...then u go to a burlesque show and the difference in how they go about things...they leave more to the imagination which can be aloooot better...ur imagination is KING!!also indies tend to be better because they arent restricted by what the "normies" want to see or find socially acceptable..
What do people want from an independent horror flick?
mmmmm cheesy goodness
Re: What do people want from an independent horror flick?
I think foremost i'm hoping for story. And not just an original story, but a GOOD story. Then i want decent acting so i can give two shits about whats happening in that story. I find that i do tend to gravitate towards movies with taboo subject matter; i suppose in an attempt to be shocked or horrified. I suppose what i want to get from an independent film is the feeling i get when i read a good book. Like i made an emotional connection along the way somewhere.
Re: What do people want from an independent horror flick?
It's any combination of these things that makes indie horror great. Movies like Skinned Alive and House on Tombstone Hill are so low budget that I watch them almost exclusively for their comedic value, but they are still two of my favorite movies - such quotable disasters. Then there are films like The Slaughter and Attic Expeditions, which IMO are actually well done and contain interesting characters (even if the acting's not always great), cool experimental effects & plots with subject matter that Hollywood is afraid of. I'll take a no-budget film with lots of heart over a big studio "let's just make a horro film because it has a fan base" any day.
Re: What do people want from an independent horror flick?
I like this. OKay. ANd I like that experimental F/X were brought up. All too often indie movies are just a showcase for "look what I learned to do online". It is fun to see somebody try something with the thought, "I wonder what this will look like."
I do think lots of times the acting is uneven in very low budget movies but that's largely because you have some people who will really go on to be actors and have studied a bit and some folks who fancy themselves actors and occasionally, the uncle who paid for the whole thing and just really wanted to be on camera for five minutes but can't act a lick,
Re: What do people want from an independent horror flick?
As an indie director myself, I can say I put HEAVY emphasis on the script. I would never even consider trying to find actors, a camera, etc unless I felt I actually had a script that was worthwhile.
With that being said, I just want to see people think outside the damn box, but too often these indie movies are just an excuse to make a "cliche with a twist" movie. Sorry, but don't waste my god damn time with your vampirism is a metaphor for drug addiction bullshit.
You're battling giant studios who can pour thousands of dollars into funding a movie that will have professional actors, writers, tech people, and guarenteed distribution. What you need to have is something that comes out of left field and punches you square in the jaw!
Maybe I have way too high of standards, but so what?
Also, be aware of what you truly have access to when you're writing your script.
Anyway, rant over.
What I want to see is freshness from the indies, what I want to see is 'outside the box', because we can. We can make those movies that big studios won't. SO LET'S FUCKING DO IT!
what people want from an indie flick!
thats right metal, to fookin right mate , freshness, i like that fact of being hit square in the jaw that would knock me out for sure!!
your right these guys that have nothing making movies for 10 dollars etc,,, do need extreemly great ideas, a great story makes up for the lack of moneys , but its gotta be so good that you can see what it would be like will a little more funding !!!1peace!!AAAAAAAAAAarrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Re: What do people want from an independent horror flick?
I dont want a vid that looks like someones acting studio homework. Like the kids got together with dads video camera and look what they did. I dont know them, so I dont care and am unforgiving. ACTING is important. I have seen stuff with NO background and special effects but the acting did NOT look like "acting" and didnt looks STIFF. If an actor can act, he can do a monologue in a box. Doesnt have to be academy award since they are learning or struggling but it CANNOT look like ANYONE can do it or WORSE. I guess the bottome line IS, to entertain, you MUST see TALENT. Otherwise its just a couple of wipes playing with a video camera. We ALL like to THINK or WISH that we have talent but sadly thats not the case, or its not the case when it comes to making something visual. Being a WANNABE, and hoping and wishing, DOESNT mean you are going to be good, and it DOESNT mean that people calling it SHIT are HATERS. They DONT OWE YOU anything, they are not mom and dad to be "impressed by their lttle boy/girl." A LOT of wanna be writers/directors/actors/efx cant take the true reality of criticism. You present something to people, you have given them the right, as they are taking time from THEIR lives, to praise OR critique. If the maker gets nasty afterwards, they should go run with scissors or something.
trying to be original
I think some filmmakers try too hard to be original without having seen enough movies to know that there aren't many truly original ideas left. I don't want to be told how original a story is and then realize it was done in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s with different titles and this guy just never saw it.
What about scope? Is keeping the scope small a good idea on a small budget or should people try for that "epic" piece even though there's not much chance of getting it right? A movie like "The Killer Shrews" (I know, not Oscar material) keeps things small through isolation. Small cast, single major location short time frame for the action. I think more indies should look at basic constructs like that rather than writing things with a cast that requires a hundred extras, closed streets and major gun battles.
Re: What do people want from an independent horror flick?
Regarding "scope", first off, this goes back to assessing what you have access to. If you truly have access to these things, like squibs for a gun battle, or grand scenary for an "epic" feel, then do it. If you don't, forget it.
Its okay to be ambitious and try for things, but don't reach so far that you trip over your own feet.
As far as originality goes, its true, it is difficult to be truly original. Even my movie, The Good Friend (check out the teaser on facebook and youtube and make a donation to the production funding on www.indiegogo.com/The-Good-Friend if you're able, spread the word, go team!) is based on a killer who uses the internet to select and track his victims. I know there have been movies that have already done that, feardotcom for example. What I've done is I've tried to pull away from the "tradtional" slasher movie aspects that I could've made the film into and explore the tragedy of what's happening. Whether or not I succeed is up to the viewer, but regardless, I've tried to take a fresh approach to it, which is what I think indie film-makers in general should attempt to do.
Be realistic about what you can and cannot shoot, and try to be fresh.
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