Okay, folks, here it is, the Grand Scheme! The Big Idea! What it's really all about!
The idea behind Cheapest Movies Ever is to attempt to create five movies of mid-length in a mere five months. It's crazy, I know. It's probably even stupid. It might even be a gimmick to get noticed. But, it's the plan.
I have shot short films over the course of one or two days, and mid-length features over a week. (A mid-length is between 35 and 65 minutes long. They are called mid-length because they are too long to be considered a short by film festivals which generally have a time limit of less than 30 minutes and a full-length is considered to be over 70 minutes. I can, in a very collaborative environment, birth a screenplay and a movie in about two months, though my best record was a film called CONTAMINATION (5 weeks!) which has been shown at so many comic/horror/fantasy conventions that I feel like EVERYONE has seen it. However, in the next couple of weeks, I am going to be putting CONTAMINATION online, for free, streaming right into your laptop, computer, or cellphone. Just in case you might have missed it. Heh, heh. It's part of a grassroots attempt to find out if anyone is out there listening. Subscribe to the blog, please, just so I know you're out there!
The grassroots campaign will consist of this blog, a website, a vlog showing what we're doing, a facebook page, a myspace (I know, no one uses myspace anymore...except all the people who do), and contests, stories, artwork, etc. It's all going to be free to you, whoever you are! Until the actual movies come out, that is... After all this work, the movies are going to have to have a charge associated with them, but I promise it won't be much. Less than the cup of coffee you get at the corner coffeeshop every morning. We are planning on touring the movies throughout colleges and pretty much anyplace we can get people to line up and buy a ticket. If you know of a venue, please let me know. Thanks!
The first movie is designed to be a hack-n-slash-six-kids-in-the-woods sort of thing, and it's currently called AFTER DARK. I know it's a generic title, and I even know it's a generic script. I am working on it now. It's still fairly intense, though, and should be a VERY harrowing experience. I have some actors lined up, and the script is nearly complete. It will be fun to start showing how we are doing stuff.
Please subscribe to the blog so that I have an idea of how many people may be following this insanity. It's easy, just click the "follow" button at the top left of the screen. I promise it will be an educational, entertaining ride!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
"How's the script going?" or why I sometimes consider hurting my fellow humans...
When last we met, I was beginning to tell you about the method I usually use to write and how well it works for me. Unfortunately, life, work, etc. has been getting in the way terribly over the last few days, and I am currently feeling like maybe I should consider hurting people. No, no. It's okay. The meds are working. Really.
Actually, you are going to get this a lot as you stumble down this path of creativity. Don't fret, though, because I have some things that will make people back off. Yes, a chainsaw WILL make them back away, but then there's all that explaining later. Better to try these excuses, er, explanations.
"I had to find a new direction since it turns out Shakespeare was writing a hack-n-slash when he died, and they are terribly similar."
"The police contacted me and said a serial killer had found my work and was using it to copycat the murders in my script."
"I decided to give up, and make it a musical, instead. Alan Menckin is dying to collaborate!"
"It's going slowly because it just feels like everything else out there, and I need it to be unique." (This one is true, by the way. As I am writing, it feels a little generic. I know I can make the movie I am writing, but I am not terribly interested in seeing it. Part of that is the characters, and another is the formula of the hack-n-slash. I am working on this by trying to be less predictable, and more character-based.)
"I am worried about the order of production on the features due to rapidly changing weather patterns in the world and my life." (Also true. Weather has been pretty drastic recently, and I am afraid we will not be able to film consistently if we start this project now, which makes me consider starting one of the other projects first. At the same time, the hack-n-slash has an easier production style so would be ideal to get people into the feel of filming. Also, my girlfriend sometimes makes it hard to write because she feels neglected when I spend time at the keyboard instead of with her. Stormy weather indeed.)
Use these explanations, and watch how people react.
See you on Wednesday!
Actually, you are going to get this a lot as you stumble down this path of creativity. Don't fret, though, because I have some things that will make people back off. Yes, a chainsaw WILL make them back away, but then there's all that explaining later. Better to try these excuses, er, explanations.
"I had to find a new direction since it turns out Shakespeare was writing a hack-n-slash when he died, and they are terribly similar."
"The police contacted me and said a serial killer had found my work and was using it to copycat the murders in my script."
"I decided to give up, and make it a musical, instead. Alan Menckin is dying to collaborate!"
"It's going slowly because it just feels like everything else out there, and I need it to be unique." (This one is true, by the way. As I am writing, it feels a little generic. I know I can make the movie I am writing, but I am not terribly interested in seeing it. Part of that is the characters, and another is the formula of the hack-n-slash. I am working on this by trying to be less predictable, and more character-based.)
"I am worried about the order of production on the features due to rapidly changing weather patterns in the world and my life." (Also true. Weather has been pretty drastic recently, and I am afraid we will not be able to film consistently if we start this project now, which makes me consider starting one of the other projects first. At the same time, the hack-n-slash has an easier production style so would be ideal to get people into the feel of filming. Also, my girlfriend sometimes makes it hard to write because she feels neglected when I spend time at the keyboard instead of with her. Stormy weather indeed.)
Use these explanations, and watch how people react.
See you on Wednesday!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The process of writing, or "Why is there blood on your keyboard?"
I have a method of writing that seems to work for me. MOST OF THE TIME! Basically I stare at the blank screen, concentrating so hard that beads of blood appear on my forehead, fall to the keyboard, and write a script. At least that's how it feels at the moment.
Truthfully, I DO have a method, and it's simple. I find someone that I trust. I go out to coffee with them, and tell them "Let me tell you a story..." I tell them the story, making it up as I go, watching their reaction, fixing problems as I create them, and taking notes all the way. If it's someone I really trust, they even take notes. After several hours, a great deal of coffee, and many trips to the bathroom (coffee does that to you), I have the basis of the script. The funny thing is that I usually start with something like "So there are these five kids driving along a back country road and they're talking about stuff that doesn't mean anything." In my notes I write "Scene 1: Introduce characters". By the end of the few hours, I am writing dialogue and action, and the notes are very specific.
"Hey, doesn't that mean that you have a writing partner?"
No. I tend to trust people who just want to hear a good story. I tend to be less trustful if they are wanting to put their two cents in. Why? Because this is my story I am trying to tell. However, I do have a friend, Adam Gaulding, who I trust enough to put his two cents in, because Adam never gets offended if I say "Let me tell you the story first..." and he listens intently. If I say "I am having trouble with this part...", he knows that means that I either need to talk it out, or he is going to ask it out. Asking out is when he asks me questions that lead me to the answer. Sometimes Adam just says "I would do this...", and it either leads me where I want to go, or I agree, and Adam begins to tell his version of the story. At that time, I have a writing partner.
So I am writing the first of the five scripts, and Adam has been my sounding board. I tried to tell the story to someone else, and they looked at me like I was NUTS! In fact, they told me I had a disturbing mind.
Well, it's a horror movie, you know. No fluffy bunnies and kitties here. Oh, wait.... Actually, there is a fluffy bunny in the movie, but it's dead. Anyways...
I take my notes and simply begin fleshing them out, one scene at a time, from start to finish. I try to keep each scene story driven, unless my notes say something like "Jeff and Kerri talk while walking. Develop characters." Then I get to play with these people in a couple of quick scenes that develop them a little bit. I hate intrusive character scenes where someone blurts out their whole life for no reason other than the people watching have nothing else to identify with. I prefer characters that the audience loves or hates based on their actions, inactions, or reactions. I can take a douche character, and turn them into the hero that way. Or the weak girl becomes strong, and the audience sees it along the way.
However, we're talking about the first draft here, and my first drafts tend to be sort of question and answer sessions between the characters, or long expositions that don't work or propel the story. FIRST DRAFT!!! Because when I am finished with the first draft, I immediately go back and read it. Not until the last page is written, though.
Did you hear me? NOT UNTIL THE LAST PAGE IS WRITTEN! If you start re-writing early on, you can get stuck in the process of writing, and then rw-writing the same stuff until you lose interest in the story and give up on it because you are either bored or disconnected to it.
So, don't do that. Finish writing it, and then re-write it. But finish first.
If you're wondering, I am on the finishing part of the first draft. It has a great pace, and it's fun. But it is going to need a re-write. I will get with you next week and we'll talk about that.
See you next Wednesday night!
Truthfully, I DO have a method, and it's simple. I find someone that I trust. I go out to coffee with them, and tell them "Let me tell you a story..." I tell them the story, making it up as I go, watching their reaction, fixing problems as I create them, and taking notes all the way. If it's someone I really trust, they even take notes. After several hours, a great deal of coffee, and many trips to the bathroom (coffee does that to you), I have the basis of the script. The funny thing is that I usually start with something like "So there are these five kids driving along a back country road and they're talking about stuff that doesn't mean anything." In my notes I write "Scene 1: Introduce characters". By the end of the few hours, I am writing dialogue and action, and the notes are very specific.
"Hey, doesn't that mean that you have a writing partner?"
No. I tend to trust people who just want to hear a good story. I tend to be less trustful if they are wanting to put their two cents in. Why? Because this is my story I am trying to tell. However, I do have a friend, Adam Gaulding, who I trust enough to put his two cents in, because Adam never gets offended if I say "Let me tell you the story first..." and he listens intently. If I say "I am having trouble with this part...", he knows that means that I either need to talk it out, or he is going to ask it out. Asking out is when he asks me questions that lead me to the answer. Sometimes Adam just says "I would do this...", and it either leads me where I want to go, or I agree, and Adam begins to tell his version of the story. At that time, I have a writing partner.
So I am writing the first of the five scripts, and Adam has been my sounding board. I tried to tell the story to someone else, and they looked at me like I was NUTS! In fact, they told me I had a disturbing mind.
Well, it's a horror movie, you know. No fluffy bunnies and kitties here. Oh, wait.... Actually, there is a fluffy bunny in the movie, but it's dead. Anyways...
I take my notes and simply begin fleshing them out, one scene at a time, from start to finish. I try to keep each scene story driven, unless my notes say something like "Jeff and Kerri talk while walking. Develop characters." Then I get to play with these people in a couple of quick scenes that develop them a little bit. I hate intrusive character scenes where someone blurts out their whole life for no reason other than the people watching have nothing else to identify with. I prefer characters that the audience loves or hates based on their actions, inactions, or reactions. I can take a douche character, and turn them into the hero that way. Or the weak girl becomes strong, and the audience sees it along the way.
However, we're talking about the first draft here, and my first drafts tend to be sort of question and answer sessions between the characters, or long expositions that don't work or propel the story. FIRST DRAFT!!! Because when I am finished with the first draft, I immediately go back and read it. Not until the last page is written, though.
Did you hear me? NOT UNTIL THE LAST PAGE IS WRITTEN! If you start re-writing early on, you can get stuck in the process of writing, and then rw-writing the same stuff until you lose interest in the story and give up on it because you are either bored or disconnected to it.
So, don't do that. Finish writing it, and then re-write it. But finish first.
If you're wondering, I am on the finishing part of the first draft. It has a great pace, and it's fun. But it is going to need a re-write. I will get with you next week and we'll talk about that.
See you next Wednesday night!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
"I want to make movies, but I don't know where to start!"
"Well, you gotta start somewhere, kid."
No, really. You do have to start somewhere. Ask yourself a simple question. "What five movies would I like to have if I were stranded for 20 hours on a deserted island with only a large bag of popcorn, a big screen tv and a dvd/blu-ray player?" Be honest, here. I really like a good movie with a semi-retired taxi-driver who desperately wishes he had pursued a career in acting as much as the next film-geek, but if I am going to be simply hanging out at the desert island entertainment center, I want horror movies. I want a pretty girl pursued by something horrible. I want a dark being from the distant past. I want to see a man battling his own inner monster. I want a scientist mutating into a slimy thing. I want a house of mystery and a door to terror. I want blood, gore, shivers, jumps, screams, laughs, and jolts! Dammit, I want to be ENTERTAINED!
I am not saying you have to like genre movies to follow this blog, but I am betting you'll get a bit more out of it if you do. Because on this desert island, you don't have a dvd/blu-ray player, or a big screen tv. You have a goup of willing people who love the idea of getting some fake blood in their hair, and trying something a little crazy, and you are going to make those five movies! Well, okay, I am going to make those five movies. In fact, I am going to make THOSE five movies! I am going to make them, and YOU are going to get to see how I do it!
How's THAT for entertainment?
Now, get outta here, kid. I got work to do!
No, really. You do have to start somewhere. Ask yourself a simple question. "What five movies would I like to have if I were stranded for 20 hours on a deserted island with only a large bag of popcorn, a big screen tv and a dvd/blu-ray player?" Be honest, here. I really like a good movie with a semi-retired taxi-driver who desperately wishes he had pursued a career in acting as much as the next film-geek, but if I am going to be simply hanging out at the desert island entertainment center, I want horror movies. I want a pretty girl pursued by something horrible. I want a dark being from the distant past. I want to see a man battling his own inner monster. I want a scientist mutating into a slimy thing. I want a house of mystery and a door to terror. I want blood, gore, shivers, jumps, screams, laughs, and jolts! Dammit, I want to be ENTERTAINED!
I am not saying you have to like genre movies to follow this blog, but I am betting you'll get a bit more out of it if you do. Because on this desert island, you don't have a dvd/blu-ray player, or a big screen tv. You have a goup of willing people who love the idea of getting some fake blood in their hair, and trying something a little crazy, and you are going to make those five movies! Well, okay, I am going to make those five movies. In fact, I am going to make THOSE five movies! I am going to make them, and YOU are going to get to see how I do it!
How's THAT for entertainment?
Now, get outta here, kid. I got work to do!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
What is CHEAPEST MOVIES EVER!!!?
Okay, so CHEAPEST MOVIES EVER!!! is my blog to share with the world my insane plan to take over the corporate controlled media empire by creating (and teaching everyone else how to create) highly entertaining movies on budgets so incredibly low that only a madman would believe it could be done!
To do this, I am going to make a series of movies which will become available within a few months as digital downloads, online rentals, and direct-to-dvd releases. I am going to walk you through the process. I am going to show you how to find actors and actresses (notice I didn't say I would help you find talent). I am going to discuss the cheapest, fastest, most reliable way to get your vision out there from concept, to completion, to advertising, and finally distribution. Some of it, we'll learn together. Some of it, I already know. I'll be the guinea pig, though, and you'll see if it works or fails.
I really look forward to hearing from people, and maybe even creating a buzz about what we're doing. I hope you love the concept and stick with us through the journey. It's going to be WILD!
To do this, I am going to make a series of movies which will become available within a few months as digital downloads, online rentals, and direct-to-dvd releases. I am going to walk you through the process. I am going to show you how to find actors and actresses (notice I didn't say I would help you find talent). I am going to discuss the cheapest, fastest, most reliable way to get your vision out there from concept, to completion, to advertising, and finally distribution. Some of it, we'll learn together. Some of it, I already know. I'll be the guinea pig, though, and you'll see if it works or fails.
I really look forward to hearing from people, and maybe even creating a buzz about what we're doing. I hope you love the concept and stick with us through the journey. It's going to be WILD!
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