By: Terry Jarrell
The love of movies has inspired countless creatives to embark on their quest in front of or behind the camera. Roll up our sleeves and let’s dive into some horror filmmaking!
Exact Science
Let’s get this out of the way right off… there is NO exact, set-in-stone way to make a horror movie. Or any movie, for that matter. Sure, you always need the obvious things like a camera, computer and assorted gear but we will be exploring more of these things as we go.
But the key things to make things to happen are harder to define. Drive, creativity, skills, experience, tenacity… Then there’s late nights, sacrifice, perseverance… But when you finally see your story or movie or project see the light of day, there is nothing like it!
Why? We do it for the love of filmmaking, storytelling and the horror genre. Let’s look at some starting points for newer horror filmmakers and some refreshers for those more experienced.
Likely Story
Great filmmakers start with a great story. Let me emphasize that word a bit… STORY. Again, there are countless ways to do some things but generally you will start with a story, then a script to build from then refined it as it evolves.
Mechanically, you will want to learn how to format and write your script. Don’t worry if you don’t have the fanciest apps or software to get started. If you don’t have the budget right now for Final Draft ($199.99) there are other good options to get you started. I am a Mac guy and have found Highland 2 ($49.99) amazingly powerful and use it for lots of my scriptwriting.
But don’t stop there… you can find plenty templates online for free. If you have something like Word or Pages, you can take off right away and keep your budget under control from the start as you work into more full-featured software and tools.
Where Does He Get Those Toys?
Lights? Check.
Camera? Check.
Ummmm… what am I forgetting?
Pssst… there’s about a million and one things to go, so it seems. Now, we have a matter of experience with things like this. With gear – like most all these other things – do yourself a favor and be honest about your skill level. I come from the indie world with budgets from zero to bigger productions and throwing money at the wrong direction can often make or break your project.
Cameras, for example, are a sweet siren song for a camera person. The newest bells and whistles should SURELY make me a better filmmaker, right? Not necessarily. Advice that I remind myself about is getting to know your gear. If you look, you can often find tips or tricks about the camera or sound recorders or software you already have which can do the job perfectly.
Drones, 360 cameras, smaller technology in so many forms that it’s mind-boggling! Not too many years ago, it was a big deal to find a camera at all to shoot something at all. Now, there is literally no excuse to start your project even though small… we all have pretty decent cameras in our cell phones. If that is all that you have right off, don’t let that stop you. You will even find groups online who revolve around iPhone and similar phone filmmaking. Sure, it’s not the best in the world but it’s better than holding you back!
The old saying about ‘you’ve gotta start somewhere’ is the difference of doing something rather than doing nothing. Learning is a superpower!
C’mon People!
So, you have settled on your script, put together a budget and got your gear ready, now what? OH! People! Yeah, others interested in being part of your project. Actors, directors, graphics, special effects, horror make up, locations, logistics and… craft!
Once you are to here, then you shift into manager-mode. Budgeting (there’s that ‘b’ word again) literally everything from the coffee at the table-reads through promotions and marketing. One of the first things about getting handle on costs early is quite wise advice. Plan, plan, plan!
Talk with others about their experience in similar situations, get valuable feedback and again, learn! So many great people from many different levels of experience can offer wonderful pointers in many ways. Tap into podcasts or YouTube videos featuring other filmmakers and see if you can find at least good tip. Many live podcasts also have live commenting where you can interact with the filmmaker guests. You might find gold in those shows.
Not Like Pulling Teeth
These are just some very, very basic starting points. Much information can be taught, learned or acquired in a variety of ways. The BIG thing any filmmaker needs, no matter if you are brand new or quite seasoned, is the drive and love of what we do. Sometimes, it might feel like pulling teeth, but it’s all worth it in the end the first time you watch your name on screen!
Personally, I have wanted to be filmmaker since I was a kid watching Vincent Price and Hammer Films and other classics from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. More than just nostalgia these are the roots for the love of horror for us. Bringing this passion and love for the genre has never been more alive and it is thrilling to see so many new horror filmmakers embracing this today. The technology and tools we have at our fingertips now, the future is so bright for creating scary movies!
Follow along as we explore even more facets about ‘Are Your Ready To Make A Horror Movie’!