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Geek Culture / Advice on Movies

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Fallout3fan
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Posted: 1st Dec 2011 03:35 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:12
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MrValentine
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Posted: 1st Dec 2011 04:35 Edited at: 1st Dec 2011 04:36
Sorry... Hang on a sec... You want help with making the movie or script ideas?

This is almost like a team request to me...

But if you want opinions on what makes a good horror film...

A very good cast of experienced actors... Ones that do not look at the camera the whole time... And an effects budget that is not just post process filters...

Just my view in short...

In terms of making... Use a budget HD cam and use on scene filters and good lighting techniques...

I used to make high quality fast action videos before so take my word for it...

Sorry if I got confused and sounded harsh... If not GL.

EDIT

ahh the neverending occursed typo world.

PAGAN_old
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Posted: 1st Dec 2011 06:04
if you have cash to spend, my friend who knows a bit about cameras reccomends panasonic videocameras. For 600-700 bucks you can even get a semi professional panasonic videocamera. Thet are even better. I dont remember the model butbasically its one of the first cameras that dosent look like a regular cheap camera and more like a prodessional one. Slighty bigger than normal camera too


dont hate people who rip you off,cheat and get away with it, learn from them
Daniel TGC
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Posted: 1st Dec 2011 06:41 Edited at: 1st Dec 2011 06:43
Get a cheap camera, takes some mates to the woods, get them to swear and panic a lot, hang some dolls in the trees and call it Blair witch.

If you're grammar and language skills suck, write the script anyway and send it off to a professional proof reader or get a full copy edit done. For a 10,000 word script it shouldn't cost more than £250.

But remember even the principle photography of Blair witch cost $20,000 the final cost with production, advertising and all the other inflated rubbish that goes into making Hollywood movies cost somewhere between $500,000 to $750,000.

And remember these costs were for a movie made back in 1999, so it's going to be more in the region of $1 to $1.5 million I expect.

Ultimately, don't expect to make a serious movie if you're not willing to spend money, or more likely, don't have any.

The alternative is to make a youtube movie, for that you just need someone's camera phone, a comedy plot a copy of Power Director 10 and Adobe After Effects if you want to do the special effects thing, you can get that on a monthly subscription for £75. All you need then are some friends who don't mind making of themselves to a world wide audience.

Dreams are all very well as motivators, but you need to set out a budget, get your script finalized and then start convincing people to help then the money you get from youtube adverts might see you through to your next project. In a few years time with some experience and other projects under your belt you might be able to make your horror movie.

P.S. we've all sold our souls to the devil, like god he goes by many names.

Microsoft
Apple
Sony
Samsung
BP
etc...
After all when was the last time you read a software license agreement?

P.S.S.

For gods sake, hire an artist that cover graphic scared the pants off me, but not in a good way
Metal Devil123
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Posted: 1st Dec 2011 06:56
Ghost Rider was cool, it's one of those guilty pleasures for me.

But that selling soul to a devil thing, you should have a serious twist or something going on in there, as that idea has been done so many times. But best luck to you!

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 2nd Dec 2011 00:22 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:12
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Inspire
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Posted: 2nd Dec 2011 20:02
What I have learned from my foray in the moviemaking industry is make sure that you really make an effort to explain everything to the audience. You may understand exactly what's going on because you wrote it, and a lot of the audience may not be as savvy as you'd like them to be.

Wolf
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Posted: 2nd Dec 2011 22:49 Edited at: 2nd Dec 2011 22:50
Another titlegraphic certainly helps.

Quote: "Ghost Rider was cool, it's one of those guilty pleasures for me. "


Everything with Nic Cage is cool... even if director and writer are monkeys.

The right man with the wrong engine can make all the difference, doctor freeman...
Fallout3fan
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Posted: 3rd Dec 2011 02:53 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:12
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Fallout3fan
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Posted: 3rd Dec 2011 05:07 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:14
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MrValentine
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Posted: 3rd Dec 2011 05:15
Oh no he didnt...

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 3rd Dec 2011 05:18 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:14
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MrValentine
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Posted: 3rd Dec 2011 05:27
Nothing just ignore me...

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 7th Jan 2012 04:41 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:14
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Agent Dink
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Posted: 7th Jan 2012 05:19
A teaser is supposed to make you want to see the movie. This looks more like a storyboard. No offense is intended, but if you really are located in the USA, English is likely your first language. You can do better on the captions

Honestly there's not much in the way of advice to give other than don't release something for the sake of releasing it. Go out and actually film some real footage and put it into an actual teaser that would get someone hooked enough to subscribe. If I had just found this video on Youtube I'd likely never return to your channel.

http://lossofanonymity.wordpress.com
Fallout3fan
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Posted: 4th Mar 2012 02:54 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:15
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Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 4th Mar 2012 16:12
It's err awful. If you can't tell it's awful you have no chance of making a good movie.

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 4th Mar 2012 19:11 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:15
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Fallout
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Posted: 4th Mar 2012 19:26
To do anything like this, you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. What are you good at, and what are you bad at? You seem to be saying you're bad at writing/story lines, so you need to get someone else to write. You can't suddenly develop that talent from a few pointers from people on here. You're gonna have to be realistic and find the right people.

Good luck with your project.

Kevin Picone
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Posted: 4th Mar 2012 19:29
if making something up is too difficult, then take the situations and environments you're familiar with and fuse your characters/concept into them. At least then you've some reality to base your character in.

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 4th Mar 2012 19:54 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:15
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MrValentine
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Posted: 4th Mar 2012 20:41
Quote: "*Sigh* any other way?"


[looks at website... yup... still in the right place...]

Make a game?

Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 4th Mar 2012 21:36 Edited at: 4th Mar 2012 21:37
Quote: "Good point I thought that way too. I don't even know how to make a good serious story. I especially want to make a Sci Fi one. Darn, do you guys got any advice on how I can do better on plots? My high school isn't helping me and I haven't gotten to college yet."


If you watch a lot of movies try to guess the end of the movie as fast as you can. So if you can guess the end of the movie in half an hour you have successfully come up with a working storyline. If you get what I mean? By practising at this, you will eventually be able to think up your own beginning to a movie, and then figure out the end of your own movie.

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 4th Mar 2012 22:43 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:15
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Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 5th Mar 2012 03:06
Well for example I was watching Lost for many years, and I came up with an ending that they were all clones, and that this was an experiment to see if the clones could survive just like an average human could survive. In the end, Lost didn't have a good ending. But I had a storyline that could be used in a different movie. So if you did something like that, you would end up with a storyline that could be used in a movie.

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 5th Mar 2012 04:25 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:16
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zeroSlave
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Posted: 5th Mar 2012 04:59
Quote: " In the end, Lost didn't have a good ending."
I thought the same thing. I have since changed my mind a bit and accepted it for what it was. I was a fan from the beginning and I felt that so many things could have been done better/different (like a couple(ton) of unanswered questions..) Plus, I think the final showdown on the rocky bluff was kind of lame.

TheZachadoodle, I would suggest reading some good novels. By taking it in, it will help you to write better, become more aware of grammar, and feel the flow of how plots unfold. There are a plethora of styles from different authors and genres and I think the fact that a lot of great movies come from books shows how successful this tactic can be.

bitJericho
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Posted: 5th Mar 2012 14:14 Edited at: 5th Mar 2012 14:18
Writing is a learned skill just like anything else. Some people seem to have a talent outright, but I suspect very very few had it come naturally. It came through a keen interest and thousands of hours studying other works (reading) and writing.

So if you want to be a good writer, script or otherwise, start studying what you're watching/reading, and most importantly, start writing.

Write for a few hours every day and in a few years you'll be good enough to start writing good pieces of work.

To write a story, the concept is very simple. You create some characters, and have a plot. A beginning, middle and end.

Some people like to write up a plot, location, then the characters and their backstory, and then make a story out of it. This is the way I like to do it too.

So maybe you'll make a movie about trading your soul with the devil. I like computers so I'll make it about a computer nerd trading his soul for the devil. He works customer service. Maybe he gets a call from the devil one day.

So there's your plot.

Now who's the main character, what does he do? Who are his friends. Start writing about them. Once you know who all the players are, the story just writes itself.

Drew Cameron
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Posted: 5th Mar 2012 15:24
I think you should start out with a 2 or 3 minute short film.

I've written an article on this subject on my website
http://www.johnandrewcameron.com/?page_id=302 and I think you are the perfect audience for it.

Work on completing a really short film and that way writing becomes less of a component for you.

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 6th Mar 2012 02:49 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:16
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Drew Cameron
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Posted: 6th Mar 2012 12:32
We have shops in Scotland too and I've been making (and completing) films for many years now. I also make a full time living doing post production.

Take the advice because it comes from experience. Do a short film first.

Drew Cameron
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Posted: 6th Mar 2012 12:34
I'd be happy to critique a script if you have one. Then I'll tell you if you write great stories

Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 6th Mar 2012 14:46
Speaking of which, I miss Milk Paton. Long time no see, but nice one on working in post production full time, awesome to see you've got something out of doing your films.

Zach, I'm not a big script writer, though I am a writer so I don't mind offering critique either, even if it's from a non-film perspective but more in terms of plot and characterisation.

And I would take Drew's advice. I think 'start small' is a good lesson in general, be it film making, programming games, writing, counting sheep, taking a life of crime or assassinating abominations in the world of popular culture.


Drew Cameron
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Posted: 6th Mar 2012 14:50 Edited at: 6th Mar 2012 14:52
Seppuku, there is a new "episode" coming out in maybe 5 weeks. There is a wee preview of it and bits and pieces on my website (signature).

It's a 29 odd minute short film and you know what? It was still exhausting to make. Go short (to keep this on topic).

[EDIT] Good to see you still around Seppuku. I reckon I'll always keep coming back to these forums.

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 6th Mar 2012 23:03 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:17
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Fallout3fan
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Posted: 7th Mar 2012 03:22 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:17
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Insert Name Here
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Posted: 7th Mar 2012 15:04
Two questions:

One:
Quote: "Melts in the hot lava and gets through water of a lake in a Garden of Eden heaven"

What does this mean? 'Gets through water', what is that? And are you sure the Garden of Eden and Heaven are really the same thing?

and two:
Quote: "God tells him to stop the demon before he starts the rapture"

Why does God want to stop the rapture? Isn't the rapture what God wants to happen?

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 8th Mar 2012 00:03 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:18
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Fallout3fan
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Posted: 9th Mar 2012 04:25 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:18
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Mychal B
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Posted: 9th Mar 2012 11:33
Here is a link that might help if you read it over. Could inspire you with some ideas.
http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/creative/game-design/36-dramatic-situations-r255

The fastfood zombie killer
Fallout3fan
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Posted: 10th Mar 2012 06:19 Edited at: 10th Mar 2012 17:25
Went to that link one time and it got broken. You got another one?

Edit: Nevermind its working now.

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Fallout3fan
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Posted: 10th Mar 2012 18:46 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:19
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Fallout3fan
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Posted: 11th Mar 2012 00:32 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:19
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Diggsey
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Posted: 11th Mar 2012 02:20
You seem to be confused between an actual plot and a film summary. Having a movie with a particular character or a particular event doesn't determine how good the film's plot is. Writing a good story is about knowing how to influence the viewer: how to make them side with or turn against a particular character, how to suprise them with an unexpected turn of events, how to make them feel involved. Even (especially) films which are almost entirely action need to be able to do this, or the viewer just stops caring what happens, at which point the film is just terrible.

One way to get the viewer involved is to make them feel the same as a character. For example: if there is a twist in the plot, one of the characters could be surprised by it in the same way that the viewer is surprised by it. From that point on you've built a connection between the viewer and the character as they've shared something.

In general, having a character do something that the viewer can relate to and have the same emotional response will bring the viewer closer to the character.

In all scenes in the film there should be something at stake, or something unresolved. That could be anything from the lives of the characters being at risk, a relationship between them being at risk or something they are competing for. It may not be mentioned at all in the scene but it should always be there in the background or you've effectively ended one film and started another. Usually you would have multiple layers of things at stake, both long running and temporary ones, which paint a background against which the characters interact.

Finally, the films needs to be unpredictable. Perhaps it is obvious that it has a happy ending, but it is important that the viewer wants to know how that ending happens, who lives and who dies, etc. It shouldn't be completely random: there should be clues through the film about how it will end, and then when the viewer sees the actual ending, everything should slot into place and the film will have been a very satisfying experience.

[b]
Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 11th Mar 2012 15:08 Edited at: 11th Mar 2012 15:10
You realize that you have to write about 600 pages for your movie? It often has to be written in script form as well, which is something most people never come across.

Darren: (Wide eyed, and full of angst) "This place reminds me of a nightmare I once had."

Cindy: "No, it's totally awesome dude.. come on" (Walks ahead)

And if you are sending it to an agent, they will tell you exactly how it has to be laid out, right down to the font size.

Of course you are doing it for yourself, but you still need to hand a script to your actors. If it is animated you still need voice actors.

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 12th Mar 2012 00:07 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:21
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Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 12th Mar 2012 00:15 Edited at: 12th Mar 2012 00:20
I don't know where I got that from, it's only a page per minute rule of thumb. I read that it is only an approximation, and that 90 minutes is closer to 120 pages than 90 pages. I could have sworn it was more than that. I probably meant that describing the locations makes it twice as big.

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 12th Mar 2012 00:22 Edited at: 14th Feb 2018 23:21
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Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 12th Mar 2012 01:20
A Space Odyssey had hardly any talking in it.

Fallout3fan
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Posted: 12th Mar 2012 01:32
Oh... Then what is the minimum amount of script pages for an 80 minute movie?

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