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Post by nigel on Jun 1, 2008 8:27:19 GMT -5
Raising money for your film.
Top in the dream world ways:
1. Speak to filming bodies like FACT or lottery. 2. Pre sell your film. 3. If your script is amazing and you have stars in place, distribution companies may put money in. 4. Approach TV and production companies for capital.
Top realistic ways:
1. Ask friends and family to invest. 2. Sell your house or take another mortgage out. 3. Fund it yourself, maybe you have some savings, or a rich uncle, ask them for money (Mark had a Rich uncle who funded Coven which American Movie was based upon). 4. Borrow or take a loan out of a bank. 5. Form a company and sell shares (George Romreo did this Night Of The Living Dead) 6. Take your short film around doctors and dentists asking for investment. (Sam Raimi did this for Evil Dead)
Top illegal ways:
1. Raid a bank. 2. Become a pimp daddy.
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Post by nigel on Jun 1, 2008 8:24:01 GMT -5
Production
This section will be short and intense. Just like the shoot. And you are going to shoot. Why? Because you have told everybody you are making a film. Good. By now the embarrassment of not making it will be too great. Loss of face is a great motivator.
Locations, actors, props, equipment etc. have all been taken care of by your meticulous organisation. You have storyboards, schedules and shot lists to let you know what you have to shoot each day. Nothing's being left to chance (with the possible exception of the weather and you've got contingency shoots for that as well). So what's all the hassle, what's all the fuss about film making.
Basically time. You're never going to have enough. You have to be shooting just fewer than two cans of film a day. There will be no rest in between set-ups, while the crew sets up the lights and cameras for the next shot you will be going over lines with the actors. But then the makeup people and wardrobe people will want to see them and then it's time to walk through the shoots. All for one minutes worth of film. Then on to the next set-up. Bang-bang-bang. And of course things will go wrong.
But when they do, be polite, be calm. Filmmaking is one of the paths to Zen. Nothing is a problem. If you can't get something done for various logistical reasons, work round it. The solution you will have to find may give a better result. This is the rush of filmmaking.
But following some of these simple procedures, which will lessen the chance of death, by ulcer bleed, can alleviate much unnecessary stress. Then you can get on with the main task of translating the movie in your head into reality.
Locations
If you are using a number of locations, good scheduling should ensure that all the shots you need at the one location are done in one go, don't travel there and back if you can help it. The longer you can stay at one location the better. Travelling and striking the set is time wasted. If the equipment can be secure there all the better. If you are moving from location to location make sure you have adequate transport (a transit van at minimum). If you are filming on public property check with the council and the police. One of the few advantages of the British industries sorry state is that unlike America where movies are thought to spell money and everybody wants their cut, in Britain film making is seen as a hardy but possibly foolhardy adventure, so already sympathy is on your side, when it comes to getting permission or not having to pay for locations, etc.
Actors
Unless you are coming from the theatre side of direction, Actors are probably going to appear like pains in the butt. They're always whining or wanting approval and you've got a film to make. But you wouldn't do it. Many people behind the camera have a mortal fear of being in front of it. So appreciate it. You need an ego to act but that doesn't mean that it's not delicate. Tell people if they are doing a good job and be firm and kind and supportive of them if they aren't. You can't be thanking them all the time though; you've other things to think about. So make sure your AD is paying attention to their needs physical and mental.
You will probably not have anytime to rehearse your actors before hand. You will of course rehearse the set-up a couple of times. But don't fret actors only have to get it right once (or twice) for 30 seconds, and then they can forget about it. If they really screw up, continue shooting the shots line by line if necessary, using different angles of reverses, cutaways etc. to save it in the editing room.
Make sure the actors are there an hour before you need them so that they can be made up and they can pick up the general buzz off the set.
Actors should be providing heir own wardrobe as much as possible so it will save you time in wardrobe and money etc. But if their clothes get damaged at all, always pay up, right away no questions. And you should be covering there other expenses where possible.
Don't be afraid to use the crew as extras. Hell. What were they doing anyhow? And don't worry if the same extras turn up time and time again. If they're good extras i.e. they just "Be" you shouldn't notice them anyhow. Besides if people are looking at the extras, there's something wrong with your story.
Shooting
When setting up the lights try as much as possible to light for the scene not the shot. Tweak the lights by all means, but the easiest way to keep-to-keep lighting continuity, is light it, shoot it.
Shoot mute where possible. Set ups are faster. You don't have to wait for perfect sound conditions. If it’s a choreographed action scene, actions can be shouted as it happens. But at the same time be generous enough to allow sound people to get wild tracks if they are needed (like when everybody else is at lunch). It can be a hassle getting them afterwards. Look what happened to John Travolta's soundman character in Blow Out. But otherwise shoot it mute. Why sync a car passing when you can grab it off a sound FX CD later.
Before you are ready for a take you should have a quick look through the camera just to check framing, composition, the line, etc. Each take should be measured with a tape ruler to make sure that all the action is taking place within the lenses depth of field. Because if that shot isn’t in focus and you're living without rushes the first time your going to know about is when you're watching the telecine. I.e. when it's too d**n late. And measuring works, one film I did had seven hours of footage but thanks to a diligent camera assistant, only one shot was "soft". The camera assistant should also be checking for flare from lights reflecting on the front of the lens.
Sound will shout speed to let the director know he/she is ready, the clapper will announce the take and only then should the camera start running. Camera shouts mark and the board are clapped. This will save film. Make sure the clap is visible; as is the information on it and that it is held still while clapped so the editor read it properly later.
In Britain there is a tendency to shoot slates. To my mind it is easier to shoot by scene number, each set up marked alphabetically within that scene. It makes life in postproduction a d**n sight easier when looking at the clapperboard. It also saves you splashing out for any stupid 100th slate celebration bollocks. Save it for the wrap party.
After every shot check the gate. It's better to find out now that the shot was ruined rather than later.
The Continuity person should be able to interrupt anyone or anything. Your production budget may not be up to James Cameron standards, but decent continuity should cost you nothing and will add to your production values. I.e. people will be watching the story not the mistakes. Polaroid's are one method of keeping continuity but they can prove expensive. Better to borrow a video camera and use that instead. The continuity person in their script supervisor role should be tram lining the script as scenes are shot. I.e. marking on the script to where each set of dialogue pertains and the number and letter of the take.
Additionally the sound person and the camera assistant should be filling in sound sheets and camera logs after each take. The logs are usually available free from labs, so use them. It will stop the editor coming round to kill them later.
Exteriors and some cutaways can be shot after principal photography. Some cutaways can be shot while the actors prepare for scenes. If you see a hand dialling the phone it doesn't have to necessarily be a specific actors hand (but try to get a fairly close match for Christ sake.)
Because your shooting schedule is so tight it's easy to get into the frame of mind where the number of set-ups not the quality of the shot becomes the important thing. Obviously the camera set up cannot take forever, but try to compromise. Otherwise all the shots tend to become static. Try to schedule for some out of the ordinary shots. Wheelchairs as we all know can act as dollies. See saw devices can be used for crane shots. Rent a low trailer and shove a car on it and do some travelling shots.
Should you be packing up all your film everyday and be sending it off the labs? Only if you want to make the courier company rich. You will not be seeing any rushes. So wait to till the end after storing your film safely and then send it off all at once (packed very safely). Better still drive to the lab yourself and hand it over. That way you know there were no screw-ups.
Lastly make sure you have enough petty cash to see you through the day. Unfortunately it is the grease of movie making.
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Post by nigel on Jun 1, 2008 8:21:36 GMT -5
PRE-PRODUCTION
Pre-production is probably the most important part of the film making process and like Roger Corman said the cheapest.
Pre production expenses should run to some stamps, some paper and envelopes and some (probably hefty) phone bills. But beside that all the brainpower and organisation that goes into the pre-production process should cost you nothing. So it is worth taking your time at this stage and getting everything you can right. And time is the one thing that you probably do have plenty of. It is never too early to start organising for your film. One suggested ratio is that five preproduction days should be allocated for every production day. Because you aren't going to be able to pay for services on demand, you will have to take even more time that this to make sure that everything is in place. Six months before you start shooting would not be a bad time to first start thinking about what is going to have to be done. Because once you start shooting anything left unorganised is going to cost you a) massive amounts of stress and b) possibly money. So get it right!
The Paper Trail.
In the industry, the pre-production process gobbles up acres of rain forest. And despite your right-on-ness you're going to be no different. Industry practice exists because it works (at least as regards pre production) and you want to prove to your investors or buyers or future employers that you are working in a professional manner.
There seems to be a tendency among no budget film makers, if not exactly make it up as they go along, to keep it all in their heads and translate it like the oracle to their crew on the day. Now this can work. Rick Schmidt argues this is where the magic of no budget film comes in as the accidents of time and space bring that certain je-ne-sais-quoi to your film. Well I think at this budget level if that magic isn't happening you might as well pack it in. But it's going to happen even if you are very organised. So get organised.
Also, to translate the movie in your head into the real world, at the end of a seventeen-hour day, your film might be losing something in translation and your only going to find out maybe eight weeks later. A script breakdown, shot list and a storyboard are not going to make you any less creative. They're your storyboards, etc. so you can also ignore/change them but is better that they are there.
Before you start on the paper trail, my advice is get hold of a computer and somebody that can work it. Specifically somebody that can work spreadsheets and databases and if they can compose amazingly crawly begging letters into the bargain so much the better.
The script
Hopefully from an artistic point of view, the script will be as good as it can be got and because you have already written it with your budget in mind there should be no nasty surprises when you are breaking it down. E.g. the chariot race was dropped. Your script should be being running about one page a minute in standard script format so your script should run to not less than 70 pages absolute minimum. If there is action in a script you should describe in real time. This stops any nasty surprises, like coming up 20 minutes short of running time. Of course long scenes can be described in few words. Like "Napoleon retreats from Moscow" for example. But otherwise detail that action. If nothing else it will help you when you have to come to the practicalities of planning the shot.
By this stage you have hopefully worked out how many characters you have, how many story days (and therefore possible changes of costume) the story runs or will it require costumes that the actors cannot provide themselves, are any night shoots really necessary, how many locations there will be, etc.
Breaking down the script
Once the script is in it's final form, you can start to break it down. This is done by preparing industry standard break down pages, and going through the script scene by scene (one breakdown page per scene) to figure out what is required in terms of actors, costumes, set, locations, equipment, transportation, etc. in each scene. The requirements for each scene can they be broken down by departments (camera department, art department, etc.) and the relevant information passed on as to what those departments will need or have to organise or have to purchase. If you know somebody that can make relational databases do their stuff, it is possible to set the whole break down system on a database, using the scene number as the one to many relationship.
The breakdown page is also important because it is from this that the budget and schedule will be prepared.
The Budget
Industry standard budget sheets which are broken down under specific process and department headings can be taken from any number of books on the subject or alternatively get hold of a Channel Four budget breakdown, essentially the industry standard in Britain. You will of course be able to dispense with many of the headings but in determining what should and shouldn't be left out, it should give you food for thought as to the necessary and the unnecessary. When you've decided which headings are relevant get them put on to a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet will do all the hard work of adding and subtracting and VAT calculations and give you running totals as you adjust your figures.
If you haven't quite worked out the necessary and unnecessary at least you can start on the affordable and unaffordable. And it is here the real fun of NBM making begins (in my opinion). What can you scam, what can you hustle, what can you beg or borrow to lift you film production values up from the bargain basement. How are you going to get what little money you have up on screen and make it look ten times as much. Who can you sweet talk bribe or harangue into acting for you, giving up their car, or their life for three weeks? You'd be surprised how many people are still seduced by the glamour of film and will grant you all sorts of favour and license should you but ask.
One thing you have to offer people is a cut of the profits (should there be any) but this should generally be offered to only the cast and crew and of course any investors.
By preparing the breakdown pages and the budget you enter into the debate with yourself about what you really need for your film. If your budget is woefully under the amount needed to realise your vision, you have a choice, change your vision or figure out how to get more money.
Scaling down your vision of course can be as simple as letting a few scenes go. Changing some night shots (which could require big lights and cabling etc.) into day shots or at least day for night or dumping a scene with a lot of extras or letting go of a location that was going to cost. Shoot mute and dub the sound. But hopefully you've written a script that you won't have to change radically.
One cost that you will have to add on to your budget will be insurance. This can be had from specialist brokers for about £100 a week. Get it. Because if you drop a camera (god forbid) it is going to cost you a d**n sight more than a two or three hundred pounds. Negative insurance (i.e. the cost of putting what is on the negative back on the negative) and personal liability should be included in the price as well as equipment.
Petty cash and Contingency. Contingency money is usually calculated at something like 10% of the budget. In your case this is likely to manifest it self as petty cash. Film is a machine and is unfortunately lubricated with money, and during a shooting day you will find yourself handing out money for everything from food to petrol to makeup, etc. No matter how hard you plan this is going to happen, and at current prices £50 a day isn't uncommon, so you are going to need at least £500 for petty cash. Budget overruns elsewhere should be easier to contain by keeping a constant eye on what is spent. This is where a credit card comes in handy. It is harder to spend than cash, if only yourself and say the production manager have a card on the same account. Because if it only you that has a card, you often can't be there, so get two cards. Watch your shoot ratio, every extra can of film (while perhaps quite cheap in itself) translates into more lab and telecine time.
The Schedule
Scheduling unlike script writing is an art. A good schedule means people and things turn up when they are supposed to. If it's raining you got alternative scenes to shoot and you'll be able to see the progress you're making as you whiz through those set-ups. Good scheduling means the efficient use of time and that means money saved and stress negated.
Good scheduling is doubly important on NBM because you will have little or no slack in terms of time or money. You will have to take into account that many members of your cast may be working or have other (paying) commitments, and having the right cast members turning up on the right days to fit in with locations or props or equipment that may only be available for a few days or possibly even a few hours will beset you (or your production manger) with problems of logistics that would befuddle Einstein (never mind Eisenstein).
From the breakdown page thin strips are made for each scene containing information on the location, cast, storyday etc. Traditionally these strips were made up on pieces of card and put onto a production board, a foldout folder effort in which the strips could be rearranged. Production boards can cost a packet. As easier solution is to make up spreadsheet that mimics the breakdown strips (see illustration) and the strips can then be rearranged by the cut and paste commands in the programme. Because the spreadsheet can then be printed off the "production board" will be available to a wider group of people in a neat accessible form, replacing the call sheet. There are also specialist computer programmes that do this, the best being Movie Magic.
As production time comes closer, the board can be adjusted to suit the prevailing situation. As scenes need to be dropped or rescheduling during the shoot the necessary changes can be made.
Besides how are you going to shoot it, it is worth thinking about when you are going to shoot it. My advice would be shoot in the summer (unless you particularly want or need wintry scenes or a lot of darkness). In summer it's warmer, people are generally happier, it's easier for people to take holidays, you'll have longer shooting days because of the light, the weather should be better (but no guarantees in Britain) and locations such as schools or colleges can be relatively empty. A film makes a good year project, scripted in January, produced for 6 months, shoot for two to three weeks in August, a week off, and then four months post production, film ready for Christmas ready to start again.
The main shoot should last 14-21 days. Non-synced establishing shoots and certain cutaways can be shot afterwards, perhaps on a cheaper (or free) but noisier camera.
You should be aiming to shoot about (maximum) about two rolls of film a day. Shooting four to one this will give you about five minutes of screen time a day. Therefore the minimum shoot will be a fortnight. If you can afford to take it slightly slower good. 17-hour days make for good war stories but they can be very inefficient. You, and your crew will need sleep; people can get very cranky otherwise. 14-hour days (with meal breaks) seem to produce optimum results (along with 6 hours sleep a night).
Storyboard
When it comes to doing story boards people come up with all sorts of excuses for not doing them, like they might compromise their artistic integrity or something’, but they main reason people don't like doing storyboards is that they're plain f**king lazy. It's a hassle doing storyboards. I only ever did them when threatened with physical violence or worse by the AD and PM. But it was worth it. Why. Well at the end of the day, even if you don't keep to the shots you've drawn because of time, financial or artistic restrictions, at least you've brought the movie in your head, out of your head into a concrete form that other people can look at and discuss with you. It brings you film into the real world, and enables you to engage in debate. And the more you have to think about how you going to get that shot or express that emotion the better. It doesn't matter that you stick people you draw may look like they've got some horrible degenerative disease. It's the mental process of putting down on paper that is the point of the exercise. Of course you may be able to convince somebody else to do all the drawing for you, in, which case your laughing.
O f course some will argue that this goes against the whole spontaneous, improvised feel of some no budget art house movies. And it may be true that if this is the feeling that you want, if you are an amateur, storyboards are not for you. But as I've mentioned before the movie in your head can get a bit fuzzy after 14 -16 hour days. And of course there’s the possibility that the editor might come looking for you with a knife (and this could be true even if you're doing your own editing) because certain shots just aren't there because you "forgot".
How detailed your storyboards are up to you. Time is the one thing that you do have, so you could even just draw a shot a day for three months. That wouldn't be too hard. It can help keep your morale up when you wonder why you embarked on the project in the first place. You are of course editing in camera, and with sufficiently detailed storyboards, you could bring your shoot ration down to say two to one (or lower). Storyboards also make for easier editing. Finnish director Renny Harlin (Mr. Genna Davies and director of Die Hard II, Nightmare on Elm Street IV, The Long Kiss Goodnight) claims to have delivered the final cut of Nightmare, two days after he finished shooting due to storyboarding.
But either way if you end up doing elementary sketches of each scene or meticulous angle-by-angle breakdowns, do it. You can then use your storyboards along with the script to make up a shot list.
Usually I would encourage where possible to let the computer take the strain of any work, but not in storyboarding a) because any of the storyboarding drawing programmes I have seen don’t cut it because their limited amount of characters and settings they provide could not hope to compete with your imagination and b) as I've emphasised the process of getting in on to paper is as important as the result.
On the other hand, you can do some pretty groovy 3D fly bys and walk through type stuff with CAD/raytracing and animation packages which may be useful for working out camera angles and tracking shots or set design. (Or attracting money.)
Crewing Up
You have friend’s right. They can read right. Let them read you’re by now extensive library of film books. They can become camera assistants, runners, grips etc. Some of them are in bands, right, and know about recording sound and might have DAT and microphones. Maybe some of them are involved with theatre and know about lights, make up, props and set building. It is also worth approaching any film schools or colleges that run video courses or any sort of video training outfit. Besides film\video student’s colleges turn out all sorts of qualified and under employed people who can do all sorts of things. Find them meet them and greet them.
As long as the camera person (who should also be acting as Director Of Photography) and the sound person know what they are doing everybody else can wing it if they don't have any relevant experience. Because the best way to learn about filmmaking is doing it. No contest.
How large or small can the crew be? Well I suppose it depends on many people you can con or condole into helping you. Ideally everybody should have one job but this will often prove impossible. But besides cameraperson and soundperson how small a crew can you get away with. You will need a camera assistant to move the camera, set up the tripod, take measurements (very important) and clap (if they're not pulling the lens into focus). You will need a boom op. A continuity person/script supervisor stills photographer. A gaffer for the lights. Someone to do props/set decoration that might also double as the makeup person. And a runner.
And if you are the defector producer (i.e. it's mainly your money) you will need a production manager. If your producer is different person they will act as production manager. It is said NBM are produced as much as they are directed, so get someone who is organised, they are as important as the director. They should be responsible for all the organisation from breaking down the script, to securing locations, keeping finances under control, making sure the crew is fed and rested and most importantly that the schedule is adhered to. All this without causing the director grief.
If you can hustle up an assistant director so much the better. Like the producer/production manger, the AD should be there to let the director direct with out having to worry about other things. This isn't to cocoon the director but he/she won't have the time to butt kiss all the cast and crew and tell them what a fine job they're doing. This is the AD's job.
Depending on the type of film, you might also need fight co-coordinators, stunt people, special effects crew, and pyro-technicians. Any extra hand can become grips, best boy/girls, clappers, and production assistants, 2nd ADs. And you can never too many runners. Or extras.
However big your crew or wherever you got them from, pick people you can get along with. You don't need wars on set, and believe me if war were going to start anywhere, the stressful nature of filmmaking makes it ideal. All energy must go towards the films.
Cast/casting
Actors by the nature of their job are usually resting. And chances are that if they are working you won't be able to get them. Unless you got such a killer script that Harvey Keitel will arrange finance and star in it (like Reservoir Dogs) or Christopher Lee will agree to a cameo (like Funny man). But chances are (no disrespect) you will have to make do. Not to say that you won't get at least two or three actors that are capable of bringing some depth and gravity to any role that they're given. Give these people the leads. For the rest of the cast (assuming that there is a rest of the cast) it's horses for courses. Get people to play themselves. If they happy chirpy, get them to play happy chirpy, serious, serious, etc. This can allow you to use non-actors to good effect. 17 stone guys called Wayne can make excellent heavies.
Legal Stuff
Besides Insurance it is well worth drawing up some sort of contract with your cast and crew. Besides giving your shoot an air of professionalism, a contract will also be important if (when!) you film makes money. It will be there in black and white what people are due which can save all sorts of rows. Contracts are also important in respect of any copyright assignments that might exist with music written for the film.
The contract does not necessarily have to be written by a lawyer or be absolutely watertight. Sample contracts can be found in any number of film books (mainly American) and adjusted to suit your needs. If you ever make enough money that every one is a hiring lawyer to sue you, take it as a sign you've made it.
Your crew will be working for percentages rather than a deferred fixed sum, because there's no guarantee that you going to make any money at all. But the beauty of percentages is that they appeal to the same mentality that makes people buy lottery tickets. How big should the percentages be? Well it depends on how many people are in your crew; you can't pay out more than a hundred percent though. Don't get greedy, you couldn't make a film without your crew help and buy the end of the shoot they will be like family. You can get greedy when somebody else starts to put up the bucks. And remember to save some of the profits for your next film.
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Post by nigel on Jun 1, 2008 8:13:16 GMT -5
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QLqqkphC1jU"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QLqqkphC1jU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
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Post by nigel on Jun 1, 2008 8:13:02 GMT -5
Amazing special effects videos.
With sfx you should start small, i painted little figures from there i did 1/6 1/24 /4 scale models, from there my own sculpted models and faces. Then on and on.
Here are some of the effects you can do with time.
Please note videos contain gore.
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Post by nigel on Jun 15, 2005 5:36:08 GMT -5
I was reading a article about Robert Rodregaz how before he was known he shoot over 200 short films. I thought this was interesting as I think we all think we can go right out there and make a fantastic film, I know i do.
So here is a list of directors and figures of films they shot before they shot there first feature.
WARNING this could be off putting for some!
Robert Rodregaz shot over 200 short films before he shot EL Marichi, he started when he was 9ish.
Peter Jackson shot 12 short films, Bad Taste was his 13th film, he started very young 9ish.
John Carpenter before Darkstar he shot more then six shorts plus god knows what else.
Sam Raimi first feature was Evil Dead, .he short three short films, also he made many super-8 films that resembled classic Stooge
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Post by nigel on Jun 1, 2005 8:03:48 GMT -5
By the way a list of directors who have never visted a film school... - Peter Jackson - Sam Raimi - Robert Rodriguez - Kevin Smith - Afred Hitchthingy - Tom Tykwer (very famous German director) - Fatih Akin (another famous German director) - Stanley Kubrick ROGER CORMAN - LLOYD KAUFMAN - James Cameron Christopher Nolan Steven Spielberg visited the UCLA film school just for a half year...then he joined the film biz...because the school was "too boring"
If you want to make films..DO IT! If you are talented enough your work will be recognised...
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Post by nigel on May 17, 2005 17:38:14 GMT -5
Stanley Lloyd Kaufman never really wanted to make movies, but wanted to work on Broadway Musicals.
But during his years in Yale, Lloyd got introduced to B-Movies and the work of Roger Cormasn. Lloyd later got the opportunity to executive produce a short movie made by a fellow student.
The movie was called Rappacini and made Lloyd even more interested in movies. He bought his own camera and took it with him to Chad, Africa were he spent his summer. There he shot a 15 minute movie of a Pig getting slaughtered. That was his first movie and known as the birth of Troma.
He showed the footage of the squealing pig being killed to his family, and how shocked they were made him wonder if shocking the audience would keep them wanting to see what would happen next. He wanted to be a director right there and then. He got a couple of friends in Yale and made his second movie, The Girl Who Returned. People loved it, and Lloyd went straight to work on other movies, helping out on projects like Joe, Rocky and Saturday Night Fever. Working hard hours, just to be in the credits and to get money for his next project, a full-lengtj movie. It was a tribute to Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and the Silent Era.
Even though Lloyd hated the movie, people seemed to love it. He formed a studio called 15th Street Films with friends and producers Frank Vitale and Oliver Stone. Together they made Sugar Cookies and the movie Cry Uncle from John G. Alvidsen. A Yale friend Michael Herz saw Lloyd in a small scene in Cry Uncle and contacted his old friend to maybe try to become a part of the movie business.
Michael got to work with them as they needed some help after Oliver quit to make his own movies. Michael helped invest in a movie they thought would be their greatest movie yet. The movie was Big Guss What's The Fuss. The Movie was a flop and 5th Street Films was ruined. Lloyd and Michael owed thousands of dollars to producers and friends and family members who had invested in the movie. Lloyd trying to find a quick way to pay of the bills made the movie "The Divine Obsession" and with Michael they formed Troma Studios hoping to get some decent movies since they only owned the rights to movies they thought were crap.
They got introduced to Joel M. Reed who came with an unfinished movie called Master Sardu and the Horror Trio. The movie was edited and finished at Troma studios which was only one room during 1975. The movie was called Bloodsucking Freaks and was screened at a couple of places. Troma got enough money to pay the rent so they wouldin't loose their company. Lloyd later got a call that a Theater wanted a sexy movie like Divine Obsession but with Softball. Lloyd did the movie "Squeeze Play" using all the money they had earned. No one wanted it, not even the theater that told him to make it as they wanted a porno movie. Later, a movie got canceled at a theater and they got Squeeze Play at the last minute.
The movie was a big hit. Lloyd, Michael and Troma got millions and they even had enough money to buy their own building (Wich still remains the Troma Headquearters). Troma kept on making Sexy Comedy movies (First Turn-On, Stuck On You and Waitress), but a lot of other movies had similar taste. More and more sex comedies were being made. Michael and Lloyd decided to make something different. After reading an article saying that Horror Movies Were Dead, it was decided to make a horror movie. The movie was called Health Club Horror, but soon became known as the Toxic Avenger and Troma was fully grown.
Lloyd and Troma have both become great icons to the movie world and horror and they have distributed over 1000 movies. Lloyd kept on directing horror/comedy movies filled with stuff to shock the audience like Monster in The Closet, Class of Nuke 'Em High, Combat Shock, War and Fortess of Amerikkka. Lloyd is still directing, writing, producing and starring in B-Movies and is currently working on the movie Poultrygeist which follows an army of undead chickens seeking revenge to a fast food palace.
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Post by nigel on May 30, 2005 15:04:12 GMT -5
its pretty much reading, internet and dvds i get my information, when he shot night of the living dead he sold shares for $125 each, thats how he rasied his money, the zombies where given $1 and a "i was on night of the living dead" t-shirt. When the film came out it was a massive flop, and hes mate told him to declear bankcrupcy but becuase he lived there and he loved his family and freinds he didnt and when he did this next film, night of the living dead become a hit I i think it got realesed. just some more info. lol.
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Post by nigel on May 12, 2005 9:41:16 GMT -5
GEORGE A. ROMERO
George A. Romero never set out to become a Hollywood figure. However, by all indications, he was very successful. The director of the ground-breaking Dead trilogy was born February 4, 1940, in New York City. He grew up in there until attending Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's renowned Carnegie Mellon University. After graduation, he began shooting mostly short films and commercials. He and friends formed Image Ten Productions in the late 1960s and they all chipped in roughly $10,000 apiece to produce what became one of the most celebrated American horror films of all time, Night of the Living Dead (1968). Shot in black and white on a limited budget of just over $100,000, Romero's vision, combined with a solid script written by him and Image co-founder John A. Russo--along with what was then considered an excess of gore, enabled the film to earn back multitudes more than what it cost, became a cult classic by the early 1970s, and was inducted into the United States' National Film Registry in 1999. Romero's next films were a little more low-key and less-seen, including There's Always Vanilla (1971), The Crazies (1973), Hungry Wives (1973) (where he met future wife Christine Forrest) and Martin (1977). Though not as acclaimed as "Night" or some of his later work, these films had his signature social commentary while dealing with issues (usually horror-related) at the microscopic level. And like almost all of his films, they were shot in or around Romero's favorite city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1978, Romero returned to the zombie genre with the one film of his that would top the success of NotLD, Dawn of the Dead (1978). He managed to divorce the franchise from Image Ten, which screwed up the copyright on the original, making them entitled to nothing from video prints. Shooting in the Monroeville Mall during late-night hours, Romero depicted the sorrowful tale of four people who escape a zombie outbreak and subsequently lock themselves up inside what they think is paradise before the solitude makes them victims of their own (and a biker gang's) greed. Shot on just $1.5 million, the film earned over $40 million worldwide and was named one of the top cult films by Entertainment Weekly in 2003. The film also marked Romero's first work with the brilliant make-up and effects artist Tom Savini. After 1978, Romero and Savini teamed up many times. DotD's success led to bigger budgets and better talent for the filmmaker. His early 1980s films had better casting. First was Knightriders (1981), where he first worked with an up-and-coming Ed Harris. Then came perhaps his most Hollywood-like film, Creepshow (1982), which marked the first--but not the last--time Romero adapted a work by famed horror novelist Stephen King. With many major stars and major studio distribution, "Creepshow" was a moderate success and spawned a sequel, which was also written by Romero. The decline of Romero's career came in the late 1980s. His last widely released film was the next "Dead" film, Day of the Dead (1985). Panned by critics, the film did not garner much at the box office either. His latest two efforts, The Dark Half (1993)--another King adaptation--and Bruiser (2000/I), went directly to video. Even the Romero-penned, Savini-directed remake of Romero's first film, Night of the Living Dead (1990) was a box-office failure. Pigeonholed solely as a horror director and his recent films no longer achieving the success of his earlier Dead films, Romero has not worked much since, much to the chagrin of his following. He still resides in Pittsburgh, working on a possible fourth chapter of his Dead series.
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Post by nigel on May 12, 2005 9:40:26 GMT -5
ROBERT RODRIGUEZ
Robert Rodriguez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, USA. At a very young age he showed an interest in cartooning and filmmaking and devoted all his time to this developing fascination. Finally it resulted for him in making real movies, and just first of them - Mariachi, El (1992) - made him the legend of independent ultra-low budget filmmaking. His further career is a sign for young filmmakers that even the most wild dream may come true if you are brave enough to follow your own path. Since then Robert has written, directed, and/or produced up to 10 cool movies, such as Desperado (1995), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), The Faculty (1998) and Spy Kids (2001).).
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Post by nigel on May 12, 2005 9:39:40 GMT -5
GEORGE MILLER
Now renowned as a world-class action director, Miller was actually in his final year of studies at medical school when a oneminute film he and his twin brother made won first prize in a student competition. He later met future partner Byron Kennedy at a film workshop and they collaborated on an award-winning short film before making their first feature, Mad Max (1979), a futuristic thriller about a cop out for revenge. The film became the most successful Australian film up to that date, and the sequel,Mad Max 2 (1981, retitled The Road Warrior outside of Australia), was a critical and popular smash internationally, making Mel Gibson a star and establishing Miller as an expert director of action films. Miller went on to direct "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," the best segment of the omnibusTwilight ZoneThe Movie (1983), as well as Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), the third of the popular series, before coming to America to make The Witches of Eastwick (1987), a very broad, entertaining adaptation of John Upd**e's novel. It was apparently an unhappy experience for the director, who immediately returned to his native country. Miller has also produced Australian productions, such as The Year My Voice Broke (1987), Dead Calm (1989), and Flirting (1990). In 1992 he returned to Hollywood filmmaking with the unblinking drama of parents facing their son's unfathomable affliction in Lorenzo's Oil (1992), which earned him an Oscar nomination for cowriting the screenplay. (Clearly, Miller's medical background drew him to the story and made him an ideal filmmaker to communicate this difficult material.) He is sometimes confused with another Australian director with the same name, who directed such films asThe Man From Snowy River (1982).
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Post by nigel on May 12, 2005 9:38:55 GMT -5
JOHN CARPENTER
John Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York. His family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where his father was the head of the music department at Western Kentucky University. He attended Western Kentucky University and then USC film school in Los Angeles, not the University of South Carolina. While there, he did "The Resurrection of Bronco Billy" and started "Dark Star". "The Coupe de Villes" included directors Tommy Lee Wallace and Nick Castle.
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Post by nigel on May 30, 2005 14:56:03 GMT -5
lol have you got the limited edition of bad taste?
He shot 12 short films before Bad Taste, also his first film was a war one with his mates in the trenches. its funny.
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Post by nigel on May 12, 2005 9:38:09 GMT -5
PETER JACKSON
Peter Jackson was born as an only child in a small coast-side town in New Zealand in 1961. When a friend of his parents bought him a super 8mm movie camera (because she saw how much he enjoyed taking photos), the then eight-year-old Peter instantly grabbed the thing to start recording his own movies, which he made with his friends. They were usually short, but they already had the spectacular trademark that would make Jackson famous: impressive special effects, made at a very low cost. For example, for his film "World War Two" which he made as a teenager, he used to simulate a firing gun by punching little holes into the celluloid, so that, once projected, the gun gave the impression of displaying a small fire. Jackson's first step towards the more serious filmmaking came with an entry in a local contest to stimulate amateur and children's film. For this film he used stop-motion animation to create a monster that ruins a city in the style of Ray Harryhausen. Unfortunately, he didn't win. When Jackson was 22, he embarked on an moviemaking-adventure that would change his life. This film, Bad Taste (1987) , was begun as any other Jackson film, in an amateuristic style, at a low budget and using friends and local people to star in his film. Jackson himself did nearly everything in the movie, he directed, produced, filmed and starred in it, in a number of roles, amongst them that of the hero, Derek. And everything was filmed on a second-hand, $250 camera. It took Jackson and his friends four years to complete the movie. What had started out as an joke in a group of friends, then became a cult-classic. A friend of Jackson who was working in the movie industry convinced him the film had commercial prospects and arranged for it to be shown at the Cannes film festival, where it won a lot of acclaim, as well as a number of prizes. The movie soon became a hit because of its bizarre humor and overdose of special-effects, some realistic, some hilarious because of their amateuristic look. After the success of Bad Taste, Jackson became recognized as a director and the door to fame and fortune was opened. He gave up his job at a local photographer's shop and became a well-known director of horror-movies, after the succes of his first professionaly made movie, Braindead (1992).
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