I remember, a long, long time ago, in a Borough far, far away, the Sci-Fi channel was a big deal. And no, I didn't misspell that. Way back then "Sci-fi" stood for science fiction, not Science Fiction and Fantasy and the channel was mostly made up of OLD shows and movies. Super hero shows and movies like "Spider-Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" filled up Sci-Fi's broadcast hours. It was a specialty channel for a small audience. A niche market.
Independent filmmakers often fell into horror and monster movies for a similar reason. Younger audiences ate up the "mindless" action, but Hollywood and major studios wanted little or no part of it because it was difficult to make a lot of money with. Then some popular "slasher" movies came along, made a bundle and horror was big for awhile. Independents could still get in with overt gore and truly strange storylines or offensive material, but the gap between major and minor pictures has been closing.
For awhile the F/X that digital filmmaking has allowed us to do on smaller budgets was a good thing. It lifted the limits of doing imaginative science fiction. No longer would we read a script and say, "We can't do that." Rather, it was a matter of whether or not we could afford the software or stock footage to pull it off.
But now comic book movies, science fiction and horror have become super mainstream. Any day of the week you can watch a super hero do super things. Most channels have something scary, creepy or suspenseful in their line up. You're hard pressed to find shows that don't involve time travel, space, technology or someone with an uncanny ability. Sci-fi, fantasy and horror are no longer a specialty market and therefore the smaller movies are now competing with blockbuster budgets toe to toe. Storylines and characters have to be more compelling. No longer are formulaic three act scenarios that people have seen over and over feeding an unquenched thirst for monsters. Digital F/X are being used by major studios that spend $1 Million an episode and $200 Million for a feature film. That cool fire burst you can do in After Effects isn't impressing anyone anymore. Kids have access to CG overlays in phone apps.
Horror movies are scarier and more intense than ever and everyone wants to see them. "Boobs and blood" is still the mantra of many, but how much longer will audiences be excited by that? It's mostly nostalgia now, isn't it?
So, do indies bow out? Do we admit defeat by the almighty dollar?
We can. Or, we can go back to basics. The things some movie makers never lost, but that nobody seemed to care about before. It's actually cheaper to write a compelling story, look at things in a slightly different way and create characters with some emotional depth. Your actors will appreciate the extra work they have to do to sell a character with a deep past. I do think that this all changes the landscape a bit, but in a good way if we can keep up.
I'm working on what is likely my last "feature" for awhile. Digital online serials are where I'm focusing after Jack vs Lanterns. Short episodes that are as long as they need to be to tell the story and develop the character condensed into easily digestible, binge worthy watches. I like this new format of flexible story telling. Six episodes may add up to a feature when it's done, but the pacing can be faster while the build to the final stroke is still slow and suspenseful.
Keep the casts small, the stories tight, but the stakes high and universe big. That's our plan. What's yours? How are you tackling the new horizon of horror and sci-fi being so popular that it's practically the new Western? Will you switch genres, methods or both? Will simple real world based dramas be something people hunger for again now that escapism has become the norm?
Independent filmmakers often fell into horror and monster movies for a similar reason. Younger audiences ate up the "mindless" action, but Hollywood and major studios wanted little or no part of it because it was difficult to make a lot of money with. Then some popular "slasher" movies came along, made a bundle and horror was big for awhile. Independents could still get in with overt gore and truly strange storylines or offensive material, but the gap between major and minor pictures has been closing.
For awhile the F/X that digital filmmaking has allowed us to do on smaller budgets was a good thing. It lifted the limits of doing imaginative science fiction. No longer would we read a script and say, "We can't do that." Rather, it was a matter of whether or not we could afford the software or stock footage to pull it off.
But now comic book movies, science fiction and horror have become super mainstream. Any day of the week you can watch a super hero do super things. Most channels have something scary, creepy or suspenseful in their line up. You're hard pressed to find shows that don't involve time travel, space, technology or someone with an uncanny ability. Sci-fi, fantasy and horror are no longer a specialty market and therefore the smaller movies are now competing with blockbuster budgets toe to toe. Storylines and characters have to be more compelling. No longer are formulaic three act scenarios that people have seen over and over feeding an unquenched thirst for monsters. Digital F/X are being used by major studios that spend $1 Million an episode and $200 Million for a feature film. That cool fire burst you can do in After Effects isn't impressing anyone anymore. Kids have access to CG overlays in phone apps.
Horror movies are scarier and more intense than ever and everyone wants to see them. "Boobs and blood" is still the mantra of many, but how much longer will audiences be excited by that? It's mostly nostalgia now, isn't it?
So, do indies bow out? Do we admit defeat by the almighty dollar?
We can. Or, we can go back to basics. The things some movie makers never lost, but that nobody seemed to care about before. It's actually cheaper to write a compelling story, look at things in a slightly different way and create characters with some emotional depth. Your actors will appreciate the extra work they have to do to sell a character with a deep past. I do think that this all changes the landscape a bit, but in a good way if we can keep up.
I'm working on what is likely my last "feature" for awhile. Digital online serials are where I'm focusing after Jack vs Lanterns. Short episodes that are as long as they need to be to tell the story and develop the character condensed into easily digestible, binge worthy watches. I like this new format of flexible story telling. Six episodes may add up to a feature when it's done, but the pacing can be faster while the build to the final stroke is still slow and suspenseful.
Keep the casts small, the stories tight, but the stakes high and universe big. That's our plan. What's yours? How are you tackling the new horizon of horror and sci-fi being so popular that it's practically the new Western? Will you switch genres, methods or both? Will simple real world based dramas be something people hunger for again now that escapism has become the norm?
No comments:
Post a Comment