Keep track of productions I'm involved with, things I'm writing and the general struggles of navigating through this half business, half art, all chaos world of science fiction and horror.
One of the easiest ways to have multiple sci-fi baddies played by only a few actors is to put a mask on your bad guy's lackies. Science fiction is especially helpful for this, because there are all sorts of reasons guys in space are wearing masks or helmets.
A super quick way to do this is to buy inexpensive plastic masks after Halloween, try to find a bunch of matching ones, glue on bits and bobs, slap on some paint and make them your own. However, what if you can't find 4 matching masks, or you don't actually have a use for that mask yet. Here is how I took a generic Halloween Hockey mask, added a dust mask and some other stuff and made the sci-fi "Gorilla Gas Mask" I'll be using in "Safety Check" this coming month.
Remember, before you take out the recycling, look for shapes!
Actually, maybe even shorter than that depending on how quickly you read.
I took a drone shot I pictured being able to use as an establishing shot the other day. It's slow decent from over main street down to the street sign. Trouble is, I didn't have a specific project in mind when I shot it. I just used the available light, which was pretty lousy because it was an overcast day in spots, and grabbed the footage while I had the time and a Visual Observer to help me fly safely.
What I would up with was a pretty generic piece of footage. So generic in fact it's possibilities are "endless". Or, at least there are two or three ways it can be used.
Here is a video in which I decided to try to two of the ways out. A happy, family T.V. show kind of shot. The type that would be used during the opening of the show or to establish where they are after a commercial break. And then, a decidedly darker shot. Something suggesting horror or suspense. The same shot, but with music and colors that will cause a sense of foreboding.
By now it's no secret that I love FREE resources. In fact, I have begun to build my own set of free images and videos, including armored soldiers and laser blasts, for the indie sci-fi filmmakers among you. You can find those resources on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HocusFocusProductions or my Facebook page: Indie Streams | Facebook
But, I want to let you know about a resource I have recently discovered. I was searching for public domain images of maps last night on my go to resource, the Internet Archives. The Prelinger Archives have supplied more than a few seconds of footage in my productions, including my recent short epic, "Space Chase". This particular visit, however, they did not have what I needed. So I searched on.
My search brought me to Pexels. This site is AMAZING. It has a licensing set-up very similar to my own. Simple, with attribution and/or tipping appreciated, but not required. From what I have read, it seems everything that is free to download is free to use under that agreement. If you need things which can be more fully immersed into your project and come on green screen or with more abstract backgrounds they have a paid sponsor, iStock. Those clips seem to run about $60 each. Cheap for that quality, but probably pricey if your budget is chips and snacks like my often are.
That said, with a bit of searching and creativity, if you don't have the budget for the $60 clips, you can probably make due with the images and videos available on the free site. You know my obsession with CG sci-fi corridors and hallways? Well they've got live backgrounds that fit the bill.
This hallway from a creator named Serinus is just fantastic.
To be honest, I haven't signed up because I hate having so many passwords and such floating around, but I may need to. With a resource and creator list this size, I don't know how I'll keep track. The suggested search terms are helpful in broadening or tightening what you're looking for and they even have images and video featuring people.
The one fear I do have is some of the images seem to be taken at parks and such. Without release forms "in hand" you have to wonder if the artists aren't sometimes giving away rights they don't actually have. I can tell you it's fine to use photos I've taken in my backyard or from a public street. Photos of Mickey Mouse I shoot at Disney can be a bit more of a quagmire. So, use the images with care and take the releases with a grain of salt, but overall, it's a great resource.
They even have EXPLOSIONS! And I've gotten a lot of those free or affordably from Detonation Films, but it's nice to have more than the same options over and over again when you're doing space battles as often as I do.
And I don't want you to think they're only for sci-fi. While they have a lot of resources for sci-fi artists, the database seems endless. Whatever movie you're making, they should be among one of your first stops for free resources.
Here is a quick clip put together with visual elements entirely available for free from Pexles and my Indie Streams page. The sound F/X are from Fresh Music Library and a company called Network Music I purchased a collection from long ago.
Going lazy today and reposting a link to someone else's blog, but putting it in the Indie Film Production blog, because I think it may be helpful for some of us.
It's no secret I'm more of a Monster Movie guy than a slasher type of scary movie fan. That said, when I ask for permission to film a horror movie on someone's property or put out a call for extras, most people think Halloween or Friday the 13th and not Tremors.
Perhaps this list of the most popular scary movies by state can help you understand where you're working better and you can bone up on what the locals like.
Like, my movies would get a lot more fan service in Kansas or South Carolina than here in North Carolina.
I made Jack vs Lanterns, quite awhile ago. Did a little independent release of it and didn't really make back the production costs. Finally, I got up the courage to submit to the one distributor I thought would handle right, Wild Eye Releasing. They needed some deliverables I didn't yet have and being already a few grand down on the project, I got to work on them myself. I have two other jobs. Might have been three at the time. So, I got to work, slowly, getting the deliverables together. They were a big help along the way as were Fresh Music Library and the gang from Movie Captioner
Like all distributors they promised me some promo copies of my very own. Unlike many, they delivered. Quickly. And they're beautiful.
This is one of my favorites of my own movies because of the cast involved and because I had made a toy of the monster involved this movie from other action figures and Halloween decorations back when I was about 9 years old. That's like...well it was last century at the very least, and the beasts in the movie, goofy as they may look, are the realization of a 9 year old's dreams and nightmares and Halloween spooky adventures.
Recently made another one day short, "Visitor's Day" and wrote in some scenes I wasn't quite sure how I would work out. The big one was the prison scene. Shot in a corner of my garage, I pictured it at a table, with the concrete block wall in the background. Simple and easy, but I wanted a touch more of "something" to add to the prison feel. I had hoped for a stock footage shot of a prison exterior to establish the location, but I don't have one in my library and couldn't find any public domain shots that were contemporary enough to work.
Finally, I settled on the idea of filming "through a fence" to five a caged look. As if bars were offscreen. On the day, however, exposures and lighting in a garage being what it is, I was having trouble getting the distance and shadows as I wanted them to register on screen. They just weren't selling on my monitor and I wasn't convinced it would do enough in the finished product. While setting it up with Actor, Jeffrey James and my wife, Nancy, we came up with the idea of having the gate "slide" open and closed. We worked out the timing and I would put in a sound effect in post. Nancy commented that we could use a sound like the one in the opening of "Porridge", a British comedy that takes place in a prison and uses the sound cue in the opening segment. It was exactly what I had in mind, so I knew we were on the same page.
After a few tries, Jeffrey, Nancy and I got the timing to a point I was VERY happy with. In post, it was just a matter of finding the right sound. I didn't have anything marked "prison gate" or "jail cell door", but thanks to Fresh Music Library, I did have "metal work table rolls across floor". It was just what I needed. The final effect was exactly what I was hoping for and the picture I had in my head while coming up with the idea of transforming my garage into a prison visitor's room. (I should have put bars on the window, but some things slip by). A scene coming together, even in a small way, is a big victory for a zero budget short and it often depends on people who roll with the punches and take in changes quickly. Some actors have trouble with this, and that's fine, but then I need them to just trust the process and do as directed. When they see the end product they see where we were going. The crew I had that day, however, helped me work out the kinks, which is even more helpful.
In the end, it's a very little thing and something most people won't consciously notice, but in the backs of their minds it's a touch that adds to the idea that this little corner of block wall is a room with bars, and guards, etc.
A bit of constant distraction comes with being creative. If you only see what everyone else sees, you'll never come up with new and exciting ideas. But, this desire to explore new and old ideas alike can lead to some bad distractions too. I've got a shoot planned for tomorrow. It's already uncertain which movie I'll be shooting, because we're basing it on the weather. Same cast, but different degrees of complexity. The in studio is easy. The outside stuff, not so much. But it's a script I really want to get shot as it's a bit of a gift to my new, super reliable, up and coming actress, Felicia Mathis. She started as a "scare actor" in haunted houses, helped me on a short and has been doing films with me every since. She's just about ready for a feature. But, you can read more about that when I interview her for the Cult Goddess Blog. For now, the thing is, she's been acting in sci-fi and monster movies for me and she's really more of a slasher, blood and guts horror fan. So, I wrote a slasher type for her to star in and scheduling it, between life, her new job, real estate and photography and my studying for drone pilot certification has been really difficult. But, we've got a schedule set for tomorrow afternoon. If the weather is good.
Here is where my ADD comes in. I'm super excited to shoot this. But, I'm also supposed to be in it. (I'm an understudy for a main character). My garage is doubling as a set. There is a scene featuring Dom and costumes to get ready. Have I done any of these things? Nope. All the components are here, and mostly ready, but they need that last bit of dress and prep. What did I do this week?
Sure. That's fun, but I really need to get my firm old ass into gear. Oh, and I am typing this while I should be helping Nancy paint the porch walls.
Want to know a secret? This is me FOCUSED. Less than five things to do at a given time and my brain goes into overdrive and I can't concentrate on anything.
So, don't let distractions scare you. They're a good thing, sometimes and a thing to be overcome other times. They're definitely bad when driving, flying a drone or working with sharp power tools. When it's safe to be distracted, however, enjoy the creative directions it can bring you in and make new, or old, things happen.
Did I mention I've been making a miniature space station and painting an astronaut back pack all week too?
Here's a Felicia Mathis short to make your day. Also featuring our friend, Merri Cash.
