Every October, Vancouver is host to one of my favorite fast film contest - the Bloodshots 48 Hr Horror competition. If there is any fast film contest, this is it!
Now, firstly you may ask, why pay a fee to make a film and add to the cost of your production? Or you may not, but I have.
1) This contest gives you a guaranteed screening with every other team which means a lot of people will see your film.
2) Every year there is a panel of guest judges (I've been one) of some notoriety in the industry.
3) Every year, the top two films (Audience Choice and Best Film winners) go on to a celebrity guest judge.
The year I did JACK we had Dan O'Bannon and to get an email from him saying how much he enjoyed our film was a career highlight for sure!
4) It's FUN!
As for the money - these things cost the organizers and they need to cover their costs, including shipping, prizes and more. No one is getting rich off of it, trust me.
How it works?
You sign up with Kier-La Janisse (Check the link for all details, rules, etc)
Once you are registered start compiling your team. Realize that you will likely not sleep very much so my first hint is to get rest the week leading up to it.
Now I have been on both sides of this, and I have to say, judging is REALLY hard. First because there are so many reasons a film is good, second because I hated not being on the creative side of it having fun and thirdly, knowing how hard it is to do and you really want everyone to leave happy.
Now you can go into the contest just for the sheer bloody fun of it all, but I can be a bit competitive as I LOVE horror so I like to win.
While Bloodshots has awarded me 2 'Best Script' awards, I wanted to win BEST DEATH. Luckily, my pumpkin revenge script, JACK, executed by my great director, Kryshan Randel, amazing team including make up artist extraodinaire, Amy Diedrich, and of course, the Stubbs family for letting us corrupt their barely born daughter's mind by having killer pumpkins attack her. (We did promise to try and cover any future psychological problems - but considering they went did the Bloodshots the following year again with her, I wipe my hands clean.)
The prizes awarded are the following (Although frequently judges have created a category when someone's project is great and deserves it's own recognition)
BEST SCRIPT
BEST ACTING
BEST DEATH
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST ART DIRECTION
BEST COSTUMES
BEST MAKEUP/FX
BEST SOUND DESIGN/ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST USE OF PROP OR DIALOGUE
MOST SUBVERSIVE USE OF GENRE
Now, really you should be doing it for the fun but if you've done this before and really want to go after one of these coveted prizes, here's my helpful hints:
1) Know Your Genres: Look at the past films - Giallo (check out Argento's Susperia), Rape Revenge, HP Lovecraft, Nature's Revenge
2) Story: Even a short should have 3 'acts' - set up, conflict, resolution.
3) Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT cheat your death scenes (unless you can do so in a suspenseful way). I love the genre so if you're going to go with a gruesome kill, don't set it up then show me blood. Work with your DOP, your production designer and your make up artist and figure out a way to 'show' the death. Showing a guy holding a weapon then showing a pool of blood is not scary. This is a horror contest. Make it horrifying. Or at least funny. What's the most twisted our mind can go? One winner had an iron up the tookus, another year it was a cement cinder block to the head.
Now, not saying you have to do it for REAL. Talk to your team on how to shoot it so it LOOKS like it's real. But do let your editor get some sleep as he's gonna pull an all nighter. If you can have two editors to tag team even better.
4) Let's talk timelines.
i) So you get your package at 6:30PM on Friday. In this package you will have a
GENRE, WEAPON, PROP, LINE OF DIALOGUE
Now the person picking up the package should not be your writer - they need every second.
ii) Have someone pick up the package and call the team (or whoever is going to be involved at this point)
iii) Have post its or index cards and write down what the four items are (Visuals help)
iv) Now if you have a team input for the script, have a brainstorm board ready (or index cards and tape).
v) While people do prepare ideas beforehand, I can say that a good film usually will throw these out as the genre can drastically change things.
Note: You can say your going to write the script before and 'add' these in but trust me, its obvious to the judges and really not in the sport of it all. Part of the fun is challenging yourself to create under pressure.
Now GO!
5) Don't keep your team too late. Let your writer work and let your team get rest as tomorrow will be a long day.
6) While you can start shooting Friday, these are usually the films that have weak story - but if you have an awesome idea and you want another award and don't care about story, then of course that's your choice. I'm a writer so I want to flush it out. Plus, both my Bloodshots film started off as completely different scripts at the beginning of the night and by 6 am were something very different.
7) You can have your editor on set if they are up for it. If you can shoot linear then it definitely helps with the time crunch. I realize it's not always possible though. It's also good to have a couple of editors who can tag team as they may be up all night. Make sure they have lots of coffee.
8) On this, realize that you have to drop off at 6:30PM Sunday IN PERSON. Try and find an editing space close to the drop off. Why lose time driving?
i) Also, there's always room for error on tech so plan for this. I can't tell you the amount of teams discounted for being late for rendering or output problems. It sucks. (Note though, will you will be discounted for awards, you will still have your film screened so get something in!)
9) Please get someone who knows sound. It's hard to see your hard work ruined by poor sound.
10) For the love of god, do not do a film about making a film or film yourselves trying to come up with the idea. It's been done. And many times not well.
11) And finally, DO NOT get mad if you don't win. This is a fast contest so not everything is going to be great and it's hard to award everyone. Most of the time the judges will debate on every one but with so little time to debate, it's fast decisions. It's never clear cut answers and trust me, it's hard when you feel really strongly about a film and the other judges are just as passionate about another one.
Now some friends weighed in on their fast film experience so I thought I'd post so that it's not all just me :)
A) Think outside the box. What hasn't been done! Find ways to set your film apart from previous years.
B) Know your team. Egos out the window.
C) Be clear about who your leader/producer is-- give that person carte blanche; when time is a factor, it's important to have someone who has the power to say moving on.
(I'll add to this, a 1st AD who can keep your team on schedule is a blessed thing to have!)
D) Don't try and take on something way too big, or too difficult; sometimes smaller done really, really, really well is better. A small, tight, good looking film with a good story is better than a big sloppy spectacle.
E) If there's a team number limit, make sure you have all positions covered, and then some. No one should ever be idle.By "and then some", I mean choose people who can do more than one thing. I didn't mean cheat. :)
F) A phrase that must be fully understood and embraced: Artistic Triage.
G) AND, my favorite advice Chocolate is the answer. The question is pretty much irrelevant. (although for the contest, coffee may be the answer but I'd be good with chocolate!)
The film can be a great opportunity past this contest!!
Our last film JACK has been doing the festival rounds for TWO years! We've been invited to so many international films and each one seems to spur another invite.
And I guess this is a great time to announce, we just signed a deal with SHORTS INTERNATIONAL and will be on TV's and an iTunes store near you soon!
I'd also love to give a shout out to our co-winner two years ago (okay we won different prizes but I still think of us as co-winners) who created CHLOE and ATTIE. They've had amazing success as well and who are in the process of turning the film into a feature!! I'm so excited for them as it's a great short with the fabulous Jacqueline and Joyce Robbins, who, if you ever meet, you will adore them as much as I do. They're a hoot!
Check out their page, the short and meet the twins, and if you can, please support them as the entire team is amazing.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scooter-corkle/chloe-and-attie-the-feature-film
Wish I was there this year to see all the great films you're going to make.
And most of all, Have a BLOODY good time!
No comments:
Post a Comment