I offer only this advice, Horror, true horror, is the absolute dread of anything happening. Take some advice from the theatre style "Theatre of Cruelty", Punish you're audience, put them through all sort of hell.
How do I make a horror film?
- Thread starter EBHughsThe1st
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You're 14 and you have gunS. Umm ok.
Anyway you're best bet is psychological horror, but don't make the antagonist obvious.
With one hour of filming, it's not possible to make a horror, sorry to burst your bubble but it can't be done. Not nearly enough time to develop characters, a plot or have anything happen.
With one hour of filming, it's not possible to make a horror, sorry to burst your bubble but it can't be done. Not nearly enough time to develop characters, a plot or have anything happen.
Read these. They should give you a basic understanding of the ingredients needed to create something psychologically teriffying.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_horror
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_(psychology)
Hope that helps.
Also remember that ambiguity is the best tool to use in these works. The audience's imagination will fill in what you deliberately leave out with what is scariest for them which will inflict a wider range of terror on those watching. Don't make the threat obvious and try not to give it physical form (at least not for awhile) and let the audience terrify themselves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_horror
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_(psychology)
Hope that helps.
Also remember that ambiguity is the best tool to use in these works. The audience's imagination will fill in what you deliberately leave out with what is scariest for them which will inflict a wider range of terror on those watching. Don't make the threat obvious and try not to give it physical form (at least not for awhile) and let the audience terrify themselves.
Maybe do it Tropic Thunder style, just let your actors into your "set" on their own and plan all of their events, maybe slice one of their throats, rip a leg or two off. It'll be great. 
Don't explain the occult thing. Once it's explained, the audience tries and finds holes in it's story, inconsistencies, etc. Keep 'em guessing.
Read scary pasta stories, for mood and inspiration. Try to keep the actors from giggling or making noises when they shouldn't. If possible, scare them to, so they can act natural. Maybe have them read a bunch of scary stuff beforehand?
Read scary pasta stories, for mood and inspiration. Try to keep the actors from giggling or making noises when they shouldn't. If possible, scare them to, so they can act natural. Maybe have them read a bunch of scary stuff beforehand?
Use imagery or ideas that people find unnerving. When you can make the viewer feel uncomfortable- not digsusted, not manipulated, just uncomfortable and unnerved -you've already partly won. Even if an hour later they're saying 'What did I find so unnerving anyway?', if so long as DURING the film they feel more on edge, you succeeded. If you need help figuring out WHAT would work for this, ask yourself; when you were a bit younger, alone, at night, in the dark, what idea or noise or ANYTHING would have kept you awake longer than you wanted, or would've woken you up with terror were you asleep?
In my mind a flim has to be around 2 hours to introduce characters & scenarios etc. and develop the plot to a climax and an end. In an hour of shooting, chances are you will have half an hour to three quaters of usable footage, then editing will bring that down to 20 / 25 minutes. In a whole night, including evening I still don't see it being an acheivable feat, repeating scenes for different camera angles, and having an acceptable scenario for characters to actually have reasons to be at the location of the film.FinalDream said:
I'm more looking to make a film that's frightening in a way. Or it's just kind of a mystery film. I'm looking for tips. I said "How do I make it scary." now how do I make one all together.Grimcicle said:
I'm not a professional indie amateur totally-getting-paid guy. I use multiple shots per scene, but not repeating. Sure the characters may be flat and the plot might be stupid, but this is a hobby, not a career. I'm just a kid doing this for fun. It will only be about 5-8 minutes long. I've made films 5 minutes long in a little under an hour.^=ash=^ said:
The most important thing I ever learned about horror was this:
What you don't see is ten times scarier than what you do. If there's something creepy, keep it in the shadows and hinting at it as much as possible.
What you don't see is ten times scarier than what you do. If there's something creepy, keep it in the shadows and hinting at it as much as possible.
1.Have atmosphere dark places,noises in the background,etc.
2.Blood if you can have some it would be cool
3.Use point of view shoots if you use them well they can be very scary
4.Try to cover any plot don't expose it
5.Make reliable characters
2.Blood if you can have some it would be cool
3.Use point of view shoots if you use them well they can be very scary
4.Try to cover any plot don't expose it
5.Make reliable characters
to build of this, if there is some form of monster, or enemy(which obivously there will be an enemy) try to put off an actual shot of it for as long as possible. it's fine to have some motion blur, but part of the suspence and horror of a good horror film is not knowing.Mangopieland said:I would suggest scripting it out first, roughly at least. Avoid cliches at all costs.
One of the ways Hitchcock creates suspense is by dragging out scenes for as long as possible where you know something bad is going to happen, and when it does it's sudden (Psycho, for instance).
High-angle shots make characters seem weaker. Low-angle make them seem more powerful.
Use light and darkness to create an interesting effect. People usually associate dark with scaryness, but maybe if they're being chased by cultists then the darkness is their only ally? I d'know, just throwing ideas out.
Oh and make everyday objects seem scarier. Hitchcock's "The Birds" envisions a world in which something innocuous, eg birds, savagely attack people. Freaks you out 'coz it's closer to home.
Hope this was of some use! I could go on but then I'd risk sounding even more of a know it all...
