Horror Film

Martin Munthe · October 23rd, 2003, 09:06 AM

Hej Christian.

I've shot a feature horror film using the PD150, an Optex anamorphic converter, a red head kit and a four bank. I think we had a few cheap construction lights for exterior night shots as well. There's a trailer at www.campslaughter.com and links to some images below.

The film was edited in FCP. We did all the color correction and grading in FCP using the plugins from Digital Film Tools. It was all deinterlaced in AE using Magic Bullet.

All the sound editing and ADR was done in FCP4 (using Voice Over) as well as the final sound mix in 5.1 surround. I use Aurora Igniter X for video and a Motu 828 8 channel audio outboard for sound. We use a lot of third party plugins for both video and audio...

Hils,

Martin Munthe · October 23rd, 2003, 09:13 AM

Oh. Forgot.

The PD150 we use is fitted with a Chroziel matte box system. I never diffuse DV but I do use grads to bring down bright skies an stuff like that. A clear protective glas filter is also a good idea to have when a shoot involves a few special effects. We had two kinds of mount on the shoot. A very good (and expensive) Cartoni tripod and fluid head and an E-Track (a mono rail system that's supported by two tripods - it can go in and out of cars)...

Ronnie Grahn · October 23rd, 2003, 03:20 PM

This E-Track sounds cool. Any sites were one can read more about it maybe?

And what's happening with the Camp Slaughter release? Will it be out on dvd by the end of the year (in Sweden)?

John Hudson · October 23rd, 2003, 03:30 PM

Yes. Story is everything, always. Followed by the right talent (just because they're your buddy doesn't make them right for the part) and the composition and direction help. ;)

Without knowing exactly what you are writing; think of the scariest movies. At least in my mind, I think of:

Halloween (The original)
Friday the 13th (The original)
The Fog
Carrie
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (The original)
The Excorcist
The Shining
Night of the Living Dead
CUJO

Movies of recent years just haven't scared me. Maybe I'm older (as the above films reflect my age and era) but I still enjoy being spooked. "SIGNS" and "The 6th Sense" had some good jumps.

I think a good scary movie lies in what we might call "a sense of reality". The films listed above all take place in real places with "what could actually happen". No, I'm not saying ZOMBIES and DEAD PIRATES can actually happen, what I am saying is:

One can actually imagine being stalked by a homicidal maniac.

One can actually imagine being trapped in a house.

One can actually imagine being isolated in a hotel, while being stalked by a homicidal maniac, while being trapped.

One can actually imagine the fear of 'Fog' and the unknown.

One can actually imagine their child's head spinning around while jamming the crucifix in... oh, sorry.

I think for me, a scary film has to have some kind of "Oh my god, what if that really happended." feel. I think thre is more a fear of "Not knowing" what it is, than seeing some CGI spectacle.

Think Jamie Lee Curtis attempting to hide in the closet, only to have Micheal Myers busting through the wooden blinds; the hanging lightbulb swinging madly.

Think Pyscho. Think after seeing that and trying to take a shower with those damn flimsy shower curtains that you know he's coming to get you.

Gotta build suspense. Gotta use those clever close-up camera angles that gives one the sense of paranoia in not being able to 'see what's coming'.

Anyway, thats my take and I love the horror genre.

Christian Hede Madsen · October 24th, 2003, 08:17 AM

Yah I think you have a very good point. My story is one that is nothing like what i have ever seen before...that is partly why I am so happy about it.

And to you Martin Munthe:

I really like what i have seen of your film. It looks pretty scary to me, and it is a great trailer. I really admire your technical-skills and I would love to get my hands on a copy of it. Very good job!

Corey Cook · November 7th, 2003, 06:06 PM

Martin,

I looked at those tripods. Whoa.

Did you really need that kind of tripod? The things can support an 80 lb camera.

C.

Martin Munthe · November 9th, 2003, 06:19 AM

We'll be releasing the film on DVD very shortly. It will be available on Amazon.

Corey: Yes. And if I could afford it I'd get a bigger one with a worral head. If your into a professional result don't go with cheap DV tripods. Fluid heads is a must. The grip stuff can never get to solid. A Panther dolly doesn't have a lot of weight because the film cameras are heavy. It has a lot of weight to make a solid movement with a minimum of jerkiness. The same goes for tripods. For my next project I'm planning on using the Techno Crane (http://www.kandl.co.jp/jp/tokki/techno/) with a small DV camera for a few shots.

The best way to make DV feel like a consumer format is to not expose correctly and put the camera on an inexpensive tripod or handholding it with your right hand wrist as support in stead of using a hand held rig.

Corey Cook · November 14th, 2003, 09:47 PM

Martin,

I am going to shoot a horror film in the summer, it's winter up here soon and that's not in the script. So, I ask the question:

I like the look of the pictures you have there. What kinds of filters did you use with your matte box?

Thanks

November 14th, 2003, 11:20 PM

Just finished shooting horror flick, it's a 20 min. short. It's called the dinner party, as the whole idea on this one was not to show the blood and guts as is usually shown. This one is a dinner table talk that goes around the table giving you the chance to name the killer that is killing the people. The hook on this one is that the guest of honor is the dinner for the next dinner party.

Awesome cast as there where many from the Chicago film community that came together on this one. I do love the beginning as the cook of the dinner is chopping the meat with a meat cleaver while the title rolls on by…but the ending will have the meat of the “Guest of Honor” being slapped down on white paper and being folded up while you see the credits rolling on by.

Charles Papert · November 15th, 2003, 02:02 AM

Martin:

I've joked about the day I see a DV camera on a Technocrane--damn, sounds like you're going to beat me to it! Can you imagine a downsized version of that technology, adapted for cameras under 10 lbs? Could be pretty wild...

November 15th, 2003, 02:15 AM

I was on a shoot two summers ago and my camera was mounted on a PanaVision crane. The sucker was renting out for 4,000 a day and the director got it for 2,000. The shoots where great as he knew what he wanted yet the camera was DV all the way. Panasonic DVC200.

Martin Munthe · November 18th, 2003, 12:10 PM

Cory: I used a clear glass and an ND grad.

Charles: A Technocrane Mini is an excellent idea. Let's all breath down the Technocrane guys necks about it. If Stedicam could do it -- they can do it.

I'm sure all those DV cranes on the market are a lot of fun but when did you last "boom pan" on a shoot? Really? I haven't tried the Jimmy Triangle with the wire driven budget hot head. Have to check it out.

Speaking of cranes; Technocrane in all honor -- nothing really compares to being on the platform with the camera. I always prefer those cranes to anything else. Operating from up there beats anything IMHO.

Jonas Hansen · November 23rd, 2003, 11:00 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by Martin Munthe : Hej Christian.

I've shot a feature horror film using the PD150, an Optex anamorphic converter, a red head kit and a four bank. I think we had a few cheap construction lights for exterior night shots as well. There's a trailer at www.campslaughter.com and links to some images below.

The film was edited in FCP. We did all the color correction and grading in FCP using the plugins from Digital Film Tools. It was all deinterlaced in AE using Magic Bullet.

All the sound editing and ADR was done in FCP4 (using Voice Over) as well as the final sound mix in 5.1 surround. I use Aurora Igniter X for video and a Motu 828 8 channel audio outboard for sound. We use a lot of third party plugins for both video and audio...

Hils, -->>>

How much ADR did you do (%) and how was your experience? Wasn't it difficult to make it sound right and do you have som tips as far as ADR is concerned?

Hilsen Jonas.

Martin Munthe · November 23rd, 2003, 12:13 PM

Jonas,

we did 100% ADR. Yes it's very hard to get it to sound right. In fact it was so hard I wouldn't do it again on our limited budget. We do ADR the traditional way of looping where the actor is repeating the original sound recording over and over again. One of the tougher things is to make it sound right in the mix keeping the "sound" of the different locations.

Glenn Gipson · November 24th, 2003, 09:51 AM

Martin, I was curious, why did you have to do 100% ADR?

October 23rd, 2003, 09:06 AM	#16
Martin Munthe Major Player Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 331	Hej Christian. I've shot a feature horror film using the PD150, an Optex anamorphic converter, a red head kit and a four bank. I think we had a few cheap construction lights for exterior night shots as well. There's a trailer at www.campslaughter.com and links to some images below. The film was edited in FCP. We did all the color correction and grading in FCP using the plugins from Digital Film Tools. It was all deinterlaced in AE using Magic Bullet. All the sound editing and ADR was done in FCP4 (using Voice Over) as well as the final sound mix in 5.1 surround. I use Aurora Igniter X for video and a Motu 828 8 channel audio outboard for sound. We use a lot of third party plugins for both video and audio... Hils, __________________ Martin Munthe VFX Supervisor/DP/Director

October 23rd, 2003, 09:13 AM	#17
Martin Munthe Major Player Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 331	Oh. Forgot. The PD150 we use is fitted with a Chroziel matte box system. I never diffuse DV but I do use grads to bring down bright skies an stuff like that. A clear protective glas filter is also a good idea to have when a shoot involves a few special effects. We had two kinds of mount on the shoot. A very good (and expensive) Cartoni tripod and fluid head and an E-Track (a mono rail system that's supported by two tripods - it can go in and out of cars)... __________________ Martin Munthe VFX Supervisor/DP/Director

October 23rd, 2003, 03:20 PM	#18
Ronnie Grahn Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Helsingborg, Sweden Posts: 77	This E-Track sounds cool. Any sites were one can read more about it maybe? And what's happening with the Camp Slaughter release? Will it be out on dvd by the end of the year (in Sweden)? __________________ www.ninjafury.com \| www.ronniegrahn.com

November 7th, 2003, 06:06 PM	#21
Corey Cook Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 51	Martin, I looked at those tripods. Whoa. Did you really need that kind of tripod? The things can support an 80 lb camera. C. __________________ I Have Spoken.

November 9th, 2003, 06:19 AM	#22
Martin Munthe Major Player Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 331	We'll be releasing the film on DVD very shortly. It will be available on Amazon. Corey: Yes. And if I could afford it I'd get a bigger one with a worral head. If your into a professional result don't go with cheap DV tripods. Fluid heads is a must. The grip stuff can never get to solid. A Panther dolly doesn't have a lot of weight because the film cameras are heavy. It has a lot of weight to make a solid movement with a minimum of jerkiness. The same goes for tripods. For my next project I'm planning on using the Techno Crane (http://www.kandl.co.jp/jp/tokki/techno/) with a small DV camera for a few shots. The best way to make DV feel like a consumer format is to not expose correctly and put the camera on an inexpensive tripod or handholding it with your right hand wrist as support in stead of using a hand held rig. __________________ Martin Munthe VFX Supervisor/DP/Director

October 23rd, 2003, 03:30 PM	#19
John Hudson Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: 32° 44' N 117° 10' W Posts: 820	Yes. Story is everything, always. Followed by the right talent (just because they're your buddy doesn't make them right for the part) and the composition and direction help. ;) Without knowing exactly what you are writing; think of the scariest movies. At least in my mind, I think of: Halloween (The original) Friday the 13th (The original) The Fog Carrie Texas Chainsaw Massacre (The original) The Excorcist The Shining Night of the Living Dead CUJO Movies of recent years just haven't scared me. Maybe I'm older (as the above films reflect my age and era) but I still enjoy being spooked. "SIGNS" and "The 6th Sense" had some good jumps. I think a good scary movie lies in what we might call "a sense of reality". The films listed above all take place in real places with "what could actually happen". No, I'm not saying ZOMBIES and DEAD PIRATES can actually happen, what I am saying is: One can actually imagine being stalked by a homicidal maniac. One can actually imagine being trapped in a house. One can actually imagine being isolated in a hotel, while being stalked by a homicidal maniac, while being trapped. One can actually imagine the fear of 'Fog' and the unknown. One can actually imagine their child's head spinning around while jamming the crucifix in... oh, sorry. I think for me, a scary film has to have some kind of "Oh my god, what if that really happended." feel. I think thre is more a fear of "Not knowing" what it is, than seeing some CGI spectacle. Think Jamie Lee Curtis attempting to hide in the closet, only to have Micheal Myers busting through the wooden blinds; the hanging lightbulb swinging madly. Think Pyscho. Think after seeing that and trying to take a shower with those damn flimsy shower curtains that you know he's coming to get you. Gotta build suspense. Gotta use those clever close-up camera angles that gives one the sense of paranoia in not being able to 'see what's coming'. Anyway, thats my take and I love the horror genre.

October 24th, 2003, 08:17 AM	#20
Christian Hede Madsen Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gudhjem Denmark Posts: 93	Yah I think you have a very good point. My story is one that is nothing like what i have ever seen before...that is partly why I am so happy about it. And to you Martin Munthe: I really like what i have seen of your film. It looks pretty scary to me, and it is a great trailer. I really admire your technical-skills and I would love to get my hands on a copy of it. Very good job!

November 14th, 2003, 09:47 PM	#23
Corey Cook Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 51	Filters Martin, I am going to shoot a horror film in the summer, it's winter up here soon and that's not in the script. So, I ask the question: I like the look of the pictures you have there. What kinds of filters did you use with your matte box? Thanks __________________ I Have Spoken.

November 14th, 2003, 11:20 PM	#24
Guest Posts: n/a	Just finished shooting horror flick, it's a 20 min. short. It's called the dinner party, as the whole idea on this one was not to show the blood and guts as is usually shown. This one is a dinner table talk that goes around the table giving you the chance to name the killer that is killing the people. The hook on this one is that the guest of honor is the dinner for the next dinner party. Awesome cast as there where many from the Chicago film community that came together on this one. I do love the beginning as the cook of the dinner is chopping the meat with a meat cleaver while the title rolls on by…but the ending will have the meat of the “Guest of Honor” being slapped down on white paper and being folded up while you see the credits rolling on by.

November 15th, 2003, 02:02 AM	#25
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	Martin: I've joked about the day I see a DV camera on a Technocrane--damn, sounds like you're going to beat me to it! Can you imagine a downsized version of that technology, adapted for cameras under 10 lbs? Could be pretty wild... __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

November 15th, 2003, 02:15 AM	#26
Guest Posts: n/a	I was on a shoot two summers ago and my camera was mounted on a PanaVision crane. The sucker was renting out for 4,000 a day and the director got it for 2,000. The shoots where great as he knew what he wanted yet the camera was DV all the way. Panasonic DVC200.

November 18th, 2003, 12:10 PM	#27
Martin Munthe Major Player Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 331	Cory: I used a clear glass and an ND grad. Charles: A Technocrane Mini is an excellent idea. Let's all breath down the Technocrane guys necks about it. If Stedicam could do it -- they can do it. I'm sure all those DV cranes on the market are a lot of fun but when did you last "boom pan" on a shoot? Really? I haven't tried the Jimmy Triangle with the wire driven budget hot head. Have to check it out. Speaking of cranes; Technocrane in all honor -- nothing really compares to being on the platform with the camera. I always prefer those cranes to anything else. Operating from up there beats anything IMHO. __________________ Martin Munthe VFX Supervisor/DP/Director

November 23rd, 2003, 11:00 AM	#28
Jonas Hansen New Boot Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Posts: 17	<<<-- Originally posted by Martin Munthe : Hej Christian. I've shot a feature horror film using the PD150, an Optex anamorphic converter, a red head kit and a four bank. I think we had a few cheap construction lights for exterior night shots as well. There's a trailer at www.campslaughter.com and links to some images below. The film was edited in FCP. We did all the color correction and grading in FCP using the plugins from Digital Film Tools. It was all deinterlaced in AE using Magic Bullet. All the sound editing and ADR was done in FCP4 (using Voice Over) as well as the final sound mix in 5.1 surround. I use Aurora Igniter X for video and a Motu 828 8 channel audio outboard for sound. We use a lot of third party plugins for both video and audio... Hils, -->>> How much ADR did you do (%) and how was your experience? Wasn't it difficult to make it sound right and do you have som tips as far as ADR is concerned? Hilsen Jonas.

November 23rd, 2003, 12:13 PM	#29
Martin Munthe Major Player Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 331	Jonas, we did 100% ADR. Yes it's very hard to get it to sound right. In fact it was so hard I wouldn't do it again on our limited budget. We do ADR the traditional way of looping where the actor is repeating the original sound recording over and over again. One of the tougher things is to make it sound right in the mix keeping the "sound" of the different locations. __________________ Martin Munthe VFX Supervisor/DP/Director

November 24th, 2003, 09:51 AM	#30
Glenn Gipson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Plainfield, New Jersey Posts: 927	Martin, I was curious, why did you have to do 100% ADR?