1. Oh, I Iove indie film, Inception was my favorite.  Have you done anything I’d recognize?

2. I watched your film on the Pirate Bay, it was great. 

3. Oh, you’re a filmmaker? What’s your real job?

4. You should put me in your next movie, I’ve got a lot of followers.

5. My (cousin, daughter, sister, niece) is an actress in LA, you should put her in your next movie

6, My agent won’t let me audition for independent films. 

7. What was your budget?

8. When is your movie going to be in Redbox?

9. I’m going to make a movie too – we’ll probably premiere at Sundance. 

10. I’ve just written a great script, Spielberg is looking at it now.

I am a blood connoisseur. In fact, probably shouldn’t admit what I’m about to tell you. As a horror filmmaker, it might actually be a little embarrassing. The sight of blood makes me a little squeamish. There, I said it. Well, perhaps I should clarify… the sight of my own blood makes me squeamish.  But to paraphrase James Wan (Insidious), it’s because we have these fears that we are able to tap into what is truly scary, and create terrifying moments on film. So, I’m going to tell you how to make fake blood that will make your stomach turn.

One of my biggest pet peeves in horror films is fake blood that looks, well… fake. My chief complaint is that it’s either too bright or has the wrong consistency. As much as I love some of the old school horror films, some of them look like they spilled paint, or ketchup over the actor. Bad blood can take a viewer right out of the moment.

I’ve guarded this secret formula for years, like Coke stashing the recipe in an underground vault more impenetrable than Fort Knox. But know, I’m going to share it with you, like a joint at a Grateful Dead concert.

First you take 2, hot, eighteen year old virgins… you’ll need a funnel, some tubing, and a bucket. (Good luck finding the virgins.) Oh, and some towels.

Then a quick trip to the grocery store, where you need to pickup strawberry and chocolate syrup, in roughly a 2 to 1 ratio, respectively.

Now mix to taste. Be careful. A little chocolate goes a long way. I continually test the mix dripping it down my arm, to make sure it has the right consistency. It’s really not rocket science, but I will tell you, the brand of syrup makes all the difference. The no-name brands suck for this. I like the brand that starts with an H.

Once you have your perfect mix, you’re ready to create some mayhem. You can test the mix on the two hotties – just put a towel down, cause things could get messy.

The best part of this mix is that is tastes good and doesn’t typically stain clothes. But, since you are making a horror film, clothing is optional on your victims. To see some of this blood in action, check out my horror film Spirit Camp.

Iron Man without Robert Downey Jr.? RDJ is Tony Stark…  but we may have to face facts – he’s not going to do it forever.  A time will come when someone else plays the billionaire hero.  When that sad day comes, the question isn’t who will replace him…  The question is, will you, the audience, accept the change?

In this era of remakes, re-boots, sequels, and adaptations, scarcely little new original content is created – instead, massive amounts of money are poured into remakes that cater to a pre-existing fan base. No movie franchise is complete without a Hollywood A-lister, commanding enormous salaries, driving budgets even higher. But is the “movie star” a necessary component for success in the market place? Or do audience just want a great story? Back in the golden age of cinema, Hollywood studios sought out, discovered and curated movie “stars”. And audiences loved them. But today the general sentiment seems to be that “Hollywood has run out of original ideas.” And we keep seeing the same people over and over. Re-make after re-make. Sequel after sequel.  Certainly there is no lack of new talent to help these stories come to life. The independent film scene is flush with outstanding up and comers. But what the indy scene lacks is an audience.  Independents lack an audience partly due to limited marketing budgets, limited distribution infrastructure, and limited press opportunities. Press opportunities are limited because bloggers know that a story about Iron Man will generate more hits that a story about an unknown indie. More hits = more ad revenue. Ultimately, the trend of remakes and sequels will continue as long as audiences support those types of films. The bigger the budget, the more the studio will attempt to minimize risk… but typically the greatest creative achievements result from taking the biggest risks.  Will you, the audience support the risk takers? Next time you’re out Redboxing or Netflixing, check out something with people you’ve never seen or heard of before. Then come back here and say what you liked or didn’t like about it. Would Iron Man live on with a no name actor? Can content be king? Or will the star system, always, reign supreme? Chad Thackston is an actor/producer living in Houston and can be seen in the upcoming Pickaxe Murders III, Dawn of the Crescent Moon and Killing Mr. Right.

Filmmaking is such an impossible task. Even bad films take perseverance, passion and dedication to complete – not to mention countless sums of money. There is nothing more devastating to an indie filmmaker than to realize their film is un-distributable because they didn’t get the proper clearances.

What does that mean?

Filmmakers must own, or control the rights to, everything contained within their film. It begins with the rights to the story, and covers everything including the actors’ performances, the work of the crew, the music and more.

What’s often overlooked are the small details. The painting on the wall needs to be released by the artist or publisher who own’s the copyright. The family photo needs to be released by the people in it, as well as the photographer who took the picture.

Even character names need to be cleared. “John Smith” is a pretty safe and clearable name… there’s thousands of John Smiths. If you have a character named John Smith who is running around killing people, then it’s unlikely John Smith has an actionable case that you are infringing his name and likeness, or defaming his character.

Brand names should never appear on screen without a release. You may think you are giving free product placement, but the brand may see you as damaging their reputation, depending upon the content of the film and how the brand is displayed.

This is where your props department comes in… making fake labels, paintings, family portraits, or whatever else the story demands.

If you want to do product placement, start well in advance as it could take months to get clearance from a corporate office.

Horror films are especially difficult to place products because of the violence associated with them. If you don’t take the proper steps, you could make a film that can’t be released, or risk a lawsuit if it is released.

I’m not an attorney, and this is not legal advice – so I highly recommend you hire competent legal counsel. Here is an excellent book that covers the subject in detail, along with sample contracts.
 

collider.com

Barbarella is coming to the small screen! The sexy 60’s sci-fi siren, played by Jane Fonda, will be getting a reboot, from The Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn, with Martha Delaurentiis producing!

Barbarella’s influence has been felt far and wide across the genre, and notably the 80’s pop group Duran Duran acquired their name from the eponymous evil Dr. Duran Duran.

No word yet on who will play the sexy counter-culture icon, though we can think of a few who’d fit the bill.

Who do you want to see play Barbarella?


Source: Hollywood Reporter/Collider

Check out these awesome pulp movie posters from illustrator Timothy Anderson. Prints are available from his store – check out his site to see the rest http://timothyandersonart-illustration.blogspot.com/

source: Buzzfeed

Hayes Hudson is giving away an autographed copy of Spirit Camp! Enter the contest now…these are in limited supply!
http://hayeshudsonshouseofhorror.blogspot.com/2012/06/enter-to-win-latest-4h-blog-giveaway.html

We’ll be at Texas Frightmare Weekend again this year! Stop by the booth and say hello – we’ll be screening an exclusive sneak peek of the opening scene from our new action/thriller DEEP TERROR!

Fightmare is always a blast, and this year promises much excitement, adventure, drama, and sleep deprivation!

Looking forward to it!