Turn your horror movie idea into a feature film

M

Massify

New member
I wanted to let you guys know about an opportunity at http://www.massify.com that we'd love to get the DVX community involved with.

We've recently launched our production network and have partnered with After Dark Films for 'Ghosts In the Machine' - an event that will develop and cast a feature-length horror film entirely online to be seen in theaters during Horrorfest 2008. Using Massify and entering this event are absolutely free.

Right now, we're asking the community to submit their ideas with a Pitch Video - and given your creative abilities, I think you guys could make a huge impact. No need for a finished screenplay, so you don't have to give your idea away - just get people excited and voting to greenlight your idea. We will also only option one winning Pitch, so you will retain the rights to all other pitches entered into competition.

The winning producer will receive Producer and Original Story Credits on the final feature and work with a professional team through every step of bringing their pitch to the screen - development, pre-production, and be on set for principal photography.

We think this is a breakthrough filmmaking event and that could really evolve the genre. Voting opens in a couple days - so try to submit your pitches as soon as possible!

http://www.massify.com
 
It has potential. But before I'd submit a concept, I'd want to know how the rest of the production process is going to be handled. Is this going to be one of those things where people online just vote for whoever they like for the cast based on headshots (or photos) and a paragraph or two about the person? Or is there actually going to be an auditioning process that allows people to see whether or not a person can actually act?

I'm always wary of the general public at large 'electing' who gets movie roles. In my personal opinion, it's not the best way to choose the best person for the job.

But please, give us some more info about this, if you don't mind. And thanks!
 
For this competition, actors need to submit audition videos. The idea being, we want our voters to see these people in action. There are also tiered voting rounds when it comes to casting - most notably a screen test where voters can really get a sense for the actors' potential. Here's an outline of the casting:

Audition for Cast: During this round, actors can submit video auditions. Your audition video must be wholly original and must demonstrate your potential as an actor or actress; it may consist of either an improvised scene or a personal actor's statement.


Vote for Cast: All registered users will be allowed to vote for cast auditions: your choices should be based on the actors' talent, potential, and appeal. Users will still be able to submit auditions into the competition during this period. You can only vote once for each audition, but feel free to vote for as many auditions as you like.


The Screen Test: The ten male and ten female actors who gather the most votes will be flown to a production location for their shot in front of the camera. Each actor will be given the opportunity to film individual and group scenes with a professional crew. These scenes will then be uploaded to the site for the community to judge who should be cast.


Vote for Final Cast: The last phase of the competition! Users vote on which of the 20 actors should go on to star in the feature film. Users can pick one male and one female who they think should be the leads in the film. The top two vote-getters will have lead roles, and the two runners-up will be cast in supporting roles.

Thanks for the questions. If you're considering pitching your concept - you need to do so soon. Submissions close March 17th!
 
I tend to agree with HDkilledFILM. The public at large is very likely to give you an entire cast of 'beautiful people' -- in other words, a whole cast of lead-caliber actors, with a complete lack of supporting 'character' actors. Personally, I hate movies where the entire cast looks like models -- and this seems to happen a LOT with indies.

If it were me -- and it isn't, I know -- I would let the director hold traditional auditions, but find a way to stream them online so people could actually watch the process. I would let people vote for their favorites, and give those results to the director for whatever value they might have to him/her. But ultimately, I'd let the director choose the cast -- and maybe stream a video of him/her explaining the reasoning behind the casting decisions. Informative for the public, a certain amount of interactivity, but a process that will likely give you a much better cast in the end. (And it might give you something great to put in the 'special features' on the DVD.)

Good luck!
 
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