Monsters the Movie

New trailer shows a lot of rebuilding, destruction, vast wastelands, etc.

This is surely a friggin' feat. I would definitely assume he shot in broad daylight and created a spot, with specular effects and particles.

All of it looks incredible, not just because of the hard shooting budget (which we're now hearing is 24K US dollars, not 15K--still) but because it just looks like something I'd have no problem paying to watch on an off day.

They'll have my money in the LA theatrical release.

Gotta just do it!
 
Anyone know if his short film can be found on the net?
He won the 48 hour festival in London with it.

Previous winner success:
Taking part and completing a film does not guarantee a career in the movies, but the 2008 winner, Gareth Edwards, had his first feature film green-lit immediately after Vertigo Pictures saw what he could do in one weekend with no budget! His feature MONSTERS had its world premiere at SXSW in March and will be opening in the UK in 2010. (An interview with Gareth will be appearing in the next issue of Film & Festivals.)

MAH
 
Can't wait to see this one. I love that every single indie production that I've followed has always stressed the importance of shelling out the cash for the sound tech. I cannot think of any advice more important.

Also, I think it's probably a bummer to the people making the Juno-style "typical indie" film, but I do think it's such an easier sell to an audience when you either have someone that can do amazing make-up affects or visual affects (or both). I think it's one of the few equalizers the independent really has -- the ability to use similar materials to what the major studios are using, and then implementing them almost as effectively.

35mm/HD/DSLR + Professional level make-up effects + Professional level visual effects + Professional Sound technician = at least a fighting chance.

Story is always going to be paramount, but now with all of the Hollywood studios having their "independent" departments pouring more and more boring, worthless "independent films" into the market, I think now more than ever the Romero approach to horror and sci-fi invention is being craved by the average moviegoer.

Why else would The Human Centipede have gained a single friggin viewer?

;)
 
Some new footy with monsters in it!

http://io9.com/5633314/

Still looking exciting. Have to say though it just struck me that the title is really really bad...dunno, I think they could have come up with something better...
 
I keep thinking of Pixar's MONSTERS, INC.

I think they were too focused on CGI and compositing to worry about titles. For 15K, I doubt they hired other people to do the CGI. Nice work, though.
 
I keep thinking of Pixar's MONSTERS, INC.

I think they were too focused on CGI and compositing to worry about titles. For 15K, I doubt they hired other people to do the CGI. Nice work, though.

Well I guess I assumed the distributor came up with that title...

Anyway, still looking forward...
 
I just saw it on iTunes and thought it was fantastic. Just lovely. And that was before I checked it up and saw the whole $15000 price tag, diy video+adapter thing. Well, I take my hat off and kneel in humble admiration. Great work.
Now back to "The Great Dying", injected with a real creativity boost.
 
Saw it this weekend, before I heard any budget talk. Pretty impressive.

And again, thinking it was a well-financed, big-crew production - I was most impressed with the director trying to do something different with the genre; the flick's a character study first & foremost. In fact, I assumed it was really an allegory/satire of the immigration debate - when the US has a giant concrete wall to keep "monsters" out of "infected Mexico" (and you throw in 2 Americans using human smugglers to get through a dangerous region and back home) it's not hard to miss that (though the few reviews & interviews I've read make no mention of that).

So, yeah - awesome job with the effects, camera & color - very good performances for "nobodies" - but mainly a very cool idea, very nice indie/import style camera & soundtrack, a really somber "vibe" all the way through and plenty of imagery that seems topical towards today's level of poverty and danger in Mexico and the desire of central Americans to move north, regardless of the cost. Those sorts of ideas & overall direction have nothing to do with budget or gear - this dude is someone to watch.

No "District 9" ripoff in any way, and I hate to say this, but: anyone here starts ragging on this movie, you'd better have a killer feature of your own to back it up (if not, shut'cher mouth and get back to your screenplay, and plan on blowing us away down the road). If ONE GUY can bring a project like this home by "saving his money for three years", I find that too overwhelming to get nit-pickey. Not the best movie ever, but an amazing achievement and a great example of what can be done today.

I'd say it's an important film of this so-called "digital revolution"; I assume we have a golden age of film ahead - another glorious 70's - when kids start film school with three features already under their belts, we should see more people shaking up the usual story structures, filming techniques, and who knows what else.
 
Yeah this is very impressive. I'm glad I watched it as it ups the bar big time on my own project. The guy has a great series on how he did the effects for his Attila the Hun BBC production and that helped me a lot and inspired several effects I'm using. I'm sure he pre-owned all the production equipment but if he said he did the rest for 15K trust me, he did. This guy is awesome.
 
saw this yesterday .. and the only thing that bothers me is the way the trailer makes it out to be a film it is certainly not.. i wont mention too much about why , spoilers and all... but to start with i was disappointed , expecting something it wasn't however by the end it had struck a chord with me .. only then i learnt about budget and how it was made...

probably what has hit me most is , this guy just went and did it .. here we are pixel peeping , myself included ...over sooo much , "can't do this, until i have this lens, that tripod..." ect ,,and he just went out and made a "hollywood" movie i have the most respect for him and can't wait for a bluray with making of , .............truly inspirational.

just avoid the trailer!!!! :D
 
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