FEATURE: Penance Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Horror Movie HD

I like it! Sounds like an interesting twist on the kidnap victim. Some of the actors look competent too - always a relief, since bad acting is what sinks most tiny indies. My one disappointment is the banal soundtrack, but I guess you're trying to sell genre.
 
Well, the sound effects strike me as something you hear from cheap horror films, since basically forever. The "boom" the "stab", the "whine", the "rising crescendo and reverse tape shut-off[0:37 - 0:40]", blah, blah, blah, blah. I mean, listen to soundtracks from some quality horror movies, and then listen to the Z-grade stuff. There's a difference. This is at the Z-grade level. But more globally - think to yourself "how can I make this fresh?" Do I really need to include the same tired old effects we've heard a billion trillion times? Innovation and notability happens when sound is used in ways that's not been used before. Think how David Lynch used sound in Eraserhead - exaggerated hydraulic pipes, etc., something that hasn't been done before. Fresh. New. Exciting. Not the same old same old. See what I mean? It's always about being fresh - nobody is going to talk about a movie that's merely a re-tread of something they've seen a million times before... including sound. Good luck!
 
I hear what you're saying, and I totally agree…this pitch was actually an entry in a film contest, and I think we were going for something a bit more 'Trailer-y' so as not to scare the judges (Who are also distributors, and have a built in fear of innovation) . I see the actual film being far more sparse in terms of it's sound design, and certainly innovative. Theres a world of difference between trailer sound design and feature sound design.
 
That's what I figured was a possibility, which is why I wrote "I guess you're trying to sell genre" - trailers are selling instruments, and if you want to appeal to your target audience, you want to let them know that yes, this is the genre you're looking for "horror". I'm glad you clarified though, that for sure the actual movie has a different soundtrack. Because if it didn't, I'd be scared that I'm in for the usual hack job - nice to know creativity still thrives!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top