Screens From A Horror Feature

K

Kevin McCallister

Well-known member
Hey Guys,

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. Truth is, I've been away shooting my first horror feature, "Plasterhead". All those questions I used to ask, they were all leading up to this project.

"Plasterhead" is a horror feature in the vein of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". I really wanted to make a movie that was less self-aware than "Sleepover Nightmare" (which I own and which helped inspire me to get off my ass to make this movie with my little DVX, thanks Jarred), and really take it back to a raw, urgent type of horror film. The movie is set in the sticks of West Virginia, and the color correction on these grabs is supposed to evoke that: a yellow, parched and rustic landscape. We shot the majority of the movie in upstate NY. The diner scenes were filmed at the (in)famous Blairstown Diner in Blairstown, NJ, famous for being the diner in the original "Friday the 13th" film.

I had the distinct pleasure of working with DVXUser.com board member "smelni" (real name Seth) and his amazing partner Lauzanne. Their production company (SLM Productions LLC) did the make-up/FX work on the movie, and it looks absolutely poo pooing amazing. Can't say enough good things about them, and if this sounds like a glowing recommendation, it is. The grabs speak for themselves.

Anyway, this is the first of a lot that you will be hearing about this movie. I've always been fascinated to absorb the many facets of a DVX production from other members of the board, and I hope I can provide you all with the same experience with my feature "Plasterhead." Enjoy the grabs, and comment away! No shots of "Plasterhead" himself are up yet...You'll just have to wait and see what he looks like! Our website, www.plasterheadmovie.com, will be up in mid-January.

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Those are some nice looking shots, I love the lighting, especially the diner shots, but they all look pretty darn good, now WHEN do we get to at least see a trailer?! ;-)
 
shawn you're all about the trailers, lol.

nice looking stuff.....the girls are hot. i need a shower scene in my next film.
 
Justin_Kirch said:
shawn you're all about the trailers, lol.

nice looking stuff.....the girls are hot. i need a shower scene in my next film.
Click to expand...


Justin, I know you're just wanking my chain, but you gotta realize that if everyone posted 100 meg files how many of them do you think we'd be able to review? PLUS, the trailers (unfortunately) are often times the best part of a feature length flick!

:shocked:

Trailers and smaller clips allow us to extend the courtesy of reviewing a ton of footage from our fellow dvxer's.

NOW give me the trailer! :thumbsup:
 
Understood Shawn. On the downside though, some people can't make trailers all that well. But I've had high hopes for those special few of us on this board.
 
Looks great! The composition and lighting are really solid in these grabs. I look forward to seeing more.:thumbsup:
 
Great looking grabs, Kevin... Can you give us some specs as far as equip, crew, budget, etc... this looks like a pretty good sized production.

SmithHouse
 
here is a CC question for ya, actually for anyone wh ocares to answer.

how does one CC, give change the contrast, ped, gain, gamma, colours blah blah, get a colour scheme but still have certain colours stick out nicely ( in the blood shot the reds, yet it looks like more of a greenish/yellow tint )
 
Kevin -

wow - fantastics grabs - looks really really good.

Everyone should really keep an eye on this film - after being on set with them and now seeing the grabs I really think this will be a great film.

I love the lighting style - very natural, not overlit - looks very filmic.

Oh yeah - and I have the distinct pleasure of knowing what plasterhead looks like :)

cant wait to see more.
 
Wow, these are some of the best looking grabs I've ever seen on this board! Keep it up. The third grab looks mighty vicous!
 
PaPa said:
here is a CC question for ya, actually for anyone wh ocares to answer.

how does one CC, give change the contrast, ped, gain, gamma, colours blah blah, get a colour scheme but still have certain colours stick out nicely ( in the blood shot the reds, yet it looks like more of a greenish/yellow tint )
Click to expand...

?
 
Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the comments so far. Feedback on a project of this magnitude is always greatly appreciated, so keep it coming!

As far as budget and crew size is concerned, this movie has (without tooting my own horn) great production values. Without disclosing the actual budget, I think it's fair to say that this movie got made through the ingenuity and sheer talent of everyone attached to the project, rather than with a ton of money. I tried to make sure that every dollar spent ended up on-screen, and consequently very little money was wasted. I can't stress enough how important pre-production planning is. If you don't have a lot of money, don't be discouraged. Careful and thorough planning can yield the same result as throwing a ton of money at a movie. Myself and my other producer Mike spent months in pre-production, on the phone constantly with locations, talent, crew, and a slew of other people to pull this all together.

As for the exact figure of the budget, I'd like to keep that under wraps for now, but we'll definitely open up a discussion on that once the trailer is released and the website is up. The aim for this movie is national distribution.

Papa, there really was no specific trick to getting certain colors to pop (ie. the red in the blood) while color correcting. The main thing is clean, proper, and even exposure and lighting when you are actually recording the image. If you can get solid reds (or whatever color) committed to tape, the proper color will remain dominant no matter what color correction you apply.

Like I said, any specific questions on the production, fire away, and keep the comments on the grabs coming. Take care!
 
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