Who wants to do a full out western?

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

By "full out western" I mean something similar to Unforgiven.
Some form of cowboys, six shooters, horses, saloons, ten gallon hats, etc....

Place your vote!

Now, I know that most of us can't swing the saloon and horses but I still consider LAWLESS (Betrayal Fest) to be a full out western.

I'm hoping that we see some old westerns done DVXuser style. Could be a lot of fun.

I'm up for one if I can swing it.

MAH

 

[MrFluffy]

Cowboys - all would have english accents
Six shooters - not a hope, hard enough to get any gun thats not bright green
Horses - doable, with UK saddles, no saddlebags, ropes etc
Ten gallon hats - import them maybe
No buildings either that could be used without a huge suspension of disbelief

So while it a lovely idea, I vote no or I get to sit this one out.

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Is this not from your area?

http://www.norfolk-sporting-guns.co.uk/

http://www.churchillsofdereham.co.uk/index.php/products/category/guns-and-rifles/

I'll be getting my props online. Not sure about everyone else.
You have trees don't you? Pull a LAWLESS and break out your imagination.

MAH

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

So while it a lovely idea, I vote no or I get to sit this one out.

PS - The question wasn't "Who wants West Fest to be full out westerns ONLY fest?"

It was "Who WANTS to do a full out Western?"


MAH

 

[MrFluffy]

Is this not from your area?

http://www.norfolk-sporting-guns.co.uk/

http://www.churchillsofdereham.co.uk/index.php/products/category/guns-and-rifles/

I'll be getting my props online. Not sure about everyone else.
You have trees don't you? Pull a LAWLESS and break out your imagination.

MAH

In the UK we have to have a licence to hold any gun, and getting one involves proving why you want it, showing that it remains locked in a purpose build gun cabinate, having a home inspection by the police and background checks.

Doesnt seem worth it for a film. We cant even get replica firearms without an enactment licence proving that we need it, and once again fulfilling the other requirments.

Replicas are treated like real guns. It is even illegal to buy a green gun and paint it black.

 

[MrFluffy]

PS - The question wasn't "Who wants West Fest to be full out westerns ONLY fest?"

It was "Who WANTS to do a full out Western?"


MAH

I know, I simply said no, and why!
If I had the resources I could do a full on western.
I would if I could, but I cant, so I wont!

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

In the UK we have to have a licence to hold any gun, and getting one involves proving why you want it, showing that it remains locked in a purpose build gun cabinate, having a home inspection by the police and background checks.

Doesnt seem worth it for a film. We cant even get replica firearms without an enactment licence proving that we ned it, and once again fulfilling the other requirments.

Replicas are treated like rela guns. It is even illegal to buy a green gun and paint it black.

In Canada (where I'm from) much of those same laws apply.

I won't be using a real gun. Running around with a replica would get me in trouble as well.

Try using your imagination. Get a hold of a guy who does have the licenses required to handle guns and go from there. Regardless, you've already voted so don't derail yet another thread on how you won't be entering. Please keep that in the other one. No need to derail every thread.

Thanks,

MAH

 

[Jordan_S]

I know, I simply said no, and why!
If I had the resources I could do a full on western.
I would if I could, but I cant, so I wont!

To paraphrase Jim Brennan's tag, "You can make movies, or you can make excuses!"

 

[Ki-Ki]

Or do what we do down here in Wales, don't get caught!

 

[MrFluffy]

Hell, all I did was answer the question and give a reason. I then had to defend my position. Sorry I bothered.

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Screw it. I'll help derail the thread.

Here's the basis for YOUR story.

It opens up with a tight shot of a cowboys face, we can see his eyes and the brim of his hat. He's sweating, nervous. The camera pulls back. He's sitting bareback on a horse, a noose around his neck tied to a thick tree branch above him.

A couple of cowboys stand around him. They are arguing about whether or not he deserves to die. One wants him dead, the other doesn't.

Now go from there. if you want him to die, one cowboy slaps the horse.

No guns needed. They can have holsters and you can make gun handles that come out from the top, no need for a barrel. No need for replicas.

Sorry, I'm just tired of hearing you repeating the same thing in every thread.

MAH

 

[Jordan_S]

The fact is that a "full out western" could very well be a...DELETED because I HAVE my idea!

...
Filmmakers are problem solvers. If you don't enjoy twisting and turning a knot in your head in order to advance your agenda, you simply cannot and will not move forward.

Michael, to answer your original question: yes.

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

Hells yes. I have no budget for this one... what little I have will be spent on costumes.. or I may just have my guy naked in a pair of boots and a hat (or longjohns)... and create a scenario that makes use of the theme without having to be prop heavy... hell I can't even afford Horses, but I sure can write for what I do have and it will STILL be a full out western.

Proposed budget for this piece (all EXT) $200

 

[Barry_Green]

Thank heavens some of you are getting into it. Creativity springs from your restrictions, not from your freedoms. I hope people actually embrace the theme and genre this time, instead of endlessly trying to find ways to get around it or to shoehorn an existing idea into our stated framework.

Really, who doesn't know what a "western" is?

Somebody better be wearing a cowboy hat, or it doesn't count.

Don't have horses? Set it indoors in a saloon. A poker game. Whatever. Can't use guns? How about making a film that *doesn't rely on guns*?!!

Folks, use some CREATIVITY and overcome the restrictions. Put your mind to it, there's a million ways to accomplish it.

 

[MrFluffy]

Barry, everyone seems to think that everything is really peachy. But for those of us who would rather not do something set in the US, the lack of rules leaves us completely stuck. And its not because of the lack of our creativity.

We simply do not know where we stand:

....
and of course you have the possibility of the post-apocalyptic western like Mad Max or The Road Warrior or a sci-fi western, etc. take note of tv shows like Little House on the Prairie and Kung Fu. many possibilities.

In general I'd agree with you, but for "WestFest" the mods have made it clear that you can be in any timeframe or location you want, it's more the characters and the themes.

The mods have NOT made that clear yet.

So one mod says any time frame, and another says not.

This is why there is such a problem. Once we have rules the problems will be resolved and we know where we stand. Until then, those that dont want to do authentic westerns are stuck.

 

[namelok]

I'm also still waiting for the rules, and it will be hard to find a cowboy hat here
But I have 2 ideas, the rules will push me to the right one.

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

Cowboys - all would have english accents
Six shooters - not a hope, hard enough to get any gun thats not bright green
Horses - doable, with UK saddles, no saddlebags, ropes etc
Ten gallon hats - import them maybe
No buildings either that could be used without a huge suspension of disbelief

So while it a lovely idea, I vote no or I get to sit this one out.

I'm reminded of the irony of "Madama Butterfly"... a story set in Japan, about a japanese girl and her romance with an American Sailor, all sung in Italian...

 

[Barry_Green]

Several of our best-loved westerns were shot in Italy too.

But yes, you are correct, the final rules have not yet been posted.

Regardless of what the final rules end up being, I would still encourage folks to embrace the theme rather than trying to find ways around it.

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I'm also still waiting for the rules, and it will be hard to find a cowboy hat here
But I have 2 ideas, the rules will push me to the right one.

That's the spirit. Maybe you can do something with that pirate hat of yours.

 

[David Jimerson]

Barry, everyone seems to think that everything is really peachy. But for those of us who would rather not do something set in the US, the lack of rules leaves us completely stuck. And its not because of the lack of our creativity.

We simply do not know where we stand:





So one mod says any time frame, and another says not.

This is why there is such a problem. Once we have rules the problems will be resolved and we know where we stand. Until then, those that dont want to do authentic westerns are stuck.

Richard, you're making this much harder than it has to be. Zak offered food for thought; Shawn went too far with what he thought "mods" made "clear"; I simply said that no rules had been made official yet. If there's a loose interpretation of "western," that doesn't necessarily mean ANY timeframe or ANY location. (Arthurian knights, for example, most likely would not fit.)

When we come up with a theme or a genre for a fest, we really do want people to use it as their starting point and try to take on the unique qualities and challenges of that particular genre -- otherwise, we'd just do a "make whatever you want" fest every time. We'd really like people to be thinking about what X theme is really about, breaking it down, seeing what they have available, and going from there. We really would prefer that the theme not be a round hole into which you try to fit a square peg of a pre-existing idea, or an idea more appropriate for another type of fest entirely.

We want to be as inclusive as possible, but part of the point is to get people to be creative within a particular framework, as pretty much all of filmmaking is.

Anyway, reminding us every couple of hours that the rules haven't been posted is getting old -- we know; we're working on it. It will come. You'll have plenty of time once we do.