www.alwayswatching.net :: 16 Short Films Turned Feature Films (And the Filmmakers Who Made it Happen)

"...In more rare instances though, a filmmaker is granted the opportunity to stay within their medium, but do so while extensively expanding the concept and scope of their original vision, and in turn, a floodgate of possibilities are opened in terms of what can be achieved in that medium."

Posted by Adam Quigley, ostensibly as an ad for the Blu Ray release of "9," this is a remarkably thorough article with the shorts included. Hat's off to you, sir.

Back to basics...

Great things are afoot, but today I'm thinking specifically about the feature script I'm developing for The dotUS Project. We're adopting the practical filmmaking philosophy of Marc Price, director of the no-budget zombie film "Colin" that dazzled Cannes this year with its reported $70 out-of-pocket price tag. I read a quote from Price (can't find the article now) where he encourages filmmakers to embrace making a feature with the resources they have access to right now, instead of waiting for the money.

So that's what we're doing. The script I'm developing takes place in one location (the place where I live), has five speaking parts, and doesn't require anything except minimal props and make-up - a thriller, currently entitled "Jacob," that takes place in a residential building in downtown Brooklyn.

Like 'Paranormal Activity' the film focuses exclusively on the interior of that shared living space. We're going for a lo-fi aesthetic, but to bring some richness to that we're embracing the cinematography of early 20th century horror - films also made for minimal budgets (by today's standards, certainly) that used striking expressionist lighting and camera, the kind pioneered and embraced by the German filmmakers of the 20s and 30s.

And you can help - we're making a list and checking it twice - the most striking horror films of that period that we're going to use as our role-models. Any and all suggestions for films we should watch are absolutely welcome. Here are a few lists I've found so far :

Cinematical Seven - The Best Black and White Horror Movies

Filmsite - Horror films

Obscure Horror Movie Categories - Black and White Films

Share and enjoy : )