Online Movie Production anyone?
After Dark Films and Massify.com have teamed up for a unique initiative it would seem.
Film Threat tells us:
Aspiring filmmakers will have the opportunity to create a range of content along the way, including pitching ideas, auditioning for roles and creating ancillary materials, like a movie poster or song. The initiative will have a series of laddered rounds. The first, the “pitch phase,†will seek out the best new horror ideas, narrowing them down to one, which the script will be based on. This will mark the beginning of the casting round, in which both aspiring and professional actors are invited to upload audition videos to play the four major roles in the feature film. The community will then vote and elect ten male and ten female semifinalists to fly to Los Angeles for screen tests. Once the idea and the cast are chosen, the movie will move into production – all of which will be documented reality-TV style on massify.com. As the film nears completion, the Massify community will pitch marketing ideas that will be used as keyart during the release of the films well and will have the opportunity to score music to completed scenes.
You may recognise After Dark films from the infamous “Captivity” debacle, the horrendous “Skin Walkers” werewolf movie that wasn’t a werewolf movie, the not bad but not what I had hoped for “An American Haunting” or even the much anticipated and pleaseGoddon’tsuck “The Abandoned” The bright light here is that they helped out with my favourite film of last year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival, “Mulberry Street“.
The idea that more and more companies are starting to value technology and utilise it instead of trying to fight it excites me. The future is opening up to us every day and although we need to remember the lessons from yesterday, we still need to learn about tomorrow. The opportunity for someone, or someones, to really present themselves out there in more than just a YouTube video is a very exciting prospect. I have a feeling the idea is a little ripped from the Damon/Affleck “Project Greenlight” show that gave us “Feast”, but so what? If that means that more writers, actors, and filmmakers are able to get themselves out there then why not? What harm could it do?
Just make sure to write Kate Kelton in to your script 
.
Read the entire Film Threat article here.
3 Responses to “Online Movie Production anyone?”
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I haven’t been too impressed with much of After Dark’s work, but I will admit “An American Haunting” wasn’t too bad! It’s good to see these companies “growing up” and embracing each other and technology, so much will get accomplished, especially for indie / amateur filmmakers.
Hey, have any of you thought about entering one of these contests? I know that they’re now allowing online content like webisodes and online films to be eligible for nomination in this years Primetime Emmy’s? I think last year they were allowed for the DT Emmy’s, so it’s pretty cool they’re actually considering online amateur/indie footage for nomination this year. If you’re interested or want to read more, check out http://www.emmys.com . I’m workin with the Academy to help spread the message about the new nominations, so if you get to check it out let me know! And spread the love =)
<3 Jessica
It is always excellent when an industry can keep up with technology, but also keep in mind that change happens, and change NEEDS to happen. While I do agree that After Dark hasn’t had a great track record as far as I am concerned, that doesn’t mean they won’t get better (ahem … Mulberry Street rocks
), and even Ghosthouse pictures, who also happen to release films I think are not terribly good, have the right idea with their webisodes that help pump up the release of their films.
Good on the Emmy’s for recognising that filmmakers are filmmakers, regardless of means of distribution.
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