First Film Genre: Does it matter?

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CatAndTie

So in regards to writing and shooting your first feature film... do you think there is a better genre to plan on tackling (on a limited budget of course)?

Do you think a horror film is better/easier/more feasible to shoot rather than a fantasy? Are cult followings and/or audiences ore accepting of a specific genre? Did you shoot a genre for your first films and regret it or wish you had shot a different one?

Or does it absolutely not matter? :)

It's something I've been thinking myself in circles for the past few weeks... I have a few ideas of some movies I'd like to write out but of course want to take every possible angle to better my final product.
 
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I don't think the genre matters, as long as you can still produce it.

Horror may seem easier as story lines are usually straightforward and if you're shooting in sequence, you have a lot of creative freedom.

A good fantasy is more story driven, and may have some "effects" that are expensive or hard to replicate.

Perhaps you should start off by writing both movies, and once you have the ball rolling stick to the stronger one.
 
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Firstly, I’d say write and produce whatever you want to. It’s completely your call. That’s probably the best way to think about it.

But then I’d say, don’t force anything. By that I mean, don’t just do a horror because you think it’ll be easier, it probably won’t be. It also may not be cheaper, depending on effects, etc. A drama would likely be the cheapest option. Also, be realistic about it. If you have a sci-fi, similar to “Inception”, you likely won’t do that on your budget. Something like “Looper” however, may well be feasible.

Again, do whatever you please. I’d recommend you stick to the genre you most enjoy and work within the constraints of your budget. All in all, just make the film that you’d want to watch.
 
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if you're goin for easy, there's nothing easier than drama.

Low Budget Horror Films tend to get a following no matter how good they turn out, so if you're going for a cult following, you're more likely to find one in the campy horror department. It would also be far easier to shoot than a fantasy flick.
 
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So in regards to writing and shooting your first feature film... do you think there is a better genre to plan on tackling (on a limited budget of course)?

Do you think a horror film is better/easier/more feasible to shoot rather than a fantasy? Are cult followings and/or audiences ore accepting of a specific genre? Did you shoot a genre for your first films and regret it or wish you had shot a different one?
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Yes, no, kinda, maybe.

The best combination is usually horror for a first timer due to a couple of factors. It also depends on what you call low budget. I just looked over a low budget movie that was a fraction over $6mil. Now I'm not going to assume you're talking no budget instead of no budget.

Horror, drama, comedy, thriller tend to be the cheaper movies to shoot. Drama, comedy and thrillers tend to need named talent to be attached to have a chance of success. Horror also has the bonus that there seems to be a lot of people willing to volunteer to be a part of them, thus helping you reduce your costs.

Movies are hard to make. There are no ways around that. They require a lot of hard work, lots of planning and a lot of talent. A little luck doesn't go astray... or at least a lack of bad luck.

Fantasy and Sci-Fi just tend to needs a lot more expertise to make them look and feel right. Unfortunately that expertise often comes from people with experience and that experience usually costs money. That's part of why low budget fantasies and sci-fi movies often suck. That and writers of that genre seem stuck trying stuff that only barely worked 20+ years ago.

What mad hatter also said has some merit. Shoot what you love the most. You're likely to put more heart and soul into it.

Good luck
 
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There is a lot of low/no budget horror "filmmaking" that happens all over the world. For whatever reason it has a huge following. Personally I prefer a bit of production value, but I'm guilty too of the no budget horror thing.
 
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Play to your strengths. What types of actors do you have access to, will you be casting heavily? Do you have really talented friends who can pull off a well-done drama? Friends with great comedic chops who can make a low budget comedy watchable? How big of a crew will you have? Enough people to dress / decorate / build sets for fantasy or science fiction?

If you have no money for locations you'll probably have to set your film in modern day which might affect genre. There's a market for every genre so I wouldn't get hung up on trying to amass a cult following. The most obvious advice would be to decide what kind of film you'd be proud of and set out to do that.
 
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It all comes down to a question of balance. Yes, you should do what you love, but you also have to consider what is really possible on extremely limited indie budgets. Do you want to make an okay movie or a good one? That's the conundrum faced by indie filmmakers. Too many over reach themselves and the resulting product is often less than satisfactory.

Indie filmmakers should go back and watch "The Twilight Zone" and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents;" lots of great stories that are "small" in a logistical sense but are terrific none-the-less. "The Invaders" episode of the Twilight Zone has one actress (Agnes Moorehead) and a confined set. The character even a mute; there is only about four lines of dialog at the end. Another episode titled "Two" is just that, two characters ( Elizabeth Montgomery, Charles Bronson) trying to reach an accommodation with each other after an apocalyptic war.

Duncan Jones (David Bowies son) did an amazing job on the sci-fi film "Moon" on a limited (by Hollywood standards) budget.

So, yes, do what you love, but don't try to do "Lawrence of Arabia" or "Gone With the Wind" or "Star Wars" or... you get the idea.
 
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harmonica44 said:
This may help the OP decide as well, but I find it curious that you say that a lot of people are willing to volunteer to horror more. If that's true, why is that?
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It's along the same lines of why does everyone seem to want to direct but virtually no one wants to put in the time. A lot of areas have a strong following of people who want to participate.

You know what's funny Harm, quite by accident, just tonight I came across some actress from Saskatchewan who was looking to audition in some production. What's weird, I was searching for a local production company group. Your actors are out there, you just have to look.

So, yes, do what you love, but don't try to do "Lawrence of Arabia" or "Gone With the Wind" or "Star Wars" or... you get the idea.
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Good advice.
 
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Just make sure you can make it.

If you need to study after effects for 3 years after shooting it, you chose the wrong script/genre.
Keep it simple in terms of locations, actors and (post)production, but write any story you like.
 
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Best twilight Zone Epoisode- " five Characters in search of a way out" BUt idk, " people are a like every where is great as well" and same goes for "nothing in the dark". Fuck it, twilight zone rules all around.
 
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Alcove Audio said:
Another episode titled "Two" is just that, two characters ( Elizabeth Montgomery, Charles Bronson) trying to reach an accommodation with each other after an apocalyptic war.
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Had to +1 this. One of my favorite TZ episodes.

Also +1 to "play to your strengths" and "work with what you have." The key here is to be flexible and know what you'd like to happen vs what you're able to make happen and meshing them together.

If you want to do fantasy (Aside from the multibazillion dollar production budgets, is there ANY fantasy that's worked? I'm more or less serious.) on a budget, it will be a rougher haul than doing drama/horror, because both of those are pretty much modern-day staples. To me, on a budget, if you wanted to do fantasy, it'd more turn into a period piece than an actual "fantasy" per se. Paper mache dragons, while cool to hang from the ceiling, probably wouldn't go well with an audience. :P

But hey, be creative. Prove the naysayers wrong. The greats always have.
 
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