Why does it seem to me that whenever I search for indie films, I find endless lists of dramas that are depressing and little more.
I'm an older type in this business (I'm 44) and when I was younger, there were horror, sci-fi and fantasy films being made all over the place. Zombies and creatures from outer space were everywhere. But now all these years later, when actually creating those types of special effects would be easier and less expensive than ever before and yet... I see very few films of that type anywhere... what's the deal?
You may have guessed from what I just wrote that I'm a special effects guy, of the old school variety. I still work with rubber and plastic, wood and metal to create my wares. I specialize in stop motion animation and live action creature effects. The technology of today allows me to be able to create Harryhausen style special effects much more realistically than he was ever able to and on a tight budget. But where are the people making the kinds of films I love today aside from in Hollywood?
The independent film world seems to have chosen this world of dark and depressing dramas to make... and NOTHING ELSE. No cartoons, no monster flicks, no space battles... maybe I'm looking in all the wrong places but, all I'm seeing in the indie world are about 'Poor Suzie and her battle against drug addiction, an evil boss, a boyfriend who cheats on her and the death of her beloved dog Puffy'.
I used to pay money to get The Independent Film Channel but, I gave that up years ago because I got sick of watching films about people on the verge of suicide... which made me want to commit suicide after the movie was over. Where are the people who want to make cool, fun and entertaining movies? I love deep movies too, I made one of them myself - but geee wizzz! can we lighten things up with a cool zombie slasher film every now and then?
When I'm suffering from boredom, I don't want to watch a film about someone suffering from boredom, I wanna watch something FUN and sadly, the independent film world has very nearly forgotten what fun is... at least that is what I find in the places I've looked. Are there producers looking to make fun films and are they on websites I just haven't found yet? Or am I correct that almost every indie film is about Suzie, her hard life and her dead dog?
I'm an older type in this business (I'm 44) and when I was younger, there were horror, sci-fi and fantasy films being made all over the place. Zombies and creatures from outer space were everywhere. But now all these years later, when actually creating those types of special effects would be easier and less expensive than ever before and yet... I see very few films of that type anywhere... what's the deal?
You may have guessed from what I just wrote that I'm a special effects guy, of the old school variety. I still work with rubber and plastic, wood and metal to create my wares. I specialize in stop motion animation and live action creature effects. The technology of today allows me to be able to create Harryhausen style special effects much more realistically than he was ever able to and on a tight budget. But where are the people making the kinds of films I love today aside from in Hollywood?
The independent film world seems to have chosen this world of dark and depressing dramas to make... and NOTHING ELSE. No cartoons, no monster flicks, no space battles... maybe I'm looking in all the wrong places but, all I'm seeing in the indie world are about 'Poor Suzie and her battle against drug addiction, an evil boss, a boyfriend who cheats on her and the death of her beloved dog Puffy'.
I used to pay money to get The Independent Film Channel but, I gave that up years ago because I got sick of watching films about people on the verge of suicide... which made me want to commit suicide after the movie was over. Where are the people who want to make cool, fun and entertaining movies? I love deep movies too, I made one of them myself - but geee wizzz! can we lighten things up with a cool zombie slasher film every now and then?
When I'm suffering from boredom, I don't want to watch a film about someone suffering from boredom, I wanna watch something FUN and sadly, the independent film world has very nearly forgotten what fun is... at least that is what I find in the places I've looked. Are there producers looking to make fun films and are they on websites I just haven't found yet? Or am I correct that almost every indie film is about Suzie, her hard life and her dead dog?
