Q&A: Movie Tips?

Question by CodyG: Movie Tips?
Hey Yahoo! Answers people, I’m making a horror movie soon. I don’t have much. I’m writing my own script. I’m only 16 and I’m a student independent filmmaker. Any tips from filmmakers out there that will help me make the a better-than-mediocre film?

Best answer:

Answer by hp_resource
Sound is the essence of horror flicks. If you ever watch a horror movie with the sound off, it’s only 1/3 as terrifying.

Sound can either be the music or the sound effects. I’m guessing you don’t have enough money to go with a full musical score, so focus more on effects.

ANYTHING can become a scary noise, if it’s isolated and loud.

Watch some horror flicks, and focus on the sound more than anything. You could even watch some trailers to horror movies, and realize how much sound comes into play.

Here are some trailers:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/thehappening/large_trailer.html
http://www.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/theruins/trailer1a/large_trailer.html
http://www.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/diaryofthedead/trailer1/

Getting a good slow shot to build anxiety before the action can also be good – if you have a girl answering the phone, and she’s facing right, it’d be boring just to have her in the middle of the screen. But, if she’s placed on the far right of the shot, facing away from the center, with an unusual amount of focus on the dark stairway, we’ll automatically feel like something’s going to happen behind her back, and feel anxious. Even if nothing ends up happening, it’s a good way to build anxiety. But don’t overdo it, because then it will lose its flavor.

I hope those tips help!

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