Creating a "Unique" Script

"When it comes to horror, bring us something unique...something we haven't seen a hundred times before."

Mike already posted a wrap-up of Suzanne Lyons' great indie film producing workshop that we both attended a week ago, so I won't rehash the details. The above quote, however, really stuck with me.

On the second day of the workshop, a film sales agent came by and gave a great guest lecture. Inevitably, someone asked her about the state of the horror market. In her words, horror is still over-saturated with movies about "teens running around in the woods." But all hope is not lost. She stressed the importance of creating a horror film that is fresh and unique; this, above all else, will help your horror film rise above the rest in terms of saleability.

So where did that leave the Nitecrawlers script? From the beginning, Mike and I have always felt that our concept was a strikingly refreshing take on the genre. However, the discussion with the sales agent led me to think more about our script-in-flux, and the inclusion of "bankable" story/set/character elements. Did we have enough to guarantee our film's success? What could I do to add more in the impending second draft?

Being a screenwriter is probably the most freeing of creative inputs of filmmaking. You're not yet locked into a budget, and you're limited only by what your mind can conjure. Being a screenwriter for independent films is a whole different beast entirely. The format's the same, but the approach is completely opposite (at least for me).

For one, you're usually locked into a budget range (whatever's feasible for you to pay out-of-pocket or raise from family and friends). For another, independent filmmakers are constantly bombarded by "insider info" from sales agents, producer's reps, distributors, entertainment lawyers, and hell, even other filmmakers as to what elements will help your completed film sell. In no particular order, the laundry list for horror films goes something like this:

1. Name talent
2. A kill/death scene every 8 minutes
3. Nudity
4. Lots and lots of gore

...and so on.

How much credence does this advice and list have? Well, Plasterhead only had one of the four, and received worldwide distribution, so take that how you will. That being said, the compulsion to include these elements in our second script is, frustratingly, still very real. After all, this list is about as close to a Holy Grail as you're ever going to find. And for filmmakers whose hearts lie in the horror genre, it usually comes down to two choices: stick to the list and hope that the market of teens willing to see another hack-em-up slasher movie keeps going strong, or try something so far off the map and hope to hit the Blair Witch/Paranormal Activity lottery.

I think to write a truly successful script, your approach must land somewhere in the middle. At the $200,000 budget level, a lot of the scripting for Nitecrawlers has been Mike and I coming up with really awesome individual sequences, then slowly and carefully weaving them into the overall thematic fabric of the film's overarching story. For me, writing for a low budget means deliberate selection of specific plot elements that I, as a filmmaker, know will be able to shine on the money we have to execute the ideas on the page.

In a way, Mike and I have our own "list" of elements that we want to include in the film, things that we think will make the film both successful and salable. The trick is in approaching these elements from a truly groundbreaking and fresh perspective. The main problem I have with "The List" above is that it encourages paint-by-numbers screenwriting, and it's a trap I find myself constantly trying to avoid. It seems easy, but the threat is always there.

As I re-read the first draft of Nitecrawlers, I've come across several areas in the script where I've tried to shoehorn in some of the elements from "The List". Problem is, they don't fit with the quirky tone of the rest of the film. Taking them out means that perhaps, in the eyes of some sales agent or producer's rep, our film might not meet all the criteria they're looking for as they fast-forward through the DVD screener that lands on their desk. Leaving them in, however, means that, in the eyes of the sales agent who came to speak at the workshop, our film is not "unique" enough to rise up above all the other Friday the 13th clones being churned out daily. Over the next couple months, then, the creation of our second draft becomes not just a re-writing process, but a re-imagining of the way we look at the horror genre and its preconceived notions about what's "hot" and what's "not."

In the end though, I'm confident that I will always do what's best for the story, "The List" be damned.

- K

Our Previous Film: "Plasterhead" (2007)

We've been getting a lot of requests to hear more about our previous film, which up until this point, we haven't disclosed on the blog.

It's not that we don't want to talk about it or aren't proud of it; we both are, immensely so. However, we made our first film, a $20,000 horror feature called Plasterhead, when we were 22. We did a lot of things right, and we also did some things wrong. As with any piece of art, Plasterhead inspired a lot of strong opinions, from the extremely positive to the vile and negative. Mike and I have learned and matured so much in the time since Plasterhead that we don't want to be judged solely on that one piece of work. Mainly, though, we want to keep the focus of this blog about our new film, Nitecrawlers.

That being said, our little $20,000 horror film Plasterhead was, by all accounts, a great success. It was distributed on DVD in the US by Arts Alliance America (distributors of Super Size Me). Through our distribution deal, "Plasterhead" was available in stores like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, FYE and Hollywood Video, and can still be found online at Netflix.com (DVD & streaming), Amazon.com and Blockbuster.com.

Here's the original distributor's sell sheet for the American release:



Another cool thing was seeing the film released in different international territories. Plasterhead has been released in four countries: Russia, Japan (as No Face), Germany and Singapore.

Here is the Japanese and Russian cover art:





If you want to learn more about the film, you can visit the Official Website. Here also is the teaser trailer for the film:



And finally, since a lot of you guys and gals visiting the blog are aspiring filmmakers, I'll share with you a "Reverse Distribution" case study video that Mike and I recorded for Plasterhead. Reverse distribution, if you're not familiar with the term, is the process of preparing for distribution early in on the filmmaking process. Essentially "reverse engineering" your film for distribution by tailoring elements specifically to things distributors are looking for.

As a tiny film with no budget and no "name" actors, we faced an uphill battle finding distribution with Plasterhead. We spent a lot of time preparing for distribution, even before we rolled on a single frame. We credit the reverse distribution techniques we employed on Plasterhead for the film's eventual success. Anyway, here's that video, if you're interested:



So anyway, that's about everything there is to know about Plasterhead. As good an experience as it was, Nitecrawlers will be on a whole new level. We can't wait.

- K