January 2010 Update!
Hey everyone!Wow, it's been a super long time, hasn't it? Well there are a few things I wanted to update you on.
First, BELOW THE BASEMENT was available on Tivo On Demand. Thanks to our buddies at OpenFilm.net, BTB can be seen by millions of people around the world. Pretty awesome if you ask me. Check it out if you get a chance.
We're gonna be launching a new website sometime soon. I'm not cracking on this just yet, but it's definitely in the works. It's gonna be much easier for me to update, but also a lot easier for you to navigate. I'm gonna put a lot of time and effort into the movie pages so you'll be able to watch each movie with the visual ease of a home theatre as opposed to just another website.
You're also gonna be seeing a trailer for our next film sometime soon. We shot a documentary a few months ago and are really excited about it. Don't be turned off by the word "documentary." Trust me…it's gonna be nice and bloody.
I think that's about it. If you have any recommendations for some good horror movies to check out, let me know. Once I get through all the Oscar contenders, I'm excited to watch some good genre flicks. Follow me on Twitter @JimmyTheGhost for up to date info on Pretty People Pictures or subscribe to our RSS feed below.
See you soon!
Daniel Stamm's COTTON
I think one of the coolest positions in the film industry is the "presenter." We've all seen the posters: Quentin Tarantino presents, Tyler Perry presents, etc. Basically what this means is the famous person is putting their name on the poster to get the film into theatres. Some people think this practice is lame, but I think it's a wonderful way to see some new talent. One filmmaker who has benefited the most from this method is Eli Roth. Quentin Tarantino "presented" the Hostel films which made Roth one of the biggest names in horror.Well now, Eli Roth is returning the favor. COTTEN, a "found footage" film by Daniel Stamm is making its way around AFM and it looks FREAKY. The film is described as "The Exorcist + REC x 500."
I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for found footage movies. Since The Exorcist is my favorite horror film of all time, I was pretty interested when I heard about COTTON. But then...I saw this promo photo and now I can't WAIT.
If this movie is as good as they say and doesn't resemble Emily Rose in any way, I think we're in for quite a treat. Check out the horrifying photo courtesy of BloodyDisgusting.com after the jump.
TUTORIAL - Color Correction in AE
In this tutorial I will show you how to do some simple, yet awesome, color correction using the tools supplied in After Effects. Color correction is a very important thing when it comes to filmmaking and while there are numerous tutorials online, they generally discuss using third party plugins like Colorista.
I don't want to bash on Colorista (it was developed by a genius with a great blog) but you can achieve a lot in After Effects. When I worked at Digital Kitchen this past summer, they did all of their color correction using only AE.
So start color correcting everything you shoot, shot by shot. It's a pain in the ass and takes a lot of work, but sometimes a poorly color corrected shot is better than raw footage.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY'S ENDING
(NOTE: SPOILERS WILL ONLY APPEAR AFTER THE JUMP)PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is, without a doubt, my favorite horror film of the year. The film took THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (one of my top 10 favorite films) and amped it up to 11. It has such a specific tone that even seeing screenshots of the film brings back the feeling of dread and terror you had during the first viewing. The performances are so natural and realistic, you wish Micah and Katie would break character every once in a while just to remind you this is all a movie. I can't say enough great things about the film.
But I can say, something didn't seem right about the ending. I have since learned multiple endings were shot and some are even available online. I have always believed when a filmmaker shoots multiple endings, something isn't right. Even though PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is one of the freshest, scariest and best films of the year, it's no different. After seeing the film twice and thinking about it long and hard, I've not only learned why the ending didn't work for me, but have learned a powerful lesson about filmmaking. Check it out after the jump.
WARNING! THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS EXTREME SPOILERS FOR PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, AND CLOVERFIELD. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN ANY OF THESE FILMS, DO NOT READ THIS ARTICLE AND GO SEE THEM. THEY ARE EXCELLENT MOVIES AND YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THEM YET.
HORROR UK AND TUTORIAL
Hey everyone!I just wanted to let you know THE GATEKEEPER will be playing on All Hallow's Eve at Horror UK. This is such an honor. We shot this movie last October in the dead of fall to capture that Halloween feel. Now a year later, it's going to be playing on the actual day at a rad festival. How cool is that?
If you're in London and want to check it out, you can find the schedule right here.
In other news, I'm going to be recording a Color Correction tutorial this week. Our last tutorial was a big hit and I've been itching to get back into the Tutorial Game. As a color correcting geek, I've noticed the extreme lack of color correcting tutorials. Most just concentrate on how to use an expensive plugin, but I'm gonna show you how to get great results just using the tools supplied in After Effects.
It will hopefully be up this week or next week.
Keep checking out BULLETSandBLOODSHED.com for great October movie suggestions.
QUICK UPDATE
Hello everyone and long time no see! I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, but we've been super busy. I'll get to that in a second.First off, THE GATEKEEPER didn't take home any awards at Chicago but it was such an honor to be nominated. We couldn't be more thrilled about that whole thing. At the end of the month, the film will be playing at Horror UK's 28 Hours Later film festival, so if you're in London or happen to be visiting the UK this Halloween, be sure to check it out.
We're still waiting to hear back from a couple festivals for the fall season. After that, we're moving on to Spring so there won't be festival news for a while after October. But I'll keep you posted on everything as it develops.
But the main reason we've been so busy is....wait for it....WE'RE WORKING ON A NEW MOVIE! That's right! We've got a new flick in the works and we can't wait to show it to you. We're in the middle of casting and location scouting now, so it will be a while before you see it, but it will be worth the wait. All I can say is the movie is unlike anything we've ever done before. So stay tuned for more info on that!
Also, it's our favorite time of year and the perfect time to be watching some good ol' fashioned horror films. That's why I've been recommending a movie a day over at BulletsAndBloodshed.com. I'm starting off with some fresh blood and moving more into classics and my personal favorites at the end of the month. You can also follow me at Twitter.com/JimmyTheGhost and see the movies there.
HORROR UK
More good news! THE GATEKEEPER has officially been selected into the 2009 Horror UK 28 Hours Later film festival. That means THE GATEKEEPER is two for two on the submission front. We couldn't be happier. This will be the European premiere of the film which is super exciting to say. I've checked out some of the films being shown and they all look pretty awesome. The festival will be on October 30 and Halloween. For more information, click on the logo to the right.
In related news, not only will THE GATEKEEPER be showing at the Chicago Horror Film Festival this year, but it has also been nominated for Best Short Film AND Best Actor Kevin Cunningham. This is obviously super rad. It was such a blast working with Kevin and he really carried this film from start to finish. So congratulations Mr. Cunningham!
If you are able to go to either of these festivals, you should. They should be a bunch of fun.
Due to some other festival guidelines, I won't be able to put THE GATEKEEPER online for a little while. However, I will be "updating" the trailer this week. So be sure to check back soon.
TOP FIVE FILMS OF THE SUMMER
Almost everyone likes to make a big deal about how bad movies are (I am most definitely one of them), but when you sit down and actually take a look, things aren't that awful. Sure, TRANSFORMERS 2: Revenge of the Fallen made $800 billion and so did GI JOE and blah blah blah. But there were also some great and even ground breaking films. I don't think 2009 will have the same impact of 1999 (look at the films that came out that year and you'll be blown away), but it's been a good year so far.So I've decided to make a list of my top five favorite films of the summer. Before I start counting down, let me say this, I DIDN'T see the three big indies of the summer: 500 Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, and Moon. I know that this is unforgivable but shit happens and life goes on. Had I seen those films, I have no doubt one or two or all three would have made the list. So for now, let's just say these are my top five films of the summer BESIDES those films. Check out the full list after the jump!
Chicago Horror Film Festival
HUGE NEWS EVERYONE! Our film THE GATEKEEPER has just been accepted to the 2009 Chicago Horror Film Festival. This is a super big deal for us because it's the first time we've made it into a real film festival. The day has come and we couldn't be more excited.
I've sent THE GATEKEEPER out to a number of festivals and this was the first one to make a decision, so as of now, we're one for one, which ain't bad. The Chicago Horror Film Festival has become an institution in ol' Chi-Town. Being an avid reader of Fangoria and Rue Morgue, I've seen the way cool ads and have always wanted to submit to them. I’ve also looked at the list of films they’re showing this year and they look totally gnarly and awesome.
If you’re in the Chicago area, be sure to check it out on September 25-27. Click on the logo to the right for the website and all the information you need.
They also hope to team up with YouTube and stream a bunch of content on the web…which means THE GATEKEEPER may be online quicker than we anticipated. I’m not making any promises, but keep your fingers crossed.
Once again, we couldn’t be happier. This is a big day for PRETTY PEOPLE PICTURES…one we won’t soon forget.
BELOW THE BASEMENT
BELOW THE BASEMENT is now online for your viewing pleasure. Simply visit www.PrettyPeoplePictures.com/BelowTheBasement or you can check it out in the Films section. This is our first film to be posted on OpenFilm.com. Please feel free to enjoy the film on our site, but if you feel so inclined, go ahead and check out OpenFilm.com and rate our film.
BELOW THE BASEMENT is currently ranked in the “Editor’s Pick” section and listed on the front page. This is super cool and hopefully a lot of people will be able to check this out.
BELOW THE BASEMENT has been our best received movie by far. The performances are great and I think people can really relate to it. When we screened it at Digital Visions, a lot of people told us it made them cry! Even though we had a great response, we were still surprised when it got nominated for a People’s Choice Award. This was quite an honor and I’m still very proud.
So go check it out. Be sure to download it for your iPod too :-)
OpenFilm.com
As I sit here and watch BELOW THE BASEMENT upload to OpenFilm.com, I’ve started to think about the future of Pretty People Pictures as well as the future of filmmaking in general. Openfilm.com is an experiment for PPP and this site. Unlike YouTube or Vimeo, OpenFilm displays ads while your film plays. If your film makes any money from the ad revenue, OpenFilm gives the filmmaker %50 of the revenue. There are a number of reasons why I’m trying this out and I’ve listed them in order of importance.
HOW CAMERON IS SAVING MOVIES
Let’s face it, our current time period in film history will not be known for its originality. Remakes, reboots, sequels and prequels have dominated the beginning of the 21st century. This summer alone has seen the worst of it. Just look at the box office: Transformers 2, Night at the Museum 2, Ice Age 3, X-Men 4, 4 Fast 4 Furious, Terminator 4, Harry Potter 6, Star Trek 11, etc. These films may have grossed billions of dollars, but the film going audience is sick of it. Anywhere you look, people are making their voices heard. Whether it’s blogs like this or the podcasts on your iPod, people want originality. Seeing the same old thing rehashed over and over just gets boring.
What’s worse is it’s sucking our young and talented filmmakers into a pit of sequel sludge. Some are able to crawl out like JJ Abrams with his amazing Star Trek rendition while others keep slipping on the mud like Rob Zombie, who was roped into making a sequel of his reboot instead of Tyrannosaurs Rex. With GI JOE, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Alice in Wonderland just over the horizon, all has seemed lost….but it’s not. One man has chosen to skip this period in film history altogether. He has embarked on a quest so epic, it could only be rivaled by one of his films. This man is James Cameron and he is trying to save us all.
...READ MORE...
TRANSFORMERS 2 Review
Let me start by saying I think TRANSFORMERS is one of the dumbest movies I’ve ever seen. I’ll never forget seeing that movie on opening day with Annie Baker and Corey Costello being genuinely excited for what I was about to see. What I did see was a 2+ hour commercial containing some of the worst slapstick humor ever put on screen. Half way through the movie, I could have sworn the Transformers were going to do the “Transformers Rap.” I soon realized this wasn’t INDEPENDENCE DAY or TERMINATOR 2 for a new generation of kids, this was an abomination of cinema.
So going into TRANSFORMERS 2: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, I really wasn’t expecting much. Or should I say I was expecting exactly what I got: A stupid 2.5+ hour movie containing a hell of a lot of robots making noise and Shia LeBouf and Megan Fox running around for…well…no one really knows.
Read the rest of my review after the jump.
TUTORIAL - Create a UFO in C4D
In my FIRST EVER video tutorial, I'll be showing you how to create a UFO in Cinema 4D. I learned how to make this UFO while working on post production for THE INSURGENTS. This is the same technique I used in the final trailer which can be seen at PrettyPeoplePictures.com/Insurgents.
In this tutorial I'll show you how to create a basic textured disc shape and then drop it into an Array Object where you can create an epic looking UFO.
Check it out after the jump!
Crackle.com's Angel of Death
With out a doubt, the internet is changing the way we view media. From Hulu.com and Netflix's "Watch Instantly" feature, to downloading and renting movies using iTunes; televisions, DVDs, and even movie theatres are starting to look like a thing of the past.
Of course, nothing will ever replace the feeling you get when you watch a summer blockbuster up on the big screen with a crowd of strangers, or kicking back and watching your favorite show in the comfort of your own home. But as computers and televisions begin to merge, we are seeing more and more online content being generated from filmmakers across the world.
DR. HORRIBLE'S SING ALONG BLOG is hands down the best web series out there and has set the bar abnormally high for any web series after. Created by Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, and Firefly) to prove what writers were fighting for during the WGA strike a few years ago, DR. HORRIBLE was not only top quality but top ingenuity. It proved you can do things on the internet that you can't do anywhere else.
Since DR. HORRIBLE, I have had a hard time finding anything else that stands up to it's awesomness. That is until I stumbled upon CRACKLE.com's ANGEL OF DEATH. I already forget how I got to this site, but while I was on Crackle, I saw an ad that said, "Meet the woman who can kick your ass." I'm a big fan and supporter of strong female characters, so I was naturally interested, but then I saw it was ZOE BELL!
...READ MY REVIEW AND WATCH THE ENTIRE SEASON OF CRACKLE.COM'S ANGEL OF DEATH...
DRAG ME TO HELL Review
So I'm gonna be honest here. I wasn't really too excited to see DRAG ME TO HELL. I thought the trailer was fun, but didn't really grasp the tone they were trying to portray. The TV spots seemed to give away a bunch of scares and I figured there wouldn't be any left in the film. I also wasn't really into the whole "curse" idea.
Whatever. I couldn't have been more incorrect. This movie is freaking awesome and is (dare I say) one of the best horror movies in the past few years. Full review after the jump.
TUTORIALS COMING SOON!
Either this week or next week, I am going to do something I have always wanted to do...a TUTORIAL!
90% of my filmmaking education has come from free online tutorials. They have literally been invaluable to me and I have always wanted to pay it forward.
So I'm gonna start out with a bang. I'm gonna show you how to create your own UFO (as seen in THE INSURGENTS) using Cinema 4D. The tutorial will be a video tutorial for you to download and follow along. Should be very fun.
Check out what we'll be creating after the jump.
IntenseDebate
Anyone who runs a website knows that it's a lot of work and a lot of tweeking. The best analogy I've heard recently was at Digital Kitchen where "a website is like an aquarium. It looks pretty but you have to keep cleaning it, repairing it, add fish, take out dead ones, etc."
So one thing I'm trying to do right now is add a comments forum for you to discuss my postings, films, content and such. The most popular one on the interwebs is IntenseDebate. Don't let the name fool you, it's really just a comment forum. You can sign up really easily, or you don't have to. I recommed that you signup because then you can use it on Slashfilm.com and other cool sites across the web.
It will only be on a few stories at first, but eventually I will add it to all my previous postings. That way you can debate me on whether or not the original Buffy was a good movie or not ;-)
Alright...let's see how it goes after the jump!
THE INSURGENTS!
Hey Everyone!
THE INSURGENTS is now up for you to watch and enjoy. Check out THE INSURGENTS MINI SITE and be sure to download a copy for yourself. Feel free to forward the link to all your friends and family and if you have trouble remembering, it's PrettyPeoplePictures.com/Insurgents. Simple enough, right?
Anywho, check it out and tell me what you think in the comments below. It sure was a fun time making THE INSURGENTS and I'm very proud with the final result. All that's left to do now is the feature ;-)
And just for fun, check out the poster after the jump!
OLD BLOG POSTINGS:
DRAG ME TO HELL TRAILER - February 23, 2009
INK REVIEW - February 23, 2009
VIDEO BLOG - February 23, 2009
THESE THINGS HAPPEN... - February 21, 2009
FRIDAY THE 13TH REVIEW - February 15, 2009
MY TOP TEN ACTION HEROES - February 7, 2009
MY FAVORITE FILMS FROM 2008 - February 7, 2009
ASS KICKERS - February 1, 2009
DEATHTROOPERS - January 28, 2009
MY FAVORITE TRILOGY - August 8, 2008
PRETTY PEOPLE PICTURES © 2009