Taylor Carmichael says:
is 12 Angry Men. Why is it perfect? Because the whole movie takes place in one room. Which means you can shoot it for very little money. That's the main factor in any independent film--but particularly the really poor independent film--is to limit your number of locations. We shot Whodidit? in 10 days, for $3000. 12 Angry Men was our template. I wanted to craft a screenplay where all the conflict is verbal.
Of course, the downside to all the dialog is that you don't have much room for music. Watch 12 Angry Men again, you'll be shocked at how little music that movie has. It would be nice if we could squeeze some music in, but there's not much room at all. You really need action scenes for music.
What's nice about one location is that it really gives you a claustrophobic vibe. I think that's why so many independent films are horror movies. You can limit the number of locations for money purposes, and it gives you a trapped feeling. Plus in a horror script you have action scenes where you can use music effectively. And you don't need name actors for horror.
The problem with horror is that you can get locked into that genre. And it's hard to cross over. If you're not careful, you're making zombie movies for the rest of your life.
Of course, the downside to all the dialog is that you don't have much room for music. Watch 12 Angry Men again, you'll be shocked at how little music that movie has. It would be nice if we could squeeze some music in, but there's not much room at all. You really need action scenes for music.
What's nice about one location is that it really gives you a claustrophobic vibe. I think that's why so many independent films are horror movies. You can limit the number of locations for money purposes, and it gives you a trapped feeling. Plus in a horror script you have action scenes where you can use music effectively. And you don't need name actors for horror.
The problem with horror is that you can get locked into that genre. And it's hard to cross over. If you're not careful, you're making zombie movies for the rest of your life.
