HDC Idol 2008-09

[ferretchucker]

Thankyou for the kind words, and the criticism is equally important. Doc, I see your point and probably should have looked further into silent movies. (though I was adamant this wouldn't have caption cards of what people are saying.)

Neverending - I never really thought of that. That is a very good point. Hmmm. That's got me thinking, what would people do to communicate in a world without any sound?

[The Flayed One]

Since he just contacted me and no time frame was mentioned, I'll take a risk and assume that this was 24hrs ago.

Mr. Argento, I have an exciting style for you to listen to. It's perfect for Suspiria, and when I'm finished with my pitch, I think it will sell itself.

There are several inspirations that I have which I wish to blend together into a musical melting pot. After all, you yourself are known for casting those of different cultures and languages and having lines phonetically fed to actors who don't understand each other. This is one of the brilliant subtleties of your movies. I intend to carry on the tradition with your soundtrack.

First, I have looked to Japan to a bright young composer named Michiru Yamane. She is a famous video game composer in Japan, and her music has gothic overtones that are perfectly mixed with power rock. Listen to her brilliant soundtrack to Symphony of the Night. These are but one of the elements I wish to bring to your movie. A beautifully composed piano soundtrack intertwined with some elements of rock seem to be essential to the feel we wish to create. She can create silence when silence should be had, and then bring the audience to it's knees with a sudden surge. Here are some samples from her brilliant Symphony of the Night soundtrack. Prologue is a highlight of why I have chosen her as an example.

Next I've looked to Sweden to composer Bo Hansson. His quirky instrumental music on albums such as Attic Thoughts bring a classic 70's feel to the table. This is the second element I want to bring to your film. I want to mix in the nostalgia of a time when the world opened its eyes to the genre and forever changed the face of the modern horror industry. Mr. Hanssons music always has an air about it as if it is building to something. I love the feel of constant suspense this style can bring to the table. Here is a sampling of his music from Attic Thoughts.


Finally, I've looked to Germany to rock band Amon Duul II. Their crunchy rock style mixed with various musical instruments and occasional bizarre voice overs will add the final touch I am looking for. Their album Wolf City is a strong example. I strongly believe this is the final touch in the feel of your movie. An element of the bizarre gives the viewer that subtle, other worldly experience that mixes well with a the supernatural. Here are some samplings from Wolf City. Although all of their music may not seem to be a perfect fit, the track Deutsch Nepal gives a prime example of why I chose them as inspiration.

So there you have it. I can combine these three styles, and together we can create a horrible beauty.

[neverending]

Mr. Flayed, you should have heeded bwind's admonition to avoid casting dead actors. While Ms. Yamane was not dead in 1977 when Suspiria was released, she was only 14 years old. Her first recorded work was released in 1985- making her presumably unavailable in 1977.

Your other choices- Hansson and Amon Duul are both inspired. Would have even been more inspired if you would have suggested Bo Hansson as composer, with Amon Duul recording. Hansson posseses the right feel for Argento- maybe a little on the light side- but Amon Duul could have brought an edge to the music.

An above average answer, but flawed.

[ChronoGrl]

I’ve decided that my alternate reality brings us to now, present day and this I why: I am assuming that, in this alternate reality all horror has been panned, all “Blockbusters” leading up until now, which encompasses the aforementioned Night of the Living Dead, Exorcist, and Jaws. Of course, this will also include everything from Kubrick’s The Shining (panned in 1980), to 1999’s utter disaster The Blair Witch Project, proving that the audience as a whole is not willing to embrace pure, non-diluted horror.

In coming up with my proposal, I did some preliminary research in terms of highest grossing films of all time. In order to bring horror to a public who does not like horror, one must encompass elements of the film industry’s past successes. Titanic, The Dark Knight, Star Wars, Shrek 2, and ET: The Extra-Terrestrial are the top 5 Box Office successes of all time. Recent Blockbusters of the last five years include three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, two X-Men sequels, two Spiderman sequels, and three Harry Potter movies.

The recipe for success seems to be a combination comic book heroes and anti-heroes, adventure, and pure fantastical escapism.

So we need to take that and turn it into horror.

I propose that, in order to introduce this public into the concept of horror, we must take elements of classic fairy tales (a recipe for success year after year with early Disney as well as a baseline of familiarity) while also using the vehicle of serial comic book adaptation that proved to be successful over the past few years. As an upcoming filmmaker I propose that, specifically, we take Zenescope Entertainment’s Grimm Fairy Tales’ comic spin-off mini-series Return to Wonderland and adapt it to the screen. Since this mini-series is already a cult success amongst comic book enthusiasts, we’ll already have a base for our audience. For the rest of the general public, the success in recent years of Shrek and its sequels, shows that it is clear that the public is romanced by the concept of the redone fairy tale. I think that we can springboard off of the midrange success of 2006’s Pan’s Labyrinth and push the envelope farther. Return to Wonderland possesses a decent cross-section of horror sub-genre that had been previously rejected when presented holistically in an entire film (Carpenter’s pure Slasher Halloween caused some audience members to actually vomit into their Raisinets). So, with Return to Wonderland, we introduce the audience to horror little by little: Parts of the Slasher can be found in the Queen of Hearts and her gardening Playing Cards (literally painting the roses red with the blood of their own), the Monster sub-genre can be found in the horrifying, stalking, larger-than-life Cheshire Cat, and even the sub-genre of Cannibalism and Pulp in the Lecherous Mad Hatter. The movie(s) as a whole will play delightfully with the Surreal/Fantastical horror sub-genre, which seems to be a bit more palatable to the general audience. What’s great about adapting this entire comic mini-series is that it will enable us to create a series of sequels with which to ease the public into the genre of horror while simultaneously keeping them in familiar territory with a known fairy tale.

[neverending]

Chrono- this is a brilliant answer. By taking the "franchise" route, you can ease the audience into accepting more and more horrific elements in their movies. Starting off relatively tame, in terms of content, the audience can grow to love your characters and want to see them more, and when you start pushing the envelope, they will go right with you.

A very well reasoned scenario. High marks from me.

[Doc Faustus]

Going for geek cred might very well work in this alternate universe. While I'm not specifically impressed, it might just work. Also, easing an audience into horror might be the answer. This world's people might be endeared by something strange in this vein. Good work. I expected something really in-your face innovative from you, but I won't let my expectations of your intellect and good taste get in the way of my judging. Next round, really make it your own and wow me.

[ChronoGrl]

Thanks for the feedback, NE! I'm not sure if you've read the "Return to Wonderland" mini-series, but they're also a personal favorite of mine.

Originally Posted by Doc Faustus

Going for geek cred might very well work in this alternate universe. While I'm not specifically impressed, it might just work. Also, easing an audience into horror might be the answer. This world's people might be endeared by something strange in this vein. Good work. I expected something really in-your face innovative from you, but I won't let my expectations of your intellect and good taste get in the way of my judging. Next round, really make it your own and wow me.

Thanks for the feedback too, Doc! To tell you the truth, this challenge was ridiculously difficult because I wanted to come up with something that was ridiculously edgy and "in-your-face" (my original concept when thinking this out was to go for a more subtle and macabre Jean-Pierre Jeunet-inspired surreal piece as opposed to a Guillermo del Toro-inspired surreal piece). However, what kept stopping me short was demand for "blockbuster" and "general audience appeal." Though V suggested that I put myself in the shoes of "a young Kubrik or Polanski," to tell you truth, in this alternate universe they would have already failed (if the concept is that all horror-to-date has failed, that, unfortunately encompasses Kubrik and Polanski too).

Not that I'm talking back to the judges or anything. :o I just feel like I have to at least defend it slightly as I felt as though I was selling a piece of my soul trying to think of big-budget-blockbuster horror that hasn't been done and that will appeal to the masses. I think that, unfortunately, the masses as a whole shy away from the in-your-face, never mind in a world where they've already shunned horror. Of course, this could just be my pessimistic world view, but, hey, it's my big budget horror movie, damnit! :p

...

But, regardless - You two are people whom I respect greatly and it makes me smile to read your feedback. Cheers, guys. :D

[_____V_____]

THE SECOND TEST OF HDC IDOL 2008-09


- Alkytrio666 : Visual media is non-existent. The only popular medium which people use to get entertained is the radio. You are in charge of a local horror radio station and desperately need listeners to tune into your broadcasts. What can you possibly do to get people tuned into your station's wavelengths and make it a popular one?

Originally Posted by alkytrio666

Old-time radio (for those who didn't know) is one of my dearest interests, and I spend a lot of time visiting the golden age of the living room box via radio stars like Jack Benny and Vincent Price.

Radio was a fantastic medium for entertainment because of its obvious restrictions- a listener could not see anything, so one relied entirely on the power of storytelling, and many broadcasts are still regarded as some of the finest pieces of entertainment of all time.

The obvious example is Orson Welles' dramatization of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" on radio's premium drama program Mystery Theatre on the Air. Orson realized in 1938 what filmmakers today are just discovering- that horror really becomes terrifying when it is told in a non-fiction manner. Radio was the world's form of communication, and there was a kind of literal blind trust between the citizens of the world and that brown box that sat on their mantels- the radio held them together. That is, until Mr. Welles put on the most sucessful trick in history.

For those unfamiliar with the broadcast, Orson acted as though regular programming was interrupted so that he could announce to the world that martians had landed in Van Nest Park- and they weren;t interested in making friends.

Chaos exploded as panic-stricken families called friends and families to decide what to do in the heat of this apocalypse. For 60 short minutes, Orson Welles held the world in the palm of his hand as he transformed the freedom of the airwaves into a totally three-dimensional mode of storytelling.

Adolf Hitler was cited as calling this "evidence of the decadence and corrupt condition of democracy". I call it the beauty of free speech and the power of imagination.

If it were up to me, radio would continue to supply entertainment on a more widespread level. Like in the golden age, stars could make radio a second form of expression, really utilize the power of speech rather than visualization.

As a radio station specializing in the art of horror storytelling, I think I'd bring things back to the basics, the way they were so long ago now. First of all, if I learned anything from radio shows like Suspense it's that sometimes silence can be the most terrifying element of a thriller. Unfortunately, horror movies today have gained such a strong focus on noise that it seems like an audience needs to be cheaply deafened with a bang rather than startled with a creative scare. If a story is built well enough and characters are developed on an honest level, than a climax can hook listeners in the most powerful way- via a chilling, quiet finale.

More important an element than silence is the inescapable feeling of the presence of something evil but not being able to see it with your own eyes. In the golden age of radio, imaginations were exercized far more often. If movies like Alien have taught us anything, it is that more is less- the more of the monster we see, the less we fear it. Americans fear the unknown, through fiction and war, past and future. Simply re-introducing the power of this method would hook horror fans old and young alike.

Radio is an underrated form of entertainment and expression, one that has influenced movies from Psycho to Cloverfield, and I would love to see a re-emergence of it in the world of horror.

- ChronoGrl : Several critically-acclaimed flicks have failed miserably at the BO - Night of the Living Dead, The Exorcist, Jaws etc. all have been flushed down the toilets. For some reason, the audiences arent willing to accept any of those horror flicks. You are a talented and eccentric filmmaker who is hellbent on making the audiences turn towards horror. What ideas can you use to conquer such hard-headed audiences of the world?

Originally Posted by ChronoGrl

I’ve decided that my alternate reality brings us to now, present day and this I why: I am assuming that, in this alternate reality all horror has been panned, all “Blockbusters” leading up until now, which encompasses the aforementioned Night of the Living Dead, Exorcist, and Jaws. Of course, this will also include everything from Kubrick’s The Shining (panned in 1980), to 1999’s utter disaster The Blair Witch Project, proving that the audience as a whole is not willing to embrace pure, non-diluted horror.

In coming up with my proposal, I did some preliminary research in terms of highest grossing films of all time. In order to bring horror to a public who does not like horror, one must encompass elements of the film industry’s past successes. Titanic, The Dark Knight, Star Wars, Shrek 2, and ET: The Extra-Terrestrial are the top 5 Box Office successes of all time. Recent Blockbusters of the last five years include three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, two X-Men sequels, two Spiderman sequels, and three Harry Potter movies.

The recipe for success seems to be a combination comic book heroes and anti-heroes, adventure, and pure fantastical escapism.

So we need to take that and turn it into horror.

I propose that, in order to introduce this public into the concept of horror, we must take elements of classic fairy tales (a recipe for success year after year with early Disney as well as a baseline of familiarity) while also using the vehicle of serial comic book adaptation that proved to be successful over the past few years. As an upcoming filmmaker I propose that, specifically, we take Zenescope Entertainment’s Grimm Fairy Tales’ comic spin-off mini-series Return to Wonderland and adapt it to the screen. Since this mini-series is already a cult success amongst comic book enthusiasts, we’ll already have a base for our audience. For the rest of the general public, the success in recent years of Shrek and its sequels, shows that it is clear that the public is romanced by the concept of the redone fairy tale. I think that we can springboard off of the midrange success of 2006’s Pan’s Labyrinth and push the envelope farther. Return to Wonderland possesses a decent cross-section of horror sub-genre that had been previously rejected when presented holistically in an entire film (Carpenter’s pure Slasher Halloween caused some audience members to actually vomit into their Raisinets). So, with Return to Wonderland, we introduce the audience to horror little by little: Parts of the Slasher can be found in the Queen of Hearts and her gardening Playing Cards (literally painting the roses red with the blood of their own), the Monster sub-genre can be found in the horrifying, stalking, larger-than-life Cheshire Cat, and even the sub-genre of Cannibalism and Pulp in the Lecherous Mad Hatter. The movie(s) as a whole will play delightfully with the Surreal/Fantastical horror sub-genre, which seems to be a bit more palatable to the general audience. What’s great about adapting this entire comic mini-series is that it will enable us to create a series of sequels with which to ease the public into the genre of horror while simultaneously keeping them in familiar territory with a known fairy tale.

(Contd.)

[_____V_____]

- FerretChucker : The world in which you have grown up is one without sound. People get their share of entertainment by silent, fast-moving pictures projected by huge projectors in theaters. As a horror picture-maker, you have a really awesome idea which you foresee as a potential world-wide phenomenon in horror silents. What would be your pitch to big studios, and how would you go ahead with making it?

Originally Posted by ferretchucker

Here goes.

Obviously the key point of this challenge is the fact that my world is without sound. Now, other than the fact that I will have to try to get the story across to the audiences without sound, there are several other problems this poses.

The first of these problems being that I must present the possible story to the studio. This will be especially difficult considering unlike the audiences, the executives have no moving pictures to aid them in understanding the story. To get around this, I would get together a group of friends who are artistically talented and ask them to help me create storyboards. With these simple images giving a rough idea of things, and a written outline of the story, I'm confident I would be able to get across my message to them, giving them a good enough idea of what the product should be like.

As for my story, there is another problem. As all Horror fans will know, the soundtrack is equally as important as the images, providing suspense more than anything. For this reason, I feel my film would have to be a very fast moving one, full of visually surprising and shocking elements.

Yet another problem to conquer is the characters, for without speech of some sort it will be next to impossible to give them real depth, with actions doing all the talking for them. Yes, actions do show a lot about a person but to get a good understanding of them in such a short time without sound would be very difficult. Because of this, I would try to make it full of actions and physical events. My story too would have to be quite simple, almost self explanatory.

The story itself would be something like this:

A solar eclipse causes a terrible event. After it happens, strange creatures begin climbing out of the ground and attacking people. The film would be the story of one town's attempt to survive against these creatures.

I would present my story to the studio as I said. To give you an idea of how this would go, I'll give you a brief extract of what the pitch may seem like.

I show a story board. The first few images are of ordinary people walking around. Then it shows a man and his son playing catch in the back garden. A dramatic solar eclipse happens. Afterwards, the child misses a catch. He goes to get the ball and as he does, a tentacle reaches out of the ground and grab his arm, and a serrated tube like thing reaches up to his face. This image would be a large, A2 size picture. The description would say something like:

"An unprecedented solar eclipse happens above a small town. A man and his son are playing catch and witness this phenomenon. The eclipse would be a dramatic, visually stunning image with shots of space thrown in. The son drops the ball and as he goes to retrieve it, a grotesque, slimy, terrifying part of a creature appears and brutally kills him.

The film, as I said, would be full of visual effects and visually shocking images of brutal killings, blood, flashing lights, fast moving scenes of pure action. There would be very few scenes without some action. This would be to keep the audience hooked. Also, a large part would be that without sound, nobody can help you if you are attacked, for they do not know unless they see it. This would hopefully make the audience relate to it and increase the fear they feel.

To go about making the film, I would go to many different investors, getting the biggest possible sum of money. With this I would approach ILM (assuming they exist) for the effects. Actors would have to be visually recognizable so they can be remembered throughout the film, each one looking very different from others. I think I would approach Brendon Fraiser as a main character as he can handle the action stunts and portray emotion through his facial features very well, and has experience working with "nothing", when he has to pretend something is there that will only be added in post production.

For directors, I would have to go with one who I feel could take the challenge of a fast paced yet silent film. I think Clive barker would have to be my first choice, knowing how to make things grotesque and visually shocking, and I'm confident he could pull of the action scenes.

As for a setting, I think I would have to use mainly sets, but shots of a real town for some scenes. For this I would send out scouts into America to find a small, nice looking town willing to cooperate with the film.


Hopefully, with all of this my film would work well, having elements of it the viewer can relate to and enough terror and action to keep them watching the screen, with the finished product of...

THE UPRISING

In the absence of sound, this whole process would be difficult, but I feel that wouldn't hinder the audience as they would no nothing different and so it wouldn't seem to strange to them. That is all I can come up with. Hopefully it is satisfactory.

- Fortunato : You are the casting director of one of the most ambitious horror projects ever dreamed - Aliens. James Cameron gives you full backing, but there's a glitch : Sigourney Weaver has moved on to other projects and is NOT returning back. You go ahead and contact some Cameron favorites - Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Carrie Henn, etc. but are repeatedly turned down by all of them. Given the same plotline as the original, who would be your casting choices for all those characters in it?


- X¤Murderdoll¤X : You are in a reality where people love only vampire movies in the genre. Every other sub-genre flicks flop totally at the BO. Given the audiences' collective taste of vampires and more vampires, every known idea from literature and the medias have been exhausted. The top studios want you to make yet another vampire money-spinner. Do you have a fresh idea for a vampire flick to make a mark in the oversaturated audiences' minds?


(Contd.)

[_____V_____]

- The Flayed One : Dario Argento has just contacted you, a musician and a composer, to do the music for Suspiria. A major point to note - Goblin doesnt exist. Which soundtracks/songs can you possibly use to impress Argento, and for the overall composition of the entire movie...and make the movie click with all gialli lovers?

Originally Posted by The Flayed One

Since he just contacted me and no time frame was mentioned, I'll take a risk and assume that this was 24hrs ago.

Mr. Argento, I have an exciting style for you to listen to. It's perfect for Suspiria, and when I'm finished with my pitch, I think it will sell itself.

There are several inspirations that I have which I wish to blend together into a musical melting pot. After all, you yourself are known for casting those of different cultures and languages and having lines phonetically fed to actors who don't understand each other. This is one of the brilliant subtleties of your movies. I intend to carry on the tradition with your soundtrack.

First, I have looked to Japan to a bright young composer named Michiru Yamane. She is a famous video game composer in Japan, and her music has gothic overtones that are perfectly mixed with power rock. Listen to her brilliant soundtrack to Symphony of the Night. These are but one of the elements I wish to bring to your movie. A beautifully composed piano soundtrack intertwined with some elements of rock seem to be essential to the feel we wish to create. She can create silence when silence should be had, and then bring the audience to it's knees with a sudden surge. Here are some samples from her brilliant Symphony of the Night soundtrack. Prologue is a highlight of why I have chosen her as an example.

Next I've looked to Sweden to composer Bo Hansson. His quirky instrumental music on albums such as Attic Thoughts bring a classic 70's feel to the table. This is the second element I want to bring to your film. I want to mix in the nostalgia of a time when the world opened its eyes to the genre and forever changed the face of the modern horror industry. Mr. Hanssons music always has an air about it as if it is building to something. I love the feel of constant suspense this style can bring to the table. Here is a sampling of his music from Attic Thoughts.


Finally, I've looked to Germany to rock band Amon Duul II. Their crunchy rock style mixed with various musical instruments and occasional bizarre voice overs will add the final touch I am looking for. Their album Wolf City is a strong example. I strongly believe this is the final touch in the feel of your movie. An element of the bizarre gives the viewer that subtle, other worldly experience that mixes well with a the supernatural. Here are some samplings from Wolf City. Although all of their music may not seem to be a perfect fit, the track Deutsch Nepal gives a prime example of why I chose them as inspiration.

So there you have it. I can combine these three styles, and together we can create a horrible beauty.

- Vodstok : 1950s. After 3 continuous years of creature/monster movies which have failed to impress the audiences of the world, Universal is looking for fresh ideas and innovative filmmakers. They feel more justified in doing so when Invasion of the Body Snatchers releases to much critical reviews and flops at the BO. Can you make the audiences turn back to horror with a novel script for Universal? Who would you insist upon making your script into a movie for them?



4 entries by the Goblins so far.