I wanted to finally pop on and introduce myself and give you a general idea of what I'm all about. First off I'm a 43 year old man child with Wife and Teenage Son, who is still very much obsessed with the 80s and the pop culture that came along with it. I'm a genre movie fan and love me some comics, toy collecting, movie props/posters, absurd comedy and being who you are unabashedly. I'm an open book and generally a very happy, weird and silly guy. After seeing A Nightmare on Elm Street with my Mother in 1984 and coveting my family's video camera that Christmas, I began to make back yard comedy, horror, fantasy, fan films. In the winter of 1991 I decided I would really start taking it more seriously and began to write short scripts and put a name to what I was doing..."Low Budget Pictures" was born and from then on until 2011 I pretty much made my meager dreams a reality and made nothing but no budget comedy horror. In 1993 my stuff on VHS was distributed through a small company in Texas called Cemetery Cinema and in 2001 I began making flicks for Tempe Entertainment. Over the years I have made movies for several very small and indie geared distribution studios and in 2011 I stopped making flicks under the Low Budget Pictures name and started going under the name Warlock Home Video. I have made over 60 short films and features, been written about in magazines and film books, shoot features in 2 to 3 days, been featured on national television, have garnered a nice cult following for my brand of weird, off putting, goofy absurd comedy horror, for 20 years have been working with the same group of people ( who are also my best friends and the most loyal people on the planet) and have traveled all over the country to conventions and film fests since 1993 spreading the word on our particular brand of "art". In February 2021 I am celebrating 30 years of doing this from when I first started to take it seriously, which is a really great feeling and I'm proud of the things I have accomplished...however, I have been battling with a love hate relationship for making movies for several years now and I question daily if I should keep pushing forward or not. After all of this time, blood, sweat, tears, absurdity, I am broke. I know that is common for us indie filmmakers. financially at this stage in my life, I truly have nothing to show for it. So many times over the years I thought to myself, "This may be the year I can do this for a LIVING" and take care of my family the way I have always wanted to.....and then POOF!! The chance leaves as easily as a busted fart in the wind. You always tell yourself that you are NOT doing this for the money, but the passion...well after so long, I would really LOVE to make money off of my passion, ha! I have never known how or where to go about finding an agent/manager and frankly all of the more established people I have worked with through my my flicks have always poo poo'd the idea which discouraged me even more. I have 2 written scripts sitting collecting dust and one I'm working on currently but my demons say, "what's the point, why try when all these years a wider audience has eluded you", but my optimistic side says "Fuck it, ya never know what could happen, you still have time, you're still young!" I figured I would come here and get some perspective. Try to connect with others who may be in the same boat, who may inspire me to stay on target and may just find some Producers, Agents, FRIENDS that want to help on my journey to being a first class visual tom foolerist who would like an audience as big as Adult Swim to see his brand of absurd comedy. Should the dream live on!???
Filmmaking / Directing : GREETINGS Fellow Filmmaking Warriors by Christopher Seaver
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Hi Christopher! I really enjoyed reading your post and I get how you must be feeling and why. Everyone wants to be able to live off their passion if they could and you are definitely not alone in that respect and yes it takes time if honestly ever but would you rather live a life where you didn’t do your passion at all? Some people never really find their passion at all, NEVER give yours up, never kill your dream. THAT is a sure fire way to be unhappy in life. I’m a lifelong horror fan and I’m new to the industry, I have a couple of short films and scripts under my belt and I would love to say in 30 years time that I was still doing what I love, I cannot wait for that. What you have achieved and what you are doing is amazing, never forget that. If you kill it, it will definitely never happen and as I said you would lead a much more unfulfilled and passionate life not doing what you want to do even if it’s not your main income. Stay strong, network and connect with others on the platform and get involved in what you can. I have sent you a connection request as I’d like to connect and know more but don’t wait for others, get yourself out there and send some requests too. Best, Jaye!
Thank you SO much for the kind words, Jaye!!
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Welcome! As a child of the 80s I can understand the allure.
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I'm a war baby with recollections from the '50s, coming of age in the'60s - I think I slept through most of the '80s. The '60s were not all the fun & games that so many think.
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@Christopher congratulations on films you did so far and I love your ethos, to thine own self be true, is a flag I fly aswell. Keep the passion burning, have you tried screenwriting festivals to pitch your brand? Some pitches are free, most are booked way in advance but some have sessions to queue on the day. (Now it’s zoom due to covid). Transmedia is another route forward and today we live in an age where never before has there been such opportunity for free worldwide publicity. Keep projects going or at least on back burner, think positive and execute your art in new ways. Social media’s also a way of getting out your brand Eg Facebook watch, if you have a whacky character build fan base and offer more. Give up passion? NO.
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Hi, Christopher Seaver! Congratulations on all you have done thus far! Comedy horror (as well as horror and all things weird) is a favorite of mine! Stage 32 is a great place to connect and work to move to the next level, whatever that means to you! I am an actor, but as the pandemic hit and going to set or class was not an option, I began writing. I joined the writers' room and have been so thankful for all I've learned in such a short period of time. It's a place to practice your pitches and receive script coverage from your peers. It's also a place where you have a chance to hear pitches and pitch your own projects in front of execs! There are also ways to pitch directly under Script Services and contests to enter here on the site! All my best to you!
Thanks for the positive vibes, all!!!
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Hey, Christopher Seaver! My name is Kay, I'm the Community Manager here at Stage 32. Thanks so much for the intro and welcome to the community!
If you haven't met Nick Assunto, our Script Services Coordiantor, you absolutely should - he is also quite enamored on horror/comedy films. Here's a little intro about the Stage32 team: https://www.stage32.com/blog/Meet-the-Stage-32-Team
Not only should you not give up, but you should absolutely rev up! Okay, that sounded hokie, but I mean it. Take some time to put in perspective what you've accomplished, think about what's important to you, and take that FIRST next step. My mother once asked me, "if you never made another film again, what would you want to see up on the big screen with your name attached?" That's how I approach each next step - does it get me closer to something I want my name attached to.
Actually, if you get a moment, I think you'd enjoy our Holiday Jump Start - don't forget to comment and respond to others! https://www.stage32.com/blog/The-Holiday-Jump-Start-Prepare-to-take-a-Gi...
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Hey Christopher and welcome. Because you have the passion, I definitely would not give up if I were you. Clearly you have been making product and putting in the effort. But I would also look at what your business model is and see how you can change it so you can start to make money. It is after all, show business. There are resources out there for independents. Check out RB’s book on crowdsourcing and Indie Film Hustle to name two. And don’t give up.
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I'm also 43 child at heart and love the 80's awesome
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Did anyone actually live in the '80s? (You can tell it's not my favorite decade.)