What advise would you give a first time director for a horror short?
Filmmaking / Directing : Directing for the first time for a horror? by Dea Divi
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Don't give a short all the creepy build up in the world just to do the cliche jump scare right at the end. The amount of shorts on youtube that are "award winning" or other that have really cool build ups or creepy atmosphere that end with a lame jump scare are countless.
Matthew Corry, I've noticed that lately as well. Definitely disappointing.
Just because a movie is dark with a creepy locale does not make it scary. A story needs to tap into primal fears. A unique villain is essential to this process. And mutilation and/or death allows a viewer to know the threat is real.
Jump scares are just fun and a basic element of old-school horror. I expect it.
Use "stage blood" sparingly. Gore gets old.
Trust in - what ever scares you, and it will definitely scare the others! Good luck!
I'm all for jump scares there Myron but when they are lame as hell and don't match up to the quality of the other 99% of the short it just degrades the whole experience.
Go watch a few horror shorts or feature films. Pay attention to how tension is built. Then have at it!
Get a Good DP - let him/her focus on the look and you focus on performance
Pay attention to lighting, especially if you're filming a lot of night scenes. Learned that the hard way on our first horror short film lol.