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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Horror Movie Trailer

D

Dave Beard

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Ok guys, a small group of us have worked real hard on this project, and I'm excited to finally bring it to the table to see what everyone thinks. This is the theatrical trailer for "12 Bells". Written and directed by Erik Soulliard, DP was Bill Simone, and editor was Dave Beard. We shot this in two days with a great cast and crew.

http://www.vimeo.com/6008376

For more info about the movie, visit www.12bellsmovie.com
For more info about Bill Simone and Dave Beard, visit www.billsimone-dp.com

Feedback would be much appreciated.
 
creepy stuff. You successfully stradled the ridge of suspense horror (a la shining) and horror porn ( e.g. hostel). It looks extremely commercial and marketable. Well done! I'm sure I'll be seeing you at a theater near me...
 
"Feedback would be much appreciated. "

Okay, here it is.

Whenever I see a trailer stuck in one location, I reject the movie. The trailer needs to open up (so does the film) and give us more than one place, or else it doesn't seem like a "real" movie.

I've never even done a short confined to one location. It's claustrophobic and irritating (even over the course of a trailer).
 
Joe G. said:
"Feedback would be much appreciated. "

Okay, here it is.

Whenever I see a trailer stuck in one location, I reject the movie. The trailer needs to open up (so does the film) and give us more than one place, or else it doesn't seem like a "real" movie.

I've never even done a short confined to one location. It's claustrophobic and irritating (even over the course of a trailer).
Click to expand...

Man,

Chill out. As somebody who couldn't care less about horror formula films, which is what this seems to be, I still wish these people good luck and salute them for getting behind the camera and making it happen, even if their work does not strike a chord with me, which it doesn't. He said they shot it all over two days, so obviously, budget is a concern, so what you'd expect? MANY films, including truly memorable ones and undeniable classics, so I think when people ask for feedback, you should of course give them not only positive remarks but also constructive criticism, but your tone is far from being constructive, it is, ironically, irritating and a bit disrespectful, just like the people and attitudes you so fiercely criticize on your rather boring blog...
 
Rudi Herbert said:
Man,
MANY films, including truly memorable ones and undeniable classics...
Click to expand...

and yes, shamelessly quoting myself, I meant to say, that many memorable and classic films have been one-location films.
 
Overall this looks really good.

But I just read the synopsis and find it about 100 times more interesting than the trailer. I would rather the trailer give me some more of that.

Would you mind sharing some more details on the production, like crew sizes, number of shoot days, etc? You say it's a small group...
 
Well done! Not easy doing something yourself and making it look like the big boys.

On that I would probably give a 7 out of 10 (10 being a good, funded horror flick.)

Production-wise I think you are right on and have done well with time and budget constraints.

If you want 100% honesty, and I mean this constructively, I thought the direction and acting looked a bit rushed and indie. Perhaps this is because you couldn't spend a day on each shot, or maybe because A-list actors weren't willing to donate their time, but that's the feeling I got. :wink:

Finally, I have to agree with Joe on this one. The single location makes it look like a small movie and 100% suspense in the trailer makes it seem like the film doesn't breathe.

Nothing to do with the fact that great movies have been made this way. THIS movie may benefit from it.

Anyway, just my initial opinions. All in all you should be very proud of what you did in a couple of days and a lot of commitment!

Cheers,

Jim
 
I love the camera work .. but for me the trailer was still confustion. Was it done purposely ?
 
I can't say that I like the look of the movie but thats neither here nor there.

In short you should work on keeping the momentum flowing, a few times in there it felt a little stagnant.
Try and work the logo into the trailer instead of having it just at the front of it, its a long logo so you could do some ramping and flash in there to make it more exciting.
Instead of "Over 800,000 people are reported missing each year, 95% of them are found... what happens to the other 5%" you could have "Out of the 800,000 people that go missing each year... 5% are never found." something to that effect could be more impacting.

The photography is really good stuff though, could be graded slightly more moody but I don't see any problems there.
 
I have to say the cinematography looked great, but I agree with everyone that the trailer could be a lot better. I say you shoot more to where you have a general story (beginning, middle, and climax) and make a trailer out of those elements. The best trailers I've seen basically give a synopsis of the film but without revealing anything so the audience is like "holy crap, what the fuck is going on? I wanna find out so I'm going to go see it."

I do love the concept though, so good luck with the project. Keep us updated okay?
 
I think it looks great. Like the lighting and the look. Enough to capture interest for sure. Now turn it up to eleven.
 
I thought the "kidnapped by loved ones" cutting to the guy hallucinating (I guess) didn't make much sense.

Even if it makes sense for you (or whoever edited the trailer) it does not make sense to people watching it for the first time.

I'd say: Change the footage after that title, but it's way easier to do the other way around.

Changing the title to something that better suits that scene would improve impact.
 
Joe G. said:
"Feedback would be much appreciated. "

Okay, here it is.

Whenever I see a trailer stuck in one location, I reject the movie. The trailer needs to open up (so does the film) and give us more than one place, or else it doesn't seem like a "real" movie.

I've never even done a short confined to one location. It's claustrophobic and irritating (even over the course of a trailer).
Click to expand...

I am going to list some films for you:

Dial M For Murder
Twelve Angry Men
Glengarry Glenross (95% one location)
Dog Day Afternoon

These are not just good movies, they are absolute classics, all of them major award winners. They were also helped by the fact that they were shot in one location. The trailers revolved around one location. They are ALL feature films and they have been listed in many critics top 100 movies of all time with 12 Angry Men set in ONE ROOM, constantly in the top 50 films ever made.

To knock someone for a one location movie is wrong. That takes guts and real skill to pull off if you can. It aint easy, but this guy should be supported for even trying to do it. If you are irritated by one location movies, then I guess you won't like the films I mentioned or the numerous others like say Identity or Tape that are major cult favourites.
 
First an foremost, I would like to thank all of you who have taken the time out of your day to give me some feedback! All reviews are much appreciated. It has been getting some great response in the horror community. Check out www.12bellsmovie.com and visit the press section to read more. Second, I guess I should have clarified exactly what purpose this trailer serves. At the present time, this project is only a trailer. We have not shot the actual movie yet. We decided to go ahead with making a teaser trailer to help with fund raising for the project. The director Erik Soulliard is actively seeking investors, and is using this trailer as a very power tool to assist him. We've already gotten some inquiries from some pretty big names in the horror game asking us when we will be ready for distribution.

In response to the issue of the trailer being set in one location, this IS the intention. If you take a minute to read the synopsis on 12bellsmovie.com, you'll find out that the characters have all found themselves trapped in a building, and this plays a pretty important role in the story. It is risky, but I believe we can pull it off.
 
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