Doing it Your Way: The Highs and Lows of Independent Horror with Jim O’Rear

  Doing it Your Way: The Highs and Lows of Independent Horror with Jim O’Rear

    It’s an accepted truth that it takes a lot of money to make and distribute a film. Few people can afford such costs which is why most films are made within the context of studios that can afford it. Of course, accepting someone’s money usually means accepting their terms so film makers don’t always get to make the movie that they want. Often film makers can’t even get backing for a film, especially if it doesn’t seem like it will make money. So, some film makers work outside of that system making movies with small budgets with lesser known talents, but also making the movies that they want to make.

   There are some famous examples of low budget films that have made huge impacts. Robert Rodriguez started his career with El Mariachi, which he made for about $7,000. Kevin Smith’s Clerks was made for under $28 thousand. In general though, horror is the most profitable genre for low budget films. The best example of low budget success is The Blair WitchProject which cost $60 thousand and made $240 million!

   Independent film maker Jim O’Rear was nice enough to answer questions about his career, giving some firsthand insights into the art and business of movie making.

Jim directing Maria Kil on the set of The Deepening

  

1 ) So first off, tell us who you are and what you do.

I am Jim O'Rear and I have been known to take part in many television and movie projects as an actor, stuntman, writer, and director.

2) In addition to writing, directing acting, and stunts, you’ve also done composing, producing and make-up. In which role do you see yourself most or maybe which roles do you enjoy most?

As I get older I prefer my time behind the camera, writing and directing and especially editing. It's much more creatively fulfilling.

 

April Monique Burril in The Hospital

3) Before filmmaking, you worked on stage with magicians, is that right? Tell us what that was like.

Yes. I had no desire to become an actor or get into film work. At a very early age I was on tour as The Youngest Professional Magician, working with people like Harry Blackstone Jr, The Great Tomsoni, and David Copperfield. I love the art of magic, as it is a combination of science and theater. A TV producer saw me in one of these shows and convinced me that I should start acting, which prompted the transition into film.

The Deepening

4) How did you get your start in film making?

It was totally by accident. A friend of mine had been acting in several films that were taking forever to be finished and distributed. So he decided he was tired of waiting on others to finish films he was in and he wanted to make his own so that he would have more control over getting his face out there. He asked if I would help him and that's what started my journey as a filmmaker.

  

Jim laughing with Bree Olsen on the set of Fat Chance, later renamed Camp Massacre

5) Most of your films are horror movies. What were your favorite horror movies or which ones were influences on you?

The ones that had the biggest influence on me were the original Halloween, the original Night Of The Living Dead, and the first Phantasm film. You can still find influences from all these films in anything that I make.

6) Your first feature length film as a director was a slasher, The Deepening. It starred Debbie Rochon and Gunnar Hansen. That’s pretty good talent for your first film. What was that like?

Gunnar Hansen

It was a ridiculous, campy drive-in slasher that was a ton of fun to make. It was shot over 5 weekends for about $1,500. Gunnar and Debbie had been friends of mine for years before that... as we had done other projects together... so I asked if they'd come on board. They did and it really gave my first film the punch it needed, as I was immediately offered a worldwide distribution deal right out of the gate.

Bree Olsen in Camp Massacre

"... if anything can go wrong it will and you better be prepared to make quick decisions on the spot to make things work."

Jim and Maria Kil on the set of The Deepening

7) What were the hardest lessons you’ve learned in film making?

That if anything can go wrong it will and you better be prepared to make quick decisions on the spot to make things work. And be prepared to have a lot of people hate you once you see the slightest amount of recognition for your projects.

8) You’re known for your independent work, but you’ve also worked on bigger budget more mainstream projects as well. What is the difference between the two worlds?

Indie work is where the real creative people dwell. There's not much to work with other than your talent and your brain, so you've got to come up with new and creative ways to make things work. Big budget is great for the paycheck. I love sitting in a dressing room trailer getting paid a lot of money to do nothing... but it's not creatively fulfilling. Big budget is where all the people live who have had the creativity beaten out of them by the Hollywood system.

  

Megan Emerick and Melanie Contreras in The Hospital 2

 "Digital has helped filmmaking while killing filmmaking at the same time."

9) Digital technology has changed filmmaking. I guess it really started in earnest in 1999 when George Lucas shot The Phantom Menace completely digitally. Now it’s hard to find anything still shot on film. Rob Zombie said that shooting on film is just too costly and time consuming compared to digital. How has the digital revolution changed film making for you?

I prefer the look of film, but I totally understand the practicality and ease of digital. It's definitely made some things easier but, unfortunately, it's opened the market to a ton of new filmmakers that just shoot backyard movies with their friends and claim that they are actual films... which over saturates the market with inferior product making it more difficult to actually get decent movies released with a good distribution deal. It’s made it much more difficult to actually make money.

10) For any aspiring film makers who may be reading this, what kind of software or equipment do you use?

I'm very simple.... We shoot on digital SLR in high-def. I don't like the look of 4K, so I'll never shoot in 4K. It's too clean. I prefer a little grain... just like the films of the 70s and 80s. I used to edit with Adobe Premiere and used After Effects for post effects, but Sony Vegas Pro has all the same features and is much easier to use. Vegas has sped up the editing process immensely. I now use HitFilm Pro for post effects, too, which is a powerhouse digital effects program that's super easy to use.

  

11) With the demise of the video store, less and less people are buying “hard copies” of their movies and just opting to stream them or download them. I imagine that cuts down on the cost of distribution but probably makes it harder to protect against piracy. What have your experiences been with it?

It's impossible to prevent piracy now. Within an hour after a film is released you can find it online. This takes a ton of money out of the filmmakers pockets, making it harder to continue to make films. So, if you are not paying for the films of directors you enjoy watching, you are running them out of the business and ending their careers. The days of making $2-$3 from each sale of a video have been replaced by making 15 cents for a download or stream of your film. When you add to that the fact that many people won't even pay to stream and search for it for free.... now you're taking away even that measly 15 cents. Digital has helped filmmaking while killing filmmaking at the same time.

12) Of your films, I think The Hospital is probably the most “hardcore" , moving out of the slasher genre and closer to the so-called “torture porn” genre.  Were there any tough moments when shooting that film?

Yes... we made this film to piss people off. That was the only reason. We just wanted to grab people by the throat and shake them and make them angry. I honestly thought that only about 50 people would see the film and that it would take at least 5 or 6 years to find someone who may even want to attempt distribution. Apparently I was wrong. We got a worldwide distribution deal after the first screening and it went viral across the globe... even being converted into 3D in Germany on blu-ray. It did piss a lot of people off, as it was banned in several countries, but it was also a huge hit. There was immediate demand for a sequel, so we did one of those too. I prefer the sequel, actually, but there are millions of original hardcore Hospital fans out there.

"...horror goes hand-in-hand with nudity."

Jim and Maria Kil in The Deepening

13) Some, maybe all, of your movies feature some degree of nudity. You’re a married man. Does your wife ever give you any strange looks about some of the scenes?

No, she knows it's all showbiz and horror goes hand-in-hand with nudity. She's actually been on set a few times when some of those scenes were shot. It's just part of the business.

14) When casting a film, what qualities do you look for in an actor?

We want someone who has personality and makes an impression on screen. We don't necessarily look for the best actor, we look for personalities and people who seem to mesh well together.

15) Some of your films have done well overseas. Is there a difference in what it takes to be successful in America verses a foreign market?

There's no money in America anymore for indie film. If you're going to be successful, you have to go international. That's where the biggest deals are. I never set out to cater to a foreign market, though. I just make films I like and hope that they fit in there.

  

Megan Emerick in The Hospital 2

16) Everyone has to deal with rejection and failure, but I imagine in film making it happens quite a lot given that you have to depend on so many people and uncontrollable variables. How do you deal with it?

Everyone is different. You have to start every project knowing that some will hate it and some will love it. You can't please everyone. So, make what you want to make and the audience will find it. Just know that there will be a lot of very vocal people who think they're hurting you by telling you that you and your film suck. You just have to develop thick skin and realize that those people's opinions don't matter.

"Rarely do you ever see a knock off make it very far."

17) You have a movie coming out soon. It was going to be called Devil Music but now it’s called Hell’s Bells because another movie came out with the name, Devil Music. Honestly, Hell’s Bells is a better name, but what was your reaction when you saw a movie coming out with the name that you already had in mind?

My partner, Scott Tepperman, and I just had to shake our heads and laugh. When you get popular movies out there and then you announce something new, other filmmakers will try to scramble and beat you to the punch because they aren't creative enough to come up with anything on their own. It always happens. Even with my first film, The Deepening. No one had made a killer fireman movie yet. I announced I was going to make one and suddenly 4 other companies went into production on killer fireman movies. Those others rushing to beat you, though, never learn that their rushed production is going to be a hack job that fails. Rarely do you ever see a knock off make it very far.

18) Tell us a little about Hell’s Bells; what is it about, when can people expect it?

This is a screwball comedy with horror elements. It's a twist on the classic Devil And Daniel Webster story about 2 aging losers who make a deal with the Devil to become rock stars and are faced with trying to survive when the Devil comes for payment. Marc Price (who was "Skippy" in the television series Family Ties with Michael J Fox) stars as the Devil and he is phenomenal in the role. Really a lot of fun.

   

Daniel Emory Taylor in The Hospital 2

19) Name one movie, that when you saw it, you wished you had made it and why:

The Greatest Showman. What a beautiful movie... every aspect of storytelling (the sacrifices of show business and the toll it takes on a family), the message of acceptance of others, the well thought out choreography, the art direction... it's just an amazing film that brings me to tears every time I see it.

20) If people want to check out more of your work, where can they look?

People can check out IMDB for film titles they might be interested in and then look on Netflix, Amazon, and more. The films are out there in various places. I announce things on my Facebook page, as well, for upcoming titles.

Debbie Rochon in The Hospital 2