hey i was just wondering if any one had ever wrote a superhero flick since that seems to be a genre of its own nowadays.... just wondering how you approached the film, what you focused on, and if you kept in mind the aspects of budgeting?
-
Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.
superhero flick?
- Thread starter TheScientist
- Start date
Some thoughts from the production corner,
Superheroes screenplays are great to produce in many ways: the usually consist of a conglomeration of components that define successful commercial movies:
-adventure
-action
-drama
-love story
-strong, well defined lead characters
-strong well defined enemy
-G or PG13 rating
-amazing marketable power for ancillary markets
From a pure marketing/financial perspective, they are great.
HOWEVER, there are reasons you don’t see too many indi superheroes films:
From the production perspective, they are a nightmare:
- to make it commercially viable the budget is well above indi standards (and by indi standard I mean 1-5 million)
- to make it commercial viable you need an established superhero andlicensing such rights is financially impossible for most indi production companies
- and finally, the alternative - the processes of introducing NEW superheroes - is even more expensive than making the film
NOW remember I am talking from the indi producer's corner. This may not necessarily affect your writing. That is, nothing prevents you from writing a good sp about an established hero and try to get sell it to a studio, or a indi producer with studio affiliation, or an indi producer with tons of money (which 99% have studios deals).
So what I mean is that you most likely will never get your superhero script produced by an indi filmmaker, unless you envision a new-media vanguard guerilla style short.
Cheers,
Superheroes screenplays are great to produce in many ways: the usually consist of a conglomeration of components that define successful commercial movies:
-adventure
-action
-drama
-love story
-strong, well defined lead characters
-strong well defined enemy
-G or PG13 rating
-amazing marketable power for ancillary markets
From a pure marketing/financial perspective, they are great.
HOWEVER, there are reasons you don’t see too many indi superheroes films:
From the production perspective, they are a nightmare:
- to make it commercially viable the budget is well above indi standards (and by indi standard I mean 1-5 million)
- to make it commercial viable you need an established superhero andlicensing such rights is financially impossible for most indi production companies
- and finally, the alternative - the processes of introducing NEW superheroes - is even more expensive than making the film
NOW remember I am talking from the indi producer's corner. This may not necessarily affect your writing. That is, nothing prevents you from writing a good sp about an established hero and try to get sell it to a studio, or a indi producer with studio affiliation, or an indi producer with tons of money (which 99% have studios deals).
So what I mean is that you most likely will never get your superhero script produced by an indi filmmaker, unless you envision a new-media vanguard guerilla style short.
Cheers,
However
I've got to agree, super hero flicks are the domain of large budgets and established franchises.
People go and see the Hulk (despite of how bad the script is) because they already know the character. What you can't do is just take an existing character and make film involving them.
However, nothing is impossible to a highly motivated and creative indie film maker. It maybe that it is possible to make a superhero flick that doesn't involve either massive ammounts of CGI or stunt work. In fact, I'm sure it is possible, it would just require very clever thinking. You'd have to come up with a hero who had a power that would be easy to create on film using guerilla film making techniques.
Actually, what might be interesting would be a project in which a person thought they had super powers, but everyone else just thought that they were deluded. Maybe they are. Kevin Spacey kind of did this really well, recently, can't remember the name of the film (senoir moment)
Good luck with it.
I've got to agree, super hero flicks are the domain of large budgets and established franchises.
People go and see the Hulk (despite of how bad the script is) because they already know the character. What you can't do is just take an existing character and make film involving them.
However, nothing is impossible to a highly motivated and creative indie film maker. It maybe that it is possible to make a superhero flick that doesn't involve either massive ammounts of CGI or stunt work. In fact, I'm sure it is possible, it would just require very clever thinking. You'd have to come up with a hero who had a power that would be easy to create on film using guerilla film making techniques.
Actually, what might be interesting would be a project in which a person thought they had super powers, but everyone else just thought that they were deluded. Maybe they are. Kevin Spacey kind of did this really well, recently, can't remember the name of the film (senoir moment)
Good luck with it.
Think of superhero that might have attributes that don't require throwing cars or scaling walls. Mind powers, super speed, ability to disappear or become a shadow. Ability to look like other things or people.
These are all some cool powers that can all be done with fancy camera trick and little budget. If the plot and story are good the special effect do have to be. They don't hurt but you as an indie you work with what you got.
These are all some cool powers that can all be done with fancy camera trick and little budget. If the plot and story are good the special effect do have to be. They don't hurt but you as an indie you work with what you got.
"He's a super man" - M. Kidder in SUPERMAN
First - because only a major studio can afford film rights to an established super hero, we're talking about creating one ourselves.
So we're in the realm of DARKMAN - an original character that spawned a bunch of sequels. On a really low budget, let's add BLACK SCORPION (I've never seen any of these - this isn't about the quality of the films, only that they exist). And what about TRANCERS - kind of sci-fi superhero stuff? Or SCANNERS? Really dark superpowers - but kind of like X-MEN in a way.
I think Socrates nails they way to do it on a budget. I've written a bunch of cable flicks on limited budgets that had sci-fi stories - my HBO World Prem flick GRID RUNNERS is about cloning villains from computer games - villains with super powers. My villains could morph weapons (T-2 style) and could jump into the minds of the other villains to see what they see (kind of a remote viewing thing). They also could run faster & jump higher than a normal human - thanks to some stunt guys and some cables & rigs. All were 99cent FX.
If you include BLADE as a superhero, I wrote a very very similar script for Orion Pictures called NIGHT HUNTER which ended up made by another company (Orion went bankrupt) and released 3 years *before* BLADE.
And I wrote one - never made - which was kind of a Black BATMAN called NIGHT MAYOR about a guy whose wife and daughter are killed by gangs - so he turns his family SUV into an armored vehicle, puts on a mask, and gets revenge. The people who made FIRESTARTER were interested in that one for a while. If you look at BATMAN - there really aren't many FX - just weird sets and costumes. If you remove the weird sets and just search for cool existing locations - you've got a guy in a mask driving a fancy car. Affordable!
I think the key is to use your imagination and find superpowers that don't cost anything. TRANCERS (mind control) and SCANNERS (controlling objects with your mind) are cheap super powers.
Use your imagination...
But remember, the reason why SPIDER-MAN was a hit and DAREDEVIL wasn't is because one had a great human story and the other didn't. Masks and capes are great - but it's the person underneath the costume that's really important.
- Bill
First - because only a major studio can afford film rights to an established super hero, we're talking about creating one ourselves.
So we're in the realm of DARKMAN - an original character that spawned a bunch of sequels. On a really low budget, let's add BLACK SCORPION (I've never seen any of these - this isn't about the quality of the films, only that they exist). And what about TRANCERS - kind of sci-fi superhero stuff? Or SCANNERS? Really dark superpowers - but kind of like X-MEN in a way.
I think Socrates nails they way to do it on a budget. I've written a bunch of cable flicks on limited budgets that had sci-fi stories - my HBO World Prem flick GRID RUNNERS is about cloning villains from computer games - villains with super powers. My villains could morph weapons (T-2 style) and could jump into the minds of the other villains to see what they see (kind of a remote viewing thing). They also could run faster & jump higher than a normal human - thanks to some stunt guys and some cables & rigs. All were 99cent FX.
If you include BLADE as a superhero, I wrote a very very similar script for Orion Pictures called NIGHT HUNTER which ended up made by another company (Orion went bankrupt) and released 3 years *before* BLADE.
And I wrote one - never made - which was kind of a Black BATMAN called NIGHT MAYOR about a guy whose wife and daughter are killed by gangs - so he turns his family SUV into an armored vehicle, puts on a mask, and gets revenge. The people who made FIRESTARTER were interested in that one for a while. If you look at BATMAN - there really aren't many FX - just weird sets and costumes. If you remove the weird sets and just search for cool existing locations - you've got a guy in a mask driving a fancy car. Affordable!
I think the key is to use your imagination and find superpowers that don't cost anything. TRANCERS (mind control) and SCANNERS (controlling objects with your mind) are cheap super powers.
Use your imagination...
But remember, the reason why SPIDER-MAN was a hit and DAREDEVIL wasn't is because one had a great human story and the other didn't. Masks and capes are great - but it's the person underneath the costume that's really important.
- Bill