Project Horror Year 2 (Patreon)

As the project heads into its second year, I wanted to share how I see things shaping up over the next 12 months.

Before we get stuck into it, I just want to say a massive heartfelt thanks to you all for supporting my work. I say it a lot but I’m constantly amazed that my work has found any kind of fan base. I make nothing from YouTube so it’s no exaggeration to say that these films would not exist if it wasn’t for you. As well the financial support, though, your feedback and comments and your participation in the community is invaluable in terms of shaping what I produce.

Production

Pretty much as soon as Project Horror launched, the UK went into its first lockdown. Since then, we have been through a range of social and work restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has had a dramatic impact on production as it’s really limited how many people I can have on set at any one time.

The good news is that restrictions are being lifted in the coming weeks and months so I’m currently planning some films that will feature 2, 3, and  4+ actors.

I’m really excited to explore some deeper story-telling and also spend some more time behind the camera getting the angles just right and directing the action. And I’m very excited to bring multiple methods of death to a single film.

Content

Everything I produce will have as high a body count as possible. With more people in the films, the plots and action and stories will be deeper, richer, and with – hopefully – more rewarding pay offs.

Also with more people being allowed on set, comes the opportunity to have recurring characters – which I’m really excited about.

I will also be experimenting more with different types of practical fx. I love trying new things and haven’t been able to do as much as I would like – mainly down to time constraints.

I’m also going to be experimenting with different lengths. One of the goals I’ve set myself for 2021 is to produce an actual proper short film, something about 20-30 mins long with a legit beginning, middle, and end.

Releases

Time is a big factor for me going forward. Project Horror is and always will be a labour of love for me. It is, however, more than a full-time job shooting and editing, recruiting actors, managing social media, and dealing with the many many messages I get. And I already have a 9-5 day job, so I’m effectively working two full-time jobs.

I can juggle all the family stuff, no problem. But what I’m struggling to reconcile is the fact that I’m not pushing Project Horror forward as much as I would like. Project Horror is first and foremost a creative endeavour for me. As such, I need to feel like the project is moving forward and the output is improving all the time. The project is capable of so much more and I feel like I’m still just scratching on the surface.

The largest chunk of my PH time is spent editing. It’s a really important part of the process, but it is very time consuming. I’m in the process of looking for a video editor as well as upgrading from my trusty Macbook Pro. But I do need to reduce the amount of editing I have to do each month – just so I have more time to write and to experiment with fx and to build new sets. To that end, I’m going to be releasing five films each month, 3 films for all patrons, 1 extra for all psycho killers, and a further film exclusive to the super fan tiers. I challenge anyone to argue that’s still not great value. I’m still going to aim to get six films out every month, but I don’t want to feel like I have to because of some arbitrary quota. This way, if I need to spend some time in the studio working on some new fx or building a new set, I can do that without having to rush out a film.

Tiers

I will be reviewing the tiers this month, so expect some polls and questions asking for your thoughts. I can’t see it changing too much but I’ve not reviewed the tiers and benefits for about six months, so they definitely need a look.

I am really excited for 2021 and my plans for Project Horror and I’m really glad to have you with me on this journey.

If you have a thought about anything, just leave a comment and I’ll reply as soon as I am able

Thanks, Dan