So far, most people know that online creators have power and influence – but that doesn’t always mean they can transfer their skills to other ways of entertainment. For creators Kallmekris and Celina Spooky Boo (given the names of Kris Collins and Celina Myers), they went online to making feature films, which were released in cinemas this week.
Collins, Myers and editor Jason-Christopher Mayer are the driving force (and cast) Houses in the Garden of Edenon Friday, the horror film found was released in theaters. Although they have a large Tiktok audience, writer/director Collins (51 million followers) and Miles (29 million) know that this doesn’t guarantee the platform of the movie or the audience of the audience – but the built-in base is certainly not hurt. The three filmed the film in just seven days, relying on their background as creators, and now there is a major film. They talked to Mashable to Zoom for our creator script series to discuss the transition from creation to filmmaking. ((For clarity and simplicity, the dialogue has been condensed and edited.)
How did you decide to move from creating online to making feature films?
Collins: We all become friends through the space of creators. Selina and I five years ago, I met both of us when we started. Jay and me, like four years ago, he started editing for me. But he also did some things in the traditional space. So when we start working together, it’s just a natural choice. We were like, “Well, we really like making videos, but we’ve taken the cinematic approach to our supernatural videos.” So we thought, what if we could really control those narratives. So it just starts from there.
Myers: I think our goal has always been to do this.
Mayer: Yes, agree. [Laughs.] We are making ghost-type videos and then one thing turns into another. We are here.
What is your filmmaking process like?
Collins: We have been talking passively for at least one or two years. Then we actually announced that we will be making a horror movie on a horror movie, which I think is Vidcon 2023, almost just to hold us accountable. We had no plans at that time. But we were like, “If we say, we have to do that.” So a few months later, I was like hanging out at 2-3 am and I had a movie idea. So I just started sending voice memos to these two guys manually. I was like, “Well, it can be opened on the Venus flytrap, from here to there.” So from that, we wrote an outline, like a rough outline. . . We tried to shoot at some point, but then we had to push it back, but then we shot it almost during that time last year. It all happened within a year, and it was crazy. The film itself, filming takes place within a week. ”
That must be a week.
Myers: It’s really cool. We met in Texas before shooting in Texas and we were a little thorough. At this moment, everyone likes: “Do you think we can hit it in a week?” I think everyone looks a little like it,”bet. ”
As a creator, how do these skills transfer to making feature films?
Collins: I think [those skills] It’s easy to create a lens that’s discovered – no Simple Anyway, it certainly helps. We’ve posted videos, supernatural videos, and we just followed that formula. Then we can [make it more cinematic] By using timing, sound, frames and everything like that. That’s it Why We did find the lens. In addition, because [it’s a] Lower budget. We can have a smaller team. Essentially, we can shoot the whole thing ourselves. So, this is really just YouTube videos that we can control.
Myers: All we talk about is getting our toes wet and trying it for the first time. Entering the footage of discovery, it feels very familiar.
Entering this space, how will your audience react?
Collins: I know our followers have always wanted us to do something bigger, better. …Audiences, for example, see creators grow…I think it is expected that creators can raise their own standards. There is a glass ceiling with digital creation. Therefore, breaking through this and entering tradition [media] It’s really cool. I think the audience appreciates this.
How do you try to transform these digital audiences into people heading to theaters?
Myers: I think what’s interesting is that because we know people with influence, we do have the platform we create. So it’s really fun to try to figure out how to go public [the film] Check out what we think is the best audience. Is that like using trend sound? Or, you know, do we know what people are familiar with?
Mashable Trend Report
The ad is interesting [House on Eden] In fun ways, because we are famous for comedy ways.
How does the movie feel like Friday?
Collins: This is crazy waiting because as digital creators, there is something we can do [one] During the day, then released the next day. So, this is terrible for anxiety. But that’s good. I got to my point, “Let’s put it there.” Obviously, I care about people’s thinking, but I also like: “I don’t even care, put it there and let people see it.”
Myers: [In a deep, raspy tone] Alright, baby!
Mayer: Very few independent films are designed to create $10,000 for $10,000, which is distributed to over 1,500 screens in the US alone.
I would love to know what the horror community thinks about this because they are a very, very loyal and dedicated fan base. And, you know, Kris and Celina have so many audiences in their own right, but the horror world is another entity. So I was very excited.
I’d love to know to create something and class, It has come out and created something that takes months to come.
Collins: Yes, yes, well… It’s scary for digital creators. When I do something, I obviously feel proud of it. This is something I want to put on the internet. But once I come out, I say, “I don’t need to look at it anymore.” I’m fine. I don’t look at myself.
So it’s terrible to watch yourself over and over in the same movie. Because I’m just picking it, like: I hate that. I wish I could change that. That should be. We should add this. It gave me so There is a lot of time to separate myself, and I think that’s good in many ways because I know – if I do a project like this again – what would I change. But it’s like sitting in boiling water for more than a year. Love it. Thank you. But it’s also terrible.
Mayer: It’s an extreme analogy, but it’s like having a baby, and now you give this baby to the world so that everyone can see it. I hope my kids are beautiful!
The process speed of digital projects, does this help when you try to shoot a movie in 7 days?
Collins: It definitely helps. We have a good plan and it helps us. We don’t have hard scripts. I wrote a very detailed outline that we can follow and do improvisation.
Myers: We have a very small team. There aren’t many chefs in the kitchen to make things smoother.
Mayer: Technically, when they go to ghost hunting, it’s really about shooting a movie one night. It was a half hour to two hours, got different angles, got B volumes, we had 4-6 hours.
Do you say there is a rough script and a detailed plan, will your working relationship help make the improvisation process easier?
Myers: Chris worked with me for five years. We were very good together. So I think she has this very nervous beat paper, which is really cool because we know where we want to start and where we want to end. But there are also interesting moments there.
Bloopers reels may have lasted for this for so long, because at the end of the day, we are all friends.
What do you think you have learned from making this movie?
Collins: Oh, my goodness. patience. only Do this. We talked about it for nearly two years. And then one day we were like, “Hey, I have an idea.” Let’s write an outline. Let’s date to the movie. I think that’s what a lot of people fight against – the creators have watched the movie and asked us, “How did you do it?” It’s like…We just did. And we don’t have any expensive equipment, which is a very low budget.
Myers: I understand that we have the ability. To anyone there: You can do it. …I think I learned to have so much fear of things.
What steps will you take from filmmaking and apply it to digital creation?
Collins: Maybe like everything, spend more time in digital space on projects in digital space go! go! go, Everyone has a short attention span. This doesn’t mean I won’t be devoted to my efforts. I tried as much as I could. But these days I prefer quality to exceed quantity, I think [the film] It has a lot to do with it.
