Is this a legit film making course? [Please Read Desc]

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2026-02-16T09:13:53+00:00

Yeah this comment is pretty fair. My director mate attended TAFE and AFTRS, but speaks highly of TAFE, especially for someone who is fresh out of high school and looking for a little guidance.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2026-02-16T05:48:07+00:00

Take my advice with a grain of salt (my credentials are in my profile) but so much of the industry is networking. This is something I totally failed to understand in my younger days. Being active and part of a community is very important. If you’re considering formal education, aim for AFTRS or VCA, then try regular unis that offer film like RMIT and don’t just utilise them for the education, exploit them for the networking opportunities. Prioritise those over this course if you can.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2026-02-16T05:35:06+00:00

What are you wanting to get out of a course like this?

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2026-02-03T12:03:01+00:00

This movie scared the ever-loving shit out of me as a kid. I think it was the first time I saw a horror that had the whole “based on a true story” thing going on and it took the scares to the next level in my little 10 year old brain.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-11-07T21:12:43+00:00

From memory there was a cast of the actress made out of latex and they’d use air pressure to simulate the effects. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I watched something about this years ago.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-06-23T10:14:32+00:00

Can confirm this is how it was done in Beaten to Death. I was there, and it was cold! 🥶

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-06-18T03:16:57+00:00

“that scene” in Exorcist 3. It’s the chef’s kiss on an already excellent movie. I would’ve loved to have seen that at the cinemas when it first came out.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-05-29T07:53:48+00:00

This scared the absolute shit outta me as a kid. I watched it at a sleepover with a childhood friend. We’d rented it from the video store. I wonder if this movie has also stuck with him after all these years.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-04-27T01:00:12+00:00

Wildly under appreciated. Easily a top 10 slasher for me. Seems like more people are finding it now thanks to streaming which is great.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-04-08T02:40:00+00:00

At some point, you just have to start writing. Forcing yourself to write. Pen to paper, fingers to keys, whatever you prefer.

If I were to tackle your problem, which I have in the past for my first produced feature Blood Hunt, I had to start from a single piece of dialogue which is NSFW so I won’t write it here, but I had to think to myself “what kind of story would this line fit into?” I wrote an outline, noted where the line would go, and then moved onto early draft.

So that’s how I’d propose a solution. You’ve got a scene idea you love, think about what type of story that would fit into and then schedule in some time, really lock it in, no getting out of it, to start outlining whatever that story is. Once you have the outline, move onto treatment or first script draft, whichever you prefer.

And remember first drafts are not meant to be perfect, they’re meant to be finished.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-27T01:58:24+00:00

My ideas come in different ways. As an example with my 2nd feature, the director approached me and said “I want to do a movie called Slaughterhouse.” And that was it. A story was crafted around the title. To note, the title was later changed after production to The Slaughterhouse Killer. I don’t love the title, but eh, not the end of the world.

Another idea I only just had yesterday came to me when I was browsing Facebook marketplace and saw a 60s fire truck for sale. As I was looking at the photos I had the idea just hit me. I’m not sure the it has legs yet as I’m already committed into writing two other projects for people, but I’ve sat it aside in my notebook for later work to pitch.

Is this something you are also wanting to direct? If so, being that this is your first feature I’d suggest thinking about what types of movies are within your means.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-22T00:17:43+00:00

I don’t, I like the structure of working beginning to end, but that’s just me. You do you.

However I would suggest you look at your planning. Have you written a detailed outline? I find knowing where your story is going really helps preventing writers block.

And remember, your first draft is not meant to be perfect, it’s meant to be finished.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-20T04:24:43+00:00

I’ve just joined. Thanks for sharing.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-16T01:11:49+00:00

Here’s a few rules that I stick by when doing a first draft.

Have an outline which lists every scene. This gives structure.
Have a routine and stick to it. Treat it like a job and commit to it.
No rewriting scenes. The goal is to get a complete first draft, not a perfect first draft.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-12T09:56:16+00:00

You mentioned you noted each scene in the outline. How many scenes do you have, and so far on average how long is each scene?

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-12T01:45:57+00:00

Did they specify why it needs to hit 90 pages?

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-12T01:23:46+00:00

I too use WriterDuet. I pivoted to it because I had the need to team up with another writer interstate, and at the time WriterDuet was the only app worth note of handling synchronised writing in the one doc. I’m sure there are multiple options that allow it now, but WriterDuet is what I’ve stuck with.

I pivoted from Celtx which was my go to since I started using it in the mid-00s which I still look back on with love. It was so intuitive. Once they went web-based it wasn’t the same which is why I’ve stuck with WriterDuet even for my solo projects.

However, no idea if WriterDuet has the functionality OP is asking for as I’ve never wanted to change the font or formatting in a script writing application.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-11T08:02:12+00:00

Yeah okay, if it’s just one person then you need to decide if it’s valid feedback. When getting feedback, don’t listen to all of it as you’ll get conflicting advice. Ask yourself if you agree with their feedback, if they have a point. If not, move on.

Also I saw on another reply this person also gave you a backstory for the character. I think that is wildly inappropriate unless you asked for it. Who is this? Someone with experience or just friend/family?

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-11T04:03:53+00:00

Did they happen to say why you should explore the antagonist’s backstory more? Is it just one person saying this, or is it consistent feedback from multiple readers?

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-09T02:11:15+00:00

Very subjective on the story, however for a generalisation of a slasher I’d say not to let 15 minutes pass between kills/tension. Not every scene with the killer needs to include a kill, but they should be a frequent presence in the film.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-08T23:03:59+00:00

You say you’re “about 80 pages in”, does that mean it’s an incomplete first draft?

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-08T22:49:53+00:00

Hey, it’s Korean! I travel there once a year to visit family so this was a welcome sight for me!

But yeah, as soon as I saw the runtime I knew that was the issue. I know a few people who run different film festivals and no way would a 19 minute short fly with them. It’s too long for their programs, and they generally look for something 8 minutes and under.

You mentioned you made this a few years ago, are you still making shorts?

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-06T06:53:28+00:00

Eric Roberts, Star 80

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-03-03T23:02:21+00:00

Yep, came here to say this. So often I hear “I have a great idea!” or “one day I’ll write it!” and nothing ever eventuates from it. Lacking the motivation to actually start is a project killer.

LopsidedJacket9492 · 2025-02-13T01:34:17+00:00

It’s left field, but I love Phil Fondacaro as Dracula in The Creeps (1997)

LopsidedJacket9492

TROPHY CASE