The Hog Keeper... Short horror film NOW WITH SUBTITLES: CLICK CC BUTTON ON VIDEO

Mandle · Fri 20/09/2019 07:21:53

PLEASE CLICK THE "CC" BUTTON IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT OF THE VIDEO FOR SUBTITLES AS THE AUDIO IS NOT GREAT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbCtgEMEcKo

Last weekend, in my hometown of Newcastle, Australia, I found a place on a mangrove-swamp island on an estuary that I never knew existed: An abandoned WW2 radar installation...

It's basically a concrete bunker about 40 meters long with a watchtower on one end. Quite imposing and, sitting in the middle of swamplands, I thought it would be the perfect setting for a little horror movie.

On Monday I met up with my long-time friend Maggie and she mentioned there was a contest for short films that somehow had a connection to the land around the Newcastle area.

I mentioned the bunker and she made me promise we would go there and make a film.

So, I wrote a brief script that night and today we went out there and filmed our 7-minute(?) masterpiece.

My wife was our cameraman. Filming took about a total of 2 hours, including the main scenes, and intro scenery shots.

The music has been supplied by the awesome ManicMatt.

Editing starts tomorrow and hopefully we will have a finished film to send off to the contest before I leave to go back to Japan next Wednesday.

Don't expect too much but I think it should be and entertaining 7 minutes(?) and totally not just time you will never get back.

I will keep you posted here and soon you will be able to enjoy our short film:

"The Hog Keeper"

Laura Hunt · Fri 20/09/2019 07:49:18

That sounds really cool! Looking forward to it

Slasher · Fri 20/09/2019 14:50:28

Fasten your seat belts for a ride into terror

Retro Wolf · Fri 20/09/2019 20:45:19

Mandle Scorsese!

Cassiebsg · Fri 20/09/2019 21:02:14

I'm not really into the horror gender, but this one I have to watch!

Mandle · Fri 20/09/2019 23:15:09

Quote from: Cassiebsg on Fri 20/09/2019 21:02:14
I'm not really into the horror gender, but this one I have to watch!

The "horror" is mostly implied.

eri0o · Fri 20/09/2019 23:56:47

That was a fun description to read, I am curious

KyriakosCH · Sat 21/09/2019 06:07:27

Keep us informed

ManicMatt · Sat 21/09/2019 08:45:08

I'll share it on my Facebook/Twitter accounts when you've uploaded it! YouTube, I presume?

lorenzo · Sat 21/09/2019 09:57:50

Quote from: Mandle on Fri 20/09/2019 07:21:53
I found a place on a mangrove-swamp island on an estuary that I never knew existed: An abandoned WW2 radar installation...

That sounds like a really cool setting! Can't wait to see the film!

Mandle · Mon 23/09/2019 13:11:01

The movie was renamed to "The Hog Keeper" and here it is:

PLEASE CLICK ON THE CC BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT OF VIDEO TO TURN ON SUBTITLES AS AUDIO QUALITY IS NOT GREAT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbCtgEMEcKo

Cassiebsg · Mon 23/09/2019 13:35:20

I need subtitles! Can't understand half of your dialog...

Your mic is adding too much noise.

I have no batteries either... remind me not to go on an outing to strange places with you.

Well done, good luck with the contest.

Eagerly awaiting for part II... cause all good things come in trios... or not.

Stupot · Mon 23/09/2019 14:45:18

That was fun. Good luck with the contest, man.

milkanannan · Mon 23/09/2019 15:01:34

Haha great effort, Mandle! I especially liked the cuts of Maggie coming up the street at a distance in her wheelchair! Sets a great 'this is going to be weird' vibe for the rest of the film.

Mandle · Mon 23/09/2019 15:34:41

Quote from: man n fist on Mon 23/09/2019 15:01:34
Haha great effort, Mandle! I especially liked the cuts of Maggie coming up the street at a distance in her wheelchair! Sets a great 'this is going to be weird' vibe for the rest of the film.

Glad that shot had that impact... It was a bitch to film as several cars came along during the shot and we had to stop filming over and over and wait.

milkanannan · Mon 23/09/2019 15:53:02

Quote from: Mandle on Mon 23/09/2019 15:34:41
Quote from: man n fist on Mon 23/09/2019 15:01:34
Haha great effort, Mandle! I especially liked the cuts of Maggie coming up the street at a distance in her wheelchair! Sets a great 'this is going to be weird' vibe for the rest of the film.

Glad that shot had that impact... It was a bitch to film as several cars came along during the shot and we had to stop filming over and over and wait.

Yeah I can imagine.

So creepy looking that if you guys didn't stop someone probably would have called the police!

Mandle · Tue 24/09/2019 08:40:33

Quote from: Cassiebsg on Mon 23/09/2019 13:35:20
I need subtitles!

I will be adding subtitles to the YouTube video in a day or two probably after we are done travelling back to Japan.

TheFrighter · Tue 24/09/2019 09:47:56

What's that concrete cylinder?

_

Laura Hunt · Tue 24/09/2019 10:01:23

Quote from: Mandle on Tue 24/09/2019 08:40:33
Quote from: Cassiebsg on Mon 23/09/2019 13:35:20
I need subtitles!

I will be adding subtitles to the YouTube video in a day or two probably after we are done travelling back to Japan.

Agree, the sound is a definite dealbreaker. Another idea could be to dub the dialogue again on top of what you already have, which could make it sound super weird and eerie. Or not. Never know until you try!

Good luck with the contest!

Mandle · Tue 24/09/2019 12:03:23

Quote from: TheFrighter on Tue 24/09/2019 09:47:56

What's that concrete cylinder?

_

It's an old WW2 radar station/bunker.

Mandle · Tue 24/09/2019 12:19:43

Quote from: Laura Hunt on Tue 24/09/2019 10:01:23
Agree, the sound is a definite dealbreaker.

With headphones I can understand pretty much everything that is being said except for two lines that are completely wiped out by the wind.

Is that just because I already know what we are saying and it's complete gibberish to anyone who doesn't? So hard to judge that on my own.

If anyone can understand what's being said does anyone have a clue as to what is happening in the story? As in, what's the situation? What kind of people are the two characters? What's in the bunker? What does the ending mean?

If someone wants to write a brief synopsis of what they think is going on that would be awesome! Just so I can know if it's even slightly comprehensible or not.

milkanannan · Tue 24/09/2019 16:39:33

Hi Mandle,

I'm a fan of the work visually, but just for the sake of giving you honest feedback I also had no idea what the characters were saying. Just to be weird, maybe you could dub the voices as two different identifiable sounds (i.e. like the trombone that represents all adult voices in Charlie Brown cartoons; or the 'watery' voices you hear when the singing kicks in here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUTJa00puDU), and then put subtitles on top of that.

(Sorry, just my dumbs suggestions. Good luck with it!)

cat · Tue 24/09/2019 19:59:54

I also did not understand much of the dialog, but the ending was great!

Quote from: Mandle on Tue 24/09/2019 12:19:43
If anyone can understand what's being said does anyone have a clue as to what is happening in the story? As in, what's the situation? What kind of people are the two characters? What's in the bunker? What does the ending mean?

Spoiler

There is something in the bunker that she wants to kill. No idea about their relationship, that part was lost due to the bad sound, also the thing about a radio. The "thing" feeds him, and I understand this in the way that it kills the people who come to kill it and then he gets the corpses to eat.

[close]

lorenzo · Tue 24/09/2019 20:21:46

Quote from: Mandle on Tue 24/09/2019 08:40:33
I will be adding subtitles to the YouTube video in a day or two probably after we are done travelling back to Japan.

Great! I'll wait for the subtitled version to see it. I want to know what that dapper fellow in white is up to!

Cassiebsg · Tue 24/09/2019 22:02:41

Spoiler

Uhm... "another one bites the dust"...
I thought he feed the "thing/hog" with the people that come to kill it, and and he then feeds out of "her" milk?....

[close]

cat · Wed 25/09/2019 09:57:00

@Cassiebsg Ah, I see. You are probably right.

ManicMatt · Wed 25/09/2019 15:46:55

It was nice to have some of my old music rotting on my hdd get used for something!

Yes, I think you (Mandle) understand it because you know the lines. Ever not been able to make out a word or two in a song? The singer can make it out easily.

Mandle · Thu 26/09/2019 01:57:47

Quote from: ManicMatt on Wed 25/09/2019 15:46:55
Yes, I think you (Mandle) understand it because you know the lines. Ever not been able to make out a word or two in a song? The singer can make it out easily.

Subtitles will solve that problem then. I'll get to working on them later today after recovering a bit more from travel.

Mandle · Thu 26/09/2019 10:16:17

The film now has subtitles so people can finally learn the whole story... Despite the scratchy noise of the audio...

YouTube won't allow subtitles to be set as an automatic feature anymore for some reason so please

CLICK THE CC BUTTON ON BOTTOM RIGHT OF VIDEO TO TURN SUBTITLES ON.

Laura Hunt · Thu 26/09/2019 13:06:32

Much better! Now that's an unsettling little story.

cat · Thu 26/09/2019 20:43:09

I agree, much better with subtitles. Good luck with the competition!

lorenzo · Thu 26/09/2019 22:06:32

I liked it! It felt like a horror short story: not much is shown, but that works in its favour. You have to imagine what's going on behind the scenes and what's in your imagination is always worse than anything you can show. And I loved the ending!

Visually, there are some nice landscape shots at the start, and I really liked the wheelchair slowly coming towards the camera. The bunker setting was pretty cool too. The camera sways a little too much during the dialogue, for my liking. I would've preferred a more steady shot.
And that butt-scratching shot? That sold me the character.

Regarding how to interpret the story, I agree with Cassie.

eri0o · Thu 26/09/2019 23:35:25

Hey, I can understand now with subtitles!

Spoiler

Right at the start he throws glasses on the floor, is it from a previous hunter?

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milkanannan · Fri 27/09/2019 03:57:29

Not overanalyse it but the feel and cinematography (one long extended shot and the disjointed dialogue) makes it sort of a horror Slackers. I really dig the feel of it. You guys should totally try to do a longer movie!

Mandle · Fri 27/09/2019 08:52:41

Quote from: man n fist on Fri 27/09/2019 03:57:29
Not overanalyse it but the feel and cinematography (one long extended shot and the disjointed dialogue) makes it sort of a horror Slackers. I really dig the feel of it. You guys should totally try to do a longer movie!

I don't know Slackers but what I was going for was the disjointed feel of David Lynch dialogs, and also Sergio Leone stuff, and also we had our lines written on huge cue-cards just out of shot behind each others' backs that we could glance at while the camera wasn't on us... In that final take though we had done enough failed shots to not have to look at the cue cards anymore...

Mandle · Fri 27/09/2019 08:55:11

Quote from: eri0o on Thu 26/09/2019 23:35:25
Spoiler
Right at the start he throws glasses on the floor, is it from a previous hunter?
[close]

Spoiler

That was indeed where I imagined he had gotten them from. In fact, they were supposed to be the glasses on the current hunter but looked weird on Maggie's face so they became one of the Keeper's past victim's loot.

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