Writing (last blog / next blog)
by Michael Neel & Greg Ansin

To start, there many great books, classes, and websites on screenwriting that are fantastic. Check some out - get exploring!

The smoke rises on the set of the Drive-In Horrorshow.

You must write. You make time for it. Do it. Don’t be afraid of it. Don’t be afraid of your “bad ideas” or “cliché stories” or “over-exploited characters” or "never having any good ideas". These are sometimes the best. Finding your voice is the key. The voice that flows out with ideas. Free flowing ideas. And the only way to channel this flow is to write on a regular basis.

There are lots of good exercises to start from, so find one and use it.

From this you should get some story ideas.

A screen shot of what a script looks like.

Once you get an idea, flush it out.

NOTE: if you are not familiar with screenplay writing format, find a big Hollywood script and follow that format in your writing.

Movie people expect a script to be written in this format so you need to learn it if you want to show your script to anyone. There is a lot of good screenwriting software out there. Some are even free.

Now, is your script shootable for your budget?

If no, and you think your script is good, you might want to try to sell it or find a partner to help supply/raise the money. Or take out the things that cost the most – if that kills your script then it does, you accept it, and you move on to another idea. If not you're in business.

Some things that drive up production costs:
-a lot of locations
-a lot of characters, especially crowd scenes
-complicated effects, or effects that appear throughout your story (i.e. a character with extensive burn makeup in every scene)

The crew of Horrorshow wires up the actor (Larry Tish) for audio (John Gage).

A good question to consider when you are at this stage is “what can I write that I can also afford to shoot?”

Check out our "Writing Exercise".

Speaking of money, the next step is the budget.

What they are saying about the Drive-In Horrorshow....

"10 out of 10"
- From Infernal Dreams

"Drive-In Horrorshow delivers a visual feast of blood splatter and clever storytelling."
- From Fangoria

"Drive-In Horrorshow takes the anthology and juices it fully with five unique stories that range from clever comedy to dark body horror."
- From Deadly Doll's House of Horror Nonsense

"A well made anthology of short films."
- Zombie Movie Database

"Highly recommended for those who want to confront the monsters under the bed of their childhood. And as always find them scary."
- From I 400 Calci (translated from Italian)

"The general tone of this film struck me, because I've seen real passion for the genre."
- From Ulteriorit Precedente (translated from Italian)

"This is a high recommend from me, very entertaining and obviously done by filmmakers who love the genre. Long live the horror anthology!"
- From McBastard's Mausoleum

"Drive in Horror Show is–WITHOUT A DOUBT–the greatest horror anthology since George Romero's Creepshow"
- From Planet Fury

"I can't stop singing its praises."
- From Rogue Cinema

"If you like horror anthologies pick this one up, there's something for everyone here."
- From Deadly Indie Drive-In

"Every now and then a movie will come out that knocks you socks off and with its originality, creativity and magnetic appeal- well Drive in HorrorShow is that flick."
- From Angry Princess

"With a solid lineup of 5 stories that range from the serious to seriously goofy, Drive-In Horrorshow is the perfect film for a Friday night. Or any night for that matter."
- From Planet of Terror

"A tasty little anthology in the vein of Creepshow or Trick 'r Treat, Drive-In Horrorshow is a nifty treat of a film, well worth checking out." 
- From Radiation-Scarred Reviews

"A cut above the rest and slice of incredible independent filmmaking." 
- From Horrornews.net

"One of the most entertaining horror anthologies I have seen in a while."
- From KillingBoxx

"The horror world is a fickle beast but Drive-In Horror Show manages to walk the lines of the subgenres without missing a beat. It's appeal reaches to horror fans of all types."
-Bill Fulkerson from Outside The Cinema

"Celebrates the long-lost beauty of the drive-in theater and all its bloody glory."
- From Basement Screams

"A slick five tale anthology film that was independently made and a reminder of cool shit we used to see on late night TV when we were kids."
- From Gross Movie Reviews

"A good throw back to the late night creature feature."
- From Cinema Fromage

"Top notch effects that invoke fear and comedy at the same time.  I really really like this movie."
- Podcast at Movie Fan House

"Fantastic." 
-Podcast at Horrorstuff

Other Press:

"The horror! But that's what he seeks."
- The Boston Globe talks with the filmmakers

"What motivated you and Michael Neel to make the transition from candid interviews and political documentaries to ghoulish gore horror?"
- Pamela Torres at Punk Globe interviews DIHS producer Greg Ansin

"Wowzers! That really sounds like some good shit!"
- Arrow In The Head is psyched for the release of DIHS