After graduating from film school, Wen Ziren and Ray Werner wanted to make films. With little money, the two wanted to start at a small cost. The pseudo-documentary style of the hit "Blair the Witch" at the time was their first choice. When the two discussed the script, they also imagined that if two people were trapped in the elevator, the horrors that happened would be recorded by the surveillance, which would save money!
Wen Ziren said in a later interview that the two had just worked for a short time and were shy. Everything is done in addition to considering the cost of the story to be good. The story of the characters trapped in a room was basically fixed at that time.
Hello I wanna play a game
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > prototype of a chainsaw</h1>
Although after graduation, the two worked as social animals at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, they never forgot their dreams of film. There will always be a discussion from time to time. If anyone has a good idea, they will also call to chat deeply (it sounds a bit to give)...
One day, Wen Ziren said, I have a good idea: two people are trapped in a room, and there is a corpse on the floor in the middle. Two trapped people need to kill each other or self-harm in order to get out. The two men went from suspecting that it was a joke at first, to being nervous, to fighting wits and courage, and finally being unable to bear to want to self-harm and leave, when the corpse in the middle stood up and told them that it was a game, and the two of them lost! You say, how about this idea?
Ray Werner was initially less resentful of the idea. One of the reasons is that two people have discussed it too many times. All kinds of ideas, all kinds of stories. It's all in one room anyway.
After putting down the phone, Ray Werner habitually recorded Wen Ziren's story. Because in this story, self-harm is to cut off a leg with a saw. When Ray Werner wrote about saw in his notes, he suddenly found that the word, written with a red pen, had a shocking feeling. So he drew with a red pen again, and suddenly he felt the story! (This article first made headlines today.) Headline Number: Behind the Scenes of the Movie. If the site you're reading isn't today's headlines, report it. Thank you. ）
But no matter how excited, there is still no money to make. And the script is clearly not finished. Because the characters in the play have no motivation, and the characters without motivation drive cannot convince the creators, let alone the audience.
saw
Perhaps because of the problem of always thinking about the script, coupled with the pressure of work, Ray Werner often has headaches. For a while the pain was unbearable, and he suspected he had a brain tumor.
Ray Werner took a leave of absence to go to the hospital for a series of tests, and while waiting for the doctor to inform him of the results, he kept thinking: If it is really a brain tumor, how will I spend the rest of my time?
Looking at the people coming and going in the hospital, Ray Werner suddenly had inspiration: the corpse in the middle was a brain tumor patient, and there was no time to live, but he was not accustomed to healthy people not cherishing themselves, and used a series of punishments to remind them to cherish themselves.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > short film</h1>
Fortunately, after a series of examinations, the doctor told Ray Werner that he just had some problems with the nerves in his brain and that it would be good to take some medicine. Upon his return, Ray Werner quickly completed the script.
Neither Wen Nor nor Ray Werner wanted to make a bloody film, just a meaningful horror thriller. However, the next few films were completely reduced to plasma films. This is a postscript.
After the script was completed, the two men pooled their money, only 30,000 yuan, and could not shoot. Thinking about it, I had to look for investors. At first, an Australian investor took a fancy to the script, but in the end it didn't work out. After many failures, someone suggested they go to Hollywood and give it a try. Maybe it was the multiple failures that hit the brothers. Two people are not ready to try their luck empty-handed.
Before going to the United States, Ray Werner took out 5,000 pieces and took advantage of the convenience of working at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to shoot a 9 minute and 45 seconds short film using public equipment. The short film is directed by Wen Ziren, with Ray Werner playing the protagonist David.
Interrogate David
The clip begins with the police interrogating David and asking him what happened. David began to recall that he was a nurse at the hospital, and after work one day, he changed his clothes and lit a cigarette before he left the hospital. While waiting for the elevator, I was knocked unconscious. Wake up and find yourself in a strange place. At this time, the TV next to him turned on, and a guy with a clown mask began to count down his health that he did not value. At the same time told him that he had a jaw tearer on his head. If it is not opened in time, it will tear the jaw. And the key was in the stomach of the corpse in front.
Chainsaw Horror 0.5
David panicked, and when he walked up to the corpse, it was alive. It turned out that the so-called corpse was just injected with anesthesia. Time is ticking by little. In order to get the key in time, David used a scalpel to cut open the man's stomach alive and pulled out the key. The camera returns to the police station, and under questioning from the police, David bows his head in pain. The movie ends. Later, the short film was called "Chainsaw Horror 0.5" by fans.
Remorseful David
Subsequently, the two men made the short film into a disc and sorted out the script, specifically stating: Wen Ziren - director; Ray Werner - screenwriter and actor. After getting ready, the two men traveled to the United States.
< H1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > trip to the United States</h1>
After arriving in the United States, the two men traveled to multiple production companies and sent out many discs, but there was little response. Only DreamWorks and Golden Circle Pictures responded. But the condition is: only buy the script, the director and the lead actor they have other arrangements. This discouraged the two men.
Unexpectedly, the turnaround appeared on this disc.
Because it was a wide-net method, many producers received discs. Including producer Greg Hoffman. But the average producer receives a backlog of discs, videos, and scripts every day. Greg Hoffman didn't pay any attention to it and casually placed it next to the player.
One day, a friend of Greg Hoffman came to him, and he happened to be absent. While waiting for him to return, the friend put a disc called "Saw" on the player due to boredom. Ten minutes later, the cold sweat was raging.
The status of puppets in the short film has been established
When Greg Hoffman returned to the office, the friend didn't say anything else and just played the short film. And Greg Hoffman looked at it and immediately said: Vote!
He contacted two creators. At that time, Wen Ziren and Ray Werner were almost about to agree to the conditions of DreamWorks. Receiving a response from the big producer, nature immediately arrived. After negotiations, the film was decided and directed by Wen Ziren and starring Ray Werner. The two also have the final editing rights. In terms of price, both people are confident in the box office, and they did not choose the film remuneration, but chose the share. In the end, the two men received 25% of the profits as remuneration.
To better function Chainsaw Horror, producer Greg Hoffman and friends founded Twisted Pictures. Specifically designed to run Chainsaw Horror.
The Twisted Pictures logo is familiar
The initial capital of $700,000 arrived immediately.
When choosing actors, Wen Ziren did not simply audition and select people, but chose the actors himself, and continued to attach discs while sending out the script.
Cary Elvis, who plays the doctor, saw the disc first and then read the script. After reading it, I immediately decided to star. And in order to play this role well, he also went to the hospital on purpose and communicated with the oncologist.
Shawne Smith (Amanda in the play) has little interest in horror films. After reading the script, I wanted to refuse. But after watching the short film, he immediately took over the role. Because the story in the short film is actually her story in the movie. There is a lot of room to play.
Amanda
As for the "vertical saw" Tobin Bell, when he read the script, he was confused: this is not much of a play for me. When he saw the last page, when he got up from the ground, he felt the role was worth taking.
Glance at you, you're afraid no
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > shot</h1>
After five days of preparation, filming began. In order to hurry, but also because of the limited budget, all the actors almost did not go through the rehearsal, to whom, throw down the script on it. It was filmed for a total of 18 days. Most shots have been shot only once. Originally intended to be filmed in Hitchcock style, there was no time to buckle.
The car chase scene did not take to the street at all. Directly in a garage, surrounded by black cloth, the drivers are shaking, and the cameras are shaking. The black cop scene lasted two days...
Amanda in the film
When editing in the end, Wen Ziren found that some of the pictures were too rough, and even the edges of the pictures were a little virtual. What's even more fatal is that the material is not enough! In order to make up for the picture needed by the story, Wen Ziren had to think of another way: for example, using the previously used footage, but only converting it to a surveillance style; using a photo or a frame in the play, elongating, to fill the plot gap. After a series of efforts, Chainsaw Horror was finally completed. No one expected that Wen Ziren's unavoidable method would form a unique style after the release of the movie.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > released</h1>
To expand its impact, production company Twist Pictures brought the film to the Sundance Film Festival for screening. The film premiered on January 19, 2004 at the Sundance Film Festival. It was screened for three days and the venue was full! It was also screened as the closing film at the Toronto Film Festival on September 18, 2004.
Soon, Lionsgate bought the distribution rights to the film. Originally planned to buy it and screen it. But given the popularity of Chainsaw Horror at the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival, Lionsgate made a wise decision: wait until Halloween!
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > released</h1>
On October 29, 2004, "Chainsaw Horror" was released in the United States. The ingenious conception and reversed ending made horror fans exclaim. In the end, the film grossed $103.9 million worldwide. The production cost + publicity cost is only $1.2 million.
In the rental and disc markets, Chainsaw Horror earned almost the same value as the global box office. The "Chainsaw Horror" series officially began, and Wen Ziren also soared.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > trivia</h1>
In addition to the short film that attracted investment for the film, "Chainsaw Horror" also has a short film, between the first and second parts. The short film introduces the case of the vertical saw killing in the form of a pseudo-documentary. But this case was not solved, it was a pending case. Among them, Downey Warburg plays Police Officer Eric in the short film. Matthew, and briefed reporters on the case. Subsequently in the second installment, Downey Warburg went on to play Eric. matthew. This short film should be the second viral video.
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