[Updated with a very classy response from the OTHER Ford brother, Howard, below.]Getting the word out on an independent film is difficult.Bigger movies with bigger names and bigger budgets dominate the mainstream media leaving the indies scrambling to find whatever they can to make themselves stand out. This is why so many indies take to the online world, where buzz can come free - or pretty damn cheap - and you can establish a direct line to your potential fans. Play it right and you've got a sensation on your hands. Play it wrong ... Well, this very article is what happens when you do that.
Here's the story. Yesterday we posted a new trailer for The Dead, an upcoming set-in-Africa zombie picture from the Ford Brothers - Jon and Howard. The first two comments were not positive. Production values were compared to SyFy productions, the quality of the acting was questioned and the wisdom of building a story around a white man carving his way through a mass of all black savages was raised. Was it friendly? Not so much. But it also was not malicious. And then things got weird ...
Enter Filmfreak66, someone who identified themselves only by saying they had seen the film already before going off on an extended rant - calling both previous commenters idiots, claiming the film outstripped anything at any budget level that Hollywood could even dream of, saying the lead actor delivered the greatest performance in the history of horror film, and that the film is the greatest zombie film since Romero's Dawn of the Dead and possibly better than that. Here are the complete comments from Filmfreak66:
Comment One:
Comment Two:Well blammo let me correct your ignorant rant! Speaking as someone who has actually seen this film, i think i can give you a much more accurate picture.
If you watch the film first before shooting your mouth off you'll see that the lead in this film has delivered a performance that's far superior to any that has gone before in a film of this genre!
It IS beautifully shot on 35mm film! if you do your research you would know this! I would have thought this was obvious to all but the hard of thinking!
Another typically ignorant comment is the black/ white thing. This is not racially offensive at all! If you watch this film you'll find that out! This is the most original Zombie film since the original Dawn of the Dead! possibly even better as Dawn is a bit dated now!
Try opening your eyes before opening your mouth!
At this point I assumed Filmfreak66 was a crew member on the shoot, someone close enough to have taken offense but not high enough up to consider the consequences of behaving this way in public. And then I took a look at the email address the comments were posted from and did an immediate double take because the truth was right there: Jon Ford. Co-writer and co-director of the film, calling the audience he needs to win over idiots while making a string of ridiculous claims about his film. The question at this point: Was Ford drunk, delusional, an incredible boor or trying - and failing - to pull an Uwe Boll style PR stunt?Atomicfreak your as much an idiot as the first person who commented! "low end hollywood types" This film is far superior to anything that top end of Hollywood could ever make! This movie is an European production! Besides, Hollywood only ever produces bland popcorn fodder for the brain dead! It's a money driven sausage factory incapable of producing anything intelligent or artistic! Wake up and smell the coffee! My god you people really do walk among us! It's scary!
So here we go with some unsolicited advice about how to handle yourself in these sorts of situations:
1. Accept that not everybody will like your film and keep your mouth shut.
Failing that:
2. Don't insult your core audience. Not ever.
3. Don't invite comparison to films that you cannot compete on an equal footing with. Call yourself better than anything Hollywood can produce and you are inviting comparison on a technical level to the likes of Avatar and Inception. You're never going to win that fight, so why go there?
4. Don't invite comparison to the classics of the genre. If you really are that good other people will draw that conclusion for you. If you're not you've just guaranteed that your entire audience is going to notice.
5. Don't make ridiculous claims about your status in history. Because that's just silly.
6. If you want to refute a comment made by someone, be specific. Saying your film isn't racist just because it isn't is not a response in any meaningful sense.
7. Check your spelling and grammar. Because there's nothing people like better than poking holes in both.
And finally ...
8. If you must - if you really must - get involved in this sort of thing then grow a pair of stones, do so under your own name with your involvement in the film clearly stated and take the heat. For a prime example of this take the aforementioned Uwe Boll. No matter what people think of his films Boll has gradually won the respect and admiration of the press and audience for standing by his convictions and having a bit of fun with his critics rather than retreating into insults and general lunacy.
Basically, film makers, just take a look at what Ford did and do the opposite.
* UPDATE *
The other Ford Brother - Jon's co-writer / co-director / film making partner Howard - has just chimed in with a very classy response in the original thread that sparked this whole issue. You'll find his complete comment below:
Hi guys, Howard Ford here, this is my first comment on a site but I'm doing it as a few folk have sent the link my way as it asks what I think about it! I wish I had more time to get into this fully as I appreciate all the time everyone is taking to debate aspects of the film but firstly a quick apology if Jon's rant offended anyone. I'm going to call him now but I'm posting this first in case he discourages me from doing so! I've got to tell you that if you knew Jon, you would know he wears his heart on his sleeve at the very least and 'shoots off' immediately something gets his goat! It's generally his passion for a project he not only loves but has had a huge amount invested in both personally and creatively over the years. You can see his opening lines in the 'making of' The Dead are all bleeped out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7m_zl1qSdo
In fact, so much so that the locals in Africa had a word for Jon, I cant recall what it is but it translated as 'the crazy one'! Also its been a bit of a crazy and emotional time right now with all that's going on leading up to the FrightFest and Fantastic Fest premieres- also, (and I would never have mentioned this & I'll get shouted at for doing so I'm sure!) but at this moment we're under some other personal pressures including the fact that our Father goes under the knife tomorrow for a major bowel cancer operation that involves removing a huge amount of bowel and instead of our Dad taking his allocated seat to see his boys creation at FrightFest after all these years, but instead he may he may share something ironically in comment with the films title...Anyway, the point is we're all a bit on edge and I'm sure if you actually met each other you'd probably get on well but maybe that's not such a good idea! Ha. I don't want to get too involved in the debate as I respect anyone's opinions and although we have had some incredible responses from those that have seen The Dead in previews or the press screenings. I just hope people do go and see it, to see for themselves what we have tried so hard to create, nearly killing ourselves doing so out in Africa... and if you do go and see it on anything other than a pirate copy then we thank you for your support and we'd love to hear what you think of the experience. I do believe you will get something out of this film that is unique to the genre, but of course we can never please everyone and we know that. All the best guys and hope to see you for a beer or 2 at FrightFest or Fantastic Fest!! Cheers, Howard. - Now I'm going to put my ear plugs in, get my hand poised over the bleeping machine and call Jon!!!
Couldn't agree more. It's astounding that the filmmaker would actually delve into that realm. As if Troy Duffy's documentary-slash-cautionary tale isn't warning enough.
Although it is hard to separate oneself from their "child", it's imperative to learn how to do so very early on in your career...
Maybe he should visit the loathsome Hollywood Monster and learn that skill.
Still haven't gotten that cookie Todd.
Busted!
This guy is kind of like Don Murphy, trolling people who don;'t like his films. But at least Don Murphy (thin-skinned bitch that he is) has his name on his posts when he goes off on a tear.
Oops! It's a bit like the director of Kaboom! (whose name escapes me) pulling said film out of FrightFest because he didn't want it being seen "by a load of geeks".
So guys, I'm actually one of the working Hollywood stiffs that has seen the movie THE DEAD. It's a really, really good movie. The kind of movie that resonates with you long after you've left the theater. The kind of movie that Hollywood would never make -- it's so left field it's amazing that it got made. It's a small movie, yes, there's no movie stars, yes, but the movie has some kinda strange mesmerizing magic, you'll never forget these images, ever. There's also not a racist moment in the film. The film's actually about something - in my humble view, it's about the death of the planet being the only thing that may unite white and black. The film's makers are also a walking advert for coexist. Ultimately dude, it doesn't matter what the director rants on a blog, go see the movie, it speaks for itself.
I didn't think the comments by Jon were offensive - a little unprofessional maybe.
I think it's an almost natural (yes, unprofessional) reaction to a silly and badly written original article. Why preface the trailer by citing a movie that has nothing to do with The Dead? "After being burned badly by recent French zombie effort The Horde - which I think is pretty awful - I've been staying at a cautious distance and waiting to actually see the thing before speculating." From original article.
Then, two commentators get on the band wagon and slag a film they have not watched? Why should they get more of a pass than hyperbole from one of the directors?
The Dead looks like movies that are made all the time, typical white men making movies about white men in a crisis. It is a narrow view of the world movie makers sometimes have. See Dancing with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans and Avatar.
That said, why not cash in on the premise that is already popular because of Resident Evil 5? Sounds reasonable to me. Might not be the greatest movie ever made but it sounds interesting.
The whole thing is positively priceless, best bit of internet drama I have seen in a while. I saw the trailer, and based on the trailer, I would not watch this film. My interest was piqued when I read of this African Zombie movie. Nothing in the trailer has made me think that it is anything special now did it calm my fears that the protagonist would be white. Now in no way am I saying that the premise or the film is racist. But the premise, from what I have seen in the trailer skirts close to being based on typical Hollywood nutless ideals - in that we need a white protagonist to identify with in such a film. As a black person who has been in the arts most of my life and is a wannabe filmmaker, I find it yawn-inducing the amount of times I have to swallow the fact that most people can't really see black leading men as heroes. Some do, but these are really exceptions and few and far between.
So if this film is not racist, nor has a premise based on the well worn idea that the protagonist to be identified with must be white, then the trailer really should be re-cut to reflect this.
For most people it won't be a problem. For me it will be and from the comments in both threads, enough people may see it as a problem to cause the film itself problems