3 Ways Low-budget Slasher Film Productions Can Utilize Salvage Yards

Posted on: 24 May 2016

Creating a low-budget slasher film is a great way to bring creative ideas to life and showcase your potential as a director. Staying within budget is often crucial for these productions, so it's important to plan as much as you can ahead of time. When going through the screenplay and figuring out the breakdown of different scenes, you may find a lot of benefits by visiting a scrapyard first. There are three different ways a scrapyard can help you plan your production and give you a lot of low budget options. Go through each of these advantages and see how they can apply to your horror film production.

Vehicle Attack Scenes

A lot of great slasher scenes have involved vehicles. Whether it's a character trying to escape, a vehicle crashed into the side of an eerie road, or an attack scene, the small spaces inside a car can create a lot of tension for your film. Instead of using your own vehicle or renting one, you can get a lot of use out of a salvage vehicle. By transporting the vehicle to your filming location, the junked car can be attacked and destroyed as part of the mayhem. By browsing through a junkyard, you can find a variety of vehicles to match your movie's style and the era that it takes place in.

When shooting car scenes, a salvage yard car gives you the freedom to take out windows for camera placement, better audio, and for adding special effects like a green screen. You also have the advantage of tearing out seats or creating visual effects throughout the car without worrying about too much damage on more expensive vehicles.

Horror Movie Weapons

Slasher films like Scream, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street all feature signature weapons that the killers use on their victims. As you look for unique weapons and ways to kill characters, a salvage yard can act as a great inspiration. There are so many different car parts and random pieces of metal that can act as weapon props for the film. For example, you may find sharp pieces of a car engine that can be transformed into a special type of ax or knife. The ornaments featured on car hoods could also act as a cool weapon or prop used for a weapon. For example, a diamond shaped hood ornament could be attached to the handle of a large butcher knife.

When browsing through the salvage yard, sift through piles of metal junk to see what types of things you can find. Finding the right weapon design can make a huge difference on the look of your film and the production.

Filming Locations

The salvage yard itself is an ideal place to set some scenes for your slasher film. The stacks of cars and rows of parts often feel like a maze that can create a scary situation. By contacting the owners of the salvage yard, you can obtain permission to film on the property. You may be granted to ability to film there for free or may have to pay a property-use fee depending on the owners. Either way, you can fill out a location agreement with the salvage yard and have use to film some of your scenes there. By using the set location, you do not need to waste time or resources trying to find a different location for filming. It's best to attempt your filming hours when the salvage yard is not open. This allow you to film freely without getting in the way of employees or other visitors to the salvage yard.

Each of these advantages can help you plan out your film and make your vision become a reality. The end result can be something you are proud of and share for years to come. For more ideas or assistance, contact services like City Auto Wreckers.

Share