I feel like I'd like to hear some people's opinions on something... I've probably mentioned at least once sometime in the past that it's one of my dreams to make (short) horror films. The problem has always been that I don't have any "real-life" friends (and I can't imagine any situation where I'd meet any due to my social anxiety and distrust in people in person), so the whole project would be doomed if I intended to start making one, as there'd be no actors...
The most frustrating part is that my two childhood best friends aren't at all into the idea. Well, I mean, I know one isn't (we tried to make some short films together when we were like 12, they sucked), he thinks I'm an idiot for even dreaming of something like that... I don't know for sure about the other, but nowadays she's actually an actual somewhat famous actor in theatre, she's studying something and has a job (and we haven't spoken in over a year (besides exchanging "happy new year"), so she'd probably laugh at me and be like "dude wtf u thinking" if I even asked her, since she's really busy and we also tried to make some short films when we were kids. (They, too, sucked.)
Then there's one friend who I planned to make a film with when we were 15-16, and that (along with our band that we had just started) got ruined because his guitar's amplifier and/or effect pedal (not sure which, can't remember) broke because he fell when he was running to a train when we'd planned to meet... and of course, I blamed myself and couldn't stop apologising (he didn't think it was my fault, but... it kinda was) and that pissed him off, or something. We haven't spoken since.
...so, now that I'd
really like to make a film (and have some pretty modest ideas that could actually be done, maybe), I don't have anyone to make it with. Somehow hiring actors is absolutely out of the question, since I only have a shitty digital camera and no experience whatsoever, besides I don't even have any plots for stuff planned out properly enough... not to mention that I'm pretty much as poor as a person can be here in Finland without being homeless. (There's like a gap that separates the "officially poor" (like me and my whole family) from the "unofficially poor" (those who are actually poor by international standards, which are basically not even acknowledged to exist by the government.))
Because, I mean, obviously, actors would be necessary. There are no ways around that without having to settle for something less ideal... and if it's something less than ideal, it's not even worth trying.
Now, the question is: how could this be worked around without it being awkward or impossible, and without me having to force myself into social (read: dangerous (in my mind, at least)) situations, or finding random depressed ass people online? Because those are the only ones who'd ever be willing to act in a film by someone who has no experience or skill at all in film-making...
Is there a way? I've tried to think pretty hard about it, but haven't come across any... and it's kinda making me sad, since I'm realising that writing isn't really what I want to do as much as I'd like to do short films or something, as it leaves too much to people's imagination and it'd be a lot simpler to just show something than describe it, if there's a perfectly comprehensible picture in the mind. (Especially if it's something that seems almost irrelevant (like what a room looks like), but isn't.)
I mean, it probably doesn't help that anything that would be done, I'd like to upload to Youtube and that'd be pretty much it... like, doing short "found footage" horror things without any promotion outside the internet, etc. or necessarily even credits/whatever unless someone asked something in particular, etc. Kinda like how there are some of those slendy vlog thingies, but unconnected things without necessarily the "this is absolutely totally real and will be claimed to be such if anyone dares question its authenticity, with fake evidence and lots of promotion to back it up" and whatnot.
...and I mean...
I know there's always the option of making everything so that the things could be done by online collaboration, as in splicing things together in one way or another, which would be nice as well, but the problem with that would be the connection of things. Like, of course some lame ass ghost things could be done that way easily, but anything other than that would be pretty much impossible if it wasn't something involving the internet in the story.
Besides, no one would ever be up for a thing like that, especially since it'd get so much hate even if it was successful based entirely on the fact that most people on Youtube would be too stupid to realise that it's not supposed to be interpreted as real... you know, the "lol this is fake"-type.
But realistically speaking, the last option is the only way that could ever work out. Then, though, there'd be the problem of "who does what?", since it being divided in "ok I write the whole plot thing with all the lines and stuff and you guys just do whatever you want with that" would be lame and inequal, as would a "everyone does everything" because then it'd most likely not make sense. And there aren't people who'd settle for something that isn't an equal collaboration, if it was a short film that's supposed to be a collaboration where everyone participates for free because of their own interest... in other words, the actor problem comes into play again, no matter what.
Eugghh, sorry about this being so long and rambly, I just... ugh.