Indie
[Watch Now!] Horror Comedy ‘Standards of Living’ Shot Entirely On An iPad 2
The LA Weekly reports on the first ever movie shot on an iPad… and it’s a horror film.
Aaron Mento’s Standards of Living is a film shot not on high-definition cameras, but on an iPad 2.
Standards, according to Mento, is a horror/comedy “about this stand-up comedian who’s really bad” who gets a mysterious phone call from a man named Mr. Randall, who says he can make things disappear and have them brought back, improved.
Watch the entire film RIGHT HERE!
Says the site, Standards is the first full-length feature film shot entirely on a tablet, which presented its share of challenges to Mento and his crew. But Mento says that the style worked well for this particular story, which was written specifically for filming on his iPad 2, since his previous works wouldn’t fit on a microbudget and into a limited-location shoot.
“The iPad 2 has this really wide lens, so it really adds this warped atmosphere to a horror/comedy,” he says. “And because I was in two locations that were kind of tight and cramped, the wide angle made it feel claustrophobic. And I really liked that … it gave it an odd, eerie quality.”
Still, Mento says, the format presented its difficulties, largely because it was not designed to be used for filming. “The iPad 2 has auto-exposure,” he added. “So if an actor moved from one end of the room to the other and I followed them, the camera would darken or lighten based on the light. So I had to kind of even the light out.”
Another issue: sound, which doesn’t record well on a tablet. Mento had to sync up the sound in post-production, which was tricky.
Check out his Facebook for more.
Watch the entire movie right here, right now. Just hit play!
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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