Gliz Caldo

This upcoming month in September, I am going to start working on some projects using Blender and the video editor that's built-in to make some art pieces.

The idea is to make a "visualizer" to accompany a short story that'll appear on screen. I'll make a scene in Blender, animate the camera to move slightly or pan over the scene, while ambient music plays.

I haven't seen many do this sort of thing, but it sounds right to do. And maybe it's a way to feature some of my stories in an interesting way.

September Goals

• Make unnerving and fitting ambient music.
• Finish personal texture pack with custom normal maps.
• Write short stories to go with the visuals.

October Goals

• Upload at least 2 videos.
• One video must be Halloween-focused.

November Goals

• Upload at least 2 videos.
• One video must feature a story outdoors.

Those are my most minimum goals for this project. So that way it doesn't interfere with my other projects like the game and some other stories I'm writing.

It might be nice to have someone narrate the story in the videos, short as they'll be. I'm no voice actor, although I have given it a try from time to time. Eehhh, we'll have to see. Leaning towards unlikely, but I have to give this a try and see where I can improve this particular format of storytelling.

Edit 1: grammar and spelling

Think of your favorite moment in a horror media, that very part that stood out to you the most.

What's your favorite moment(s)?

I'll share some of mine!

Like I said in an early post, I try to experience as much as I can. There may be bits and pieces I'm forgetting until I'm reminded. However, I like parts that act contrary to the cheap tricks to get a reaction out of the audience.

I mentioned the movie Men was one of my favorites, and it is a recent one I added to my list. My favorite parts in the movie are sprinkled out, because I am a sucker for incredible visuals and suspense.

Without spoiling anything, I can't emphasize how wonderfully shot that movie is and the tense moments are properly tense. There's one scene that could've easily been used as a "oopsie, protagonist is just seeing things and people think they're crazy!", but it didn't play out like that. Thankfully, because it seems common for a horror stories to feature gaslighting women protagonists. As if somehow that stretches the plot or something, but only serves to bring the audience and the protagonist back to square 1. Instead, the scene was approached in a very realistic and probable way within its own universe and our own. Where the threat is present and real to the character and in their environment. It is such a small thing, but it matters a lot when a scene has actual impact and consequences to the story.

There's other parts that I just love from horror movies where there's no jump scare, rather, the audience is stuck watching the horror unfold before them. It is a rare thing, but when it happens I find it is more effective than loud sounds and flashing imagery. Not even excessive gore and blood is required!

Also, not relying on jump scares keeps the audience hooked, because jump scares in my opinion are an immediate immersion breaker. It is like the media in question is breaking the 4th wall, but instead of being amusing, it might as well be the media itself literally going "boo".

In real life, we don't get a musical sting that blasts our ears if something pops up in front of us. Just sayin'.

Okay, I got my jump scare bit out of the way and hopefully we'll never have to talk about why again.

The same tense feeling I would get from watching the horror unfold in a scene can be done in a simplistic way. Literally anyone can do it. Which adds to the frustration why jump scares are so widely used.

There's a free indie horror game that's a collection of short games from multiple developers called C.H.A.I.N. Again, without spoilers, there's one game that has one of those moments that doesn't rely on a jump scare to make it tense.

While those are movie and game media examples, I have one story that makes good on this: The Most Unfortunate Place on Earth.

If you can believe it, I read horror stories that try to portray a jump scare within the text. Not to be critical, but that's a silly thing to do. The reader is reliant on descriptions of scenes unfolding and their imagination will piece it together. That trick just doesn't work here.

For The Most Unfortunate Place on Earth, the reader will get just that. Once more, without spoilers, the protagonist is stuck in place on an amusement park ride and can only watch as the events play out before them. I cannot do it justice by talking about it and I encourage others to check it out.

Read the story yourself or have it read to you, either way is valid!

With all that said, I'd like to hear from y'all! what's your favorite moment(s) in horror?

Edit 1: forgot to include some other favorites, and spaced out the favorites for easier reading.

I'm going to start sharing my thoughts about horror as an enthusiast and artist. Horror is my favorite genre, because I find it oddly soothing, thrilling and fun to develop.

Horror is an art form and that's a subjective thing by nature. However, being subjective doesn't mean it is immune to scrutiny. Simply put: not every horror is meant for everyone and mishandling does occur.

I'll share my criticisms about horror at another time, but let's keep in mind about the things we like about horror and focus on that more, rather than nitpicks. Which can be hard at times! There's a lot to say about the negatives and it can be addictive to talk about them, but there's something good that always brings us back to enjoying horror.

With that said: what do you like to see in horror?

I like to see as much of it as possible, but I especially like horror that presents itself in an artistic and psychological way. Horror movies with incredible cinematography, visuals and musical score. Games with a unique experience. Stories that captures the imagination of the reader.

I know that sounds so broad and generic, but I can't be too particular if I want to see as much terror as I can. But I do have my personal favorites.

I like horror stories that involve body horror, not many characters and a theme of utter hopelessness.

Gimme those stories about a single character slowly losing their grip on reality in isolation. I want to see creatures that cannot be, should not be, but in fact are here right now. Let me see how dark and twisted a situation can be when options are wearing thin and death is but a release, not a punishment.

Such as:
(Games) - Silent Hill, Yomawari, Lost in Vivo, Darkwood, Barrow Hill, Condemned, Cry of Fear, Dead Space, Detention, Scorn, Song of Horror, Clocktower [SNES version], Echo Night, Dino Crisis, Alone in the Dark, Forbidden Siren,

(Movies) - The Thing, Deathwatch, Men, Babadook, Hellraiser, Tetsuo, Caveat

(Short Film/Animation) - I like 'em all but especially stop-motion like Saka Men and Junkhead.

(Stories) - Terror from the Vault, Harmburger, Accounts from a Lonely Broadcast Station, The Most Unfortunate Place in Earth, Pancake Family, Dawn Over Houston,

I know my 3 personal preferences don't apply to all that I listed as examples, and they don't have to. I hope they convey the kind of horror stories I like to see.

With that said my personal preferences and favorites don't make me "consume horror better" than anyone else. People who think like that are stinky and have bad manners. :p

I'll go into further details about the stuff I like at another time.

For now, I'd like to hear from y'all! What do you like to see in horror?