No Budget Films
The 2019 Films
The Snowgre Chronicles Ep. 1: Arrival (2019)
Release Date: January 8th, 2019
Director: Nathan Nguyen
Story by: Nathan Nguyen
Photography by: Nathan Nguyen
Edited by: Nathan Nguyen
Cast:
Nathan Nguyen as himself
Lucas Nguyen as the Snowgre
Nathan documents his travels in Finland via vlog, but things take an unexpected turn when he spots the mythical Snowgre monster.
Production notes:
The Snowgre Chronicles series was indeed shot in Finland, during one of my yearly vacations there. I knew I wanted to make a movie this year but I wasn't sure what to do, until one day when we were shopping around in a flea market and I spotted a couple of cheap masks. That's when a plan started coming together to create a horror series centered around an elusive snow beast. The name, "Snowgre", was something my sister and I thought of a few years back, and I liked the name so I decided to use it. Early in the planning stages I also decided to make the series in a found footage style, which I hoped would add a realistic feel to it, and additionally, would make it easier to keep the creature hidden (the costume we used wasn't exactly the most convincing). Over the course of uploading each episode, I tried to make it seem like the events depicted were "real" and that my audience was watching an actual horror unfold in real time, not unlike an ARG of sorts. The first episode was filmed in two days, and all went quite smoothly. The dialogue was improvised on the spot and we didn't even have the entire plot mapped out, but I think that's kinda the beauty of this sort of guerilla filmmaking. There was a lot of freedom and room for experimentation. To set up a realistic tone, I spent the majority of the episode "vlogging", but made sure to pack in plenty of exposition setting up what the Snowgre is. I think the "Uber" scene turned out pretty well and was fairly convincing if you ask me. The final shot of the Snowgre showing up in the basement window was my favorite shot of the episode, because I think it actually succeeded in being creepy and startling. Because my lines were improvised, I was worried Lucas and I would have trouble coordinating the timing, but we got it on the first take.
The Snowgre Chronicles Ep. 2: Lost (2019)
Release Date: January 9th, 2019
Director: Nathan Nguyen
Story by: Nathan Nguyen
Photography by: Nathan Nguyen
Edited by: Nathan Nguyen
Cast:
Nathan Nguyen as himself and the Demon Witch (voice)
Lucas Nguyen as the Snowgre
Natalia Nguyen as the Demon Witch (body)
After coming face to face with the terrifying Snowgre creature, Nathan sets out into the woods to see what he can find.
Production notes:
The majority of the second episode was filmed in about half an hour. I was pleased with how quickly I was able to pump these out, and the editing was also very fast and easy due to the minimal amount of effects. Much like the first episode, the whole thing was improvised and unscripted, though it did take some thought as to how I could keep the police out of the plot. Eventually I settled on having the cops not take my character seriously, which is why I decide to take matters into my own hands. Episode 2 required a few more props/costumes than last time, including fake spider web for the Snowgre's fur, Lucas' BB gun, a ceramic art piece for the mysterious talisman, and costumes for both the Snowgre and Demon Witch. In this episode I tried to link the Demon Witch to the talisman, having her appear right as my character discovers the strange trinket (this would set up another appearance of the witch later in the miniseries). The witch was played by my sister Natalia in this episode, though her part had to be done quickly and right at the beginning of the shoot because she was busy with college applications at the time.
The Snowgre Chronicles Ep. 3: Hunted (2019)
Release Date: January 10th, 2019
Director: Nathan Nguyen
Story by: Nathan Nguyen
Photography by: Nathan Nguyen
Edited by: Nathan Nguyen
Cast:
Nathan Nguyen as himself and the Demon Witch (voice)
Lucas Nguyen as the Snowgre
Natalia Nguyen as the Demon Witch (body)
Having spent hours lost in the woods, Nathan continues desperately to try and navigate himself out of a dark and unforgiving forest. But he is not alone.
Production notes:
When The Snowgre Chronicles was first being conceived, I pretty much immediately knew I wanted a dark forest to be featured somewhere in the miniseries. Some of the nighttime shots were actually done twice, because in the first attempt I think they went by too fast, and the whole time I was way too close to the neighborhood lights which kinda ruined the suspense. Some shots from that first shoot remained though--the Snowgre attack for one, and also the shots of the Demon Witch. Natalia played the witch once again (in the order we filmed the episodes, I think this was actually her first time in the costume), though the voice was supplied by me. The words spoken by the witch are "sanctus daemoniorium" (Latin for "holy demons") and "meus es tu" (Latin for "You are mine"). We equipped my sister with a fake candle which we hoped would illuminate the creepy mask we used, but unfortunately the light was just too dim. In the final product I deliberately point this out, saying "it was too dark to make out any facial features", which I suppose did end up enhancing the suspense aspect. When I "lost" my camera, I really did use my phone in the shots where I go out and "recover" it. I deliberately chose the awful vertical aspect ratio to drive home that fact, and to give the video a rough, homemade feel. The shot I'm most proud of would have to be the one where I fire the gun at the pursuing Snowgre. The lighting effects were simply created using a flashlight, and I really think those brief flashes worked well in giving us glimpses of the monster.
The Snowgre Chronicles Ep. 4: It's in the House (2019)
Release Date: January 20th, 2019
Director: Nathan Nguyen
Story by: Nathan Nguyen
Photography by: Nathan Nguyen
Edited by: Nathan Nguyen
Cast:
Nathan Nguyen as himself
Lucas Nguyen as the Snowgre
Even the safety of the indoors is no more as the terror invades the basement.
Production notes:
The shortest episode of the bunch, this one consists of just one lengthy take. As such it was also the fastest episode to be shot, in about two minutes. Some preparations had to be done first, of course—turning out all the lights in the house, getting Lucas in costume, and planning just how the scene would play out. We got the entire thing right in the first take, but that doesn't mean there weren't challenges. The most significant was the danger of revealing too much of the Snowgre costume, as it wasn't exactly the most convincing/realistic looking thing. Sure enough, the footage did end up showing a little too much of the creature, but it was nothing a little editing couldn't fix. All I had to do was play around with some filters and lighting, and the Snowgre was sufficiently hidden. The screenshot used for the thumbnail was the most revealing instance in the episode, but even it, I felt, wasn't too much. Another small challenge occurred during the parts when I attempt to shoot the Snowgre, since I had to use a flashlight for the gunshot effect, and my hands were already full with the camera in one hand and the gun itself in the other. As a result I had to quickly swap the gun for the flashlight, but it was noticeable, so I had no choice but to make a jump cut there.
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