Since EMBR productions was recently registered as a business name, we have moved our website to the more official www.embrproductions.com. Please go over and have a look around. There will still be updating the blog from time to time, so you can still check in, but from now on the majority of our business will be run from the newest site.
Our next big step is taking EMBR productions INTERNATIONAL!!! Stay tuned for updates of our adventures in Vancouver, coming April 7th!
Thanks for all the ongoing support!
Ems
x
Sunday, March 15
Monday, February 9
A-Z How-to > Comedy
Comedy would definitely be one of my favourite film genres. But it's also one of the most difficult to pull off, in my opinion! A lot of Comedy is to do with the scripting, as you'll see below, 99% of the How-to hints are to do with scripting or characterization. Apart from Slapstick and Visual comedy it's ultimately down to the script to make us laugh. Here's my A-Z How-to when it comes to Comedy writing and film-making.
A... Adult Humour in Animation- When it's done properly you can't beat adult humour in a kids animated film - a little something for everybody!
B... Black comedy - often a touchy subject but if handled effectively can bring out some big laughs!
C... Children - Think of films like Role Models, where you have sassy kids telling the grown ups what's what!
D... Dead pan - this type of sarcastic humour goes a long way in a comedy. It lightens the mood while keeping true to the character - Chandler Bing comes to mind!
E... Ending - Important to leave audience with lasting impression of overall film - do we want an ironic/satisfying/cheesy/open ended finale?
F... Family - While we all think are own are boring/unfunny and often times annoying - the stories do often have a comedy factor. Meet the Parents taught us that our families are all a little crazy in one shape or another and Meet the Fockers certainly cemented that idea in our brains!
G... Gambling - Some of the worst bets you get yourself into happen in Vegas or whilst drunk and at a casino - we're thinking The Hangover/What happens in Vegas etc..
H... Holidays - Lost luggage, missed flights, sun stroke, disastrous hotel, no money, think Inbetweeners 2 - it's all in there in our worst nightmares - the comedy gold!
I... Impersonations/impressions - Think Paul Rudd in Knocked Up "on these shoes..."
J... Jokes - what's a comedy without the jokes?
K... Kung-fu / Karate / Krav Maga - an action comedy can also make the audience roll around laughing.
L... Laugh - if there's no laughter you may not have successfully accomplished a comedy... in fact you really haven't grasped the concept at all!
M... Mockumentary - This is becoming a very popular type of comedy with the rise of Modern Family, Parks and Recreation and the Office.
N... Narcotics - lets be honest 21 Jump Street, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, and most of Judd Apatow films just wouldn't be the same without the odd bit of Mary Jane! Having your characters chill out with a joint is bound to lead to hilarity!
O... One liners- Mean girls, Liar Liar and Anchorman - some of the most quotable movies every because of their outstanding one liners... they need to be well formed, funny and memorable.
P... Parties - Weddings, Stag parties, Bridal showers, birthdays, Funerals, etc - if there's a potentially disastrous situation pending - you've got a comedy film!
Q... Quest - sending your characters on ridiculous wild goose chases or surreal adventures can lead to very funny consequences. Nothing like a man or woman on a mission!
R... References - Nothing get's an audience chuckling like a modern day/current affairs/relatable joke or reference - being topical leads to a good satire and can get people talking as it'll be memorable.
S... Slapstick comedy - Fawlty Towers is, for me, the best example of Comedy Genius when it comes to Slapstick - it's eccentric, it's exaggerated and it's way too unrealistic but yet somehow I've no problem believing it's entirely something Basil would do! Tears will stream down your face....
T... Teenage comedy - the American Pie films speak for themselves. We've all had embarrassing moments growing up, and comedy is the platform to confront and deal with those memories - growing pains/dating/high school - all brilliant foundations for a good, cringey teenage comedy.
U... Uncomfortable - Like with teenage comedy, there's nothing like a bit of cringey/awkward comedy - you're laughing but it's nervous mortified laughter - you are embarrassed for the character but laughing cos it's not you and well... it's damn funny!
V... Visual comedy - it's all well and good telling jokes to beat the band, but there's nothing funnier than seeing someone make a fool of themselves. Just sit back and watch!
W... Women - Bridesmaids... enough said. I think one of the best things about women is our ability to laugh at ourselves - this allows us to create comedy gold on the subject of women! - write about what you know and never be afraid to .. 'go there!'
X... Xtra features - Farce commercials before the film can really set a tone for your movie and get the laughter going before the movie even begins. e.g. Tropic Thunder. Whilst having extra footage in the credit reel at the end, keeps people laughing as they leave the theatre.
Y... Yawn - Comedy is all about the non-stop humour, the laughs, the jokes... but we don't want to forget about the story line - having no plot and all jokes will bore your audience and when the laughter stops, they'll end up realizing that nothing has actually happened!
Z... Zoning - easy ways to create comedy situations - becoming the Zoning Board - friend zone, danger zone, enemy zone, work zone, school zone - Has the character got a nemesis? Do they socialize at work? Do they have a crush on their teacher? Do they keep getting arrested? You decide!
Keep tuning in, the next one will go up on Friday.
If you have any suggestions on which genre I should cover next, please leave a comment below!
As always,
Ems
A... Adult Humour in Animation- When it's done properly you can't beat adult humour in a kids animated film - a little something for everybody!
B... Black comedy - often a touchy subject but if handled effectively can bring out some big laughs!
C... Children - Think of films like Role Models, where you have sassy kids telling the grown ups what's what!
D... Dead pan - this type of sarcastic humour goes a long way in a comedy. It lightens the mood while keeping true to the character - Chandler Bing comes to mind!
E... Ending - Important to leave audience with lasting impression of overall film - do we want an ironic/satisfying/cheesy/open ended finale?
F... Family - While we all think are own are boring/unfunny and often times annoying - the stories do often have a comedy factor. Meet the Parents taught us that our families are all a little crazy in one shape or another and Meet the Fockers certainly cemented that idea in our brains!
G... Gambling - Some of the worst bets you get yourself into happen in Vegas or whilst drunk and at a casino - we're thinking The Hangover/What happens in Vegas etc..
H... Holidays - Lost luggage, missed flights, sun stroke, disastrous hotel, no money, think Inbetweeners 2 - it's all in there in our worst nightmares - the comedy gold!
I... Impersonations/impressions - Think Paul Rudd in Knocked Up "on these shoes..."
J... Jokes - what's a comedy without the jokes?
K... Kung-fu / Karate / Krav Maga - an action comedy can also make the audience roll around laughing.
L... Laugh - if there's no laughter you may not have successfully accomplished a comedy... in fact you really haven't grasped the concept at all!
M... Mockumentary - This is becoming a very popular type of comedy with the rise of Modern Family, Parks and Recreation and the Office.
N... Narcotics - lets be honest 21 Jump Street, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, and most of Judd Apatow films just wouldn't be the same without the odd bit of Mary Jane! Having your characters chill out with a joint is bound to lead to hilarity!
O... One liners- Mean girls, Liar Liar and Anchorman - some of the most quotable movies every because of their outstanding one liners... they need to be well formed, funny and memorable.
P... Parties - Weddings, Stag parties, Bridal showers, birthdays, Funerals, etc - if there's a potentially disastrous situation pending - you've got a comedy film!
Q... Quest - sending your characters on ridiculous wild goose chases or surreal adventures can lead to very funny consequences. Nothing like a man or woman on a mission!
R... References - Nothing get's an audience chuckling like a modern day/current affairs/relatable joke or reference - being topical leads to a good satire and can get people talking as it'll be memorable.
S... Slapstick comedy - Fawlty Towers is, for me, the best example of Comedy Genius when it comes to Slapstick - it's eccentric, it's exaggerated and it's way too unrealistic but yet somehow I've no problem believing it's entirely something Basil would do! Tears will stream down your face....
T... Teenage comedy - the American Pie films speak for themselves. We've all had embarrassing moments growing up, and comedy is the platform to confront and deal with those memories - growing pains/dating/high school - all brilliant foundations for a good, cringey teenage comedy.
U... Uncomfortable - Like with teenage comedy, there's nothing like a bit of cringey/awkward comedy - you're laughing but it's nervous mortified laughter - you are embarrassed for the character but laughing cos it's not you and well... it's damn funny!
V... Visual comedy - it's all well and good telling jokes to beat the band, but there's nothing funnier than seeing someone make a fool of themselves. Just sit back and watch!
W... Women - Bridesmaids... enough said. I think one of the best things about women is our ability to laugh at ourselves - this allows us to create comedy gold on the subject of women! - write about what you know and never be afraid to .. 'go there!'
X... Xtra features - Farce commercials before the film can really set a tone for your movie and get the laughter going before the movie even begins. e.g. Tropic Thunder. Whilst having extra footage in the credit reel at the end, keeps people laughing as they leave the theatre.
Y... Yawn - Comedy is all about the non-stop humour, the laughs, the jokes... but we don't want to forget about the story line - having no plot and all jokes will bore your audience and when the laughter stops, they'll end up realizing that nothing has actually happened!
Z... Zoning - easy ways to create comedy situations - becoming the Zoning Board - friend zone, danger zone, enemy zone, work zone, school zone - Has the character got a nemesis? Do they socialize at work? Do they have a crush on their teacher? Do they keep getting arrested? You decide!
Keep tuning in, the next one will go up on Friday.
If you have any suggestions on which genre I should cover next, please leave a comment below!
As always,
Ems
Friday, February 6
A-Z How-to > Horror
To start the ball rolling on my new posts we'll get stuck right in with an A-Z how to: Horror
HANDY HINT: "Creating a set up where the audience does the work is ideal - allowing their minds to runaway encouraged by an effective score, dark lighting and poor visibility means their imagination places their own personal fears there and they anticipate the outcome!"
A ... Animals - A possessed dog or cow with blank red/black eyes - stumbling towards you with it's guts spilling out and frothing at the mouth... RUN, run for your life!
B ... There will be Blood - the more the merrier - dark red for serious gore, light red for humorous or lighthearted horror.
C ... Children - demonic kids in frocks and playing with blocks - nothing worse, or a child singing a haunted tune whilst swinging in the back yard... enough said!
D... Death - people gotta die - killing one of the main characters early lets the audience know no one is safe and anything can happen.
E ... Exorcism and demons is a little over done in my opinion but is still scary none the less.
F ... Farms - why do people in scary films choose to live in such a remote and creepy field/farm? - they don't - the screenwriters are their Realtors and the more remote the location the less people will hear you scream!
G ... Ghosts - we may not find them as scary since Casper or the Stay Puft Marshmallow man, but if you consider the creepy Woman in Black or the Headless horse-man, there's still plenty of reasons to fear the ghosties and the ghoulies!
H ... Home alone - creeks in the floor boards, electricity fails, telephone rings, knock on the door, pulling the blinds, eye's through the letterbox, footsteps behind you - countless opportunities to frighten and unnerve your audience.
I ... Insanity - nothing like an asylum to instantly make people uncomfortable. Alternatively you can have everyone in the film thinking the main character (who is actually right on the money) is insane! I also stands for I told you so!
J ... Jump scares - building the suspense with music to make the ultimate BOO moment... works every time - try drag it out for as long as possible so the audience are begging you to get it over with already!
K ... Knives - the rustier the better, blunt tools, saws and chainsaws - a shed full of murder weapons!
L ... Lights out - the less people can see the more their imagination adds to the scene - useful lighting effects can create shadows, mystery and above all else, fear!
M .... Music - I remember reading that if you watch a horror film on mute it wont be half as scary as if you watch it with the full sound effects and music - like the lighting in a film, the music also tells the audience how to feel/react and helps build tension, suspense and fear.
N ... Night time - goes without saying - the night brings out all the fears in most of us, darkness, unnerving silence, and of course the boogeyman!
O ... Outdoors - stop going outside! you are safer in your home... at least that's what we'd have you believe!
P ... Paranoia - nothing better than making your audience double check over their shoulder as they leave the cinema - mission accomplished!
Q ... Quiet - calm before the storm - silence can speak louder than any bang, footstep or breath!
R ... Relentless/Remorseless - your villain needs to have no heart, not an inkling, he must be merciless and care less about who or how many he slaughters...
S ... Shadows - again creating the idea of paranoia and terror at what's creeping behind me. Outlines and silhouettes of villains wielding knives.... come on you gotta admit it terrifies you!
T .... Tunnels - Dark, long and usually scarce when it comes to medical assistance, cops or other helpful beings... more commonly known as a home for gypsies/hobos and of course your serial killer - or to be less creepy - kind of - an oncoming train with no escape!
U .... Unknown - however terrifying watching a man walk towards you slaughtering a bunch of people is, to not know whats doing the killing is often worse - we all fear the unknown in some shape or form... think A in Pretty Little Liars!
V ... Voyeur - the creepiest scenes that send chills up your spine are those where we can see the character is being watched. POV of the stalker or voyeur unnerves the audience, makes them uneasy and paranoid
W ... Witches - I'm not talking Harry Potter here... I am thinking more along the lines of Desiree from American Horror Story Coven.... nothing like a little dark magic and curses to rattle your bones!
X .... Xerox - Ok picture yourself home alone and all of a sudden your printer starts printing .... faxes start spilling through, scans/photocopies ... death threats / ransom notes you name it - Xerox are amazing :P
Y .... Yelling - there's nothing like a bloodcurdling scream of someone being tortured... get it just right and out of nowhere - your audience isn't expecting it! BAM- terrified and curious!
Z .... Zombies - graveyards are some of the spookiest places every at night time, rattling gate, footsteps, rustling trees and ... did you just see that? a hand bursting out of a grave.... RUN!
If you take a notion to pen a Horror film/story just remember it's not all about the effects either. There still needs to be a decent premise, and a fairly good script. No one, not even the seasoned horror junky, likes a poor script with mindless babble and cheesy one liners!
If you liked that, stay tuned folks, the next A-Z How-to will be up on Monday morning!
As always,
Ems
HANDY HINT: "Creating a set up where the audience does the work is ideal - allowing their minds to runaway encouraged by an effective score, dark lighting and poor visibility means their imagination places their own personal fears there and they anticipate the outcome!"
A ... Animals - A possessed dog or cow with blank red/black eyes - stumbling towards you with it's guts spilling out and frothing at the mouth... RUN, run for your life!
B ... There will be Blood - the more the merrier - dark red for serious gore, light red for humorous or lighthearted horror.
C ... Children - demonic kids in frocks and playing with blocks - nothing worse, or a child singing a haunted tune whilst swinging in the back yard... enough said!
D... Death - people gotta die - killing one of the main characters early lets the audience know no one is safe and anything can happen.
E ... Exorcism and demons is a little over done in my opinion but is still scary none the less.
F ... Farms - why do people in scary films choose to live in such a remote and creepy field/farm? - they don't - the screenwriters are their Realtors and the more remote the location the less people will hear you scream!
G ... Ghosts - we may not find them as scary since Casper or the Stay Puft Marshmallow man, but if you consider the creepy Woman in Black or the Headless horse-man, there's still plenty of reasons to fear the ghosties and the ghoulies!
H ... Home alone - creeks in the floor boards, electricity fails, telephone rings, knock on the door, pulling the blinds, eye's through the letterbox, footsteps behind you - countless opportunities to frighten and unnerve your audience.
I ... Insanity - nothing like an asylum to instantly make people uncomfortable. Alternatively you can have everyone in the film thinking the main character (who is actually right on the money) is insane! I also stands for I told you so!
J ... Jump scares - building the suspense with music to make the ultimate BOO moment... works every time - try drag it out for as long as possible so the audience are begging you to get it over with already!
K ... Knives - the rustier the better, blunt tools, saws and chainsaws - a shed full of murder weapons!
L ... Lights out - the less people can see the more their imagination adds to the scene - useful lighting effects can create shadows, mystery and above all else, fear!
M .... Music - I remember reading that if you watch a horror film on mute it wont be half as scary as if you watch it with the full sound effects and music - like the lighting in a film, the music also tells the audience how to feel/react and helps build tension, suspense and fear.
N ... Night time - goes without saying - the night brings out all the fears in most of us, darkness, unnerving silence, and of course the boogeyman!
O ... Outdoors - stop going outside! you are safer in your home... at least that's what we'd have you believe!
P ... Paranoia - nothing better than making your audience double check over their shoulder as they leave the cinema - mission accomplished!
Q ... Quiet - calm before the storm - silence can speak louder than any bang, footstep or breath!
R ... Relentless/Remorseless - your villain needs to have no heart, not an inkling, he must be merciless and care less about who or how many he slaughters...
S ... Shadows - again creating the idea of paranoia and terror at what's creeping behind me. Outlines and silhouettes of villains wielding knives.... come on you gotta admit it terrifies you!
T .... Tunnels - Dark, long and usually scarce when it comes to medical assistance, cops or other helpful beings... more commonly known as a home for gypsies/hobos and of course your serial killer - or to be less creepy - kind of - an oncoming train with no escape!
U .... Unknown - however terrifying watching a man walk towards you slaughtering a bunch of people is, to not know whats doing the killing is often worse - we all fear the unknown in some shape or form... think A in Pretty Little Liars!
V ... Voyeur - the creepiest scenes that send chills up your spine are those where we can see the character is being watched. POV of the stalker or voyeur unnerves the audience, makes them uneasy and paranoid
W ... Witches - I'm not talking Harry Potter here... I am thinking more along the lines of Desiree from American Horror Story Coven.... nothing like a little dark magic and curses to rattle your bones!
X .... Xerox - Ok picture yourself home alone and all of a sudden your printer starts printing .... faxes start spilling through, scans/photocopies ... death threats / ransom notes you name it - Xerox are amazing :P
Y .... Yelling - there's nothing like a bloodcurdling scream of someone being tortured... get it just right and out of nowhere - your audience isn't expecting it! BAM- terrified and curious!
Z .... Zombies - graveyards are some of the spookiest places every at night time, rattling gate, footsteps, rustling trees and ... did you just see that? a hand bursting out of a grave.... RUN!
If you take a notion to pen a Horror film/story just remember it's not all about the effects either. There still needs to be a decent premise, and a fairly good script. No one, not even the seasoned horror junky, likes a poor script with mindless babble and cheesy one liners!
If you liked that, stay tuned folks, the next A-Z How-to will be up on Monday morning!
As always,
Ems
Thursday, February 5
New & Exciting Blog Posts to come....
I decided there's no fun in keeping all the good ideas to myself, so for the next couple of weeks, I'm going to publish posts which (hopefully) will inspire others and help them create wonderful short films, dramas and videos.
The objective of each post will be: helpful how to's for different genre's of film/tv and drama sketches/stories.
E.g. Horror films - Must haves / Do's and Dont's / Helpful hints / Ideas etc...
Through doing this exercise I'm hoping that EMBR Productions can both imagine - create - inspire (as per our motto) and also display the wonderful creativity behind the scenes of our little company!
First post will go live tomorrow, so fasten your seat belts - you're in for a hell of a ride!
As always,
Ems
The objective of each post will be: helpful how to's for different genre's of film/tv and drama sketches/stories.
E.g. Horror films - Must haves / Do's and Dont's / Helpful hints / Ideas etc...
Through doing this exercise I'm hoping that EMBR Productions can both imagine - create - inspire (as per our motto) and also display the wonderful creativity behind the scenes of our little company!
First post will go live tomorrow, so fasten your seat belts - you're in for a hell of a ride!
As always,
Ems
Tuesday, January 13
Keeping up with EMBR productions
Well well well, we have been busy!
As you may have noticed, we have revamped our website, to include some new features such as the Testimonials page, Contact us page and Welcome page.
Over the past week I have put a huge drive on finishing outstanding projects, promoting the brand and organizing the company fully. To say we are set to take off is an understatement.
The most recent project we acquired was a Video for a company website in Blanchardstown. The finished product can be seen when their new website goes live next week.
I have also reached out and begun a collaborative project with The Zeign creator Fiona Kerrigan. We have plotted and story-boarded a mini series that will go live on Youtube in late February. This will be our second project working together.
Keep your eyes peeled folks, EMBR productions is going places and fast!
Like & Share, like you just don't care!
Emma
(",)
As you may have noticed, we have revamped our website, to include some new features such as the Testimonials page, Contact us page and Welcome page.
Over the past week I have put a huge drive on finishing outstanding projects, promoting the brand and organizing the company fully. To say we are set to take off is an understatement.
The most recent project we acquired was a Video for a company website in Blanchardstown. The finished product can be seen when their new website goes live next week.
I have also reached out and begun a collaborative project with The Zeign creator Fiona Kerrigan. We have plotted and story-boarded a mini series that will go live on Youtube in late February. This will be our second project working together.
Keep your eyes peeled folks, EMBR productions is going places and fast!
Like & Share, like you just don't care!
Emma
(",)
Wednesday, October 8
Update on our Latest Project
Well guys, we started the new project yesterday shooting short interview clips with Tom C the creator of the up and coming Travel blog 'Way of Travel by Tom'.
I'm currently editing them and we do have a second film date set so there is more to come!!!
Below is a little taster of what we were working on.
The finished works will be available online by the end of the week!
Hope you enjoy!
Don't forget to subscribe to the websites for updates and more info on our upcoming projects!!
I'm currently editing them and we do have a second film date set so there is more to come!!!
Below is a little taster of what we were working on.
The finished works will be available online by the end of the week!
Hope you enjoy!
Monday, October 6
New Projects
A friend of mine is making his way up in the world of blogging and with a little help from me he has created a great website to match his super Instagram page.
Way_of_Travel_by_Tom is a website dedicated to Luxury travel worldwide. Tom has spent the last couple of years travelling from city to city, country to country and even continent to continent staying in exclusive hotels, lavish spa's and taking photos of breathtaking views.
He has over 20,000 followers on Instagram with thousands of people liking and sharing his fabulous travel photos.
Tomorrow, EMBR productions will be filming an exclusive interview with Way_of_Travel_by_Tom's creator Tom C. We are super excited about it, and so is Tom.
Please like and share his website by following the link below.
Tom's Instagram
Tom's Blog
And stay tuned for the interviews which will go live later this week!!!
Exciting times!
Way_of_Travel_by_Tom is a website dedicated to Luxury travel worldwide. Tom has spent the last couple of years travelling from city to city, country to country and even continent to continent staying in exclusive hotels, lavish spa's and taking photos of breathtaking views.
He has over 20,000 followers on Instagram with thousands of people liking and sharing his fabulous travel photos.
Tomorrow, EMBR productions will be filming an exclusive interview with Way_of_Travel_by_Tom's creator Tom C. We are super excited about it, and so is Tom.
Please like and share his website by following the link below.
Tom's Instagram
Tom's Blog
And stay tuned for the interviews which will go live later this week!!!
Exciting times!
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