SciFi YouTube Video Lands Million Dollar Deal

[Greg Tito]

SciFi YouTube Video Lands Million Dollar Deal

Uruguayan director, Fede Alvarez, made Panic Attack for less than $500 and received a six-figure contract from Sam Raimi to make a full-length movie.

The atmospheric film, called Ataque de Panico! in its native Spanish, opens with a small Uruguayan child playing with toy robots. There follows an assault on the senses and on the city of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The film piques more interest in less than four minutes than most big-budget films do in two hours.


The film was first posted in November and sparked a flurry of activity in LA as Hollywood tried to lock down the previously unknown Alvarez. He flew to California and met with agents, managers and studios before he finally signed to work with one of his directing heroes, Sam Raimi, director of Evil Dead and Spiderman.

"I uploaded (Panic Attack!) on a Thursday and on Monday my inbox was totally full of e-mails from Hollywood studios," Alvarez said. "It was amazing, we were all shocked."

"If some director from some country can achieve this just uploading a video to YouTube, it obviously means that anyone could do it," he added.

Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures signed Alvarez to make a new film, with a new story and not based on Panico at all. Alvarez plans to shoot in Uruguay and Argentina. The fact that he is not expanding the story of the film that made him famous somehow makes Panico that much more intriguing. Who are the giant robots? Why are they attacking? Why were Alvarez's talents never noticed until now?

Always leave them wanting more.

Source: Variety [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8417789.stm]


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[TheNamlessGuy]

DELETED

 

[MetaKnight19]

That was awesome, especially considering it was made for less than $500.

 

[bakonslayer]

This reminds me of the prequel to the amazing Spanish Gangster film "Desperado" named "El Mariachi" made by the incomparable Robert Rodriguez. Wikipedia explains a similar berth:

"Rodriguez had a $7,000 budget, almost half of which he raised by participating in experimental clinical drug testing in Texas." "The US$ 7,000 production was originally intended for the Hispanic home video market, but executives at Columbia Pictures liked the film so much that they bought the American distribution rights."

Maybe we have another Robert Rodriguez in our midst? Where one hides an assault rifle in his guitar case maybe another hides a gigantic fighting robot bent on the sole purpose of leveling a large city?

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

That was really good. But my primitive mind and brain have a question:
Where are the Ironclads?

War of the Worlds reference ftw
And that thing was amazing. Well done to that guy he totally deserves his break

 

[Scikosomatic]

i wish that guy all the luck

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

I was literally left with an open mouth staring in awe at my screen at the very end of the movie...such a creative way to finish it...wow. I also caught myself figuring out how they might have filmed it during the middle of the movie, and I am really quite impressed with this whole production. Good going on getting this guy, Sam.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Under $500? This is up there with "What's In the Box?"

 

[Tharticus]

Impressive. Though it kinda looks like Earthbound intro when it say's "The War Against Giygas" in action form.

Oh and some musics are taken from John Murphy's soundtracks of 28 days/weeks later franchise.

 

[Therumancer]

Well, I have mixed opinions about the entire thing. It's pretty cool, but I'm vaguely reminded of how "Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow" got started with a similar kind of mini-video, and then later turned into a full-on production that was supposed to redefine cinema and while okay it was nothing special.

The guy shows he has a good grasp of how to create some fancy FX on a low budget, and how to use a camera, but by the same token I see no indication that the guy is capable of answering questions of like who the giant robots are specifically, why they are doing this, or creating a greater context or mythology that people will believe in. The fact that he's working on a differant kind of picture all together makes me wonder.

I'll also be honest in saying that I have very mixed opinions about foreign film makers, especially when they primarily want to set movies in their native land or whatever. While occasionally striking gold, it seems in many cases these movies wind up getting some level of critical acclaim, but tend to lack mainstream appeal.

I mean I hope the guy is the next Dario Argento or Robert Rodriguez or whatever, but I'm not holding my breath over a 4 minute Youtube video. Unless this guy has a body of work beyond that which we're not seeing (but Hollywood has access to) if it was my money involved as a producer I'd be a bit wary.

I guess I'm just a downer, but for some reason as soon as those robots showed up all I could think of was Sky Captain.

 

[Pegghead]

Wow, I love gigantic robots. Isn't it amazing that we live in a world where anyone with the right resources can just make a video and share it with millions for free.

 

[Captain Pancake]

That's pretty inspiring, if he could do something like that with only 500 bucks, what could he make with a million?

I'll keep an eye out for this guy.

 

[Pietato]

Did anybody else hear the Antlion Guard and the Heavy?

 

[HardRockSamurai]

That was fantastic! If anyone's earned a six figure deal with Sam Raimi, it's this guy. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.

[small]Also, around 2:42, did anyone else think that the spaceship's gun sounded an awful lot like the Heavy's mini from TF2? I could've sworn those sounds were identical. That, or maybe I've been playing too much TF2 lately.[/small]

 

[Spinwhiz]

That was excellent! I'm very impressed.

 

[tkioz]

$500??? How the hell did he manage that on such a tiny budget even assuming he owned all the equipment/software, that was awesome.

Imagine what he will be able to do with 20-30 million!

 

[Obrien Xp]

Unbelievable, I will see this movie asap.

Any news on its production or is it too early to say.

 

[tkioz]

I'll also be honest in saying that I have very mixed opinions about foreign film makers, especially when they primarily want to set movies in their native land or whatever.

err because America is the only country on the planet? I don't know about you but I'm sick of seeing movies based in New York or LA there are other cities out there.