[howlingfan]

I commend your attempt to assuage this aforementioned “drought” of ours, and I would be potentially willing to help fund this new project as more specific details unfold. I’ve also been burned before by past projects, including “Freeborn,” so call me naïve, gullible, just plain stupid, or a combination thereof. I’d like to say I’m hopelessly optimistic, because I need to see this happen in my lifetime. It’s now been literally 35 years since “The Howling” and “An American Werewolf in London,” the two TF classics, and in that entire time, there hasn’t been a single female werewolf TF to rival those two in artistry, detail, or thoroughness. Every time we came close, like the legendary Rick Baker working on a female werewolf TF in the appropriately titled movie “Cursed,” something crazy would happen. (The movie had multiple reshoots, and eventually, they scrapped Baker’s work in favor of some no-name CGI company.) I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Being a female werewolf fan is similar to being a Chicago Cubs fan; after a while, you get used to disappointment.

Having said all that, hope springs eternal, as they say, so here are my suggestions for your project. I also think “The Dark” is a great reference point, as it’s still my favorite female werewolf TF. I think we can all agree it could’ve used more process, but for the budget, I thought the filmmaker did more things right than wrong (though I wasn’t a fan of the sound effects he chose; at one point, it sounds like a baby is crying in there). It was stylish, it used prosthetic effects, the acting was decent, and it didn’t hurt that the actress was gorgeous and also willing to be nude. Yes, having nudity in your short film will be more expensive, but if a person is going to rip off her clothes and change into an animal, it wouldn’t make much sense to have her modestly covered up. I’m not saying it should be in-your-face full frontal like the Missa videos, but if you’re going to have a tail growth, we’re going to need to see her behind. And if you’re going to film her from the back as she rips her shirt off, as was suggested in an earlier post, I don’t think showing a little side breast is out of the question.

I agree that sound effects go a long way in selling a TF, and they’re cheap enough. And using a taller, more muscular actress to portray the later stages of the TF is an excellent idea that’s hardly ever used, despite my past protests that someone should do so in a TF project. The problem with this, of course, is that it doubles the acting budget of the film, but if done right, it would be worth it. To get your “money’s worth,” though, I suggest not limiting the more muscular fitness model for just the final 75% of the TF. You could have close-ups of her muscles (biceps, thighs, and abs) flexing to simulate muscle growth (again, sound effects are a cheap, effective way to sell the TF) while still using the original actress, e.g., shots of her face grimacing. Then when you get to the 75% mark, you can fully switch to the new muscular model.

As for my personal preferences (hey, you asked), I tend to enjoy TFs where the woman actually enjoys the change (I’m not into S&M), though I realize many people prefer the painful screaming variety. Perhaps there can be a compromise where the TF hurts at first, which would make sense since the changes are just starting to contort her body, but as they progress and she gets stronger (say at the halfway mark), she can start enjoying it and moan in pleasure. Also, coating the actors portraying the TF with oil and/or wetting them with water from a spray bottle are both cheap, effective ways to simulate sweat. I’m a firm believer in having the woman sweat a lot during the TF (similar to “AWIL”) just to show how intense the process is.

I also agree that the buildup is important, as well as the original look of the person changing. I prefer shy, nerdy girls with glasses because it creates a stark contrast to the slobbering, animalistic creature she becomes. I’m a fan of having a little drool escape from her lips as her fangs grow in, similar to “The Howling.” And speaking of that classic movie, I’m also a fan of the skin-bubbling that was used so effectively in the famous TF from that movie. It’s a way of showing the internal changes taking place in the person’s body without that person having to literally rip his or her skin off to show it. Skin ripping is gory and off-putting to me; I think you should aim for sexy, not bloody. Again, I don’t know how much money you’re going to have to play with, but air bladders/skin bubbling around the temples of the forehead/backs of hands, etc. would be an awesome addition to the TF.

Lastly, I would caution about the busy nature of your original pitch, which mentioned books as well as other films with multiple monster characters. I think trying to take on too many things at once could make you unfocused, and overall, it would be harder to finish the product. I’d rather someone focus exclusively on this she-wolf film project and worry about the rest later after it’s done, but then again, I’m a female werewolf fan after all. (It’s the only reason why I’m here in the first place.) Hope any of this (very long) input helped.