I thought today I would address a topic that amuses me: Everyone’s a critic. Ever since the internet has been public, the everyday, “I-tie-my-shoes-like-you-but-don’t-get-the-big-bucks”, Joe and Sally’s of the world have had a voice. They are able to comment, reply, blog and scream about any damn topic they feel. Finally their opinion can be heard. In my world, this voice is most prominent in movie criticism. Being an independent filmmaker, I spend a lot of time on sites like IMDB, Netflix, Rotten Tomatoes, Bloody-Disgusting, Shock-Till-You-Drop…and many others. I love to immerse myself in movie news, and what the average person has to say about film. I enjoy watching people both defend and trash movies. It’s like a train wreck of a reality show sometimes when you find message board threads with people verbally abusing each other over their opinion. All is fine and dandy until…it’s your film!
Directing my actors in my demon love story, Lo
I learned very quickly to take all criticism with a grain of salt. When my first feature, joshua, was released on DVD in 2006, the very first review I ever got regarding my work was from bloody-disgusting.com, and it could not have been more glowing. I was on cloud 666 (that’s the cloud for horror fans) and already rehearsing my Academy Award speech. Shortly after that review, some “jack-hole” (as I referred to him at the time) commented on the review talking about just how awful my movie actually was. Every scathing word he wrote heated up the cauldron in my stomach. To top it off he decided to bash some of the shots in the movie I was most proud of, saying that I did these pointless shots just because I could. By the end of the ego-popping, hate letter I was so worked up that I hit reply to this uneducated dope (my view of him at the time) and wrote: “You’re damn right I could…and I did!” Or something like that. Basically I made a jackass of myself and lashed back, giving him all the power and making me look like a whiny little filmmaker. I regretted it immediately and since that day I have never responded to a negative comment again. I learned that if I took these words to seriously then I was a  fool and should quit making movies. This faceless person who hated my movie had the right to his opinion. Now sure, some people can be harsh or mean just to be mean, but every minute I let that get to me is a minute wasted. I make unconventional movies. I do this because I am not interested in the re-hashed drivel that passes for entertainment these days. I like to challenge myself and my audience. I want to tell stories in a unique way that will leave an impression on people, wether that be good or bad. In short, I make movies that some people hate and some people love, and that’s pretty damn cool.
Ward Roberts sits for the duration of the movie
So, making a movie that takes place entirely in the confines of a circle on the floor, with a man and a demon doing very little other than talking the whole time is gonna make some people angry. Since the release of my movie, Lo, yesterday, some of the sites are already buzzing with negativity as well as supporters. I thought it would be interesting to bump some of the criticism up against each other, because such vast difference in opinion interests me and fuels me to make more cool flicks. THE GOOD are quotes from people who loved the film and took something unique from the experience (and NOT written by friends). THE BAD are quotes from people who didn’t hate it, but saw some flaws (all written by friends…kidding). THE UGLY are quotes I scraped off the bottom of the hate barrel. All do an excellent job, I feel, of making me pay the price (good or bad) for making something I truly believe in. thus is art. Thus is awesome!
The Good
“Lo is the kind of movie that has cult potential. Think The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
“The story ends on a surprise note of genuine emotion which I found to be imaginative and moving, giving the entire film an unexpected resonance that lasts through the fadeout.”
“If you’re looking for a raucous horror comedy with lots of mindless action and gore, LO will probably bore you to tears. But if you can tune into the cockeyed vibe that Travis Betz is going for here, you may find yourself having quite a rewarding time knocking around inside this impressive indy flick’s freaky little head.”
“Creative, unique, quirky and initially comedic, Lo shows Travis Betz’s writing ability and the film will likely be seen as a stepping stone towards more expensive and elaborate productions.”
“Writer/director Travis Betz was wise to focus on dialog and makeup effects. Both are terrific, and setting the majority of the narrative in one small, claustrophobic location amps up the tension in the game between human and monster.”
“Jeremiah Birkett’s Lo manages a surprising range of emotional expression under the mask. His performance is specific and layered.”
“Bare bones storytelling at its very finest.”
“Needless to say, love it or hate it — and I’m guessing some of you may find my love for it suspect — this is one unique flick.”
“Betz stretches the limits of what can be done technically and in terms of production design on a modest budget while providing for independent filmmakers a stellar example of how to assemble a quality, technically proficient film with largely convincing special effects on a limited budget.”
“Roberts is one of those rare actors who can play both extremes of the emotional spectrum, sometimes in the very same scene.”
The Bad
“Shot on a micro-budget Lo seems, at times, like too much of a play.”
“Lo” is a modern variation on the “Faust” story and has its clever moments, but ultimately its reach way exceeds its grasp.”
“Every time the film returns to the aforementioned flashbacks, it pretty much sucks all the air out.”
“Distinctive but felt to me like it dragged even at just 80 mins.”
The Ugly
“WOW! First horror film, that put me to sleep.”
“How can such a strange movie get even 1 good review?”
“WTF? This movie was excruciating. I absolutely despised the fact that it wasted my time.”
“A little piece of advice, unless your desprate dont watch it.”
“I cannot understand how anyone with an IQ above that of a rhizome could possibly enjoy this improv dreck. It succeeds only in making demons and hell, well, just boring.”
“This movie sucked. PERIOD. everything was just stupid. actors sucked. story sucked. lighting sucked. props sucked. you sucked.”
“Simply the worst movie EVER.”
“It was more like A Christmas Carol with a $5 budget. Waste of time.”
“This is one of those movies that tries to be clever by poking fun at itself and the genre. It fails. Its low budget, poorly filmed and over-acted.”
“Dumb. Its dumb. Sorry not funny, just dumb. Oh sorry, its boring and dumb. So boring its dumb and so dumb its boring.”
In conclusion: Everyone’s a critic and always will be. Either roll with the punches or get out of the game. And now it’s time to make more movies!
Much Love
Travis
Fuck vampires. Screw werewolves. Frankenstein can suck my left testy while the mummy can slobber on the right. Zombies can take a long drag off a short pier and aliens can go to Hell (cause they’re not in the bible)! Now don’t get me wrong, I love each of these creatures dearly. I’m a horror fan after all. But if we’re talking scary…if  you want to know what kind of beings make my blood freeze…it’s ghosts.
Here is a look at my life in art for the next year. Upon writing this new blog entry I am excited and confident that I will be able to accomplish it all with my sword held high and the dragon below me slain. Of course the reality is that time is an evil bitch and that dragon is only pretending to be dead. The only thing I can truly do is lay out my list of goals, hopes and ideas and take them one day at a time. By the end of this (at the moment) wonderful year I hope to look back over this list and see that, for the most part, I did my best for each and every project and was a good son, friend and artist.
Everyone’s (or no one’s) favorite low-brow, low-rent, high laughs comedy trio is back for more offensively bizarre humor. 
I wanted to write a little blog about my good friend Aaron Gaffey not only because it’s his birthday today, but also to celebrate the man himself. I first met this “creepy teddy bear” (I just quoted myself having never actually said that term before) when he auditioned for my horror film, JOSHUA, back in 2003. We were really backed up and made him wait in the courtyard for hours. Then we called him back twice, put him through Hell. He got the part and we’ve been working together ever since. After JOSHUA, he took on a number of roles both on and off camera. He even helped produce my film Lo and built an entire light grid for the production. In honor of his birthday I present to you one of my favorite pieces from his acting catalogue of doom! Enjoy Aaron Gaffey as BARTOKULAR!
I’m not sure what your internet situation is inside Annie’s womb (I know they have wi-fi in the apartment), so I’m not sure if and when you will read this letter. In the hopes that you do, I’d like to offer up a few words and maybe some scattered advice, hoping to better prepare you for what it will be like being raised by two of my closest friends, and what having me as an Uncle might do to you mentally.
You can breathe easy about one thing, your parents will love you and raise you to be a pretty kick-ass human being. That being said, you will be raised surrounded by madness. I can only imagine that is just how it is for children raised in the industry of film and television. Pure madness. Not to mention you will be seeing a good deal of me. That is enough to drive anyone to drink…but not until you’re 21 (I only said 21 cause your parents might read this, but start earlier…it’s fun). 
Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that my feature film about demons and love has found distribution! 
Well you should cause he’s awesome. Joel is a multi-talented young man I met on YouTube who is under-loved in my personal opinion. A man with an incredible voice and sharp wit, Joel has helped me out on a few projects of my own. He wrote and sang the new Receptionist theme I now use, and he also wrote and sang the montage/theme song to my 2008 YouTube horror movie Collaboration movie, The Bloody Door. See below for some examples of his work, then check out his site and channel. Enjoy!
 is shot to close to the heart. The film, written and directed by Tom DiCillo, is a hilarious and eerily accurate depiction of what it’s like to be on the set of an independent film. Steve Buscemi plays the director of the film as he deals with all the highs and lows of movie making on a very small scale. You don’t have to be a filmmaker to love this movie, but for those that are, you are promised to laugh a lot as well as experience a few stings of anxiety. 
I’m back! So nice to be breathing in the deadly smog again. My girlfriend and I spent a most lovely week at my parents lake house in Indiana. It’s been a long time since I actually turned my brain off and the results were wonderful. This morning I rebooted my head and was made aware of all the things I need to accomplish, but it all seems a little less daunting since my batteries have recharged. 
So it’s back to the plan. Back to construction paper. Back to the script. Back to eating babies. Back to talkin’ film. Back to selling film. Back to doing everything it is I need to do to keep my art alive.
. Your job is to decide which is better. There is no SKIP button. You are forced to make  the call before they present you with two new options. The site then begins to chart the films, putting them in order. Every vote alters the order of your films, creating an amazing way to keep a BEST OF list.
. Our jaws (I swear the pun was not intended) hit the ground so hard that it rattled our skulls and forced our eyeballs to hang off our faces at nose level. Jaws vs Alien? How does one even begin to place one on a higher pedestal. Both are near-perfect (if not perfect) movies and both mean the world to me. We sat around for over 25 minutes discussing both movies in detail, and that’s when it hit me. This amazing site actually encourages and inspires conversations about film. It forces you to re-examine movies and what actually made them great. The opposing movies will inspire new insight to each other and get you thinking about themes, dialog, characters and story. Suddenly it was no longer a good way to waste time, but a educational way to deconstruct films.
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