Donnie Darko and Kids are on my "to Watch" list now, thanks, sounds like the filmmakers/writers of both have very unique noteworthy perspectives and approaches to filmmaking. I have been looking for titles of influential films apart from my favorite genres ( historical docu-dramas and fiction, science fiction and fantasy) as it's strongly recommended that anyone interested in filmmaking should watch a variety of genres (not just their typical favorites). There's more to like and learn from out there.
Which Movie Made You Decide To Become A Filmmaker?
- Thread starter ayisha1978
- Start date
Donnie Darko and Kids are on my "to Watch" list now, thanks, sounds like the filmmakers/writers of both have very unique noteworthy perspectives and approaches to filmmaking. I have been looking for titles of influential films apart from my favorite genres ( historical docu-dramas and fiction, science fiction and fantasy) as it's strongly recommended that anyone interested in filmmaking should watch a variety of genres (not just their typical favorites). There's more to like and learn from out there.
LOL, yeah, that one doesn't even need an explanation! Those movies were so cool, the very best of what was called "the space opera" any time you've got a film (or films in this case) that can keep a child's mind enthralled while entertaining an adult too, you've got something exceptional.
The thing is about the star wars films is that they're all chalk full of everything, massive G versus E, each of the main characters have their 'character arch', you've got good contrast between all the characters, a variety of environments, there's no redundancy, every scene is an adventure in itself as they were all different, and they had a back story that was very well executed while being easy to understand. Another great thing about Star Wars too is it had a unique combination of that 'Ancient Culture' feeling going on while at the same time it was obviously something of the 'high future' for our level of technology and it just worked great.
I wish we could keep this combination of winning elements and mind and put out some more films like Star Wars...there's got to be a way
Yours truly.
Avatar huh? I heard it was all special effects and empty storyline, I'll check it out any way, now that I know it's actually inspired someone to get into film, thanks Cracker Funk
Indeed. Loving Star Wars, which did deeply inspire me in every way creative when I was 5 years old, lead me down the path of the arts. In later years, Star Wars lead me to Akira Kurasawa as well as Kubrick and many older masters of cinema.
They were inspirations AFTER the initial ones, the main ones that made it seem possible. The movies that inspired me to pick up a camera and MAKE a movie are different than the ones that opening my mind and electrified the imagination. Knowing how much Neil Labute manipulated the audience with his low budget madness called IN THE COMPANY OF MEN, shot in Indiana, helped make it possible for me to pick up a camera and go and MAKE a movie, not just think about it.
I'll never forget the first time I rented Kurasawa's HIDDEN FORTRESS on a Criterion laserdisc.... to see that George Lucas was no where near as original as I had given him credit for over 20 years.
For me it was this sappy a$$ short by Wong Fu productions. I figure, wow, I don't need big names or fancy CGI for a movie/short. All I need are my friends and a camera... and a script 
http://wongfuproductions.com/WFvideos/?s=at+musing's+end
http://wongfuproductions.com/WFvideos/?s=at+musing's+end
Years ago at work, a group of us would gather in the conference room and watch a movie on the projector during lunch break. This eventually got to be difficult because we couldn't finish the movies in one day...and then people would have the nerve to be out of the office the next day, so we felt like we had to wait. Finally, I decided to try short films for lunch. I remember watching some of the collected short works of David Lynch. I don't remember which movie it was, but at one point I just blurted out to my firend Charles, "WE COULD DO THIS!" Three hours later, the storyline was written. Three months later, the movie was done.
It didn't inspire me to get into film, but I do find it inspiring, in a way. My comment was more a playful retort to somebody criticising my favorite movie of all time.
As far as it being all SFX and no story, well, needless to say I have a long detailed response to that, but we've had that debate on this forum, and I'm not going to get back into it.
I will say something, however, that might make you want to watch it. Seeing as how much I like it, and talk about it, everyone I know -- acquaintances, coworkers, friends, family -- everyone seems to feel obliged to seek me out to tell me that they either liked it (almost everyone) or didn't (a small handfull). Anyway, that's not my point.
The point I'd like to make is how many people I've talked to who were completely surprised by it, positively. They weren't impressed by the trailer. They heard there was no story, and atrocious dialogue. They wrote it off. Then, they saw it by accident -- either they were just tagging along with someone they wanted to hang out with, or whatever, but after seeing it, they loved it. SO many people have told me the same story about how pleasantly surprised they were by the movie.
The most recent example was a coworker -- a 47 year-old single mom. Her son, ten years-old, forced her to buy the DVD. She reluctantly obliged. Watching it on her puny 27-inch old-school non-HD TV, with no surround sound, she ended up really liking it. That's not to say she thinks it's the best movie ever, or whatever, but she definitely really liked it, and the same is true of the vast majority of the people I've talked to about it.
So, nevermind the naysayers. Spend a measly $1, rent it from Redbox, watch it on your shitty little TV (if that's what you have), and enjoy the story that is allegedly nonexistent.
ROC, I was an installation project manager for a software company. We installed large-scale systems. I say "was" because none of us work there any more, and that office location closed and became something else. It was a nice gig in that it brought a good group of people together.
...and we shot the bulk of our first movie after hours in that very conference room.
I'd say....Love and Basketball. When that film came out I was really touched by its emotion....it made me want to make films that inspired ppl, even if they were cult classics and got dogged out by the critics.
Thanks, I had already planned too, figuring after your previous response that the 'naysayers' were just being devious again
Thanks, I had already planned too, figuring after your previous response that the 'naysayers' were just being devious again
