Advice For Getting Started

Roseus

Roseus

I've recently come to the decision that my passion in life is writing and filmmaking. My mind always wanders back on these things, and I'm finally deciding to do something about it. I'm reading the endless pros and cons between film school and not, it seems to be for a lot of kids coming out of high school trying to figure out what to do next.

Thing is, though, I already have a degree. A Bachelor's in Project Management. I don't think investing even more time and money into another degree for Film itself would be the most advantageous thing for me now, I think throwing myself into Filmmaking headfirst would be the better use of time and money.

So to that effect, I'm getting myself started. I think the first order of business is to start writing. I'm bouncing a few themes around, but I have a general idea of what platform I want to use to get my work out there. Anyone have general writing tips, or general "getting started on your dream" advice they think would fit? Conversely, does anyone think that I'm getting my start a little too late in the game?
 
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Well...if it was just filmmaking (directing, DPing, ect) I would say just do it. I would say get in with a tight team (or create one) and start making films. You don't need schooling for that for the most part.

And although some people are naturals to writing, I wouldn't say the same for it...I would say take some classes in writing/screenwriting. The things they teach you about structure, flow, character development, beats, scenes, proportion, etc are all going to be invaluable...sure you can read books on these things, but writing is a delicate process...one must learn the rules before one can break them. :)

Get a part time or full time job and save some cash. Maybe you're still living with your folks, I don't know...but try and keep your overhead down while you can, that way you can save 7K or so and get some equipment. I would start out with an HD cam in the 4-5k range (HVX200a) and then get a few lights (a few 1ks a few peppers)...use some of that money to get an editing system (MAC with FC Pro).

Good luck.

Just remember....surround yourself with talented people who have drive...find them....befriend them...and things will start to happen.
 
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Advice that I've always felt was sound came from the book I believe called Film School Confidential-film school should be good for two things: a great short film and a great feature length screenplay which is to say you don't really have to attend film school.
 
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I think you’re right, Roseus. If your passion in life is writing,
the first order of business is to write. I can’t think of any
better way to indulge in your passion for writing than to write.

And I really feel the same way about filmmaking. That word covers
a lot, but I assume you mean directing. The first order of
business to go after your passion of making movies is to make
movies.

The reason you are reading endless pros and cons about film school
is because there is no answer to the debate. Directors have come
from film school and directors have not gone. A talented,
passionate, dedicated person can write and or direct movies
following either path.

You will never hear a producer or studio exec say, “I love your
script and your three excellent short films show you can direct
and I believe a feature you write and direct will make a LOT of
money, but I can’t hire you because you don’t have a degree in
film.”

The only way you are starting a little late in the game is if you
wait to start writing and you wait to start making short films.
 
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It's never too late, but you might want to start out with a shorter length project. Nowadays people are shooting shorts with inexpensive equipment, and editing on software in their apartments. I own a post facility in NY and I'm seeing an unbelievable swarm of low budget, low level projects. It has changed the way things are done in this industry.
It's a tough industry to break into to. Most films never get seen by the masses, and only some get into festivals. Not to discourage, but having a good story is the first step.
 
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First of all, thank you all for your solid advice and input. I see genuine answers here, so thank you.

Based on the overall impression I'm getting, I feel the best moves are in line with the advice I'm seeing here. Start putting together movies, films, shorts - anything I can to start building up form, confidence, and experience. Michael brought up a good point about if I was going to learn anything, learn the writing structure, and that sounds solid, as well.

My ideas for the "films" I want to make are askew from the traditional, so I'm not worried about Film Festivals and the like. I want to start something from the ground and grow it into something great for myself, not be hired into other projects (That'd be cool and all, don't get me wrong, but I have a different focus).

A good example is PDFlo - I don't know if anyone here is familiar with them, but it started with a just a group of friends who made fun little shorts and put them on YouTube. They got a lot of fame from a music video they made called The Kings of MySpace, and then even more acclaim when they did a bigger project for YouTube. They did it all on their own, found an audience, and just fed them content they enjoyed making.

I used to run a comedy website as an outlet for my comedic creative writing, and I'm envisioning this as the next step in that. A web outlet for my creative filmmaking.

Thanks again for everyone's input! If you have more thoughts, by all means share, I'm enjoying talking with other people with similar passion :)
 
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Thanks! Got it loaded and took a glance around one of the sample projects - looks awesome! Screenplay format and storyboard section - I'll be unstoppable, thanks for the resource!
 
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Always keep this mantra in your head.

"Sound is half of the experience"

Crappy sound = Crappy project

Your audience will forgive a lot visually if your audio is solid. Any project starts with a script, which 99% of the time is the spoken word. If the dialog is clean, clear and uncluttered by aural distractions (background noise, distortion, etc.) everything else will fall into place.
 
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Alcove Audio said:
Always keep this mantra in your head.

"Sound is half of the experience"

Crappy sound = Crappy project

Your audience will forgive a lot visually if your audio is solid. Any project starts with a script, which 99% of the time is the spoken word. If the dialog is clean, clear and uncluttered by aural distractions (background noise, distortion, etc.) everything else will fall into place.
Click to expand...

I'm all about solid sound...but I'm not sure it takes center stage as much as you say here. Yes, bad audio plagues a lot of indie productions, and yes bad audio can ruin a project...but I'm not sure 'everything else will fall into place' as you stated if there is quality audio...

A shitty movie with a bad script, bad actors and bad visuals isn't going to impress anyone, even if the audio is uber-pro. Again, don't get me wrong, sound is very important, but I think you are a little bias, if you know what I mean. :)
 
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Roseus said:
I've recently come to the decision that my passion in life is writing and filmmaking. My mind always wanders back on these things, and I'm finally deciding to do something about it. I'm reading the endless pros and cons between film school and not, it seems to be for a lot of kids coming out of high school trying to figure out what to do next.

Thing is, though, I already have a degree. A Bachelor's in Project Management. I don't think investing even more time and money into another degree for Film itself would be the most advantageous thing for me now, I think throwing myself into Filmmaking headfirst would be the better use of time and money.

So to that effect, I'm getting myself started. I think the first order of business is to start writing. I'm bouncing a few themes around, but I have a general idea of what platform I want to use to get my work out there. Anyone have general writing tips, or general "getting started on your dream" advice they think would fit? Conversely, does anyone think that I'm getting my start a little too late in the game?
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I'm glad that you found what your passion in life is and that your going after it, props to you man! Well, it's all up to you if you need film school or not. Just remember each school is different and there is different people teaching you than compared to another school. I think it also depends how you would react to being in film school. Do you need someone to keep you on track or focus? Think about what you need and go from there. For some people they need the support of school system and guidance, while others know more than what they were taught in school.

I agree with the others that have replied to your question. From my point of view, I think experience in the field and being around people that are doing what i want to do is much more beneficial than going to a school.

And it's NEVER too late in the game to start something you've always dreamed of. It's "too late" if you don't do it. So do it! :) At least your taking action on getting closer to your dreams, there are so many people out there that wouldn't do anything...they just have an idea or "dream" or what they want to do in their head and they never do it... so your a step closer to reaching it than they are.

I'm glad to see that there are more people stepping up to the plate rather than believe what "everyone else" tells them... or do what everyone else is doing... especially right now. It's perfect timing in our economy.
 
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Alcove Audio said:
If the dialog is clean, clear and uncluttered by aural distractions (background noise, distortion, etc.) everything else will fall into place.
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M1chae1 said:
I'm all about solid sound...but I'm not sure it takes center stage as much as you say here. Yes, bad audio plagues a lot of indie productions, and yes bad audio can ruin a project...but I'm not sure 'everything else will fall into place' as you stated if there is quality audio...
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I was referring to everything falling together sonically. Great production sound means you don't have to "hide" bad sound with additional ambient noise and you have the the ability to be subtle with the rest of the sound components - Foley, sound effects and score. It's the difference between audio creativity and audio constraints.

And I agree that nothing can save a project from poorly thought out shots, bad acting or a bad script. However, if they're good (or great) no one will care if they can't understand the dialog or are distracted by aural artifacts. That's why I push so hard on capturing great production sound. Pay attention to sound quality from day one and, if you happen to get lucky (or work really hard) and put out something nice, poor sound quality won't be an issue that holds it back.
 
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Roseus im glad u found ur passion and ur dream as i am doing the same thing just starting out and have had ppl doubt me but to put my 2 cents in u will have haters, but dont listen to them a good comedian once said that Haters are what motivates him if he starts out may with 5 haters he wants 10 by the end of the summer just remember that ur passion and ur dream is urs not anybody else's im learning that now as i go along this journey as ive had setbacks but im pushing forward so all in all im just saying keep ur head up bro and good luck
 
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As Roseus said:

I'm reading the endless pros and cons between film school and not, it seems to be for a lot of kids coming out of high school trying to figure out what to do next.
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Going to school from my point of view is never important. Specially in case when you are looking to work your own. I am saying this because if you are willing to join a TV channel or Production house they might ask for a degree in case you are new to film making. But anyone willing to work his own can get a lot of knowledge from internet. There are free ebooks which can help you to learn film making. a great site to read all about scriptwriting, google can help in for camera angles and shots info and there grammar and obviously www.indietalk.com to help you out. You tube for lighting tutoriels. Infact if you are from US or UK then you can easily get good books on Lighting. SO all of these altogether gives you immense KNOWLEDGE.

check the site for scriptwriting

http://www.filmscriptwriting.com/


to learn more about filmmaking go on

http://www.esnips.com/_t_/filmmaking?m=0&q=filmmaking

there will be PDF ebooks. More over in the PDF section clicking on more files will open plenty of ebooks page. I hope this will help. :)
 
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You know I'm kind of in the same situation you're in, but I am 26 years old and without a college degree. I started college out of high school for journalism but ended up dropping out. Since then I have been working full time. I have always been into writing and storytelling and have always been a very creative person, so I was interested in writing novels, but always had a bigger passion for movies. A year or so ago I discovered screenwriting. But, I realized real quick how little influence I would have over a movie just as a screenwriter trying to sell specs to Hollywood, so I gave up on the thought of pursuing that. I had no desire to simply write a screenplay, then sale it(if i were extremely lucky anyway), then write another, then sale it. This, to me was not film making. So I continued to write short stories and work on a novel or two.

Just recently I discovered what a film maker really is. I read the article http://www.writersstore.com/article.php?articles_id=631

It really made me realize that if I wanted to make films, and have full control over the outcome, that I really needed to be the director and screenwriter. This is much more possible nowadays, with the digital revolution and non linear editing in video, prices have come down to a point that anybody with talent, desire and a good team of people has a real shot at making a movie.

I definitely do not think you are too late. I am 26, and just now getting started. Here in Minneapolis, we have a community college with a degree in Cinema Production and Directing. It used to just be a film program, but they have broken it up a little to involve more specific concentrations in the process of film making. They have a Directing and Producing program, with a couple of screenwriting classes thrown in. I don't know if I would recommend you going to school for a something like that, since you have already spent some money on a Bachelors degree, but where you live might have a writing or media production center that might offer single classes in film production or screenwriting. I think film programs can offer you a chance to network with other people, but then finding local clubs or organizations in your area might also help.

Good luck!
 
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I am the exact same way when it comes down between film making and writing. I am new to the film world and I have always wanted to get a degree in film, I don't know if it would be more beneficial to get a degree in it. I did take a class for film and it really opened my eyes to a whole new world. I think it's important to at least take a class or two in film just to get you familiar w/the terms and lighting, camera angles, etc.
 
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leave-em-laughn said:
I did take a class for film and it really opened my eyes to a whole new world. I think it's important to at least take a class or two in film just to get you familiar w/the terms and lighting, camera angles, etc.
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And this is why there is an endless debate. Always a
healthy debate and always important to hear the different
perspectives - but always endless.

There are people, like you, who find a class or too important.
There are others who find the entire four years and that
degree important. I became familiar with the terms and
lighting, camera angles, etc. by volunteering on film shoots.
For me, that was a much better way to learn than in a
classroom. I was directing short films long before I knew
many of the terms and lighting, camera angles, etc. That
was how I learned.

A debate, sure, but one with no "fits all" answer.
 
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