Experienced Directors. Your first films. They sucked, right?

My first short was really bad. Used family and friends, thought that owning Final Cut instantly made me a good editor (it doesn't), wrote the awful script in 30 minutes, had a 8-minute film, which included 3 minutes of credits, etc. Also gave up and never even finished the ending due to some software issues, so the ending makes no sense and looks idiotic.

But still, it was a great experience and I learned a lot. And still learning.

"Legion"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJYUFHXosd0
 
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PositiveFuture said:
If I direct I want someone pretty confident/tough as an AD. Preferably someone with a lot more experience than me, without a big ego, who could act as a kind of mentor too.
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Well, I've only been an A.D. once. I'll do it for friends but I don't feel its my path. I feel my path is editing.

I was winging it. But I figured that it was my job to make sure the director could do what he needed to do - he also was the D.P. While he was setting up shots, I made sure he had the cables he needed, extra batteries, lots of extra blood (army film) made sure people were on the set if they needed to be and off the set when they didn't, plus schlepped alot of equipment around. I'm not sure if that is what the A.D. does, but that was what I did. I know that maybe what I was doing wasn't exactly what should have been doing, but I figured it was my job to help him get the film made.


-- spinner :cool:
 
I think an AD has to be flexible and do whatever needs to be done. You saw what was needed, and went and did it without complaining or letting your own thoughts get in the way. Sounds good to me...

I'd want a person like that, plus someone who could answer technical questions if I needed it.

A lot of people multi-task on Indie films so traditional roles go out the window.
 
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I directed my first film while still in film school. In our final project class, they chose three scripts from a class of over 100 students. Unfortunately, mine wasn't chosen and I decided to film it anyway. The hype I stirred with my classmates got nearly 30 of them dying to help out, and I had done so much planning and pre-pro that there was no way I couldn't shoot it.

I treated it as a real film, and partially a game as well. It was a game of matching, and I made my crew feel like they were really important. I didn't know a thing about directing. The second I called "action!", I fell into a deep spiral. I had an AD prepare a shot list and was entirely confused when shooting out of order. It's hilarious, though, because with the help of a girl who really wanted to be a script supervisor, every shot managed to make it to the edit room.

To this day, I think it's the largest piece of crap. But strangely, somehow people seem to enjoy it. I guess we see how far off the target is when we watch it because it didn't end up the way we initially imagined. As time and experience becomes attained, we get closer and closer to that target. I went as far as creating a commentary bashing my own film. I'm not ashamed of it because the mistakes I made have been corrected on every work following that one.

Keep making films, keep getting better. :)
 
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Those are all good. I think part of my biggest dissappointments I've selected up top with my first feature, Behind the Nine.

I did use SonnyBoo's advice on my first feature about having people in every department who knew more than I did. It helped me not make a truly despicable effort in most technical aspects.

However, it didn't cover my shortcomings as a director. I failed to help the actors to better performances and my lack of true vision held back the film as I was just worried about completing it. It's good to finish but the trick is to make something out of it all...I think there are problems with the script but if I was at all a true director at that time I could have made something out of this movie. We were just ready to get moving into features!

As it is, it did find distribution and I think as a music supervisor, I'm pretty good :)

However, you can check it out on Netflix...
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Behind_the_Nine/70039662?trkid=2361637#height312


If you do Netflix through your Wii or PS3 or Xbox I think you can stream it (which I recommend as the DVD copies that used to come were poor quality compared to the master I delivered).

It's a process. I am ready to direct another feature later this year. I've done several shorts since and produced good movies since this one...but there is just SO MUCH that I wish I knew how to do back then that I know now.

-Martin
 
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I just saw Germanity...

Some of the shots were great, and way better than average Indie fare. The creeping zoom down the aisle towards the priest stuck in my mind. The music and sound design was well thought out. The flashback/out-of-time shooting came together nicely at the end. I was nicely confused for the first part of the film, but my interest still held, then I worked it out.

IMO, TOF got the perfect balance between clarity and mystery in the editing room. That is hard
to do, and a lot of films get it wrong one way or the other.

The film also has a message that needs to get out there in these crazy times.

3.9/5 stars
 
TheOpusFuller said:
My first film was a 6min 20sec short called Germanity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e5fn3MKrGQ

The audio was done in post. We did the ADR and recorded everyones lines after the fact.

The biggest thing I learned on this film was to pay attention to audio.
Record dead sound and lay that down as a track when editing. Things like that...
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I didn't see this until now.

Excellent in concept and production value. For a first, you have set the bar high for yourself. A hearty hand shake for the effort.
 
* Lighting matters
* Acting matters
* Story matters
* Set design matters
* Location matters
* Sound matters
* Editing matters
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I got a filmmaking buddy who thinks all the above is BS, he "loves the grindhouse style" , so he shoots everything handheld, on cam mic, no lighting. and it shows.

My first short was an unwatchable piece o doo doo, my second attempt was a wretched feature, still unwatchable.
Below is a taste..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urywtwVJlnQ

I have done 2 shorts since the Clown movie and I am in the final stages of finishing up the second short now.. we shall see.


Im still pretty much a one man production affair and still dealing with the resultant quality issues from that, but getting better and improving.
 
Why shouldn't you use friends as actors? I'm gona shoot my first proper short film, I've made about 5 short films but they've been more tests. It's gona be 30 minutes long, and I'm spending 6 months in pre-production. I've got three actors involved, all friends. Why is it a bad idea? Just wondering.
 
My first film got aborted because of a lack of participation by the lead actress (a beautiful petite blonde whom I was secretly in love with, and who worked at the video store I went into every other night).

But anyways...

It was the 80s. And I had an experimental phase. So, this one butch, hard rock girl, sort of heavy who liked to wear leather wanted to be in the film. So now I have the ingenue and the bad influence: the demoness.

I wrote a script where the blonde has an insane abusive mother, and I cast the hard rock girl's mom. She wanted to do it, too.

Script goes: the young blonde comes home one night drunk. Her mom has a puritan apeshit freak out and beats on her. She ties her to her bed with her own shoelaces.

Then the mother walks out to the hallway, and she slips down 2 flights of stairs and dies.

The blonde is left tied up for days, and she starts hallucinating.

She gets transported elsewhere. The blonde and the evil rock girl interact in odd locations. Cemetery, highway overpass, fisheye lens, devilish thoughts, teasing. Chained to the fence overlooking the freeway. The rock girl with a butterfly knife.

Problem was: the blonde's real life father don't like any of it. None of it. Me. He was old school Polish workman.

I'm over there at her house being introduced. Hi, yeah, a little short movie. All on the level. I actually filmed a cameo with the blonde's grandmother and her. Then, the father comes home from work.

He says, in a harsh old country accent, "You want to fuck my daughter?"

I'm like, "Uhhhhh. No. No. We were just going to make a movie..."

He's drunk, alcoholic. And overbearing for a skinny guy of average height. He says again, "You want to fuck my daughter."

Well the official response is no. No way. (The actual reality response is: every boy wants to do so, as she's really gorgeous.)

That was the end of my experimental avant garde independent foray.

I stuck with screenwriting for a long time afterward.

No footage handy, sorry. It was called, "Shoelace Girl."
 
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I made some terrible films in the early days. Everyone seems to have hit all the main information points, so I'll just post some horrible mistakes as requested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5YmRxZ2_cU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq-uHaCCbMY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXTx9zM59SU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRZBkymiL-Y
 
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i want to add on to what SonnyBoo said and say that make sure the actors whoever they are, are interested in helping you and being filmed for example i have had problems before when i have had friends to help me but they haven't put effort into it as they are not particularly interested in what you are doing so make sure you have actors that are dedicated to helping you and are willing to film the same scene 2 - 3 times.
 
My first film cost me 15 grand and I must say, it's pretty good, despite the fact that I ran out of money and couldn't massage the editing like I wanted. It's not perfect, of course, but I got a standing O at the NY International Film Festival closing night and an Independent Spirit Award for it, so I guess that's something. I should also mention I learned a hell of a lot. Like make sure everyone is on your team, including your DP.

My second film from 2004... Meh. Never finished it. Didn't like it. Same with my third in 2005.

I shot my fourth in January, but need a few hours of additional photography to make it right. Some of it came out wonderfully, but what did not will be addressed with the re-shoot.

Shot my fifth two weekends ago for the Straight8 contest and it was a blast.

Will shoot another for the Straight8 in two weeks.

Then in April I will shoot a Super8 film not for the Straight8 that I am so excited about I can barely stop myself from peeing. Actors have been hounding me to do it so I guess I must have written a good one this time. I know the DP for it is rip-roaring to go.

My first short hit the festival circuit in 2002, so there was a 9 year gap between film 1 and today.

You learn by doing. Just get out there and do it. Shoot! Shoot something. Anything. Should have been doing that years ago.

I'm catching up for lost time. :cool:
 
CamVader said:
I didn't see this until now.

Excellent in concept and production value. For a first, you have set the bar high for yourself. A hearty hand shake for the effort.
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I also didn't see this until now. Forgot I posted in this thread. Thank you much for the kind words, Cam. Really means a lot.
 
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