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

PositiveFuture

PositiveFuture

I like hearing experienced directors talk about how their first shorts sucked. When you start off you don't realise how difficult it is. So I wonder if anyone with more than a couple of years experience could talk about their first films, the mistakes they made, what they learnt on the way.

I'm only a year or so into my experiments. If I could go back in time and give advice to my 2009 self, I'd just tell me to relax, be cool, be patient and enjoy the journey...

And can we see some uploads of those crappy first films, if you've got the guts.

:cool:
 
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Yes indeed, many of the first shorts (and even first feature) sucked a bit. I made so many mistakes, I wouldn't know where to start, so all I can do is free form it.

1. Don't use friends as actors.

2. Use the camera to tell the story.

3. If you can tell the story without dialogue, then that is almost always better.

4. Work with people who know more than you in all the key positions, but don't let them take over. It's still your project.

5. Learn how to communicate with people. Make sure you're on the same page. There's no such thing as being "too clear".
 
I've been fumbling my way towards those realisations too.

The only real bad experience so far was working with one editor/cameraman who purposely did the direct opposite of everything I asked him to do. Some sort of ego thing. Maybe he had father issues. It was a nightmare and I had to ****can him after the longest 3 days of my life.

Sure, I wasn't perfect, but it was impossible. This guy would spend all his free time trying to emotionally blackmail cash out of sick people and needy women. He told me more lies in 3 days then I normally heard in a month. The more he lied, the more annoyed + uptight he got, til... KAAABOOMM I sacked him.

I remember Tarantino talking about how he wanted a female editor for Pulp Fiction. He didn't want a male who was "always fighting his battles with him." I don't know how common power struggles are in film.

I want to co-direct something one day, and I was always wondering how you would assign roles and set clear lines, so everyone knew where they were, and you could synergize, without treading on each others toes.
 
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"Work with people who know more than you in all the key positions, but don't let them take over. It's still your project.'

The thing I did absolutely 100% right, that made my first film pretty darn good for a first film.

I'd add, not only don't use friends as actors, realize how CRITICAL the actors are, even in small and secondary roles. That's the thing that made my first film, only "eh, it doesn't totally suck" in the bigger picture. Filled with mediocore to bad acting.
 
Yeah, baby. Picture this:

1978. 12 years old. Regular 8mm wind-up camera. Lego city with Matchbox cars. 5 cans of blue Play-doh. Resulted in "Attack of the Blob". God. Awful.
 
First film sucked. My siblings were the actors, I was using a small $90 camera I bought from Wal Mart, and I had some of the worst lighting. I cringe when I watch it, but it's good to see I've come-at least a little-way from there.
 
Ingredients without a recipe...

Bullet-point list of what I learned:
  • Lighting matters
  • Acting matters
  • Story matters
  • Set design matters
  • Location matters
  • Sound matters
  • Editing matters

The list may look dumb in its obviousness, but I myself used to always neglect some of those elements while favoring others. Now I know better.

I think most beginning filmmakers and film students produce mediocre films (in which case I label them as
"exercises") because they ignore or overlook the importance of one of those components. They have to understand that a film works on the combination of all of them. Those are the ingredients to a successful film.

Having said that, there's one more concept I would like to shed light on: Theme.

In a nutshell: theme is an underlying topic or subject that unifies a creative work and sends a message to the viewer or listener.

Young writers and non-professional filmmakers often forget to include a theme in their stories. As a result, their scenes and sequences are disjointed. Although a theme is preferred by scholars who like to dissect a film, the audience subconsciously does the same.

Best,
Gabriel
 
I continue to make films that suck...but each one sucks a little less then the previous...one day I'll call myself a "filmmaker" and not just a guy who makes films! :yes:
 
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Actually, I think my first film is pretty fucking awesome. But that's only if you judge it within it's context. I was a beginner film-student, working with a non-skilled volunteer cast and crew. It's not fair to judge it against more accomplished and experienced work. I love it, and always will; it was a wonderful experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0fy6UHUrIo

My second film was a steaming pile of turd. Yeah, I had fun making it (mostly), and yeah, I learned from it. But it sucks. Here's a humdinger for you -- I thought I could shoot a movie WITHOUT A SCRIPT!!! Wow, that was dumb. Little did I know that I was skipping over THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP!!! Hah. Anyway, enjoy the craptastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPofo7Xtrdw
 
I'd add, not only don't use friends as actors, realize how CRITICAL the actors are, even in small and secondary roles.
Click to expand...

Using friends seems great at first but can go wrong quick.

The list may look dumb in its obviousness, but I myself used to always neglect some of those elements while favoring others. Now I know better.

I think most beginning filmmakers and film students produce mediocre films (in which case I label them as
"exercises") because they ignore or overlook the importance of one of those components. They have to understand that a film works on the combination of all of them. Those are the ingredients to a successful film.
Click to expand...


Haha yeah. There's a kind of "beginner's arrogance" where you're sloppy and don't pay attention to every angle of the craft. You think you can wing it. Then the film sucks, and you realise you've left out something basic.
I continue to make films that suck...but each one sucks a little less then the previous...one day I'll call myself a "filmmaker" and not just a guy who makes films!
Click to expand...

I think a little similar. I keep an imaginary Rotten Tomatoes score in my head. I think my film gets about 0.5 per cent better every couple of days. If I keep slugging away, eventually I'll get there...
 
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GabrielM said:
Bullet-point list of what I learned:
  • Lighting matters
  • Acting matters
  • Story matters
  • Set design matters
  • Location matters
  • Sound matters
  • Editing matters
Click to expand...

I am glad you gave this list. There are too many people going around saying "story is king," and my response of late has been: "yeah,...so?"

There are too many good stories destroyed by something that doesn't get the attention it needs and it's usually something on this list. In my opinion, the planets must align - everything on the list has to work adequately to some capacity in order for the story to be presented well. Otherwise the story, er, the king is dead. Often that is what happens in a filmmakers first film. Too many things don't work because of inexperience.

But then that is where you learn to fix the problems, in your first films.

-- spinner :cool:
 
sonnyboo said:
4. Work with people who know more than you in all the key positions, but don't let them take over. It's still your project.
Click to expand...

I also agree with your list, Sonnyboo. recently, I worked with a friend on some test shots for a film that she hopes to shoot this spring. One of the crew people, who knew what they were doing, didn't seem to feel it was important to listen to the director. I found myself speaking up for her, which might be part of the reason she wanted me to A.D. I'm trying to make sure she takes control of her film. I'm just supposed to back her play, which I can do so long as she doesn't turn over the reins to someone who isn't the director.

-- spinner :cool:
 
I found myself speaking up for her, which might be part of the reason she wanted me to A.D.
Click to expand...

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.
 
2001 Productions said:
1978. 12 years old. Regular 8mm wind-up camera. Lego city with Matchbox cars. 5 cans of blue Play-doh. Resulted in "Attack of the Blob". God. Awful.
Click to expand...

I demand satisfaction! Link please.
smiley_colbert.gif
 
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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