Got a question for beginners.

H

harmonica44

I have almost started my own indie film to shoot. My own short film to enter into the festivals, to get my foot in the door. The thing is is that other directors and people in the business tell me I'm in over my head and should have had more practice. That is true I have hardly shot any footage before, nor have I done any mixing and editing.

I just all of a sudden realized that being a film director is what I want out of life. And I got two screenplays lined up. One a feature film, and one that was going to be a feature, but I condensed it down to a short for the film festivals, as a beginner. So I thought they are probably right and I should take a step back and practice with shooting and recording first. Practice directing with actors as well.

I am good friends with a DP who has been doing it for five years, and he knows some sound men in the business we can hire. I have two options here. I can hold off on making the film, and practice with actors and crewman who wanna work for free to improve their craft as well. But my DP and another crew member I met, both told me that this wouldn't really do me a lot of good. The reason is because I already got an experienced DP and can hire an experienced sound man.

So if I practice directing for months or a couple of years with other people, I still won't get much knowledge on how to make a short film because I am practicing with people just starting out. Where as if I make it now, I will be working with people who have been doing it for years, and know what to do.

My DP said that he thinks the script is good and he can help with directing, but feels I will do just fine, since he knows me. Don't get me wrong, it is a good idea and I do wanna practice with people just starting out in the mean time as well. But I do have a window of opportunity now to make this short as oppose to waiting later, when who knows if the same people might be available for cheap.

So the question is, will I really improve my craft as a director if I practice with inexperienced people, if I hire different experienced people later, anyway? Cause if not, then I really feel like I should take this window while I have it. The risk being I jumped the gun and made a film I wasn't ready for, I will have wasted my budget. But if I wait, the people could be gone, and the budget may have to grow. What do you people think?
 
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If you're excited about this great 10 minute script with the twist ending, make it! Your excitement for the story is one of your biggest assets as a filmmaker.

If it sucks, MAKE IT AGAIN, but don't do the things that made it suck the first time.

It that one sucks, MAKE IT A THIRD TIME!

I just checked the rulebook and there's nothing in there that says you only have one chance to make your script into a movie.

I think I'm done answering your questions for now, because I'm starting to think what you really want to do is talk about being a filmmaker instead of actually being one. It happens sometimes, and it's fine. But the next time I hear from you I hope it's because you are announcing your shoot this weekend, or telling us about how great/bad/fun/crazy your first day of shooting was. Good luck!
 
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"I just all of a sudden realized that being a film director is what I want out of life."

The director has the vision, the film is in his/her head. The hard part is getting that vision out of your head and on to video or film. Remember there is a director on every corner in town so everyone on your crew will see the film differently if you don't know how to communicated your vision. This holds true whether it's your first film or your tenth.
 
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Uranium City said:
If you're excited about this great 10 minute script with the twist ending, make it! Your excitement for the story is one of your biggest assets as a filmmaker.

If it sucks, MAKE IT AGAIN, but don't do the things that made it suck the first time.

It that one sucks, MAKE IT A THIRD TIME!

I just checked the rulebook and there's nothing in there that says you only have one chance to make your script into a movie.

I think I'm done answering your questions for now, because I'm starting to think what you really want to do is talk about being a filmmaker instead of actually being one. It happens sometimes, and it's fine. But the next time I hear from you I hope it's because you are announcing your shoot this weekend, or telling us about how great/bad/fun/crazy your first day of shooting was. Good luck!
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Okay I will do it. I was just thinking on whether or not I should rent the more costly equipment for my first shooting of the film, but I will I think. But I will still use the cheap equipment to film some fight scene takes first just get a good feel of how to do it. You asked how old I was. 26. I will start casting after me and my DP shoot a few practice scenes are at least talk over how to shoot these fight scenes, just so we feel we are ready enough before casting. Another thing is, it will help if I know what mistakes I could avoid for my first film, or any advice at all will be great. Thanks.
 
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harmonica44 said:
Another thing is, it will help if I know what mistakes I could avoid for my first film, or any advice at all will be great.
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Do not over think your first film.
Do not think of your first film as a "practice" film.
Do not expect your first film to be festival worthy.
The equipment does not make the film. Inexpensive equipment does
not alter the story, the acting, the editing, the shot choices or the
talent of the director. Amazing, entertaining, enjoyable short films
have been made using very inexpensive equipment.
Keep it short.
Use lighting well.
And the number one piece of advice I can give to pay close attention
to recording good, clear audio tracks. Get that mic (even an inexpensive
one) as close to the actors as you can.
 
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Well most movies are shot with somewhat expensive equipment even the low budget ones. Paranormal Activity for example was trying to be a homemade documentary style movie, yet it was shot with the FX1 camera. If cheap equipment doesn't matter, than why don't see filmmakers use a $100 dollar camera and sound equipment? Especially when they can get away with it in a faux documentary like PA? It seems that the equipment matters, as well as skill, otherwise there would be movies shot with equipment less than a $100.

Doesn't the story usually sell a movie though? There are quite a few films that are directed rather sloppy, but succeed for having great stories. Not that I wanna do it sloppy intentionally.
 
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"Cheap" or inexpensive is a relative term. $6k for a camera is only 10% of $60k. A basic indie production sound kit costs about 5% or less than what is used by "Hollywood" types. I have about $50k tied up in my post facility; that doesn't even come close to the millions invested in a place like Skywalker Sound, for example. If you spend a million dollars on your film that's about 1% or less of what Hollywood spends on a film. If you spend $10,000 that's 0.01% or less of what Hollywood spends on a film.

In order to be successful at the box office - or NetFlix or whatever - you have to live up to audience expectations, and that includes the technical aspects as well as the artistic ones; great sound and cinematography plus the other numerous artistic subtleties involved in truly brilliant filmmaking that take budget and collaboration such as set design, wardrobe, and hair & make-up to name just a few.

And even all of that is moot if you don't have a solid script and a director with an artistic vision that s/he is able to communicate clearly and concisely to his/her crew and talent, and the ability to keep all of them excited and involved about that vision in the hopes that the audience will share in it as well.

I love your ambition, but you have to bend to reality; you've never done any of this. There is so much that you don't know at this point; your questions make that painfully obvious to us even if you don't recognize it yourself. Have you even begun your shooting script? Storyboards? Scouted locations? Done a budget breakdown? Put together all of the legal paperwork? Have you even figured out how you're going to feed your cast and crew? Good filmmaking is all about the "stupid" details; extensive preproduction is the attempt to forestall most of the problems that crop up on the set. "Prior planning prevents poor performance."
 
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Well I don't really need storyboards as a lot of directors have shot excellent movies without them. I have every location but one so far. The only legal paperwork I have done so far are the NDAs. I have done the budget breakdown. I can feed the cast and crew no problem. But isn't it okay to spend less than $10,000, as there have been several films that have one festivals, that haven't gone over $1000.
 
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harmonica44,
It's pretty obvious that you have a rebuttal for just about anything that anyone with experience doing this has to say. So, I guess it's all on you now to go out and make that film. You're going to have to do that at some point anyway. By all means drop a line and let us know how's it going.
 
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directorik said:
Do not over think your first film.
Do not think of your first film as a "practice" film.
Do not expect your first film to be festival worthy.
The equipment does not make the film. Inexpensive equipment does
not alter the story, the acting, the editing, the shot choices or the
talent of the director. Amazing, entertaining, enjoyable short films
have been made using very inexpensive equipment.
Keep it short.
Use lighting well.
And the number one piece of advice I can give to pay close attention
to recording good, clear audio tracks. Get that mic (even an inexpensive
one) as close to the actors as you can.
Click to expand...

Director i'm sorry to go offtopic here, but I have a question I've been waiting to ask for a long time...
Why do you write like that?
 
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harmonica44 said:
If cheap equipment doesn't matter, than why don't see filmmakers use a $100 dollar camera and sound equipment?
Click to expand...
You don't see movies made with inexpensive equipment because
you don't attend film festivals. You are focused on movies that see
a theatrical release like Paranormal Activity. Attend five festivals
that show short films and you will see movies shot with the Flip,
with the iPhone with consumer handycams; some of them quite
good, some of them excellent. And the cheaper the equipment
combined with the stronger the talent creates quite a sensation
at festivals.

And to be clear - because you seem to change my words in your
head - I didn't say "cheap equipment doesn't matter". The equipment
does matter. I said, "The equipment does not make the film.
Inexpensive equipment does not alter the story, the acting, the editing,
the shot choices or the talent of the director." For your first four or five
movies (not practice movies) you can use inexpensive equipment and
still learn. You might even make a very good movie.

You said you want to make a "festival worthy" short film. You have
been given excellent advice on how to achieve that goal. You are
fighting that advice. You know exactly what you want to do and no
one here can alter that. I'm done with the circle we are running. Your
mind is made up.

Make your movie!
 
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Sorry I didn't mean to alter your words. Wow I've never heard of an award winning film shot on an Iphone! I was going by movies like Paranormal Activity, because that one was sent to film festivals a few years before it hit theaters.
 
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harmonica44 said:
Wow I've never heard of an award winning film shot on an Iphone!
Click to expand...
Since you are a director who wants to make a movie to
enter in film festivals, you need to become more familiar
with film festivals. It always amazes me how few filmmaker
attend film festivals. They want to enter and they want an
audience but they won't go.

Don't be like those filmmakers. See the movies of your peers.
Not just the award winners or the rare movies that end up
getting a theatrical release. Go to film festivals and watch the
sometimes excellent movies made with no money and cheap
equipment. I've seen movies that are considerably better than
Paranormal Activity that for some reasons do not get picked up
so no one hears of them.
 
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The whole film festival thing is new to me, which is why I haven't went before but I will attend the next one. My goal is to make this and a few more shorts to get my foot in the door so I can get more funding, to make films that will get picked up.
 
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dar said:
I think Cracker Funk is spot-on. I'm not a filmmaker, but I know what it feels like to have a good idea, and be afraid that it's your only good idea. But, let's be honest, if you only have one good script in you, you won't get very far. And it's probably not true. It sounds like you have a lot of ideas, just one short at the moment. Make the short, and then come up with another short. Just don't get so attached to one idea that you feel your entire career will be made or broken with this one film.

Make the film! We're all looking forward to seeing it, and you'll get lots of good, constructive criticism here, even if it is flawed.
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I have more than one good idea, but this is my best idea for a short. My other ideas require more screen time to unfold at least in an interesting way, without feeling like it's over before it starts. The idea I have for this short was a subplot taken out of a bigger feature length script of mine. So I hope that if I can get my foot in the door with more shorts and showing my scripts, that I can get funding, I can make the whole movie instead of just separating the plots from it, into different shorts. I hope taking my best idea first, is the right one though.
 
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harmonica44 said:
The only legal paperwork I have done so far are the NDAs.
Click to expand...

You clearly think the idea is what's important - but ideas are a dime a dozen. Execution is all that matters in the end. Everyone's got a great idea for a movie, very few people can actually execute on the idea - let alone execute well on it. I can guarantee your idea isn't as unique as you think it is - but that really doesn't matter if you can execute it well. And yet you're putting together NDAs instead of learning and practicing the skills that will let you execute well...
 
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Well I've seen a lot of movies and have not seen it done before. All my movie going friends have never seen it done. So I think it's safe too say it's original enough. But yes I will execute it as well as I can.
 
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So is it a good idea though to take scripts and condense them down to shorts? If producers like the shorts, and the stories, would they wanna give me the funding to remake them using the feature length scripts, into bigger movies likely? Most directors first shorts are plots entirely different from their future feature length films, but my two best plots have already been written so I figure I would just use those.
 
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So is it a good idea though to take scripts and condense them down to shorts? If producers like the shorts, and the stories, would they wanna give me the funding to remake them using the feature length scripts, into bigger movies?
 
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It's a bit of a fairy tale but sometimes a short gets the funding to make a feature. Bottle Rocket, Napoleon Dynamite and The Raven (still in production) are some that have. It's not the norm though.

Why not make a feature? Even some bad features somehow get straight to DVD distribution which provides money for another.
 
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