How can I get involved in film making before fall semester

F

fierce

I recently discovered I would love to direct movies and signed up for classes at my local classes in fall semester but that's 4 weeks away. How can I get involved sooner and practice and experiment. I don't want to spend 2000 dollars on a camera until I've practiced with the schools free cameras first and I don't know how to find a crew or if it would even be worth finding one at this point in order to start some kind of project because i would have to abandon it once school starts ( since I"m taking 5 classes, all having to do with movie production).

Would my time be better spent writing screen plays and practicing with video editing software and practicing at home with a normal digital camera ( that I have) at this point? I literally don't know anyone who I could make movies with who has the same interest and I live in a small suburban town. I could go to the city and find people ( which is 40 minute drive and cost about 16 dollars each time to go) but it seems like it would be a waste of time if I would have to quit in 4 weeks anyway to focus on school.

What do you guys think I should do to dive in?


ps the reason I waited so long was because I always thought animation was what I wanted to do with my life but after seeing how tedious it is and not all it's cut out to be I want to experiment with film making ( live action ) now...maybe I could keep practicing animation and become a director that does both animation and live action. I like animation I just have a feeling that live action directing would be more enjoyable since you're seeing the movie unfold in front of you instead of clicking away behind a computer all day..
 
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fierce said:
I like animation I just have a feeling that live action directing would be more enjoyable since you're seeing the movie unfold in front of you instead of clicking away behind a computer all day..
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I think you're going to be in for quite a shock with live action. There's more to it than simply yelling, "Action!" and "Cut!"

Would my time be better (...) with a normal digital camera ( that I have) at this point?
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Yes. Always be doing the best you can with the tools you have available. Get experience with what you have. Discover the limitations. Get experience with the cameras at the school you're off to. Play with all their gear. Get familiar with everything... and when it's time for you to finally get your own upgrade, you'll be all set to confidently buy just what is right for you.

Good luck! :cool:
 
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Animation is tedious - until you can work for Pixar or someplace similar.:D

The best place to start is working on projects for other people as a PA or taking advantage of any other skills you may have. That's how I got my initiation into production sound; on a lark I applied as an extra for a short and was drafted as the production sound mixer because of my skills as a recording engineer.

Some of my favorite director/producer/clients (if you didn't know, I run a small audio post business) have worked numerous positions before directing their own projects. They applied themselves most diligently to being a PA, a grip/gaffer, 1st AD, scripty, etc. They learned first hand how each craft operated under the tutelage of someone experienced in the field. Each craft uses its own terminology/language and to effectively direct a crew you need to speak those languages. It also helps you become familiar with the limitations of budget; and how creativity and smarts can surmount some of those limitations.

So my advice is get out there and volunteer to work on other peoples projects. No matter how small give it everything that you have, because for quite a long time the only thing you will be earning is a reputation. If you have a great reputation people are always willing to take a chance on you. One thing that goes along with that is accepting responsibility for things that you do wrong, because if you have the cajones to admit that you screwed up people are also willing to accept your word on other things. The other thing you need to do is, once you have done absolutely everything that is required of your position, offer to assist others with their work. Also, be very prepared; always carry a pen and pad for notes, have a small tool kit, a small first aid kit, maybe a few extra towels, etc.; you get the reputation as the guy who saved the day.

BTW, keep doing this when you're at school; too many are lazy bums on any project except their own. Most successful directors have worked their way up the ladder, success defined as making a living at directing, as directors of commercials, TV programming, corporate work, etc. Those guys, as they work their way up, will remember you as the person who kicked butt on their thesis project, so when they're a DP they might hire you as their 1st AD.

So get out there kick some ass, and have some fun!
 
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fierce said:
I like animation I just have a feeling that live action directing would be more enjoyable since you're seeing the movie unfold in front of you instead of clicking away behind a computer all day..
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You are not seeing a movie unfold in front of you - you
are seeing tiny bits of a movie slowly get made bit by bit.
Not much different than animation, you don't see the
movie unfold until you are finished shooting and doing
the editing.


fierce said:
What do you guys think I should do to dive in?
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This is a tough one. You have only four weeks - you don't
know anyone who wants to make movies with you - you
can't start a project now because you will have to abandon
it once school starts - you do not have a script.

I think you've got me. For the first time I can't think of
anything you can do to dive in. Making a movie takes
collaboration - even if it's just a couple of friends to be in the
movie. You need a script and some time. And you have none
of these things; no people, no script and no time.

fierce said:
Would my time be better spent writing screen plays and practicing with video editing software and practicing at home with a normal digital camera ( that I have) at this point?
Click to expand...
This sounds good to me.

So how is it you recently discovered you would love to direct
movies?
 
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You don't need people other than yourself to make movies, or to practice making them.
In my grade 10 comm tech class, I had no friends in the class to help me (yeah, loser ;) ) so I had to do it alone.
I got a 95% in that class on nothing but video projects that I made with a handheld camcorder, a tripod (sometimes stacked up books :p) a remote control, lots of cuts, final cut, and extreme patience. (I had to film, and act in all of them, including my final)
Making a good movie does take collaboration and a script, but making short sketches (2 min-7 min maxish) about random things, to practice camera angles, editing, and story construction really doesn't have to. No, it's not the same as making some epic movie with a deep story that moves audiences, but you would be surprised how much it can help you.
All it takes is your imagination and a camera.
Anyway just my 2 cents. I'm not some experience professional director, but I do love film making.
Good luck :)
 
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Ya I know making a live action is the same with animation in terms of the movie being made bits by bits but what I meant is that it's literally happening in front of you..it's like being immersed in the world you're creating and actually being close enough to touch it ( on set), plus you can do all these cool live action scenes like explosions, jumps, fight scenes , etc, and it's in front of you instead of in a tiny computer moving splines around and stuff. I don' know, I just have a feeling I'd like live action more. I need to do it to make sure which i like more. I have considered acting but I they say you should only do acting if it's the only thing that would ever make you fulfilled and you have no other choice plus I like actually coming up with the stories and making them so as a director I would get to do this. The MAIN reason why I went into animation instead of live action to begin with is because I love art more than anything else. But I also love story telling and movies and I can always incorporate art into my movies by designing the characters and drawing out storyboards, etc.

I actually talked to some people who run a film festival and they were wondering if I could help make their animations. Maybe I should have said yes but I don't think I'm skilled enough yet and I want to experiment with live action first. I got a few responses on craigslist from people looking for actors just so I could get more involved with filmmaking but so far nothings come from that.

I've been trying to download a bunch of movie editing softwares like avid, premiere pro and sony vegas but when I download I can't seem to find the files on my computer.

At this point I'm going to play around with the camera, keep reading ebooks on how to direct, and try to install the movie editing software.

I like the suggestion that you can make movies on your own. I'll try that. I could always set the camera down and play multiple parts myself. afterall its for the practice that I'd gain anyway.

If anything, even I end up not like directing ( which is doubtful) it will still give me valuable knowledge that will help me direct and animated movie so i think it's definitely a good learning experience.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, very helpful! =)
 
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fierce said:
plus you can do all these cool live action scenes like explosions, jumps, fight scenes , etc, and it's in front of you instead of in a tiny computer moving splines around and stuff. I don' know, I just have a feeling I'd like live action more.
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You know that you can't do explosions right in front of you,
right? You will do that sitting at a tiny computer.

Anyway, I'm not trying to discourage you. If you want to
make a live action film with explosions, jumps and fight
scenes you should do it!



fierce said:
I like the suggestion that you can make movies on your own. I'll try that. I could always set the camera down and play multiple parts myself. afterall its for the practice that I'd gain anyway.
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Now you're starting to talk like a filmmaker.

When you will start shooting?
 
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Today. I have no more excuses to put it off. I'll have to figure out how to use the editing software so I can blend the different angles that I shoot at together. I also have a strong light source I can play with and a bored 14 year old brother I forgot about.lol.

You know what I just realized he has friends too..their in middle school and bored most of the time at that age just waling around and stuff so this would be a fun opportunity for them. ANd I live right by the woods with ample amounts of interesting areas to shoot. Damn its crazy how many opportunities there are around you when you start to look for them and just get started instead of waiting or thinking of driving for hours to get to the city to look for opportunities there.

I"m glad I talked to you guys I wouldn't have come to this conclusion on my own and maybe felt it was a stupid idea..but I think even speilberg did stuff like this...
 
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this is probably a stupid question but since you're supposed to shoot at various angles how do you combine the different scenes you've created into one free flowing movie. I'm filming them riding bikes down this hill and I need to get various shots from front, side, and maybe the top of the hill.. I'm using power director so I think I need to just upload them and figure it out with that program
 
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Not a stupid question at all.

This is called editing. All the programs you have been having trouble
with are programs that allow you to cut scenes and put them together
in a way that tells a story. PowerDirector is a program that will allow
you to cut shots and put them together in any order you want.

I think you're right - a great way to learn is to upload your footage and
work with the program. You'll learn a lot.
 
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You can cut or shorten your scenes in an editing program. So for eg, you can film them coming down the hill with the camera pointed at them. Then ask them to do it again but this time do it from the side like you wanted. And then a third time with you on top of the hill filming them go down.

Then in the program, you just use as much of each clip as you want and create a mini sequence of them starting on top of the hill, watching them go by from the side and finishing with them at the bottom of the hill as seen from the top.
 
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omg this is ridiculous, i just spent like 3 hours downloading like 6 different video converters so I could convert my mvi to avi version and upload it to power director and non of them worked or they said I have to register.
 
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i got blaze media pro, avs4, 3gp, pazera, cxb, and some others..I have windows movie maker but I still need to convert the videos to avi format in order to use them..sry this post is getting off topic but its frustrating
 
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Hey I'm giving up on the movie software..handbrake will only let me convert to mp4 or mkv format. Avs lets me do it but since I'm not paying for it there's a logo in the middle of every footage. But it's ok I'm just doing this stuff for practice so it wont matter too much untill I go to school. It's just weird that these simple programs are so complicated for me when i've worked with 3ds max and more difficult things.

It's pretty cool how I managed to smoothely combine the videos from different angles and make it look like a continuous flow. It's really fun I'm glad I started practicing sooner rather than later. I'll upload the short movie I'm working on with my brother once it's done if you guys want to see.

Also, do you guys know if I should practice writing long 90 to 120 minute screenplays right now in preparation for producing them this fall quarter or if I should focus on more shorts like 5 to 20 minute ones. It seems hard to really convey too much depth in the characters or plot in such a short time, but I guess in terms of finding work, gaining skill, etc, it's better to show a small high quality footage that will give them a taste of what you can do in your reel right?
I'm so excited this is so cool! Damn animation is fun but so is this..I'm gonna figure out how to combine the two someday when I get really good at this stuff. It's a shame to give it up since I can draw really well.
 
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I really want to get started on a real project so I posted this on craigslist to see if anyone would want to make this caveman story with me


Someone digs up caveman bones and then scientists figure out how to clone them into existence. 3 cavemen are made and they are kept in a room for study. They are given a drug that makes them a little smarter so they can communicate, learn simple math, read , write, and become less vicious. One of the cave children figures out how to escape form the holding center and goes and hides in someones house in the city. He hides in a boys closet and he bonds with the boy. They both go back to rescue the others and all of the cavemen escape. The boy hides the cavemen in his room and trains them to live in society. After a couple days the serum wears off and the cavemen become aggressive again and start to hurt people in society, steal things, etc. They don't harm the boy however, but protect him. The cavemen get taken away by city officials and it becomes a public spectacle and they are on the news. Some bad guys try to come steal the cavemen to make money off of them and eventually the boy risks his life to rescue the caveboy. The boy ends up in the cage with the cavemen and the cavemen nurse him back to health. The cavemen start learning and realizing that violene isn't the answer when they see what's happened to their friend. Eventually the cavemen that are locked up figure out how to escape again and nonviolently stop the bad guys, save the boy, and the public cheers them on and accepts them to live among them.
 
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