My advice? Surrender!
- Thread starter Zensteve
- Start date
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cibao said:Cast...is...no...help.......Never...available......Just...more...excuses......Must...slow...descent...................aaaaahhhhh......it burns! It burns!!!!
Chris
didn't you get the memo? Filmmaking is all about glamor and parties and making movies like you were making bread. Oh I think well put a film together this weekend. There's not actually any real work or organization that goes into it....
is there?
Zensteve said:That might explain what I came up with, when we shot last weekend.
What happened to the cocky Zen?
Poke
Spatula said:
Does it have Locke or Hurley flashbacks? Those are my favorites.
Poke
Well this has been an interesting experience.
After three rejections, as I was getting ready to call every one and say "forget it were done," the patron saint of filmmaking smiled upon me and two days before we were scheduled to shoot parents of a friend said "please bring yourself and fifteen other folks over, cover yourself in fake blood, use our electricity and make a film." Apparently this was the last time the patron saint of filmmaking would smile.
That's really not fair since what came next was completely my fault. This apparently includes the poison ivy that most, myself included, seems to have contracted. Its not like I told folks to roll around on the ground, oh wait...... Most of my crew arrived on time, enough of my cast arrived, equipment was tested, and we were ready to go.
Let me interrupt myself here to let all of you know that this was my second short. My first had a cast and crew of four and was shot in my kitchen and living room. Directing fifteen people was just plain intimidating. I swallowed my panic however and pushed on.
I didn't know panic until I looked over the footage after it was all said and done. I was ok with the continutuity issues. I was ok with the lighting issues. I really didn't expect perfect footage considering my lack of experience. I could live with the fact that my film was not going to be as perfect as I know that I will be able to produce in the future. The real panic struck when I realized that the final scene of the movie would not cut. I just didn't have enough footage. Not enough good, bad, usable or unusable footage and with no hope of a reshoot. I still tried though. For a week (ok five days, since I avoided my computer for the first couple of days) I tried to make the footage work. Nope, nada, aint gonna work.
ARGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
OK so lessons learned (that is kinda the point right)
1. when my my gut tells me that an element of a script is not gonna work due to constraints of time, equipment, or experience I am going to listen to my gut and if possible make a change to the script.
2. schedule more time for everything.
3. do not throw the shot list to the wind in order to save time.
4. delegate delegate delegate. In fairness to myself I did this to an extent, just not enough.
5. make sure that my cast and especially my crew has a dedicated babysitter. when making a film in somebodies backyard with a cast and crew of friends I understand that sometimes the kids are going to have to come along so the fact that I had kids on site really didn't upset me. I am not a parent myself by I understand that sometimes the kiddies gotta come along. Unfortunatly the person I had recruited to help keep me organized had her babysitter fall through at the last minute. So next time I will help find, and perhaps provide, and off site babysitter.
6. there are many more minor lessons that have been learned but this post is long enough as it is so I wont bore you with issues about shot lists, continuity, lighting, and on and on.
I will conclude by stating that evey mistake I made, and there were quite a few, I knew better. I have read the books and watched the movies. I suppose that there will always be that seperating from academic understanding and practical understanding. I get it now, the friggin stove is hot. That being said (warning here come more bad cliches) I will dust myself off and get back on the horse. "Change of Seasons" will ride again!!!!
Good luck to all who submit and thanks to indietalk for providing an opportunity for dreamers like myself to get off my ass and get to work.
Mikey D
After three rejections, as I was getting ready to call every one and say "forget it were done," the patron saint of filmmaking smiled upon me and two days before we were scheduled to shoot parents of a friend said "please bring yourself and fifteen other folks over, cover yourself in fake blood, use our electricity and make a film." Apparently this was the last time the patron saint of filmmaking would smile.
That's really not fair since what came next was completely my fault. This apparently includes the poison ivy that most, myself included, seems to have contracted. Its not like I told folks to roll around on the ground, oh wait...... Most of my crew arrived on time, enough of my cast arrived, equipment was tested, and we were ready to go.
Let me interrupt myself here to let all of you know that this was my second short. My first had a cast and crew of four and was shot in my kitchen and living room. Directing fifteen people was just plain intimidating. I swallowed my panic however and pushed on.
I didn't know panic until I looked over the footage after it was all said and done. I was ok with the continutuity issues. I was ok with the lighting issues. I really didn't expect perfect footage considering my lack of experience. I could live with the fact that my film was not going to be as perfect as I know that I will be able to produce in the future. The real panic struck when I realized that the final scene of the movie would not cut. I just didn't have enough footage. Not enough good, bad, usable or unusable footage and with no hope of a reshoot. I still tried though. For a week (ok five days, since I avoided my computer for the first couple of days) I tried to make the footage work. Nope, nada, aint gonna work.
ARGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
OK so lessons learned (that is kinda the point right)
1. when my my gut tells me that an element of a script is not gonna work due to constraints of time, equipment, or experience I am going to listen to my gut and if possible make a change to the script.
2. schedule more time for everything.
3. do not throw the shot list to the wind in order to save time.
4. delegate delegate delegate. In fairness to myself I did this to an extent, just not enough.
5. make sure that my cast and especially my crew has a dedicated babysitter. when making a film in somebodies backyard with a cast and crew of friends I understand that sometimes the kids are going to have to come along so the fact that I had kids on site really didn't upset me. I am not a parent myself by I understand that sometimes the kiddies gotta come along. Unfortunatly the person I had recruited to help keep me organized had her babysitter fall through at the last minute. So next time I will help find, and perhaps provide, and off site babysitter.
6. there are many more minor lessons that have been learned but this post is long enough as it is so I wont bore you with issues about shot lists, continuity, lighting, and on and on.
I will conclude by stating that evey mistake I made, and there were quite a few, I knew better. I have read the books and watched the movies. I suppose that there will always be that seperating from academic understanding and practical understanding. I get it now, the friggin stove is hot. That being said (warning here come more bad cliches) I will dust myself off and get back on the horse. "Change of Seasons" will ride again!!!!
Good luck to all who submit and thanks to indietalk for providing an opportunity for dreamers like myself to get off my ass and get to work.
Mikey D
Mikey D said:
I agree with you on the mistakes part, I made a few of those, "I know better than to do 'A', but I need to get this shot"
I believe, (as long as my actor comes over today to get the voice dubs down) I will have a good film completed. It is my first movie and for the most part, getting critques, and advice from this great place will be very important to me, besides getting more experience than just sitting on my butt.
I will be waiting for "Change of Seasons" so yeah please finish that.
Here is to everyone on these last few hours - Good luck!
Yea no problem... It was a first time for all of us.. I talked to the editor today, who's still without power, and we talked about it... We both agree that the story and production came out WAY better because everyone OWNES a part of the story.
It wasn't my idea and they just act... It was a totally open forum. Everyone had input and one person wanted this shot... OK then what's the continuity... then we figure it out and shoot the scenes. Each person has their experteise. We knew the shot, we just needed the DOP to set the cam and lighter to set the lights and director to direct and actors to act... then we figure out the next scene and do it again and again.
So yea, you can come and crew one of the shoots sometime. What's your location?
It wasn't my idea and they just act... It was a totally open forum. Everyone had input and one person wanted this shot... OK then what's the continuity... then we figure it out and shoot the scenes. Each person has their experteise. We knew the shot, we just needed the DOP to set the cam and lighter to set the lights and director to direct and actors to act... then we figure out the next scene and do it again and again.
So yea, you can come and crew one of the shoots sometime. What's your location?