Ever get down and bummed out? I love film making and the other video work I do but after the last two films I directed got some bad comments and such im feeling bummed and searching for the will to work on three other projects I was about to start pre-production.. Any other directors find it hard to stay motivated some times? How do you cope with bad reviews and comments?
Staying motivated
- Thread starter Stinky Grinch
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I know my work is not great.. I started helping other people with the films.. such as doing camera work and such. I work in TV so I have some what of an idea how to shoot... But now that I've taken to making my own shorts I find its hard for me to deal with criticism... I entered two shorts in to a film fest that gives you the judges reviews and they did not like both of the films.. And then others I worked on them with come out of the wood work saying they see what they are saying in the reviews and can agree... So I guess its just a bunch of input hitting me all at once and I feel overwhelmed that i'm making crap..
This is a new experience and feeling and I want to take the reviews and comments and put them to use so I can learn from them and improve my work. I just need to get over the feeling of I may suck I guess.
So thanks for all the input on this.. It helps me sort everything out.
This is a new experience and feeling and I want to take the reviews and comments and put them to use so I can learn from them and improve my work. I just need to get over the feeling of I may suck I guess.
So thanks for all the input on this.. It helps me sort everything out.
It wasn't aimed at you -- this rant has been building for a while. You just provided me with the perfect feedline. Thanks! LOL
So it sounds to me like you've got the technical skills, but you're discovering that at the moment your content isn't quite working.
Don't shoot yourself yet, because content is the hardest thing to get right.
I think for most people "content quality" is the hardest criticism to deal with -- if someone says "Your sound was pretty naff" well, you can study a bit more about sound recording and know that it will be better next time.
However if someone's says "The dialogue was cliched and acting dreadful" then it feels more like a personal criticism, than a technical one.
Truth is that both writing and directing are skills, just like any other part of film making. And, they are skills that can be acquired. It's just worth remembering that writing and directing are the two hardest jobs on the set and NOBODY gets it right first time.
The post mortem on every film has to be a balancing act -- you have to be honest about what you got wrong and at the same time you have work out what you really got right.
With my first feature film I got the directing right, I got the locations right, I got shooting style right, I used the right format, I did an great job on pulling the sound track together -- I wrote some great dialogue, which led to some nice performances -- you know, I got a lot right with that picture -- However, I also made a major mistake by making my protagonist too passive and I created a structural flaw in act two, by not creating the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist early enough -- which made the first twenty minutes seem a little slow.
I'm sure when you go back and look at your film, you can easily build a similar list -- you have to look at what you achieved and identify where you still have things to learn.
The other thing you might want to do is give your self a time limit for beating yourself up -- "OK, I'm going to hate myself for two more days and then it's time to move on."
clive said:
See I disagree with this. I think many peoples films are good enough but Hollywood is chocked by options. From my expereince the biggest thing that plays against us is that we can make a film for little money that can get sold and released so why would they want to give us more? This seems to be a popular attitude at the moment and prevelant uat both Cannes and AFM.
Also there are so many indie film makers these days that the pickings are richer than ever.
Phil, although I'm sure it's true in your case, I don't see the evidence for saying that
Ask any member here who has done on any judging on a film festival and they'll all tell you the same story -- the vast majority of films submitted range between the awful and the barely mediocre.
All I can say is that as a producer 99.9% of the scripts that pass over my desk are dreadful -- every producer I've ever spoken to says the same thing -- what's changed recently is lower productions cost mean more of these bad scripts are making it into production.
A person doesn't have to accept a script rejection anymore, when they can just go out and make the film themselves.
The market isn't flooded with excellent films -- the market is flooded with dross -- which actually does nobody any favours.
What's changed in the last ten years is that being an indie film maker used to mean "A professional film maker who works outside the studio system" and now it means "A geek with a camcorder and his mates"
I don't even call myself "indie" anymore, because in the industry it has such negative connotations.
On the other hand you may be right -- but if you are I'd quit the industry right now -- because you're saying that no matter how good your product is the industry will hold you back -- that there isn't any money in film making any more.
, when in my experience the vast majority aren't.
Ask any member here who has done on any judging on a film festival and they'll all tell you the same story -- the vast majority of films submitted range between the awful and the barely mediocre.
All I can say is that as a producer 99.9% of the scripts that pass over my desk are dreadful -- every producer I've ever spoken to says the same thing -- what's changed recently is lower productions cost mean more of these bad scripts are making it into production.
A person doesn't have to accept a script rejection anymore, when they can just go out and make the film themselves.
The market isn't flooded with excellent films -- the market is flooded with dross -- which actually does nobody any favours.
What's changed in the last ten years is that being an indie film maker used to mean "A professional film maker who works outside the studio system" and now it means "A geek with a camcorder and his mates"
I don't even call myself "indie" anymore, because in the industry it has such negative connotations.
On the other hand you may be right -- but if you are I'd quit the industry right now -- because you're saying that no matter how good your product is the industry will hold you back -- that there isn't any money in film making any more.
I've seen some cracking indie films that script, editing and production value wise look well above and beyond what they should. Then again I have to agree that many are not.
What is true is that film making now is different to 10 years ago and we as film makers working on the fringe are in a worse position than ever because showing what we can do often does mean that is what is expected.
That said there are some god damn dire scripts and so little time is spent on this key aspect of the (if often any at all).
But it is harder to break out now because the competition is so great. Making a film and getting it released was often a sure fire way to the big time, now it is not.
There is money in the business but now I fear that money is more in making your own films and a lower budget and selling them well. The good thing is that there are more avenues and chances than ever to get a film released. So I think there is money but people need to lower there expectations towards being more realistic and rather than make a film to get noticed make a good film that get's released and make your money that way.
What is true is that film making now is different to 10 years ago and we as film makers working on the fringe are in a worse position than ever because showing what we can do often does mean that is what is expected.
That said there are some god damn dire scripts and so little time is spent on this key aspect of the (if often any at all).
But it is harder to break out now because the competition is so great. Making a film and getting it released was often a sure fire way to the big time, now it is not.
There is money in the business but now I fear that money is more in making your own films and a lower budget and selling them well. The good thing is that there are more avenues and chances than ever to get a film released. So I think there is money but people need to lower there expectations towards being more realistic and rather than make a film to get noticed make a good film that get's released and make your money that way.
I agree the industry is more complicated than it's ever been.
You're also right, there is no such thing as a sure thing anymore.
These days the only way to get things done as an indie is to have the skills to create something outstanding, but at the same time achieve that outstanding film with lower production costs than were considered possible ten years ago.
When I first set out in the industry people looked for a $1.5M budget for their first movie -- because realistically you couldn't produce a cinema release film for less than that. -- HD, improvements in SD and FCP have certainly changed all of that. The $700,000 I spent on my last picture looks excessive to me now -- I'd never spend that much again on a No Name picture, without pre-sales.
These days I think that it's just about possible to produce a commerically viable feature film with a $1,000 budget, if you start out with basic levels of equipment (A camera that will shoot native 16:9, a decent mic and a computer that'll handle FCP or Premiere) and you adapt your film to the strenghts of your format/budget.
Production/Post Production skills aren't that dificult to acquire -- the one thing that hasn't changed is that this industry is all about content -- and that's where we have to apply the most discipline and I know this is a strange word to use, but it's the area where we also need the most humility.
If I'm honest I think the one thing that would transform the indie scene overnight would be for people to ask themselves seriously whether they have the skills/talent to create their own scripts -- and if not whether they are prepared to devote the time and energy to developing those skills.
The same applies to the directing -- people have to ask themselves if they have the skills and knowledge to block and direct actors -- and if not, whether they are willing to put years of effort into acquiring those skills.
You're also right, there is no such thing as a sure thing anymore.
These days the only way to get things done as an indie is to have the skills to create something outstanding, but at the same time achieve that outstanding film with lower production costs than were considered possible ten years ago.
When I first set out in the industry people looked for a $1.5M budget for their first movie -- because realistically you couldn't produce a cinema release film for less than that. -- HD, improvements in SD and FCP have certainly changed all of that. The $700,000 I spent on my last picture looks excessive to me now -- I'd never spend that much again on a No Name picture, without pre-sales.
These days I think that it's just about possible to produce a commerically viable feature film with a $1,000 budget, if you start out with basic levels of equipment (A camera that will shoot native 16:9, a decent mic and a computer that'll handle FCP or Premiere) and you adapt your film to the strenghts of your format/budget.
Production/Post Production skills aren't that dificult to acquire -- the one thing that hasn't changed is that this industry is all about content -- and that's where we have to apply the most discipline and I know this is a strange word to use, but it's the area where we also need the most humility.
If I'm honest I think the one thing that would transform the indie scene overnight would be for people to ask themselves seriously whether they have the skills/talent to create their own scripts -- and if not whether they are prepared to devote the time and energy to developing those skills.
The same applies to the directing -- people have to ask themselves if they have the skills and knowledge to block and direct actors -- and if not, whether they are willing to put years of effort into acquiring those skills.
Funny enough I gave up writing a few years ago because I wasn't good enough or at least didnt have the time to concentrate on it. It's hard though to throw away your dream and admit you are not up to scratch but you are right often some people are not.
Case in point - people on my degree course. There were the talented, the dedicated and the poor. But the poor were treated much the same as the talented, in terms of reward and recognition and left for false hope. That didn't help anyone.
Case in point - people on my degree course. There were the talented, the dedicated and the poor. But the poor were treated much the same as the talented, in terms of reward and recognition and left for false hope. That didn't help anyone.
There's no shame in it -- I couldn't light a scene professionally if my life depended on it -- I'm also a producer by necessity rather than by skill or disposition. I happen to think that a creative producer is worth their weight in gold. I'm definitely not able to fill that position on a production -- unless I really, really have to.
There are plenty of jobs on set I'd quite happily give up -- I mean I can edit if I have to, but I'd much rather have someone else cut and the same is true of camera operating -- I'm definitely the DOP only when all else fails.
I produced because I got fustrated directing. Happens that I really enjoy it now... more so than ever. But will be going back to directing early next year. And maybe writing. Funny how things change.
That said I have become a strong script editor.
That said I have become a strong script editor.
clive said:
...Oh, good! 'Cuz that's about all I've got!
Isn't there a money tree somewhere? Aren't I supposed to hit the lottery or the jackpot at the casino!!!??? 
...and Grinchy: If content is possibly your problem, who knows? Maybe you are (gasp!) visual! Maybe you are the person who makes the story come off the page. There are alot of up and coming screenwriters just dying for someone to look at their story and find merit in it....
-- spinner
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I started writng a book about $1000 movie production a while back, but had to put it to one side when other writing projects took off.
I may go back to it at some point, because about 50% of the book was about techniques for getting the content right. I even had a film lined up to demonstrate how it's done, until I accidentally found a $200,000 budget for that project. So now production on it has gone back a year to accommodate funding. Ho Hum.
Ha! I hate that. I prepped a budget for a $200k movie, was told to pitch it higher re-did the budget, was told it was too high, did it again and now we are doing it self funded for $10k because I got hacked off dealing with idiots changing there minds!!!
The point is this new film has a major car smash up, shoot outs, an explosion, a big ring fight with a crowd and 2 other 'big budget' moments... with technology as it is you can make a cheap movie and get a return!
The point is this new film has a major car smash up, shoot outs, an explosion, a big ring fight with a crowd and 2 other 'big budget' moments... with technology as it is you can make a cheap movie and get a return!
Good for you! I went through the same exact thing and said "forget the idiots". I just finished a two-hour feature for well under $10K too - with jumbo jets, explosions, machineguns, high falls, crowds, all in Arizona where you can film downtown without any permit fees.
I hope you don't mind me saying that I read some of your other posts and I think you've got the right mindset to pull it off now, more than ever before. I've had similar failures in the past but they were all necessary to teach me to be truly independent (i.e., free of the big crew mentality and six figure budget illusion). And I made all of the decisions myself, taking full responsibility for every last detail, like my life depended on getting it right the first time. That's when I finally got everything right, when the only mistakes would be mine.
The best of luck to you on your film, I'm sure if you give it all the energy you've got - you will succeed!
I don't make my movies for the critics...Walt Disney (Who still holds the record for the most Oscar wins)
I've directed 2 short movies, one finished and one that we had to stop because of the lack of effort put into it. We, my film group [visit us at http://bak2bassikz.com] had to get involved in another project to reset our train of thought. After this we started making our new series called Here, Forward. See it on youtube, here: http://http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HereForwardB2B.
Van Gogh, and other master artists, died broke and were told their art was junk.
ALFRED (To Bruce): "Why do we falls? To learn to get back up." (Batman Begins)
ALFRED (To Bruce): "Why do we falls? To learn to get back up." (Batman Begins)