What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
- Thread starter TIASCA
- Start date
What inspired me? Well it’s actually quite funny looking back for the first time. What inspired me to become a filmmaker?
Well you asked, and this is actually my first time on a forum like this where I can talk to other random filmmakers.
So, here’s my story.
It all began...with a story. When I was a kid, when I was like 5-6 I would make stories, it started with written stories. I would also watch and love films like pirates of the carribean and Star Wars. Always fascinated with those types of movies.
In the end I would make my own books as a kid, and I had a friend which we made stories together in our own little imaginary world lol. For instance we would pretend that we were kings and with our imaginations fought off enemy armies in our neighbourhood. Lord of the rings style lol. I can only imagine what others thought of us.
Random person: What are those two kids doin, swinging their wooden swords in mid air
Us: *Furiously stabbing and slaying dragons, enemy soldiers and leading epic armies in our minds.
Anyways, so yea that stage lasted for a few years it honestly all just started with the love for stories, fantasy, action and all that Jazz. Also (personally) believed in God so the stories we made up had him in it too.
Later on we actually got bullied (when we were 9 to 11) years old. Like we got bashed up and stuff and our cubby houses got destroyed and everything. I was sent to hospital, that drastically affected my view on storytelling.
I mean we tried to treat the bullies like we treated enemy armies in our imaginary world.
That it, (fight with valor, and win the day with courage and bravery). And we actually did fight for 3 long years against this gang of bullies every week. We just wouldn’t give up, you know films and movies would motivate me to keep going through the harsh times and to never let my self be beaten.
However when my friend moved away...I only had a handful of other friends left and they all betrayed me. They all decided to turn on me and joined the bullies. In the end it was me against a whole gang and I ended up in hospital wounded. It was the most embarrassing thing in my life. That I got defeated by the bullies I’d tried so hard to defeat for 3 years.
Yea so that made me realize...in me and my friends imaginary world we had always won, but real life taught me we don’t always win these things. It also taught me to keep getting up and when I decided to write a story next....
It was different, the story had moral things in it, like getting betrayed, losing friends, self doubt and the main characters personal journey. All this would contribute to later on when I would start filmmaking.
So yea, for the next 2 years I actually wrote and published some books on amazon. When I was 12 and 13.
Then, my books weren’t getting much sales. I mean I did get a 5 star review and a few purchases, and people were saying the stories were good but...I felt I could be getting so much more done that there was something else...
My stories weren’t getting enough attention through books, so, I decided to go after filmmaking.
Now, here comes the real big catalyst, cause and reason for me starting filmmaking....I mean all the previous things about me looking for a way to tell my stories was partly reason but....the biggest reason...funnily enough....was a girl.
Lol.
She was a depressed, insecure girl, suicidal type. Every day I would motivate her to not hurt herself or be sad and...if it’s not obvious, I would tell my stories I’d made to her every night to make her happy. Seems a bit childish for a girl to be listening to stories, her being 14-15. Me around same at the time. But she was a truly depressed girl having lost everything. I won’t tell you why she was sad that would take ages lol. But yeah every night....for a year and a half I would tell her stories....and as she got more and more sad it would require me to make my stories more and more motivational.
To make my stories better and better.
During this time I was testing out filmmaking, making films for fun but I hadn’t decided to truly get into it yet. I was just the young noob guy. Sadly, we ended up having an argument before New Year’s Day on that year. And....for a few nights I couldn’t tell her my stories and during that time people bullied her and....bullied her really bad physically and online.
Basically....in New Year’s Day of that year she killed herself, drowned herself in a river, left behind a note and everything.
I was so devastated, I thought for so long that I had failed her. And a small part of me thought that my stories hadn’t been good enough, my stories had saved someone as depressed as her for a year and a half...that’s how powerful stories can be. And when I had stopped motivating her...she had killed herself.
Only then I realized the true potential, the motivational, spiritual potential that stories had on people’s lives.
To this day I still mourn her.
Ever-since her death, I made a promise to myself and to God. That I would create motivational movies. I realized how many other depressed people were out there and that books weren’t gonna reach them....books aren’t gonna reach the emo kids or the depressed self cutting people. Or the broken widows or fathers. Or the 70 million slaves that are in the world. (There are actually 70m right now).
But....films will....movies can make a difference.
So yeah
that’s my reason for becoming a filmmaker.
For a while now for the past 2 years I’ve been working on a feature film. It has a few thousand dollar budget.
Yea so those are the reasons.
I must admit this reply is a bit outa the blue but yea
Well you asked, and this is actually my first time on a forum like this where I can talk to other random filmmakers.
So, here’s my story.
It all began...with a story. When I was a kid, when I was like 5-6 I would make stories, it started with written stories. I would also watch and love films like pirates of the carribean and Star Wars. Always fascinated with those types of movies.
In the end I would make my own books as a kid, and I had a friend which we made stories together in our own little imaginary world lol. For instance we would pretend that we were kings and with our imaginations fought off enemy armies in our neighbourhood. Lord of the rings style lol. I can only imagine what others thought of us.
Random person: What are those two kids doin, swinging their wooden swords in mid air
Us: *Furiously stabbing and slaying dragons, enemy soldiers and leading epic armies in our minds.
Anyways, so yea that stage lasted for a few years it honestly all just started with the love for stories, fantasy, action and all that Jazz. Also (personally) believed in God so the stories we made up had him in it too.
Later on we actually got bullied (when we were 9 to 11) years old. Like we got bashed up and stuff and our cubby houses got destroyed and everything. I was sent to hospital, that drastically affected my view on storytelling.
I mean we tried to treat the bullies like we treated enemy armies in our imaginary world.
That it, (fight with valor, and win the day with courage and bravery). And we actually did fight for 3 long years against this gang of bullies every week. We just wouldn’t give up, you know films and movies would motivate me to keep going through the harsh times and to never let my self be beaten.
However when my friend moved away...I only had a handful of other friends left and they all betrayed me. They all decided to turn on me and joined the bullies. In the end it was me against a whole gang and I ended up in hospital wounded. It was the most embarrassing thing in my life. That I got defeated by the bullies I’d tried so hard to defeat for 3 years.
Yea so that made me realize...in me and my friends imaginary world we had always won, but real life taught me we don’t always win these things. It also taught me to keep getting up and when I decided to write a story next....
It was different, the story had moral things in it, like getting betrayed, losing friends, self doubt and the main characters personal journey. All this would contribute to later on when I would start filmmaking.
So yea, for the next 2 years I actually wrote and published some books on amazon. When I was 12 and 13.
Then, my books weren’t getting much sales. I mean I did get a 5 star review and a few purchases, and people were saying the stories were good but...I felt I could be getting so much more done that there was something else...
My stories weren’t getting enough attention through books, so, I decided to go after filmmaking.
Now, here comes the real big catalyst, cause and reason for me starting filmmaking....I mean all the previous things about me looking for a way to tell my stories was partly reason but....the biggest reason...funnily enough....was a girl.
Lol.
She was a depressed, insecure girl, suicidal type. Every day I would motivate her to not hurt herself or be sad and...if it’s not obvious, I would tell my stories I’d made to her every night to make her happy. Seems a bit childish for a girl to be listening to stories, her being 14-15. Me around same at the time. But she was a truly depressed girl having lost everything. I won’t tell you why she was sad that would take ages lol. But yeah every night....for a year and a half I would tell her stories....and as she got more and more sad it would require me to make my stories more and more motivational.
To make my stories better and better.
During this time I was testing out filmmaking, making films for fun but I hadn’t decided to truly get into it yet. I was just the young noob guy. Sadly, we ended up having an argument before New Year’s Day on that year. And....for a few nights I couldn’t tell her my stories and during that time people bullied her and....bullied her really bad physically and online.
Basically....in New Year’s Day of that year she killed herself, drowned herself in a river, left behind a note and everything.
I was so devastated, I thought for so long that I had failed her. And a small part of me thought that my stories hadn’t been good enough, my stories had saved someone as depressed as her for a year and a half...that’s how powerful stories can be. And when I had stopped motivating her...she had killed herself.
Only then I realized the true potential, the motivational, spiritual potential that stories had on people’s lives.
To this day I still mourn her.
Ever-since her death, I made a promise to myself and to God. That I would create motivational movies. I realized how many other depressed people were out there and that books weren’t gonna reach them....books aren’t gonna reach the emo kids or the depressed self cutting people. Or the broken widows or fathers. Or the 70 million slaves that are in the world. (There are actually 70m right now).
But....films will....movies can make a difference.
So yeah
that’s my reason for becoming a filmmaker.For a while now for the past 2 years I’ve been working on a feature film. It has a few thousand dollar budget.
Yea so those are the reasons
.I must admit this reply is a bit outa the blue but yea
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What inspired me? Well it’s actually quite funny looking back for the first time. What inspired me to become a filmmaker?
Well you asked, and this is actually my first time on a forum like this where I can talk to other random filmmakers.
So, here’s my story.
It all began...with a story. When I was a kid, when I was like 5-6 I would make stories, it started with written stories. I would also watch and love films like pirates of the carribean and Star Wars. Always fascinated with those types of movies.
In the end I would make my own books as a kid, and I had a friend which we made stories together in our own little imaginary world lol. For instance we would pretend that we were kings and with our imaginations fought off enemy armies in our neighbourhood. Lord of the rings style lol. I can only imagine what others thought of us.
Random person: What are those two kids doin, swinging their wooden swords in mid air
Us: *Furiously stabbing and slaying dragons, enemy soldiers and leading epic armies in our minds.
Anyways, so yea that stage lasted for a few years it honestly all just started with the love for stories, fantasy, action and all that Jazz. Also (personally) believed in God so the stories we made up had him in it too.
Later on we actually got bullied (when we were 9 to 11) years old. Like we got bashed up and stuff and our cubby houses got destroyed and everything. I was sent to hospital, that drastically affected my view on storytelling.
I mean we tried to treat the bullies like we treated enemy armies in our imaginary world.
That it, (fight with valor, and win the day with courage and bravery). And we actually did fight for 3 long years against this gang of bullies every week. We just wouldn’t give up, you know films and movies would motivate me to keep going through the harsh times and to never let my self be beaten.
However when my friend moved away...I only had a handful of other friends left and they all betrayed me. They all decided to turn on me and joined the bullies. In the end it was me against a whole gang and I ended up in hospital wounded. It was the most embarrassing thing in my life. That I got defeated by the bullies I’d tried so hard to defeat for 3 years.
Yea so that made me realize...in me and my friends imaginary world we had always won, but real life taught me we don’t always win these things. It also taught me to keep getting up and when I decided to write a story next....
It was different, the story had moral things in it, like getting betrayed, losing friends, self doubt and the main characters personal journey. All this would contribute to later on when I would start filmmaking.
So yea, for the next 2 years I actually wrote and published some books on amazon. When I was 12 and 13.
Then, my books weren’t getting much sales. I mean I did get a 5 star review and a few purchases, and people were saying the stories were good but...I felt I could be getting so much more done that there was something else...
My stories weren’t getting enough attention through books, so, I decided to go after filmmaking.
Now, here comes the real big catalyst, cause and reason for me starting filmmaking....I mean all the previous things about me looking for a way to tell my stories was partly reason but....the biggest reason...funnily enough....was a girl.
Lol.
She was a depressed, insecure girl, suicidal type. Every day I would motivate her to not hurt herself or be sad and...if it’s not obvious, I would tell my stories I’d made to her every night to make her happy. Seems a bit childish for a girl to be listening to stories, her being 14-15. Me around same at the time. But she was a truly depressed girl having lost everything. I won’t tell you why she was sad that would take ages lol. But yeah every night....for a year and a half I would tell her stories....and as she got more and more sad it would require me to make my stories more and more motivational.
To make my stories better and better.
During this time I was testing out filmmaking, making films for fun but I hadn’t decided to truly get into it yet. I was just the young noob guy. Sadly, we ended up having an argument before New Year’s Day on that year. And....for a few nights I couldn’t tell her my stories and during that time people bullied her and....bullied her really bad physically and online.
Basically....in New Year’s Day of that year she killed herself, drowned herself in a river, left behind a note and everything.
I was so devastated, I thought for so long that I had failed her. And a small part of me thought that my stories hadn’t been good enough, my stories had saved someone as depressed as her for a year and a half...that’s how powerful stories can be. And when I had stopped motivating her...she had killed herself.
Only then I realized the true potential, the motivational, spiritual potential that stories had on people’s lives.
To this day I still mourn her.
Ever-since her death, I made a promise to myself and to God. That I would create motivational movies. I realized how many other depressed people were out there and that books weren’t gonna reach them....books aren’t gonna reach the emo kids or the depressed self cutting people. Or the broken widows or fathers. Or the 70 million slaves that are in the world. (There are actually 70m right now).
But....films will....movies can make a difference.
So yeah
For a while now for the past 2 years I’ve been working on a feature film. It has a few thousand dollar budget.
Yea so those are the reasons
I must admit this reply is a bit outa the blue but yea
Thats a very sad story. I'm sorry for your loss. How long has it been? Did you get Therapy for this? How old are you now? You sound like a very jung person.
Im around 16 so a young filmmaker yes. I did talk to my family about it they were a bit supportive yea.
But in the end what really helped me to keep going was helping motivate other people. For instance my stories online help motivate others (on similar forums) and online chats. I help people out and soon hopefully by the end of the year.
My first feature film will get into festivals and launch my career as a filmmaker.
That way I’ll be able to do my dream and help others.
How about you why did you start filmmaking.
I Started making films around 2011 right after I graduated Art school. I wanted to record Idea's for Performance and installation art I did make in that time. I wanted to make a long Surreal movie about all kind of Strange Ideas. I was inspired by the work of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Roy Andersson. I collected Ideas into a small sketch book until it became a script for a dutch future film Het hart van de wereld. I wanted to test my skills as a movie maker so with the help of videopower I made the sort movie De kamer van morgen (the room of tomorrow)
It contains 3 part's of Het hart van de wereld.
So that was the start.
Now I make my living by editing, documentary and I want to do sound recording.
So that was the start.
Now I make my living by editing, documentary and I want to do sound recording.
I think for me the tendency was always there ( expressing myself has always been a huge deal to me ). I've grown up with movies and honestly I can't remember any thrill or joy stronger than the experience of watching a movie that you love. I made 4 short films ( they are so lame I'm not even sure you can call them films 
) with my best friend when we were 12 years or so. But after that I got caught up in all sorts of stuff that I had no say in. so I kinda strayed away from that path until about 3 years ago when I got my bachelor in mechanical engineering that I realized my true passion lies in filmmaking and decided to dedicate my full time to learning all it's elements and hopefully becoming a filmmaker one day. I think reading Jean jacques rousseau's "Confessions" was the main trigger for me in this case.
) with my best friend when we were 12 years or so. But after that I got caught up in all sorts of stuff that I had no say in. so I kinda strayed away from that path until about 3 years ago when I got my bachelor in mechanical engineering that I realized my true passion lies in filmmaking and decided to dedicate my full time to learning all it's elements and hopefully becoming a filmmaker one day. I think reading Jean jacques rousseau's "Confessions" was the main trigger for me in this case.
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I’ve been making films since I was a kid. I used to bury my Lego and playmobile figures in dirt to do stop motion avalanche films, and i would make film products for school.
I studied media and wanted to make films. Then I stupidly went into teaching. I kept trying to squash my passion but with every great film I watched, I just have this burning desire to make films.
I’ve been given a second chance to follow my passions so I’m back. Getting together some equipment (wow, technology has moved on).
I studied media and wanted to make films. Then I stupidly went into teaching. I kept trying to squash my passion but with every great film I watched, I just have this burning desire to make films.
I’ve been given a second chance to follow my passions so I’m back. Getting together some equipment (wow, technology has moved on).
My inspiration to make films was simply tell a well visceral story. I’m more of a visual thinker and I use to like to read books sometimes but I’ve always been captivated by pictures. So I know deep down inside I’m more of into movies even though I still love to read books. Mainly got into horror since my mom use to forbid me not to watch them when I was very little thinking I might have nightmares or massive anxiety attacks until I was like 13 when she stopped caring. Horror movies like Stephen King adaptations got me into the horror genre and read his novels. I’ve started getting sucked into the scary vibe and the thrilling reactions of the audience especially my friends that would come over and watch them. The characters and the plot was what really drove my creative juices to the max. Never started out with horror but mostly Disney movies like the Lion King was my first movie when I was born. I was born in 1994. I had the idea of making my own horror stories into novels so they can be adapted into films which was an idea of mine naive as it seems when you are little. But my literature path took a detour when I first saw the one movie that changed my life the most. “Suspiria”. With its music, colorful atmosphere, the expressions on the characters, story may not make mush sense in a sort of way but the world this character somehow got sucked into put me in a trance like I’m somehow in a different world with this woman. I later admired the idea of this characters view and outer expressions just amazed me how this director Dario Argento pulled off that, that’s when I figured out that I wanted to be a filmmaker. After graduation I went to two colleges. One was Graphics and multimedia design which had nothing to do with a the path I’m trying to take so that was my fault for that, after a couple of years attending it with credit I finally went to a different school that has a film major in it. Only problem was I failed one class for the most ridiculous reason. One class in particular was a film festival class to which my professor mentioned that this class is very hard to fail because one absence would be an automatic fail, so I attended the classes without a certain absence unless I was sick to the point where I couldn’t attend. So after the semester was over and my experience with helping out with the festival my professor had us write a review of what we’ve accomplished and it would not be graded but it is a requirement. So after handing it in and the day before semester ends I somehow got a failing grade with a note stating “It was not too informative enough”. So I failed a class over a writer review that somehow was required that he clearly stated that won’t be graded yet get a failing grade over not being too informative which made no sense to me. So I couldn’t go back due to issues with financial aid. So now I want to take the old approach of how to make films, get connections, and fulfill my passion. May as well take Quentin Tarantino’s advice and even John Carpenters as well.
When I was growing up I had a love of movies, but making movies was something that was just seen as a pipe dream. To have access to a camera you needed to be wealthier than my family was. It could never happen.
Later on in life, while I was already inspired to make movies it was watching Clerks that made me say “you know what, I can do that too” and inspired me to get off my butt and make my own damn movies. My first short was shot entirely on a friend’s parent’s camcorder. I couldn’t use an NLE so I shot it knowing I’d have to edit it in camera. I was the cameraman and the actor. It was a good learning experience with a terrible result, but I had the bug and it but me hard.
The journey has had some ups and downs and I’m certainly not a pro, but I am incredibly proud of the films I have worked on and don’t plan on giving up on the art any time soon.
Later on in life, while I was already inspired to make movies it was watching Clerks that made me say “you know what, I can do that too” and inspired me to get off my butt and make my own damn movies. My first short was shot entirely on a friend’s parent’s camcorder. I couldn’t use an NLE so I shot it knowing I’d have to edit it in camera. I was the cameraman and the actor. It was a good learning experience with a terrible result, but I had the bug and it but me hard.
The journey has had some ups and downs and I’m certainly not a pro, but I am incredibly proud of the films I have worked on and don’t plan on giving up on the art any time soon.
Every day I would walk to Blockbuster and roam the aisles to pick out a film to watch that night. That love for watching movies continued into a curiosity of how to make them. Also, I used film as a way to escape reality. Today I try and blend fact and fiction into my own perspective of visual storytelling.
The film industry and more importantly the art of filmmaking seems like a pit of endless creativity and imagination. People working together to create magic and it just amazes me. I mean who couldn’t be drawn to it?