What makes a good film GREAT!

[Dennis Mikula Films]

Maybe this is just my opinion...okay this is definitely just my opinion. But a HUGE difference I see in films like I think are just alright and films I love are all the little quirky details. THE QUIRKS!

Most indie films that I watch are the same thing, even if they have a completely original story idea. But a select few have those little quirks which set them apart. Nothing to do with the story line.

Some examples: Let's say you're filming a horror film (what I specialize in) and you have someone sitting at a table eating. Almost every film I've seen it's a normal table. But some would have maybe a picture frame on the wall in the background that gives the entire shot and scene a different mood. Or maybe a piece of leftover food with some flies buzzing around it. That little difference can give you just the feel and difference to make it something great.

Another example is maybe a quirky dialogue. Someone who is clearly depressed. But says something completely out of the ordinary...QUIRKY! Like, "I've decided to kill us both." (Bonus points for anyone who knows which movie that's from)


I am in the pre-production of a short and I know I will be adding very small details that will make the mood and feeling of the film I create something amazing. After all, feeling and reactions are the thing I strive to achieve most.

And no reaction is a wrong reaction

 

[Dennis Mikula Films]

Thanks guys. My first short should be done by the end of summer. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

 

[jax_rox]

People see Nightmare as Burton's film the way people see the three original Star Wars films as George Lucas' even though he only directed the first. Both their story and world so..

I think a lot of what is missed on really low budget films is Production Design. Having a good Production Designer on board and good Production Design is key to creating a believable world. That said, if the script's bad, then no amazing work from any other department is going to be able to fix that.. No one keyu element is going to make a movie better, but rather the combination of all departments working at a high level to bring it together.

 

[2001 Productions]

I can, however, totally understand why people don't like him.

Oh, and I'm a huge Danny Elfman fan

Since I brought up Burton's name I should probably clarify: it's not that I don't like him -- on the contrary, as I said before I think he's a visual genius. Nearly every technical aspect of his films is flawless, Elfman's work included, and few can surpass his creativity and vision (Gilliam). Unfortunately, Burton seems to select scripts solely on the basis of the opportunities they provide for him to create his visuals. This harkens back to the other thread and the topic of weak scripts versus great ones, and Ray's image of the dog turd with the candy sprinkles on it.

(Full disclosure: I forgot about Big Fish, so that makes 3 of his films worthy of repeated viewings, IMO.)

 

[Alcove Audio]

Burton seems to select scripts solely on the basis of the opportunities they provide for him to create his visuals.

But isn't that what a large majority of artists do? They work within a specific genre. Burton likes those quirky, fanciful stories, has a "look" that he likes and that is where he places those stories. Spielberg, for the most part, loves the huge sweeping epics as the setting, even if they are intimate in the way he deals with the characters and the situations. And Hitchcock was very "narrow" in his choices of subject matter.

Whether you agree with those choices or not is a different story. I find Burton to be very entertaining. And let's face it, that's what a director is supposed to do, entertain their audience. It is the mark of genius that entertainment can be art in the truest sense of "art" but those folks and pieces of work are very few and far between.

 

[JoshL]

That's a good way to put it Alcove. There are lots of people in film renowned for their versatility, but there's no reason to expect that out of everyone. George Romero is not likely to do a victorian romantic comedy anytime soon. I think the argument that people are really making is that his stories seem thin on the ground. But that's because that particular style of story doesn't necessarily connect with them. But, as you say, it's the style of story he gravitates towards because it's what fulfills him as an artist.

Black Sabbath? They're a TERRIBLE country band!

Addendum: 2001, I definitely agree that Gilliam is worlds better (and one of my favorites too). Gilliam is an outsider, and in his own world. Burton, for better or worse, knows how to share his world with others. Look at novel adaptations: Burton did Big Fish and Gilliam did Tideland. Tideland is one of my favorite films...that managed to offend 80% of the people who saw it (my girlfriend thought it was an amazing wonderful film that she never wants to see again). I imagine if Gilliam had a commercial sense, his films would be a lot more like Burtons...and I'm glad that he doesn't!

 

[2001 Productions]

But isn't that what a large majority of artists do? They work within a specific genre. Burton likes those quirky, fanciful stories, has a "look" that he likes and that is where he places those stories.

I have no problem whatsoever with Burton's genre. I adore quirky, fanciful stories when they are stories worth telling -- Terry Gilliam is my favorite living director. Burton's films are very successful and Gilliam's aren't, so I'll freely admit that I'm in the minority, but I said at the outset that this may be my opinion alone in the entire universe . Most of Burton's films bore me because the scripts are so dull. Same with Michael Bay. Visuals alone do not carry a film for me.

Spielberg's movies tend to have more sophisticated plots (with some exceptions -- War Horse was gorgeous but predictable as hell) and Hitchcock's material was quite sophisticated in its day.

p.s. -- I'm probably just nostalgic for the days when audiences actually appreciated thought-provoking entertainment versus the empty spectacle that dominates the box office today. (Old fart should just STFU.)

 

[Alcove Audio]

I love a good action/adventure film, even a just so-so bang-bang-shoot-'em-up. But I can't stand gross out comedies; I like my humor a little more sophisticated. For instance, I really like Abbott and Costello (word play) and can't stand the Three Stooges (too violent). One of my favorite comedies is a film many don't even consider a comedy - "Being There."

And I'm all for films with meaning, but I watch movies for the same reason most people do; escapism. Life is tough and I just like to turn it all off for a while.