What the hell is wrong with me !

I

Inu

So i started out pursuing my "passion" in film making just over a year ago. Within the first few months i produced a handful of crappy short videos, just having fun with it and learning the trade. And then suddenly, my work mode just died out. Completely.

I have everything a beginner filmmaker could need and more! Good camera, Good audio Kit, Good lighting kit set, high end PC with editing software etc. This has all been gathering dust for the most part of the year!

I believe that my passion is still there. I still daydream about creating epic cinematic videos that ooze out high level of emotion but whenever i sit down to try and generate some ideas, i die out. I constantly watch high quality short films which ends up burning a fire of inspiration and motivation. But again as soon as i sit down to start planning a film, it stops.

I just can't seem to get myself to plan a film, i feel like i don't know where to start and that i'm no way creative enough. Lack of available shooting locations as well causes a big hindrance to me. I always fail to try find some way around that.

Is there something wrong with me? :|
 
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While you wait for the "inspiration" you should play with your toys.

Set yourself a mission to build some stock footage. Shoot the moon every single night from exactly the same spot/angle for a complete cycle. Get stock crowd footage, or wildlife, or....

Spend some time with your audio gear. Record crowds, vehicles, wildlife, construction and anything else interesting that you hear; build your sound library.


When I was a musician I practiced every single day - the basic scales, arpeggios and standard exercise books. Then I would move on to practicing whatever songs and styles applied to my current gig. Then I would move on to something different; for a while it was New Orleans Blues, then Rag Time; for a while it was even Gregorian Chant. As a synth and sampler player I also spent a lot of time emulating saxophones, horn sections and string sections, and figured out that programming had a lot to do with the emulation of those instruments as well as specific playing techniques. These days I build my personal sound library, recording sounds in the field and then mangling them in Pro Tools with all my plug-ins. Beside the practical building of my sound library it also gives me foreknowledge for my sessions - if I do X to Y with a plug-in Z will happen - speeding up the process, which is important when on the clock.

The point is that you should be doing something film related every single day. If you write, write for an hour every single day. If you're a shooter, set up a shot every single day. If you're an audio type, record something every day. If you're a sound or visual editor play with your post toys.
 
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Inu, just because you have a 'passion' for filmmaking doesn't mean there's no hard work involved. Your passion is WHY you put up with the drudgery, the setbacks, failures, the feelings of inadaquacy that everyone feels at one time or another. But the successful person is the one who always climbs 'one more mountain', no matter how tired they are. When I first started writing (way back in the 70's) I picked up a little piece of advice that has been true in every venture since.

"The art of writing is the art of applying
the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair."

And it's okay to daydream, but do it AFTER the work is done.
 
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ChimpPhobiaFilms said:
What about doing the Film Riot monday challenges?

And every time you don't do one, you have to put $10 in a jar, then donate it to a charity.

Or your good friend Chimp :D
Click to expand...

You know what? That's a great idea. It will give me a reason to film and help me learn a lot in the process. I think i'm definitely going to give that a try. I will dig up the first ever Monday challenge they did and work my way up from there.
 
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Have you considered that you haven't found the position you want to do in filming? If you're passionate about filming, you may not have found the right position that works towards your strengths, and lets to hide your weaknesses.
 
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