What's Stopping the Revolution?
- Thread starter Cracker Funk
- Start date
Did you not notice that I already agreed with you? Why you gotta be so negative?
Yes I did notice. I'm actually being positive. Firstly believing in the process that any superb film, not just good as we both agreed, well above good will rise in time. Secondly I do think there are superb cases yet to be made famous, not many as in a revolution but probably a few.
I never saw this forum till yesterday. My writing views and content and style is quite distinctive.
Now back to you. You:
- Personally attack members out of the blue
- Imply what admins should do by rallying a few others and building pressure
- Ask for members to be banned
- Bully new members
- Ask a few to join in your insults and personal attacks
- Deceitfully use whatever lies and immoral means to achieve your evil ends knowing full well I'm not whoever you are scheming to imply
Aren't you tired of being just pure evil and stupid and a mean bully with pathetic Machiavellian schemes? Don't you want to be a better person than what you became? Don't you think only then you might make something that might be slightly meaningful?
This post is actually very kind and helpful to you. You could say I'm being kinder than a mother. I want the best for you, honestly.
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I don't even smoke. You seem to be always trying to falsely accuse with whatever lies you make up in your Machiavellian petty schemes. Aren't you tired of what people think and trying to rally them to your latest petty hate campaign? You should apologise to your family and friends and colleagues too, honestly. Don't you think it's about time now for that? Try to be better, then maybe you can contribute something to the digital revolution, maybe.
If this is being asked in the way I think it is, then I feel that it is a bit misguided.
To ask this question means to ask "what should I do to make people like me just as much as they like this other artist?" Which can translate to, "what elements must I borrow from these other more profitable and well-received films to make mine attract the same attention."
I'm not exactly saying that this is the only interpretation of that question, but it's the most obvious.
Basically what I'm getting at is that if you feel that you must borrow the spark from another film to bolster your own, then you are simply falling back into the same trap as many Hollywood producers and executives do when they want to ride the gravy train that a stand-out movie managed to start up. And so you begin to see a lot of copycats and imitators copying the look, the mood, the style, the atmosphere, the stylistic elements of costuming, setting, music, or artwork, etc. Until eventually the market is just saturated with stuff that is nothing but a mere shadow of what originally became the most popular. Somewhere in there you may get a film that is similar in aesthetic but different enough that it becomes its own thing, but the reason that this imitator becomes an original and likable concept unto itself is not because it does what is popular, it usually does so because its filmmakers have a particular gift and a unique voice to share that stands above the imitated qualities.
Therefore, I feel the real question you should be asking is, "what do I have to offer that is just as valuable as this other filmmaker?" "What stories do I enjoy, what images do I like to photograph, and what emotions do I like to conjure up that will make audiences appreciate the experience just as much as other popular films?"
You must develop your own style and your own vision. One should never build a film a career out of only doing what is popular or profitable, except when doing so is required to reach the next step where you hopefully will not have to.
If you yourself have something to offer (stylistic camera work, cinematography, unique production design, you specialize in a particular genre or type of stories, etc.), then that is what producers, investors, and audiences will gravitate to. If you don't have something which other people like that is inherent within your current or future developing skills and interests (as well as influences), then I daresay maybe you just aren't cut out for filmmaking. No one can stop you from still pursuing it. But then if all you do is chase the money or the fame with no regard for what makes you most happy, then you may find yourself in a very dispassionate career with very little to show for who and what you are as an individual artist.
Again, this is an extreme case. I simply wanted to fully express where I feel this mode of thinking can lead to. And I have a feeling that Cracker Funk will agree. The whole point of his topic here is to get people excited about changing the face of filmmaking and forging a new path for visual storytellers. And so you must cultivate your own original voice as much as you can.
Also, just in case someone tries to take what I say here as "ALL" I believe in: no, I am not saying that one should and can only ever do stuff that appeals to them, lest they lose their artistic originality to the corporate marketing machine.
On the contrary, I think while it is important to develop and cultivate ones own directing style, the projects one does and the stories one tells may often need to be somewhat impersonal yet profitable jobs that will have a bigger chance of getting you noticed than something entirely all your own ever would. You have to climb that ladder to success somehow, and many times it will involve taking opportunities when and where they come and pushing through the jobs you don't like to get the next opportunity that may allow you to work on a project that you do like.
And like AudioPostExpert said, it is highly advisable to not only take "calculated" risks when the timing is right, and forge a unique path for yourself that makes you stand out, but to also maximize your potential by being well-prepared and doing things (sometimes only small things) that will increase your chances of being noticed and recognized for your talents and your films.
P.S.
One of my biggest dreams is to direct adaptations of some of my favorite cartoons and video-games. So I am also not saying that one cannot become the director of some existing property. Whether you personally enjoy that IP or not, directing an adaptation is perhaps one of the best chances you have of reaching a better level in your filmmaking career, and should not be seen as something that diminishes your artistic integrity. On the contrary, it is your own filmmaking style that will add that new spark of life into such an existing property. Okay, maybe not for Uwe Boll; but definitely for J.J. Abrams, Christopher Nolan, Tim Burton, and Peter Jackson, just to name a few.
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As an example, George Lucas gained the contacts and knowledge of what was possible, of the potential of what was possible to achieve the seemingly impossible (to others without those contacts and knowledge). What he attempted was the possible, not the impossible.
It's not difficult to predict the revolution when it's already in progress!
You are! Instead of just dreaming big and attempting the impossible, you could learn about the revolution, maximise the potential of what IS possible in this revolution and maybe even engineer some possibilities ... but you don't want to do that, you want to tune that out!
Nothing, the revolution is happening right now, it's just not the revolution you're dreaming of! The revolution where mediocre amateur filmmakers earn fame and pots of money for dreaming big and attempting the impossible is not happening and it's not going to happen, no matter how hard you dream for it!! The revolution is what it is, you can either do something to be part of the revolution as it exists or you can watch it passing you by while you dream of some different, fairytale revolution.
G
It's a different kind of revolution. And there might actually be more than one all related to film.
Filmmakers from a younger age are making an impact, not only because they now have the ability to make films and the venues within which to share those films more easily, but younger filmmakers are also getting more savvy and smart with how they market themselves and build audiences. They have the tools and they use them effectively.
The artists who are getting where they want to go are ones who know how to play the game, and may even be writing some of the new rules. Not everyone will have the same results or the same luck when it comes to this, but you have to be willing to play the game to get somewhere in the business.
No, there will never be a revolution that dictates that people, with a lot of heart but little effort, will make it big, while on the other hand, popular big-budget films will be on some steep decline. This sort of idea is simply inane.
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I don't even smoke. You seem to be always trying to falsely accuse with whatever lies you make up in your Machiavellian petty schemes. Aren't you tired of what people think and trying to rally them to your latest petty hate campaign? You should apologise to your family and friends and colleagues too, honestly. Don't you think it's about time now for that? Try to be better, then maybe you can contribute something to the digital revolution, maybe.
Sweetie is a respected professional in this forum, and I can vouch for his integrity. You, Washere, are asking to be washed out of this forum, as in getting banned.
The previous few pages show how
- I was attacked with personal attacks out of the blue
- Bullied as a new comer
- Ignored the baiting by such personal attacks
- Even when one or two were rallied to join in to mock alongside
- The various name callings & false accusations increased in number & force
- Threats based on such lies to ban were made
- The personal attacks & name callings did not cease
- The few being rallied kept having fun too and saw nothing wrong with all this
- Now you threaten me too.
You who endorsed all the above.
Good luck with your media empire building dreams & your morals too. I guess you'll call it "fair & balanced 2", or maybe "Rosebud".
I don't think so.
If that's how you feel, then leave - we're not worthy of your time.
As in last few pages you too not only share those same morals, but are another one who is fund of raising a lynching mob out of the few usual suspects & telling the sheriff what to do & bullying newcomers to leave town by sundown.
Once again, hilarious. You are greedy to become a media baron? You'll have either to be a much better man and much much smarter pal, or alternatively on the path you're already on, much more evil. I don't see either in you.
Your spelling and grammar leave a lot to be desired.
I agree on this.
I expect at least one waiting in the dark to be uncovered.
(That was apparently not clear to you. I only disagree on the notion that any superbism will automaticly rise to the top. The circle in my reasoning is actually the circle a film needs to break to get to even start with rising to the top. Like Brian May once said about he early days of Queen: "To get a record deal we had to play in [some venue ], but to get to play there we had to have a record out. It was pretty hard to break that circle.")
About the revolution: we are in a post-hardware era.
Having the tools to create is no longer a privilege for just a few people, so the ability to shoot and cut is accessible to more people than ever.
On the other hand we have seen the rise of social media, so it is possible to reach out to millions of people without investing money in advertising (although the facebook algorhytm is pushing users who want to each their fanbase to pay, as normal posts sometimes reach even less than 10% of your followers).
Now all the filmmakers are trying to use those same tools to get eyes on their projects, so while it is easier than ever to produce something, it is harder than ever to get attention. Eventhough the threshold to publish has become extremely low.
But these 2 things are just the technical elements.
As marketeers say: content is still king.
And money is still a way to buy attention. Having those billboards all over town, getting a trailer on TV or as preroll are old fashioned ways to get attention, but they still work.
So, the key is to make something superb to start with.
Get the attention of people with influence, whether it be a distributor who wants to invest, or a social influencer loving the movie, so you can actually start rising to the top by getting momentum.
Having a fanbase is a good start. (And that is actually also an old-fashioned way to get attention.)
Fans are the best ambassadors. And a large fanbase might give investors the feeling their risks decrease.
All the tools have evolved into relatively cheap commodities, but it seems that the underlying mechanics of 'marketing' haven't really changed that much: new media have emerged, the formats might have changed, 'the people' have entered the 'debate' where it formerly was the domain of crititcs and advertisers only. That last change is actually word of mouth and debating movies with friends in a pub that moved to the internet, making it's potential reach far wider.
I'm also looking forwards to little gems waiting to be discovered.
Alas, I don't have the time to dig for them 24/7.
I am now on the PC, for earlier posts today which I did not type but swyped, you can send feedback to the dev who wrote the android app I was using on the phone. Needless to say I do not read the messages I type in response to personal attacks out of the blue either. Reducing the waste of time further.
http://www.swype.com/contact.html
Well it is more a question of how long it takes for outstandingly superb features to emerge. It gets a bit complicated if we develop the discussion further. There is an academic tradition in film studies with respect to film restoration as well as rediscovery. It is a huge area since the 1960's academically. The digital era for this will emerge too as research develops. The discussion here is muddy enough to stop going into further stages of what could be done.
On the subject of money, I see where you are trying to go with it. It is actually the area of production and distribution which includes marketing. I do agree many billboards are promoting movies that are crap, be it with high production values and budget muscle not to mention major marketing. Frankly some, but maybe not many, low budget digital features could just as well be promoted thus. However by saying lots of the mainstream stuff is garbage does not help indie low budget features. Which have their own sets of specific problems too. It does help the outstanding ones to emerge though.
I do think there might be a few truly great digital ones gathering dust somewhere, but I suspect not too many. Best bet is if they just stick it on youtube or vimeo. That is the best strategy for buried powerful digital features. There are quite a few discerning viewers out there who can do something about it, however long it takes for them to see it by accident or word of mouth..
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Which one do you believe? I'm with Washere here. It's just impossible to hide quality these days, I don't think it can be done. Imagine a "hit" record or song never really seeing the light of day? I know, I know- stop laughing. Impossible! That song is going to be on the radio, racking up views on YouTube, licensed to sitcoms, movies and commercials. Almost overnight. Almost. Then it'll be played out for awhile being "discovered" again in a few decades for the next generation.
There isn't an underground anymore, distribution craves HQ film, music and literature anything. So that means there's no undiscovered masterpieces out there because the pond is the size of mud puddle in a crowded town square. We can see it all.
That should give infinite hope to those starting out, if you make a hit- you're in. Not merely good but a unequivocal masterpiece.
Here's a favorite indie masterpiece of recent, you can watch for free on Netflix. It's got everything a studio spending millions has.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-5uBCIA94c
Whoah, let's all tone down the rhetoric. Be cool, hunny-bunny! I'm on my way to work, so I'll have to save specific responses until later, but I think it'd be a good idea if we all tried our best to remember that there are real human beings we're communicating with here.
APE, I'm sorry I added to the confrontational discourse that now pervades this thread, when I told you that I basically tune you out. It's not that I'm calling you a troll or anything like that. It's just that I've realized that yours and my personalities don't mesh, and pretty much any time you and I engage in lengthy conversation, it ends up with one or both of us getting upset. So, why bother? You're of course free to converse with anyone else here, but please don't expect me to engage in conversation with you. I wish you the best.
APE, I'm sorry I added to the confrontational discourse that now pervades this thread, when I told you that I basically tune you out. It's not that I'm calling you a troll or anything like that. It's just that I've realized that yours and my personalities don't mesh, and pretty much any time you and I engage in lengthy conversation, it ends up with one or both of us getting upset. So, why bother? You're of course free to converse with anyone else here, but please don't expect me to engage in conversation with you. I wish you the best.