Would anyone be interested in helping a young girl fulfill her dreams?

D

DreamBig

My name is Anna Turner, this morning my father decided he was going to help me start making films to the best of his ability. MY father has no experience in making films :) so I leave it up to the world of artists to help me. I need to know where to get filming equipment, how much that equipment costs, what it does, how many I need etc... the basics from the start really :) much thanks to all who read and my heart to all who help.
 
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Sweetie said:
You'll need to read, read, read. Just when you think you've read too much, keep on reading until it feels like your eyes are falling out.
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Bingo.

DreamBig, did you read much of those links I provided?
I don't fluff to fill a page quota.
It's nutrient dense stuff.

Don't derp-out. Read it. Till ur i-balls bleed.
deadhorse.gif
 
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Preplanning will not get you familiar and comfortable with your equipment, practice will. Once you have shot test films until you are ready to explode and are intimately familiar with your gear, preplanning and rehearsing are critical to success. For answers to most if your basic questions, search for threads started by the member "Harmonica44".
 
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Originally Posted by Alcove Audio View Post
Mistake number one - wanting to get right to the shooting. As I and several others have pointed out the first couple of projects are terrible. This is one of the main reasons, you just can't wait to start shooting; it's the fun part, right? It's not fun if you haven't planned it thoroughly.
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I completely disagree. Get right to shooting. Why wait and read and listen to others
and plan and not make movies when you can jump right in and make movies. We
all know that the first ones are going to be bad - my first 12 were terrible - so even
if a beginner waits and reads and listen to others and plans those first films will be
terrible.
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I agree with both of you. Though, it should be said that these are different points of view and in my opinion, both are correct. If you go out headstrong and make your first movie without thinking, it's going to be crap. If you sit back, plan, plan and more planning and never get anything done, you're going to go no where.

I have a preference towards waiting and being very well prepared. I suggest that you take the road where you have a healthy balance in between, unless one style really suits you that much more.
 
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Yes I do know that my comment is kinda childish and this is the main reason I say it.

Others are a bit older and a lot more knowledgeable and they try with the best of their ability to help but here is the thing . I'm 17 and there are a lot of GIRLS ESPECIALLY around me that want to become photographers and filmmakers but a month later they give up . Yes I know that she might be an exception but she could've make a great research on filmmaking , get some of the basics and then throw questions not just asking for advices and then gets mad when she gets an answer she does not like .

Directorik I know and you are absolutely right ,but I think as well that you need to read A LOT to start with filmmaking and really basic things like '' How do I make a movie '' on google would help her A LOT .

Somebody might throw a quick answer on what frames per second are for , but its not like opening youtube for instance and take a look at people who explain A LOT about that , give examples etc etc ..

I dont know its just my opinion but really shoot something with your phone and bunch of friends and see if you really enjoy it and if you are able to give up sleep and parties and all that just to edit videos for instance .
 
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Her phone does not have video capability and she has no video camera of any kind yet. She did do research on the internet and found indietalk. It annoys me when people's answer to legitimate questions are always JFGI (Just Fucking Google It). How do you think she found us?

By the same token, there is a SEARCH button at the top of the screen and I wholeheartedly encourage people to use it. I wish her, and you, all of the best and greatest possibilities in all of your endeavors. Please don't snipe at people because they ask what you think is a stupid question. We, all of us here, have much to learn and have come together to further that goal.
 
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Srsly I don't want to be the downer and the hater but I just want to shot myself in the face seeing you acting that childish wanting to make huge films
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I'm glad Spielberg didn't get your support when the young filmmaker started practicing his craft. For all we know, she's the next Spielberg in the making.

I think as well that you need to read A LOT to start with filmmaking and really basic things like '' How do I make a movie '' on google would help her A LOT .
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It annoys me when people's answer to legitimate questions are always JFGI (Just Fucking Google It). How do you think she found us?
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When I was doing programming for a couple years, google was incredible for the quality of information that was available. Most programmers are internet savvy and share their information.

It's not so good for filmmaking. Yes, there is lots of information out there. When I decided that I wanted to get back into filmmaking, I knew that I was near on 20 years out of date and there was a lot of new technology and new methodologies to learn. Back then Non-Linear editing wasn't really available. Even storytelling has changed over the years.

Anyway, on to my point. Google for filmmaking information is rather poor compared to programming. While I found it useful to find initial questions I needed to ask, the best source of free information I found was a small amount of blogs and this forum. So much else out there was people sprouting lots of information that makes no sense... or at least to me.

For filmmaking, I have found the best sources of information are training videos and books. Even among those, not all of them are created equal and a lot of them can really cause a strain on your bank balance. While the books are rather cheap, the training videos are often $200-$1k range.

Anyway, for filmmaking, all I'm saying is Google isn't really your friend. You'll find better information reading the cover pages at Amazon than from a lot of the internet.
 
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For the record... I've been seeding this site heavily with keyword search term laden articles for the past 3-4 years. I specifically vary the terms I'm using to try to anticipate searches I think may be made by folks starting out. She may well be here because of that fact. Google brings more people here now because of the quality and quantity of advice we give.

I personally welcome the questions, it forces me to think through my process every time someone new comes here. I came here with newbie questions from a google search, most likely, so did most of the folks here.

Welcome young filmmaker. When you get your camera, figure out something you want to shoot, shoot it. Screw the script (haven't written one yet -- I have others who are much better at that than I), do some little sketches showing the shots you want to get, then figure out how to get them. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.
 
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So, there you go. On to one of my favorite mantras:

Opinions are like a$$holes; everybody has one and the all stink.

Just get out there and shoot; or do lots of prep - that's the choice.

I started out in the traditional music lessons format - piano lessons at age six all the way up to becoming music director of a well-known oldies act performing at Carnagie Hall by the time I was 30. And I'm sure that we all know the old joke...

"How do you get to Carnagie Hall?"

"Practice, practice, practice!!!"

And that's what I did every single day. I did literally thousands of gigs and even more endless hours of personal practicing before I got to Carnagie Hall. So I come from the extensive preparation school of thought. I did a whole bunch of sound redesign/mixes on stuff from Prelinger and other sources before I even took on freebee audio post gigs, and a couple of years of freebees before I thought I was competent enough to charge for my services. So that's why I recommend that route, it worked for me.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with just getting on with it and making a ton of mistakes. Go with your gut, do whatever appeals to you. Just don't let the crappy results deter you.
 
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No I've never read any books about it. I've never done it. Yes girls take to photography because women have an eye for beauty. I agree with Rik, I'm not going to sit and study because experience is life's best teacher! I have bikers to work with, they probably can't act like how I want them to but you know what I can't seem to write a script that would flow naturally through their mouths so... I'll write a basic dialog idea leave it to them what words to say it with, and a story board. What are the ideas on that?
 
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DreamBig said:
I agree with Rik, I'm not going to sit and study because experience is life's best teacher!
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Not to presume what Rik meant to say, but I'm sure he didn't mean, 'don't bother studying the works of others'. If I'm not mistaken, I believe he came from a family with extensive theater connections, so one could argue he *studied* every director/actor/craftsperson who entered (that) theater. I agree that one should go ahead and experiment with the tools of the trade regardless of status, from apprentice to master. I believe Alcove and myself both brought up the treasure chest of stock paraphernalia available for anyone, and everyone, to *practice* their chosen artform.

IMO, I believe you need to study in order to understand the language of film just as readily as a writer needs to understand the mechanics of language. I started drawing when I could barely speak, but that didn't mean I understood the formals aspects of that artform (ie it's history, etc). You have plenty of time to do both, study and experiment. Trust me, it will make you a better, and more importantly, a more fascinating filmmaker. :)


I think your experiment for an ad-libbed piece will be interesting to see. Just don't expect miracles from peeps who aren't trained for improvisation....although as noted earlier, you might have come across a pack of biker thespians. :P
 
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DreamBig said:
Because to be honest I don't like books
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Then you'll fit right in this forum.

But frankly, if you're not up to doing research on your own, your upside is severely limited. I suspect your teachers have told you the same.

You're not going to find all your answers by asking in forums.

I've a list of key books that will give you at least 90% of what you need to know, but that link will be wasted.

Good luck.
 
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What are the ideas on that?
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Try it. If that works for you, then repeat. If it doesn't work for you, then find some other method until you find one that works for you. For me, it wouldn't work. That doesn't mean it won't work for you.

I'm not saying he did but I'd rather experience teach me than a book!
Because to be honest I don't like books I like experience though
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You're going to be up for an interesting life.

Paraphrasing: Good Judgment Comes with Experience, But Experience Comes from Bad Judgment and learning from it.

You can go through life like that. Many do. If that works for you, learn your lessons fast. For most of us, we don't have deep enough pockets to learn that way, especially in movies where people determine their investment in you based on your successes.

I personally prefer to learn from other people's mistakes which they've already learnt the lessons and dispense their advice in the form of books and tutorials. You'll need to do the same by choosing the right people and somehow convincing/paying them invest time in teaching you.

You're not going to find all your answers by asking in forums.
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Well... you can. The question really is: Are the answers that are given right?

There's a couple of site members that come to mind that seem to try to solely learn everything from this site. One has a problem that everyone seems to take advantage of them and another seems to be learning, but the learning curve is fairly shallow. The problem with this forum there's probably no teachers amongst us and even if there was, I doubt anyone would have the patience or motivation to spoon feed you everything. It's not something you want to hear, but I figure, if you really want to be a successful filmmaker, you'll do anything needed to make that happen. Books are such a simple way to learn, but I suppose if books aren't in your equation, you're not willing to do anything to make it happen. Guess that'll reduce your chances where your chances of success are probably less than 10000:1 already.

I hope you take this as motivation to either step up or find an easier life.
 
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DreamBig said:
I don't understand everyone saying my first films are going to be horrid.
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I never said that. I don't subscribe to that pessimism, not even slightly. Your first film can be F-ing awesome! To this day, I'm still proud of my first film. But I wouldn't be proud of it if I had made it today, after years of practice.

If you picked up a guitar today, without ever having played before, would you expect to sound like Eric Clapton tomorrow? Of course not. Look, your first film is not going to be anything like the Tim Burton that you've fallen in love with. Heck, Tim Burton's first films were not anything like the Tim Burton you've fallen in love with.

Like any craft, this one takes a lot of practice. You'll have growing pains, you'll stumble a couple times along the way, but you'll probably have A LOT of fun throughout the entire process. So DO IT! Have fun, learn as much as you can at every step. Pretty much everyone on this website, though many of us have been doing this for years, if not decades, are still learning something new with each and every project.

My only point, in suggesting a low-cost used camera, is that the video quality of your first few films shouldn't be a huge concern. There are so many things you need to work on that don't require a top of the line camera that a lesser camera shouldn't inhibit you from jumping into the deep end.

To answer your question about a tripod, a semi-decent tripod is going to cost hundreds of dollars. I'd say $200 is a bare-minimum starting point. Seeing as how your budget is limited, I recommend just putting up with a POS tripod, and treat it gently.

In my opinion, you shouldn't worry about having a fluid head. Panning and tilting, on tripod, to be honest, are kind of a hallmark of rookie filmmakers. That's not to say that they can't be used for great effect. I just don't recommend using them right out of the gate. And stay away from that zoom!

I'm sure there will be people who'll disagree with me, but it is my strong opinion that your first couple of films should be composed of nothing but static shots on a tripod -- no pans/tilts/zooms.

This book is pretty rad -- http://www.amazon.com/Bare-Bones-Camera-Course-Video/dp/0960371818
 
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researched and experimented first.
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This ^^^^

So important, especially the experimenting first.

I don't understand everyone saying my first films are going to be horrid.
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The craft of filmmaking is to in depth and so complex that the chances of someone nailed it right the first time is practically nil.

You like George Lucas? Look at his first film, THX1138? He even had Francis Ford Coppola to draw experience from. I just wanted to claw my eyes out after seeing it. Even his second, slightly better but still.

If you're going down the experience route, how do you think you're going to learn to make great films unless you learn by making a few bad ones too?
 
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