Are you happy with your entry?

filthrich said:
Puck, You changed composers? Glad to see you got them both knocked out. Now when can we upload these suckers?
Click to expand...

Yeah, Francesco's schedule changed suddenly, so as great as he was I had to find someone else. Thankfully Damian helped me out. That will be 4 projects we've worked on together now...
 
With a few caveats,
first time narrative film,
first time using 35mm adapter,
first time working with Japanese actors,
...yeah, it could be worse!

But I learned a boatload and am really looking forward to the next film.
 
Also, my only real goal is that someone will hopefully see what I have made, looked past some of the flaws and hopefully sees some potential inside of me and will anticipate what I will come up with next. I don't think any prize can be more rewarding than something like this. I just want to make films and entertain.
 
I'm happy in some ways yet unsatisfied in others... I think much of it boils down to resources, working with essentially no budget is difficult and I'm just not going to get the time nor equipment I need to get what I'm seeing in my head. There's always trading, always sacrificing from the imagination, but I guess I get frustrated when I feel like I'm sacrificing too much at times. I'm also probably the toughest critic on my own work. I've let myself down a few times, that's common, but I've yet to surprise myself, not once; to be honest, I've yet to even meet the standards I want to hit. I'm still seeing mistakes, many of them...and thankfully I'm still seeing how to fix them. The day I get stuck on that is the day I'll start to worry.

I've always looked at the work I admire and felt that in some way, I'd have to do better if I were to ever make it. I watch movies like 'The Thin Red Line' and say to myself, "now that's a real world war two movie..." granted, they have money and resources but I don't think that's any excuse. I still have much to learn and this project reminded me of that yet again. And sometimes you overcome one mountain only to realize there's now three more in front of you.

I'm still waiting for that one particular piece, the one where I get exactly what I envision. I think maybe that's the only way I could ever be truly happy with a film of mine. Maybe it's because I'm an extremist and a perfectionist. Perhaps I'm destined to be unsatisfied to a degree... That thought troubles me yet simultaneously comforts me since it means my work will never be done and my learning never complete.

This isn't meant to take anything away from my crew or cast. They are working under the me, the director, under my guidance, their efforts capped by my abilities... This is a strict, personal vendetta against myself.

On a more positive note... this is the film I'm most happy with to date, of all my films :) Hopefully that counts for something...
 
I'm not sure it's for everyone, but i'm pretty happy with it. it's exactly how i imagined it, and would have intended it (even though it was created with a lot of improvisation and spontaneity). It's really simple...
 
Geoff_R said:
I watch movies like 'The Thin Red Line' and say to myself, "now that's a real world war two movie..." .
Click to expand...

I'm also a Malick fan...a HUGE fan, haha. I'm sure your film will be quite good. I know I look forward to seeing it. We're all our own worst enemies in criticism, and most feel that's the way it should be. How else would we continue to progress? We've all just got to learn and remember breathing techniques, tea, perhaps yoga and some meditative cd's, and then we'll find balance. *meditates* :)
 
When answering a question like this, "Are you happy with your film?" I can't help, but quote David Mamet " You basically make the film three times...you write it, direct it, and edit it." Each one those stages you make certain amount compromises. The goal is set out to make a certain type of movie, but, film is more organic then that, and you have to adapt.
 
adapt or die.

Mamet was right and everyone should take that quote into consideration.

It may look great on the page, but once you get to location and have to deal with the actual space and do blocking in the scene and around equipment.... it changes. Actors lend their voices and their interpretations and then throughout the curse of the day, you;re tweaking here and tweakign there to make the scene work. Then you get to editing.. and you realise: this part doesn;t make sense.. let me just move it around...

its madness! sheer madness!

I think I need some more coffee....
 
i am quite happy with the work in our film. though i have NO idea how others will gauge it.

but i love the process. seeing things go through writing to shooting to the final edit is a complete joy. i don't see it as a series of compromises. i see it as a continued evolution of a product finding it's true voice that myself and others created. i live for this stuff.
 
seductivepuppy said:
i am quite happy with the work in our film. though i have NO idea how others will gauge it.

but i love the process. seeing things go through writing to shooting to the final edit is a complete joy. i don't see it as a series of compromises. i see it as a continued evolution of a product finding it's true voice that myself and others created. i live for this stuff.
Click to expand...

I'm also smitten by such a process. Truly wonderful.

Also, I watched Refrained on your youtube page. I really enjoyed it! Strong performances. Looking forward to your entry in this fest.
 
for me its simple. did it happen at all?

it is the coolest thing in the world to come home after finishing a shoot. to think that a few hours before i had nothing. now i have the hard work of several people who trusted me to go somewhere different ( in my current flick's world - completely different ).

as for whether i am happy with my film... yeah, i am! are there things i wish to change? SURE!!!!
 
I am just happy that we finished our project -- unfortunately, we have to cut it down to 6 min. we worked on this for some time now and it's a story that i've never seen before.
 
Geoff_R said:
I'm happy in some ways yet unsatisfied in others... I think much of it boils down to resources, working with essentially no budget is difficult and I'm just not going to get the time nor equipment I need to get what I'm seeing in my head. There's always trading, always sacrificing from the imagination, but I guess I get frustrated when I feel like I'm sacrificing too much at times. I'm also probably the toughest critic on my own work. I've let myself down a few times, that's common, but I've yet to surprise myself, not once; to be honest, I've yet to even meet the standards I want to hit. I'm still seeing mistakes, many of them...and thankfully I'm still seeing how to fix them. The day I get stuck on that is the day I'll start to worry.

I've always looked at the work I admire and felt that in some way, I'd have to do better if I were to ever make it. I watch movies like 'The Thin Red Line' and say to myself, "now that's a real world war two movie..." granted, they have money and resources but I don't think that's any excuse. I still have much to learn and this project reminded me of that yet again. And sometimes you overcome one mountain only to realize there's now three more in front of you.

I'm still waiting for that one particular piece, the one where I get exactly what I envision. I think maybe that's the only way I could ever be truly happy with a film of mine. Maybe it's because I'm an extremist and a perfectionist. Perhaps I'm destined to be unsatisfied to a degree... That thought troubles me yet simultaneously comforts me since it means my work will never be done and my learning never complete.

This isn't meant to take anything away from my crew or cast. They are working under the me, the director, under my guidance, their efforts capped by my abilities... This is a strict, personal vendetta against myself.

On a more positive note... this is the film I'm most happy with to date, of all my films :) Hopefully that counts for something...
Click to expand...
Geoff, I've seen your work, man, and you're really good! The film with the couple that starts off with the guy running (robbed a bank) because his girl ends up with a terminal disease? That was a great film - loved the action, because those are the types of films I like to do. So, I'm a fan and I'm sure this film will be awesome as well. Will we as filmmakers ever have all the resources and pieces we would want? Probably not, so we just go with what we have and have access to. That's what makes us "indie" and what makes us what I consider, Artists.

I plan on entering this fest. if I can get my film finished and edited the way I want it. My last shoot was yesterday and it could not have been worse as far as the weather goes. It was supposed to be sunny and 62 degrees, but it was more like 40 with a 25 mph wind. Ridiculous!! That's Oklahoma weather for you, but, we got through it (with no useable audio) and from what I've seen so far the footage looks pretty good. I was determined not to rush on this shoot, because I did too much of that on the last one, but alas, there's never enough time and I had to rush several shots anyway. As a director I've looked at footage before and thought it was great until I had to put it together (edited the footage) and discovered there was not enough coverage or there was a really great shot that I had to cut, because it didn't fit.

So, basically I think my shots are fine, but won't know until the last edit is done or when somebody objective can tell me it sucks or not.
 
Note to self and others: Never attempt to go hanheld with an adapter, no follow focus, and no shoulder mount while shooting subjects that move around a lot.

Hangman was a tough one. I'm not too happy with but some parts of it are cool.
 
I'm quite happy with it. It really is almost exactly what I saw in my mind when I first thought it up. I'm very happy that I didn't compromise ANYTHING on this project. I was an insistent pain in the a$$ every step of the way. :)
 
I dont see how any of you people entering could not be happy.

Forst off, you found the time and people to shoot a script, thats an achievement in itself. Secondly, you all put yourselves out there for other forum members to critique your piece, good, bad or ugly - that takes guts.
 
I'm happy with my film but I am happier because of more things.
First of all I discovered you all! And I met Alex Whitmer, that is much for me because he writes very well and it is other style then Romanian scriptwriting. Hope I will have him in the future

Second, is the first time that I'm entering a fest.

When I was preparing shooting I realised that I have to work this film as an American one. That means movements of camera, good sound....

Actors were very good!!! Romanita "LaDiva" (as Karla), my university colleague was very excited when i proposed her to act this character. Alex said "she is realy as I imagined her"!

And Alice (as Annalise) also did a wonderful job at only 9 yr old.

As every of us I learned a lot from this project. Let's give you an example. Second day of shooting (and the last). 9 PM, late in evening, we are shooting the final scene. Alice is so tired and she want to play the piano from the big living room in our set. I have to repeat with her and to make her retain and feel ger lines. Alice takes her page and goes at piano. She play her lins, singing them on piano sounds... In less then 2 minutes she learned perfectly the text. This impressed me how working with actor is important for shooting day and make him feel good in what he is doing.

So yes, calculating the (all kinds of) investments, for 2 days of shooting, I am happy with my film.

Thanks all my collaborators
 
Last edited:
Welp, I never got to re-shoot the scenes I wanted. It's going to take some heavy editing to get past that point. As long as it's watchable and comprehensible, I am okay with it. For my next film however, hopefully I will have everything I want.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top