Deep thoughts on filmmaking

N

natob2

Well-known member
I don't know how many on this board care about "making it". And this really isn't intended as a topic to define "making it". For the sake of this topic, I will define it as making a living as a filmmaker. So with that in mind, I want to say something about "making it" as a filmmaker.


I just recently had a long chat with a friend who is an aspiring actor in Los Angeles. This guy is experienced, educated and driven. He's got the "look", a good reel/resume and appears to have what it takes to make it as an actor. Only problem is, he's simply not making it. So we got on the topic why he is not "making it". I work as a producer. Every time I begin a project my priority is to find the right director for the project. I have an unbelievable amount of options available to me. People on the outside know it's a competitive business, but when you're on the other side of the table, you just wouldn't believe how much is out there.

I encourage every aspiring filmmaker on this board to find a way to set themselves apart from the pack. This is not just achieved by working hard. It's about working smart and creating something different. If you don't, you'll just blend in with the pack, and what a dense pack it is. Apple's famed ad campaign "Think Different" couldn't be more right on. If people think your nuts in your pursuit, you're probably doing the right thing.

As for my friend the actor, he's off to find a way to set himself a part.
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

Yeah. In my business, we say "if you can't find anyone who hates what you do, you are probably doing something wrong".

Being different ultimately means you piss people off, which is fine as long as its not malevolent. I think that vast majority of people are really not that different but pretend to be or like to think they are (Yes, master, we are all different - Life of Brian).

Which is to say - I agree with you.

J.
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

Making it.

There is nothing I would want more than to be able to make films 'Full Time Everyday' and to be able to support my family doing it. Becoming Spielberg would be a gift from the gods but my sights are set on just making films; I have this peculiar evolving dream to become the Roger Corman of San Diego.

Direct to DVD Horror/Sci Fi and Action Films with the highest possible quality in execution. I like the idea of working somewhat outside or on the fringe of the industry (hence OUTLAND?).

Making it. Hmmm..
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

I think ulimately, if I had the choice, I'd like to "make it" like Robert Rodriguez or Sting. Both of these guys put family as priority number one and have the influence to create the time they need to do their work and not impact too dramatically on their own family life.

Being away from my wife and kids for extended periods of time is not at all appealing to me although I am passionate about filmmaking....there lies the rub.
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

Hudson, nice dream, keep it up! I too have a similair dream... I just want to sell DVDs, theatres would be nice but what a political nightmare. DVDs are where it's at.

natob2, what exactly does this pack look like (i.e., they all do this & this, etc..) and what are those differences that in your opinion are different?

The strength, the only real strength any of us have outside the hollywood industry is our freedom. Freedom to be creative and tell stories the way we see fit. That's something no one in hollywood can afford to do. This is our greatest ace in the game, IMHO.
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

Good point 10s.

Shooting for a DVD release gives us the freedom to basically say what we want without a studio telling us what to say. Don't get me wrong; if it ever happens I'm not going to run the other way although I will approach it cautiously.

disjecta

I have the same issues regarding my familia. I do not like being away from my wife and son at all. Going back to my 'San Diego Corman' dream; I'd shoot everything in San Diego or nearby Mexico. (If posssible)
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

[quote author=10s link=board=Offtopic;num=1105391219;start=0#4 date=01/10/05 at 14:24:13]
natob2, what exactly does this pack look like (i.e., they all do this & this, etc..) and what are those differences that in your opinion are different?
[/quote]

I think the up-and-coming director Pes is an excellent example of setting yourself a part. His work speaks for itself. It just stands out big time. Http://www.eatpes.com. I also was impressed of how his work got to me, and how he introduced himself to me, and in addition just the aggressiveness of his representation.

As far as the "pack" goes. I think innovation is the inverse of the "pack". And this does not just apply to the work, it applies to how you get your foot in the door. I might goes as far as to say it's more about your approach to selling yourself, than the work in itself. Both though are very important.

Why is there so much crap made in Hollywood? (ie "Dude Wheres My Car", sorry if I offend any fans) 1) Because people sleep around 2) Because very often the lesser talented are the more aggressive. Unfortunately, aggressive will often conquer talent. I have nothing to say about the sleeping around though. That's a matter of your own principles.
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

What we all need is to take stock of what we have & work within those limitations. This way we can't make excuses. That's what Rodriguez does, no excuses just make movies....in other words, go for it, Don't get too hung up.

We all have these DVX cameras, some other gear, etc..enough, what we need are killer stories and then the rest will happen.

What most everyone including Hollywood has getting in their way is a good story. A Hot property is what Hollywood is all about. If you got one, you're set...problem is nobody knows for sure if one is hot or not.


Disjecta, myself & many others have the Seattle area, it's full of excellent locations, just check out his nature stuff, spectacular! Everyone else has their special place in the world...and it's exotic.

For me it's difficult to see everyday locations as exciting because ... I see them all the time. To someone from another area...it's exotic!  the same applies to everyone, take stock of what you have & use it.

Hudson, San Diego has excellent possibilites.

You like horror...all you need is for someone's everday normal life to go tragic.

Single mother & baby lives a few miles from the outer regions of town near the border, her live-in boyfriend is a border guard. Say a terrorist bio bomb is broken while a terrorist is crossing the border, say by interdiction with US border guards. The bio bomb material lodges in the DNA of a few guards and it dramtically alters behavior, looks, etc... over a few days,.they go to a doctor, hmmm...they change, their ancient canibal DNA memory is initiated....now they need human flesh!.... Now the story starts....run for it because, they got guns, the law and now they're hungry.....there you go..... ;)  mother & child escape....blah blah blah...

OK,OK......what ever!!!!!  it was a good attempt,,,but not too fresh, but I bet it could be pretty good with some work. Afterall, most film stories are very simple.

My Deep thoughts on Film Making....create great stories that take the audience on an emotional journey that is fresh and gives them a peak life experience. That's a lot to accomplish.
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

Great post, 10s.

I just managed to get my favourite movie, Kolya (1996 Oscar for best foreign film), at Barnes&Nobles this weekend. I agree with what the screenwriter said - most great stories have roots in real life - that's when a lot of people can identify with it. That's why the Greek mythology is so alive - the gods have very human-like traits. I am sure when the old Greeks were re-telling the stories they always used something they'd heard or seen in the real life.

It's the art of seeing the extraordinary in those stories that make the difference between a casual observer and a great storyteller, I think - same as seeing the exotic in your everyday locale.
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

natob2 thanks for interesting reply. Aggression wins out over talent. It seems that the agressive & the Sleepy ;) have a way of getting somewhere as the cliche would have it be.

Maybe the needed change is with the process. Maybe this is where the new hot producers & directors will come from.

If producers are seduced by slick sales and sex even though they acknowledge the good film makers aren't of that style, why would a good producer invite that sort of thing into their professional life? That's inviting trouble, & hey dude, where's my car!

The only reason I can see is that it's easy, or maybe producers don't know how to reach out and find the talent and build the team to get the work done. They can learn to reach out & find the talent....it's a new age.

I use to do a lot of consulting in the corporate world and saw the agressive getting the trophy even though many times what they offered was simply helium. I felt then as now, that if some one is dumb enough to buy into these sucker punches then they deserve the Darwinian outcome. No one will remember, Hey dude where's my car? :) what a mess, but they still talk about Lawrance of Arabia. History has a way of disposing of a time periods grabage while preserving the good.

What story will we write with the life we choose?
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

JerryXCheck, very good point, seeing the extraordinary!
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

And your story about corporate BS hits close to home. It's not just film - I think it's most notorious because it's such a high-profile industry. The Darwinian outcome, indeed.

J.
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

It isn't called 'the casting couch' for nothing.

Once you start making movies by committee (which is what Hollywood does), the creative edge is usually gone. Occassionally the right people in the right places can rescue a weak project. A perfect example of this is 'Legally Blonde', which, if you watch the extra stuff on the DVD, you realize the script was weak. Reese Witherspoon, her costumer, her hairdresser, and the DP made the movie more than it looked like it was going to be if you judged by the script.

Conversely, a movie like Starship Troopers took a great story and mutilated it.

A producer friend of mine capatured it when he said, 'Nobody in Hollywood knows how to make a hit movie.' What he means is, that the process that the big five studios have evolved for themselves doesn't guarantee that any given project will make money. There's simply too many cooks in the kitchen.

The indie producers don't have to report to a cabal of investors, they don't have a timetable, nor unfortunately, do they have any kind of quality control. But we finally have a tool which enables us to rattle the bottom of the 35mm cage, the DVX100. Suddenly filmmaking is available to Jethro and whoever else can afford the camera and the time to learn how to use it properly.

This can only mean that the overall quality of movies will improve, as a rising tide raises all boats.

What was the question? Oh yeah, making it. I recently realized that my next commercial job is going to pay for all of the investment I've made in this hobby, and at that point the hobby goes into the black. As far as I'm concerned, I've 'made it.'
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

Great, speeedbump!

Is it also going to pay for hiring me as your DP? ;D
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread!



Now if you will excuse me, I'm off to aggressively sleep around. ;)
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

[quote author=10s link=board=Offtopic;num=1105391219;start=0#9 date=01/10/05 at 17:32:24]Maybe the needed change is with the process. Maybe this is where the new hot producers & directors will come from.

If producers are seduced by slick sales and sex even though they acknowledge the good film makers aren't of that style, why would a good producer invite that sort of thing into their professional life? That's inviting trouble, & hey dude, where's my car!
[/quote]

The fact of the matter is that other than Mount Rushmore-esque pursuits, filmmaking is just about he most expensive artform out there. Studio execs and their producers live in constant fear because of the costs involved in their craft. As mentioned earlier, there is no forumula for making a hit movie. A 40 million movie can make $10 million, or it can make $200 million. Who knows until it hits the box office. VERY scary.

I don't think we are going to see things change with Hollywood or how movies are made. This is in part due to movies getting more and more flashy and extravangant due to consumer expectations. This board reflects that. Twenty years ago how many filmmakers could make extensive use of optical effects, 5.1 channel sound design and other extravagant things we now take a little for granted in the digital age? Here it seems everyone has their hands in doing slick After Effects work. Yes, I know the tools are WAY more accessible these days, but good AE work for example takes tons of time. Time=Money. And why are we all doing all this slick compositing and titling? Because audiences have come to expect it.

I guess I am a bit of a conformist, as well as a realist. Yes, I dislike Hollywood, that's why I am not there. Still my realist side accepts it and kind of craves to beat it at its own game.

It may seem bad that the aggressive end up winning, but I kind of see that as much as a "talent" as say creative talent. I respect a super-aggressive midly talented filmmaker just as I respect an athlete who has the aggressiveness and heart of Rudy.
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

[quote author=speedbump link=board=Offtopic;num=1105391219;start=0#12 date=01/10/05 at 18:11:21]
A producer friend of mine capatured it when he said, 'Nobody in Hollywood knows how to make a hit movie.'  [/quote]

SO TRUE!!! And add to that most of the pinheads in the striped suits LOVE to find an original idea in the indy field (after it has "proven" itself to a certain extent), make it with big money, then claim they have made something "different" and "original"! Gag me with a film can!
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

[quote author=John Hudson link=board=Offtopic;num=1105391219;start=0#2 date=01/10/05 at 14:01:39]Becoming Spielberg would be a gift from the gods but my sights are set on just making films; I have this peculiar evolving dream to become the Roger Corman of San Diego.[/quote]

Actually, I'd probably be pissed off if I found myself in Spielberg's position. He's pretty much trapped by being Steven Spielberg, if you know what I mean.

So, yeah, a Roger Corman would be much better.

Dan
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

[quote author=GenJerDan link=board=Offtopic;num=1105391219;start=15#17 date=01/11/05 at 06:05:13]

Actually, I'd probably be pissed off if I found myself in Spielberg's position.  He's pretty much trapped by being Steven Spielberg, if you know what I mean.

[/quote]

Yeah. I'd find the billions in personal wealth highly constricting.
 
Re: Deep thoughts on filmmaking

Mo money, mo problems. I just hope that Woody and Steven don't start up the east coast/west coast thing again... the last thing we need in this industry is more body bags and tribute albums.
 
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