First Films from Famous Directors

N

notharrylume

Active member
As an aspiring writer/director I’ve drawn inspiration from directors’ first films. They typically demonstrate how originality requires only modest means (small casts, limited often, interior locations, contemporary settings, etc.) to produce great work. I’m guided by the precepts they embody. I also feel that in some cases like Soderbergh and Nolan it’s been pretty much downhill since then. Anyway, here’s my list:
· Roman Polansky – Knife In the Water
· Coen Brothers – Blood Simple
· P. T. Anderson – Hard Eight
· Darren Aronofsky – Pi
· Wachowski Brothers – Bound
· Christopher Nolan – Following
· David Lynch – Eraserhead
· Francois Truffaut – 400 Blows
· Jean-Luc Godard – Breathless
· Quentin Tarrentino – Reservoir Dogs
· Robert Rodriguez – El Mariachi (hardly a favorite)
· Wes Anderson – Bottle Rocket
What are your favorites?
  • And how did I forget: Steven Soderbergh - sex, lies and videotape?
 
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Actually, Tarantino's first feature was a very low budget film called "My Best Friend's Birthday". The original cut was 70 minutes, however, due to a fire, only 36 minutes survive.
 
El Director said:
Actually, Tarantino's first feature was a very low budget film called "My Best Friend's Birthday". The original cut was 70 minutes, however, due to a fire, only 36 minutes survive.
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Yeah, that's what they all say... what's more, the title sequence with the name Allen Smithee as director was the first to go...
 
Some of mine that you didn't list. Great talent can do alot with a little.

John Huston- The Maltese Falcon
Frederico Fellini- Luci del varieta
Robert Altman-The Delinquents
Akira Kurosawa-Sugata Sanshiro
 
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A list of Best Debut Picture...
Forgetting someone, are we?
welles-orson3.jpg
 
Spielberg - Duel
James Cameron - Terminator
(first that he had control over)
George Lucas - THX 1138
Harold Ramis - Caddyshack
Guy Ritchie - Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels

And I really disagree that Nolan's gone down after Following. Memento, Prestige, and his Batman movies are all great. To me he's a rival to Spielberg with lesser visuals but more interesting narrative structures.
 
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Gohanto said:
Spielberg - Duel
James Cameron - Terminator
(first that he had control over)
George Lucas - THX 1138
Harold Ramis - Caddyshack
Guy Ritchie - Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels

And I really disagree that Nolan's gone down after Following. Memento, Prestige, and his Batman movies are all great. To me he's a rival to Spielberg with lesser visuals but more interesting narrative structures.
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Damn how could I forget Guy Ritchie, Lock Stock is one of my favorite movies :thumbsup:
 
What I think is really interesting, is how did these "inexperienced" directors get into the position to direct some of these things? Those are stories worth hearing.

They may have been "first films" but they were also decently budgeted films with amazing scripts and great crews.

It's true that talent can do a lot with a little, but I'd argue these guys didn't have "a little." What people overlook is the really difficult part: getting a lot when you start with nothing. That takes true talent, a great work ethic, and a strong set of social skills.
 
While some of the first movies were made with some budgets, one of the most stunning, Following by Christopher Nolan, was reportdly made for under $10,000: 16mm black and white; natural light; no name cast. Clearly the Polanski, Lynch, Aronofsky and Rodriguez ones were made under similar conditions.

Bottle Rocket was reportedly financed by 9 "producers", each of whom contributed $200,000.

So you really have at least two different kinds of stories: shear guts, determination and vision ones; and shear chutzpah, salesmandship, connections and/or family ones (I seem to remember that Brick and Primer credits had long lists of thanks to people with the same last names as the directors).
 
I'll try and not list what's been listed already (Great choices from the posts I did read)


Oliver Stone - Salvador

Wes Anderson - Bottle Rocket

Mel Gibson - Braveheart

Robert Redford - Ordinary People

Steven Soderberg - Sex, Lies and Videotape

Doug Liman - Swingers

John Carpenter- Dark Star

George Lucas - THX1138
 
"You can't learn to plow by reading books" Rick Linklaters 3k feature shot on super-8 before Slacker.
"Cigarettes and Coffee" while not P.T. Andersons first feature (24 minutes currently, a much longer version may exist if I remember correctly) it is interesting for the fact that it evolved into "Hard Eight" and starred Phillip Baker Hall, Miguel Ferrer and Kirk Baltz.
 
lambert said:
"You can't learn to plow by reading books" Rick Linklaters 3k feature shot on super-8 before Slacker.
"Cigarettes and Coffee" while not P.T. Andersons first feature (24 minutes currently, a much longer version may exist if I remember correctly) it is interesting for the fact that it evolved into "Hard Eight" and starred Phillip Baker Hall, Miguel Ferrer and Kirk Baltz.
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The one I've seen is a little over 30 minutes I believe. I've seen it, but I cant really remeber where, it was kind of hard to find, the dirk diggler story is also floating around as well. I believe Cigarettes and Coffee was shown at sundance in 92 or 93.
 
That makes sense Brandon Todd, a cast member showed me a vhs copy of Cigarettes and coffee in early '94 (I haven't watched it since). I checked the imdb and it said it was 24 minutes which seemed shorter than what I remembered.
 
One of the best debuts I've ever seen:
George Clooney - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Also ones I haven't seen on the list:
Duncan Jones - Moon
Judd Apatow - 40-Year Old Virgin
Sam Mendes - American Beauty
Andrew Niccol - Gattaca
Spike Jonze - Being John Malkovich
Richard Kelly - Donnie Darko
Kevin Smith - Clerks
Vincenzo Natali - Cube
James Wan - Saw
Ben Affleck - Gone Baby Gone


And the one that should inspire us all..
Sane Carruth - Primer
 
^^Primer by Shane Carruth is definitely inspirational! Personally, I couldn't watch the whole thing, but i'm a fan at the same time (if that makes sense).

From an artistic perspective, I agree with most of what's been mentioned already.

However, from a purely financial perspective, I can't ignore Paranormal Activity (2009, Oren Peli).

Granted, it's not the best movie, and I probably wouldn't watch it ever again.
But, common, it was made for $15,000 and made between 10,000 to 13,000 times that in gross profits.
Same could be said for Blair Witch Project (wouldn't watch that a second time, either).

Those are anomalies, though.

Other low-budget first time financial anomalies*:

Super Size Me (2004, Morgan Spurlock) made 453.30 times it's $65,000 budget ($29,464,368).

The Brothers McMullen (1995, Edward Burns) made 416.06 times it's $25,000 budget ($10,401,506).

El Mariachi (1993, Robert Rodriguez) made 290.56 times it's $7,000 budget ($2,033,920).

In the Company of Men (1997, Neil LaBute) made 114.35 it's $25,000 budget ($2,858,661).

Pi (1998, Darren Aronofsky) made 67.80 times it's $68,000 budget ($4,610,513).

Gabriela (2001, Vincent Jay Miller) made 45.71 times it's $50,000 budget ($2,285,352 ).

These are just examples. Also, do not take into consideration other costs (e.g. distributor changes to the original).


Source: www.the-numbers.com
 
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