I Love Filmmaking...

seanmcleod

seanmcleod

Well-known member
That's it, that's all...

There's always so much talk about this technical spec or that technical spec, what cameras are coming out, their pros, their cons, what lenses are better, and all sorts of junk. But for the past couple of hours I've been watching some shorts on here and all over the web, and it's truly amazing.

Think of how many people are telling stories now, think of how many people have the opportunity to tell these stories. Look at the quality of film being created by your neighbor Gus' short film he did with his $800 consumer camera.

Film is an unbelievable medium, mixing sound and image into a powerful and moving piece of art that speaks to people on a whole other level than mere entertainment, when done right.

And we have the power to do it. Even the most modestly budgeted filmmaker has the opportunity to tell a story, have it look and sound great. There's always the debate about how technology and the internet have affected the industry and the art, but how can it be bad? Sure there's a lot of crap out there, but think of all the amazing films you've seen through this and other forums that you would have never enjoyed if all these advancements didn't happen.

It truly is an exciting time to be a filmmaker and I hope reading this motivates you as much as the last few hours has motivated me to start the next project now. Not tomorrow or the next day. Start your next project NOW!

If it isn't clear, I love filmmaking...
 
if only half of them would include 3lines of dialogue i'd be a happy viewer. of course this is how i want to see a movie.
 
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The best part of it, is seeing it work at the end, or at least getting close to how you saw it in your mind. The process can be a game of torture. Who will break first. You or the film....... Now that said, I guess it's that way for most people who try to strive for the best possible results in any career.

Anything good, never comes easy or painless!

I Like this quote from Dorothy Parker " I hate writing, I love having written"

If I could, and it was possible; just pipe the visuals straight from my brain to a recording system. Then I could bypass all the logistical Bullsh*t you need to go through to get a film actually made. This way, the idea would be what you imagined. Still you would have to come up with a good story that was compelling, or it would be boring gibberish, like a bad novel.

It wouldn't be easy, no more than writing a novel is easy. Since this would be pretty much the equivalent to writing a novel, just you would be writing the story with your visual system and recording it instead of using words to tell it.

However, like many great writers, they hated the process of writing. They also would say that they had no choice; they had to write. They needed to get it out of their head. The same goes for filmmakers, musicians, painters and any artists I would believe. You need to get it out. So you endure the torture of the process to do so, hoping you get those happy moments along the way, while letting loose the wild energy from you mind to another medium. What ever that medium may be.........

That's way I see it...............


Michael Pappas
http://www.pbase.com/Arrfilms
Facebook & Myspace:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Pappas/573417404
http://www.Myspace.com/PappasArts
Arrfilms@hotmail.com
http://www.PappasArts.com
 
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PappasArts said:
I find the process laborious, stressful and simply not fun. The best part of it, is seeing it work at the end...
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A thousand people and a thousand different views. For me the best part is figuring out how you're going to tell a story. Once I can see that something is going to work out (And that might mean just seeing the footage on the camera, or it might mean going as far as a very very rough cut) -- I lose all interest in the project. They say the last 20% requires 80% of the work ("They" might just be 1 of my friends...it sounds good anyway), but for me it also requires about 160% of the motivation.
 
I eat, breathe, and sleep in it and happen to love every process down to the long sleepless nights.
 
The whole thing is a process, and there are stressful and downright depressing moments in that process. And yes, usually the end result is the most gratifying. But filmmaking isn't about having a film under your belt, that's film-having, filmmaking is the process of making a film, from conception to completion. And there's no greater thrill for me than seeing a project through from a thought in your head, to having a group of people putting it together, to editing it, to having a completed work.

I think you may enjoy the process more than you know Pappas, and if you could make a film from a stream of consciousness I don't know that it would be as gratifying in the end. Anything easy to do ain't worth doing, or something like that.

And if I completely off base here and you truly do despise the process, and want to create from your head, then there's an easy answer. Learn animation!
 
As a former animator I resent that it would be easy or just comes straight from the head without any processes. Animation is pretty hard work.
 
seanmcleod said:
Learn animation!
Click to expand...


Did animation years ago.

Animation is no more easier. The Filmmaking process is a MEANS to an END! It's telling a story your doing, and that's the hardest part ( doing a damn good one of course ). The problem is, the story is complete in the mind, however now getting it out and translating it to a medium is the laborious conflicting matter do to physical obstacles like actors/casting , cameras, money, lighting, locations, food, scripts, sound, music, etc etc etc to bring that story out. You make films, art, music, you name it, with you mind, not in your hands. The hands are just the unfortunate physical barrier that gets in the way of the pure creation, that was in your mind. That's the torture! Story creation ( whether a novelist, screen play writer or filmmaker ) is never easy, ever! It's a form of mental torture to get it out. Getting around, and close to the vision you saw in your mind, is the toughest part. IMHO


Michael Pappas
http://www.pbase.com/Arrfilms
Facebook & Myspace:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Pappas/573417404
http://www.Myspace.com/PappasArts
Arrfilms@hotmail.com
http://www.PappasArts.com
 
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i suppose it's different for everyone. hardest part i see is getting the money to make it happen. everything else with a good crew is easy.
 
I wasn't insinuating Martti that animation is easy, just saying that if you want a stream of consciousness workflow that would remove some of the roadblocks live action filmmaking presents. Not cheapening it's value or it's difficulty. In any event, this was not intended to be a thread about whether or not filmmaking is rewarding, or hard, or what creativity is.

It was a thread stating that I love filmmaking, if you don't, that's fine, I was referring to my personal experience. Michael that doesn't cheapen or lessen your experience/views or make them any less valid, just makes the process different to us. And that's fine.

But I'll say it again, I love filmmaking! Rock out with your... you know the rest.
 
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