Is it better for a protagonist to be motivated by action or dialogue?

[Guest]

Oh when I say 'Oh okay thanks', I am just trying to be polite and thankful. I felt if I didn't say it then it may come off as if I wasn't thankful for the advice.

Maybe build a list of 5-10 polite phrases and alternate them for more variation. Also read about repetition and variation in art and design. Repition even in visual art can get less effective as it is used more and more.

 

[JimS2]

Oh okay, I won't keep saying it that way then.

Well I first get a line producer to help with the budget, and then try to attract all the right people to the project. Then maybe it will go a better than I am thinking, and maybe I they help with a lot of things I am worrying about then, with their expertise.

 

[Guest]

Oh okay, I won't keep saying it that way then.

Well I first get a line producer to help with the budget, and then try to attract all the right people to the project. Then maybe it will go a better than I am thinking, and maybe I they help with a lot of things I am worrying about then, with their expertise.

very true. good thinking.

 

[David Saraceno]

As an adjunct to what Paul expressed earlier:

Proverb
a camel is a horse designed by a committee

An expression critical of committees — or by analogy, group decision-making — by emphasizing the ineffectiveness of incorporating too many conflicting opinions into a single project.

 

[Barry_Green]

Oh okay thanks. I guess I am just afraid of the budget going to waste of course if things turn out wrong. But I will try to follow my instincts as best I can and make the movie and hope for the best. If people will want to be part of the script of course. I was having trouble attracting people to it before, hence why I made changes. But I can try to shop it around more.

If you don't know what you're doing, don't spend any money. NEVER spend a single penny on filmmaking that you aren't willing to lose.

And if people won't work with you on no budget, then do it without people.

Do something on your own. Entirely by yourself. Remove all the variables and all the problems. Make a stop-motion film, or an animated film, or a one-man show. That way you remove every obstacle against success, and you don't waste all your money.

If you can make something good and entertaining, by yourself, then you can use that to attract others to your project. And if you CAN'T make something good and entertaining by yourself, then you sure as hell can't make something good and entertaining when you add the myriad complications that people and locations and money involve.

Make something you think is entertaining, and show it to us. We'll tell you if it's good or not.

 

[combatentropy]

So if there are no actual formula solutions to the problems, and the problems are always going to be different on a case by case basis, do filmmakers not know if something is going to work, and just hope for the best normally?

"Nobody knows anything. . . . Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work. Every time out it's a guess and, if you're lucky, an educated one." --- William Goldman, Adventures in the Screen Trade

 

[lambert]

First off take a breath. Don’t spend money. Lots of respected established filmmakers put major limitations on personal projects. Whatever camera you use will be an artistic choice. Doesn’t matter, pixel cam, vhs, whatever. Maybe you have to film yourself or semi employed buddy / uncle who quits after a week because you stop feeding him beer. No biggie just do a chuck from happy days first season, they just ignored the fact that Richie had an older brother And never mentioned the rest of seasons. Audience didn’t care. Assume everything thing will go wrong and just roll with it. At the end you’ll have spent eight bucks and you’ll have a film you made. And you’ll be a filmmaker. Maybe you’ll never show it to a soul which will be fine. Don’t spend anything, use the public access equipment. But finish the film.

 

[JimS2]

Oh okay well, it's just before I was told I need better acting and cinematography and so I thought I would have to spend money on those. The biggest thing that has been keeping me from making it this year is covid, so I am waiting for that to die down, but thought it would be trouble getting people interested without spending much money though.

 

[Alex H.]

Oh okay well, it's just before I was told I need better acting and cinematography and so I thought I would have to spend money on those.

And we’ve now circled back around to this again. What you need is more experience. Actual, hands-on experience. Barry gave you a solid direction to get something done, and without spending money. You won’t get experience by continuing these endless threads.