New Director seeking advice

F

Fxguy

Member
Ok,

First of all let me admit to being a casual watcher of this board for some time now. So I am long time watcher first time poster. ANYWAYS, here is what I want to say. I am a 26 year old Pharmacy student in his last year of pharmacy school. For the next year I will be working 40+ hours per week for free, something known as rotations so I can graduate and take my boards. What I really want to do is filmmaking. I want to do anything that has anything to do with making a movie. I do not want to be "in" a movie, just make it. I have no acting ambitions. The reason I went to pharmacy school is because I realize that as a young (or not so young, depending on how you look at it) director, the only way I am going to get to make a movie is if I finance it myself. So I went to pharmacy school so I can finance my own films. So now I am getting ready to dive into filmmaking full on. So I need advice on where to start, what to buy, what to do first, then second and so on.

Most of this started when I saw blair witch and figured hell if someone could make a movie like that I sure as hell could make a movie , even one that people would want to watch. Ever since then I keep thinking, oohh, that would make a good movie, or that would be a good shot. So I started writing a witch based ouija board movie in 2000 only to really learn the hard way how much time and effort go into writing a feature length film. So I let that idea sit.

Most recently I read Story by Robert McKee and was inspired to write a werewolf/vampire/church conspiracy flick and make it into a feature action flick lasting around an hour and a half, so I figured I needed around 90 pages. This time I took the time to write the screenplay out scene by scene on notecards first. Then I started writing. I have just over 40 pages written out so far.

I also have a couple more ideas for screenplays, which I will post below and also a couple commercials in my head as well. In 1 year I stand to graduate and have a contract offer with Walgreens for 104,000/ year with a 30,000 sign on bonus. So If I take this I have 30,000 to put into my film career. I thought I would start out with a short film and then do a feature. I am looking for a nice camera that will allow me to do shallow DoF along with composting work. Something that would look good quality wise as a feature.


My questions are as follows:
1) Any producers/ line producers out there that can give some advice?
2) Buy or rent a camera?
3) With 30,000 what is the best camera to use? I am kinda shying away from MiniDv from what I have been reading and leaning towards HD, DVPRO, something I can do compositing with.
4) I can split the 30,000 and purchase a camera such as the Canon XL H1 or the Panasonic HVX200 and purchase an xserve with 6 TB storage and Shake for compositing along with a G5 quad. Is this a good idea or should I still try to rent?
5) Should I stick to digital film or go traditional film?
6) Anyone out there interested in working with me? (See ideas below, credit given, no pay unless a distribution deal is worked out (i.e. share of the profits))

I have a homebuilt steadicam (took a semester precision machine tooling class) and a camera crane as well.


Anyways, sorry for the long post. But looking forward to hearing critique/advice.

Fxguy,
Tim C
Fxguy@comcast.net
 
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Well, you did the right thing by finishing your degree first...

here is a link to my production diary for a feature I DPd last summer. The budget was around 30k.

www.emrl.com/j/greydog

This might give you some ideas of what you can expect/plan for/avoid for a feature on that budget.

Also, register your scripts w/ the WGA before posting them.

wga.org
 
Thanx for the advice. Turns out according to WGA the posts here are considered treatments/ story and are registerable, finished or not. So all story ideas here are now registered entities. This at least gives me 5 years to finish the scripts at which time I can register the finished script as well.
 
30k isn't going to get you an HVX/audio/Grip/Lights AND a G5 with an XSERVE. Let alone a feature film with that equipment. If you owned all the equipment already 30k could make a micro budget movie.

If you find a DP with a 16mm camera who knows a good lab, and the whole crew works deferred you could do a film. But then you are going to be doing effects with HDCAM and not 2k scans.
 
First of all, could someone prime me on the formats? I know this is going to sound stupid but what is an HDCAM vs a 2k scan? Isnt film at 4k? That, plus I figure the largest part of the budget is the Xserve, G5 and the HVX cam. I dont mind spending the 30k on just a nice cinema display monitor, the camera, and the editing/compositing suite. I can always pick up audio/grip/lights down the road a bit (Most likely can purchase these with my steady pay check, just looking at the 30k to be the initial investment.) Would like to make some money back off it in the end, but doubtfull with a short film, maybe with a feature. So I fig the Xserve and G5 around 3-4k each, and the HVX, if I got with that, to be around 6k. Thats around 15k right there and still have 15k left.



At least I am happy to find a forum where I can ask questions!!


Fxguy,
Tim C,
hoping for more responses
 
learn to write first

learn to write first

that would be my advice. keep the 30k in a bank, and put in hours and hours of writing shorts and feature scripts. then, when you have a couple good short scripts around 5-10 pages, find a DP that has his own digi camera and then make a short. edit it yourself at first so you learn that process, cuz it'll make you a better director. keep writing, make more shorts under 10 minutes, and if you combine that with a killer feature length script, then other people will give you money to make your films. good luck.
 
Kivong is right. Getting the right equipment is one thing, knowing how to use it, and not just technically, is another. Need more experience, it's hard to do a feature length without (and maybe you have) prior experience in film. Shorts are a great way, experiment with more than technical aspects such as sound, lighting, framing, mise en scene, but working with actors, cinematic storytelling, applying the written visuals to screen, knowing the characters understanding the scripts and WHY you use this angle or this kind of lighting, what you want to convey VISUALLY.

Now you can do this with the right equiment with 30k, but definitely imo (and havent said maybe you have) do some shorts, some test stuff, work with some peeps like an aspiring DP, before your feature grand daddy epic =)
 
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