omb feature film

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lambert

Well-known member
Kubrick, Linklater,Rodriguez , Swanberg have made feature films all by themselves. Is this a good way to learn or a waste?
 
Richard Linklater first feature was "you can't learn to plow by reading books" shot on super eight with no crew just himself. Rodriguez el mariachi. Kubrick's first feature fear and desire.
 
Sorry, but Rodriquez had actors and crew on 'El Mariachi' -- which I think was David W. Jones' point.

The production team for "Fear and Desire" consisted of 15 people: five actors (Paul Mazursky, Frank Silvera, Kenneth Harp, Steve Coit, and Virginia Leith), five crew members (including Kubrick’s first wife, Toba Metz) and four Mexican laborers who transported the film equipment around California's San Gabriel Mountains, where the film was shot.
 
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I stand corrected, been a while since I looked up the title.kinda stupid since they filmed a chunk of the film in my old apartment. I'm very aware all these films had actors in them, I guess I should have been clear and said Omb crew with cast in feature film,worth it or not.
 
I believe it was pretty much Rick and cast. I don't believe he had any significant help in post or production. This was also single system super eight so outside of cutting, post didnt give him a lot of options. He traveled by himself from Austin to Montana filming himself along the way. I get that Rodriguez had a couple of guys mix his feature. I'd argue that at least 99 percent of the non cast work was a singular effort.
 
lambert said:
I believe it was pretty much Rick and cast. I don't believe he had any significant help in post or production. This was also single system super eight so outside of cutting, post didnt give him a lot of options. He traveled by himself from Austin to Montana filming himself along the way. I get that Rodriguez had a couple of guys mix his feature. I'd argue that at least 99 percent of the non cast work was a singular effort.
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Okay, let's say for the moment that you're completely right about all 3 guys.

That's 3 people out of how many thousands who have made movies with the support of qualified crew. The odds of being successful in this business are slim enough without going out of your way to further stack the deck against yourself.
 
I reject the Conventional Wisdom about film being a collaborative effort. Today's technology has made it possible for a OMB (or 2MB such as the Duplass brothers) to make films, if they have interesting stories to tell. It is not easy, but it can be done. In a corporate environment such as today's Hollywood, the individual contributors need only be minimally competent in one area. If something goes wrong, they throw money at it. In an individual environment the filmmaker must fuse the gap between technical and creative and be really good in several areas, and competent in the remainder, only hiring out what they absolutely cannot do. If Linklater started with Super 8 sound gear (a wonderful primitive technology), then we can do it with the fabulous stuff available now.
 
lambert said:
Kubrick, Linklater,Rodriguez , Swanberg have made feature films all by themselves. Is this a good way to learn or a waste?
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That way will lead to the dark side...

You would do better to make short narrative films, and do your best, to organize, direct/write/lens/whatever to get the production as high a quality as you can.

For some short films, they can be shot in a weekend, using 'available' locations, and while there may be film permits required for 'big' productions, unless you live in the LA/So Cal area, or other major film making center, you can usually by pass the permit requirements if your crew and shooting in public are minimal...

In this way you will develop the skills required to make films...

On the other hand... it has been my biggest failure of late to be able to organize a cohesive group long enough to make 'my' films... having worked on a number of other people's projects, when it came time for my projects... the sounds of silence... cue Simon and Garfunkel...
 
RL did record sound directly into the camera, very primitive by today's standards but not unusual for the time made. I know by doing the film by himself for the most part it made people want to work with him on the next film. Swanberg made five or six feature films in 2010. Two received distribution but according to him in interviews he was glad he made all the films as they were important for his growth as an artist. One can argue his films are technically cruder than many backyard home movies but many known actors are flocking to work with him. He's getting writing and TV directing assignments and Drinking buddies was one of QT favorites of that year. I'm just saying it might be worthy of discussion. If you make films that you believe in eventually you probably will find fans that will champion your work.
 
But lets be honest here... It doesn't really matter if a film has a crew of 1 or 100. Either a film is entertaining and does what it's intended to, or it doesn't. No matter how many were involved.

If you want to make films all by yourself, then great. If you want the help of others, then great. Just be realistic about your expectations.
 
Absolutely agree David, it is about final product, that being said I fail to see the harm in making a two grande feature on ones own (as others in the past have been highly critical). Will it catapult one into a Hollywood career, highly doubt it. Will it give you a better sense of what you want to do going forward. Definitely. Many people here seem to think that a Hollywood career is everyone's goal. Not so. Fassbinder and John Stepping have talked about a cinema of "other" basically not Hollywood. Duplass brothers and others have talked about not trying to make weak imitation of Hollywood. Trying to find your own voice. Films made in this manner most likely have an extremely limited market appeal. That's fine as long as one is aware of it. No reason that the skills one acquired making limited crew films won't translate to bigger films. There are so many options for distribution today most of them not very lucrative but the work can be seen.
 
What about the idea of learning from people who know what they're doing, as opposed to the trial=and-error method?

Will you have actors? If so, will they be wasting their time and efforts for your 'on-the=job training'?

I don't understand why you want to do everything. If you're the producer, you have control of the project anyway. Why not make it the best it can be by utilizing the skills others have perfected over time? If you do want to do everything, then learn on your own. You can experiment with lighting, camera, sound, editing, etc. just by shooting short test bits. Why spend the money and the time to do a whole feature?

Work smarter, not harder.
 
This is a good topic. I am glad it is being discussed. Working alone is a lot more work obviously. I would argue that colaborations are as a general rule stronger in the end because it includes diversity and multiple peoples artistic expression rather than one.
 
I have done almost all my short films this way. It is possible, but it blows in so many ways. Forget about the post production. . .yes, you can learn all that and if you have eons to do it all well, you can do it all yourself. On set, it is very hard to light, shoot, direct, keep track of shots/script etc., and monitor sound on any but the simplest setups. If you're okay with making compromises (lighting, cam movement, etc.) you can get away with it. Or, if you realize that with higher production values, doing everything yourself is going to take FOREVER, if you have committed/patient enough actors I guess you schedule your days knowing that you're going to get one tiny setup done in an 8-hour period (or longer). Seriously, even two other decent crew guys will make this endeavor much more feasible. You can see my short films at the link in my sig. I'm not saying they're absolutely amazing, but I think they are about the limits of what one person can accomplish by himself/herself unless you the most talented person in the world (I had one other person, sometimes a few, help on "Joey and Jerome's Artistic Meaningful Independent Film" and "Every 7 Minutes". Others were all me).

I admit I have felt the pull to get back to a simpler aesthetic myself, instead of trying to make everything as slick as I can, recently. Something that could be shot in a day, maybe two, using minimal lighting (some LEDs or something to supplement the environment where needed). I mean a short, not a feature here. Just need to get motivated enough and find a simple enough idea.
 
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