So it turns out? I SUCK

Jason Adams

Jason Adams

Section Moderator
Thats right after many years in this business and now almost 2 years as a full time production company owner I realized I have hit an artists plateau. It was easier when I worked for someone. I was always learning new things from other artists I worked with. Now that I am on my own the greatest challenge has become to grow as an artist and a film maker when I am the only one I work with.

I have come to the painful realization that my work is good. It's technically safe, fairly creative and by no means make me say wow that is really something.
Clients are happy, but not blown away, the phone still rings, but I am not happy with the work. I need to increase my skill sets and invest in myself as an artist.

SO....

Can anyone recommend any good resources. ( books, tutorials, online training courses, Boot Camps (thanks Mod Squad), workshops, consultants, or voodoo witch doctors that give magical film making powers.

DVXUSER is the most consise wealth of information I have ever found on film making, but I am looking for some new resources outside this site and maybee even some thread links I have not seen before.

Here are the areas of discipline I a looking to improve.


Avid. - 10 years on this platform and I would still like to become more efficient with work flow, asset archiving, and media management.

After Effects. Mostly motion graphics. I don't have a lot of need for VFX craziness.

Cinematography. Not just existential conversations on the craft. Some real world examples. Camera blocking diagrams, explanations of how but also why. I love what Hudson does on his site. Stuff like that, but that also breaks down the devices used to light a scene.

Photoshop - I am a complete begginer in regards to Photoshop. I have used Corels products for years, but now PS is so nicely integrated into so many applications I need to develop this skill set. I would love Andrew Krammer like tutorial on PS.

Compression - This in my opnion is an overlooked art form. It is also the step that defines what so many of our projects will look like to the rest of the world. I use Sorenson Squeeze but would be happy with any resources that explains the how and why of compressing for web and dvd.

3D - I would like to incorporate 3d logos and elements into motion graphics. Beyond Zaxwerks stuff. I don't really want to model photoreal Ferrari's or make the next first person shooter. I want to integrate 3d elements in motion graphics. Preferably on a platform that would be easy to learn.


Thanks all for your input.
 
in my experience it's not just the need to learn - but also the motivation and permission to take chances.
When working for clients its easy to fall back on our old tricks, to be safe, so that the work will be 'good enough' and the client will remain happy and hire us again in the future.

I know it's tough to find the time - but I would highly recommend trying to do some personal work that will allow you to experiment, try new approaches and techniques, and most importantly give you the permission to fail. Come to think of it, you should seriously consider doing something for the next DVXfest.


I know - not the advice you were looking for.... but it's the only advice I have at 2am.
What are you gonna do?

:)
 
Jason, you have looked at what you need to work on and, you are the only one that can say it.

That takes guts and honesty with one's self. But, it also takes guts to accomplish it. Do it. You are halfway there. Because recognizing it is half the battle. (Cliche, I know, but it rings true).

Luis is right, even at 2 am! LOL Find a way to be able to "play around". Maybe your paying clients won't want it, but find a little time to shoot something to play with and experiment.

You have been doing this 2 years? Getting PAID? A lot of people would like to be in your shoes right now. So, you are doing something right, even if you are unfulfilled. Keep that in mind, when you say "I suck". Apparently not as bad as you think you do. You are your own worst critic.
 
I don't see how you can tackle all those things at once. So how about picking just one? In terms of bang for the buck I suggest improving on lighting. Isn't that someone's definition of a DP? Someone who paints with light? If not, it should be. Buy more lights and improve your skill set. Experiment, read, study, apprentice, whatever it takes to learn more about lighting then apply it. Become the god of light. Beautiful lighting is ummm...beautiful actually.

The one man band thing is confining. Perhaps consider hiring a helper or intern to help you carry stuff and set stuff up.
 
How severe is the problem?

If it's a simple matter of not being inspired (creative block) sometimes the best medicine is to walk away for a little while and do something else. Fishing, rock climbing, basket weaving - whatever floats your boat. If you can take your mind off the same old cliches and bag of tricks that you rely on on a daily basis then you open the door to create something new. Note - Walk away means whatever your paid schedule can accommodate, a week or maybe just a couple of days.

If you feel that you've hit a ceiling then you should challenge yourself as Luis said. One thing to consider is to take a course in Design. A good instructor will do a lot of the things that Luis mentioned: encourage you to experiment, think about problem solving, try new approaches and allow you to fail. Think of it like a creative personal trainer.
 
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I would second taking courses in design. Design principle courses often have a number of applications in what visual artists like ourselves do... and a class will be a good place to try things and get community feedback. Perhaps there is a community or technical college nearby where you could take just a couple courses? Same with your interests in expanding your knowledge of specific software. There are TONS of photoshop classes, you just have to look.

Go to conferences that revolve around video production. There will often be workshops where you can learn tricks from Pros.

Set a list of personal goals, and take like 3 days off of work and bury your head in a book and in some software.

Also, perhaps on a future project, that's of a decent budget, bring in contractors/freelancers to do scriptwriting/directing/shooting/editing/etc and watch how they work. This will give you the chance to evaluate someone else's work to your own, and you could possibly learn some new tricks in the process?
 
I'm on board with a lot of the above mentioned. You need inspiration. That spark. Whatever it was that really excited you about doing all of this before, it's that essence you need to capture again. You can't wow yourself with technical expertise, you need to see these fantastical images in your mind (whether they be visuals, moods, moments, emotions, whatever) and then make them a reality, and when you do that, and compromise NOTHING, you will sit back, look at your work, and say "wow". Not, "wow that lighting's really great", or "wow that visual efect is so real," but instead, "Wow, THAT is EXACTLY the moment I was going for,". If it turns you on, and you really feel it, chances are it'll turn other people on. That's your true goal.

Resources? Movies you've NEVER seen before by artists you've NEVER heard of. More resources? Your favorite movies of all time.
 
Are you sure it's not inspiration you're looking for?

Why not make a video blog recording your search for inspiration? ;)

Maybe what you need is to get up and out. The obvious move is trying to find new people to collaborate with, but perhaps traveling a bit and doing this at the same time would be more effective. Maybe travel around and collaborate up with DVXuser members all around...

Of course this would require time and money.
 
I never considered it to be lack of inspiration. I have been crazy busy. I have been traveling extensively this month on shoots. I have actually spent 3 full days editing in my office. I started Sunday night at 11:pm and went home on Wednesday afternoon.

Maybe my work load to inspiration level is out of whack.

I really appreciate everyone's feedback.
 
I'm of the opinion that an artist can't do great work until he garners a healthy disrespect for his art. Treating it with too much reverence will create work that is safe and dull. Look at every aspect of your craft from every direction. Question everything. Come up with your own way of doing things. I recently watched a documentary about the great cinematographer Chris Doyle (Hero, Chungking Express), and he fell backwards into cinematography without any training and learned his own way. At one point, he thought maybe he should go to school, so he went for a semester and promptly left, realizing he was better off sticking to his approach. I realize this is not at all what you asked for, but there it is.
 
I'll give good advice, but you gotta really understand, so listen carefully :)

Everyone will be giving you the obvious answers, so I'll skip that. I'll move onto the deeper issues you've raised.

To truly surprise yourself, to surpass yourself, you need to step outside of yourself. If you do not step outside of yourself, you won't ever truly surprise yourself, because it'll still be you. If you merely upgrade your skill set, it will simply be a fitter, improved, upgraded you, but it will still be you. You will never surprise yourself this way.

But how can you step outside of yourself, when anything that you think of is really coming from you, so in a deeper sense is always "you". The answer is you can't - by yourself. What to do?

This is where creative strategy enters. Other artists have faced your dilemma - obviously. How did they solve it?

Here's how Brian Eno solved this (with Peter Schmidt): "Oblique Strategies". Originally, it was developed for painting and the visual arts, but he used it very successfully for music. Many artists have used similar methods based on the same underlying principle.

The principle is that there is a mechanism (in Oblique Strategies it's the cards) that forces you to move in a direction you could not have possibly thought of on your own - because it is based purely on chance, and so is not predictable - and being unpredictable it is necessarily outside of you and your box and therefore truly surprising.

Of course, ultimately on some level you still maintain artistic control with your unique personal imprint - but you can take this process as far as you wish (some artists have taken it quite far, like Jackson Pollock).

I personally like the 5th 2001 edition, but any will do. Just google "Oblique Strategies" for an explanation on how to use it, and how to get them - I like the actual physical cards (which I bought from Eno's e-shop), but there are also computer applications that use them etc.

Now think about this more deeply and go step outside of yourself. Surprise yourself!

Good luck!
 
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Dude- I'm always down on my self when I start a new film.

As soon as I get ready to shoot I think, "Man this will not turn out good, I'm to amature"..."Do I need to go to film school?" "I think I will."

Then when I get to making the film more and more till it's almost done, (Including post work) I get more motivated and I get more confident about my work.

Just how I've been for a while.

Robbie
 
Fascinating concept, Corpse.
I'd never heard of that before - just googled it
(and found there is actually an app for the iphone and itouch that will randomly choose a card)

Very interesting.
 
That's some deep stuff Corpse, I'm going to have to do some more reading on that... Thanks for sharing - very interesting. Kinda makes my head spin, but interesting...
 
I love learning new apps and programs. In fact it quite often lifts me out of the doldrums. For AE, PS and even some of the other programs check out Lynda.com or Totaltraining.com.

Right now I'm switching to the Mac from Premier based editing systems and am loving the training. It's getting me excited to edit again, not because I love the Mac platform, but because it's totally new, totally challenging. A year ago I decided to learn Cinema 4D, which was a total kick and I spent months every night poring over training videos and playing with pieces and parts.

I also highly recommend taking a creative writing class. I've been through college a couple of times (BS in Theology and a BA in History) and i found that creative writing was the most fun thing I'd ever done. Always fun to think differently, look at things differently and express it in a new and interesting way.
 
OldCorpse said:
I'll give good advice, but you gotta really understand, so listen carefully :)


The principle is that there is a mechanism (in Oblique Strategies it's the cards) that forces you to move in a direction you could not have possibly thought of on your own - because it is based purely on chance, and so is not predictable - and being unpredictable it is necessarily outside of you and your box and therefore truly surprising.
Click to expand...

Hey no fair! You opened the secret sauce, gave us a whiff, then quickly screwed the cap back on and put in back in the frig.

I'm from generation IG (instant gratification) and I want the recipe now! Google my A**!!!!!!!!!!
 
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