Starting out....

Hawk Teflon

Hawk Teflon

Veteran
**My apologies if this is in the wrong forum, but I'm not exactly sure where this could be posted otherwise**

Backstory: I've made a few short videos with my friends over the past couple of years, but mostly when I was in college. My most expensive one cost us $12 to make (other than tapes), by us just using what we had. Now that I work in the "real" world, schedules don't allow for that. However, I started scripting out some ideas I've had running through my head as of last night. However, how I see it in my head doesn't seem to be able to pan out exactly. For example, I'm wanting to shoot at the beach for 2 important scenes. I live in Oklahoma, though. I also need to get shots at a funeral home and a high school, but I can't imagine that happening without having an "in." Last, I've never really worked on something real. Everything I've made before has been for fun, just for kicks, and characters have changed last minute almost every time. I checked craigslist to see if there were any shorts or features or what not I could learn from that would be shot out here, but I've only found one. And it's just a guy with a script. 100 pages of script that was supposed to be funny, but wasn't.

So what's the best step for me to start out? How can I find a project to work on? Oklahoma isn't really the filmmaking capital of anything. I'd love to make the short I'm trying to get out of my head, but I don't even know the correct way of doing that.
 
Hawk Teflon said:
I checked craigslist to see if there were any shorts or features or what not I could learn from that would be shot out here, but I've only found one. And it's just a guy with a script. 100 pages of script that was supposed to be funny, but wasn't.

So what's the best step for me to start out? How can I find a project to work on? Oklahoma isn't really the filmmaking capital of anything. I'd love to make the short I'm trying to get out of my head, but I don't even know the correct way of doing that.
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I think you just answered your own question. Volunteer on the bad movie. I've learned just as much if not more from making bad films than I have good ones. Most working pros work on a lot of bad films and this goes all the way to the top (for example, the same editor worked on Pirates of the Caribbean and Stealth back to back). Even the worst films though can help you learn, and if you're working hard as a crew member then you might meet someone that works on larger projects to get your foot in the door.

And for getting into locations, be honest and learn how to schmooze.
 
Gohanto said:
I think you just answered your own question. Volunteer on the bad movie. I've learned just as much if not more from making bad films than I have good ones. Most working pros work on a lot of bad films and this goes all the way to the top (for example, the same editor worked on Pirates of the Caribbean and Stealth back to back). Even the worst films though can help you learn, and if you're working hard as a crew member then you might meet someone that works on larger projects to get your foot in the door.

And for getting into locations, be honest and learn how to schmooze.
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Yeah, I've really thought about it. However, in all honesty, I don't see this thing even being shot. I've volunteered to be in the mix, but I'm not offering the use of my camera (which he doesn't have). Is that a bad idea? Should I go 'all in' and offer everything?
 
I have a scene which opens a feature before the front credits even begin that needs to be shot in Rome next to the colosseum and involves a vintage Ferrari. The fun part of this business is making unreasonable demands on yourself. I don't live anywhere near Rome and don't own a Ferrari of any kind but look forward to the adventure of making this a reality.

Being reasonable means staying within your comfort zone. That's no way to grow yourself to become more than you currently are.
 
craigbowman said:
I have a scene which opens a feature before the front credits even begin that needs to be shot in Rome next to the colosseum and involves a vintage Ferrari. The fun part of this business is making unreasonable demands on yourself. I don't live anywhere near Rome and don't own a Ferrari of any kind but look forward to the adventure of making this a reality.

Being reasonable means staying within your comfort zone. That's no way to grow yourself to become more than you currently are.
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You're right! I wish you the best with that scene, but you're right. Thanks.
 
Well you're in luck. You've already been accepted to the best value film school in the world: dvxuser.com.

I know where you're coming from. I graduated school and looking at everything I had done, I didn't feel like anything really showed the kind of polish I would want of something on my demo reel.

Write within your means. Do you HAVE to have those locations to tell the story? Could an open field or a lakefront replace the beach? Does it have to be a funeral home? Maybe you could stage a wake in a living room. If you absolutely have to have those locations to shoot the movie maybe put it on the shelf for a while. Adapt a shorter version to hone your craft and maybe, get some people with more resources to pay attention to you.

I guess the most important thing is to just keep making stuff. I've never walked away from a shoot having learned nothing.
 
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