when did you start?

Re: when did you start?

I agree with Pooh...lived and failed, lived and failed, gived and flailed.... however it goes. Its taken a lot of years (for me anyway) to have anything of real measure to tell, or to use on ths inside for motivation. Waht was it Dumbledor said? "It does not do to dwell on dreams, and forget to live." I always liked that one.

Terri
 
Re: when did you start?

[quote author=Dakotapod link=board=Offtopic;num=1102817159;start=30#38 date=12/13/04 at 16:05:46]
:( not very supportive.
[/quote]
Actually, she was very supportive - and I think she gave me the right advice. She saw a few film school graduates that couldn't do anything other than film. In an environment where the state had a monopoly on all film production and you got jobs mostly based on your loyalty to the system, that's not the wisest career decision.

And then she knew a lot of engineers who were working in the field because they loved it, but could do a lot beside directing or producing (like fixing things etc.)

I left it out for the story, but she encouraged me to get a 'practical' education and stick with film if I wanted.

I agree with Terri's post - what's the point of making films if you don't have a story to tell? It might well be that I am starting just at the right age ;).

It's also very encouraging to hear of other people in a similar situation. In most shoots, I am by far the oldest guy on the set - quite a few people are just a bit older than my kids. Sometime the other crew members look at me funny (what's up with the grey hair?), but who cares. Most of the time age doesn't matter, and I don't mind being a 3rd AC for a DP ten years younger than me.
 
Re: when did you start?

I sometimes dwell briefly on my age, and wonder if things would have been different had I started sooner. But then I realized that I always come to things sideways. I never would have gone to film school anyway. But the kicker is the technology. I feel like I am in on the ground floor of a filmaking revolution. There was no earlier time to start, because it's just beginning.
 
Re: when did you start?

To all "us" late bloomers, "Better late than never."

I recently realized my "true" age during a visit home to the states. My Mom and Dad took me to eat Mexican food and after dinner my Dad asked me, "Do you need some Ex-Lax?" My Mom and Dad use to ask me if I wanted a mint. Now they ask if I'm constipated. Ohh!Also, I can no longer drink cokes after 8pm or they'll keep me up.

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! >:(

Confidence lacking!!!! Must make another booty call. (I hope Bluespider picks up the phone this time.) ;D
 
Re: when did you start?

yeah, my phone number is 615-4309, sing with me 615-4309. never mind. I'm stuck in the dam 80s. PK, the first min is 65 cents each additional min is 1 dollar. I got hoes to spare. ;D
 
Re: when did you start?

[quote author=Jim Brennan link=board=Offtopic;num=1102817159;start=30#43 date=12/13/04 at 21:19:01]I sometimes dwell briefly on my age, and wonder if things would have been different had I started sooner.  But then I realized that I always come to things sideways.  I never would have gone to film school anyway.  But the kicker is the technology.  I feel like I am in on the ground floor of a filmaking revolution.  There was no earlier time to start, because it's just beginning.[/quote]
Right on, Jim! It's like in 19th century, when public education became widespread, there was an explosion in literature. The writing technology had been there for long time, but it was the accessibility (i.e., literacy) that made the literature boom possible.
Same here - technology makes access possible for a lot of people, so we are probably going to see a revolution in film making. Let's hope it won't be like in photography - everyone can take pictures, but most aren't any good. Also, with accessibility comes certain devaluation - to use the photography example again, professional photographers are having really hard time because everybody and their uncle think they can do as good or better job than a hired professional. >:(

I guess the great thing about the accessibility technology provides is that for people who are serious, and work hard, (and have talent), there are fewer obstacles for them to make good films. :)

I wish I had a crystal ball - twenty years from now, we might be producing virtual reality 3D shows projected by some holographic device right in the middle of your living room...

Another revolution is coming in the area of copyright, I think. Traditionally (in the era of oral folklore), people shared stories and passed them along from generation to generation. One reason MPAA and others are paranoid about technology is that it takes storytelling back to where it belongs - people. Sure there will be big budget blockbusters, but there will also be a lot 'I just want to tell you the story of my uncle' films, that may not make money for the creator but will contribute to our (and future generations') understanding of the human condition. That's what it ultimately is all about, I think.
 
Re: when did you start?

[quote author=Jerry XCheck link=board=Offtopic;num=1102817159;start=30#41 date=12/13/04 at 20:05:27]
Actually, she was very supportive - and I think she gave me the right advice. She saw a few film school graduates that couldn't do anything other than film. In an environment where the state had a monopoly on all film production and you got jobs mostly based on your loyalty to the system, that's not the wisest career decision.

I left it out for the story, but she encouraged me to get a 'practical' education and stick with film if I wanted.
[/quote]

I think that is awesome advice. Get the best education possible, and an undergraduate film degree may not be the best idea.

I met with Roger Christianson while trying to determine my collegiate path. Roger was and may still be a professor at USC as well as a very successful TV director, the IMDB says it all. Anyway, his wisdom made me realize that film school was not the best thing, at least for me. If you want to be successful in the industry you do not necessarily have to go to film school. He was right. In hindsight I am SO glad I did not go to film school, but I am very happy I received a good education. My education was a huge part of what has opened early doors for me in my career.

Education=credibility. For 99.9% of people, those who try to excuse not getting a good education are just kidding themselves.
 
Re: when did you start?

[quote author=natob2 link=board=Offtopic;num=1102817159;start=45#48 date=12/14/04 at 09:29:00]Education=credibility.[/quote]
That's right. At the least, it shows that you are in things for the long run, and you are used to overcoming obstacles. (Why doesn't Schroedinger's equation make any sense?)
 
Re: when did you start?

Jerry, I like your "story of my Uncle" example. (Although I am a steadfast proponent of intellectual copyright laws) I spent my first serious moments behind a camera interviewing my in-laws. I wanted my kids to know that part of their heritage. I learned more about them in those hours than I had after years of knowing them. Them knowing it was for posterity opened them up a little (Even my father-in-law, the stoic, matter-of-fact decorated Vietnam vet). THey have since passed away, and the lesson hit home hard enough that I took my camera home to NYC to interview some of my family.

The best part is, I don't have to remember any of it, 'cause it's right there.
 
Re: when did you start?

Jim, that was my point exactly. I had a very similar experience while shooting my doc (which I posted elsewhere).

Spending three days interviewing my dad and his sister, I learned more about them, and the society in which I grew up, than ever before. So much in fact, that reviewing the footage after my return put me in a slightly depressed and angry mode for a couple of days. That is not to say it's my family's fault - it's the raw onion sandwich I smelled when history burped. :(
 
Re: when did you start?

[quote author=Jerry XCheck link=board=Offtopic;num=1102817159;start=45#50 date=12/14/04 at 12:02:06]- it's the raw onion sandwich I smelled when history burped. :([/quote]
;D
 
Re: when did you start?

Started at 19 in Large Corp America in there film and video dept. Left and went to L.A. for Steadicam School. Then I bought the dam thing. Worked on a feature called "A Box of MoonLight", Some Music videos in Nashville and in Atlanta.
Shot some "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol", Cops.
Tons of industrials and then back to shooting with a Ikegami 55. Sold everything and went back to Big Corp in the yr 2000. Boy was that a mistake. Now I tinker with the DVX and miss the hell out of all the fun I use to have. :-[
 
Re: when did you start?

Went to art school for sculpture, painting, art history, graphic design, yada yada. Worked as an art director in New York for a number of years doing corporate junk and was getting really bored.

I started dating this girl who was a total tech geek and we bought camcorders and laptops and started working on video projects together: interviewing New Yorkers about NY life (how they managed, etc.), wierd videos to show at dance clubs (tall women wrestling short men to industrial music), that kind of thing. It was just something fun to do, I never really took it seriously.

I moved to Chicago a few years ago because I needed a change of scenery and to try diferrent things, like scenic design and environmental sculpture. Still, the video stuff was just this extra thing that I did just for fun...that is until just a couple of months ago.

I decided that I've been into this stuff for such a long time that I may as well take it seriously. I started doing more editing and motion graphics gigs, and I have started slowly to buy equipment as my budget will allow. Since having the camera, I've been working slowly on a few documentary ideas I've had for a while now as well as a couple of shorts and music videos for friends.

Right now, I'm wondering how long to simply try to do the indie thing and make docs and films/shorts with whomever is willing to make them with me (writers, musicians, actors, etc.)...before getting serious about going to a film school and putting myself in debt all over again. :-/

Since I'm in my early 30's, I'm trying to figure out just how serious I want to be.
 
Re: when did you start?

Ahh TC, wise beyond your years. Man you bug the **** out of me ;D
Yes, Experience.  I have a friend who goes to film school here.  He's in his second year.  We dealt with more stuff than they have even talked about.  I'm not saying film schools are bad, but it seems like most of what you need to know is available in books, forums like these, and most important, your own expereince.  I wrote produced, lit, did the boom, acted (if you can call it that) took care of wardrobe, makeup, casting, location and craft services for a 10 day shoot involving fifteen speaking parts, a dozen or more extras and ten locations. THe only thing I didn't do was direct, script supervise, and post.  I should see the finished product in a week or so.

Anyway, doing all that taught me a lot of lessons, not the least of which was to NOT do all those things myself.  I learned a truckload about lighting, sound, framing, continuity, dealing with people on the set.  The list goes on.
 
Re: when did you start?

[quote author=Jim Brennan link=board=Offtopic;num=1102817159;start=45#57 date=12/16/04 at 11:09:46] Ahh TC, wise beyond your years. Man you bug the **** out of me ;D[/quote]
Well if it makes you feel better I have to stop surfing the site to go take an english final. >:(

Very good points Jim, I agree with the make your own film technique... yet I'm going to film school in two semesters. Many people think that they need to make a killer reel, then get into the school and they'll learn everything else. WRONG. Nothing will teach you as well as doing it yourself. Take all the classes, read all the books, but get your ass out there and do it! Doesn't matter if it's good or not, because I guarantee the next one will be better.
 
Re: when did you start?

Which brings us back to the technology, at least for me.  Given the fact that shooting a film can cost you less than a couple of hundred dollars (Our expenses were mostly food, and hovered around the hundred dollar mark), there is no reason not to go out and screw up.  My first 2 shorts were about 15 minutes each, on my home video camera.  Thel cost me lunch for the actors.  I learned a ton of stuff I never thought of.  Are the films any good?  It depends on what you see as their purpose.  As something to sit down and watch for entertainment, they are horrible (unless you know the people involved, in which case it is very amusing to watch them screw up)  But as a project/experiment/learning experience they are great.  I think some of us wait to shoot until we know it all.  That never happens.  Maybe some of the people in film school think that going there gives them permission to be filmmakers.  When my brother and his wife told her parents they were getting married, his future father in law was initially a little miffed that John hadn't come to him first for his blessing (traditional family).  So after it sank in he turned to my brother and said "Well, I guess sometimes it's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission."

You don't need anybody to tell you that you are allowed to go make a movie.
 
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