Looking for answers

[Josh23]

Hello all, my name is Josh. I came across this site and thought it was a really great resource for future filmmakers but also a great hangout for those who are already well versed in the filmmaking process. I think it's great how seasoned pros take the time out to help the up-and-comers. I have a question and it is aimed toward anyone who can give me some good advice. Me and my brother decided about a year ago that we wanted to go in a different direction and find our passion in life. Our passion was movies, we have always loved movies and especially horror movies. So we decided that we wanted to make a career out of our passion. We wanted to become filmmakers, we however had no idea at the ridiculously high prices of Film Schools. So, at the suggestion of a friend we started reading books and for the past year we have read every book on filmmaking we can get our hands on. We've started writing, and we purchased a dv camcorder to hone our skills. My question is this how do we know when we are ready to dive into actually making feature films? It's a very scary proposition for two guys who only a year ago were working regular nine to five jobs. Also when shooting home projects on your dv camcorder how can we get into the feel of an actual shoot, how can we hone our skills to better simulate a real life film shoot. Any advice the great people on the LBHFS have will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Josh Cartwright

[scitek]

You know what? You pose an interesting question that I have actually never thought of. I'm thinking now as I write this reply of how my future will work out... In all honesty, I have nothing going for me. I have no prior experience in the field, aside from working for a couple of years as a Production Assistant at a crappy little local TV station. I have no technical training, just a little in lighting and camera operation, so...why go into filmmaking at all? I've toyed with the idea in my head ever since my days writing horror short stories for my high school newspaper, but I always thought I would go into a "real" job, like engineering or something. After a couple of years going to a couple of schools, and washing out due to lack of any initiative or interest, I looked at where I was headed, and what I loved to do. The main thing I could think of was that I like to entertain people.

I have started with a couple of shorts. "The Moviegoer" was a completely improvised short that I used to mainly experiment with pacing, and comic timing, not to mention the basic premises of storytelling. It's gotten mixed reactions from people, but hey, it's my first EVER film. Any positive comments and I consider it a step in the right direction.

I'm currently working on RNG (Run n Gun), my second short, and my first with a decent quality camera, and is still being shot with experimental sound techniques. However, I've learned a few things from my first outing, and will hopefully convey a more thought-out and compelling story since I actually have a script this time.

I think the time that you make your first feature is really dependent on the individual, and amount of drive and confidence in your work you have. If you make some money on a short, (or maybe get lucky in the lottery or something) rent some equipment, hire some real trained actors, make sure you have all of your priorities in order, and just do it.

Remember, too, that some people just aren't cut out for feature length films. The format of the short film works best for storytelling for some people's style, and some people may just make shorts to help them achieve a career in commercials or music videos. It doesn't always have to be a feature to be a movie, all that matters is the entertainment value.

[ThePit]

Features are very hard, time consuming and expensive to complete. And if you don't know exactly what are are doing, IMHO it is not worth it...

But in no way am I saying you should pack up that camera and go back to your 9 to 5 job. In fact, get that camera out and start shooting everything in sight.

For me, before I ever even thought about gathering any crews together to shoot, I wanted to make sure I had the knowledge to rush in to battle so to speak. So I read everything I could find on the Internet, books (hard to read a whole book while still in the store, but some places don't mind ) and I talked to every filmmaker I could find (everyone has a friend of a friend they can contact). Next I got a camera and shot everything from landscapes, to real people and so on, getting a good grasp on angles, shots, motion and the like.

After knowing the basics, I would recomend shooting/editing shorts (start really short with 1 to 5 minute films and then slowly make longer films). Making shorts is a great way to see what works/doesn't work with storytelling and pacing. Along with getting a large variety of samples which you can eventually use for a reel (and for some real backing/funding), making shorts compared to features saves you cash, builds a network with more actors/crew and is a great way to learn by trial and error.

Have you been working on any projects/writing any scripts?

-Ritchie Steven

[horror4ever]

Where are you guys from? If you live in the area I have some information you might be interested in.

[DIMWIT]

Josh,
No matter how much experience you have you will forever be honing your skills, if this is your passion jump in with both feet. If your ultimate goal is to make feature length films then work at just that. You'll find that the pacing is different between short and feature length films because of the amount of time you have to unravel the story. Feature length is a beast of it's own. Feature length films on an independent level can take quite a bit of time to plan. My suggestion is to write a feature length script, rewrite it, and rewrite it again. Your going to put your work through the fire, and while your doing that your honing your writing and storytelling skills. Start smaller not shorter. Go with simple ideas, simple locations, props, and actors. It's quite a lot harder than you think it is to get these things underway. But that is Producing and Directing. Then after you have an idea of what your story looks like in your mind you start with the technical stuff like camera tricks and editing. You'll do test shots to see what the scene will look like. It will be very time consuming but in the end you'll build up the endurance for you next test. THE NEXT PROJECT. Good Luck, Josh

[fearmaker]

It sounds like you're making a good start, reading everything, practicing with your own camera, that sort of thing. For some, film school is where they get the education you're learning now, others would rather put that film school money into equipment and learn at their own pace. My only suggestions would be to surround yourself with people who are more experienced, smarter and more talented. It's not an insult. I live by this philosophy because I find I learn faster from people who've been doing something longer than I have than I do from people who have about as much experience as myself. Absorb everything you can from those people and you'll get smarter, more experienced and it can help you really explore your creative side.

Secondly, get yourself on a good sized indie set. I say indie because you can get lost in big budget studio sets and never learn much, sometimes even be forgotten about LITERALLY! I remember in college getting on a few sets and wind up in a room somewhere, left for hours. Being a novice I didn't have the courage to see if anyone remembered where I was for fear of leaving my post. But on mid-sized indies you can find yourself a PA one day and moving up the ladder quickly out of necessity. Plus the crews are smaller and it's easier to see and hear what everyone is doing. You're less likely to get put a hundred yards from set blocking traffic.

Seriously, look on Mandy.com, find productions in your area, take a few weeks off and work for free if you have to. It's the best way to learn and once you see how more experienced people are doing it, you can decide if you're ready to do it yourself. Good luck!

[bchilindron]

Filmmaking, as with any trade, is a learned craft. However, you do not need to go to a major university, or any trade school for that matter, in order to learn it. You two did the right thing by buying several books on the subject, but “hands on camera” will give you the experience you need.

If you’re planning to shoot a feature length the first thing you need is a GREAT SCRIPT!!! That’s the key between a good movie made on no budget and piece of garbage made for millions.

Good luck to both of you,
Bernardo