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

[ScottSpears]

How do you know when to try a feature?

That's a toughie. My advice is make some shorts, starting with a very short movies running under 3 minutes. Basically tell a joke or make a simple point with this short. Work up to a 10 min. short. From there, try 30 minutes. If you can handle the logistics and tells a story in 30 min. you should be doing ok. You make want to make a few more shorts and then try for a feature.

Some other advice is try to build skills in some area be that shooting, editing or some other specific skill. This way you can freelance for local video companies and gain skills in production. Now, local production companies are rarely looking for directors or producers, they're looking for grips, camera operators and post production folks, so those are areas you look at for gaining skill. I know many a filmmaker who makes a living freelancing and make their own films on the side.

Scott

[Randy Robinson]

I would start out making short films first, like Scott stated. That's how I started (worked my way up from 5mins to 40mins). I made six short films, some sh*tty some great. Then I began to work on my first feature which has turned out to be a lot more draining then a short, of course.

But, yeah, just keep making short films until YOU FEEL you are ready to start a feature. It could take months or years.

Good Luck!

[image river]

Dear Josh,

From someone who's been in your shoes.

Try starting with movies that are less than one minute long. Make a few, then sit down with some friends and make an honest analysis of your movies. Consider everything; angles, camera height, lighting, acting, art direction, wardrobe and so on. Don't just do horror shorts, do a comedy, a drama with lots of conflict, etc.

Make sure you identify your mistakes and correct them on the next film. Many people try to make 20 page shorts and end up with a crappy 20min short; if you make 20 1min shorts, I bet by #12 you're starting to know what you're doing.

Then move up to a short film that is under 5 minutes long. The truth is that most festivals won't show your short unless it's under 5 minutes; the reason is no one wants to watch 3 20min shorts before a 90min feature, right?

In between, you should be reading up on things like the 5 C's of Cinematography and Directing the Single Camera Drama; there's a million good books out there.

Also, try to team up with more experience filmmakers on their movies. One of the best ways to move your skill set forward is to adapt other people's techniques and make them your own.

Lastly, I hate to tell you this, but the thing that pushed me further than anything else was attending film school; turns out my filmschool advertistes on this website.

Sooner or later you're going to have alot of questions you'll need answers to; film school is a great place to ask those questions; and it's a great place to make mistakes!!

Mistakes are often the best learning tools.

All the best,
Matt