I’m 15 Ive decided my goal in life… i want to be a movie director. A lot of movies just put me on this path: Star Wars, The Godfather, The Shining, Goodfellas, The Wild Bunch, Reservoir Dogs and Lord Of The Rings(2001-2003)
My Goal is to take my ideas and my style and inflict Peckinpah esque violence and Scorsese Style storytelling. Is it better to take the Robby Rodriguez approach or do you take the “film school brats” approach? I was wondering if any “Indie guys” or film students could say the pros/cons lol
alright i know this post was selfish so i encourage others
[quote] Is it better to take the Robby Rodriguez approach or do you take the “film school brats” approach? I was wondering if any “Indie guys” or film students could say the pros/cons lol
[/quote]
I say if you want to make a movie MAKE A MOVIE! Like QT says “Dont wait for the time to be right, just DO IT!”.
These days if you want to make a film, you could do it alot easier than back in the 70s or even in the 90s. You should save your allowance, job $$ and get a Digital Camera, get a Mac and just start working on your movies. If your 15, your lucky because you can start early on the right path. By the time your my age you could be at Sundance showing your first feature.
thanks!!! you are coolness personified ToothPickVega
the problem is, people (like me) have too high expecations in the results of their first work.
people should just get outside, and shoot student films, make 10 minute short films, just test your skills, shoot funny stuff and gain experience.
then if you have a cool story or idea, get some friends together, throw some bucks into a pot and make your first little film. show it at student film festivals, at school, in town…
what sucks, thats my personal opinion, is the still very high price of equipment you have to pay. I mean, the stuff is so cheap, everyone can make a movie nowadays, but its still tons of money you have to pay if you’re a student.
example:
- digital camera ~600 dollars
- digital-editing capable computer or mac ~ 2000
- cords, discs, batteries, lighting, recording equip ~ 500
adds up to ~3000 bucks. thats a lot of money.
did i forget something?
we are not robert rodriguez, we won’t sell ourselves to laboratories to get the money together…
[quote]
adds up to ~3000 bucks. thats a lot of money.
did i forget something?
we are not robert rodriguez, we won’t sell ourselves to laboratories to get the money together…[/quote]
3000 bucks is peanuts! All you gotta do is a) get a job, b) goto a bank and get a loan, you can pay it off in small amounts over a number of years. My computer was 3000 + bucks, I bought it in 1995, I paid it off in like 4 years no problem. Now its a piece of junk, and I gotta get a new one 
If you cant get a loan, do what Kevin Smith did, get a bunch of credit cards and charge the shit if you have to. But either way you gotta get a job to pay for it. Thats not a big deal.
Bottom line is, if you REALLY want to be a director and make movies you’ll find a way to do it. Don’t whine and bitch about it, get off your ass and make it happen.
Toothpick’s right. I mean, if somebody REALLY wants to make a movie, they just gotta get out there and do it, even if they do lose money in the effort. It’s the same as the music industry, in a way (at least, from my experiences). You play music and you travel from town to town and you don’t get paid right and you end up losing money but, at the end of the day, you could give a fuck, because you’re doin’ what you love to do and what you wanna do. Fuck tomorrow, Pulp. Get a job, drop the cash, and have a blast. If you have a job, GET STARTED! You don’t have to make a full feature film. And if you want to take that route, you don’t have to do it all in one shot. Q.T. shot “My Best Friend’s Birthday” over the course of two years or somethin’. Nobody expects it to be good, or perfect. It’s basically just experience…like “My BF’s B-Day”. Like I said, live life for today. You almost HAVE to if you’re a starving artist, because if you worry about what’s gonna happen in your life if you fail, like, “What if things don’t pan out…I never went to college…I’ll be eatin’ dog food when I’m 65…blah blah blah”, you’ll never get anywhere. Throw caution to the wind and get out there and go for it, kid. And when you’re finished, send us all a copy so we can congratulate you on your great achievement! Later.
M.W.
aight great advice guys um how much is a camcorder lol
I was watching a show last night on Tech TV and this kid wanted to get into making movies, but he didnt know how much it would cost to do it. Turns out a guy from Tech TV helped him look for the cheapest stuff to get started it came out to: 700 bucks!!!
He had a video camera, Computer with DVD burner, Editing software, a few other programs and he was in business! Very cool!
I say if your gonna make movies seriously, get 700 or 800 bucks and go out and get the cheapest stuff. Its about you using your ideas and talent in the end to make a good film.
This is 2003, ANYONE CAN MAKE MOVIES ON THEIR COMPUTER!!!
Watch some older b-films and get some ideas from them. The future of film is in your hands! 8)
me and my buddies made a little “catch me if you can” (literally!!!) film in school.
we had amazing ideas for cutting and cinematography and it became a nice funny thing.
i think i’ll buy a camera this year, as well. just have fun shooting some shit
Well, I’m not majoring in films but I do like movies. I have film equipment but the one thing thats holding me back is the editing equipment. I have some pretty good ideas for making movies…heh no actors…heh.
Well, prince, it doesnt cost that much, say, a Dazzle Mainactor or an Adobe Premiere. You can always ask for volunteers at a local high school. What are your ideas?
Not that it matters, but here’s my opinion.
Passion for a shitty movie doesn’t make it not a shitty movie. Don’t get me wrong, you should put art before money, I agree. But even the most “truly dedicated to his art” painter has to buy good paint, dig?
I dig, but some people just don’t care. If the sound is shitty and the picture is shitty yet the editing/cinematography/story/mies en cen all woked amazingly well, then to some people, that’s all that a movie needs. The rest is could be concidered moot or just shit Hollywood movies use to have a clearer picture.
I can see where people are coming from with that. However, I’d still rather make my movie the way it was meant to be-even if that meant waiting and playing a little bit of corporate ball.
If your serieus about making a movie buy a better camera!! 3ccd is the way to go!! looks fucking pro…
get a cheap ass illegal copy of the best editing software you can get your hands on and start fucking filming/experimenting…try out different editing and shots so you get better and better and hope you re gifted…cause making a movie is one thing, making a good one another…just experiment and evaluate your work…dont expect to be as good as one of your hero directors…If I started painting, I wouldnt expect to be a second dali, van gogh, picasso either!!
this isnt the same thing but it relates, im trying to make an illustrated book, kinda like how a kids book is loaded with great illistrations, but it will contain themes of suicide and other dark topics with illustrations going along with each short poem or story. i just graduated with a mojor in art and a minor in piano, ive allways been creative. i just want to do this before i loss sight of what made me love art and its too late. im working a shit load and have the money for a computer and stuff,but whats standing in my way is reality. in reality im saving up my money to buy some land then build a house and get out of my parents basement and live happily ever after with my girlfriend. but i will try to get this done, and once i get started ill ask some of you guys what you think of the images i come up with and the poems too. just look at it as an adult childrens book.
My suggestion is this:
Goto film school, or take a ‘Film Studies’ program at a university or college. They will teach you all the necessary things you need to know, when producing, directing, editing etc. a film.
Let’s face it, not all aspiring directors are going to be directors. That shouldn’t discourage you from going after your dream in life, you should go for it, though. I think it’s best to be practical, and also learn how to a bit of everything, at least to land yourself a job in the film industry. Plus, you never know, it’s a great way to establish connections when you want to direct your first movie.
[quote]My suggestion is this:
Goto film school, or take a ‘Film Studies’ program at a university or college. They will teach you all the necessary things you need to know, when producing, directing, editing etc. a film.
Let’s face it, not all aspiring directors are going to be directors. That shouldn’t discourage you from going after your dream in life, you should go for it, though. I think it’s best to be practical, and also learn how to a bit of everything, at least to land yourself a job in the film industry. Plus, you never know, it’s a great way to establish connections when you want to direct your first movie. [/quote]
Yep, that’s the way I see it. I think often one doesn’t know what one is best at unless you have tried or at least seen a greater spectrum of possibilities.
For that reason film school is not a bad idea, I guess. And an absolute beginner like I am would certainly learn something new and useful there.
Screenwriting is something that you can easily accomplish without investing a lot of money but I don’t have the character traits necessary to do so.
I always get frustrated after I have an idea or even written a few lines because I realize that my work is just a subconscious copy of my favorite movies and stop immediately. Also I have to be in the right mood, I can’t write on command. And I am hardly ever in the right mood …
hey i’ve got a question. I want to become a director when I get older. What are some good schools (preferably in Canada) or what courses do you need to qualify in?
[quote]hey i’ve got a question. I want to become a director when I get older. What are some good schools (preferably in Canada) or what courses do you need to qualify in? [/quote]
Any of these schools have good film programs:
Ryerson
University of Toronto
Canadian Film Centre
University of Vancouver
University of Alberta
Toronto Film School
As for what courses you should take in high-school that would look good?
Writer’s Craft
Photography
English
Film History
Director’s Craft
Drama (maybe)