It seems so simple from a distance, the concepts of finding the right cast, picking a crew, finding a location. But in reality, from the minute pre-production began, I was thrust into a world I had only read about or at least seen glimpses of in DVD bonus features.
Finding your cast is about finding the right person to help you create a true character. It is about finding someone who can help the words on the paper come alive.
Questions are the key to what a director does. You are like a machine, being driven from place to place. Your life is simplified
There was nothing in the books I had studied over the years before production that could have helped me.
I needed to shut up and go work. Whether it was my first time or my twentieth, I was going to make something that people would watch, something with my name on it. It would be judged whether I was a first-timer or not.
There’s some great insight that most filmmakers hope they’ll have one day. In the meantime, it’s great inspiration to keep writing, keep shooting, and keep making movies “that people would watch”.
JJ Abrams, creator of Alias, Lost, and Cloverfield gave a talk at TED. It’s a great talk and inspiration to budding filmmakers.
He started filmmaking when he was 10, when he got a Super8 camera. When he was 12, he bought a magic box which said it had $50 worth of magic for $15 dollars. He has never opened that box. The box represents potential and infinite possibility. Until that box is opened, it could be anything and your mind runs wild. That mystery is the catalyst for imagination. And sometimes, mystery is more important than knowledge. In a similar manner, the blank page is a magic box.
Stories are mystery boxes. They have that infinite potential of being anything and everything. Until you write it down, anything can happen. Even in the story, there are tons of mystery boxes. Abrams uses Star Wars as an example. We see a space ship. What’s it being shot by? Star Destroyer! Soldiers are lining up to protect a door. What’s going to come through? Stormtroopers! Darth Vader! Who’s that girl with the droid? It was a hologram! It’s Princess Leia! Who’s Obi Wan Kenobi? Ben Kenobi! And it goes on. In the first 10 to 20 minutes of Star Wars, we’re inexplicably drawn into that universe. We want to know more and more until we’re hooked. Intentionally withholding information generates that hook and spurs the imagination. We keep watching in hopes of having our questions answered.
There’s a series of online videos setup kind of like class rooms. Most of the lecturers are indies, but some have worked on larger projects. It’s a wealth of advice for any beginner filmmaker.
Mark Leung is student filmmaker out of Babson College. When I saw the first episode of “College Saga“, I thought it was cute, geeky, and creative. College Saga is a spoof on Final Fantasy. He even has the on screen blue box text speech bubbles and battle menus, music and sound. But as I watched more, it started losing its narrative focus and began getting tedious. That’s probably what you can say for most of his work. It lacks narrative focus.
One of the things I’ll commend him for is that he’s willing to throw up his experimental footage. I think this is a boon for aspiring filmmakers. Try out that new shot or technique and see how it goes before risking an entire short on it.
I have a certain place in my heart for the guys at Wong Fu Productions. Maybe it’s just cause they’re students pursuing their dreams, whatever it is, I’ll keep coming back to see what they’ve been working on.
Wong Fu Productions have a set of shorts and music videos. Earlier this year, they finished their first full-length movie. I understand the costs that it must’ve taken to get the movie made, but part of me wonders why they don’t just release it on the internet in conjunction with selling DVDs.
Some of their longer work, such as “Just a Nice Guy“, feels like it doesn’t go anywhere. It spends a little too much time in the first act and doesn’t get to the conflict early enough. Their shorts tend to be much more focused. In either case, I’m excited to see more from these guys.
