Advice for someone who has picked a Scarlet over film school

[Ken Willinger]

One of my clients does a lot of government contract work. I got a message from her today:
"Ken...what did you go to college for? I have to put your degree on this one form."
Good thing I went to film school.

 

[Kegan Sant]

On the flip side, I produced quite a few government videos for elementary schools and they never asked for my degree.

Kegan

 

[Ken Willinger]

On the flip side, I produced quite a few government videos for elementary schools and they never asked for my degree.

Kegan

I don't doubt it, and I'm sure there is a ton of work that this question never comes up... but I know this contract is a big contract, and to miss out on even being able to bid on the job because you couldn't provide a degree would just... well... suck.

 

[Mark Allen]

I didn't read the last five pages of responses, so I'm going to assume your techincal questions have been addressed. I wanted to just answer your core question for advice and offer some unsolicited.

1. Take an acting class. If you want to do narrative films, take an acting class. Not only will you learn how to talk with actors, but you will learn valuable information from experience on what creates drama.
2. There are a bunch of great writing books - tons of people have lists... read lots and take what you get. "Story" "Invisible Ink" "How to make a good script Great" "Stealing fire from the Gods" "Art of Dramatic Writing" - just a few. (invisible ink btw can be read for free online)
3. You're going to find there are a lot of things more expensive than cameras. Locations and such. As a young filmmaker, you might be able to cheat some and get favors - you'll find this much easier though OUTSIDE OF major cities... you mentioned you're working as an underground minor?? My goodness, that's a movie right there! Incredible location and unusual. Can you write a movie set in that kind of world? I've never seen that kind of movie. Take full advantage of those kinds of things.
4. Maybe look into premiere instead of avid. And don't write off FCP totally yet. It's an incredible app (the new FCPX), just not ready. But honestly - a good editing app doesn't a good movie make.

 

[JPSendall]

I was about to say work with actors but Mark got in there before me and I did go through the last seven pages and nobody mentions working with actors! Interpretation of the text into acting, camera position and lighting is the art. It is all about emotional response and you have to be ultra sensitive to that to be really good.

Jarvis, you don't say whether you want to direct or DP or edit or...? So perhaps you should do this. Direct a small piece and leave the cinematography to someone else. DP a piece and leave the directing to someone else. Edit a piece and leave the directing and cinematography to someone else. And finally write a piece and watch it get hacked to bits by everybody else . . . or not, depending on your colleagues. It is such an eduction to experience the craft from these vital disciplines. Writing, editing and directing are all really writing and rewriting. Cinematographers write with light. There is an argument as to whether the director or DP write story with camera position. Some directors do and some don't and are more concerned with text but they are rare these days. Also familiarising yourself with each of these disciplines gives you incredible insight in to how people can make mistakes, a directors coverage, a bad performance, a scene without real conflict, a cut that doesn't make sense. Mistakes are the best lessons you can learn from more than the perfected and finely honed films you watch. Watching and understanding mistakes requires a sharply critical eye and ear. I believe a director is ultimately in service to the audience and no one else. You have to be the common man with an uncommon sense of emotional truth.

Good luck.

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

"Film school" is not the issue. Education, especially in the arts, is. All of the people you just mentioned are either highly educated, highly motivated, deeply steeped in the arts, or all of the above.

Exactly. True for all worthwhile professions.

What made you think that I was anti-education? I'm very, very sorry if I made you think that.

And they didn't get there by considering education to be worthless, ignoring the lessons of the masters, or buying a camera.

Again: what made you think I was anti-education? I hate to think that I came across that way.

I forgot to mention Kubrick, too.

All of us like to think we are as talented as those guys but....The truth is, I'd probably say DO NOT go to film school - but instead, go to a liberal arts college and study art, music, literature, philosophy, psychology, anthropology and economics.

That's what I say to people wanting to learn photography. Where appropriate.

1. Take an acting class.

Damn. When you think about it, it's probably more important to know how to direct actors than it is to load a camera (a mere technicality!). In fact, perhaps some behind-the-scenes featurettes might be worth looking at, too, to see how directors do their job. I have not yet made a film so right now the best thing I can do (except actually make a film) is to see how others do it.