Camera vs. Film School

[zak forrest]

“Perhaps it sounds ridiculous, but the best thing that young filmmakers should do is to get hold of a camera and some film and make a movie of any kind at all.”
― Stanley Kubrick

 

[DCC Erickson]

My idea is to make a feature in the next couple years with a relatively low budget (under $100k), connect with a non-profit organization that will support us, use local appeal to draw an audience (I'm in the Midwest USA where filmography is sparse), at best make a couple grand and gain experience, at worse sell the equipment, pay back the investors, and still have the experience.

This may have been addressed, but investors seldom expect to make their money back much less clear a profit on indie film projects, and should always be told as such up front. It's like investing in any speculative venture - best to form an LLC and cover your personal liability in case of lawsuits from delusional investors.

 

[DCC Erickson]

You mention powerful story telling as what's most important, so this would mean you need a powerful screenplay. If you have a powerful screenplay and a vivid imagination and knowledge of the setting you want to bring to life, wouldn't it be more valuable to invest in the proper tools to bring that vision to life?

Don't turn into a gear head (like me). Rent it when you need it. Buy a cheap camera to shoot practice shorts, family reunions, ANYTHING. And learn to edit. Lightworks is free (lightworksbeta.com) and comes out of beta at the end of the month. One of the few advantages of college for post people is the academic software discounts (especially AVID). Don't try to write powerful screenplays and shoot them also (like me). I write great stuff, but my behind the camera chops leave something to be desired. Hard to do all the jobs at once.

 

[James McLellan]

I would highly recommend not purchasing a camera with your own funds. If you want to be a filmmaker get a job at a company that has filmmaking equipment and borrow it when they aren't using it to make your films. Places like churches, community centres, cable access stations, even radio stations and newspapers have cameras now. If you want to work in the film industry apply to be a permitee in one of the unions and work your way up.

 

[Jeremiah Kuehne]

I think I might get a pair of 7Ds for my first feature. If it's good enough for Sundance, it's good enough for a 16 year old with little experience lol.

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

I started googling/searching facebook for casting calls and going to them, meet the director and ask to be a production assistant or camera trainee if I didn't get the role (which I never did). Within a few short film/music video shoots I'd met enough people and it just grew out of that.

I wish there was a 'like' button.

I have a unit of measurement I use with old stuff I've done, I call it the cringe factor. After a certain amount of years you look at some of the crap you have done and try not to gag.

Yes! So true! Lucky me that I didn't actually make any of the cringe-worthy projects I had in mind. OTOH I wish I had more gumption. What's worse than failure? Doing nothing.

 

[Zack Birlew]

Just graduated from Chapman's MFA Film Program in May 2011. Here's my advice from highschool graduate onward in order of importance:

1. Go to college. Some places won't hire you without at least a college degree! Don't even think of film as your career yet, save that for a minor, do computer programming or business as these are jobs that are frequently hiring even at the studios. Classes in Digital Art would be good to take as well.

2. Get a camera. Buy a Canon Rebel T2i or other cheap manual control HDSLR to start, they've been good enough for a lot of professional productions and commercials, so they're good enough for you as a student. Don't bust out for a RED or an expensive video camera like a Panasonic AF100 or Sony FS100 to start, it will be a waste in the long run, but do learn about other cameras by all means.

3. Learn about sound with a Zoom H4N and a decent microphone. The Zoom is just a rockstar for sound and definitely comes in handy for ADR and Foley, even at your desk in your dorm room. Use a professional shotgun microphone of some kind, doesn't have to be a top of the line model or anything, this is your personal one as backup when you can't rent or use the school's.

4. Learn how to write. So often you'll just watch a student movie, whether in your program or at a festival, and it just plain stinks. Knowledge is power when it comes to writing. Read books, watch movies (as a filmmaker), and take a look at other media like comic books (helps your visual eye and your writing). Most imporantly, don't get full of yourself or your script, if it's corney or just too dull, listen to your critics and work on it.

5. Learn to like people. I'm not going to lie, I've met some strange characters in both my college film program and filmschool. Anywhere from just plain weird to slackers, it will be very apparent early on and you may even find some that are destructive. When I say destructive, that means anybody who causes mayhem in class or on set, has an unbearable attitude or ego, constantly talks about people behind their backs, and a lot of immature and overall socially hazardous behavior. Also, it is college, so you may run into a serious drunk or a druggie from time to time, just avoid at all costs. You're going to meet people like this and it is normal for any art program. The best thing you can do is just be the nice filmmaker that everyone wants to work with. Express your talents and own up when you fail, we all have off days or get carried away, it happens, learn and move on. Basically, make friends and have fun, even if you all end up at each others' throats on set, don't hold grudges but, as I said before, do avoid anybody really destructive (albeit in the nicest way possible).

6. Learn your school's program. Know the teachers, know the equipment, know the facilities, and by all means make friends with the tech staff (ie. the guys who run the projectors, setup equipment for classes, etc.). Reach out to the theatre program as well. You should make time to go see some plays and also scout for talent to put in your student films.

7. Go to things. I went to UNLV for college and it was very fortunate because not only did the film program and theatre program have events for students all the time, but there were also annual industry events that took place in the city as well. I made it a priority to attend each NAB show, FCPUG meeting, convention, and, of course, the REDUser parties. I also attended and participated in the occasional film festival when I could, even the college program ones. When I attended Chapman, there was a slew of industry speakers every week. A lot of times I was really stuck with classes and work and couldn't attend as many as I would have liked, but the opportunities abounded nonetheless. Driving over into LA for guest speakers and events was tricky as well, but I still went whenever I could make the trip. If you're fortunate to be in an LA school, there's no reason why you shouldn't go to everything, unless they're expensive media dinners, then you can chalk that up to saving money for your films. Even if you're not in LA, look around and find something, help out if you can, take on a crew job for a short film, be active and social no matter where you are.

8. Don't give up. You're going to face times when you think you can't do anything or that what you do just will never be good enough. You may even hear people say this to you or imply it, believe me, it's happened. Whether it's out of jealousy, truth, or opinion, there will be people who will upset you and knock you off track. The number one thing to remember when this happens is that the worst thing you can do is stay off track. Start from scratch, write or film something new or different, make it a challenge for yourself, and try again with the hopes of making a better movie, not to get back at anybody, but to prove to yourself that you can succeed.

9. Be a helper. If you can work a camera, help out someone looking for a DP for their class project. Don't jump out on a professional job or thesis project to start with, you're not that good yet. If you can edit, help out someone who needs one or help someone trying to figure things out. Oftentimes people would ask me things because I'm a techie so I'd give advice or suggest alternatives on occasion and this gave me a positive standing with students in and outside of class without even having to step on set. So, whatever your strength is, focus on that and offer help when you can. If you're a wiz and can do it all, great, you'll have even more opportunities to help out, but again, don't get carried away or overextend yourself.

10. Network early. Being on message boards like REDUser is no small detail. Read the forums, learn from them, talk to people on here, remember names. You are connected to some rather big guns just by being here, take the opportunity to listen and learn. This is the starting point for getting your name out there. You don't have to be on every message board or social networking site, you'll have too many other things to do. But having an online presence early on can help give you a great headstart professionally and socially. Just remember, you want your image to stay positive and professional, so it's probably best to look up and stay aware of any possible social networking faux pas to avoid (ie. drunk pictures) and not to get too carried away about things said online. Remember, it's not a text box or a forum post you're talking to, it's a human being.

 

[Terry VerHaar]

Zack - you not only have the most relevant perspective about this, but you also seem to possess a wisdom (and the ability to articulate it) beyond your years. Excellent advice!! :thumbup:

 

[Craig W. Bickerstaff]

10. Network early. Being on message boards like REDUser is no small detail. Read the forums, learn from them, talk to people on here, remember names. You are connected to some rather big guns just by being here, take the opportunity to listen and learn. This is the starting point for getting your name out there. You don't have to be on every message board or social networking site, you'll have too many other things to do. But having an online presence early on can help give you a great headstart professionally and socially. Just remember, you want your image to stay positive and professional, so it's probably best to look up and stay aware of any possible social networking faux pas to avoid (ie. drunk pictures) and not to get too carried away about things said online. Remember, it's not a text box or a forum post you're talking to, it's a human being.

While you can learn a lot from forums, especially the "Ask David Mullen" thread it's important to remember that you cannot expect to get work from it I myself am a poster child for that.
Granted I have managed to get one or 2 crew members for 48 hours shorts in the past but I have since found a better place for that.

 

[Jeremiah Kuehne]

Thanks for the very helpful response Zack! Seems like a lot of you have been to film school and there is a wide array of opinions about it.

 

[Zeb B]

What an amazing community REDuser is. Amazing