Could someone tell me how or where I can learn all about film making?

[Patrick Scheller]

I'd like to add my own question here if I may. I am planing to attend the winter course (8 weeks) at the http://www.nyfa.com/ . Has anyone any experience with this school? Is it worth the travel (from Europe)?

 

[Shawn Booth]

I highly recommend you work as a PA on a few big films first. It's not too hard to get this position and once you do, you will make many contacts. You will gain a couple of important things from this:

1. How the physical aspect of movies are made and what roles people play

2. The many types of people and personalities you will be working with both good and bad

3. How to be effective on a film set, learn some etiquette, and how to not get into peoples way

4. How monotonous and boring shooting a movie can really be. Lots and lots of standing around and waiting, with bursts of intense activities.

5. Excruciating work conditions which include obnoxious work hours, and guaranteed utter exhaustion at the end of the day. But most significantly, how intensely stressful it can get...more than you've probably ever felt (depending on your position and responsibility)

6. How movie magic happens mostly in the theaters and only rarely on the set

7. How monotonous and boring shooting a movie can really be.


Anyone care to add?

Seriously, be a PA and immerse yourself into what you plan on getting into so you have a better idea what filmmaking is really about.

I totally agree with this. I sorta started off as a PA. My arrogance towards filmmaking made it so all I could get was an PA "internship". 4 brutal days of 18+ hour days with no pay check coming... I loved every second of it. Didn't complain once. Learned a lot from a lot.

I disagree with #7 - if you're bored on set, find another show or job. WTF? How can you be bored? You're on a set! Which brings me to -

#6 - Movie magic is simply cinema affecting a person. If it's the illusion of motion on screen or dinosaurs or the wonder of sitting on the porch of the Psycho house with a grip smoking - there IS movie magic on set, all the time. For fuck's sake, you're on a set - you should learn how to find the magic in that alone! I mean this with love.

#3 - yeah, don't stand in front of lights or in doorways, keep your mouth shut....

 

[Michael Vera]

I totally agree with this. I sorta started off as a PA. My arrogance towards filmmaking made it so all I could get was an PA "internship". 4 brutal days of 18+ hour days with no pay check coming... I loved every second of it. Didn't complain once. Learned a lot from a lot.

I disagree with #7 - if you're bored on set, find another show or job. WTF? How can you be bored? You're on a set! Which brings me to -

#6 - Movie magic is simply cinema affecting a person. If it's the illusion of motion on screen or dinosaurs or the wonder of sitting on the porch of the Psycho house with a grip smoking - there IS movie magic on set, all the time. For fuck's sake, you're on a set - you should learn how to find the magic in that alone! I mean this with love.

#3 - yeah, don't stand in front of lights or in doorways, keep your mouth shut....

I completely agree, I am barely 19 and am just getting involved in film making (independent film making, PA, etc), I am at what could be considered the utter "bottom of the totem poll" of the film industry.

And I thoroughly enjoy it! Not because I am hanging with stars, blowing things up with thousands of dollars of high explosives, or using a $20,000+ cameras, but because I LOVE the art of film making, I love filming a scene, trying to capture something that audiences will really notice, Directing and formulating a scene, etc.

I'm going to start film school in August, and I cant wait to get really involved with the industry. I hope to work some day with one of my favorite directors (someone like J.J. Abrams). However with my ultra limited experience in film, I have gleaned enough to be able to say, if you can come down to saying that filming movies/being on set are that boring its cause of one of two things.... either:

a) Your on a bad set, or you simply need to get associated with a different project (I know much easier said than done)
b) Film is not the best career choice as it does not seem to hold your interest. Quite simply not everyone can blow up things on set like Michael Bay... :lol:

I hope to learn as much as I can from the people I meet in the industry. Some of the greats on this forum have already taught me a lot (i.e. David Mullen, etc). Best thing you can do (And I'm noticing this myself) is read, retain, and apply. Try to PRACTICE what you learn so that you can really become proficient at it in both your personal endeavors, and in a professional setting as well.

 

[Albert Cheng]

Don't get me wrong...I'm not implying that being on set is always boring. I'm saying the reality is that much of the time IT IS. It's not always this incredibly magical moment that many younger people may think. There's little denying that there is a lot of standing and waiting around for "stuff" to happen, waiting for decisions to be made, things to get prepped, etc...

It's often repetitive, I mean watching a scene play out for the 10th time to get different takes and for all the coverage does not keep it's freshness.

You get used to being on set. You're peeking behind the curtains and seeing the raw process of filmmaking. It can be harsh, it can be stressful, it can be painful, it can be amazing and magical, it can be boring. It can be all those things.

To me, being lost in a great film you know little about, for a few hours, is one of the greatest pleasures. It's kinda like seeing a magician perform magic trick, instead of being involved with the creation of it or learning how it was achieved.

If you truly love every minute of it, of every production you've been on, than my hat's off to you because you're in the minority. Once you've had some experience, it's a job. You may love making films overall, but day to day can be a slog. At the end of the day, it's just a movie for god's sakes.

 

[Albert Cheng]

I'm going to start film school in August, and I cant wait to get really involved with the industry. I hope to work some day with one of my favorite directors (someone like J.J. Abrams). However with my ultra limited experience in film, I have gleaned enough to be able to say, if you can come down to saying that filming movies/being on set are that boring its cause of one of two things.... either:

a) Your on a bad set, or you simply need to get associated with a different project (I know much easier said than done)
b) Film is not the best career choice as it does not seem to hold your interest. Quite simply not everyone can blow up things on set like Michael Bay... :lol:

Hey don't let me discourage you, you sound like you'll really enjoy film school. The industry can really use fresh blood. I'm simply interjecting some reality into the myth of filmmaking. It can be a grind!

But back to the topic. Get a job as a PA. It's not glamorous work. But it will expose you to professional filmmaking.

(btw Michael, I've worked with JJ and he's a very sharp director. Much more so than most other director's. You really have to be on the ball working for him. You would also learn a lot. )

 

[Michael Vera]

Hey don't let me discourage you, you sound like you'll really enjoy film school. The industry can really use fresh blood. I'm simply interjecting some reality into the myth of filmmaking. It can be a grind!

But back to the topic. Get a job as a PA. It's not glamorous work. But it will expose you to professional filmmaking.

(btw Michael, I've worked with JJ and he's a very sharp director. Much more so than most other director's. You really have to be on the ball working for him. You would also learn a lot. )

Thanks! Ya I Definately recogize the times "in between" are not always exciting (and can sometimes be , simply put, rote). To me , however, if that's what you love to do it will always trump any of the other jobs you can be doing which can be mind blowingly repetitive/rote (IT for example).

I'm jealous haha, I think he has a attention to detail that many HUGE directors tend to overlook nowadays. Hopefully Ill get a shot to do that in the future :coolgleamA:

 

[Dominic Jones]

IMO being a "jack of many trades and a master of each of them" is the most fulfilling professional strategy - and quite often the best fiscal decision.

I couldn't agree with this more...

A great, great friend of mine, and one of the wisest people I have ever know - Warren Deane - used to have a slightly different version which I still use: "Jack of all trades, master of a couple".

I also highly agree with David's point regarding the endless pool of knowledge out there and the need to immerse yourself in it, day-in, day-out and Michael Most's point regarding the artist vs the technician...

There's some absolutely fabulous advice in this thread, from some very serious people - that's a great gift, listen to them!

My personal 0.02 is that the trick is never to give up - in my (granted, limited in this company) experience, the people who make it are the one's who are still there - fighting for knowledge, striving to better themselves - ten, twenty, thirty years on...

Take care, and the best of luck to you!
Dom.

 

[Subhadip Sen]

The two best ways to learn about film-making are:

1) Watching and studying films.
2) Making films.

And of course, the internet to guide you along if you ever get stuck by a technical hurdle.

 

[Jon Coy]

The two best ways to learn about film-making are:

1) Watching and studying films.
2) Making films.

And of course, the internet to guide you along if you ever get stuck by a technical hurdle.

Can't forget excellent text books available through Focal Press! (If only I worked for them, that would be a great plug)

 

[Kristjan Kristjansson]

A Good script, good casting, good sound-production and some money is 99% of the film making process.

School, books, expensive cameras and computers are not relevant to good film in any way

 

[M Most]

A Good script, good casting, good sound-production and some money is 99% of the film making process.

School, books, expensive cameras and computers are not relevant to good film in any way

Good scripts, good casting choices, good sound work, and even sound financial backing do not come from people who are uneducated and without knowledge of their craft, the business of filmmaking and marketing, and life.

 

[Michael Vera]

Good scripts, good casting choices, good sound work, and even sound financial backing do not come from people who are uneducated and without knowledge of their craft, the business of filmmaking and marketing, and life.

Very true, while film school doesn't MAKE you produce good films, it gives you a good creative base to build on. Only you can make it happen.

 

[Kristjan Kristjansson]

Good scripts, good casting choices, good sound work, and even sound financial backing do not come from people who are uneducated and without knowledge of their craft, the business of filmmaking and marketing, and life.

Yes it does, writing and casting is a form of art, it comes from people who hold a vision or a talent of which is worth putting on a canvas. Education does not necessarily fit into that equation and if it does it's a waste of time, it's much better to be a filmmaker than filmstudent.

And for some money you can buy craftsmen in the film industry and access to the money-people will only be granted by showing of your talent, not your huge loan statements from Columbia film school.

 

[M Most]

Yes it does, writing and casting is a form of art, it comes from people who hold a vision or a talent of which is worth putting on a canvas. Education does not necessarily fit into that equation and if it does it's a waste of time, it's much better to be a filmmaker than filmstudent.

And for some money you can buy craftsmen in the film industry and access to the money-people will only be granted by showing of your talent, not your huge loan statements from Columbia film school.

So your view seems to be that knowledge, experience, intelligence, and familiarity with the artistic masters of the past (in all fields, not just film) and their work are completely unnecessary and worthless as long as you "hold a vision."

 

[Kristjan Kristjansson]

So your view seems to be that knowledge, experience, intelligence, and familiarity with the artistic masters of the past (in all fields, not just film) and their work are completely unnecessary and worthless as long as you "hold a vision."

Yes, that is my view exactly.

 

[Shawn Booth]

Yes, that is my view exactly.

And what have you made that demonstrates your closed minded/uneducated view?

 

[M Most]

Yes, that is my view exactly.

Uhhhhhhh........ right. OK then.

Good luck with that.

 

[Nils J. Nesse]

I am acquiring a dental office tomorrow. (USD 1.3m)

Could someone tell me how or where I can learn all about dental care/dentistry?

Are there any particular books you would recommend? What is fluorite?

 

[Michael Vera]

I see your point that education may not be the "end all", but to state that one does not "need" education as long as they hold a "vision" is simply put, wrong.

One can have a vision of an aircraft, however without proper training in flight, aerospace engineering, different theories/functions, etc, one cannot construct or see it through, just as an example...

Likewise in film, you may have all the "visions" you want, but without a understanding of how to properly form or convey your vision/idea, it will often-times come out poor. There are some simple basics that must be taught to fully communicate your vision. School does not teach you your vision, or give you a vision...it helps you properly convey that vision in the form of a more complete well made film (technically).

This is not to say that its impossible to be successful in film without any film-based education...however to say that film school is a non-factor is simply incorrect.

 

[Ace]

it's much better to be a filmmaker than filmstudent

IMHO, this is highly irresponsible advice.

Filmmaking is a profession just like any other, as much as it is an art. Even artists (painters sculptors, writers) aquire formal education from art schools. Graduating from filmschool (or any school) wont guarantee success. But it is the most reliable foundation I can think of. The difference is, at school, you are forced to learn things you never thought you mightve been interested in or existed, and you are taught by people who quite frankly, wouldnt give a rats to teach you anything or dish out righteous advice in the "real world". If you get into a degree program, you're also going to learn a whole heap of other things besides film-making which could/may give you an edge. Filmmaking also has many professions within it. Youd get exposed to practicing most of them at school, allowing you to perhaps fall in love with a particular aspect you never thought you'd like.

Its not that you cant go and learn everything yourself. Sure you can. But you'd need an immense pool of resources, immense amount of time, and a great network of people to achieve the same thing. School is cheaper, both in time and money, and the curriculum is already set out for you.

Some great successes never completed a formal tertiary education, but that simply isn't the path for everyone. Not everyone's a genius.

In anycase, this isn't meant to serve as advice on how to become a filmmaker. This is however meant to counter the response above by Torkrist.