Hello filmmaking.net
My name is Trevor. Since a young age I have pretty much known that I wanted to be a filmmaker as a career. I have spent a great deal of time with cameras, I am currently a sports Photographer, and of course take my own artistic shots / candids / etc. What I have found, is that photography was more applicable to practice / use than filmmaking was - simply because all it really required was me, and a camera. But, as I said before, I want to be a filmmaker - and I want to start immersing myself into the world of film. I watch as many movies as I can - doing my best to appreciate the director's stye / touch on each film. But now, I am trying to get into the hands on aspect of it - actually making shorts/sketches/short films. Set aside the business aspect of it, what are some things I should do to get into this? I guess.. steps to creating your first film, getting a script together, etc. For all intent and purposes, I am a complete noob needing a bit of hand-holding with this, and will do my best to gain some sense of self-direction with it. I just come to you, because I know that most all of you are more knowledgeable than I. Help me learn, please !
I take on 'DIY' projects all the time, and I know that there is a large part of filmmaking (for independents) that is DIY, so that would hopefully come easy. I have a Nikon D7000, a Sony CX500 with some shabby little shotgun mic, and a decent tripod. Software is at my disposal. I don't think the hardware I have will really matter, but I'm throwing it in here in case it is useful (I would probably rent a more suitable camera when the time comes)
Welcome.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
Have you considered film school?
I'm new to this website. Welcome.
The very FIRST step is to determine what specific job you really want to aim for as a career. It's not enough to want to be a "filmmaker" as that is a meaningless term. Everyone on a crew, from PAs to Grips to the Producer, are all filmmakers.
So, which job? Director? Screenwriter? Cameraman/DP? Producer? Editor? Any of the other hundred or so specific jobs that people do every day in the professional industry? (NOTE: There is nothing to say that you can't do TWO of the jobs, say, writing and directing, but know that MOST professionals in the industry usually concentrate on one job and then, if they can make it happen, they are able to double up. But it all starts by focusing your efforts on just ONE job, at least to begin.)
Once you determine which specific job you REALLY TRULY want to do most, then you make a brutally honest self-evaluation regarding your strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to that chosen job. If you want to be Director and know that you don't like to write or know that you suck at it, then don't waste time struggling to write. Find someone else to write a screenplay that you can get excited about directing.
If you want to be a Director, then don't waste your time or money buying a camera and tripod and lenses and lights and sound gear and makeup kits, etc.... Find other people who DO want to do those jobs and collaborate with them. The upside is that YOU get to concentrate on the specific job you want to do and they get to work on a project doing what they want to do. AND, as an added bonus, you're not spending money you likely can't afford to spend on expensive camera gear.
If you want to be a Cameraman/Director of Photography, then DO invest in some kind of camera AND learn to light (and possibly buy some professional quality lighting, grip, and electric equipment down the road).
If you want to be a Screenwriter, then put the camera down, sit down, and write. Learn the craft and the business. And then look for Producers and/or Directors who, themselves, are looking for quality scripts.
Figure out what it is you really want to do and put everything you've got into that one thing. There are no guarantees of success, but you're improving your odds if you're not diluting your time (and draining your bank account) with other aspects of the process that you don't really want to be doing anyway.
Whatever that job winds up being, there are a lot of resources (some better than others) out there that can help guide your way. A vast majority are listed in these forums: http://www.realfilmcareer.com/forum/
I recommend going to this specific thread in particular: http://realfilmcareer.com/forum/index.php?board=59.0
and the entire RESOURCES section down near the bottom of the forum page.
Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com
Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com
quote:
Originally posted by bjdzyak
The very FIRST step is to determine what specific job you really want to aim for as a career. It's not enough to want to be a "filmmaker" as that is a meaningless term. Everyone on a crew, from PAs to Grips to the Producer, are all filmmakers.
My guess is that by "filmmaker", he meant what people outside of the filmmaking community mean: writer/director (with the frequent DP thrown in). Almost every one of these aspiring young people have Rodriguez or Tarantino (and occasionally, less often, Ed Burns) as their role model / idol, and many become convinced that, with talent, they can hit the same Hollywood jackpot...
