Simple premise.

Started by w/o horse, May 07, 2005, 03:06:12 PM

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matt35mm

Quote from: MSize 9 again, since the post's long.

I'm not saying those who have careers making movies have all become cold automatons who have no passion for films. I'd like to think their love for films brought them to their jobs in the first place. And that's not going to die down just because it's now their work.

And I think the DP should be completely focused on his department. He shouldn't be lugging around equipment with the grips. That's just sloppy and keeps him away from what he should really be thinking about. Let him kick ass at it, and only it.

That's what I like about being involved on any production. It's like a giant machine and everybody acts as a wheel or cog in it. And they nail their alotted role, and that's the harmony I see in it. Not a communal appreciation for the script. I wouldn't want to work with a director who demands that I love his script. Yea, I like it, but first I'll get my job done. Or I don't like it, I'll still get my job done just the same. I'll do a damn good job because I like what I do. I'm not really doing this for the lovely script.

I'm just stressing that it's work, hard work. Not a crew that all adores the script they're working on. Hard, grueling work gets the movie made. So when you're making your short, focus on the work. Not how passionate you're feeling, because I don't know how long you can sustain that wonderful passion when you can't get a sound guy to properly record sound like he should.

You don't get a miracle by getting everyone into the spirit of it all, you make it happen by getting people together who can make it happen.
Okay, we really more or less agree on everything here, except that I, as a director, would like feedback from everybody on set with regards to the script and the movie.  Well, we differ a little bit on the first half of your post, but we really agree on the last half.

I can only give a big "AMEN" to your last sentence, especially the way it was phrased before editing (just because I believe in that more generally, and that used to be a more general statement before you changed it to more suit this subject).  I know enthusiam doesn't MEAN this, but I just see that words as the first half of your sentence, and okay... so what I'm really saying is that I want to avoid that in anybody in my crew.  I want everyone in my crew to know the second half of that sentence.

Although I need to amend that and say that it's not enough to get it done.  Filmmaking is hard, but people get it done.  That's not enough for me.  How do you make it great?  My answer is by not only getting the people that you feel can best make it great, but engaging them in not only their specific job, but also the content of the movie, because it's their movie, too.  If my sound guy thinks that this one line of dialogue is cheesy, he should tell me, and that doesn't mean that I'll change it, but I'll certainly give it a hard look-over.

If my only goal was to get the movie made, things would be much more simple.  The real difficulty (and magic) is in making the movie fantastic, and that's, to me, done by the entire cast and crew, not just the director--regarding the technical quality as well as the content.

socketlevel

i'm not saying that everyone has some great potential in them and i'm not saying there aren't fuck ups that can ruin a set.  i'm only saying that any idea is potentially a good idea.  so if you get any crewmember thinking he or she has worth, and can affect the film in some way, that will only work to your benefit 'cause they'll come up with good stuff on their own.  they're not waiting for you to tell them what to do, they'll come to you with suggestions and then you pick the best one.

you say that if you only need someone to move a plant you want him or her to understand that position and step to it.  fair enough, but i think if that person understood the blocking of the scene, and you let them know how important the mise en scene is (not in a cheesy way, just matter of factly) i'm sure that person is probably going to be taking his or her job very seriously, cause they don't want to be the weakest link.  then, when it comes to the next scene, they might even be thinking about how they could make what's in front of the camera look better than even you had envisioned.

i think it's easy to say "my film fucked up cause no one in my school (or wherever) took it seriously."  and your point about the life aquatic is interesting, but what messed up that film could have been a multitude of facets.  like, most importantly, the script was unbalanced.  the magic time on the set doesn't make or break the scene or film, it just gives it the best potential.  i'm telling you, at least from my experience, if every crew member is happy and excited because you bring that out in them, it will effect everything like Ebola.  the actors will like the atmosphere on the set and perform better, which ultimately makes for a better film.  it's all connected.

most of the time i want a plant moved on my set, i go move it.  if you help out every position they'll see that you can get your elbows dirty.  you'll still have time for the actors, and you should have rehearsed it by this point anyway...

now with all that said, some people are still fuck ups, but just not the majority.

-sl-
the one last hit that spent you...

matt35mm

I don't know exactly who you're addressing the post to, but I generally agree with that.  Although I should say that I'd want them involved not just because I want them to feel important and that they might be contributing, but because they really are important and really can contribute.

soixante

Here's an idea for a student film --

A student returns to his dorm room, but can't go in because his roommate has a young lady sleeping over, so the student has to roam around campus all night long, and encounters all sorts of crazy stuff.  When he returns to his room at dawn, he finds his roommate and his girlfriend dead.
Music is your best entertainment value.

socketlevel

Quote from: soixanteHere's an idea for a student film --

A student returns to his dorm room, but can't go in because his roommate has a young lady sleeping over, so the student has to roam around campus all night long, and encounters all sorts of crazy stuff.  When he returns to his room at dawn, he finds his roommate and his girlfriend dead.

not too bad but foreshadow the death or something along those lines,  don't want that coming out of the blue.  just look at the original ending to clerks and how that wouldn't have worked.

i would set that premise in a different location if i were you, student films are often about student life.  not that it can't be good, but you'll have half the crowd rolling their eyes at the beginning of the film.  then it's twice as hard because you'll have to spend the rest of the film winning them back

-sl-
the one last hit that spent you...