On Saturday I'm starting a project where I have to make ten short films in ten weeks, overcoming obstacles set by readers of my blog [and other people too]. The idea was inspired by The Five Obstructions (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0354575), the new film from Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth.
Read the blog entry (http://esotericrabbit.blogspot.com/2003_09_01_esotericrabbit_archive.html#106405298954885067), and if you have any ideas for obstacles or themes, let me know.
obstacle: only one person can be in the film, and the theme is:love
or
obstacle: the camera can not move at all. Always has to be on a tripod
i can't think of anything else at the moment
I dig the idea
You're a fool if you're intentionally creating obstacles for yourself. You're going to run into enough of them as is.
I disagree. If nothing else, it forces the filmmaker to sharpen their handling of crisis. Plus it does sound fun and quite challenging.
If that's what your experience tells you, then believe that.
Oh, shut up! Who cares?
The point is, it's a clever idea and I wish you luck. But with no money and no real production you should keep things as simple as possible. Seriously. Things will complicate themselves enough without making 10 films all with different handicaps. It's just advice to take or leave.
Quote from: mutinycoIf that's what your experience tells you, then believe that.
I have no experience. :)
But it sounds like something I will try.
Good. Don't listen. The only way to learn is to try things for yourself. Experiment. But don't be so brash as to completely ignore advice.
At the risk of sounding arrogant, I've made enough short films with no time and no money to know what I'm doing. I'm not out there shooting with a VHS-C or anything.
By the way, Mutinyco, that "shut up" wasn't aimed only at you.
You are sounding arrogant. Doesn't matter who you were telling to shut up. You're coming off as an asshole. In that case, here's an obstacle for you to overcome: yourself.
What the Hell? You come in here telling me that I'm "a fool if you're intentionally creating obstacles for yourself." Someone disagrees, you say "then believe that", and the whole thread looks set to go down the usual road of:
"Think that then."
"Okay then, I will."
"Good."
"Good."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Idiot."
"Asshole."
And I tried to stop it before it happened, that's all.
I have enough experience to want to try and do this, and you automatically assume that I'm either not experienced enough to do it, or that it's beyond my technical capabilities. So be it.
It doesn't matter. Let's just get on with things.
Okay. It's dead. I love to be proved right. :)
QuoteI love to be proved right.
Yeah, that.
My advice had nothing to do with your technical expertise. It's about basic filmic logistics. The person who disagreed admitted to having never shot anything before. But the fact remains, and I know you're emotionally involved in this because it's your project, you're acting like an egotistical ass. If you really have the experience you say you do, then you should have no problems with what I've said. As is, it sounds like a vanity project -- I'll fight ya' with one arm tied behind my back!
Every project is a vanity project. If you don't care about what you're doing, if you don't have a personal investment in it that makes it matter to you, then what on Earth is the point in doing it?
I've never said I'm Scorsese, all I've said is that I've made enough films without money or time [or actors, even] to have a fair idea about "basic film logistics". I might be acting like an egotistical ass, but you're acting like a know-it-all jerk, which is just as bad.
Anyway, we agree to disagree. The issue's dead.
:)
Good luck.
Challenges are good. Vanity projects are bad. I don't see how this is really anything but the former. I love pushing my abilities.
I know the argument's dead, but I just wanted to extend my support to Silver Bullet for expanding his horizons.
As much as it would be nice to have whatever tools necessary at your disposal, I've found obstacles to be where a lot of the fun in filmmaking comes from. Some of my most inspired moments/shots came out of the restrictions of time/location/money/etc. I guess that's why I dig the whole Dogme 95 thing (sure, it's pompous, but a lot of the extraneous crap goes right out the window). Robert Rodriguez certainly is a good model as well... well at least in his early days. I guess the point is to think on your feet, improvise, and find creative, new ways to do things.
Rock on Silver Bullet, good luck!
Yeah, I think I'm just at odds with it (thought did say early on that I liked the idea) because for me at this point, I'm only willing to devote my resources toward projects that I know I can put my full effort into. It takes a lot out of me. I chose an obstacle for my last short -- spend only $50 on a 25 minute short with 10 audio tracks and an orginal score. It was a way of pushing myself. But at this point, having faced enough obstacles over the years, I could only commit myself to things I'm totally obsessed by, give or take. That's why I come off as a stubborn prick sometimes -- can't deal with things that seem light or whimsical in construct.
The only real obstacle is filmmaking is money. All of the other obstacles are easily overcome with money.
So while this project does seem fun, concentrate on doing it as cheaply as possible and you will reap the returns.
I don't think I've ever heard somebody quite say that before: the only obstacle in filmmaking is money.
Quote...concentrate on doing it as cheaply as possible and you will reap the returns.
The only thing I'm spending money on is tape.