Top 10 things I believe about filmmaking?

As an international student I have seen movies with different languages and imagines from all over the world. Due to the lack of film making from my country, I watched movies from other countries and with no understanding of the words, but just by watching I thought I knew I wanted to be part of that creation. The movie I watched over and over was Heidi, I didn’t understand the language but that’s exactly want I wanted to do, create stories.

1. I want to tell stories, that will make you cry, love, laugh.

2. I want to educate people who live in third world, art and film; I wish I had that when I was a kid.

3. Make more diverse films for everyone so they can feel like they matter.

4. I want to make films that will give women empowering feeling all over the world.

5. Every story matters

6. To tell stories through animation for kids.

7. Take people away for 2hour to a place out of reality.

8. Find a true story that inspires me to tell.

9. To work on a set, where there will be an amazing wardrobe and Set Production.

10. Can’t see myself doing anything else in my life.

Lessons in filmmaking

These are just some things I have come to learn and hope to learn more about.

– Pre-Production is the most important step in the process. Having as much done and thought out ahead of production makes the experience 100 times more enjoyable and fun.

– Expect the un expected. Anything can happen, good or bad. Try to be as prepared as possible.

– Nobody is perfect. Besides, perfection is boring. People will make mistakes. It’s just all part of the process.

– Make sure you have a good relationship with everyone especially your DP. Having your set well lit even in dark scenes is key.

– Be kind. Being nice goes a long way. Even if someone is upset, it may not be because of you. Just take a deep breath and keep moving forward.

– Remember why you are doing what you’re doing. If you feel like you are loosing inspiration, watch some films, go for a walk, listen to music, and get re inspired!

– Try to have some sort of artistic background. Painting, sculpture, mixed media, drawing, etc are very important mediums to explore and use. In addition to that knowing and understanding colors is equally important. This will help your production design and overall aesthetic of the piece.

– Don’t give up! Things may not work out or even go the way you expect, that’s okay. Keep trying and something good may come as a result.

– If the time feels right for a project, it probably is. Something beautiful may be lost if you don’t jump on your artistic impulse.

– Overthinking is a good thing.

– Have a vision of what you want 5 even 10 years from now. It helps you get through tough times. Don’t give up. It will be rewarding in the end.

– Have fun and be happy, because in the end that’s all that matters.

– Don’t complain on set. Please don’t. It is very un professional and immature.

– Learn by observation. I know I have learned a lot by listening and watching while being on sets.

– Try new things. It is odd how artists work. We are like antennas that absorb everything around us and we then spit out our own unique version of artwork. Exposure to new experiences is great, it’s almost like giving your brain a treat.

– New isn’t always better. Technology is a great tool. However I find that older methods, mediums, platforms are a lot more interesting. For example. FILM itself. Or vinyl over downloads… explore and experiment how things used to be.

– If something makes you happy, go for it. Don’t feel bad because it’s not popular. If it gives you inspiration and joy that’s awesome!

– Collaboration is key. Having other people excited over the same project is awesome, work together to create something that’s never been seen.

– Shoot as much as you can. Coverage is going to save you in post.

– Don’t rely on post-production. Just don’t.

– Do as much as you can on set. It makes it that much more real and interesting. VFX is a great tool, just don’t rely on it.

– Build characters and backstories. Having the audience relate and get emotionally attached to characters is great! Especially for Horror, because when something bad happens it’t that much more impactful.

Essentials of Directing

– Know your vision 110 percent, you have to make sure you can explain exactly what you want to everyone.  Also to know it from every perspective, from mood and lighting all the way to the sounds you look for.

–  Be able to communicate with your actors, have a good connection with them so you can give them a clear understanding of the character they play to give their best performance.

–  Keep calm, if you are stressed on set then everyone else is feeling the same way you are most likely because of you.  Keep a good atmosphere so that everyone wants to work with you and have fun doing it.

–  Be flexible as well, yes you should do your initial takes the way you want, but be open to suggestions on other ways to do it.  You never know what else can work that you never knew about before.

–  Be aware of your budget and time, it can be easy to overdue it with effects and cool things but that can easily throw money away.  Keep a good idea of how long your work day should be and how long a scene may take to film.

The Top Ten Essentials of Directing

These are the top ten key things I think directors should keep in mind when directing a film.

1. Keep your cool

There can be a lot of pressure working on a film set, and as a director it is important not to lose it when something goes wrong. Losing your temper is very unprofessional and can come back to bite you in the future.

2. Articulate your vision clearly to your creative team, they’ll take care of the rest.

You have a group of hardworking creative people such as production designers, costume designers, makeup artists, DP’s, etc. and your job is to tell them what you want to see and, provided they’re the right people, they’ll get you some truly spectacular results.

3. The script isn’t The Bible

The script is the root of the entire film, but when shooting you could end up with something drastically different than what you originally envisioned on the page. Good scripts have been made into bad movies, and vice versa. The script is the blueprint, but like a blueprint for any project, it can be modified and tweaked to get a better result.

4. Be open to suggestion

You are the director and it is your creative vision but you can’t just say, “I’m sticking to what I want and everybody else can go fuck themselves.” Filmmaking is a collaborative effort and it is important to take all creative suggestions from the producer to the screenwriter to the DP all the way to the PA’s. Everybody is an audience member and it is important to go by that notion.

5. Treat all cast and crew with respect

These people are all working hard to make sure the shoot goes smoothly and that your creative vision is coming to life. Don’t be a prick.

6. Think in other people’s shoes

If it’s something you want to add for a character, you have to think like an actor and get into that character’s head. If it’s a camera movement or a specific shot, you have to think like a cinematographer. And for pacing and continuity, you have to think like an editor. Being a director is about thinking in another position, sometimes all at the same time.

7. Don’t be afraid to go too far

If you want of make a film that is a little out there and wacky, really push it and go all the way. You could end up making something that the audience is not used to seeing, which can be a good thing.

8. Coverage, coverage, coverage

Get as many shots as you can for a specific scene and shoot as many takes as necessary so you have enough coverage to play around with in post. One shot for a scene is just going to look bland and generic. It’s all about style.

9. Plot is irrelevant, story is what’s important

Story and plot are not the same thing. Plot is going from A to B to C. Story flows. As a director it is important not to think about connecting the dots, but to think about the story and the characters in that moment.

10. Be the audience

When the cameras are rolling, you are watching. Watch the scene play out and think like you’re an audience member in the front row with your popcorn and take your feelings about the scene into account.

10 Things about Filmmaking

1. Creation: Filmmaking is about creation; it’s about taking a script, developing a new world, and bringing into life. It’s about making something that doesn’t exists become part of reality

2. Storytelling: Filmmaking is about telling a story and making your audience interact and relate to it. Maybe they’ve had a similar experience to what is being portrayed.

3. Imagination: In order to make a movie you must have a huge imagination, because it’s all about creating a reality from a non-existent one.

4. Loosing yourself: Making a movie is about loosing yourself in your characters along with your newly created world. It gives you a second to step away from yourself and instead be part of the scene you are creating.

5. Looking through a different lens: Filmmaking allows you to look through the lens of the character being portrayed. If your directing a film it allows you to show the world how you would see a movie or scene through a specific characters eyes.

6. Life: Filmmaking is about creating your own spin on of every day life.

7. Visualization: Everything in filmmaking is about seeing and visualizing. It allows the images you see in your brain to come to life on the screen.

8. Detective: All filmmakers are detectives, looking for ways around obstacles and how to cheat angles to create illusions that will help emphasize the story that they are telling.

9. Perspective: Being a filmmaker allows you to show the world your perception on how you visualize it.

10. Love: This is the most important thing for a filmmaker to have, because unless you love what you do, how can a film truly be and feel real to an audience and to yourself?

Ten Things I Believe About Filmmaking

Filmmaking: something I attempt quite often. From my experience (that’s experience making films and watching them), here is a list of ten things I believe about filmmaking.

1. Protect your baby, but let it run away if necessary. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the saying “kill your baby”, it refers to your idea, your concept as your baby. Your idea is precious to you, and in your head it seems like that EXACT vision must be what ends up on screen. I think you should pursue this vision, but realize that every single detail might not make it into the final product. This might be due to convenience, circumstance, a revelation on set, whatever. While killing your baby seems harsh, I say let the baby live, just don’t be afraid to raise it a little  differently. Things change, especially stories.

2. See the Music

For me, a lot of ideas for scripts, scenes, concepts, etc. come from music. If you’re a story teller, I think music is an elegant and inspirational way to bring ideas out of the twists in your mind and out into the real world space. I get hung up a lot and think, “if this movie gets made, this song HAS to be in this scene.” While this may not make it into a final project (see #1), you can still have a piece of music running through you during writing, shooting, and conceptualizing.

3. Do It Live 

Practical effects beat animation, always. No matter if the movie is good or not, the sight of a werewolf that is an actor in a suit covered in real fur, sporting real fangs and beaming eyes gets me excited every time (Underworld, Cabin in the Woods, American Werewolf in London). I think that if you’re doing a story that requires effects, do as much practically as possible. There are some things that you just can’t do for real (space, lasers, etc.), but be creative. Make as much of the visuals tangible as you can.

4. Embrace Improv

Face it, sometimes that dialogue you wrote just might not work once you are on set. If an actor wants to play with the lines, let them. You can cut it out later if it’s all wrong.

5. Watch Constantly

I believe that watching movies as often as possible is great for your creative juices. There are thousands of films out there. Take chances, watch whatever you can find. If you don’t like something you watch, guess what? DON’T WATCH IT AGAIN.

6. Homage

Making homages to other films is great, but tread lightly. Throwing in visual or dialogue references to a film you love can become cheap imitation if you don’t handle it carefully and with respect for the source.

7. End the Remakes

We currently live in the generation of “Remember that movie?!” While there have been some really great remakes/reboots/reimaginings/reres of older films, I think it’s time to break out of that. Bring back the days of original ideas. Pull from existing ideas, of course, but let the old movies live on the shelf. Make something new.

8. Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe

The age of the internet makes it difficult to keep the plot of your movie mysterious if audiences are anticipating it. I personally like the way J.J. Abrams approaches his marketing. Tell the audience almost nothing. If they figure it out, LIE TO THEM. They’re going to go see it regardless if they want to. Bring back the joy of going into a movie only knowing that you’re interested in seeing it. Let the secrets unfold when the lights go dim.

9.  Don’t Lose the Fire

I’ve talked about getting inspired, but at the end of the day, you must pursue filmmaking as a career at any cost if it’s what you really want. Keep telling yourself whatever you need to in order to keep the desire to make movies within yourself. Chase that rabbit, get a net gun if you can’t catch it.

10. Have Fun

Plain and simple, don’t take things too seriously. You’ve got to have fun with this. Anger, frustration, indifference, these things will happen. Get some Joker gas or whatever you need to get in order to keep yourself happy and engaged.

For what it’s worth, that’s what I believe about filmmaking.

My Top Ten Lessons In Filmmaking.

I believe a lot of different elements can make a film. But to make one effectively is a whole different story. I have a learned a lot throughout my first year as filmmaker.

1). You can have a good story, but if you’re camera work is not good it can ruin the entire story.

2). Not a single character is insignificant.
If the screenwriter puts them in their story, they have a purpose.

3). DO NOT RELY ON POST.
YOU can do great things that don’t involve post.

4). You may not get the exact location you want, don’t throw a fit about it.
There are many more places to film.

5). Always have a backup plan.

6). Respect your peers.
Basically, everyone will work together a whole lot better if there is respect on set.

7). Communication.
If there is communication there is no confusion. Confusion on set makes for unhappy campers.

8). Treat your actors like kings and queens.
You need them. So don’t piss them off.

9). Know your place.
I don’t care how much experience you have, it does not make you any better than anyone else. There is always going to be one person who has more experience.

10). LIGHT THE EYES
the actors show so much emotion in their eyes, you want to capture it all to really get the viewer on the same level. If you don’t light those eyes you won’t be able to catch that emotion.

What Sparks My Curiosity…

I like knowing how things work. How things are done or achieved & accomplished. I’m always curious about people’s thinking process and how the reach certain conclusions which lead to actions in some cases and sometimes this thinking process is accomplished, subconsciously. For some crazy reason I’m really attracted to people’s pains. That gets my attention more than their happiness. I feel like pain or hurt in general is a deeper and sometimes stronger emotion than happiness. Most people find motivation in discontent with a certain situation or anger or revenge but in all cases it’s very rare when happiness is what motivates people to change unless it’s the fear of losing it or the fear of never attaining it because if you are truly happy and truly content then why be motivated to do anything. Happiness is plain, attractive yes, but highly uninteresting. It’s the dark, sad, heartbreaking, hurtful stories that make me think. They spark my curiosity because it makes me want to know why? Why is the pain taking the form that it is and Why is it taking as much as space as it is. What cased it and how? Pain leaves a scar and where there is a scar there is a story.  (Also the butterfly effect. The idea that your life and destiny can change just by going back in time and changing small and simple acts freaks me out, makes me constantly think “What if?”)

Makes You Think?

What never fails to spark my curiosity is “lore”. What made the story, person, or group what they are now? Anything I find myself interested in I always have to find out more. In games I play with big stories I’m always off learning about events in the lore, character bios, magic and/or important items, and information about monsters and enemies. If there’s a band I love, I look into all the behind the scenes things I can, I find information about how they started, and members that I find fascinating. These kind of things keep me up at till the sun rises on a computer finding what ever lore I can, be it Mike Mushok, Timelords, or Nightelfs. 

What sparks my curiosity?

 Traveling to countries and learning the cultures and backgrounds is what sparks my curiosity also being able to help the people its something I enjoy so much. Another thing that sparks my curiosity would be antiques, every time I see them I get happy and wonder how I could make use of them. In a way that’s where my passion for set design comes in.