eye opening experience/filmmaking

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  • eye opening experience/filmmaking

    OK...

    so after 10 years give or take of trying to get into HW w/o being in HW as a screenwriter I'm finally going to shoot a short...

    and in the process I've suddenly realized (why I didn't before I don't know) that "filmmaking" is very different from "screenwriting..."

    I've written and directed for the stage, so I have experience with lighting techniques, staging, working w/ actors, etc... but in trying to organize for this thing (it will be shot in 3 days on rented "pro" equipment) I've found the most beneficial aspect of my experience to be, of all things... comic books...

    In fact the only way I've actually been able to see my script come to life and organize production on a shot-by-shot basis is to storyboard like I did when I was a kid in highschool practicing w/ a drawing book written by Stan Lee...

    All of a sudden you realize that one line of action in a screenplay may translate into 3 different shots as far as what you envision on screen... I've altered what was written in my original script on almost every page based on budget/weather/where I'm actually shooting/how things naturally play out v. on the pg./etc...

    I hope this is a bit helpful to some of you who may have aspirations of being more than just a writer (as in directing/filmmaking)... and for those who may get upset at the thought of their scripts being toyed w/ after purchase... I, for one, can finally see how, logistically, you can take an objective look @ a script and decide to take out the red pen... however I don't think I'd have realized this had I not taken up the o'l sketchpad...

    later...

  • #2
    Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

    Yessir!!! So true!

    Congrats on your short and thanx for the great post!
    https://actbreakdown.com

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    • #3
      Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

      Why I suggest every screenwriter make a short silent film.

      - Bill
      Free Script Tips:
      http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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      • #4
        Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

        My short was filmed over 4 days, and we had so many logistical problems... rain machine did not work right, location changes, lost sound on the 4th day of the shoot, camera film mag was opened by an inexperienced crew member, losing many shots, etc.

        The screenplay I wrote kept being revised, sometimes on the fly. It was nerve racking, but since I was also directing I had a better idea of what could be salvaged, etc.

        You will also find that the story boards are a great way to plan shots, but like the screenplay, just be prepared to continually make changes, or omit some shots... time and money baby... those two are the greatest of evils in this biz IMO.

        Good luck on your shoot... and congrats!
        Writer / Director available for your project.

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        • #5
          Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

          Let me add my congrats too! Nothing beats seeing your words and visions freed from your head and coming alive through the art of actors!

          Re the storyboards, the big lesson I learnt there, first time out was: think "moving camera"

          I had it all storyboarded out exactly, and the price I paid was: I'd been envisioning shots as little drawings in boxes ... so what I started getting was "static shot -- cut -- static shot --cut -- static shot" etc.

          Thing's gotta flow visually, and I was making my camera imitate still storyboard panels (cause that was what was easy in planning it) ...

          Probably one of the basic signs of inexperience, that: poor unimaginative camera movement, staging things like the camera's a sedentary spectator, when the camera is actually one of the living characters!

          Storyboards are great for planning and organizing, no question: but I learned they must serve the camera, not the camera serve them! Anyway: once burned, twice clever. They call it moving pictures so let the pictures move!
          sigpic
          "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world -
          that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves."
          -Mahatma Gandhi.

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          • #6
            Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

            Excellent thread.

            I agree with magicghost that storyboarding helps the filmmaker envision the film through the script. However, the first time I storyboarded a short script I realized I already had a clear idea of where to put the camera and how it would move during shots. Once I began drawing the boards, it became more clear what would work and what would not.

            Something else I realized when I actually shot my first short was that the storyboards are as disposable as the script once you're on set. They give you you a visual guide to the film, just as the script gives you a template for the story, but ultimately you and your (hopefully) talented cast and crew may find even better solutions on set. When it comes down to it you can either maintain the rigor of your shot list and storyboards or you can go with your gut when someone suggests something different. How much you trust your gut would likely be based on whether it's served you well in the past and if you really trust the artistry of the person who has made the suggestion.

            I also agree with bill. Every screenwriter should not only make a short film ... every screenwriter should make a silent short film. My first short was silent and it became so clear to me how much you could convey visually without a single line of dialogue. It's definitely made me a better screenwriter. And it will make me a better filmmaker. So many screenplays are overwritten from a dialogue POV as if the writer does not trust the actors to deliver or the audience to follow. But actors are usually professional and audiences have seen hundreds of movies. They'll get it. Trust them.

            Tabby. Any basic "how to storyboard" tutorial will explain how you can storyboard camera movements. It's not a limitation of the storyboard. Storyboards are only limited by imagination, because even if you can't "draw" what it is you want to do with the camera in a storyboad, you can always write notes in the margin or videoboard ... run a video camera through the movements you'd like to use in a given shot.
            http://confoundedfilms.com

            http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

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            • #7
              Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

              Every screenwriter should not only make a short film ... every screenwriter should make a silent short film. My first short was silent and it became so clear to me how much you could convey visually without a single line of dialogue. It's definitely made me a better screenwriter.
              I concur.
              One meets his destiny often in the road he takes to avoid it. - French Proverb

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              • #8
                Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

                Originally posted by Hairy Lime View Post
                So many screenplays are overwritten from a dialogue POV as if the writer does not trust the actors to deliver or the audience to follow. But actors are usually professional and audiences have seen hundreds of movies. They'll get it. Trust them.
                Excellent point. I always try to keep this in mind when I write.

                Corona
                I love you, Reyna . . .

                Brown-Balled by the Hollywood Clika

                Latino Heart Project's MEXICAN HEART...ATTACK!
                I ain't no punk b1tch...

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                • #9
                  Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

                  Good experience and I also concur that a short film is a great experience for
                  any screenwriter to give them that min-Hollywood adventure.

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                  • #10
                    Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

                    I don't have a camera...or a friend with one....or friends...

                    "The two things that run Hollywood are fear and greed." - Syd Field

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                    • #11
                      Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

                      Originally posted by Sundancer View Post
                      I don't have a camera...or a friend with one....or friends...
                      I can be your friend every other Tuesday, between 8:00 and 8:15 PM. You're not one of those friends who likes to communicate and stuff, are you? I don't got time for that sh1t.

                      Corona
                      I love you, Reyna . . .

                      Brown-Balled by the Hollywood Clika

                      Latino Heart Project's MEXICAN HEART...ATTACK!
                      I ain't no punk b1tch...

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

                        I will also add to the thread and say I concur with the intial statement.

                        I took a few courses in actual film making... Not screenwriting... And also made a few shorts on DV (Digital Video) and it is an interesting contrast to screenwriting because both formats have their pros and cons, but ultimately you must be flexible with both and be willing to change when the two come together on set as has been stated.
                        Positive outcomes. Only.

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                        • #13
                          Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

                          Originally posted by Sundancer View Post
                          I don't have a camera...or a friend with one....or friends...
                          You can get a decent consumer grade mini-DV camera for about $250-300. As for friends, well, talk to jcorona.
                          http://confoundedfilms.com

                          http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

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                          • #14
                            Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

                            I'm friends with Corona on leap-year Thursdays. It's worth every penny! (except when he pencils me in on the 29th, but that only happens when he has better things to do, such as making coffee can stilts for his other leap-year friends. Too rich for my blood!)
                            https://actbreakdown.com

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                            • #15
                              Re: eye opening experience/filmmaking

                              Originally posted by Hairy Lime View Post
                              As for friends, well, talk to jcorona.


                              Corona
                              I love you, Reyna . . .

                              Brown-Balled by the Hollywood Clika

                              Latino Heart Project's MEXICAN HEART...ATTACK!
                              I ain't no punk b1tch...

                              Comment

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