I was taking notes the other day and realized something. The more notes I took, the more notes I came up with. Which goes back to what I've been saying FOR YEARS - keep writing. I haven't written much in the past few months because, frankly, I let myself think that I had nothing to write. But once I sat down and started to jot down a few things I had been thinking of, more ideas came. Keep writing!
For nothing more than my own sake, I will get into a little detail about this particular writing incident, which, I should add, happens quite often and I, myself, often forget it. Incidentally, this will typically be in the pre-production stage of your flic.
I have a blank sheet of paper in front of me. I always start on paper, really, just to take notes. This story is one I have already started. It's a story that's been in my head awhile that I have been away from awhile. So, this isn't starting from scratch. I'm sure you have a few "incompletes" that you're not sure where to go with.
I began with a simple outline. What (little) I had for Act I, II, & III, I jotted down. Really basic.
Example:
A1 *Opening scene *Intro(s) to all characters *Plot Point, PP1 (in this case, my heroine starts to fall for the bad guy.
A2 *Bad guy, (hmmm) works for Main Villain. *They're out doing evil and heroine comes along and foils the job but puts herself in danger... *Bad guy saves her. *PP2 Saving her and reveals to her unknown knowledge of her father.
A3 *Heroine and "Bad guy" team up *Villain doing evil *They foil Villain's plans *But "Bad guy's caught...
Finale
Close
I know those notes don't make much sense to you but that's not important. What's important is that you can break down the entire flic into tiny, little pieces. From the outline, detailed little stories began to emerge and I started writing them down in more detail. Things like, "Who is my Villain and where did he come from?" "What is he attempting to do?" "How is he able to accomplish his goals?"
Answers to those questions came to me by way of little scenes materializing in my head. Write 'em down, flesh 'em out.
I don't like to call this "block". Especially when, if I just stop and concentrate a little on my story, the writing comes. That's why Kevin Smith calls it "Writer's Laze."
Don't be lazy. Keep writing.
FlicMakerScott
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Get Started
Everyone starts somewhere, even a flicmaker. A flicmaker doesn't just go out there and, on their first try, film E.T., or Indiana Jones, or The Matrix. He, more likely, starts with a piece of crap camcorder and a VCR or, in this day in age, his video capturing cell phone and produces something that will probably never even get watched on YouTube. The point is to get started and keep going. You WILL learn something as you persist. You WILL get better. If it's your passion, there's no question about it.
More to come.
More to come.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Attention All Screenwriters
Here's a quick post to inform those of you who aspire to one day be PAID screenwriters, Creative Screenwriting Magazine's Screenwriting Expo 6 is underway! Click the link to get more information.
Good news! They are accepting "short film" scripts this year! My project "JIMMY" which has been shelved for about 6 months will finally see the light of day again. JIMMY is a short I wrote and started production on, but experienced locational setback(s). Therefore, JIMMY will be one of my entries.
I also plan to submit my feature length script titled "Outlaw". It is completed and was entered last year into CS sponsored AAA Screenwriting Competition without much luck. Provided I can get the editing it needs finished, it will be entered as well.
HURRY, HURRY! Early bird deadline is July 1st but they will accept entries until August 14th. The Expo is in LA and the GOLD PASS is just under $300.
See you there!!
Good news! They are accepting "short film" scripts this year! My project "JIMMY" which has been shelved for about 6 months will finally see the light of day again. JIMMY is a short I wrote and started production on, but experienced locational setback(s). Therefore, JIMMY will be one of my entries.
I also plan to submit my feature length script titled "Outlaw". It is completed and was entered last year into CS sponsored AAA Screenwriting Competition without much luck. Provided I can get the editing it needs finished, it will be entered as well.
HURRY, HURRY! Early bird deadline is July 1st but they will accept entries until August 14th. The Expo is in LA and the GOLD PASS is just under $300.
See you there!!
Saturday, June 23, 2007
What Are You Listening To?
I wanted to drop a quick note here to let you know what I'm listening to.
I've heard this movie did not do well/people didn't like it. I don't understand why; I have an idea, but still..."I, Robot" is a great movie. Okay, checked it out; I, Robot made only $52 mil on opening weekend. Not too shabby until you consider the budget of $120 mil. Latest earnings say $144 mil, so, technically you could say it did not do well "at the box office." I still love the movie!
Anyway, you can't watch I, Robot without also going back and watching "Independence Day" aka ID4. Which, in my opinion is another great sci-fi flic.
With that said, ID4's commentary by it's director(s) takes a backseat to I, Robot's writer and director commentary. However, it does gain points for also having a technical commentary track.
I won't go into great detail here, it's late, and I've only listened to them a couple of times. Starting with I, Robot, Akiva Goldsman was the final writer for this movie. He does more of the talking than, director, Alex Proyas which, for me being more of a writer (at this point), is just fine. And it is not until now that I realize (IMDB tab open) all the mega-movies he's responsible (in some part) for writing: Practical Magic, A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, DaVinci Code just to name a few! (Side note: Looks like he's doing another Wil Smith movie called I Am Legend. Gonna have to research that one.)
Back to the commentary, Goldsman, like Mann on Collateral, gives you a lot of insite into the characters. This can be quite boring unless you're a writer. However, he is telling you things, as a writer, you should know about the character but won't necessarily show up in the script. Kinda like back story, but again, it's more for the writer to allow himself to create a fuller, more believable character. The reader (or movie patron) may never know nor need to know these things about a given character, yet will benefit from it nonetheless. They also talked a lot about their idea of what a "robot" movie should be and ways they worked around cliches.
Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to rip or even listen to the technical commentary for ID4, which I'm sure is more informational (learning-wise) than the regular commentary. This (and it is a director and writer) commentary was really one of those "although you can watch it on the screen yourself, I'm going to tell you what's happening anyway" and "here's a bit of trivia for you" kinda commentaries. These were fine back in the day, but for the enthusiastic "Flic Maker" like you and me, we'll pass on it! Great movie though.
If you've listened to any good commentaries lately, let me know. I'm sure I'll edit this one with a few more specifics.
Keep listening, keep writing!
I've heard this movie did not do well/people didn't like it. I don't understand why; I have an idea, but still..."I, Robot" is a great movie. Okay, checked it out; I, Robot made only $52 mil on opening weekend. Not too shabby until you consider the budget of $120 mil. Latest earnings say $144 mil, so, technically you could say it did not do well "at the box office." I still love the movie!
Anyway, you can't watch I, Robot without also going back and watching "Independence Day" aka ID4. Which, in my opinion is another great sci-fi flic.
With that said, ID4's commentary by it's director(s) takes a backseat to I, Robot's writer and director commentary. However, it does gain points for also having a technical commentary track.
I won't go into great detail here, it's late, and I've only listened to them a couple of times. Starting with I, Robot, Akiva Goldsman was the final writer for this movie. He does more of the talking than, director, Alex Proyas which, for me being more of a writer (at this point), is just fine. And it is not until now that I realize (IMDB tab open) all the mega-movies he's responsible (in some part) for writing: Practical Magic, A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, DaVinci Code just to name a few! (Side note: Looks like he's doing another Wil Smith movie called I Am Legend. Gonna have to research that one.)
Back to the commentary, Goldsman, like Mann on Collateral, gives you a lot of insite into the characters. This can be quite boring unless you're a writer. However, he is telling you things, as a writer, you should know about the character but won't necessarily show up in the script. Kinda like back story, but again, it's more for the writer to allow himself to create a fuller, more believable character. The reader (or movie patron) may never know nor need to know these things about a given character, yet will benefit from it nonetheless. They also talked a lot about their idea of what a "robot" movie should be and ways they worked around cliches.
Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to rip or even listen to the technical commentary for ID4, which I'm sure is more informational (learning-wise) than the regular commentary. This (and it is a director and writer) commentary was really one of those "although you can watch it on the screen yourself, I'm going to tell you what's happening anyway" and "here's a bit of trivia for you" kinda commentaries. These were fine back in the day, but for the enthusiastic "Flic Maker" like you and me, we'll pass on it! Great movie though.
If you've listened to any good commentaries lately, let me know. I'm sure I'll edit this one with a few more specifics.
Keep listening, keep writing!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Talk is Cheap
And so should making flics be. We just wrapped a two-day shoot on a short flic sequel. Yeah, it's a sequel. In fact, the project will be a trilogy once we're finished.
The project started last year when my buddy and I formed our production company (in name only, so far) and decided that "if we're going to make movies, then we'd better get out there and do it!" We both wrote scripts and actually got excited to do one I'd written. But due to location difficulties we went with one of his.
We had a script. All we needed was equipment, actors, locations, and time. Hmm, did you see money in there anywhere? Nope. In reality, the two shorts have so far cost us about $30 bucks. The expenses being, a couple of cafe mocha's ($8), four Sony DVC tapes ($17), and one parking space ($6.50). How much is that? Oh, $31.50! And, uh, stretch that over a year's time.
How'd we do it? Let's go down the list starting with equipment. Here's what we used: Canon XL2 digital camera, lights, boom mic, cables. $0 dollars. Remember in a previous blog I stated to check with your local broadcasting channel? Ours loans equipment for FREE. There is a catch (always). We have to let them BROADCAST what we film!--I suppose I should tell you how I arranged it. I had been listening to many podcasts on flic making, many commentaries, etc. Training myself, basically. When I went in to talk about the equipment, I (at the very least) sounded like I knew what I was doing. I talked the talk. Another thing. I'm an older guy, and care about my appearance somewhat. So my maturity level probably showed through a little. If your a young flic maker and you plan on talking to older, adults about that kind of stuff, be mature about it. You don't have to dress up, but don't go in there all dirty, draggin' your skateboard.
Second was actors. We used people we knew. It just so happened that these people all want to write or act or something in the industry...or maybe they just liked movies. When you decide who your actors are going to be, my only real suggestion is, make sure they can act (at least a little). Or if they can be "directed". That will help you out as well. Okay, and obviously, work for free. Let them know up front that there's no money in it. Let them know it's for fun but also you plan to enter it into a film festival or some contest. That, in turn, gives them incentive to do it and do it well.
Locations, tricky. Our first short was cut short due to location. But for our second, we actually filmed at a major airport. I'm not 100% sure how he did it but I think it was along the lines of just calling and asking the right person. Explaining what our plan was and how many would be involved. It may have been different if we'd planned a huge action sequence, or simply running through the airport. So use your judgement. You pretty much know what you can and can not get away with. Then we used a coffee shop I'd been going to awhile and had been friendly with. Oh, and I promised them a free commercial. It helps to have something to offer, especially a small business.
On this most recent shoot we were in a public place, a ferry terminal to be exact, outside. We have a minimal crew and one cam, not alot of setup. So no one bothered us. It also worked out if people were staring since the story involved a popular actor out in public. How else would people act?! And our final location was an empty parking garage (for the torture scene, no less). It's a comedy, so there wasn't real torture. But this is where we paid for one parking stall just in case we were going to get hassled by security. Well, we didn't. In fact, I can't believe how empty it stayed for the 4 hours we were there. Hm, pick a Sunday evening to shoot there! That's probably why.
Time was probably the hardest, especially for our lead actor who lived out of town. I had to call in sick. So, I suppose it cost me a days pay...ouch! But damn! How therapeutic!! I won't miss it.
And that's it, a two part movie for $30 bucks. As an idie using digital, your biggest expenses will be your tapes and time. So get out there and start making it happen. You'll be glad you did
Keep writing, keep fliccing!
The project started last year when my buddy and I formed our production company (in name only, so far) and decided that "if we're going to make movies, then we'd better get out there and do it!" We both wrote scripts and actually got excited to do one I'd written. But due to location difficulties we went with one of his.
We had a script. All we needed was equipment, actors, locations, and time. Hmm, did you see money in there anywhere? Nope. In reality, the two shorts have so far cost us about $30 bucks. The expenses being, a couple of cafe mocha's ($8), four Sony DVC tapes ($17), and one parking space ($6.50). How much is that? Oh, $31.50! And, uh, stretch that over a year's time.
How'd we do it? Let's go down the list starting with equipment. Here's what we used: Canon XL2 digital camera, lights, boom mic, cables. $0 dollars. Remember in a previous blog I stated to check with your local broadcasting channel? Ours loans equipment for FREE. There is a catch (always). We have to let them BROADCAST what we film!--I suppose I should tell you how I arranged it. I had been listening to many podcasts on flic making, many commentaries, etc. Training myself, basically. When I went in to talk about the equipment, I (at the very least) sounded like I knew what I was doing. I talked the talk. Another thing. I'm an older guy, and care about my appearance somewhat. So my maturity level probably showed through a little. If your a young flic maker and you plan on talking to older, adults about that kind of stuff, be mature about it. You don't have to dress up, but don't go in there all dirty, draggin' your skateboard.
Second was actors. We used people we knew. It just so happened that these people all want to write or act or something in the industry...or maybe they just liked movies. When you decide who your actors are going to be, my only real suggestion is, make sure they can act (at least a little). Or if they can be "directed". That will help you out as well. Okay, and obviously, work for free. Let them know up front that there's no money in it. Let them know it's for fun but also you plan to enter it into a film festival or some contest. That, in turn, gives them incentive to do it and do it well.
Locations, tricky. Our first short was cut short due to location. But for our second, we actually filmed at a major airport. I'm not 100% sure how he did it but I think it was along the lines of just calling and asking the right person. Explaining what our plan was and how many would be involved. It may have been different if we'd planned a huge action sequence, or simply running through the airport. So use your judgement. You pretty much know what you can and can not get away with. Then we used a coffee shop I'd been going to awhile and had been friendly with. Oh, and I promised them a free commercial. It helps to have something to offer, especially a small business.
On this most recent shoot we were in a public place, a ferry terminal to be exact, outside. We have a minimal crew and one cam, not alot of setup. So no one bothered us. It also worked out if people were staring since the story involved a popular actor out in public. How else would people act?! And our final location was an empty parking garage (for the torture scene, no less). It's a comedy, so there wasn't real torture. But this is where we paid for one parking stall just in case we were going to get hassled by security. Well, we didn't. In fact, I can't believe how empty it stayed for the 4 hours we were there. Hm, pick a Sunday evening to shoot there! That's probably why.
Time was probably the hardest, especially for our lead actor who lived out of town. I had to call in sick. So, I suppose it cost me a days pay...ouch! But damn! How therapeutic!! I won't miss it.
And that's it, a two part movie for $30 bucks. As an idie using digital, your biggest expenses will be your tapes and time. So get out there and start making it happen. You'll be glad you did
Keep writing, keep fliccing!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Neither Gone nor Forgotten
Ahh, it's good to be back! The only thing I can say is any life changing event can and will slow your productivity to a crawl. So weigh them carefully!
In the works: "No Whip 2: Whip Harder" is going to be filmed on Father's day weekend. Check out "No Whip" on Tom's MySpace page. I began filming a music video for a friend. It was a spur of the moment thing so I'm having the artist(s) re-cut the song to have a clean audio track to sync to the video. I've yet to hear from him, so we'll see how much further I get on that. Creative Screenwriting Magazine has a screenwriting contest every year. The current one deadline's on July 15, so polish up your scripts and get them in. I entered my feature "Outlaw" last year with less than positive results. I am in the process of editing it and (might) enter it again. My new project is a Sci-Fi script about a female "tracker" staged in the future. I'm pretty excited about it. I've worked out a few action scenes and developed some of the story.
A note on that. I haven't had any good ideas for a story in a while. I haven't even had any good ideas for stories already in progress. Out of the blue, this new one hit me. But I want to make a point about keeping a new story idea alive.
I've found that I'll immerse myself in what I call the "nuts and bolts" of flic making. I love to learn things. From how to write a script, to how to light a scene, to visual effects in After FX. I can't get enough of that stuff. I can listen to Rodriguez's El Mariachi commentary over and over and over... But guess, what - it's not productive. You gotta learn it, yeah. But you gotta put it into action. (I'm going off on a tangent) My point to all this is give yourself a break from that stuff. Listen to some music; actually WATCH a movie; play a sport. That will be when your mind opens up, puts all that stuff you've been "studying" to good use, and you come up with your story idea! I usually can hear the soundtrack, too. So, to keep it alive (back on track,now), I put that music on and start visualizing the scenes of my future movie, and start writing.
I know that was a bit scattered but read it more than once to fully absorb the message(s) ;-)
In the works: "No Whip 2: Whip Harder" is going to be filmed on Father's day weekend. Check out "No Whip" on Tom's MySpace page. I began filming a music video for a friend. It was a spur of the moment thing so I'm having the artist(s) re-cut the song to have a clean audio track to sync to the video. I've yet to hear from him, so we'll see how much further I get on that. Creative Screenwriting Magazine has a screenwriting contest every year. The current one deadline's on July 15, so polish up your scripts and get them in. I entered my feature "Outlaw" last year with less than positive results. I am in the process of editing it and (might) enter it again. My new project is a Sci-Fi script about a female "tracker" staged in the future. I'm pretty excited about it. I've worked out a few action scenes and developed some of the story.
A note on that. I haven't had any good ideas for a story in a while. I haven't even had any good ideas for stories already in progress. Out of the blue, this new one hit me. But I want to make a point about keeping a new story idea alive.
I've found that I'll immerse myself in what I call the "nuts and bolts" of flic making. I love to learn things. From how to write a script, to how to light a scene, to visual effects in After FX. I can't get enough of that stuff. I can listen to Rodriguez's El Mariachi commentary over and over and over... But guess, what - it's not productive. You gotta learn it, yeah. But you gotta put it into action. (I'm going off on a tangent) My point to all this is give yourself a break from that stuff. Listen to some music; actually WATCH a movie; play a sport. That will be when your mind opens up, puts all that stuff you've been "studying" to good use, and you come up with your story idea! I usually can hear the soundtrack, too. So, to keep it alive (back on track,now), I put that music on and start visualizing the scenes of my future movie, and start writing.
I know that was a bit scattered but read it more than once to fully absorb the message(s) ;-)
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Greener Grass
As you advance your new career as a flic maker, you are going to have to get some "tools." I've given you some in previous blogs...here are more:
First, Stu Maschwitz is the author of The DV Rebels Guide and co-founder of The Orphanage effects house. He has a blog right here on Blogger called ProLost. If you're not familiar with The Orphanage...looky here!
Next is Mark Christiansen. He is the author of Adobe After Effects (6.5 & 7) Studio Techniques. He is also the #1 beta tester for After Effects. Go to his blog called Flowseeker.
And, I have learned tons (not knowing how to use After Effects until now ) from Andrew Kramer of CreativeCow.com and Video Copilot.net. Go into ITunes and d/l CreativeCow's video blogs (there are two so far) and (if you have inexpensively acquired After Effects 6.5,) do those projects!
These three professionals are taking me to the next level of flic making. Thanks guys!
By the way, Hellboy has a ton of special features on the making of that movie. Also Guillermo del Toro, the director, and the creator of Hellboy comics, Mark Mignola, do an informative commentary together. Dave Basulto is hot right now. His podcast, Filmmaking Central is going strong and he'll soon be broadcasting a video podcast. Be sure to d/l his interviews with both Mark Christiansen and Stu Maschwitz.
Coming up: Today, my business partner informed me of an idea he has for a sequel to a short film we did last month! He's supposed to email me with the script tonight. I will check it over and throw him some ideas back, then we'll schedule a shoot. I think he's talked with the principal actors from the first short and they're on-board. Check back for details of the process we use to make this flic.
Exciting stuff!
First, Stu Maschwitz is the author of The DV Rebels Guide and co-founder of The Orphanage effects house. He has a blog right here on Blogger called ProLost. If you're not familiar with The Orphanage...looky here!
Next is Mark Christiansen. He is the author of Adobe After Effects (6.5 & 7) Studio Techniques. He is also the #1 beta tester for After Effects. Go to his blog called Flowseeker.
And, I have learned tons (not knowing how to use After Effects until now ) from Andrew Kramer of CreativeCow.com and Video Copilot.net. Go into ITunes and d/l CreativeCow's video blogs (there are two so far) and (if you have inexpensively acquired After Effects 6.5,) do those projects!
These three professionals are taking me to the next level of flic making. Thanks guys!
By the way, Hellboy has a ton of special features on the making of that movie. Also Guillermo del Toro, the director, and the creator of Hellboy comics, Mark Mignola, do an informative commentary together. Dave Basulto is hot right now. His podcast, Filmmaking Central is going strong and he'll soon be broadcasting a video podcast. Be sure to d/l his interviews with both Mark Christiansen and Stu Maschwitz.
Coming up: Today, my business partner informed me of an idea he has for a sequel to a short film we did last month! He's supposed to email me with the script tonight. I will check it over and throw him some ideas back, then we'll schedule a shoot. I think he's talked with the principal actors from the first short and they're on-board. Check back for details of the process we use to make this flic.
Exciting stuff!
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Too much work!
"Gee, Flic Maker Scott, you've given me a lot of information, but I have a lot of excuses...now what?"
Obviously, the first thing is LOSE YOUR EXCUSES! You know the old saying...but if you don't: "Excuses are like assholes, everybody has one and they stink!" Look, you're not getting any younger. And if you are young, early twenties or even just out of high school, TIME is about to speed up on you! Ask anyone in their mid to upper thirties!!
Okay, that's not really the reason for this post. I actually wanted to give you some of my best resources. Just remember that none of this does you any good if you're the type of person who lets all those excuses get in your way.
I gave you a list of my favorite podcasts (or as I like to call them, AUDIO BLOGS) in my post "Time to go to work (part 1)" Here's a list of my favorite commentaries:
The one that started it all for me...Spy Kids 2 (why, in a moment). To all of us low-budget flic makers, Robert Rodriguez is our personal JESUS CHRIST (relax, no disrespect to JC). You don't have to like his movies. I'm not huge fan of his movies, I like most of them, but I'm a disciple of his movie-making! Not only do his commentaries go, nearly, step by step through the flic making process, he adds a 10 or 15 minute flic making school to his DVD's (his cooking schools aren't bad either).
Why Spy Kids 2? To begin with, I have always liked commentaries. When I pulled out Spy Kids 2, I had been writing prose (stories) and was close to finishing a feature length screenplay. I put on the commentary and from the moment Robert started talking, I was hooked. He was excited. Later, listening to his other commentaries, I found out why. He was excited to be shooting a digital, high definition movie. In Spy Kids 2, he talks more about the PROCESS of movie/flic making than he does the actual movie. He throws in a few things about Spy Kids here and there, but most of it was the process. Then I discovered the 10 minute film school. And what really excited me was, my buddy told me Robert does a film school for all his movies (he's since changed them to flic school - see Sin City.)
I'll just say here that anything Rodriguez has done, get/listen to the commentary! Now, more on that list:
Underworld - Writers and Director
Pirates of the Carribean 1 - Writers
X-Men 3 - Writers
Ice Age - Directors
Collateral - Director (in depth characterization/story building)
Paycheck - Director
Sum of all Fears - Director & Producer, Director & Author (Clancy)
And last, the Creative Screenwriting Magazine podcast (found on ITunes) has a ton of interviews with mostly the writers of some the hottest movies. Start there if you're currently trying to get screenwriting down. My favorites: Pirates 2 and X-Men 3. For more on screenwriting, check the 2b pictures podcast for a 5-part lesson.
For Later!
Obviously, the first thing is LOSE YOUR EXCUSES! You know the old saying...but if you don't: "Excuses are like assholes, everybody has one and they stink!" Look, you're not getting any younger. And if you are young, early twenties or even just out of high school, TIME is about to speed up on you! Ask anyone in their mid to upper thirties!!
Okay, that's not really the reason for this post. I actually wanted to give you some of my best resources. Just remember that none of this does you any good if you're the type of person who lets all those excuses get in your way.
I gave you a list of my favorite podcasts (or as I like to call them, AUDIO BLOGS) in my post "Time to go to work (part 1)" Here's a list of my favorite commentaries:
The one that started it all for me...Spy Kids 2 (why, in a moment). To all of us low-budget flic makers, Robert Rodriguez is our personal JESUS CHRIST (relax, no disrespect to JC). You don't have to like his movies. I'm not huge fan of his movies, I like most of them, but I'm a disciple of his movie-making! Not only do his commentaries go, nearly, step by step through the flic making process, he adds a 10 or 15 minute flic making school to his DVD's (his cooking schools aren't bad either).
Why Spy Kids 2? To begin with, I have always liked commentaries. When I pulled out Spy Kids 2, I had been writing prose (stories) and was close to finishing a feature length screenplay. I put on the commentary and from the moment Robert started talking, I was hooked. He was excited. Later, listening to his other commentaries, I found out why. He was excited to be shooting a digital, high definition movie. In Spy Kids 2, he talks more about the PROCESS of movie/flic making than he does the actual movie. He throws in a few things about Spy Kids here and there, but most of it was the process. Then I discovered the 10 minute film school. And what really excited me was, my buddy told me Robert does a film school for all his movies (he's since changed them to flic school - see Sin City.)
I'll just say here that anything Rodriguez has done, get/listen to the commentary! Now, more on that list:
Underworld - Writers and Director
Pirates of the Carribean 1 - Writers
X-Men 3 - Writers
Ice Age - Directors
Collateral - Director (in depth characterization/story building)
Paycheck - Director
Sum of all Fears - Director & Producer, Director & Author (Clancy)
And last, the Creative Screenwriting Magazine podcast (found on ITunes) has a ton of interviews with mostly the writers of some the hottest movies. Start there if you're currently trying to get screenwriting down. My favorites: Pirates 2 and X-Men 3. For more on screenwriting, check the 2b pictures podcast for a 5-part lesson.
For Later!
Time to go to work (part 2)
Now let's jump into movies. This is a little more fun but not as much information. Just watching movies will do nothing for you unless you know what you're looking at. The rule is watch the movie first, commentary second...that's because I hate spoiling the end of the movie; simple as that. But it also keeps the movie fresh in your head and you can focus on the commentary (sometimes this is hard).
REWIND - What am I talking about? Most, not all, DVD movies have an extra audio track where the director, writer/director, screenwriter(s), producers, actors...talk about the movie while it is playing. I'm sure most of you know this but it brings me to a point. My personal opinion is that the best, most educational, of these commentaries are the ones by...can you guess?...what do you want to be?...an actor?...not if you're on this blog...a producer?...probably not, they're PRODUCERS...Okay! You got it - screenwriter(s), writer/director, or director.
I've also found that when there is a group of these people on the commentary, they tend to say things like, "Ooo, that was cool." OR "This is the part I like..., That was neat...A funny thing happened here." This is all fun stuff, but doesn't teach YOU how to MAKE your own movie. Though that's not always the case, I've just found it best to stick with commentaries with just the director or just the writer(s).
This is a little touchy, but you'll need to, inexpensively, get your hands on some software to take your movie commentaries with you. 1)IMToo DVD Ripper Platinum 4 will rip audio tracks from a DVD into 192 bps mp3 file...Nice!
However, some new DVD's are copyright protected and the ripper won't work. But since we're NOT copying movies and reselling them, it's illegal, get a copy of 2)DVD Decrypter. Which is easier said than done. It is so good, Macrovision (the copy protect people) bought it, i.e. it's hard to find. But if you manage a copy, the Ripper will rip the audio from the file created by Decrypter.
Lastly, 192 bps is a big file and you want to cram as many educational audios on your mp3 player as you can. Remember, I mentioned 3)the software that comes with a Creative brand MP3 player in part 1? (say yes) It has a nice converter that will take a 192 bps file and compress it into a compact little 32 bps file and, as far as I can tell, there's no quality loss. Windows media player, I think, will convert to 64 bps (and .wma file, which is the same) so that's better than nothing.
As I mentioned before, listening to the podcasts and commentaries will point you into other directions to learn such as books and blogs. This is enough to get you started on the right track. It doesn't happen over night but it's a fun process.
Let me know what you think.
REWIND - What am I talking about? Most, not all, DVD movies have an extra audio track where the director, writer/director, screenwriter(s), producers, actors...talk about the movie while it is playing. I'm sure most of you know this but it brings me to a point. My personal opinion is that the best, most educational, of these commentaries are the ones by...can you guess?...what do you want to be?...an actor?...not if you're on this blog...a producer?...probably not, they're PRODUCERS...Okay! You got it - screenwriter(s), writer/director, or director.
I've also found that when there is a group of these people on the commentary, they tend to say things like, "Ooo, that was cool." OR "This is the part I like..., That was neat...A funny thing happened here." This is all fun stuff, but doesn't teach YOU how to MAKE your own movie. Though that's not always the case, I've just found it best to stick with commentaries with just the director or just the writer(s).
This is a little touchy, but you'll need to, inexpensively, get your hands on some software to take your movie commentaries with you. 1)IMToo DVD Ripper Platinum 4 will rip audio tracks from a DVD into 192 bps mp3 file...Nice!
However, some new DVD's are copyright protected and the ripper won't work. But since we're NOT copying movies and reselling them, it's illegal, get a copy of 2)DVD Decrypter. Which is easier said than done. It is so good, Macrovision (the copy protect people) bought it, i.e. it's hard to find. But if you manage a copy, the Ripper will rip the audio from the file created by Decrypter.
Lastly, 192 bps is a big file and you want to cram as many educational audios on your mp3 player as you can. Remember, I mentioned 3)the software that comes with a Creative brand MP3 player in part 1? (say yes) It has a nice converter that will take a 192 bps file and compress it into a compact little 32 bps file and, as far as I can tell, there's no quality loss. Windows media player, I think, will convert to 64 bps (and .wma file, which is the same) so that's better than nothing.
As I mentioned before, listening to the podcasts and commentaries will point you into other directions to learn such as books and blogs. This is enough to get you started on the right track. It doesn't happen over night but it's a fun process.
Let me know what you think.
Time to go to work (part 1)
Maybe you're saying to yourself, "I know nothing about making movies. Where do I start?"
Well the first thing (and the last thing) you need to keep in mind is ACTION. You can very easily over think this and DO nothing at all. You can over research, know everything you need to know, and still DO nothing. ACTION is key. With that in mind, start learning. This is what I did:
I'm a music person, so I already had an MP3 player. It's a must for my plan. You can buy a cheap one at Wal-Mart (I recommend "Creative" brand for the software it comes with - more on that later). I won't advocate buying a lot of stuff in this blog, but your education will be gotten while you do other things. You'll get your education by listening to podcasts and commentaries. You put them on your MP3 player and go on about your life.
Let's start with podcasts (or any mp3 audio). I got this idea from listening to audio books. I could rip a book off a CD and take it with me. Are you seeing the big picture? Go to ITunes, Juice, other pod downloaders and search for anything pertaining to film making (yeah, I said film - but it works). Look for anything on screenwriting, or whatever it is you want to learn. Here's some of my best examples: Creative Screenwriting magazine, Filmmaking Central, Filmmakers Forum, 2b Pictures, and Twenty One Productions. These are a few that give you the basics and more. Any new ones I come across will be posted in the blog. D/L them from the beginning. Some haven't put out a podcast in awhile but there is still good stuff there. Listen while your at work (if possible), while your doing laundry or dishes, washing your car, going to sleep, etc.
When I'm listening to them (over and over and over) I always catch something that leads me to something else, like what book to read (check your library), what camera to shoot with, another podcast to listen to...so keep a piece of paper handy.
NOTE: You can't listen watching TV! Don't waste your time watching 24 or American Idol (good shows but you're just wasting time and not learning anything.) Watch MOVIES, what a concept! (see part 2 on movies)
(see you on part 2)
Well the first thing (and the last thing) you need to keep in mind is ACTION. You can very easily over think this and DO nothing at all. You can over research, know everything you need to know, and still DO nothing. ACTION is key. With that in mind, start learning. This is what I did:
I'm a music person, so I already had an MP3 player. It's a must for my plan. You can buy a cheap one at Wal-Mart (I recommend "Creative" brand for the software it comes with - more on that later). I won't advocate buying a lot of stuff in this blog, but your education will be gotten while you do other things. You'll get your education by listening to podcasts and commentaries. You put them on your MP3 player and go on about your life.
Let's start with podcasts (or any mp3 audio). I got this idea from listening to audio books. I could rip a book off a CD and take it with me. Are you seeing the big picture? Go to ITunes, Juice, other pod downloaders and search for anything pertaining to film making (yeah, I said film - but it works). Look for anything on screenwriting, or whatever it is you want to learn. Here's some of my best examples: Creative Screenwriting magazine, Filmmaking Central, Filmmakers Forum, 2b Pictures, and Twenty One Productions. These are a few that give you the basics and more. Any new ones I come across will be posted in the blog. D/L them from the beginning. Some haven't put out a podcast in awhile but there is still good stuff there. Listen while your at work (if possible), while your doing laundry or dishes, washing your car, going to sleep, etc.
When I'm listening to them (over and over and over) I always catch something that leads me to something else, like what book to read (check your library), what camera to shoot with, another podcast to listen to...so keep a piece of paper handy.
NOTE: You can't listen watching TV! Don't waste your time watching 24 or American Idol (good shows but you're just wasting time and not learning anything.) Watch MOVIES, what a concept! (see part 2 on movies)
(see you on part 2)
It's a start...
So I've been kicking around ideas for my first blog and decided I would start with how I got this idea in the first place.
I've spent the last two years learning the basics of flic making. Not film making, because I couldn't tell you the first thing about using a film camera. I wouldn't even want to. Why not? Check out Robert Rodriguez's commentary on El Mariachi. He says there's only about $600 on the screen. The rest of his $7000 budget is film alone! Low-budget FILM making is a contradiction in terms.
I had written some screenplays and figured I'm a handy kinda guy, why not shoot a few scenes, piece them together and make a movie. So I grabbed a buddy of mine (he had a tad more experience) showed him my short and we were on our way. I started this blog to journal how I get an idea from my head to the screen, or at least to DVD.
In my next blog...How YOU get started!
I've spent the last two years learning the basics of flic making. Not film making, because I couldn't tell you the first thing about using a film camera. I wouldn't even want to. Why not? Check out Robert Rodriguez's commentary on El Mariachi. He says there's only about $600 on the screen. The rest of his $7000 budget is film alone! Low-budget FILM making is a contradiction in terms.
I had written some screenplays and figured I'm a handy kinda guy, why not shoot a few scenes, piece them together and make a movie. So I grabbed a buddy of mine (he had a tad more experience) showed him my short and we were on our way. I started this blog to journal how I get an idea from my head to the screen, or at least to DVD.
In my next blog...How YOU get started!
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