>What are you working on?
>What can you show us?
>Got any on-set stories?
I tried to do ADR for a short I'm working on today. That was a big fucking mistake.
>>68744015
I made a short for my intro to film class in the style of michael mann, and it's not that good. But we had very limited time. Like three hours on three days and that was about it.
>>68744227
Nice, at least you're doing something.
You have it on Youtube or something?
>>68744227
>film class
Don't tell me you're in film school
You are aren't you?
>>68744272
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o-oiFRXU5Y there ya go, man, improving everyday.
>>68744278
naw, I annoy my girlfriend too much talking about movies so I figured just take a class at the local college and annoy them with too much talking about movies.
>>68744329
Can't see shit. I'd improve your lighting.
Other than that nice job man, keep it up.
>>68744015
Filmed my short in the last week
In Post Production. Got it edited and Color Corrected. About to finish with post sound.
Next will be to get some music and intro/exit credits.
>>68744480
Any suggestions for books or things to help me improve my lighting? I was really hoping for better lighting in the basement scene, but we didn't have the ability to hook it up to a board and balance it out so we had to take it full blast. And thanks man, that means a lot.
>>68744374
don't be discouraged by bitter anons.
don't stop learning pal.
>>68744561
Good to hear, man. What's it all about?
>>68744329
your actress at 00:01:50, she has potential. she had a good presence.
you're good with sound, with building it up.
in a rush to go but keep it up man. you did what most people on here don't do so congrats. just keep on improving.
>>68744374
>girlfriend
get out
>>68744720
Comedy about a mom who is talked into by her son to enter her fumigated home to find his concert tickets but they are not where he says they are.
Its my second short. My first was a drama.
Is it normal to start hating a project the more you work on it?
I've been working on two these past couple weeks, one I've just been editing but the other I directed and edited because I really wanted creative control over the project. The latter one was the one I tried to do ADR for, but I have no fucking idea how to do that and none of my actors did either, so I'm just turning it in with shit audio. Editing the other one's been an absolute bitch too.
Shit Audio cut here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-XIm_r6EQs
>>68744896
Sounds good, man, hope to see it when you're done.
>>68744896
>Comedy about a mom who is talked into by her son to enter her fumigated home to find his concert tickets but they are not where he says they are.
Rip off from an IASIP episode.
>>68745109
>Is it normal to start hating a project the more you work on it?
In my very limited experience, yes, anon, yes, indeed.
>>68745470
Well, I'm glad to hear I'm not alone in this.
I was happy with that cut two days ago. Now it fucking repulses me.
>>68745724
Finish it through to the end, then make something better. All the advice I can give ya, man. You got promise, without a doubt.
>>68745830
Thanks, man. I appreciate that.
Already thinking about what I want to work on over the summer. Initially I was gonna do an action short but now I'm thinking about just doing a short with a lot of casually surreal imagery, about lucid dreams or some shit.
>>68746004
Surrealism is the shit!!!! I like to look at Jim Jarmusch stuff for inspiration cause of how minimalist his stuff is, cheaper that way, but really all I want is to make stuff like Bunuel or Jodoworsky with crazy visuals and symbolism and shiz. Excited to see your next stuff.
ask an nyu film grad anything (while he watches hockey)
>>68746469
Was it worth it?
>>68746534
savage
>>68746469
What do you do for work? How long did it take you to get there?
>>68746534
>>68746591
not worth it to be honest
my folks are well off though, so it didn't hurt our family
>>68746626
but id like to give you guys any filmmaking advice you want - might as well share what (little) I know
>>68746469
Why did you go to film school instead of literally anything else?
>>68746720
I want to work in the film industry and got into one of the best schools in the world in one of the best cities in the world, I couldn't turn it down.
>>68746675
Alright then.
What should I do when all the actors I have/can afford are shit?
>>68746886
Oooh good question - can you give me a little more context? What's your budget, are you used union actors, how big is your crew, what genre, etc?
Production Assistant. Finished working on a pilot for CBS a few weeks ago.
>>68746980
I truly hated PAing. I couldn't stand all the downtime while teamsters and other morons got paid crazy amounts to do nothing. It felt so wasteful.
I dunno how anyone can make a career out of it.
>>68746980
suck any cock?
>>68746967
>>68746886
Oh, and did you write the script?
>>68747079
>>68746967
It was really more of a hypothetical, just for reference in case I get in that situation.
I got a press pass to this weekend's comic con, so hopefully I'll get someone cool to interview and upload it. It's a weekend pass so I'm pretty excited.
>>68747205
how fat are you
>>68747237
Not very fat at all famalam
>>68747204
Oh, ok.
Well one thing is to rehearse a lot and make sure you don't throw them into a scene cold. Another thing is to rehearse camera movements, lighting, sound, etc all without them there (use PAs as stand-ins if you have the crew) because you just want them in and focused on their task.
So many times on amateur sets people give the actors and crew the same call time and just suck the energy and attention and focus away from the actors. And then the do take after take to perfect their camera movements and lighting while the actor is trying to give their performance - after the second or so take these not-professional actors can't really keep their performance consistent. Keep it in mind.
If you want to give them directions for their actual performance - don't tell them what emotion they're supposed to feel, give them the context and nudge them toward getting to that point. It's pretty vague but there's tons of literature about it online and elsewhere. Basically you want to make sure their performance is as invested and focused and "in-zone" as possible.
Look up "Directing the Actor"
FUCKING EDITING IS A PAIN IN THE ASS
I'm really hating Avid, but I'm also hating myself for not having a longer cut of this short, to meet requirements.
>>68747205
pls don't do that shallow depth of field, over-saturated look shit. Please.
>>68747477
I've literally not completed projects because I hate avid so much.
>>68747426
Ooh, this is really helpful. Thanks, man.
>>68747477
Stick with it bruh. I used to find avid really confusing and overwhelming but once I got used to it I don't want to go back to premiere
>>68747550
>pls don't do that shallow depth of field, over-saturated look shit. Please.
I probably won't. If they do let me interview people, it's not going to be a big artsy thing. Just a DSLR and a news mic, shooting the shit. Real casual-like. I'm not going to lug around a fucking ari light kit so there's no reason to pretend like it's going to be a big fancy interview.
>>68747622
That's not at all what I'm referring to, you realize that - right?
>>68747725
I get what you meant. I don't see the point in doing any DoF tricks to make it look artsy if I'm not going to do any other artsy shit with it.
>>68747797
At this point the hyper-saturated, ultra-shallow DoF look is standard. And hideous.
>>68744015
gonna be the cinematographer on a feature next month. indie, but has a five figure budget (still not enough to pay me kek)
gonna be using an Arri Alexa though, so that's great. good thing I have zero experience with it
>>68747426
not that anon, but good advice my man. will keep that in mind
>>68747915
>gonna be the cinematographer on a feature next month
>has a five figure budget
>still not enough to pay me
>I have zero experience with the [Arri Alexa]
what the fug
>>68747966
>>68747560
no worries guys, ask away
>>68745470
>>68745724
in my experience I hate a project right up until I fuck with the sound and add in music. It really ties it together and is a great confidence booster
>>68748021
So you mentioned film school wasnt really worth it. But I keep hearing how it is at least great to find connections and to get a foot in the door. Do you think that's accurate?
Yo once my internship is up I'm thinking of moving to a real city and try to get into the industry. I'd like to do NY or Chicago but I've also heard that there's growing film industries in Rawlings, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Any advice on which one I should get into? LA is expensive and I think there's too much competition there.
>>68747968
haha i DPd a feature last year, ultra low budget, so i have experience, just not with that camera
also, five figures is still nothing for a feature. even with all the big discounts the producers are getting (the arri we got on a grant), if you include location permits, insurance, various equipment, food, etc
but yea, i argued that i should be paid, but ive accepted the whole back end deal where if it gets sold i get a cut (won't happen). welcome to indie filmmaking
>>68745289
And a Seinfeld episode
>>68746469
How rich are mommy and daddy?
Are they in the industry?
>>68748217
>but yea, i argued that i should be paid, but ive accepted the whole back end deal where if it gets sold i get a cut (won't happen). welcome to indie filmmaking
I did two of these 10 years ago when I was actually active in film and hadn't virtually given up on life.
Pity I never got anything. I got use the money now.
>>68748200
>connections
Yes and no. Best way to make connections to work on set is to work as a crew member (PA, etc.) and get in through there.
I learned a lot about filmmaking but the experience of working on sets and interning and PAing wasn't exclusive to NYU, yknow? I could've done it all independently if I knew better.
Most of my classmates were younger than I was and shitty, half-baked, immature people. Not their fault, but they mostly had a long way to go before they amounted to anything. Same for me, of course, but my point is that we weren't a crucible of genius artists - mostly rich jewish shitheads from Cali desu.
>>68748216
NY and LA are still king and you can find crew jobs there all the time. Shreveport has a scene, Atlanta too, Austin as well. Honestly, LA is cheaper than NY and better weather. Shitter traffic though. Depends on a variety of aspects.
What do you want to do in film?
>>68748282
Not in the industry. I guess for 4chan/NEET standards they're successful. I grew up not-rich though, so I'd like to think I'm a bit grounded.
>>68748216
Go to ATL and make a documentary about a stripper.
Or an action/adventure movie about a stripper.
You'll win Sundance.
I'm writing this movie, heavily inspired by Akira.
Would it be confusing to opening with a bike gang scene, and then immediately cut to a bike gang scene in the future?
>>68748428
>I grew up not-rich though, so I'd like to think I'm a bit grounded.
Yeah, I'll bet.
>>68748428
>What do you want to do in film?
I think I'm better at editing more than anything. It's all I do at this internship. Though realistically I'd take just about anything. I have experience with a lot of different stuff, so I think I'm pretty well rounded
>>68748578
>>68748428
also I didn't know LA was cheaper than NY. I'll keep that in mind, thanks.
>>68748504
Yeah, probably.
>>68748670
Thank you for your thought provoking involved insight, anon.
>>68748778
What else is there to say? It sounds confusing
>>68748510
Every time I do one of these, between one and four anons are super cool and eager to ask questions (and I try to answer as best I know), a few cite their own experience and try to one-up me (but it makes for more content and discussion), and then there are a few who only want to talk about my lack of career options/tuition/family money/etc and not at all filmmaking or screenwriting.
Whatever man, think whatever you want. I'm doing this anonymously - so what's the point?
>>68748578
I've never lived in LA so I dunno its scene that well. NY is a better city by far, but much more stressful and expensive from what I gather. Both cities have many post-prod firms, but in NY they'll be mostly concentrated in lower manhattan and hipster brooklyn - in LA they're all over.
Look around, email asking for apprenticeship/internships, I dunno - I dislike editing a lot so I purposefully avoided all that shit.
I have a story, but no plot.
What do?
>>68748857
What's the story? Is there a protagonist - does he/she do anything?
Can you tell the story in a way that goes "X happened, so then Y happened, so then Z happened"? If not, can you change the story so it fits that format?
>>68748857
>I have a story, but no plot.
>What do?
explain
>>68748970
Alright, I have no story and no plot then.
I have two main characters that probably need to fleshed out more.
I have exposition (I think that's the right word) and some worldbuilding.
But I can't figure out for the life of me what the story goal should be, what the characters should be trying to do or stop.
It takes place in a very racist society and I suppose the goal is to expose the racist system and achieve reform, but it's unrealistic.
I live in a very racist country and that racism is outed constantly, but no changes are made.
>>68749289
So you live in an upper middle class american suburb
>>68749334
Not the suburbs and not upper middle class, but yeah.
I don't know what would be a big enough scale to have the racism exposed in my story.
I mean documents or audio could be leaked online, but that's too easy.
And there also needs to be stakes, what happens if the racism isn't exposed?
>>68749289
Scrap it for now.
Write something else, or think about another character within your (very boring) world.
What does that character need? What happens to them that causes them to need/want this?
If it's racism - maybe a police/judge/whatever took the black guy's X with impunity and they have to find a way to get it back.
So then it becomes an adventure/heist movie within a world that explores racism. Or it could be a love story.
Best thing to do is to flesh out the characters as much as you can, like way more than would ever be shown in the film/short/episode, and then find out what those characters would do in different situations or circumstances. What stimulus would set them off with interesting reactions.
For instance, if some tough-guy wanted to pick a fight with me, I wouldn't react in an interesting way. If someone wanted to pick a fight with Peter Parker, he'd quip some jokes and then use his powers to tie him up.
What would your character do if X happened to them?
>>68749506
Like I said here >>68749546 the stakes have to relate to your characters.
This year's Best Picture winner was Spotlight - very similar situation as yours - they want to expose the Catholic Church's coverup. The stakes are still there for the reporters.
>>68749546
>>68749601
>Scrap it for now.
I've been working on this for like 2 years.
>What does that character need? What happens to them that causes them to need/want this?
I can't answer those questions for either character, Jesus.
And I neglected to mention this, it's not just a story about modern racism.
It's a sci-fi story that takes place in the future that makes everything a little more intense.
Imagine if the main replicant Deckard was hunting wasn't Rutger Hauer, but a little kid.
And imagine if the kid was a regular boy before and then turned into a cyborg by the Tyrell Corporation.
That's kind of what my story is.
You're right though, I definitely to work on the characters more.
It's just really difficult trying to figure out the best direction to go in.
Creating characters from scratch is a lot different than adapting them.
>>68749938
So figure it out then. You've had 2 years on this, you probably know more about the world than you think you do.
Write things down, make family trees, connections, etc. Create the world and then throw a wrench in it.
In Blade Runner things were going smoothly until 6 replicants escaped and returned to Earth. Which led to Deckard, who was living his life and minding his own business, to get pulled back into the Blade Running Game.
Boom, there's your plot.
Do the same for yours.
I'm going to bed, I'll leave the thread open, maybe it'll survive the night and if there are other questions I'd be happy to answer them.
(I'm avoiding writing my own script right now)
>>68749938
You've been working on this for two years and you haven't fleshed out any story?
>>68750034
fuck alright maybe i've got this
i've been too rigid in some of my ideas
and i've been ignoring structure
>>68750057
I came up with the base idea 4 years ago when listening to the Drive soundtrack.
I only started to work on it last year, so really it's been a year and 4 months, it's just felt like 2 years.
I've been working on another project for 4 years.
I'm working on three things altogether right now.
>>68750392
what goal do each one of your characters have?
ill bump to see if this lasts until 7am
>>68750034
pic uuuu
>>68750572
I guess having good morals isn't a good enough motivation, right?
I really gotta work on these characters.
Thank you, anons.
>>68744329
>that dude singing ratamahatta
fucking great
>>68744329
the ganesha felt so out of place. any reason for it to be in focus all the time? I hate handheld (maybe my taste). neat work by the way!
>>68751424
thanks, bruh, was hoping some Sepultura fan out there would get it.
I spent the last few days color correcting (like changing the wall colors and shit) and wow it really makes a difference on how everything feels
>>68751655
To be honest with you, I got a call that morning about a friend of friend's place we could shoot at and we had only enough time to shoot all the apartments scenes before my actors had to leave. And as much as I wanted way more background religious imagery and symbolism in the rest of it, we didn't really have time to put anything else in, so all we have now is Ganesha blessing the beginning of my film-making.
>>68752201
shit, what do you use for that? That sounds awesome.
>>68752240
DaVinci Resolve. Such a step up from the usual shit I used to do straight into Premiere.
>>68752266
Does Resolve work well with other editing software? I'd like to get into color correcting but I don't know if you have to encode it twice if you want to use separate programs
>>68752348
You have to encode before you put the clip into Premiere. I think the proper work flow is to edit first then grade but I like to know how it looks before I arrange everything.
>>68752459
Bleh. I hate that shit. Well what are your specs or whatever when you encode? Everything I encode twice looks like ass.
>>68752529
Just straight to H264 and quality maximum.
Keep the frame rate the same and then export how you usually do in Premiere.
>>68752657
aight. Thanks anon
>>68747854
not that anon. any examples of what you're talking about?
>Fun Tip
These posts are often by directors or others close to production as a way to find the crew members who leak their content online.
>gb2b Steven
>>68752798
Are you sure you aren't thinking of the /swg/?
>>68752667
No problem.
This is what I've been coloring
in my pic is the original.
I'm trying to figure out how I can hide that fuck up with the shadow near the end. Maybe I can composite the shadow? I'm not sure. I might be able to roto his movements and composite them into a wall shadow.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dv1lfgy6ogx4ya1/intro_3.mp4?dl=0
I'm a published novelist and I want to do a movie based on my book. My agent says it's too literary and niche to pitch to any somewhat mainstream entity. I have no idea how to proceed. If I were to do a self-produced, self-directed thing what do I need to know? My friend does a web show where she interviews people so I could probably borrow her sound equipment. As far as cameras I have a GoPro that my mom got me for Christmas and my iPhone. I have pretty much no money for getting a real camera but I can afford a steadicam or something.
Any general advice?
>>68752921
Get a trust-worthy crew together or you will have production problems.
>>68752830
I w0t mate
I've just wrapped up an 8 mm movie about western isolation in Canada. I have local celebrities like John Marty and Cathy Hornbirth already interviewed. I have a key spot with Daniel Sizaki about Russian Dolphin training, I'm making it.
I can assembe a good crew but has anyone here ever hired a casting director for a project?
Not sure how to get dependable actors.
I really want to get into the industry, but I have no fucking clue how I could do that. The one potential contact I had is in Chicago now I think (and also thinks I'm an annoying autistic faggot) so yeah.
It's not as though film exactly flourishes here, either. I'm in Downtown Indy, so finding some sort of internship or something is gonna be seriously fucking difficult.
>>68753065
Very nice!
>>68753074
I've done audition tapes for a casting director.
They are very useful assuming you get the best of them. I worked with the guy who casted Evil Dead II and he was very professional -- really picked at the actors.
The point of the casting director is to pry open an actor's acting ability while you (the actual director of the film) judge them by their range. If you cast on your own, you really want to keep this in mind because while an actor can give a beautiful monologue you'll want to know if they can play the monologue in an entirely different way.
>>68753102
Festivals. Not purely by submitting a film and getting regarded, but actually going to festival parties and talking to people.
>>68753102
ayyy I'm in indy too senpai. Get an internship with WFYI. Easy way of becoming a freelancer. Even if it's not your style it helps build resumes.
>>68753144
Yeah, there's one festival here that I always say I'm gonna go to but never actually do. I'll make it this year.
>>68753186
Ayyyy I'll look into that senpai thanks for the tip
>>68744015
>I tried to do ADR
Congratulations, you are now qualified to work on steven seagulls next masterpiece.
>>68747033
I want to eventually be an AD, so barring getting into the trainee program, my PA days are the way to go.
>>68747054
Nope
>>68746980
How's the pay?
>>68753410
I think I was making 10 an hour and we work at least 12 hours a day. Roughly 150 a day.
>>68753517
Nice man. Any comments on the staff you're working with? Any scuffles?
>>68753541
Not really, on The Player we had an electrician get into an argument with a camera guy, nothing came of it though. Our 2nd 2nd AD got in a fight with our 1st and quit.
That's really the extent of the on set drama I've seen.
>>68753576
>2nd 2nd AD
Someone needs to explain how the fucking numbering system is supposed to work there, I've never understood that.
>>68753576
Sweet.
>>68753617
The hierarchy is important.
>>68753617
>>68753677
1st AD is the person who essentially runs the set for the director, directs department heads to do what they need to do etc.
The 2nd AD is the 1sts right hand man. He/She handles pretty much all the paperwork, making callsheets, making sure actors know where they're going etc.
2nd 2nds handle pretty much everything else, running background, helping lock up, organizing the PA's.
>>68753756
Huh, alright, that makes some sense. Thanks.
