Opinion on Young Filmmakers

[8 and 1/3 Minutes]

Hi everyone, I have a little question for you: What is your opinion of young filmmakers today (as in teenagers, not the twenty something Hollywood people)? I have seen a lot on these boards, and I was wondering if the older, more experienced people would mind giving their HONEST opinion.

~Paige

[deanl]

Im young im 19 years old and ive been making films since i was 7 years old not verry good ones but they were still films ive worked with super 8 film but mostly video. id say the biggest problem now is there are to many people say they want to be directors not for the love of making films but for the fame and the money. when i started making films it was for the love of making the film and seeing the look on my mum and dads face its only as i get older i see it as a carear when i was 7 i wanted to be a police man.
it seems now every other teenager wants to be Quentin or Rodriguez filmmaking like football is becoming the new rock and roll.
Im not saying if you wanna make films start young there have been many fine films made by people to whome film making is there second carear im just saying make films for the love of film not just so you can live in the met bar and start shagging maddona.

[deepcope]

you talk like wanting to be a rich acter or directer is a new thing !

i was just wondering what the point of this post was ? whats your opinion of us teenage wannabe filmmakers

( i say wannabe because i have read a lot of posts recently about robert r and i disagree calling myself a filmmaker until i make a film ! am i the only person who sees that logic ? )

[deanl]

your lodgic is spot on mate.

but ask your self why you wanna start making films.

is it for the fame or for the art

[deepcope]

trust me now when i say i am NOT one of those kids who want to make films purely for money or even partly for money !
it was one of my points in a diffrent topic
"ask yourself if you had more money then you could spend in a lifetime on one film would you still make films" i can promise you i would.

i do it for the art

[shirt]

Here is a little tidbit:

Not all of us here want to be "directors."

I know I don't. I want to be operating a camera, or maybe direct photography.

That is maybe another question to ask yourself when deciding why you want to work in film... Do I have to be the director? and Must I get credit for my work?

[marti-c]

I think that is a good point shirt.
I have lots of ideas for short films etc,but Im more interested in being a jack of all trades(probably master of none)
I have said it before...there are too many chiefs and not enough indians (especially in the film industry) I think its going to be more interesting being a small wheel in the film making machine.
Its not that i dont have ambition but the key buzz word in the tv industry is "multi-skilled".
It would be interesting to see if this idea is limited to mature visitors to this forum?

[marti-c]

I think that is a good point shirt.
I have lots of ideas for short films etc,but Im more interested in being a jack of all trades(probably master of none)
I have said it before...there are too many chiefs and not enough indians (especially in the film industry) I think its going to be more interesting being a small wheel in the film making machine.
Its not that i dont have ambition but the key buzz word in the tv industry is "multi-skilled".
It would be interesting to see if this idea is limited to mature visitors to this forum?

[N. Foster Tyler]

Who knows. I'm 19, I made my short film pretty much all by myself. Why? I was the only one who cared about it, and I will not count on others. Besides, there simply wasn't enough money to pay professionals.

The technical side of filmmaking isn't really the hard part for me, that is if you know what you want and what to expect. Its the creative aspects that nibble at my brain. The story, the character(s), and the context in which the film takes is tricky stuff at times. I just try and follow my instincts and make the film how I feel it SHOULD be made. I would feel guilty if I put something in it that didn't feel 'right' for the film.

Its usually a painful process, but I enjoy it well enough to keep on pushing my stuff into existence. It's hard to show your stuff to people when its finished, especially if you really care about and have a deep connection with your material. Filmmaking is often very sad for me. Sometimes (and if you are a real filmmaker, you'll know what I mean) I hate it.

That's my two cents (sorry guys, "pence").

-N. Foster Tyler

[miker]

19? N. Foster Tyler, did you mis-type that! You appear to me to be one of the more mature ppl on this board.

For my sins I am 28 (29 soon, eeeek!) and have only really just come to terms with the fact that I want a career as a director.

As for the young 'uns --- which I would class as anyone under 20. Well, film-making makes good use of natural selection! A LOT of ppl will 'drop out' of the scene and stack shelves for a living, but a few will persevere and 'make it', in whatever context they themselves see as being successful.

I think real, passionate, film-makers have the upperhand, much like anyone who is passionate about their career. I'm sure we all know ppl who are wasters because they just don't know what to do with their lives... by choosing a career in film-making you are ensuring that you will always have a goal to aim for - the completion of your next film (or your next contract as soundman, whatever)

But that doesn't really answer what I think of the whipper-snappers ... well, I was that age once and I felt very isolated, no-one took me seriously and it was a real pain. I also remember those feelings leading me to be a bit 'anti' and very pissed off that black/gay/disabled seemed to get precedence when it comes to funding - of course, I've grown up now and realise that you had to be black/gay/disabled *and* buddies with the folks on the arts board :-)

So fuck that, I have to fund my own films, inevitibly leading to low production values and feelings of being ashamed of my work cos the average joe couldn't see past the VHS fuzz.

Thankfully, that's changing thanks to the whole digital/communications revolution that *is* taking place. I really feel that historians will look at this era much as they do the industrial revolution etc.

And what's more my day job is contracting in IT, directly part of that revolution and it pays well thank you very much.

So do I go and buy some fuck off sports car?

No.

I invest in my foundations to become a truely independent film-maker working outside of the 'system' but realising that my art must make a transition to 'product' before I can hope to make a living at it.

So kids, keep at it. I'll need the cheap labour :-)