Filmmaking Theories 101

[Eliud25]

Everyone has a filmmaking theory. I mean a way of making films/videos that only you know will work for you. What I am looking for from you is:What is your little secret? What make you tick? How would you make a film? How would you succeed.? Everyone one has an idea, a secret, or a theory. What is yours? Maybe we can learn from each other and make better films.Come on open up and tell your theory on filmmaking?????????????? [img]graemlins/film.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/person.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/camera.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 15, 2002 10:05 PM: Message edited by: Eliud25 ]</font>

[GREATwarEAGLE]

Subtext - in the dialogue as well as the images. Say it without saying it - show it without showing it. Make the audience involuntarily fill in the blanks in their heads. This is much easier said than done, though.

Read DAVID MAMET ON FILMMAKING. It's his contemporary translation and simplified, practical application of Sergei Eisenstein's theory of montage.
Also recommended, Eisenstein's FILM FORM and FILM SENSE.

And then the human condition. Treat it with humor, no matter how mundane or serious the subject matter is.

...but none of this may for work for YOU. Everyone's different. Ultimately, there's no right or wrong.

[GREATwarEAGLE]

correction - Mamet's book is titled:

DAVID MAMET ON DIRECTING FILM

[Esparto]

The Big Honkin Idea Box Theory

every time i have an idea for a scene, film, plot twist etc, i start writing it down, usally whilst writing i'll start developing the idea in several different directions, e.g., -what if he was the bad guy, what if this was a period film, etc. often i'll come up with a completly new idea. most of these ideas are spontanious and it might be hours or weeks before i start this process again.

every idea goes into The Big Honkin Idea Box. i look through these ideas every now and again, develop them further then add them to a script, start a new script etc...

my theory is that if you have good ideas, you can make a good script, and that helps to make a good film.

[Mods]

LoL. Hmmm.

Pre-production
When writing a script, I get it written. I usually spend a week or two getting a first draft together, and from then on I can change it up until and during filming.

Also, I like to get permission for locations sorted asap, and gather cast to my liking etc.

Filming
Every time we film, I like to think of bigger better ways of doing things, and ways of improving shots, creating interesting angles/shots etc. I do this to give an amateur film more professionalism. If you're making a war film and you've got a friend that owns a tank, why don't you ask him if it can appear in the film, rather than let it go to waste?

Post-production
I make sure it looks right.

And to be honest, I can't remember what you asked at the start of this thread.

[img]smile.gif[/img]
m0ds

[GREATwarEAGLE]

The theory behind what makes me tick is no big secret. And there are a million ways to interpret each and every theory. I'm not afraid to share what I know at all. Every theory, idea, method, technique, secret, formula, ingredient there is to know about filmmaking is readily available to us all.

Books. Internet.

It's just a question of wether or not your willing and patient enough to learn them.

[LAmind]

Hmm. Something tells me if everyone would use each others filmmaking techniques films there'd be a liiiittle less creativity.

I say we keep our techniques to ourselves and then make our movies and compare our styles! I mean once you tell someone "hat makes you tick" it's no longer what makes YOU tick. And then....who cares?

-Ivan