Who are YOU?

[taragolden]

Im a film student in Sedona, Arizona. I went back to school when my son became a teenager. I have had lots of life experience I am bringing to the table. I have owned two businesses, one working with artists in Arizona and Kauai, and used to publish/write a satire magazine called Issues. I am a traveler, interested in other people and cultures.


I am interested in film as a artistic medium.

The shorts i have been working are shot and directed by me, with assistance from others. I am going to be going up to Sundance this week to shot a behind the scenes documentary up there. I feel i can do the run and gun style that I will need up there and hope to follow some of the first time film makers who are breaking out this year with their first success.

Yeah, techincally I still have tons to learn but I figure I might as well jump into the fray and learn everything i can.

Lately I have been doing a little freelance work for NBC and ABC.

[Vlad the Impaler]

My real name is rob, I studied Media Studies and Music among other things at A Level then decided to take music for my degree. I'm Studying classical music at Liverpool Uni, year 2... concentrating on composition and orchestration and hopefully studying sound for the moving image next year.

Looking to build up a portfolio of my work for moving image, already composed for one of Untamed's shorts, and also trying to find time to do another he has done... composing for a PC game at the mo which is something new for me! Also want to get into sound design but its hard to get any jobs without any previous work [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img]

[jbridges]

I am a Media Producer by day, but my passion is film. I have 2 features under my belt and am in the rehearsal stages for the next one. As far as training goes, the funds have never really been there so a lot of training was from college Mass Communication classes. That's where I got some fundamentals anyway. I think I have watched more films than anyone I know. But I don't just watch them. I'm sure all of you know what I'm talking about when I say I study each frame of every film I watch. I had my own production company for a while shooting event videography CRAP! Finally, in the past couple of years I have developed a friendship with about 10 other people that live close. We are all passionate about film making. We are trying to "start a film revolution" in nowhere America. There are so many untapped resources in the area where I live. Possibilities are endless.

[Bnew]

I'm 22, I finished A levels last year, Film Studies, Communication Studies & Psychology, and applied to Westminster for their Film & TV production BA, which I didn't get in to, and to London College of Printing for their BA Film Production course which I also didn't get in because I needed a BTEC Foundation thing as well, which I was going to do this year but I bolloxed up the application and didnt get it in on time.

So this year, i'm re-doing my A level film coursework which I never finished, to push my grade up a bit, and am currently in the middle of applying to Westminster again, altho my application is now late. If I don't get in again this year, I'll do the BTEC Foundation year at LCP (now called LCC) and then try to get on the BA course and apply to westminster (except on time this time though [img]biggrin.gif[/img] ), and keep applying until one of them accepts me.

I've got a camera, but haven't shot anything myself bar a short promotional video for Communications A level coursework, although I'm hoping to start shooting a script I wrote last year within the next few weeks, or I might write a new one, depends on whether friends are willing to help/act etc.

I also worked as a runner for a short shot on 35mm last year.

[Tasty Fish Lips]

One of the things I've noticed about message boards for filmmakers is that they usually attract a certain type of person: people highly intersted in technology, which is why they're on the web a lot. And the age range is usually the same, like 15 to late 20's.

Of course there are exceptions. There always are. But generally speaking.

I look at the "new liitle Apple" thread and I cannot make heads or tails of any of it. I am just not a technology enthusiast. I do have a new computer, but it's pretty basic and I wouldn't even be able to tell you off hand what exactly I have - my best friend of almost 20 years guided me on buying it. He on the other hand, is a tech junkie. He still plays video games like when we were kids. I just have some simple 8 bit nintendo emulators.

As far as film goes, I'm much more interested in the other things, as you may have guessed. Most specifically the acting. That's what I feel, for me, just speaking for myself, is the most important thing.

When I first had an interest in filmmaking, I wanted to do everything. Operate the camera, be the DP, do the editing, the score - everything. And I think that's completely normal. I guess everyone has to try it all out to see what it is they're good at.

I've learned that I'm not that great at technology. I like editing, sometimes. But it does sometimes get tedious. I'm talking about the physical sitting there, especially if it's film editing. Actually going through the film, splicing, and having to go through the film on a little viewer.

But even non-linear video editing gets to me after a while. Maybe eventually that'll go away. Or maybe not. Whatever.

I wish I had the enthusiasm and drive to enjoy doing it all - but the fact is - I don't.

And back to acting, one thing I've certainly learned as far as guerila filmmaking goes - if I don't have the very best actors I can find, I'm not going to invest too much time or money on a project. And lately, I've been writing stuff that calls for excellent actors - like I said, they are the most important thing. So, I'm not going to be making anything antime soon, with exception to a silent short that I will be in. The specific type of actors I want are hard to find and usually require money.

So that's me.

[Spunkey1pestic]

I'm 26,(and one of the few females on this board
-where are all the lady film makers at?)
anyway dropped out of film school in 97
to take a PA job on a major feature...
Was young and offered money to do industrial's
rather than return to film school so I hacked out a living making commercial's for a major grocery store chain-Before taking an internship with their in house A/V Department... Missed the creativity .... changed careers.....

Now (4yrs later)
Insurance Goffer by Day... Organizing 203
productions at night- and trying to shop some stuff and crank out my own projects, while
developing some local stuff with others.

Experince: Producer/DP/some directing/UPM/PA

[Patriarch]

Update on mine - now working full time as a freelance composer for a UK game developing company - YAY! Still havent been shooting any films lately, which I sadly miss... Will be starting doing music for my third game here in 2005, and hope to get time to score an animated series an online buddy of mine is doing.

[curtinparloe]

Wow, how did I miss this thread?

Born 1973, I played with my parents' camcorder (Canon E200 8mm VHS, I saw one today in Cash Generators for ?40!) and an Amiga and Genlok in the early '90s (still have em somewhere). I worked with computers for a few years, got a Hi-8 Handycam and Pinnacle DC10+ to make my own films (under the pretence of shooting holiday videos), did a corporate video for work, made a couple of shorts, and finally quit my job to go to University.

I'm studying Media, Writing and Production BA (Hons) at Bolton Institute (University of Bolton) and so far I've written 3 short short scripts and 8 short cahiers du cin?ma, and shot a 2 minute documentary and a 2 minute drama.
I'm working harder than ever before, and it definitely doesn't feel like it.

[jbridges]

Just wanted to stress this again. Tasty Fish Lips, actors are just moveable props. Yeah the acting is important. At this level of filmmaking the scripts you choose to produce should be ones that are doable according to production value more so than the actor. There are great actors out there everywhere you look. The problem is that they try to act. A little caressing and direction can go a long way. Everyone involved is important when it comes to making a film. Yet, I say that the actor is the lesser. Let's see the actor make a decent film without direction. I don't think it can be done. Unless of course the Director is acting. Even then it's questionable. But, if the actor wants to leave the set I can always find some poor sap that wants his or her part and will work their ass off to prove it. But, that's just my opinion.

[Tasty Fish Lips]

Just wanted to stress this again. Tasty Fish Lips, actors are just moveable props. Yeah the acting is important. At this level of filmmaking the scripts you choose to produce should be ones that are doable according to production value more so than the actor. There are great actors out there everywhere you look. The problem is that they try to act. A little caressing and direction can go a long way. Everyone involved is important when it comes to making a film. Yet, I say that the actor is the lesser. Let's see the actor make a decent film without direction. I don't think it can be done. Unless of course the Director is acting. Even then it's questionable. But, if the actor wants to leave the set I can always find some poor sap that wants his or her part and will work their ass off to prove it. But, that's just my opinion.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I like vanilla ice cream. I don't like strawberry ice cream. If someone came to me and said, "No, you're wrong - strawberry ice cream is better" - I would find that to be quite strange.

I think part of the point of this thread is to illustrate how everyone is different. Every filmmaker has different interests. Some are more interested in actors than others. Some obsess over color. Some obsess over dynamic movement of camera. Some want a non-moving camera. Some want to tell a subjective story. Others want to tell an objective story. Some obsess over music and sound design. Some obsess over special effects. Some pay equal attention to all.

We're all different. Any combination of all these elements, and many others I haven't mentioned, has the potential to contribute to a successful film.

I specifically said, to avoid precisely the response you gave, that I'm speaking only for myself.

"At this level of filmmaking the scripts you choose to produce should be ones that are doable according to production value more so than the actor."

That is a very dogmatic statement, which I guess everyone is guilty of making every now and then. Anyone can choose to make a film for whatever reason they want. Not everyone who posts here has the same amount of experience or has learned the same amount. This thread asks a personal question, so again, I was speaking for myself.

If you think actors are moveable props and simply replaceable, then that's great. That's you. This thread asked who you are and you answered. I'm not going to tell you that you are wrong because you work the way that you are comfortable with, you stick to what you know and you get the results you want. That's you.

Yes, many actors need to be directed, some more than others.

Now again, speaking for myself and from my own observations, it is the behavior of the characters and the relationships and conflicts between them and subsequent story that developes because of all that stuff that makes a film. And it is the actors who represent those characters.

There may be films out there that don't have people in them, but I haven't seen them.

Again, my observation - I've seen films with great music, with beautiful scenery, with amazing sets, with dynamic camera work, with pretty lighting - but what I remember most is the behavior of the actors and their relationships, thanks to the acting. Above everything else, the human experience is what I relate to everytime in every film. There may be a scene in a film that has an interesting set and cinematography and music, but as soon as the actor walks into frame, my attention is on him or her. But again, that's me.

I can still watch a film that has dull cinematography and dull music as long as the acting has nuance and isn't self conscious and has a sense of humor to it keeping my attention. I probably won't even notice the other stuff. But everytime I see a film that has unconvincing and awkward acting, the best cinematography and music and all that other stuff in the world is not going to save that scene. It's the acting. Again - just my opinion. Other people may be the exact opposite and that's fine.

And the same goes with acting that is not so good - it stands out and draws attention to itslef, ruining the entire film, regardless of all the other things I've mentioned, but that's me.

I'm only speaking for myself. None of this is wrong. None of it can be scientifically proven as wrong or right. It's like me and vanilla ice cream. It's my own personal taste. It's what separates us as filmmakers and makes us unique.

We can share ideas and discuss how we individually make our own films - but it doesn't mean it will work for everyone. You might learn that someone elses approach works for you, or that it does not.

You and I and other people can debate about this stuff til next Christmas - but we'll still have our own different specific interests.