Filmmaking / Directing : Motivation for filmmakers by Michael Nyako

NOW

I LOVE THIS!!! Everyone in my network, listen to @Michael! Go out and SHOOT A FILM! (or a TV show, or a web series, or....)

Exactly. Stop asking. Stop complaining. Stop doubting. Just do it!

I'll help by starting everyone off FADE IN:

Exactly

YES!!!!! The one thing I just learned, having completed a short that I started 3 years ago, is to make sure that you are creating from your heart, because you are going to invest A LOT of time in it, and have to watch it a million times to perfect it. If the message isn't in alignment with who you really are and what you really want to share with the world and HAS SOME KIND OF VALUE IN IT, then you will most likely not finish or keep the inspiration going and basically- the journey is gonna suck. LOL and above all: HAVE FUN!! :D

shoot films... tell it better!!!

Shorts; they are a practice ground, a warm up before the big game. Shoot 'em, complete 'em, view 'em; learn from your mistakes; move on; repeat. Don't get mired down in the never ending re-write, re-shoot, ADR sessions; endless edit. Not every short is worthy of a festival entry, put that entry fee back into the next production.

A great thread, spoken from the heart. Totally agree!

Hi. Good to be connected with you. This is the link to the short, fast paced fund-raising teaser for the full feature screenplay 'Nothing and Everywhere' based on my novel. We hope you watch it and like it: https://vimeo.com/103056180 (NB. Please watch it right to the end!) We are looking for investors. D'you know anyone who might be interested? The novel is available on Amazon in paperback and as an e-book. Best wishes, Nigel.

The above comment is sort of.....out of place isn't it? Nothing to do with with the subject of this thread. Sort of like injecting yourself into a conversation because you're in the same elevator with some other people that are having a chat been floors.

I agree, Jethro, this is why we fear to go out and just do it. But it is the best way to learn fast and finally get anything done.

"I feel if we just "go out and shoot" that's where most of the mistakes are made. And that's where most of the learning takes place.", yeah it's not like you could learn anything from taking a film school class. Total waste of money. So, you're going to go out and shoot a bunch or crap and you won't even know it's crap because you have no baseline to judge your work against.

There are rules to cinematography, like the 180 rule. If you never take any classes you'll never know what you're doing wrong other than by trial and error. Bad habits are hard to unlearn. Are you suggesting to submit every short you create to a film festival? Pay the entry fee, if it doesn't get included in the screening, well, there you go... That approach is a lot more expensive than taking some film classes at a community college.

I think it's a measure of how serious or passionate you are about being a successful filmmaker. Trial and error?? How will you know what you did wrong? Can you see the flaws (other than the obvious ones) in your own camera work, storyline, directing, actors performance, editing? How will you evolve as a filmmaker? You may, but it will be damn slowly. I've worked on stuff that was just like this, "You make it sound as if five guys just decided to make a film one day and its...". Some of what being written in this thread and other remind me all too clearly of those projects. IMHO all copies of the book, Rebel without a Crew, should be destroyed, it's a fairytale, not a blueprint for Independent film making.