Lucasberg2
New Member
Just wondering with the affordable tech, and all the talent here, if anyone else was into filmmaking?
Anyone Else Into Filmmaking?
- Thread starter Lucasberg2
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I tried making a Star Wars fan film from junior high into high school, but never finished it. After I graduated I became very close friends with a guy who made a feature length comedy that I was in. He went on to do a sequel to it. Nothing super amazing as most of the humor was based on inside jokes and people he knew, but he had a small local premiere to family and friends and sold a bunch of copies.
For the next 13 years I worked with him on a number of projects. Mostly shorts. The most prominent was a feature length fantasy/ action film that like my fan film changed constantly and was never completed, despite hundreds of hours of footage. He was incredibly talented and very good at graphics and effects but he could never settle on a script. So the footage just languished on tapes.
He did a short lived twilight zone type series that was really really good and I was involved in that. Shortly after that he got into making porn and I wasn't comfortable with the people he was associating with or the subject matter. It wasn't long before our friendship dissolved and eventually ended for good. He started off making movies for the passion of story telling and eventually became more interested in the money he could make from producing very sleazy smut films. It's a shame really because the guy was self taught, super talented and motivated. He just became too concerned about making money off of it versus being an artist.
So I have years of experience working on movies and shows, though they were all done gorilla style but with his talent for polishing the raw footage and his wife who could create just about anything he needed from scratch, whether it was a costume or set miniature, you'd think they had thousands of dollars to spend for their budget.
I've toyed for years with the idea of turning my novel into a feature length low budget film given the decade plus of experience working with that guy and a lifetime of building props and costumes.
For the next 13 years I worked with him on a number of projects. Mostly shorts. The most prominent was a feature length fantasy/ action film that like my fan film changed constantly and was never completed, despite hundreds of hours of footage. He was incredibly talented and very good at graphics and effects but he could never settle on a script. So the footage just languished on tapes.
He did a short lived twilight zone type series that was really really good and I was involved in that. Shortly after that he got into making porn and I wasn't comfortable with the people he was associating with or the subject matter. It wasn't long before our friendship dissolved and eventually ended for good. He started off making movies for the passion of story telling and eventually became more interested in the money he could make from producing very sleazy smut films. It's a shame really because the guy was self taught, super talented and motivated. He just became too concerned about making money off of it versus being an artist.
So I have years of experience working on movies and shows, though they were all done gorilla style but with his talent for polishing the raw footage and his wife who could create just about anything he needed from scratch, whether it was a costume or set miniature, you'd think they had thousands of dollars to spend for their budget.
I've toyed for years with the idea of turning my novel into a feature length low budget film given the decade plus of experience working with that guy and a lifetime of building props and costumes.
Lucasberg2
New Member
Wow, that's a very interesting story. It's a shame he couldn't focus enough on a defined story and complete projects. Your experience with the first film you tried to make is a common one. People get excited to make a film, and in the process find out what they didn't know they didn't know. It's a huge learning process that never ends. Very cool that you have the interest.
I am self taught too. I started in 2006. I made a couple 30 second commercials for contests, and one 60 second commercial for another contest. On MySpace I was contacted by an Indie Producer looking for a Director. He liked what he saw, and he had a project in mind. In talking for 3 hours on the phone we found we shared a lot of the same vision when it comes to filmmaking. Short version, we made a 45 minute short film that I Directed, shot, and edited. It won Best Horror Short at the 2012 Indie Gathering International Film Festival and I was nominated for Best Ohio Director. It has since been accepted to 18 film festivals, and has a number of nominations for things like Best Hair and Make-up, Best Directing, Best Script, and other things. However, by no means is it the finest film. I've been working on filmmaking since then with a few more projects, then was tapped as Director of Photography of the USA Unit on a feature film adapted from a novel. I shot 90% of the footage that was used in the film. The Red Carpet Grand Premiere was in November. The distribution version of the film needs some last tweaks to it and it will be ready for the Distributors. We've got a couple interested in handling international distribution. That doesn't mean we have a deal yet though. This film could break open my career, finally.
I am self taught too. I started in 2006. I made a couple 30 second commercials for contests, and one 60 second commercial for another contest. On MySpace I was contacted by an Indie Producer looking for a Director. He liked what he saw, and he had a project in mind. In talking for 3 hours on the phone we found we shared a lot of the same vision when it comes to filmmaking. Short version, we made a 45 minute short film that I Directed, shot, and edited. It won Best Horror Short at the 2012 Indie Gathering International Film Festival and I was nominated for Best Ohio Director. It has since been accepted to 18 film festivals, and has a number of nominations for things like Best Hair and Make-up, Best Directing, Best Script, and other things. However, by no means is it the finest film. I've been working on filmmaking since then with a few more projects, then was tapped as Director of Photography of the USA Unit on a feature film adapted from a novel. I shot 90% of the footage that was used in the film. The Red Carpet Grand Premiere was in November. The distribution version of the film needs some last tweaks to it and it will be ready for the Distributors. We've got a couple interested in handling international distribution. That doesn't mean we have a deal yet though. This film could break open my career, finally.
There's a few here, sone amateur, some professional. I hope they chime in.
I would say I'm "into it", particularly animation, but I haven't done much work on film or animation, and none at all for a few years now. Got into graphic arts just for a paycheck and ended up loving it.
I would say I'm "into it", particularly animation, but I haven't done much work on film or animation, and none at all for a few years now. Got into graphic arts just for a paycheck and ended up loving it.
I went to film school, and now work in Marketing doing corporate video work. It's not super sexy, but it's a 9 to 5 and pays the bills.
SB
SB
Lucasberg2
New Member
If I were 16 or 17 years old now, or even in the past 5 years or so, man, what an amazing time to get started in this field. The technology is so incredible for the price.
My first camera that I got to learn on was a SuperVHS camera from 1991, and I bought it in 2006. My second camera I bought in 2011. It was a Canon HV30 digital tape HD camera. It was $800 new but I got it off of ebay for $400. After winning first place for a film in an international film festival with it my wife bought me a Nikon D1500 DSLR. I still use this but am saving up for a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. With a speedbooster I will be able to use all my Nikon lenses with it. I would have to have to buy all new lenses to step up. A camera alone will cost enough.
When I was 17 I was using a silent Super8 movie camera. Never got to shooting a whole project. Mostly testing. I got about half a film shot, and I recorded audio on a reel-to-reel tape deck. It is SO much easier now. Also, now I have a large assortment of lights and a complete sound recording set-up with various mics and recorders. I've done lighting for others as well as sound, besides being a Director, DP and camera operator.
My first camera that I got to learn on was a SuperVHS camera from 1991, and I bought it in 2006. My second camera I bought in 2011. It was a Canon HV30 digital tape HD camera. It was $800 new but I got it off of ebay for $400. After winning first place for a film in an international film festival with it my wife bought me a Nikon D1500 DSLR. I still use this but am saving up for a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. With a speedbooster I will be able to use all my Nikon lenses with it. I would have to have to buy all new lenses to step up. A camera alone will cost enough.
When I was 17 I was using a silent Super8 movie camera. Never got to shooting a whole project. Mostly testing. I got about half a film shot, and I recorded audio on a reel-to-reel tape deck. It is SO much easier now. Also, now I have a large assortment of lights and a complete sound recording set-up with various mics and recorders. I've done lighting for others as well as sound, besides being a Director, DP and camera operator.
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