tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post5536011946001868192..comments2023-09-15T04:27:57.129-04:00Comments on Commentarama: Film School Follies: Part 12 – The Best of Times IIAndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-27351426239717081092010-01-31T17:56:00.748-05:002010-01-31T17:56:00.748-05:00LawHawk - Ha! If I ever see Nick Meyer at a Star T...LawHawk - Ha! If I ever see Nick Meyer at a Star Trek convention, I'll have to ask. :-)<br /><br />His point, of course, was that it's sometimes difficult to justify certain choices: why was scene A shot like this instead of that? It seemed right at the time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-51961644773652614792010-01-31T17:54:41.719-05:002010-01-31T17:54:41.719-05:00Thanks, Individualist! And it's not a stupid q...Thanks, Individualist! And it's not a stupid question at all.<br /><br />Many of my classmates returned to their respective home states and have made a decent living working with local production companies on commercials, industrial videos, etc. One student won a regional Emmy (!) for a no-smoking PSA he worked on in Wisconsin. My co-editor Steve worked for a couple years as a video editor at Lockheed-Martin.<br /><br />For people who don't live in Hollywood (or even NY), I advise them to contact their local film commissions. They will be able to tell you what's shooting around town and will have lists of vendors (camera rental companies, etc.) that may or may not be hiring.<br /><br />As for schools and colleges, I would contact their film and/or communications departments and see what's going on. In my experience, free help is always appreciated. Church groups... I don't know. It's not really my scene but it's always worth asking. I assume if a church is trying to make a film, they would have an advertisement in their newsletter or something.<br /><br />The competition can be intense but even I was able to get a few freelance PA gigs in LA from perusing the Craig's List ads - even with next to no experience, my resume looked good and I was enthusiastic (less so today :-)). Even work on local ads is better than nothing and it all looks good on a resume.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-1768251272877467022010-01-31T17:48:51.861-05:002010-01-31T17:48:51.861-05:00Out of the clear blue, I remembered a [very] old j...Out of the clear blue, I remembered a [very] old joke. "Why are Michael Jackson and the Boston Red Sox alike?" Because they both wear one glove, for no apparent reason. Might explain Khan.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-42599088602823987392010-01-31T17:46:35.200-05:002010-01-31T17:46:35.200-05:00SottDS,
I guess this is a stpid question but exac...SottDS,<br /><br />I guess this is a stpid question but exactly how much work is there in a realm outside of Hollywood. I mean I know there are commercials and videos but those would probably be sateliites tied very closely to the Hollywood Gas Giant.<br /><br />Is there work in documentaries tied to schools and colleges or perhaps church groups wishing to have religious movies and is the competition as intense there. I guess working on a commercial for a regional auto dealer or barbeque restaurant is not the glamour of Hollywood but it would still involve all the knowledge you adroitly display in your post and at the very least it would provide references for a resume that you can do the work and give you the experience of doing it. Even if it is only sporadic.<br /><br />Perhaps though there are not that many other oppotunities I don't know the industry but there are avenues that you can pursue at least anyway. It sounds like you have talent.Individualisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11005025873042230314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-43752923096747784812010-01-31T15:45:51.520-05:002010-01-31T15:45:51.520-05:00Stan - thanks! It'll be a while though. I was ...Stan - thanks! It'll be a while though. I was saving this for the last blog but I've kinda switched gears and I plan on pursuing improv comedy (think Whose Line...).<br /><br />So I may not have a film in theaters for a while. On the other hand, I'm sure I'll somehow make it back to filmmaking, one way or another. <br /><br />As for good times, yeah, that'll be changing for the next few blogs. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-4112868495996615022010-01-31T14:15:08.569-05:002010-01-31T14:15:08.569-05:00“And a good time had by all.” It all sounds like a...“And a good time had by all.” It all sounds like a blast Scott. I’ll be looking for your feature film one day!StanHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07395708786509590321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-925425086501452152010-01-30T21:47:32.022-05:002010-01-30T21:47:32.022-05:00Tennessee - Thanks! I'm not done yet though - ...Tennessee - Thanks! I'm not done yet though - the best (and worst) is yet to come. When I told my job placement rep that I wanted to direct, she put her hands to her ears and told me, "Don't say that! That's what everyone says!" Ya know, I don't think she was very good. :-)<br /><br />Re: producers, you're in the ballpark. The producer would be the one to option material, hire crewmembers, etc. The executive producer is often involved strictly on the financial and legal side of things (not creative). Producers would delegate tasks to associate producers.<br /><br />There are also co-producers (I'm not 100% sure of the difference between these and associate producers) and line producers who are more involved in the day to day operations: scheduling, budgeting, etc. Sometimes writers are promised an EP or AP credit and I'm sure nepotism and other connections (agents, money, etc.) can play a part as well.<br /><br />I'm not that well-versed in it. These titles didn't mean much on our student films. Each film had a faculty producer (or producers) but we made all of the technical and creative decisions, usually under the direction of the unit production manager (in real life, the UPM doesn't have that much creative input).<br /><br />In the next few blogs, I'll be talking about our 35mm film and the conflicts that came up between our UPM, faculty producer, and directors (including me).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-82696002766069435482010-01-30T21:07:39.199-05:002010-01-30T21:07:39.199-05:00As a p.s. I think it would be cool if you discusse...As a p.s. I think it would be cool if you discussed the term "producer" as it relates to the film industry. There is "producer" "executive producer" and a shit load of associate producers. I have heard of production companies. The industry, no doubt has changed since the days of the big studeos.<br /><br />I have this notion that somebody (perhaps the executive producer?) buys rights to a novel or screenplay. The producer is responsible for turning it into a movie. Getting a screenplay written, hiring a director or actors, etc. He or she may assign functional tasks to assistant producers?<br /><br />Anyway, I have no idea what I am talking about and I suspect you know quite a bit about this.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-85812627105524036402010-01-30T20:58:17.614-05:002010-01-30T20:58:17.614-05:00well Scott, I must say I truly have enjoyed this s...well Scott, I must say I truly have enjoyed this series. Although I never really seriously considered a career in fil making, I have always been facinated by trying to understand the process. Who knows, maybe it started seeing all those terms in the credit scrawl such as gaffer, best boy, etc.<br /><br />Your comments on wanting to direct made me think of baseball. A coach once said, if you want to make it to the major leagues, become a catcher. The point, of course, is everybody wants to direct. I don't know if I ever consciously said "I could do it better" while viewing a scene, but I have often criticized a scene. Usually, that happens when a director such as Michael Moore throws a bunch of perfectly framed mood shots and lingers past the point where you start to say "come on, move it along."<br /><br />Anyway, it sounds like a very worthwhile experience. Thanks!Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-52847432541486800242010-01-30T20:00:17.254-05:002010-01-30T20:00:17.254-05:00Writer X -
Thanks! I get to post once a week, pe...Writer X - <br /><br />Thanks! I get to post once a week, per the boss. :-) So you'll have to wait till next Saturday.<br /><br />The film was written by a student who worked on another 16mm film and I didn't know him so I couldn't say whether or not we were true to HIS vision. As for what I may have envisioned, yeah... it turned out alright. :-)<br /><br />I still kinda wish they put the edit Steve and I worked on on the DVD but it survives on a VHS tape which is somewhere under my bed.<br /><br />I'd say it was more character-driven than plot-driven but it's really just a small slice of life story. I think it stands apart because it was so unlike the other Full Sail films we had seen up to that point (dark, violent, etc. - not that there's anything wrong with that).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-46984147495229008102010-01-30T19:55:32.120-05:002010-01-30T19:55:32.120-05:00Love the cliffhanger! Would you say your film was...Love the cliffhanger! Would you say your film was more plot-driven or character-driven? Did the final product turn out to be what you envisioned initially?<br /><br />Hurry up and post what happens next! :-)Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-39211869088901845392010-01-30T19:45:39.277-05:002010-01-30T19:45:39.277-05:00I'll go out on a limb and say yes, especially ...I'll go out on a limb and say yes, especially since I've been on more sets and able to see actors in action (from my lowly POV as a PA or extra).<br /><br />But if you reunited all of us to make the same movie today, we'd probably encounter a new set of problems in place of the old ones!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-23283661713169597022010-01-30T19:22:58.618-05:002010-01-30T19:22:58.618-05:00Scott, It's all about confidence! LOL!
Do yo...Scott, It's all about confidence! LOL!<br /><br />Do you think you'd be better with actors today?AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-85112901627056360012010-01-30T19:20:02.085-05:002010-01-30T19:20:02.085-05:00And re: the actor, I don't know. I mean, he wa...And re: the actor, I don't know. I mean, he was okay; I just don't think he was aware of what he was doing. We only shot his scenes on day 2, when we had five different directors - some more forceful than others. As script sup that day, I probably should've said something but I either was too intimidated or figured we'd just fix it in editing! :-)<br /><br />Directing, like politics, is often the art of the possible. Some actors (even ones who do student films) may not react too well to "Do it like this!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-12481460690021400192010-01-30T19:16:39.482-05:002010-01-30T19:16:39.482-05:00Andrew - perhaps I misspoke.
These were professio...Andrew - perhaps I misspoke.<br /><br />These were professional actors but since I wasn't able (or allowed) to attend the casting session, I can't promise that a few folks didn't just walk in off the street. In 35mm, we actually had a student audition for us but he wouldn't have been available because of class (the moron!).<br /><br />All of our actors came with resumes and headshots and I assume Claudia was smart enough to tell the real actors from the wannabes. (At the end of the year, I was able to keep our wrap book of paperwork but not the actor's headshots so I couldn't tell you what else they had been in.)<br /><br />And we were the ones to select the actors, not the school (thankfully).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-58813358633824525462010-01-30T19:10:11.212-05:002010-01-30T19:10:11.212-05:00LawHawk - if it's any comfort, I still occasio...LawHawk - if it's any comfort, I still occasionally say "I could've done X or Y better." :-) But the trick is, when given the opportunity, to shoot for perfection, not simply "crap plus 1."<br /><br />http://www.wordplayer.com/columns/wp06.Crap-plus-One.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-9685392398687890092010-01-30T19:07:22.468-05:002010-01-30T19:07:22.468-05:00Scott, So these weren't professional actors so...Scott, So these weren't professional actors so much as people the school hired? In other words, it's not like you raided a movie set to get these people, they could have been anyone off the street?<br /><br />I can imagine that on a shoestring budget you would need to be careful to keep it all more efficient.<br /><br />Do you think his inability to repeat his lines was the result of (1) he just wasn't very good, or (2) he was trying to do different things like I assume actors will do or (3) something else? And isn't it the job of the director to tell the actors, "this is what I want. . . do it"?AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-7386439211288959072010-01-30T18:59:55.572-05:002010-01-30T18:59:55.572-05:00Scott: I all seems so simple when we laymen walk ...Scott: I all seems so simple when we laymen walk into a theater. I don't want to think of the number of times I said that I could do this or that better. I won't do that again. Amazing detail.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-71161529312122844262010-01-30T18:39:11.091-05:002010-01-30T18:39:11.091-05:00They came in and auditioned. Claudia was our casti...They came in and auditioned. Claudia was our casting director and, if I recall, the directors were not allowed to sit in on casting sessions. She might've posted some notices around town and online but I was so tied up with the plane that I didn't pay any attention.<br /><br />The actors were fine though the guy who played Carl was a bit of a goon and wouldn't say his lines the same way twice. Sometimes that's a benefit but not for us on our shoestring budget and schedule! And Rosonia, who played Joanne (Peggy's co-worker) blinked... a lot. In editing, we finally noticed it during her close-ups: she blinked much more than normal people do! For the final edit, Steve and I had trouble cutting around her but Bill and Dave didn't which I guess is why their edit is on the class DVD. :-)<br /><br />Next week begins the sad story of our 35mm film. There won't be any set details for a while... I have a lot of pre-production ground to cover.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-22012559173352260422010-01-30T18:29:44.837-05:002010-01-30T18:29:44.837-05:00Scott, Very informative. Thanks for the set-detai...Scott, Very informative. Thanks for the set-details.<br /><br />It's interesting how much goes into just filming something so simple. It seems like you would just unload the camera, insert the film and get started, but it sounds like there is a ton of work going on.<br /><br />By the way, where did you find the real actors?AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.com