/fmg/ - Filmmaking (and Screenwriting!) General

What're you working on? Why?
Who's your favorite director?
Do you believe old films are mandatory viewing? And if so, which ones?

>"Great" video essays
linuz90.com/essays/

>Strawpoll
strawpoll.me/10987593

Actors welcome.

Other urls found in this thread:

youtube.com/watch?v=nZeWOAliA6Y
vimeo.com/178289780
youtu.be/OSICJJq86ic
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kind_Hearts_and_Coronets
youtube.com/watch?v=za48UodnDks
oboom.com/XAULWT0V
unsoloclic.info/
filmmakersprocess.com/blog/films-vs-movies
youtube.com/watch?v=4iM7rysmafM
youtube.com/watch?v=VylOTmVE19U
youtube.com/watch?v=11-BlhbJGZI
youtube.com/watch?v=29wXfMrC3BI
twitter.com/NSFWRedditGif

I for one am sick and tired of watching old films. They're all uniformly primitive. They don't inspire me. I'm certain I can do better. I don't see the point in even watching them, because it's absorbing bad techniques.

I've made three films, you can find them based on this post if you want to.

Is this a shitpost? Really? Go fuck yourself, kid.

>Watch a love of movies. Movies you like and movies you don't like. More importantly, figure out why you like certain movies, and why you dislike others. Make notes of them. Then, when making you're own, do what you liked, and don't do what you didn't.

Is this really a good idea?

I just finished the soundtrack for a half hour film for my dissertation. It took 3 months but it was worth it.

Now I've got to find a job lel

What are your salary requirements? I have a job you can do for the right price.

dissertation for what?

How the FUCK do you write comedy?

have 1 joke, sutble, situational, or w.e. Make sure it's universal kind of comedy. Read studios don't like american pie, seth rogan type comedy since its pigeon holed into few territories and markets.

Stop fucking posting ITT, OP. It's getting embarrassing.

try to have 1 joke on every page.*

I think a lot of it comes down to being funny yourself and bouncing ideas around. Do you have anything specifically you need help with or do you need the entire idea?

There are books on comedy generally that might be beneficial to you. I enjoy listening to comedians talk about their process and you can get a taste for some of that in Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and various other places.

I've directed a short film and it's currently running on a local festival (it has prestige and it shows shit from all over the world but it's no Cannes, obviously). Hopefully it will win in its category.

Where do i go from here? Keep producing short films and then what? How do i jump into the movie business?

I feel like this is bad advice.

>Do you have anything specifically you need help with or do you need the entire idea?
Probably diagnosing the type of comedy it is I like, and how to recreate it.
I'm trying to direct a black comedy version of Hamlet.

No, fuck you.

Is your short film online somewhere?

>I feel like this is bad advice.

shaun of the dead did the one joke a page thing.

What type of shows/movies do you like? I'm sure there's a genre for that type. From there you'll have to watch and read as much as you can in that genre to get a feel for it and then start approaching as many subjects as possible from that point of view and see what's humorous.

What makes you want to do a black comedy version of Hamlet? It seems like a kinda weird place to start and that you'll be hamstrung by the language of the time and have a very limited audience as a result.

I might be biased though because I have no patience for Shakespearean scripts at all.

Congrats user! Mark Duplass has a great talk on exactly that. Check it out here: youtube.com/watch?v=nZeWOAliA6Y

I rewatch this every few months for inspiration and to remind myself that it's possible.

Not yet, we're still trying to push it into a few more festivals and most of them have this policy where it doesn't have to be up online anywhere. I will upload it eventually and probably post it into one of these threads.

It's a zombie drama thing, i think we did pretty good with the budget we had and the people who have seen it seem to really dig it.

Thanks man, gonna give that a watch.

I made this recently and sent it to whatever festivals were free.

vimeo.com/178289780

Then maybe I'm in the wrong and should rewatch Shaun of the Dead.

>What type of shows/movies do you like?
Off the top of my head: Wes Anderson movies, The Eric Andre Show, Nathan For You, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Arsenic & Old Lace, The Looney Tunes Show (2011).
>What makes you want to do a black comedy version of Hamlet?
I was inspired after watching Harold & Maude, and realized that my idea of doing Hamlet as psychological thriller wouldn't work out.
>you'll be hamstrung by the language of the time and have a very limited audience as a result.
I'm going to rewrite in modern language.

Working on a video essay on the Pale Man scene

Cutting casting reels for reality shows, one of the first weeks I've been paid specifically to cut not assist. Feels good man

Pale Man scene?

From Pans Labyrinth

haven't seen it

>Who's your favorite director?
Del Toro
>Do you believe old films are mandatory viewing? And if so, which ones?
Everyone should watch Mario Bava's Black Sunday, if you want to see visual storytelling and economy at its zenith watch his whole filmography

youtu.be/OSICJJq86ic

How do I know what I'm writing is scary or spooky?

It should scare you while you're writing it.

It sounds like you've got a thing for absurdism and as you already know black comedy. That should be enough for you to find more in that category (Wonder Showzen is a show that people I know who like what you like also enjoy) to get a feel for how it's written.

Really analyze what it is that makes the jokes funny. The set ups and the pay offs etc. Then write down every thought you have that possibly matches that type of thought and then bounce it around with other people who have the same type of humor etc. and see what comes from it.

The modern language change is probably a good idea. I hope it works out! I don't know enough about Hamlet honestly to be able to give many pointers for the rest of your work.

it's not a movie but the best example of absurdist comedy I can think is Mike Mignola's Hellboy

I haven't seen much black comedy though, just Arsenic & Old Lace and Harold & Maude.
I watched Heathers yesterday, but it wasn't actually funny.
What I want to do is create something inbetween Twin Peaks and Harold & Maude for this Hamlet adaptation, at least that's what I'm thinking right now.
There's so many different ways to do it, and I'm very indecisive.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kind_Hearts_and_Coronets

If you want to see one of the best black absurdist comedies out there watch this, the lead's narration is utterly ridiculous

Ah, then I would definitely recommend that. The Coen Brothers and Shane Black are probably the preeminent black comedy writers at the moment. In Bruges and Dr. Strangelove are more movies that are in a similar feel and will probably help you get a better feeling for it. Then keep going deeper into the genre so that you can get a real feel for it.

Maybe it's because it's written, but this does absolutely nothing for me.
It comes off kind of deadpan and I hate deadpan humor.

I'll try to find a download for this.
Thank you, user. This reminds me that I should also rewatch Black Dynamite.

I was trying to download Dr. Strangelove yesterday, I really need to get to it.
I was going to watch Death Becomes Her, and I just saw Brazil the other day, that was really funny.

I tried to find a mega link for you but they're all taken down =/. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a torrent or something for it though.

youtube.com/watch?v=za48UodnDks

do you think you could ever care this much about making a film

For Kind Hearts and Coronets? Thank you. I'll find it somehow, but I hope I don't need to torrent it.

Nah, for Dr Strangelove. I don't think I could find Kind Hearts honestly.

The building block of comedy is the joke, and the core structure of a joke is a two-part process where the first part is reversed by the second

>I don't think I could find Kind Hearts honestly.
Yeah, I may never be able to watch that.
Found a Dr. Strangelove link though.
oboom.com/XAULWT0V

Jesus, man.

Hey guys. Does anyone here work in the film industry? I interned on two projects this summer, one of which I'm still on. Cool experience.

Also, can I say, I'm glad we've finally consolidated /fmg/ and /swg/.

you can rent it on amazon for $4 in HD

anyone need an animator

I assistant edit the fakest, shittest reality shows

>Also, can I say, I'm glad we've finally consolidated /fmg/ and /swg/.
I really don't think it'll last, unfortunately.

I don't even have a dollar.

watch the behind the scenes of shaun of the dead, simon pegg and edgar wright are going over the script on a big office sheet thing explaining the one joke a page thing.

Oh that's awesome. I've been trying to get into editing, always wanted to, but the editor on the last project didn't respond when I reached out and the editor on this project is extremely highly-lauded and lives in London.

How did you get into that? I mean, it's not the most glamorous content, but I just fucking love editing. Any chance you can share some of your work?

A shame.


Anyone else work in the industry in some facet? I forgot to mention, I'm also the (unpaid) assistant to the assistant to a major writer-director.

When the fuck do you start getting paid?

Will do. Thank you.

>major writer-director.
WHO

Eh, major was the wrong word. Well-respected is probably a better way of describing him.

Wes Anderson

Definitely not Wes Anderson

randomly got an internship through the gf of a coworker of a family member, complete happenstance. moved up from there to transcriber (reality shows need a fuck ton of transcribing since there's no actual script) to assistant editor on the night shift, now I'm mainly a lead assistant. it certainly is not glamorous work, but you gotta pay your dues.

Refn

Not bad. I'm hoping to get something like that soon. I think the internship I'm working on now will throw me into some work, just in time for me to complete school.

Not Refn. I won't say who it is, even if ya guess.

WHY NOT

the real hard part is getting off the night shift, it can take over a year

Because it'd make me easy to dox and my career is just getting started

Ah, I don't mind a night shift too much. It's the long hours I can't take. 12 hours on set, from 7 to 7, is fucking crazy.

Who gives a fuck about you
Give us a hint at least

I won't confirm or deny anymore but it's an American dude who made a great contemporary western

yee

this

Jim Jarmusch or The Coen Brothers

unsoloclic.info/

Any movies here worth downloading?

bump

Who act here?

I want to.

filmmakersprocess.com/blog/films-vs-movies


LOL

youtube.com/watch?v=4iM7rysmafM

How do you get ready to write a movie? Do you watch movies similar to what you intend to write? Or do you deliberately steer clear?

Did you make this?

I would HIGHLY suggest reading The Comic Toolbox by John Vorhaus. It's really excellent for structuring sketches and full length scripts from character on up. It breaks down the elements of comedy and how they play off of one another to create interesting situational comedy based off of interesting characters.

how much does it cost though? I was getting ready to spend all my money on new headphones.

yes.

nice. What camera did you use?

I'm not positive. We used two cameras. Pretty sure we used a Cannon 7d and a Cannon 1d.

Camera recommendations?

kek

Listen, if you guys actually want to discuss filmmaking, try /r/Filmmakers.
Everybody over there may be an idiot, but Sup Forums is a shithole, and it's better than nothing.
These generals never hit the bump limit, most don't even hit a 100 posts.

bump with tips

(1) Watch a love of movies. Movies you like and movies you don't like. More importantly, figure out why you like certain movies, and why you dislike others. Make notes of them. Then, when making you're own, do what you liked, and don't do what you didn't.

(2) Read some filmmaking books. A good start is "How to Shoot Video that Doesn't Suck." It goes over basic storytelling, visual composition, and even some techniques.

(3) Practice. Practice, practice, practice. For some reason, people look at filmmaking differently than other creative outlets. They expect you to study, then apply what you've learned and be an expert on your first try. I guarantee you that Chopin did study music theory and then sit down to compose Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2. Da Vinci didn't create The Last Supper the first time at the easel. An no, 2001 wasn't Kubrick's first ever film, and even George Lucas made some weird film school crap before Star Wars.

Point is, practice. Shoot video. Make movies. Use your friends as actors, a curtain rod as a boom pole, and your crappy Sony Handicam as the camera. Edit on Movie Maker or iMovie if you have to. Just practice.

>What're you working on? Why?
Currently nothing, really. I lost my camera about a year ago and now want to get a new one. Should I go with the Canon 70D or should I go with the Black Magic Pocket Cinema camera? Any tips/experiences/advice is welcome.

>Who's your favorite director?
Welles, Herzog, Scorsese, Leone, Kurosawa.

>Do you believe old films are mandatory viewing? And if so, which ones?
Absolutely. Rashomon, Citizen Kane, Potemkin all are great ways to learn about editing and direction. Also, rewatching certain stuff will make you notice things you didn't before. I recommend that as well.

Can someone add this to the video essays list, I think filmmakers should watch this youtube.com/watch?v=VylOTmVE19U

Everyone check out my final piece for college, it's a total blast to watch.
youtube.com/watch?v=11-BlhbJGZI

Hi Adam. Your movies suck.

good thread

made this 6 weeks ago, posted it before

youtube.com/watch?v=29wXfMrC3BI

I'm working on a comedy with a couple of friends. It's about a group of friends who decide to become weed dealers after their friend dies. We're aiming for Airplane! type humor, not DUDE WEED LMAO "humor."

My favorite directors are Terrence Malick, David Lynch, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Tarkovsky.

Some old films are. There are many you should watch based on their influence on cinema: The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, 2001, Double Indemnity, etc.

>weird film school crap

I'm going to fight you if you think American Graffiti and THX are "weird film school crap"

Not the other guy, but George Lucas made some really "arty" stuff before any of his feature films. Stuff like a sunset with a meaningless conversation played backwards and things like that, or shots of grass mixed with racecar footage.

Tarantula

Yay, my favourite thread's back

>What're you working on? Why?
Finishing up on a short. Reshoots are needed though which I can't do for a month. It's a modern western (a western where I didn't have the budget to set it in the 1800s)
>Who's your favorite director?
Sergio Leone
>Do you believe old films are mandatory viewing? And if so, which ones?
Yep, but no specifics. It's that whole saying, "those who refuse to learn about the past are doomed to repeat it"
I think having a basic understanding of how film has evolved over the last 100 years is necessary. And take a director like PTA: fuck the memers, he's one of the best American directors currently working. And all his influences are very old from that golden era of cinema, like Fellini, combined with his hero Robert Altman.

Take 2001, it's a hundred times better than shite like Interstellar and, even weirder, if you played it in a cinema for a contemporary audience, the majority would't be able to guess it was from the 60s
(the lack of cgi and dated conversational tones would probably imply 80s at an estimation I reckon)

it's very good, nice using of light

I'm not the OP, I just reposted it.
Stole it from here:

>Should I go with the Canon 70D or should I go with the Black Magic Pocket Cinema camera? Any tips/experiences/advice is welcome.

They're completely different
What glass, if any do you have? I use a 70d myself, and it works fine for what it is and has great autofocus.

BMPCC is an investment though. You need a full rig to use it properly and even then it has shortfalls you'd expect. It's not a DSLR, it's a very small cinema camera. There is a big difference in functionality. Watch/read some reviews to understand. You should grade all your footage anyway, but bear in mind that shooting raw will create huge files. I mean gigantic. You'll need terabytes of storage.

Honestly, because I use it and the relatively easier learning curve, I'd recommend the 70d but figure out what you need the camera for

>Canon 70D or should I go with the Black Magic Pocket Cinem
Seeing as you can afford either of those, want to buy me a camera?

Andrew Dominik

I don't actually curate that list of video essays, I just reposted them. Should we start something specific for these threads?

>It's about a group of friends who decide to become weed dealers after their friend dies
Why? What's the correlation?