[Notna]

First of all, I am sorry if I am posting this in the wrong section. I didn't found the right one for this.

So, this topic is for everyone, who is an amateur filmmaker, or why not a professional one. You can share your ideas for new short films or long ones, or anything else related to filmmaking. And some questions, do you make films with friends just for fun? Or do you make them professionally? Why and when did you start making films?

Let's start with me. I am a amateur filmmaker, since when I was 5. Me and my friends are planning a new action short film, called "LEO". I am currently scripting it, and production will start when I get my new camera for christmas. It is Canon 1100d. Any one fo you have experieces about it? Is it a good camera?

[Robinski]

I think this would be more appropriate for the Visual Arts section, but I'll post anyway, assuming it'll be moved there.

We do quite a lot of short film production on my course at uni (Journalism), but most of it is producing short documentaries or little segments fo stuff like magazine shows. Thankfully, having a fantasic media department means we get to play with some f*cking serious kit. I'm talking broadcast quality cameras and mics and sh*t. I'm currently working on two projects, and the camera I'm using on both of them is this little beast. It's great fun to use, but you don't half worry about it when you're carting around £6000+ worth of equipment. E: Just as an extra, this is the camera we were using on stuff last year as well.

The two projects I'm on at the minute are both pretty similar, and we're still in pre-production on both of them. I was only supposed to be doing one of these films for my module, but the group I was assigned sucks total ass so when one of the lasses from another group asked me if I'd work camera for them I jumped at the chance (because I'll get marked on both of them). Like I said, they're quite similar, one is a little documentary about a woman who had a kid with some form of epilepsy that had no real support groups or charities in her part of the country, so she set one up and now it's doing pretty well. The other is about a children's ward that might be getting closed down, and looking at it through how much it helped one particular kid (who happens to be the aforementioned girl's brother) a few years ago get through some really traumatic stuff and what it meant to him.

This post has been edited by Robinski on Saturday, Dec 10 2011, 12:01

[DeeperRed]

I use DLSR's for moviemaking also and let me just say you need to get some decent shoulder support before you can do any filming. Trying to do it free hand will lead to an annoying jello effect plauging all the shots. Also I would good a decent lens range, I only use prime lens for filming and most of the time its a 50mm 1.7 with frequent changes to 28mm for the wider shots.

[Typhus]

I'm currently in the scriptwriting stages of my first film. There is a LOT of work to do. I have a plan, but the sheer level of effort this will take is astronomical. It's a short movie, a political satire, but I think its a great idea and I'm proud of it.
But, as I said, it is only in the very, very first stages of life. I went through a previous idea but abandoned it due to it being mindless sh*te. It was basically going to be a man killing someone else in a cafe. That's it. No story, no characters, just sh*te. I'm glad I wised up.

Here's something I've been thinking about recently. I've always wanted to make a silent movie. No dialogue save for the old, 1920's style text cards between scenes. And in every cinema you'd have a piano player by the screen tinkling out the soundtrack.

[DeeperRed]

QUOTE (Typhus @ Saturday, Dec 10 2011, 12:01)

Here's something I've been thinking about recently. I've always wanted to make a silent movie. No dialogue save for the old, 1920's style text cards between scenes. And in every cinema you'd have a piano player by the screen tinkling out the soundtrack.

Not exactly the same as your idea but similar

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655442/

[Notna]

Your projects seem interesting, really interesting.

My current camera isn't so good; it's just a normal video camera, it's called Canon FS-19. And I nowdays use Sony Vegas Pro 10 to edit and to put FX and music.
Like I said, I am gonna get the new camera on christmas.

And, this is the synopsis for our upcoming film LEO:
Leo is a high ranked assasin. Give him a job, it's done. However, after an assasination of the senator of the state, Leo finds out about a government conspiracy, to take out the current president. However, they don't have a man for the job. The vice president - the mastermind of the conspiracy - offers the job for Leo. Leo is on the border of his morale. Take out the president and take the money, or reveal the conspiracy?

[DeeperRed]

QUOTE (Notna @ Saturday, Dec 10 2011, 12:08)

Like I said, I am gonna get the new camera on christmas.

Thats all well and good but your in DSLR territory now and you have got to adapt. They are wonderful pieces of kit but you need all the extras.
I recommend you grab some vintage lens and some good adapters. Vintage lens are not so useful for photography (still great but I'd rather have AF when trying to shoot stuff you have no control over eg wildlife) but they are great for filmming as your going to be using manual focus anyway. Get a nice 50mm 1.8 or lower. Your going to want a nice low light option and also a great overall performance and this lens does just that. The 50mm on a cropped sensor is pretty much 35mm so it looks brilliant when colour corrected properly .

next your going to want shoulder support as I mentioned before. It is needed to combat jello footage. They can be expensive but my first was handbuilt from tutorials found on the web. I would never shoot on DSLR without one

Now I am not 100% with the 1100d but on my 550d you had no audio controls what so ever so it was impossible to to get decent sound running a mic from the camera due to APG. However black magic sorted that out and now my VideoMic pro can run straight to the camera instead of a separate recorder. So by all of this I mean get a mic and see if black magic offers audio controls on the 1100d.

Filmmaking with DSLR's isn't easy, if you have come from a standard handheld camera then get some nice training done first, because without a follow focus kit your gonna have to learn shifting focus on the lens without effecting the footage and this ain't easy. Ive recently broke my follow focus and have had to use the manual way and it reminded me of how hard it is.

[Typhus]

QUOTE (Notna @ Saturday, Dec 10 2011, 12:08)

Your projects seem interesting, really interesting. My current camera isn't so good; it's just a normal video camera, it's called Canon FS-19. And I nowdays use Sony Vegas Pro 10 to edit and to put FX and music. Like I said, I am gonna get the new camera on christmas. And, this is the synopsis for our upcoming film LEO: Leo is a high ranked assasin. Give him a job, it's done. However, after an assasination of the senator of the state, Leo finds out about a government conspiracy, to take out the current president. However, they don't have a man for the job. The vice president - the mastermind of the conspiracy - offers the job for Leo. Leo is on the border of his morale. Take out the president and take the money, or reveal the conspiracy?

How far along are you with this project? I ask because the idea sounds pretty bad. Why would Leo have a crisis of conscience? Assassins are, by nature, amoral. Ending life is how they put food on the table. What's so special about this President?
Plus, do you really have the resources to tell this story? And, if it's based around American politics, is it being filmed in America or Finland? Because if you've got a bunch of Finnish actors pretending to be American diplomats and American assassins it's going to be absolutely awful.
Plus, how old are you? The idea of some teenage kid playing an assassin or a politician is pretty laughable. If you can only cast friends of a similar age, make a film which contains roles you can perform believably.

To be perfectly frank, the idea sounds bad. It sounds like the kind of mediocre crime drama that gets thrown around all the time. All I'm saying is that you need to be sure that this idea is feasible and has a real, tangible story.

[Notna]

The idea is just on the first stage. I have scripted only the first scene of the beginning.

And no - the movie is not based in America, and yes, the film is filmed in Finland. The movie is based in a fictional country.
And shiiit - this film is going to be an amateur film. Of course, we are all teenagers. We have been mading these types of films since we were on the first grade. We have made films of assasins, cops, terrorists, anything you might think. I know it's laughable for you maybe. But this is me - this my hobby, and filmmaking is a part of my life, part of my heart.

[Typhus]

QUOTE (Notna @ Saturday, Dec 10 2011, 12:44)

The idea is just on the first stage. I have scripted only the first scene of the beginning. And no - the movie is not based in America, and yes, the film is filmed in Finland. The movie is based in a fictional country. And shiiit - this film is going to be an amateur film. Of course, we are all teenagers. We have been mading these types of films since we were on the first grade. We have made films of assasins, cops, terrorists, anything you might think. I know it's laughable for you maybe. But this is me - this my hobby, and filmmaking is a part of my life, part of my heart.

Amateur film-making doesn't mean you shouldn't take it seriously. I mean, does this story really mean anything to you? Does it really have an underlying message? I can understand making a film for fun, I get that. But this story just sounds terrible, the kind of thing you'll watch back year down the line and feel embarrassed by.

[Notna]

No offense, but that really hurts. Sseriously? Really? That's the thing I've been doing for these years. Been serious, while soem people have been laughing how stupid I am when I am wasting my time in making movies.

[Typhus]

QUOTE (Notna @ Saturday, Dec 10 2011, 13:04)

No offense, but that really hurts. Sseriously? Really? That's the thing I've been doing for these years. Been serious, while soem people have been laughing how stupid I am when I am wasting my time in making movies.

If you want to get into film-making you may need to develop a thicker skin. But let's be fair, if you're just doing this for a laugh, that's great. Hey, I did the same as a kid. You can play the Pope, a space mutant or a bloody US Marine, because it's all a joke and you're just experimenting.

But if you're serious about this, really serious, then it's time to get real and consider a genuine story. A story which you can tell coherently and without pretending to be a 30-something assassin. After all, without a good story a film is worthless. Don't take it as a criticism or some malicious swipe at your aspirations - it's not. I just think that you're current idea is awful, it's hackneyed and trite.

Tell me, have you got any other ideas? Anything a bit more original? I don't know, I just think you're selling yourself short.

[Notna]

Thanks.

I am really serius. When I get older, I want to be a filmmaker.

And yes, I have another ideas. Actually, we have an another project going on, but it is even more amateur than this one. But it is more original.

[Narcis_speed6]

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