Encouraging words? at DVinfo.net

Jesse Steele · July 17th, 2007, 01:17 PM

Hey Guys and Gals,

This will be my first Short film ever! I have acted in a few competitions but never directed? Anybody wanna warn me away while you still can???

Honestly I was just wondering if anyone had any good thoughts on how to go about starting...after the topic is posted of course?

Mitchell Stookey · July 17th, 2007, 04:25 PM

Here's what I do - I gather my crew aka my friends and we go out for dinner, coffee, whatever and just sit and talk about nothing other than the topic for 2 hours. There will be tons of laughing, and after two hours we will have about 100 ideas. 99 of them will be terribly stupid, and 1 will be less stupid enough that we decide to shoot it. Keep in mind the time frame and your assets. You only have a week so try and remember to keep it low scale. I'm not saying to not be ambitious, I'm just saying stay realistic. And most importantly, have fun!

Daniel Kohl · July 18th, 2007, 10:14 AM

Hey Jesse,

I would suggest not taking it too seriously. (I might get flack for that comment).

As far as I'm concerned the DVC idea was to encourage people to grab their cameras and put something together ((almost) anything).

I made the mistake, in my second attempt to participate in the DVC of taking it too seriously. I shot a whole sketch, and basically didn't finish it because I didn't think that it was show-able. That was a mistake.

Even though there have been entries with high production qualities, the best ones IMO, have been the ones with low production qualities and a lot of heart.

The DVC should not be about trying to be discovered, it should be more like about trying to discover. Shoot what you've got, with what you've got. Don't look for excuses, and don't make any.

Just go for it!

Cheers,

DK

Dylan Couper · July 18th, 2007, 04:43 PM

Jesse.... no matter what you do... never let them see you cry...

;)

Just have fun and try and make each one better than the one before.

Jonathan Jones · July 18th, 2007, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylan Couper

Jesse.... no matter what you do... never let them see you cry...

and if by chance you do, just tell them your prepping for a character scene. And get it on film, because a good convincing cry is hard to come by in acting.

j/k

-Jon

William Gardner · July 19th, 2007, 07:45 AM

My humble opinion:

The thing that makes a decent short film is writing: tell a decent story. It doesn't matter (too much) if the production quality isn't great as long as the story is interesting. Take your time to write something, think about it, rewrite it, and do this as much as you can before you shoot. Get as many fun, smart friends as you can to brainstorm ideas and to suggest how to improve things.

Oh, and if you don't have pro actors, don't write something that is emotionally complicated that your actors won't be able to pull off.

Sorry I'll miss this upcoming DVC, but I'll be on vacation that whole time.

Good luck and have fun everybody! I'll be looking forward to seeing the entries when I get back.

Bill

Jesse Steele · July 24th, 2007, 01:41 PM

I shall take your words to heart...I would just like to take this opportunity to let you all know how much it means to me that you all helped me here while i was lost in confusion...oh god...i'm not supposed to let them see me cry?...Be Strong..Sniff sniff...be Strong!

Lisa Shofner · July 31st, 2007, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Gardner

Oh, and if you don't have pro actors, don't write something that is emotionally complicated that your actors won't be able to pull off.

That is good advice. I need to remember that. Nothing worse (well maybe) than having a "great" script and "ok" actors (no budget) and spending the whole time hating the actors for doing everything wrong. Thus, never finishing the film because every take is crap and now there's no time left.

Bill Hamell · August 5th, 2007, 07:58 AM

Jesse,

I did just what you are doing, but for the UWOL Challenge.

Get your script, find your talent and take your time so you get the best production possible. I was forced to rush on my directorial debut and it hurt the overall production value.

Therefore, the one piece of advice would be TAKE YOUR TIME and get it right.

Bill

July 17th, 2007, 01:17 PM	#1
Jesse Steele Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Irvine CA Posts: 98	Encouraging words? Hey Guys and Gals, This will be my first Short film ever! I have acted in a few competitions but never directed? Anybody wanna warn me away while you still can??? Honestly I was just wondering if anyone had any good thoughts on how to go about starting...after the topic is posted of course?

July 18th, 2007, 10:14 AM	#3
Daniel Kohl Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Frankfurt, Germany Posts: 571	Hey Jesse, I would suggest not taking it too seriously. (I might get flack for that comment). As far as I'm concerned the DVC idea was to encourage people to grab their cameras and put something together ((almost) anything). I made the mistake, in my second attempt to participate in the DVC of taking it too seriously. I shot a whole sketch, and basically didn't finish it because I didn't think that it was show-able. That was a mistake. Even though there have been entries with high production qualities, the best ones IMO, have been the ones with low production qualities and a lot of heart. The DVC should not be about trying to be discovered, it should be more like about trying to discover. Shoot what you've got, with what you've got. Don't look for excuses, and don't make any. Just go for it! Cheers, DK __________________ Daniel Kohl Frankenstein meets XL1

July 18th, 2007, 04:43 PM	#4
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	Jesse.... no matter what you do... never let them see you cry... ;) Just have fun and try and make each one better than the one before. __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

July 24th, 2007, 01:41 PM	#7
Jesse Steele Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Irvine CA Posts: 98	Thanks everybody! I shall take your words to heart...I would just like to take this opportunity to let you all know how much it means to me that you all helped me here while i was lost in confusion...oh god...i'm not supposed to let them see me cry?...Be Strong..Sniff sniff...be Strong!

August 5th, 2007, 07:58 AM	#9
Bill Hamell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mystic Ct. Posts: 477	Jesse, I did just what you are doing, but for the UWOL Challenge. Get your script, find your talent and take your time so you get the best production possible. I was forced to rush on my directorial debut and it hurt the overall production value. Therefore, the one piece of advice would be TAKE YOUR TIME and get it right. Bill __________________ Cinematographers Bring Shadow To Light Last edited by Bill Hamell; August 6th, 2007 at 02:44 AM.

July 17th, 2007, 04:25 PM	#2
Mitchell Stookey Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 196	Here's what I do - I gather my crew aka my friends and we go out for dinner, coffee, whatever and just sit and talk about nothing other than the topic for 2 hours. There will be tons of laughing, and after two hours we will have about 100 ideas. 99 of them will be terribly stupid, and 1 will be less stupid enough that we decide to shoot it. Keep in mind the time frame and your assets. You only have a week so try and remember to keep it low scale. I'm not saying to not be ambitious, I'm just saying stay realistic. And most importantly, have fun!

July 19th, 2007, 07:45 AM	#6
William Gardner Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 216	My humble opinion: The thing that makes a decent short film is writing: tell a decent story. It doesn't matter (too much) if the production quality isn't great as long as the story is interesting. Take your time to write something, think about it, rewrite it, and do this as much as you can before you shoot. Get as many fun, smart friends as you can to brainstorm ideas and to suggest how to improve things. Oh, and if you don't have pro actors, don't write something that is emotionally complicated that your actors won't be able to pull off. Sorry I'll miss this upcoming DVC, but I'll be on vacation that whole time. Good luck and have fun everybody! I'll be looking forward to seeing the entries when I get back. Bill