Would using a star filter for cinematography be too weird?

[Pete Cofrancesco]

On a more positive subject was watching Tom Antos video about budget filming.

YouTube (Short URL)

[Ryan Elder]

Originally Posted by Paul R Johnson

Guess? That's silly. there is a big difference between guesswork and logical reasoning. If you guess, no wonder things go adrift. You learn from experiences and then use this to make decisions. Guess work is futile when time and money is involved.

Well do other filmmakers actually write down all their hours of filmmaking and learning over 8 years?

But I think I can do a really good job, if from now on I get much better actors and a much better DP and PD, to help make the production better and more convincing.

[Paul R Johnson]

Write it down? You lost me! However your other statement is the most sensible thing you’ve ever said. If you get better actors and somebody who really understands composition and camerawork and lighting then that’s a huge step forward. Those two elementals ca often save the project BUT as your projects are personal you need to step back and give them creating freedom making you more the producer not the director. To make it work your directing style needs to change to give them freedom. It’s going to cost you!

[Brian Drysdale]

I would also put an editor into the mix, a feature film isn't the place to learn this job. .

I think Ryan is being literal in taking the 10,000 hours to become an expert by asking if people count the hours over 8 years of film making. Rather like the way pilots log their flying hours, one point about this is the quality and how demanding those hours are. You can do lots of undemanding flying hours or you can do less hours, but they're always pushing up your flying skill levels. It's also possible to lots of hours, but pick up bad habits, because you're not getting regular check flights/ simulator sessions where you can be corrected..

Being too literal is probably also holding him back, with the need for rules for every situation.

[Paul R Johnson]

producing media products does rather need attention to detail and an understanding of communications ranging from the most subliminal messages to the most overt. Very tricky for Ryan in differentiation terms.

When I got my first teaching job after qualifying I discovered I was quite good at designing and delivering products that I was actually not that skilled in. I was able to do the research, then produce quite effective work using it. Perhaps my one really developed skill, actually.

The first subject I was given was A Level Communication Studies - and the research I did was very interesting and worthwhile - lots of educationally advanced research into how people communicate, some of it fascinating (and lots very, very dull). It was a really good basis for understanding media products of all types. I loved teaching it - made far more sense than the arty content of film and media courses, but the basic knowledge was identical. Making movies requires the audience to receive enough information without distortion for the originators intention to be fully understood. You cannot measure understanding accurately, so in practice it's unlikely it ever reaches anywhere near 100%. Ryan could perhaps spend some worthwhile time reading the communication studies material because it would help the delivery process succeed better than it does at the moment. Oddly, communications theory is full of 'rules', but mostly they explain why it doesn't work, rather than does. Maybe some research into it would enable Ryan to track through a project and determine where the communication errors creep in? Look up semiotics - it's not exciting, but movie makers use it quite a bit.

[Brian Drysdale]

Understanding how humans communicate would certainly help him.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I looked up skills needed to be a filmmaker and not surprising Ryan is terrible at all of them. So it’s not a matter of how much time he puts in. He also lacks creativity, sound judgment and the ability to evaluate his work...

5 Skills Every Filmmaker Needs
1. Technological Expertise
2. Flexible Creativity.
3. Written and Visual Storytelling.
4. Decisive and Problem-Solving Leadership. ...
5. Communication.

https://www.lafilm.edu/blog/5-skills...lmmaker-needs/

[Ryan Elder]

Originally Posted by Paul R Johnson

Write it down? You lost me! However your other statement is the most sensible thing you’ve ever said. If you get better actors and somebody who really understands composition and camerawork and lighting then that’s a huge step forward. Those two elementals ca often save the project BUT as your projects are personal you need to step back and give them creating freedom making you more the producer not the director. To make it work your directing style needs to change to give them freedom. It’s going to cost you!

Oh, well I contemplated this before, but other filmmakers I worked with said do not produce your first feature if you don't direct it because they have done that and they didn't have enough control in their productions by not directing them, and it lead to problems. They said at least co-direct, rather than produce and place the entire production in the hands of another director. Do they have a point?

[Brian Drysdale]

No, producing and directing are two different jobs.

Just because you're the director doesn't mean you're any good at producing, that also applies the other way. However, you may find getting a good producer is difficult, although in your case they're probably more a production manager, since a true producer also gets the funding for the film,

There are loads of film producers who have never directed a feature film.

If they want to direct their film, they should've directed, although it depends on the politics with the funders. As has been said before, co-directing is entirely another game, which you may not be suited for.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, well I was advised not to produce a much more costly project for me and leave it in the hands of another director, they said. But yes I didn't think I was that good at producing and wanted a production manager. I mostly want to direct rather than produce, but is producing the first feature and putting it in the hands of another director, the way to go maybe?

[Paul R Johnson]

Ryan. You now need to ask a question.


Do you follow the advice these people continually give? It always seems to be flawed.
Or - do you make your own decisions and take the responsibility?

Look - let's be VERY blunt. We hint and we suggest, but we try to not put you off by being totally truthful.

It's very clear that there are a number of factors in your film making.

Your circle of friends and colleagues are not helping you.
They are taking advantage and you need to find a way to take charge.
Your skills as a film maker are undeveloped, and are hindered by your condition.
You are struggling to develop because of your inability to process information in the way it is presented.
You have severe deficiencies in your skill levels in many areas - but - you like planning.
It's your money, and you like planning - so that's a job you can do - production planning, management, budgets and scheduling. These things seem to suit your nature and ability.

You do NOT have the vision to be behind the camera
You do not have the technical skills to capture sound in any meaningful way
You do not function well in situation where judgement of craft skills is required. By this I mean your eyes and ears in the main. You cannot determine success or failure without input from others. They then confuse you and you try to rationalise their comments using your deficient knowledge and it goes wrong.

Get a vision person, get an audio person - find a real skilled director, and get some decent actors. This might mean finding somebody who can cast your movie instead of you. You don't have the skill set to judge acting in any way I can see.
Get somebody to script supervise - somebody with the ability to re-write being essential to convert what you write into something real.
Source a decent editor and perhaps a music person.

If you do these things there is a chance. If you ignore them, it will be another train wreck. That's blunt, but sadly I think, the truth. You have demonstrated that these jobs do not match your character and personality makeup. If you persevere - you will waste your money and make another timeline.

Sorry Ryan. If you need these comments explaining - any of your friends here will understand them and be able to explain them. I think all the people here are thinking exactly the same thing. We are all as one, and we are random people separated in the world who all have the same opinion it seems. You are the one who struggles with understanding us - we all understand each other perfectly. Do you see this? Can you accept it?

Some things are just impossible for some people. Wanting something very badly doesn't not mean it can happen.

[Josh Bass]

I would say you guys are being brutal but perhaps brutal is what he needs to not waste $50k on what will almost certainly be a bad movie. I looked and he's started about 40 threads since early last January (when he started his first thread), with little to no growth in understanding since then.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, well I figure that other filmmakers I worked for spent more that much more or more, on their first features, and eventually you just have to bite the bullet and do it I figure. But before casting of course, I need a really good DP who would want to work on the project, and still looking for one.

When you say filmmakers I have worked with, are trying to take advantage, how are they taking advantage exactly? If they are feeding me wrong advice, what's their gain?

[Paul R Johnson]

Ryan - for goodness sake, do you not understand how life works?You have detailed over and over again things they have done - basic stuff like letting you down, or refusing to do things you ask, and the list goes on. They tell you things they know are wrong, or that they know you will misunderstand. They take advantage and offer nothing. Some advice is right, much is wrong and you soak it up like a sponge applying the same worth to everything. The gain is that some people like causing mayhem, they like to feed your rubbish, knowing you will take it at face value. It's mean and unpleasant - however, in their defence, you probably drive them mad. Think how you constantly ask questions here - with the time lag. I bet you constantly ask them things face to face, on the phone or by text on phones? They will get less and less reliable and consistent and just snap and tell you things they don't expect you to do, but you believe them.

Do not waste your money without giving the experts responsibility for their areas. You simply do not have the ability to stand on your own here.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, well when I say they have let me down, such as dropping out and not showing up, I am not talking about those ones. I am talking about others who I have helped on their projects and others who have helped on mine, but the ones who did not flake out and leave the projects. I don't constantly ask them questions though. If we are doing a project, I will ask some questions that are required, but I don't constantly ask. What do you mean by a time lag, when I ask questions?