It's been a long day of filming... hell it's been a long week of filming, but in film's defense I will say it is the most sublime masochism...the most magnificent fakery, and if i didn't have it in my life at this point I don't know what I would do.
I promised in an earlier post to talk about settling on an idea...I'm a man of my word, well at least 85% of my words, so lets keep one of my foolish, human scruples afloat.
(This is aimed more towards those working on short student films, as well as those indecisive, extremely picky, extra-perfectionist film makers -notice I employ extra because all of us film makers are perfectionists, at least I hope so.)
When you have the means to make a film, the first thing to do is make sure you know what film you're going to make. The definite, grand process of making a movie makes it where you go all bonkers concerning the multiple ideas you have in your head. You say should I make a drama, comedy, or magical realism; you say is this tiny idea worth developing, would it work as a film; you say what would my friends say, what would my teachers say, what will the people at film school say; you say if I am famous one day will they spot any potential genius in this early film... but overall you say I have to make something great, encompassing all facets of the universe, hitting all genres, a post-modern masterpiece, setting precedents, blah, blah, blah, et cetera. This type of thought is fine and dandy in its youthful sincerity and naivete, but it holds you back...and it is sisyphean in nature (step your vocab or greek mythology game up if you don't know that one). If you don't commit to an idea, when you do eventually start your film you will never be happy, constantly saying to yourself "I should have done this film", or "Jimmy's film is so much cooler than mines."
But first you need to know what kind of film maker you are. If you know this it cuts down a superfluous selection of film ideas to a select, relevant (to you) few. Are you into racial politics, sociology, anthropology, gender issues, science, etc.? These subjects will be the supporting beams for your film. Then start small, with an impetus for a narrative that you are really passionate about. The impetus is the reason for the primary/main action in your film to occur, i.e.,why do the college kids go on a road trip, why does the friend steal from the other, why does the father shoot the son? Once you have this, build from the ground up. I began one of my films with an interest in Hegel's master-slave dialectic and how it pertained to actual life. I took the idea of young love and its power struggles and developed the film from there.
If you have a concrete idea and it turns out that you execute it perfectly, and make a good film, you will hit on both the small and big concepts you wished to and more. But you have to make sure those small aspects of the film are there, and they are well thought out and executed.
On another note,I shot some rough dance for the camera footage this Tuesday and it sucked. Well not what I shot but the shoot in general. How the hell are you going to tell someone (who has to bring a bunch of heavy film equipment around, by himself -thats me!) you are going to be on set at 9:00 and consistently come 20 to 30 mins. late, then come 40 mins. late, be in a rush to leave, bitch, and act like it's all good? You should slap yourself for that one! That's just total indecency... I feel like cussing but this is school regulated, Feivel decided to stay on the east and go in my closet, and I gotta go to sleep, peace.