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Archives for June 2017

How To Start Making Movies

June 28, 2017 By Brendon Marotta

This post is for everyone who’s told me, “I’ve always wanted to make movies too! How do I start?”

Short answer – if you want to make movies, you start making movies.

It doesn’t have to be more complex than that.

Longer answer – make short films with whatever camera you have to learn the process, read & watch everything you can, and crew on other people’s films.

Let’s break those down.

Make Short Films

Too many people who tell me they want to make a film think the first step is to raise money.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

No one should give money to someone who has never made a film before and expect to get their money back. The good news is you don’t need tons of money to start making films now. Saying you need money is a way to avoid the hard work of doing. You can actually make a film with what you have already.

You have in your pocket a nicer camera that I had most of my high school film career. It’s called a iPhone. Take your iPhone – or whatever the nicest camera you have access to is – and shoot a five minute short with some friends to learn the process. This will take one weekend, and will be worth more than a year of theorizing about what kind of film you’re “gonna” make.

Use whatever resources you have. Keep it small. Something you could make without having to go out and buy anything crazy. If you want to make a documentary, film a single event or interview subject. If you want to do a narrative film, make something with one to two actor friends in a single location. Heck, shoot a vlog. A vlog is a documentary about what you did that day.

The first film the Duplass brothers got into Sudance with was one actor trying to leave a message for his voice answering machine. It was shot on mini-dv tape in someone’s kitchen. It doesn’t have to be fancy.

If you heart is really set on that feature idea, do a short film version of it. One scene.

For example, one guy I met told me he wanted to do a documentary on alternative healing methods. I suggested he film one session with one healer. Interview the patient beforeheand. Find out what he hopes to gain. Interview the practioner, find out what he plans to do. Film the session. Do an exit interview with each. Edit it into a five minute short. (I don’t think he ever did, and I still haven’t seen his movie. Those two are related.)

If you have a good short version, then when you go to investors, you’ll have something you can show and say “this is what it’ll be like.” And if you don’t think it’s good enough to show to them, then you learned those lessons for free, rather then on thousands of investor dollars. The guy who made District 9 is making short films to pitch his next project. A short film can become your crowdfunding video.

(P.S. If you decide to spend money, don’t worry about the camera. Spend it on sound. Don’t worry, if you don’t know this already, your first short film will teach it to you.)

That’s it. Your first film will teach you a lot. Don’t worry about whether or not it’s good. The point of this short film is not to “break in” or become a big success, it’s just to learn how to make a film. To start creating the system you use for filmmaking.

You don’t even have to show it to anyone. If you can handle feedback, do it, but if you don’t think you could handle negative comments, don’t worry about it. Again, the point of these short films isn’t to get others approval, it’s to build your craft.

Learn Everything You Can

Wisdom is learning from the mistakes of others. The best ways to learn about filmmaking, other than making films, is to –

  • Watch as many movies as possible
  • Read everything you can about filmmaking and film theory

I’m amazed at the number of people who want to be filmmakers who don’t watch non-Hollywood cinema. Watch films that aren’t from your decade or culture. If you see something you like in a movie, find out what influences the director had, and go back to those films.

If you’re looking for somewhere to start, try the AFI 100 Greatest Films list. You might dispute their order, but you really can’t go wrong with those films. I’ve movie recommendations on this site, and you can subscribe for more from me here.

Also – now you don’t have to just rely on old filmmaking books from Amazon like I did growing up (though you should still read those). You have YouTube. It is absurd how many filmmaking how-to videos and film essays there are on there. Watch as many as you can. Again, if you’re motivated, there is no excuse.

Crew On Other People’s Films

In addition to making your own films, work on other people’s movies.

This will teach several things. First, you’ll meet other filmmakers. The people you meet on set are often more important than the project. I know one director who works as an extra on other people’s films, just so that when the crew starts complaining about how bad the director is he invite the crew to come work for a better director – him. If you want to make films, you’ll eventually need crew, and this is a good way to meet them.

Second, it’ll give you a skill you can make money at. If you learn to grip, edit, run sound, PA, etc. then you can get work. If you get good at it, then you’ll meet lots of people, and see reason one.

Third, you’ll learn a lot. If wisdom is learning from others failures, it’s also learning from others film sets. You might chose to run yours different, but it helps to know why and how others do what they do. Also, if you plan to work in film, there are certain terms you’ll pick up on a film set that if you don’t know will out you as an amatuer.

Even in post-production, I’ve learned a lot going through the dailies of other people’s footage, taking films apart and putting them back together. Any job you can get will be a great education.

Also, you might discover that you really only love one aspect of filmmaking. If you love the camera, but don’t love actors, become a cinematographer, not a director. If you love visual effects, just do that. “Filmmaker” is a blanket term, and the more specific you can get about what you want to do, the better. But you might only discover that through experience.

Be The Filmmaker You’d Invest In

Coming back to our earlier example – who would you rather invest it – a filmmaker who is applying for grants and fundraising money from investors, but has never made a film before – OR – a filmmaker who has been making short films, can show you a few good ones, reads and watches everything they can, and even has a few credits crewing on other people’s films?

Seems obvious right?

Become the kind of person you’d invest in.

And nowadays, you should add an extra skill on top of filmmaker, which is to become good at audience building and social media. That’s a separate article, but before you start seeking an audience or crowdfunding – which is really just lots of people investing small amounts of time and money in your project – you should make sure you’re bringing value by being really good at what you do.

I can’t guarentee the above will get you there, but it’ll certainly put you ahead of everyone who says they’re “gonna” make a film someday.

Again – how do you become a filmmaker? Start making films.

Read More: The Sundance Tell: How To Spot Amatuer Filmmakers

Imagination Is The Key To Empathy

June 21, 2017 By Brendon Marotta

When I talk about empathy, one phrase that frequently comes up is, “well, I could never understand what it’s like to go through that.”

This is utterly wrong, and an excuse to avoid doing the work of empathy.

You’ve likely never had your arm cut off, but if you met a person who had their arm cut off, you could imagine what that must feel like. You don’t have to get your arm cut off to know that it would hurt, and you’d probably feel bad about it everytime you did something you might have wanted your arm for.

Likewise, larger problems just require a greater degree of imagination. For example, if the arm-cutting was an assault, that’s different than if it was an accident. In an assault, you might imagine the feeling of having your boundaries violated. In an accident, you’d imagine the feeling of going about your day and being suddenly surprised by a sharp trauma and pain.

Complex emotional problems or systemic problems are just another layer of imagination. Imagine people bullying or discriminating against you for things you you can’t change about yourself. Or imagine what it feels like to share that story and have people ignore or attack you for trying to be heard.

The reason people say they “could never understand what it’s like to go through that” is because they don’t want to feel what it’d be like to go through that. Even reading the above might be painful. I know that when I imagine the experience, it actually hurts to do so. Imagining someone’s emotional pain could means experiencing real saddness or loss.

(Pro-tip: If such an excercise ever gets to be too much, you can always shift your emotional state in another direction through imagination. Like imagining an incredibly sexy person you love and trust going down on you for an hour. There, problem solved. If that isn’t enough, try meditation.)

This idea that you could never understand another person comes from trying to understand their experience only through yours. “Well, I cut my finger on a piece of paper once, so I kind of understand what you’re talking about.” No, not really.

If you attempt to empathize with the other persons experience by relating it to yours, your ability to empathize will always be limited by the amount of experience you have. If you empathize through imagination, your empathy will be limited by only what you can imagine.

Good actors are incredibly gifted at this. When developing a character they’ll imagine all the experiences their character must of had. What their childhood was like. What their relationships have been. What things they’ve been shamed for. What skills they’ve learned. What they like to eat. Literally, booking hours of the day to just imagine the reality of the character. It’s work.

When people say they could never understand another person’s experience, they are either admitting a lack of willingness, or a lack of imagination. And by the way, “I don’t want to do the emotional work to understand that” would be a valid honest answer. But don’t say you can’t.

Imagination is a skill. A muscle. If you use it regularly, you’ll get better at it. Working in the arts, I sometimes forget that many people don’t regularly exercise this skill. But if you can imagine the reality of your client, or the person you’re trying to persuade, or your friends, or romantic partner, it’ll go a long way.

Part of the reason I work in the arts is that art bridges the gap of imagination. You might say you “could never understand” what it’s like to go through something, but if I create a character that you like and care about who goes through it, you’ll feel it, and empathize.

Read More: Empathy Is The Ultimate Persuasion Tool

Speed Racer (2008) – Movie Recommendation

June 19, 2017 By Brendon Marotta

Synopsis: It’s an adaptations of the kids show Speed Racer, by the duo who did The Matrix. An arthouse kids film.

Who Should Watch This: People who are tired of sameness in Hollywood films, and want to see something really wild and different.

Things to Look For:

  • That editing.
  • Seriously, that editing.

Commentary:

Speed Racer (2008) is an arthouse kids film. Read that again, it’ll make more sense each time.

I was inspired to suggest this one, after seeing it come up in a recent video essay mentioning. Multiple film friends of mine have cited this film as one to come back to. Yet because it’s a “kids film” and was commercially unsucessful, people haven’t appreciated the wildness of it’s style.

Speed Racer is an example of how box office doesn’t always correlate to merit. Matrix Reloaded was one of the most finiaincially successful Wachowski films, while Speed Racer was a flop. Wrap your brain around that. Yet, Speed Racer is the one that people keep coming back to and feel the need to write about.

I suspect part of the issue was marketing. Supposedly, this film is targeted towards kids, yet in one scene a character curses and it’s bleeped out. Is that a kids film trope? There are a lot of scenes and style choices that seem targeted towards adults. What this does share with kids films is a very simple story, direct characters, and bright colors.

One thing kids films often share is a lack of subtext. Adults understand that people often lie, say things they don’t mean, and have motivations that are hidden from their peers. In kids films, even when a character lies, it’s very clearly indicated to the young audience. They might even look away from the other characters and say something about what they’re doing. This film takes that stylistic choice to it’s locigal conclusion with every stylistic choice pushed to the max.

Even though this has the trappings of a kids film, I’m not sure it’s actually for children. But then again – why shouldn’t a kids film be as ground-breaking and stylized as any other film? If I was an overactive hyper kid, I’d probably think this movie was the coolest.

I mean, it’s a film about an overactive kid with an autistic special interest in his artform, that itself pushes the limits of it’s own artform, with a message that love of the artform is more important to than the business and politics around it. Kind of fitting that it’d make bold choices that didn’t lead to finiancial sucess, but pushed the medium forward.

Speed Racer treats shots not as individual edits, but as elements to arrange in the timeline. It’s hard to tell where one shot begins and another ends, because green screen shots pass across the screen wiping between them. Even if you find it a bit much, if you’re interested in film as a medium, this is one you should check out.

Also – weird aside – is it just me or does the plot here have some similiarities to last weeks recommendation, Thief (1981)? A master of his artform has a powerful man demand he work for him, or have everything taken from him. Seems to be one of those universal stories, played through many artforms and mediums.

  • Watch Speed Racer (2008)

Previous Movie Reocommendation: Thief (1981)

Thief (1981) – Movie Reccomendation

June 12, 2017 By Brendon Marotta

I’m changing up the format of these recommendations. Let me know what you think on social media.

Synopsis: Theif (1981) is about a professional safecracker who has the chance to acheive his dream of a normal life by working for a mafia boss who has other plans for him.

Who Should Watch This: Theif (1981) is a great film for anyone making their way in the world, trying to build a business, or start a family. This is a great film for young men going places. Also a great film for anyone who loves 80s, synthwave music, or new retro style. This is the stuff all that 80s revival is drawing from.

Things To Look For: 

  • The diner scene, which James Caan has said is the best scene of his career.
  • Tangerine Dream synthwave score.
  • First film if Micahel Mann (Collateral, Heat).

Commentary: 

Thief is a story we’ve heard many times before, in many other industries. A guy has a chance to make one big score and get out of the game. But it is that story told in a way that is beautiful, grounded, and felt.

Whereas other heist films would  blow through the heist with montage, this shows the painstaking process of a single break-in. This is a heist film on par with Rififi (1955) (also recommended, for different reasons) in it’s willingness to just  show the process.

I realize this description may sound underwhelming, given how common this story and genre is, but Thief is one of those hidden favorite films for many people, myself included. What makes it great is it’s willingness to play things straight and just let you feel them. In one scene – which James Caan lists at the best of his career –  a man sits down and tells a woman what his life dreams. That’s it. There’s no flash, no embellishment. It’s just a human being sharing their feelings in an incredibly intimate and vulnerable way. And it’s a thousand times more watchable than anything else a modern filmmaker might have done.

The other thing that makes this film great is how universal the story is. A guy getting his big break, or getting screwed over by the boss is a story told in many industries. This could easily be a film about artists, and the way they’re treated by studios heads, or a programmer working with a big tech company. The feeling, and the relationships are the same. If you’re an ambitious person, or a professional who values your work, you’ll be able to relate to this film.

This simple and vulnerable beauty translates to every aspect of the filmmaking – from the beautiful colorful noir cinematography to the Tangerine Dream synthwave score. Each moment isn’t trying to be anything other than what it is, as honestly as possible. The film runs long – over two hours – but I think it needs to, in order to feel everything there is to feel here.

Highly recommend this film if you’re trying to do something in the world, and want to feel another character explore every emotion of that journey.

  • Watch Thief (1981)

Previous Movie Recommendation: The Libertine (2004)

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The Libertine (2004) – Movie Recommendation

June 5, 2017 By Brendon Marotta

I have no idea how this movie slipped past audiences. It is possibly the greatest performance of Johnny Depp’s career.

Actually, I have some idea. In film, distributors are always asking “who is the audience for this?” I don’t know who the built in audience is for a film about a self-destructive 17th century artist, other than other artists. But if you are an artist, or if you’ve dealt with feelings of self-destructiveness, or the burn-out the comes from using pleasure as a way to avoid your real issues, this movie is for you, and you will be deeply moved by it.

It takes a lot of balls to open your film with a two-minute monologue from your main character that begins “you will not like me.” The brilliance of this monologue is that it manages to main the main character likable if you pay attention, as he tells you exactly the opposite. That’s the key phrase though – pay attention. This a complex film, a work of art, that will fly over most audiences heads. It continually makes the unconventional choice, which I believe most critics mistook for the wrong choice.

I remember when this film came out, that the reviews were fairly bad. Critics complained “it’s called the Libertine – why is it shot so dark and muddy?” – clearly having never heard the phrase “hedonic treadmill.” The title character is a man who feels unloved and inadequate, who uses pleasure to avoid those feelings. He has an artistic gift, but squanders it, seeking increasingly greater sources of pleasure to try to feel, like a junky chasing a high. Doesn’t that sound dark to you?

The cinematography is beautiful in an unconventional way. It is lit entirely with candles, so every shot flickers. The grain of the film is visible, and some scenes have just enough exposure to be visible. What on any other film would be a “mistake” is perfect for the subject matter of this film. All the imperfections of the camera are on display in this film, just like all the imperfections of the character. Had this film been lit “correctly” is wouldn’t have been nearly as powerful, and the fact critics didn’t see that means they have no one to blame but themselves after a string of sameness came out of most blockbusters for the next decade.

Not enough can be said about the performances. I can’t think of a single scene where every actor isn’t giving it their full. The relationships are complex, but clear. There is the title character’s wife in the film, who struggles the way a woman in relationship with an addict struggle. His mother, who clearly instilled his self-hatred in him. The King, who sees his genius, yet has his own problems that cause him to commission a work. The actress, who Depp’s character Rochester choses to develop rather then use his own artistic talents.

Actually, that relationship between Depp’s character and the actress shows what happened with this film, and what many artists go through. The first time we see this actresses, she is booed off stage for being too quiet to hear. However, Depp’s character sees a genuine spark in her and offers to train her. When she performs for him later, she gives a loud fake performance. He calls her out on it. She says she was booed off stage for the genuine thing. He makes her train until that genuine spark can be heard. Likewise, the film itself has a genuine spark, one that critics booed off stage because they couldn’t hear, and one that I hope future audiences can appreciate.

I didn’t link the trailer for this film, because I felt it didn’t capture it’s power. Go into this film seeing as little possible about it beforehand. The only warning I’ll give is that this film gets dark, and is full of nudity and sex. Depp allows himself to look ugly in a way that is brave and rare for actors. His performance is deeply layered. It might be his best ever.

Despite all this, I struggle to figure out how to summarize who this is for. It’s just a genuinely great film, but one that is complex. Not that kind that can be boiled down to a tagline or genre, but one that deserves to be seen. So here’s a suggestion – if you have an artist friend, or someone who you think would enjoy this film, send them this post or tag them in a link to it on social media. Films like this spread through word of mouth. Like the title character, it may only be appreciated after it’s time has passed – but it will be appreciated.

  • Watch The Libertine (2004)

By the way, I’m thinking of moving this series to email only. If you want to keep getting these recommendations, subscribe here:



Read More: Lake of Fire (2006) – Movie Recommendation

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