Film work

[Ryu]

I'm working with another guy who's a friend of one of my friends who is shooting footage for a silent iaido film about a student getting a (rather painful) lesson from a master. :) Been actually getting involved a bit with film-making (however amateurish compared to pros I guess....)

I will be writing a script for a 15 or so minute "mini movie" that one of my ROTC friends will help me film and direct.

Really am giving consideration to trying to create some things with knowledgable people because of the fact that I have quite a few things to "express" whether it be in writing or choreography, etc.

Definitely fun experience, but a great way to get certain "messages" across too.

Ryu

[SevenStar]

If it turns out pretty good, talk to some local places about getting it shown - that'll really get a message across. My friend Yuichi was a film major and got some local theaters to show one of the shorts he made, and if I'm not mistaken, some local record stores sold the soundtrack. That short later went on to get some praise at a few film festivals.

[TaoBoy]

....or you could post your finished masterpiece somewhere on the web so we could view it....

[Ryu]

Well let me finish it first. I'd also want to get professional opinions of it, enter stuff into film festivals, etc. before just posting things all over the net with my face on it. We'll see though.

Seven, I'll be trying to do that yeah.
The lucky thing is that I have some experienced people who are also friends of mine.
The types of plots I write focus a lot on action, excitement, etc., but are more deeply geared for showing virtue and morality in the lead characters despite various odds, situations, etc. I also usually include Asian female characters too who exhibit a lot of character development, personality, etc. Really get POed sometimes about how they're sometimes portrayed in American movies....
So I've got lots of things to work with... plus I have lots of people who could help me with cast, etc.

Ryu

[MightyB]

Filmmaking is a dangerous addiction that leads to hard work and poverty.

I say this from experience. Run, run away as fast as you can.

99.9% of actual filmmaking work is shooting talking heads at corporate functions. It's boring, boring as heck. They don't tell you that in film school.

I am a DP (brits call it a lighting cameraman). I do have a film school degree. I have worked in the industry for over five years and I can tell you all that you don't want any part of this industry.

Run, run like heck!

[ddh]

MightyB is right if you don't have a thick skin
and determination. As businesses go it's a
tough one. I've been in it for 20 years or so
myself. I also make video films but have not
yet made a feature on MA. While not a sure thing, you might want to think about I-Films
for showing on the net. RestFest might be a
good outlet but be careful of large film festivals.
They tend to like strong storied or unusually shot and edited films. Get all the technical help you can. By the way, panasonic is coming out with the
AG-dvx 100 24p cinema DV cam this month. That
might be a good camera to shot on. It would be cheaper than film for sure and it would still allow you to output it after editing to film or video.