Any advice for a 14yo wannabe filmmaker? :P

GeoS

So hey, I thought it would be a nice idea if any established filmmakers (don't worry, by established filmmaker, I really mean 'has filmed') out there could share any lessons they've learned from past mistakes or any general advice on what to avoid during the whole process.

It will be a quite useful resource for me, and anyone else expecting they can press the red button on a handycam and improv for 30 straight minutes in bad-lit near-darkness. Very Happy

Thanks,
GeoS

AnalogPlayers

Get out there and start making movies. Get ahold of any camera you can, and just start shooting. Be constantly in a state of writing. Constantly thinking in terms of what would make a good movie. When you are watching films, immerse yourself in the filmmaking instead of the plot. Try to figure out how they accomplished every shot, and every cut.

Lastly, READ. Read everything you can on the art. There are bound to be many good, and a much larger amount of not so good books to read at your library. So, get to it.

pudovkin

... yeap. Shoot everything you can.
And, each time, try to organize things better, by making a list of what you want to shoot (a simple list for start, then in the next time you try do make a script) and what you need for this shooting. And then edit in some simple software, as Windows Movie Maker (for Windows) or iMovi) (or Mac0.

At first, try to shoot a situation, like "opening a car". Then, go try something a little more complex, like a scene of two people talking and doing something. The thing on this is to get prep to work with cameras, framing and editing.

schooldays

Hi, I'm a similar age and I've been making small projects for a few years now (*shameless plug* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxugYpRX-KU - my latest project). There is loads of advice I could give, but to be honest I can only recommend that you just make loads and loads of films. You'll learn and improve over time. As well, watch a lot of films, because this is the only way you'll progress.

I'd also read a few books on digital film-making. There are hundreds of volumes out there, mostly technically-minded, but some should have some good advice to give. I can recommend the incredible DV Rebel's Guide by Stu Maschwitz. It taught me a lot on the subject.

Stanley Kubrick said something like this: "anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write War and Peace in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling." And he's absolutely right. Smile