» Posts Tagged ‘advice’
'To Be Loved & Understood': Take a Look Inside the Creative Process of Comedian Patton Oswalt
All creative individuals have their own ways of working and specific quirks about their methods. I always think it’s fascinating to watch professionals at the top of any creative or artistic field, and see what parallels can be drawn between those fields and filmmaking. Patton Oswalt happens to be one of those rare few who has had major success in a number of different areas, including comedy, acting, and screenwriting, and even if you don’t recognize his face, you just might recognize his voice as Remy from Ratatouille. In the episode below of Thrash Lab’s Rituals, get an in-depth look at Patton Oswalt’s creative process. More »
As artists, we know that to some extent all our creative ventures are based on what has come before. Although, much like the biological evolution, the utilization of creativity recombines and mutates what has been established, ultimately resulting in work that is uniquely yours. The same can be said about the wisdom of veteran filmmakers. It’s helpful to have a framework on how to approach the filmmaking process based on years of collective experience to build on and incorporate into your own approach to filmmaking. Here I’ve put together a list of videos from 10 well-known directors to help you do just that: More »
The Day the Gatekeeper Died: Patton Oswalt on DIY Creative Careers
This is not new. It is so old, in fact, that it has been on the internet for over two months, so feel free to skip this if you’ve already heard it. However, I’ve found myself sharing Patton Oswalt’s recent keynote speech on comedy with more than one filmmaker/actor/creative over the past few months when they tell me about trying to make it via “traditional” routes. So here it is, because if you replace the term “comedian” with “filmmaker” it applies equally well. More »
There aren’t too many acting posts on this site, but more often than not acting advice can be helpful for directors as well. In this case, Dave Foley, of Kids in the Hall fame, talks about how he stays sane between jobs and how being able to work at all in the industry is a complete fluke. Even if you’re not an actor, if filmmaking is (or becomes) your day job, you will most certainly go through periods of inactivity, so his advice can definitely apply to more than just actors. Check out the interview with Film Courage below. More »
Can you look inside and see a murderer? A saint? A fascist? In this thought-provoking clip, Orson Welles shares some of his views on acting, and how great performances depend on the act of revealing — the ability to show those parts of ourselves that are the character. Whether you agree or disagree, it’s worth checking out and pondering: More »
Following in the footsteps of our recent post on advice for recent grads pursuing creative careers, I found this rare audio interview with Stanley Kubrick complementary. Kubrick, as you may or may not know, did not go to college, and was largely self-taught when it came to filmmaking. Over the course of several conversations with writer Jeremy Bernstein of the New Yorker, Kubrick outlines his own beginnings, and how certain experiences, such as teaching himself photography and honing general problem-solving skills, proved crucial to his development as a filmmaker: More »
It’s that time of year when waves of freshly minted graduates head out to make their way in the world. It’s both an exciting and daunting moment — there’s all the possibility and anxiety of the unknown, mixed with the uncertainty of one’s ability to do what one has set out to do. This is especially so for anyone pursuing the creative life. If you’re one of those nutty folks, or even someone already well on their way, Neil Gaiman offers some great advice in this commencement speech he delivered at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. As Gaiman puts it, it’s “[e]verything I could think of that someone starting out on a career in the arts right now might need to know.” More »
Ted Griffin had no idea his script for Ocean’s Eleven was really about a guy using an elaborate heist just to show his ex-wife he still loved her until he reached page 100 in his writing process. Callie Khouri actually would have killed a dirty old man who shouted obscenities at her from a car if she only had a gun at that moment, so instead she used it as inspiration for Thelma and Louise. Jim Uhls breaks the first rule of Fight Club: he talks about Fight Club. To hear each of these writers talk about their writing process in their own words, check out their videos from The Dialogue Series below: More »
'The hardest part is dealing with failure' - Academy Screenwriters Discuss Their Craft
What are the highs and lows of being a screenwriter? What kind of misconceptions do people have about screenwriting? How do you find your voice in an assignment or get through writer’s block? Academy screenwriters offer their views on these questions and more in this interesting six part video-series at the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences website. With screenwriters like John August (Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Body Heat), and Marc Norman (Shakespeare in Love) sharing their thoughts, there’s lots of great food for thought: More »
So you’re planning a web series. Do you know what demographics you’re going for? Have you figured out the perfect episode length that will keep viewers coming back for more? What about sponsors, how are you going to pitch the concept to them? In a rousing interview with Film Courage , filmmaker and Vampire Mob web series creator Joe Wilson explains why none of this matters and why you need to focus on the passion: More »
How do you make sure you stay in frame and focus while performing? What is the best way to work with off-camera actors while performing a close-up? How can props like cigarettes become a major headache? Michael Caine answers these questions and more as part of a film acting workshop broadcast on the BBC. You can watch the hour-long special in its entirety after the jump, along with 10 film acting lessons pulled from it — highly recommended for actors and non-actors alike!: More »
With one of the best critical and commercial records in movie-making history, there are a lot of things Pixar does right. One of their greatest strengths is their ability to consistently craft great stories. So what’s the Pixar story development process like, and what can we as independent filmmakers learn from it? As part of a 5 part interview, Mary Coleman, a Pixar senior development executive, shares details about how it all comes together — revealing some surprising and enlightening things: More »
I heard recently from an NYC-based actor friend who is undergoing an internal debate common to his profession. Should he move to LA to pursue an acting career (uprooting himself in hopes of getting cast in a major TV show or film), or stay where he is and do what he can outside of Hollywood? As someone who runs a web site focused on DIY/independent careers, I thought I’d write him an open letter explaining why I think 21st-century performing artists should forget about putting their careers in the hands of others, and instead take the reins — and responsibility — themselves. Here is that letter: More »
At ProVideo Coalition, DP Art Adams has posted some good advice for young cinematographers. His article is a response to a thread on the Cinematography.net CML-chat list, for which anyone can sign up. These are all practical, realistic tips not about which HMI to use for a particular situation, but rather how to conduct yourself on a set and what to keep in mind for building a career from job to job. He’s posted a dozen points; here’s his first: More »
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