Archive for the ‘DIRECTING’ Category
Is it worth going to film school?
Recently, I received an email from a reader of this blog asking questions about wanting to fulfill his dream of becoming a filmmaker and whether he should attend film school. I’d like to share with you our email conversation…I’ll keep his real name anonymous so I’ll refer to him as Michael:
Hello Ian, My name is Michael and for a long time I have wanted to be a filmmaker/film director. I’m 26 years old and now i’m reading to make filmmaking my career. I was wondering where should I start, since I have no experience at all. Should I go to film school? or learn on my own? I have no idea what is needed. I would really appreciate if you could advice me and guide me thank you.
Michael.
Here’s my email reply back to him:
Dear Michael,
First, let me commend you for taking the first step towards honouring your dream to become a filmmaker. Within this email I will give you my best advice to help you move forward towards a career as a filmmaker.
1) Get very clear about what you want. When you say filmmaker…do you mean writer/director? Just film director? Writer/director/producer? Do you eventually want to make big budget Hollywood films? Independent films? Documentaries?
Once you get clear about what you truly want from filmmaking as a career, I would suggest you write down some short term and long term career goals for yourself.
i.e. (short term goal) I will write and direct a short film by June 10th, 2010.
(long term goal) I will finish writing my feature film screenplay by July 20th, 2010.
Having career goals will give you a sense of purpose and allow you to make better decisions in order to fullfill your filmmaking dreams.
2) Acquire the right experience, knowledge and skills. The best way to do this is from reading books, taking classes and from doing. Simple trial and error. Here are some books that I recommend you read to gain more knowledge about the art of filmmaking.
(i) Reel to Deal: Everything You Need to Create a Successful Independent Film by Dov S-S Simens
This is an easy and informative read. Very inspiring for someone who’s interested in making movies. Especially for independent film producers. I really like his advice about “first make a movie, then make a deal”.
Also, Dov S-S Simens has a very successful online and DVD package web film school loaded with priceless industry knowledge that helped launch the careers of several high profile Hollywood directors like Guy Ritchie, Christopher Nolan and Baz Luhrmann. I highly recommend his course, check here for more details.
(ii) The Film Director Prepares: A Complete Guide to Directing for Film & TV by Myrl A. Schreibman
Loaded with a vast amount of useful information for newbie film directors ranging from topics like directing actors to camera coverage to how to be professional and efficient onset.
(iii) Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez is the modern day king of D.I.Y. moviemaking. His book chronicles how he made a feature film for $7,000 that launched his film career. What I love about this book is Rodriguez cuts through all the Hollywood noise and b.s. and gives you real,honest, useful tips on what you really need to succeed as an independent movie director.
(IV) The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters: Insider’s Secrets from Hollywood’s Top Writers by Karl Iglesias
Based on conversation with successful working Hollywood script writers like Eric Roth, Akiva Goldsman, Ed Solomon, Nicholas Kazan, Leslie Dixon, Scott Rosenberg, Gerald DiPego, Steven DeSouza, Tom Schulman, Michael Schiffer, Amy Holden Jones, Robin Swicord. This book gives you the real deal about the daily routines and how to break into the industry tips from the writers of many of today’s top Hollywood movies. I really loved what Ron Bass (Rain man) had to say about succeeding as a screenplay writer
(V) Stop Waiting and Make Your Movie by Ian Agard
This is a film financing guide with 33 information-packed pages of valuable tips and strategies used by both established and emerging filmmakers to secure money for their film productions. For a beginner or expert. If you are an independent filmmaker who needs $5,000 to $500,000 to make your short or feature film, then this e-book is for you. To learn more about it, click here.
Film school vs. learn on your own?
That depends on your current life situation, your personality and financial resources. I personally didn’t attend film school because I love to learn from doing, trial and error, making mistakes and learning. Film school will not make you a filmmaker, it simply gives you the tools, the opportunity and resources to play, experiment and find your unique style as a storyteller. You can do that on your own, however, it depends how connected you are with friends and others who will help you make your movies.
If I were starting off with no experience and I wanted to take some filmmaking classes/seminars and I would invest my money in webfilmschool.com. Dov S-S Simens offers valuable and affordable filmmaking knowledge via 2 day seminars, DVDs and streaming online. Filmmakers who have attended his seminars are Guy Ritchie, Christopher Nolan and Baz Luhrmann.
Where should you start?
Here are the first five steps I suggest should take to get the ball rolling on your filmmaking career:
1) If you desire to be a writer as well as a director, go to http://www.simplyscripts.com and start reading screenplays of films you’ve alright watched. Start getting familiar with the structure of screenplays and certain terms.
2) Go to www.celtx.com and download celtx. Combines full-feature scriptwriting with pre-production support and also enables online collaboration. Mac, Linux and Windows. (It’s free)
3) Write everyday. Invest at least 15 minutes each day (I write everyday for 1 hour) Just start telling a story. Focus on a genre you love. Horror? Action? Sci-fi? Comedy? Just start writing…it doesn’t have to be perfect. I recommend you aim to write 2 or 3 short scripts. 5 to 10 pages long. While still studying other screenplays from simplyscripts.com, learn to stretch your imagination building a rich, complex characters and interesting scenes/situations.
4) Gather a crew (some friends) or post an ad on craigslist.org or mandy.com to hire some actors and crew members.
5) Shoot your movie! Pick the script that you love the most, (passion is important) take your crew and make your movie. You’ll probably encounter setups, problems,etc…this is normal. Just keep moving forward with your production and don’t quit until it done and done right.
Now you’re a filmmaker!
I understand that I left out a lot of important steps like the film budget, get a film camera and equipment, securing shooting locations, editing the film, music,etc…all these steps you must learn and work out on your own only because I don’t know where you live, your financial situation and resources. For budget, $500 to 1,000 for your first short film is a good start. Everything else can hire and get volunteers via craigslist.org or mandy.com.
The main things are get clear about what you want, start studying from the right books/websites and take action today!
To Your Success,
Ian Agard
So to conclude…is it worth going to film school?
I have friends and acquaintances who have attended film school and they’ve told me it can be a very rewarding and valuable investment into your life and career, however, the bottom line is you must constantly play, experiment and find your unique style as a storyteller to make it as a filmmaker.
What’s your opinion on this topic? I encourage you to leave a comment in the reply box below.
How to Make Your Video Look Like Film
Posted by admin in DIRECTING, UNCATEGORIZED, VIDEOS on November 24th, 2009
Now that I’m in the final stages of post-production with my feature Bend and Break ,I’ve been doing quite a bit of research to make sure my movie looks as kick-ass as possible for my audience. Since we shot Bend and Break in HD, I’ve been searching around for tips on how to make my film look more cinematic and film like. Thankfully a film maker in San Francisco,CA,Nick, has posted a very useful video to help filmmakers take their DV footage to the next level.
Nick is a nice guy and very willing to answer any questions you have about his videos and give you advice. Check out his Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/rosenchuck1
Why I think Darren Aronofsky is the man!
For the first time yesterday I watched the movie “Pi” which was directed and written by Darren Aronofsky. What a kick-ass movie! Just brilliant work for a first feature film. It’s quite clear that Aronofsky strives to make intelligent movies (The Fountain, Requiem For a Dream) that leave you thinking and questioning things well after you’ve finished watching his films. But what really strikes me about Aronofsky is how down to earth he seems judging from countless interviews of him I’ve watched. It’s refreshing. I just love his whole “I’m a Brooklyn guy” who makes indie films attitude.
I came across the “Pi” official website where Aronofsky documented his thoughts before, during and after making Pi. Reading about his trials and tribulations of making a low budget feature. Having already made my first low budget feature I could really relate to Aronofsky confusion, stress, anger and joy he experienced while making Pi.. Here are some excerpts from his 1996/1997 production diary.
Friday April 5, 1996 Retreat
I am in the country at my college roomate’s parents’ place. It’s nice and I am about to embark on the first draft of 
. In many ways this is the most important week of my life. I feel a little weak but I must move ahead. This most likely will be the first film I make. It’s not that bad. It’s only taken me five fucking years to make my first feature after SS. These are the rules for this draft:
1. Always move forward. If you have a problem type through it.
2. Only take a break after something good happens on the page or you accomplish a goal.
No breaks for confusion — (type through it).
3. Ten pages a day minimum.
4. Only go back to add something. Do not remove contradictions, just make a note.
5. Do it. Suffer, live, cry, struggle for one week. You’ll feel like a million bucks by the fifteenth.
6. Have fun.
DAY ONE 10/14/96 THE SHOOT BEGINS
Starts with the circle. The entire crew and cast joined hands and we all formed an economic and artistic partnership. A socialist collective. I made a speech from my soul. I thanked all and offered everyone a chance to take risks, a chance to make there own, a chance at a meaningful collaboration. I almost cried. My mom did. She’s craft services. We shoot — no more excuses.
Monday October 21, 11:40 pm End of Week One
Week one ended hard. We did the hallway in Joanne Ovadia’s building. We didn’t have landlord permission and it gave everything an edge. They are Hasidic and we were filming on a Saturday so we secured little interaction. There was a vicious Hurricane outside and it coincidentally rained out the first game of the World Series, Yanks vs. Braves. I’m glad the series is on but it may also cause a problem. The fact that the Yanks are getting their asses kicked means less baseball interest from the crew. More focus.
The day was a long one and was almost 20 hours. Hard. Matty had a vicious headache attack. But, he stuck in there.
After wrap I had my ceremonial cigarette and then I got a beer at Capt. Walters a couzine bar in Sheepshead Bay. My mind was racing with the compromises I had to make. Film is about compromises. It’s so hard to get everything. It’s a thin line between weighing what is positive and what is negative in this world. What hurts the film and what is important to get. Very confusing.
Today started well but we really slow down in the afternoons. After lunch is always a bitch. It takes forever to get set-ups.
To read Aronofsky’s entire production diary click here.
Most Influential Black Directors
Who are the most influential Black directors in the history of Hollywood? In recent years directors like Tyler Perry,F. Gary Gray and Carl Franklin have enjoy continued movie making success in Hollywood but I’d like to explore the trailblazers. Black directors who have had a significant influential towards American cinema. Here are my picks:
4. Gordon Parks
Two words best describe Gordon Park’s life…groundbreaking and inspirational.
Parks was a groundbreaking American photographer, musician, poet, novelist, journalist, activist and film director. He is best remembered for his photo essays for Life magazine. In the 1950s, Parks worked as a consultant on various Hollywood productions and later directed a series of documentaries commissioned by National Educational Television on black ghetto life. Beginning in the 1960s, Parks branched out into literature, writing The Learning Tree (1963), several books of poetry illustrated with his own photographs, and three volumes of memoirs. In 1969, Parks became Hollywood’s first major black director with his film adaptation of his autobiographical novel, The Learning Tree. Parks also composed the film’s musical score and wrote the screenplay. Shaft, Parks’ 1971 detective film starring Richard Roundtree, became a major hit that spawned a series of blaxploitation films. Parks’ feel for settings was confirmed by Shaft, with its portrayal of the super-cool leather-clad black private detective hired to find the kidnapped daughter of a Harlem racketeer. Parks also directed the 1972 sequel, Shaft’s Big Score in which the protagonist finds himself caught in the middle of rival gangs of racketeers. Parks’s other directorial credits included The Super Cops (1974), and Leadbelly (1976), a biopic of the blues musician Huddie Ledbetter.
In the 1980s, he made several films for television and composed the music and libretto for Martin, a ballet tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., which premiered in Washington, D.C. in 1989 and was screened on national television on King’s birthday in 1990.
I read about Gordon Parks for the first time back in 1997. Back then he inspired me to become a photographer myself. No “Black Directors” list will ever be complete without Gordon Parks’ name on it.
3. Antoine Fuqua
Antoine Fuqua is an American film director. After beginning his career directing music videos for popular artists like Toni Braxton and Prince, he became a successful film director. He is perhaps best known for the award winning film Training Day.
The reason I put Fuqua on my list is because this dude makes kick ass action movies! Let’s list them:
The Replacement Killers (1998)
Training Day (2001)
King Arthur (2004)
Shooter (2007)
He might not be as revered as others on this list but when it comes to pure pulse pounding entertainment. Fuqua gets two thumbs up!
2. John Singleton
You know that line from the movie Jerry Mcquire “You had me at hello”. Well, John Singleton…you had me at Boyz N The Hood. John Singelton is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. A native of South Los Angeles, many of his films consider the implications of inner-city violence like the critically acclaimed and popular Boyz N the Hood, Poetic Justice, Higher Learning and Baby Boy. He has recently branched out into mainstream territory with the blockbuster 2 Fast 2 Furious and the controversialFour Brothers. Singleton’s 1991 film debut Boyz N the Hood received Academy Award nods for Best Screenplay and Director. At age 23 he was the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director, and the only African-American to be nominated for the award. This guy was just 22 years old when he wrote and directed Boyz N The Hood! 22! In 2002, the United States Library of Congress deemed Boyz N The Hood “culturally significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. Now that’s influence.
In 2005, Singleton worked as a producer and teamed with Craig Brewer and financed the independent film, Hustle and Flow.
1. Spike Lee
No real surprise here. Spike Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He also teaches film at New York University and Columbia University. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983.
Lee’s movies have examined race relations, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee has won an Emmy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Lee’s film Do the Right Thing was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1989. Many people, including some in Hollywood, such as Kim Basinger, believed thatDo the Right Thing also deserved a Best Picture nomination. Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture that year and according to Lee in an April 7, 2006 interview with New York magazine, this hurt him more than his film not receiving the nomination. His documentary 4 Little Girls was nominated for the Best Feature Documentary Academy Award in 1997.
I’m not a huge Spike Lee fan but I have respect for any one who is passionate about filmmaking and takes tremendous risks in the pursue of telling stories that touch audiences emotionally.
TOP 5 things I learned from making my first feature film.
Now that it as been a few days since I wrapped filming of my first feature film, Bend & Break, I’d like to share with you the TOP 5 things I learned.
1. Focus all your time, energy and resources on casting the right actors.
This was the smartest decision I made. I spent one month going through hundreds of actor head shots, scheduling auditions and call back auditions. Asking each and every actor I met questions to observe their attitude and personality. It’s important to know what you’re looking for in your ideal actors beyond their looks and talent. Here were my three requirements I was looking for:
a) They must be committed and professional (dependable)
b) They must have talent and be engaging
c) They must have a pleasant attitude and personality. Will I enjoy working with them?
I was very lucky to find nine actors who were all committed, talented and a joy to work with. Just be patient during your casting process. Know what you want and don’t ever compromise or settle for less.
2. Make sure to meet and interview every crew member before you hire them.
Now let’s take a look at my biggest mistake while making my movie. The sound mixer I planned on using for my movie (someone I’ve work with before) was busy during my shooting dates but he recommended a friend of his who was also a sound mixer. He gave me his number, I called the guy and we spoke on the phone. After a brief telephone conservation with the guy, I hired him to do sound for my movie. Let’s now forward to the shooting dates, this guy had one of the worst attitudes I’ve ever seen. He kept complaining and whining like a little kid about my shot selection, how I was running my production, making smart, sarcastic remarks. After four days of working with this guy, I had finally had enough. I fired him and got a buddy of mine to help me record the sound for the remainder of the shoot. All this could of been avoid if I had simply meet this guy for coffee before hiring him. Which leads me to my next lesson learned.
3. The first impression you get from someone (actor or crew member) over the phone or in person is usually their best side and they may only get worst over time.
If an actor walks into the audition room and begins to behave a certain way that maybe annoys you or you find is disrespectful, don’t hire them! Or, if you talk with someone on the phone and you feel that something just isn’t right with their attitude. Don’t hire them! You might think “Oh, they’re just having a bad day. They’ll be more pleasant once we begin filming” No they won’t.
I had this one actress storm into the audition room acting like a big drama queen, complaining about how a dog just bit her and she needed to rush to the washroom before she performed her monologue. After all her drama, she was actually a very talented actress and I eventually casted her in the movie. Forward now to the day of rehearsal. This actress show up hours late with the same drama queen, I love attention entrance. She also did it again on her first day of shooting. I eventually had to fired her and remove her character from the movie.
4. Trust your intuition.
We human beings are fascinating and perceptive creatures with the innate ability to receive pure, untaught, noninferential knowledge via our intuition. All we have to do is listen to it, trust it and obey it. Following this simple habit will make you a genius. Every smart,wise decision I made while making my movie was because I followed my intuition. That being said, every mistake I made came as the result of not listening to my intuition.
5. Learn to listen to others.
Filmmaking is a collaborative business where a film director partners with actors, DOP, editor, composer, sound department. This is what I love the most about making movies; working with other creative people towards a common goal. Everyone has good ideas and the majority of your cast and crew will genuinely want your movie to be great. Be open minded and receptive to other people’s input. Everyday while filming Bend & Break I used ideas from everyone in the cast and crew. The sound mixer (with the bad attitude) gave me a great idea for a shooting angle in a scene. I used it. A few of the actors gave me some great suggestions on how to edit a specific scene. I will used their ideas.
In the end, the thing that I learned the most from the whole experience was that no matter how bad things may seem or how many obstacles that you might face. If you just focus on shooting one page at a time and keep moving forward. Your movie will get done.
Book Review:”The Reel Truth:Everything You Didn’t Know You Need to Know About Making an Independent Film”
Posted by admin in CAREER ADVANCEMENT, DIRECTING, PRODUCING on September 22nd, 2009
We’ve already finished nearly two weeks of filming on my feature film “Bend & Break”, so we only have two more shooting days until we wrap the picture!
While I’ve been shooting my movie I came across a great book that I can honestly say is the most accurate how-to book that explores some of the realities first time and second feature filmmakers must face while making an independent film in the 21st century. The name of the book is called The Reel Truth:Everything You Didn’t Know You Need to Know About Making an Independent Film by Reed Martin.
What I really like about Martin’s book is that he layers his information and advice with real, updated examples of successfully filmmakers i.e Doug Liman (Swingers), Alexander Payne (Sideways) who have either made massive first-timer mistakes or ingenious career moves.
Now that I’m just a couple of days away from finishing shooting my first feature film, nearly everything Martin touches upon in his book has either helped me solve certain production challenges or given me valuable information for making wiser decisions along my future journey as a filmmaker.
I highly recommend this book, The Reel Truth, to any first or second time filmmaker who’s eager to enjoy success from making independent feature films.
Walt Disney’s TOP 3 TIPS on how to become a visionary filmmaker
I have so much respect and admiration for the late, great Walt Disney. Disney was a passionate, innovative filmmaker/entrepreneur who helped change the world we live in today by persuading a simple vision:
“to make people happy”
Walt Disney was a jack of all trades and master of many. I’d like to explore 3 powerful ways to become a visionary filmmaker like Disney.
1. Stretch Your Brand
“It’s something that will never be finished,” Disney once said of Disneyland. “Something that I can keep developing and adding to.”
Disney used his films as leverage: not only did they allow for the creation of additional products, such as dolls, toys, and games related to the movies but they would also attract visitors to his theme parks. Disneyland quickly became an ideal venue for cross-promotion and Disney was clever in exploiting all the opportunities.
2. Chase Your Dreams
“Somehow I can’t believe there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true,” Disney said. “This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence.” – Walt Disney
Disney spent three difficult years working on the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. No full-length animated feature had ever been done before, let alone in full colour and with music. Neither his competitors nor his associates nor even his own wife believed that he could make it a success.
It was Disney’s passion for his project and determination to finish it no matter what that made it such a success.
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney
Now that I’m 34 years old I’ve come to realize that achieving any level of success in life is very simple.
A) Know exactly what you want. A very clear, specific goal.
B) Persist, hustle and keep moving forward until you’ve reached your objective.
I am currently in production, directing and producing my feature film Bend and Break. However, my journey to get to this point was challenging and like Disney I constantly met people who said…
“it’s not possible to make a feature film in X number of days”
“you need more money to make a feature film”
“you don’t have enough experience yet”
But I never really listened to those people and because of that I am fulling my dream of making a kick-ass feature film that will entertain people all over the world.
3. Use Your Imagination
“I believe in being an innovator,” said Disney. “Tomorrow can be a wonderful age.”
Since its inception, Disney has always been an innovative and imaginative brand. From his animations to his theme parks, Disney was always looking to the future; he was in constant search for creative ways to improve his products and thrust his business forward.
Disney’s contribution to the animation industry is equally significant, creating a name for himself through a series of technological innovations. His use of the multi-plane camera and his ability to use both colour and music effectively in his films made him an important force to be reckoned with in American cinema.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” - Walt Disney
What did you learn? Leave a comment!
The secret of being a great film director
Posted by admin in DIRECTING, UNCATEGORIZED on August 26th, 2009
After three challenging weeks of viewing hundreds of headshots and auditioning actors/actresses for my upcoming feature film Bend & Break…I’ve hired all the cast for my movie.
Hollywood film industry veterans will sometimes tell you that “directing is 90% casting.” The secret of being a great director is fielding a team of talented people who don’t really need much coaching to deliver a solid performance.
- Alfred Hitchcock constantly worked with Hollywood screen icons like Cary Grant, James Stewart, Ingrid Bergman and Grace Kelly.
- Martin Scorsese frequently worked with Robert De Niro and now Leonardo Dicaprio.
- Spike Lee often casts Denzel Washington.
- Sir Ridley Scott is practically married to Russell Crowe.
Thank God, I was able to find 9 very committed, professional, passionate and talented actors and actresses that I look forward to working with.
I am a lucky man!
Here’s the cast, drum roll please…
Juana Samper as Brittany Bock
Kelly Hoare as Chad Marshall
Jennifer Turano as Kelsey Davis
Guy Castonguay as Josh
Sandra Da Costa as Jodi-Ann
Voytek Skrzeta as Jaime
Mike Jones as Will
Erica Leung as Sophie
Agatha Krzewinski as Robyn
Welcome abroad everyone to the Bend & Break production team. Let’s go have some fun and make a kick-ass feature film.
Sam Raimi, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and Guillermo del Toro offer advice to young filmmakers.
Are you a young movie director still doubting whether you can achieve success in the movie industry?
I recently came across a video blog where four Hollywood heavyweights…
- Sam Raimi
- Quentin Tarantino
- Robert Rodriguez
- Guillermo del Toro
Give advice to young filmmakers. All four had something useful to say but what really resonated with me was what Tarantino said (wow,this dude loves to swear).
Quentin Taratino’s best advice to young filmmakers
“make a kick-ass movie!”
This may seem obvious, what movie director or producer goes out with the intention to make a “bad movie”. But a closer review, what Taratino is saying is to strive for excellence. Accept no substitutes and make no compromise.
Why do I find this advice useful?
As I’m currently producing my movie Bend & Break…my main goal was just to make my first feature film and gain more valuable movie making experience. There’s nothing wrong with this goal, however, I’m starting to realize that I might be making one too many compromises (that will lower the standard and quality of my movie) in order to just make a feature film.
Thanks to Tarantino’s advice, my goal now is to make Bend & Break a very good…a kick-ass movie!
It kinda reminds me of a article I read where Francis Ford Coppola said it takes just as much time and energy to make a bad movie…as it does to make a great movie.
So why settle for anything less than great?
To watch the video and learn more useful film making advice visit Digital Filmmaking Blog.
As always, your comments are welcome and encouraged. Let me know what you thought about this article by leaving a comment below!
Also, I invite you to become a fan of my film “Bend and Break” on Facebook.
Short Film versus Full Feature: What Should You Make?
Jane Kelly Kosek is a Los Angeles based independent film producer of character-driven stories that resonate with an audience. This is her guest blog article. Thank you Jane for sharing your knowledge with us.
Short Film versus Full Feature: What Should You Make?
You want to make a movie but you can’t decide if you should take your money and do a well-funded short or use the cash to make a down and dirty full feature.
It all depends on what you need to get out of the experience. Below are a few things to consider as you decide between short film and full feature.
1) Do you have a great short script and full-length script to choose from? Whatever you make needs to be based on a strong script. So if one is stronger than the other, go for the better script.
2) Are you trying to show off your creative skills as director or writer? This is a tricky area. Great shorts can get you noticed but there is a ton of competition and length matters. Even if your short is amazing, most festivals prefer programming the 10 mins or shorter films. This is because most shorts are programmed in a block of short films, which means longer shorts need to anchor the shorts programs. Your short better be brilliant in order to get a prime anchor spot.
So if you have a short that can show your brilliance in 10 mins or less then you may want to choose to make a short. Or you may want to decide to go full feature. Or take your chances that your 20 mins short will find its home and get you the attention you want.
3) Are you wanting to make money from it? Everyone wants to make money from their films but if that is your primary goal then you should probably make a full feature. The buyers’ market for short films is small unless you are making one based on a popular topic or person. Shorts can have their own markets for sales if they focus on stories with built-in audiences (this is true for full features as well).
4) How much money do you have? If you only have 2 bucks then you need to make a short film because you can’t make a feature on 2 bucks — unless you have someone donating everything to you. If you have a few thousand dollars then it is possible to squeak out a full feature.
Again this is where things can get tricky. You don’t want to make a full feature that really needs $100k for $5k. The only time it makes sense to do a full feature for $5k is when it is written for that budget and it’s GOOD. I have seen so many films shot in one room that have bored me to tears. Just because you have a script set in one location and you can shoot it super cheap doesn’t mean it will work or should even be attempted — which leads me to number 5.
5) Be realistic. Take the time to seriously evaluate your goals and reasons for deciding to make a short v. a full feature. Don’t make a quick decision based on emotion. Most people want to make full features but if you are at a point in your career that a short makes more sense, i.e. you need more experience, then make a short for the experience. And remember, you need resources to make any movie. Don’t shortchange your full feature when you really only have resources for a short.
6) Timing. Shorts can be created and finished much faster. They can be uploaded to the Web in a jiffy and go viral rather quickly if you have a topic of interest. So timing can play a big factor in your decision for short v. feature.
7) What is the topic best suited for? Some topics may be better as a short than a full feature. Kitties and their antics do very well on YouTube in quick spurts. You definitely don’t want to make a full feature of cats playing. You get my drift. Decide what format is best for your story.
Do you have connections to crew who can commit themselves over the longer timeframe of a feature? Connections to crew are very important. It can be very disruptive to the creation of a film to have crew coming in and out all the time. You need a core group to be part of your crew that will get you through the long haul — at least a producer who can help replace those who can only do short spurts of work. Some stability needs to be in place. Until you have that stability, you should make shorts and build up your connections.
9) Awards. Don’t worry about awards. Make a great short or full feature and awards will become a reality.
10) What is your end goal? Do you want to be known for short films? Then you need to make a short obviously. Do you want to make a great feature and you feel you have enough resources and the experience to make it happen? Then a full feature may be right.
In the end, it comes down to evaluating your resources, goals, quality of projects, and experience. If you are still having trouble figuring it out then you need to do more evaluating. Write down the pros/cons/resources for each and eventually the answer will appear. Trust your instincts. You usually know when you are making the right decision.
For more valuable information about all facets of independent filmmaking, visit Jane’s blog All About Indie Filmmaking Blog.
