Maverickshavealwayshadanedgy,rebelliousconnotation to them. Originallyreferredtounbrandedcattlethatstrayedfromtheherd,puttingtheirownershipindoubt. Fast forward 100 years later...and it is used to describe a personwhostraysfromanddoesnotfollowthethinkingofagroupheorshebelongsto,orwhorebelsagainstacceptedideasortoaherdmentality. "Maverick"thuscametogenerallymeananindividualisticandindependentthinker.
These kids have taken it upon themselves to make their own movie. The methods that they used to put the project in the can was exactly the methods that we've been talking about here in the Maverick MovieMaking courses.
They wrote the script based on something that they had readily available, they used their cast and crew wisely, found locations near their home, used a camera that they already had and and editing program that was already on their computer. They've shown us all that if you a desire to do something, nothing can stop you. Anyone who knows making movies, what these kids accomplished was not easy. Good job guys!
The Palm Springs Shortfest &
Film Market is a great event. You might think that being invited to attend this event is a voting thing that’s based on the
quality of your work, but it’s not.
Everyone who enters gets an invitation to the Market. When I found out that I had been invited, I
wasn’t sure if I wanted to go, for an independent film maker, with a family,
my Festival Strategy has to be pretty specific and planned to the nine’s. So I asked around and did some research on
the web about Film Markets and you know what I found…nothing. There is very little information about what a film market is and I had no idea what to expect.
That’s why I’m writing this.
A film market is an event movie industry people, both filmmakers and studios, go to sell and buy films. It where the deals are made between you and anyone who would buy your movie and put it on a network or in a theater.
First off, if you just receive notice that you’ve been
accepted into a film market, get all of your artwork for your movie and go to
Kinko’s. If you don’t have artwork, do
whatever you can to make some, whether it is pictures from your shoot, a
picture of your actor, or anything that could be some sort of representation of
your movie. Take your artwork, make
posters and postcards (the 5x7 postcards like you see at a novelty shop while
on vacation). Print your artwork and
also, if you don’t already have some, get some business cards.
When you arrive at the Market is when the whirlwind begins,
be ready to network, get ready to pimp your movie in every way that you can
think of. Get to know the people who are
putting on the festival and most importantly, introduce yourself and get on a
first name basis with the person who’s organizing the market, that guy needs to
be your best friend.
The whole point of the Market is for acquisitions people for
studios and companies like Netflix to find programming that they can put on
their networks or bring back to the studio.
They will get DVD’s from the market and sit in front of a computer for a
full week just watching movies. The only way that they know what the hot property is, is either through the movies that are
being screened at the festival or by word of mouth. There are going to be a lot of filmmakers at
the market, there are going to be a lot of good films there, some are going to
be better than yours, but don’t let any of those movies stand out more than yours.
The artwork that you printed is going to be what people ask
you about throughout the week, it's what you become known for. Make sure that you always have plenty of
those business cards and the 5x7 postcards ready to pass out at any
time. Check in with the press, get your
posters up and place your postcards in the prime spots.
“The Apparition” was the movie of mine that got accepted into the Market, and I had the idea after I'd already arrived, to
have an actor or something dress up like my main character, come to the
festival and walk around with me everywhere I went. It would’ve been a
great way to market my movie and get my project to stand out above the masses
of great talent that was there. Maybe
next year, but that’s what I’m talking about.
Although it sounds awesome, nobody is going to make a big deal out of
your project if you don’t start the ball rolling and create your own buzz. DON’T BE AFRAID TO GO OUT ON A LIMB AND DO
SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN EVERYBODY ELSE.
Go to the after parties, hang out where all the other
filmmakers are and talk with them, introduce yourself, don’t be afraid to
encourage people to watch your movie. Go
to the screenings and pay attention to what you’re watching and who made the
movie, and when you see that person later at one of the after parties, you
have an approach and can start a dialogue.
In the four days that I attended my first film market, I
learned a ton about the business. I got
the pulse of what’s hot and what’s not, I got a good idea of what kind of movies were being accepted and screened at the festival.
Like I
said before, some of the movies are going to better than yours. But surprisingly enough, some of them are not and are still going to get a screening (some people market themselves better than others). Make yourself and your movie stand out, cause you're not the only one out there. And you may know that the movie you have is top notch, but nobody will know if you don't get someone attention.
The Movie You Write, The Movie You Shoot & The Movie You Edit
It seems like a strange concept but they will not be the same, each phase will be different and you have to roll with the punches. Think outside the box to make the movie the way you intended.
There are two types of editing (both need to be taken into consideration when completing your movie):
Technical Editing- This is where you make your movie look a certain way and with certain specs. (i.e. aspect ratio, frame rate, etc.) and it's really important to get these uniform if you're using more than one camera. Unfortunately, this is an important part of filmmaking and needs to be learned. Don't let this get you bogged down, get out there, shoot, edit it yourself and it'll come.
Storytelling Editing- Edit your own movie. Keep the look and feel of the movie yours. If you hand the footage of your movie over to someone else and your not with them, your not handing creative control over to someone else. Besides, the point of Maverick MovieMaking is to become skilled in every aspect of filmmaking and doing as much as you can yourself.
Most computers come with some sort of basic editing software (and for the Maverick MovieMaker, this is more than enough), but if you want to explore some options, here are some excellent movie editing software:
There are some keys things to keep at the top of your mind while you're shooting your movie.
Locations- The bottom line is DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU'RE GOING TO.
Mind The Way You Treat The Cast And Crew- Over the course of my career, what I am complimented the most on is my demeanor and attitude while on set. I don't yell, I don't get angry and I try not to be too involved in what I'm doing to talk to people. During "The Apparition", we were on our last day of shooting and the company had just spend three twenty hour days and everybody was a little spent. For the first three days, this crew was magic, everybody was getting along and everybody was fire on all cylinders, like a well oiled machine. Well, on the last day, the company was stumbling some and things weren't going as smoothly as they had been the days prior and I thought that it was because we were letting our guard down thinking we had this one in the can. So, I decided to get the crew motivated by barking some orders and telling them to get their shit together. It didn't work. All it did was make matters worse for a few more hours and make everyone uncomfortable and awkward. Not good when you're trying to pull something like a movie together. That was the first and last time I've ever done that. One of the worse things that you can do to your movie and the people who are taking their time to help you make your movie, is to ruin a good vibe and good creative flow by making everybody feel uncomfortable by yelling and getting upset.
The 180-degree Rule (per Wikipedia)- "In film
making, the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline
regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another
character or object within a scene. An imaginary line called the axis
connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for
every shot in the scene, the first character will always be frame right of the
second character, who is then always frame left of the first. If the camera
passes over the axis, it is called jumping the line or crossing the
line."
Keep in mind with the 180-degree rule that this is a rule that can be broken, but only if it's done the right way. Make sure that you "jump the line" in one cut or it will seem like your characters are sitting next to each other instead of across from each other.
The Rule of Thirds- This is basically a "rule of thumb" to help you frame your character and sequences. It's a theory that divides the screen into 9 equal parts and that your subject and scene should be lined up and inside these imaginary lines. I personally don't buy into this one, but some think that it's an important theory when shooting a movie or photography (you'll notice that this video is completely outside the "Rule of Thirds" theory).
Trust your intuition, and listen to that little voice inside your head that's telling you how to do something.
This is your best time to work out the kinks in your story, your dialogue and your blocking with the actors. All of which need to look and sound professional. I also suggest that if you're not the one shooting the movie, get your DP or Camera Department to go to rehearsals as well (tell them to bring the storyboard material that you gave them). That way, they can see the the blocking also, and with the storyboards, they will have an idea of what going on, they can plan and be ready to rock n roll on the day of the shoot. It helps the entire company to be firing on all cylinders come shoot day. That is what you want because you're on a schedule and nobody is helping you keep that schedule, except you.
If you're wondering how to find like minded people to work with, here's a tip: "Leave the asshole at home".
Whether you're going to film school or following the Maverick MovieMaking program, you're not going to hit a home run the first time in the box, no matter what they tell you. Independent film making is all about learning from your mistakes (if you're following this program, your mistakes aren't going to cost you $20,000+ a pop) and having the know-it-all, jerk actor or crew member is only going to make your shoot miserable. Pick the people who have a passion for film, like you do, and go out and have fun making your movie. You're all going to learn more as you go along anyway.
I would rather use people who were fired up about making a movie and knew nothing, rather than a well seasoned guy who thinks you should kiss his ass. Any day of the week and twice one Sundays!
Write your script with the least amount of locations as possible and keep them close to home. If there are things that you must have, location wise, then by all means don't cut them, find a creative way to get what you need and add that production value.
We Independent filmmakers revel in the idea of being an
artist, including myself. In my opinion,
filmmaking is just as much of a creative art as painting, sculpting, being a
musician or any other craft that favors the wearing of a Mexican poncho and
Birkenstocks. But, we are the rare sort
whose trade is looked at more like a business than art. When you’re securing locations or funds you’re
representing that that business, your business.
As unfair as it may be (believe me, I would rather hang in my t-shirt
and tennis shoes all the time), we have look the part of a producer or risk not
being taken seriously. If you’re not
taken seriously, you won’t get very good support for anything.
When it comes to locations, there are several steps that you want to follow (from your script breakdown):
Find the location that fits what you wrote (initial scout).
Make an initial appointment by phone.
Pitch you and your movie in a face-to-face meeting.
Who- How many people will be at their facility.
What- What kinds of things you're going to be doing.
When- What date the company will be there.
How long- Shooting duration.
Something that may help with secure a location is to talk to the business or property owner about marketing opportunities in your movie (i.e. product placement or getting their logo in a scene of the movie) if that owner is a store or restaurant or something.
Once you commit to these items, DO NOT break the terms. Take care of the locations above all else!
Now you can do your Tech. Scout and get all the nuts and bolts worked out to save yourself some time on the day of the shoot. This will assure that you meet the terms that you agreed to in the first place.
Storyboarding is method of expressing your camera set ups and camera movement to others. If your shooting it yourself, then it's reference to the cast and crew about what you want the movie to look like. If you have a Director Of Photography (the guy who's running the camera's), the storyboards are a way for him to reference what you want and what's coming up without him having to wait for you to tell him. If they have an idea before hand, you'll save yourself some shooting time. When you don't have to take extra time to explain camera movement, then you're more likely to meet your schedule and let's face it, if you meet your schedule, you won't go over budget.
There are several very good ways to put together a comprehensive storyboard:
Drawing- If you can draw then you're ahead of the game a little. If you can't draw, find some way to express you vision on paper for others to follow.
Photographs- You can take the photos and then even plug them into your screenwriting or scheduling program.
Video (Blocking)- This is a good way to kill a few birds with one stone; you get an opportunity to work through the blocking (movement) with your cast, you have a video reference and you get a feel for the location and how your scene works in the movie.
So, you’ve got your script.
You’ve structured your short story around items that are easily
available. Now’s the time to jump into
planning your shoot or pre-production.
Pre-production is planning the execution of your movie and how you’re
going make it happen. You may be doing a
short film or a full-length feature and most likely you’re on a limited
budget. The only way that you’re going
to be able FINISH it and not spend more money than you wanted to and that is to
have done your diligence in pre-production.
It’s very easy to go over budget and run out of time if you’ve over
looked something in pre-production. It’s
easier to throw money at it to fix it when you’re in the heat of filming than
to take the time to find a creative way to fix it (time that you’re most likely
not going to have).
A script is basically a blueprint for your movie. In today's segment we go over the over the mechanics of writing a script.
Four Basic Items
Who your characters are...
What they do...
Where they go...
What they say...
-DON'T let the fact that you might not be comfortable with script writing stop you from getting out there and shooting the idea in your head.
STORY IS STILL KING! Don't let anyone ever tell you different! Dito Montiel wrote the script for “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints” on a Steno Pad (he
did all of his rewrites from scratch on the same Steno Pad).
Here are some options on scriptwriting software & homework "Save the Cat":
The easiest movies to make are the ones where you don't have to go very far to shoot. When looking for inspiration, look around you...literally "look around you". There is something right now, that could be used in your movie. Build your script or outline around things that are easily accessible to you. For example, if you want to shoot an action movie, but don't have access to any guns, you can go out and buy some plastic ones (or Airsoft, they look real enough to pass on camera), but ask yourself a question, "Do my characters have to use guns?"
Get creative, think outside the box and you can come up with a great story that will really blow people away and look like you spent a fortune. That's call "production value" and the more production value that you can squeeze out of every frame in your movie the better it will be received by your audience.
As a maverick moviemaker, your first step is going to be equipment. You'll have to go out and shop for a camera, it doesn't have to be anything fancy, just something to get you started. Find something that's simple and easy to use, not something that's going to confuse you and keep you busy just trying to work it. Put yourself in the best position possible to get out and shoot something. As far as equipment goes, you don't need anything fancy, for now, anyway.
The sky's the limit with the GoPro Hero. It will add thousands of dollars in production value to your shoot and open up endless possibilities for you and your storytelling.
It really does put the power in your hands and allows you to shoot footage that before was only possible with thousands of dollars worth of rigging.
We think it is such an important part of your Maverick MovieMaking strategy that we took a few moment to review it.
Check out the GoPro starter kit at The Maverick Store
Maverick MovieMaking is a way to level the playing field (somewhat) between the major Hollywood studios and the independent film maker. These tutorials can't help you make the next "Avengers" movie, but it can you to realize that there are short cuts that can be taken without taking out the production value in your movie. You have a great idea for a movie, but you can't quite figure out how to execute it without spending more than you have in your budget. Or you want to make a movie, but don't know where to start. Let us help you...
Homework:
These two books will change the way you look at film making.
Welcome to Maverick MovieMaking. Do you want to become a filmmaker or start a vlog? If you want to make the next Hollywood blockbuster or just start making movies for your friends, THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU!
Over the years, I've researched and studied film making from
a variety of sources. I've networked to the
ends of the earth and basically learned how to make films piece meal style,
I've taken things from every little experienced that worked for me and what
I've learned from others. One of the
things that I've also learned is that it’s very difficult to get all of this
information all in one place. One
website, podcast, blog that’s like a one stop shop in learning independent
film. Not just for anybody, but for the
broke, off the pulse little towns, who each has someone who is interested in
making their own movie but don’t know where to start or what the easiest and
most pain free way to make a movie. I'll take you through each step that you'll need to make a great movie with the minimal amount of resources (i.e. money), just like I've done. I want to help everybody achieve the same kind of success that I've enjoyed and hopefully I can help you to avoid the pitfalls and setbacks that I've had as well.
Leave some feedback. Ask some questions and let's get started!
