W

@twitch You been writing homie? I’ve been in a depressive slump cause my ideas keep crumbling or make me feel too s***ty.

I always feel like finding a writing partner would make things so much easier, but the hard part is finding someone on your level

W. I kinda wish I got the pocket over the cinema version

Yessir. Well more so in a research/character development stage rn for my next idea.

I’ve heard that it’s actually a good thing when ideas crumble because it might of never been “the one” As cliche as that may sound. I’ve had a gang of ideas crumble on me that I thought was gonna be “IT” but patience helped me land on something better and more inspired.

Having a writing partner is fun for sure. One of my close friends is a filmmaker that I lean on for help, advice, feedback, etc.

That’s dope man. I’m trying to find the right balance of a character who is emblematic of something about myself, without being a one to one stand-in, Having a critical mind is crucial for any art tbh. You should be challenging yourself every step of the way. Being a perfectionist is far better than just letting anything through the door. IMO. It’s either I’m trying to make a masterpiece, or nothing at all.

Hey I should chat in here more

I couldn’t agree more fam. I respect the artist who strive for perfection.
I can’t remember if I asked you but do you approach things from a character first standpoint or plot first?

That’s a tricky question. I approach from a theme standpoint. And then character and plot flow from that together, because they’re connected.

Ok ok. Have you ever watched Paul Schraders lectures on his writing process? It might intrigue you because he starts with theme too. That’s how he wrote taxi driver and all his films.

He gives a really detailed breakdown of the steps of his process too.

I have not! It really just makes the most sense to me. I think PTA starts with characters and research. A lot of art is just making metaphors. Characters and plot are just metaphors for what you’re trying to say. There’s logical next steps if you start from theme. There’s a guiding star you can always fall back on. If you don’t have that it can feel like you’re s***ting in the wind. The story and characters need to be this way in order to say this thing makes more sense than the reverse. Of course you can also discover what you’re saying along the way. I think if you go that direction you’re going to compile a bunch of s*** that doesn’t work, but eventually you’ll see what nuggets shine through. Just feels like a longer route to me, but it encourages experimentation. There’s also some stories which probably aren’t perfect metaphors and they’re just specific to a character and that’s valid.

That’s 100% correct. PTA says he doesn’t worry about theme, he just writes, doesn’t outline and just lets the story come to him. It definitely is a longer route, he ends up with a 600 page script that he then needs to carve into a film. But within that 600 page script of randomness will be a golden nugget that’ll serve as the story.

Essentially I work in a similar way, where you just intuitively let the story come out organically. But it requires patience. I’m a very patient writer tbh. I love taking my time.

I tried the Paul Schrader method of going theme first but found myself trying to force a story to happen. Which ended up a mess.

But that’s beauty of art, trial and error to find out what process works for you and what doesn’t and appreciating each artist own personal process.

Also something I do similar to PTA is a lot of his characters are inspired by real life people which comes from the research he does, like you mentioned. So I like to start there and build from there.

I’m a huge huge character person and start my journey there.

to anyone who’s gotten music master rights or sync rights for a short: how long did the process take and what where you charged per minute? naturally depends on the artist and label but regardless

Investing in a BlackMagic Cinema camera this spring. Looking forward to sharing my work on here with you guys.
2023 is my experimental learning year

which model? BM cameras set you back a bit more than just the body. batteries are killer i’ve heard

I’ma go all in with the 4k and build a rig and everything. I have a list of everything I’ll need. Really like how the film emulation looks on that camera.

personally ill just rent tbh, but i dont knock anyone buying. it just feels like by 2 years your digital cine cam is outdated with how tech is moving. if i had the money i’d buy an a***og cine camera and make bank renting it out lol

i got a pick between a komodo and a 4.6k ursa, leaning with the latter because its cheaper to rent and has way more accessories included in the package

i dont really care for any of this camera s***, its just to make the cinematographer’s job easier. the komodo’s 6k is overkill anyways because it’s gonna be shot in 4K DCI regardless

i care more about lenses tbh

I’ve thought of doing this but I’ll be out the country most of 2023 on a fixed income. I hear what you’re saying about it being outdated but I’m not too concerned with that as I’m just building my portfolio.
When I settle back in the states I’ll look into expanding inventory and renting cameras.

Still doing my research on cameras and lenses tho. Going for a documentary style feel for my projects. May be able to find something cheaper

what cameras yall have? im thinking about buying a new one

Is there anyone in LA that wants to work on creative projects? I am close to getting my own Steadicam and want to start filming my own projects in the near future.

Are there any filmmakers here from Austin? My fiancée just got a job and we are moving there next month. I’m going to be spending half the month there and the other half in LA, when there isn’t shoots. I have ARRIs, heavy lift drones, remote heavy payload sliders, Ronins, Black Arms and all sorts of s***. Let’s shoot some crazy stuff!

Want to film a short next year. Roughly 10 minutes, I have the script written out already.

I wonder how costly it’ll be to get a crew. Only need 3 actors.

Kind of a joke answer, but pizza will draw some in lmao

Fr tho it all depends on experience