A man who tries but cannot achieve, could still try to pass that passion and experience to someone they believe can. You may not become Michael Jordan, but you can still coach for the next one.
Alfred Hitchcock directed 17 films before "The 39 Steps", generally considered his first classic. He had been working for over a decade. I keep that pinned up on my writing desk to remind me this is work, and success is relative. You don't get to the classics without making a lot of stuff you'll forget.
people forget that the arts (film, theatre, music, painting, sculpting, etc) are a craft that you have to keep working on. I forgot and this reminded me. Thank you :)
I expect this channel will blow up and be huge in the next year or so, but from those of us who are already fans- keep up the good work man, talent never goes unappreciated
As a senior in high school trying to get accepted into film school with only films that I am not quite proud of, studying techniques from all of the directors mentioned in the video, even after watching Slacker for the first time just yesterday, this video comes as a huge sigh of relief for me. Thank you
Jack Hoppy Please, try being forced to make your movies with a bunch of arrogant asshats who think they're deep and insightful. Scratch that, it's just one guy who's like that but I keep getting stuck with him and he's such an insufferable pompous little diva.
As a 16 year old filmmaker working on my first "real" short film, this literally made me tear up. I don't know why. Relief? Joy? Regret for all that time wondering why I sucked so bad? Still not sure. But I thank you and No Film School for this. I really needed it.
Elite Lens Films I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK WITH YOUR SHORT FILM!!!!!! its gonna get better with time, learn from your mistakes you'll do great stuff! i believe in you
I started at your age, I'm 27 now. Keep at it! I'm still making stuff today, more as an editor but I'm still learning. Your films will get better over time because you will have lived more and gained stories in your personal narrative that will reflect upon your craft.
marcos gualez - It's still in pre-production. We won't drop a trailer for a little while, but you can subscribe if you want to know when it comes out. :)
As a 40-year-old filmmaker with a long career, my advice to just own it. Show off your old stuff, don't be ashamed of where you came from. I'm commenting from a TH-cam channel that does exactly that.
Sitting here thinking I'm wasting away because I'm almost 22 and haven't made a feature film. You can't imagine how much I sigh with relief when I watch this video.
I honestly can't say how much this means to me, I've been feeling insecure about my filmmaking abilities and your videos are comforting. They really inspire me and remind me to keep going :) Thank you!
Well, he did go to that short canadian film course just so he could make that movie, and had trouble paying to make that movie, considering that in those days he actually had to pay for film, that's why it black and white, also he is a very vocal person on social media, and his personal life is very well documented because of his many documentaries, books and podcasts, so I'm pretty sure we would know if there was
I find it hard to believe that that movie was the first time he picked up a camera. Again, it was his first proper effort at making something for a real audience. doesn't mean he didn't work on stuff before that(like Linklater says in the video)
This is a lesson that I have to keep learning over and over again, lol. Film making and storytelling is really a skill that just needs constant practice, repetition, and hard work. Thank you for making this video. I'm so glad to have discovered this channel this year.
I know this video only has a little over 100k views, but it feels like everyone from every film school has both seen this video and breathed a sigh of relief because of it. Thank you for that gift to the community.
A recently made a 5 minute short film with my friends at college, I had a wide view on what i wanted the film to be and when those things began going wrong, I felt disenchanted for a while, until my teacher said it was great and that it doesn't need to be a Tarantino, Scorsese, Anderson glory years film, it could be a Tarantino, Scorsese or Anderson first film. I feel more comfortable with it now and hope to continue making them because even though it went wrong in parts, and trust me, it did. I loved it, I loved the struggle of trying to piece up something that came from my mind
there are always exceptions satyajit ray and his cinematographer Subrata Mitra had never operated a camera before when they started production on pather panchali, of course Ray had worked in advertising before so he had a visual sensibility but still
Yup, do it for loving it, thanks for that. Get started and get moving!!! all of our first short films we were varying degrees of unhappy with, but the whole purpose was to help us learn, and when we had time and as our experience grew we eventually got to a place where they are all getting re-edited (also digital remastered, as we shot 12 films on analog 8mm tape, all captured in pc at half screen size, it was 2001-2003) then when they're finished put them online, put up details/videos of the story behind them, mostly to re-enforce this message you just put out here, which we have also been saying for years. not that we compare ourselves to Orson Welles, but check out his avant garde short film "The Hearts of age" 7 years and 4 directed films before he got to Citizen Kane. No overnight film prodigies/geniuses is right.
So as a 25 year old filmmaker in Denver, I have been at this for 9 years. I have made over 30 short films and my goal is to be in pre-production of my debut feature by 2020. And later this year I am going to be directing my first "big budget short". But some days it's tough. It's really hard getting into a business that less than 1% of people succeed in. But whenever I feel down, or I feel like I am going nowhere, I go to youtube and watch this video. It's so refreshing knowing that the people who I look up to and admire started exactly where we are now. And I am so excited to see what our generation has to offer.
keep at it is all you can do, i'm sure we all get disheartened in our quests. you just got to keep plugging away for whatever your goal is. Ours is just getting our first feature finished this year lol
@@chairio6212 Just finished the final working draft of the screenplay and obtaining funding is the next step! Obvious COVID put a lot of barriers in those plans. However-- not only did I finish that short film, but I made a second one! They are both in post-production now!
I first thought that Spielberg would be the exception because his first feature, a TV movie called Duel, was pretty great if not fantastic. But if you dig deeper you find out that had already made several movies at this point since he was 13 or so. And he also worked a couple of years for some TV shows. He made his terrible first movies at such a young age that he was able to make his great movies like Jaws in his mid-twenties.
it may seem a little odd to talk about your ISAO TAKAHATA video here,but i think you truly understand the conception and excution of ideas in movies, that is why you chose him as your subject of discussion. which i think is simply great because its the basic nature of movies...
You're so right about the morose comfort of seeing how all the greats weren't that great at the beginning. Even Kubrick and Malick's first works were terrible, with Andrei Tarkovsky and Akira Kurosawa being the only filmmakers I can say were good from the start, but even then their early works are super stiff and more promising than anything. This video was just what I needed after making my second film, which I wouldn't call a failure but certainly isn't the personal triumph that my first was. Even though I didn't end up making the film I wanted, I learned something invaluable: You're not going to get anywhere if you're afraid to suck.
I wanted to say the same thing, the hardest thing for me is getting used to the fact that the majority of what I make isn't going to be the masterpiece I want it to be. Only recently have I worked up the courage to start filming so I can practice and grow. Failure tends to be everyone's biggest hurdle
You've done so many great videos in the space of a year! I want to start doing video essays but I don't know how I'd produce that many in that space of time
You're tapping into The 10,000 hours. Anders Ericsson (look it up). The basic premise of which is, just about anyone, in 10,000 hours of deliberate practice 2-5 hours per day, can become world class at almost anything. (Of course something like the NBA requires height...) You need good coaching. So you can become a good writer mostly on your own, but you're not likely to become a great tennis player all alone. Vanessa Williams is more than what you can see, but just about everything you need know about Charles Dickens is on the page. Filmmaking is collaborative, at minimum you need actors, so build a group of friends with similar interests. Think Shakespeare wrote a play and then thought, now who can I get to play.....? He wrote for the actors he knew would work. He listened to the good ideas from the experienced, and figured out how to work with the inexperienced who had naive ideas. So there's no such thing as a prodigy-- period. In any field. Mozart's career is examined, he was writing symphonies when he was 17. They're okay, but completely derivative. The Beatles? Hamburg 12 hours a day, to a bar with drunks who'd be in there all day, and they got bored playing the same 12 songs 15 times a day, so... But here's the problem. The Dunning-Kruger Effect states basically that low ability people aren't capable of being aware that they're low ability. Basically it's really hard for you to tell if you're getting any better. What I've experienced. I write, then I'll have the Speech Function on my computer read what I've written, and it sounds like an audiobook. I've listened to thousands of audiobooks, so I have some level of expertise. As the Dunning-Kruger Effect relates to me is, as I learn more and more, and work on my writing, I know that I'm improving, but the audiobook version still sounds 'good' at about the same level. This is like what happened with Tarantino's movie, what he thought he had in the can, he didn't have; but he wasn't aware it wasn't there. What I do notice is that I can tell when a sequence of event happens more efficiently. So comparison with established works. One thing I have noticed as I've worked at writing, I've developed 'taste.' Ever see a crap movie but you thought it was good? Happens to all of us. But taste is not when you become a snob, but when you see something or read something and you have an idea of how it worked or went wrong (and no not the ending), But also how it did what it did and how it could be better. Stephen King writes wonderful 300 page stories, unfortunately he buries them in 900 page unedited 'stuff.' So how do I know? Well, every part should be essential. Somebody explain how in 11/22/63 endless pages about casting student plays has anything to do with the story of time travel and the Kennedy assassination? There are ways it could....but they are not there. The TV version condensed the story but seemed to include the endless repetition... I skipped 4-5 episodes and watched the end and never felt I'd missed anything. (All the streaming services want 10-12 episode series, figure out a good structure for various genres so they don't become 4 episodes stretched to 10 and boring. Come up with some multi episode outlines and you could be working next week. They have to be desperate.) Picasso said "Bad artists copy, great artists steal." Here's how this can work. David Lean transitions (good video. Thanks) Go out and quickly shoot, with your phone, a series of Lean transitions. Oh, it's overcast and rainy, so how are you going to do the match to sunrise? Do something else. Color. Mom says I want you to meet a nice girl, boring quiet guy looks down at his brown tie and then up/ teased red hair bright yellow dress female molotov cocktail. Make a list of Lean transitions, then go shoot as many as you can. By the time you get deep into this, almost none of the transitions you like will be traceable back to Lean. ' okay. Lesson over.
To all those people mentioning Orson Welles or Damien Chazelle as exceptions, there are some things you have to take into account. Orson Welles was put into a boy's school where he was able to learn drama rigorously starting at the age of 10 or so. He developed those skills his entire life and after 15 years of hard work he made "Citizen Kane". Damien Chazelle practiced drumming all his life to get the musical intelligence he displays in his films and studied filmmaking for 5-6 years before he made Guy and Madeline. Because his musical films are so unique, he's filled his own respective niche which everyone praises him for because he writes from his experience and knowledge. Yes, there is talent, but it accounts for 5% - 5% is understanding what will make you different from others and being in touch with your own experience deeply. The rest is 95% work and only those that believe it will make it. When Spielberg got rejected from USC 3 times he believed it. When Kubrick didn't even get into college 'cause his grades were so poor he believed it. When Woody Allen failed his film class at NYU he believed it. I don't need to go on. It's up to you.
"There is no idiot savant filmmaker" Also, I thought as a celebratory gesture and to hit home your point, you were going to show us your first film in the end there... oh well... Congrats on one-year!
Everyone thinks that we're sh*t when we are making bad films yet working hard; then suddenly, everyone thinks we are prodigies when we make a kickass movie. But we don't care. We love it.
Could Orson Welles be an exception to this? Some of his first experiences with film making was on Citizen Kane. But could you validate the success of Citizen Kane to his experience in Theatre?
May i point out the Brows Held High video of "This is Not a Film" that dives into the whole spectrum of indie filmmaking as well as some heavy subjects about the director and movie in question, but by the video's end the message really is about the question "does easy filmmaking weaken it" or something like that, i can't the video out but do you get me?:
Great video. This is also the tough thing about growing a TH-cam channel, I consider all the shorts on there my 'early work' and fall out of love with them very quickly. I like the idea of showcasing the journey publicly though, as painful as that can sometimes be.
Whenever I doubt myself as a film maker I watch Peter Jackson's Bad Taste. The film has such a gung ho spirit and is a joy to watch. It's a constant reminder that we all start somewhere.
He was a big radio name already, and he had Gregg Toland, one of the best cinematographers ever working for him, it's not like he was alone creating Kane like we do with our short movies. He had a great vision an a superb crew working with him, that's a recipe for sucess.
1:51 M Night Shyamalan is so embarrassed of his first film that he drowns himself in further embarrassment by making more films. It's the hair of the dog that bit you, interestingly.
I agree. Talent like that hasn't been seen before or since. Short films and lost films aside, he wasn't even 30 when he made Citizen Kane. He spent most of his 20s in the theatre. and radio, with little film work. He's absolutely a prodigy, maybe the only exception to this video.
Not to take too much away from Orson, who I agree was an incredibly talented filmmaker, it has to be noted that his first film (let's say for the sake of argument that we're talking about Citizen Kane) is the same as say, Linklater's first film. To illustrate, try to imagine what Citizen Kane might have looked like if Welles had to make it with a non-professional skeleton crew. Of course, Welles is still the king.
In virtually every case, despite lacking budget and production values, the first movies of directors who went on to become 'greats' show definite promise, and you can see that there's something to it that hints at potential for future work. The question is: is the problem that there are resources not available, or is it that the director is simply not talented? Someone making films should have a pretty good idea which is the case.
The question is: are you saying that you can see the potential because you're biased from knowing that they did go on to become great directors? Or would you be able to see it even if you did not know who directed it?
Don't know if I fully agree with the statement of no prodigies. I can agree though that even with talent, you're first great film doesn't appear over night, ya gotta develop skills first, which comes from practice.
Watching my first proyects give me fucking axiety and pretty much make me want to puke theyre awful, that doesn't mean I'll ever stop making movies though.
And they still look miles ahead of what I have done... haha. It's alright, I still enjoy doing what I do, and I'll keep making short films no matter what.
@@nowhereman6019 yup and directed 4 short films over a 7 year period preceding Kane. I love Orson, but the overnight success from nothing to 1 film to success and praise is a fantasy. And the massive publicity stunt of war of the worlds broadcast 3 years earlier couldn't have hurt his rise i'm sure, lol. how is that for a publicity stunt bringing how many people that heard that broadcast to now knowing who you are, and using it as a career catapult? though still a 7 year climb from starting directing films to kane, but used his 1930's twitter to get him to millions lol, great stuff. but not overnight
So I'm just back from my watching La La Land for the first time, utterly crushed by the talent of the director while at the same time being hopeful to not give up and here you are telling me it's all going to be okay and to not give up, but just keep making, thereby reinforcing my main take away from the film and now I feel so very much happier than I did 5 minutes ago. Thank you. Your Film Blog is amazing.
Good point but there are some amazing first feature films eventhough their directors might have made shorts before! Look at Lynch with Eraserhead or Polanski's Knife in the Water, Nolan with Following In any case it's true that all wannabefilmakers should see all the first features of their favorite directors and enjoy there unpolished beauty! PS: Keep up with the unpredictable/original goodness of you're essays and good luck with everything else!
Yes, I assisted a friend on a production recently. He's in his final year of high school. About mid way through he exclaimed he didn't want to finish making it. When asked why he explained "Cause I didn't write this script because I liked the story. I didn't film this because I want to express myself. I did it because I wanted to make a film." While all of his drama class buddies were pretty pissed I think I learnt a very valuable lesson that day. Anyway, I myself am considering buying a camera. $400 AUD, give or take. Any suggestions.
Perhaps excepting Kenneth Anger. Made Fireworks at 17(!) - But apparently had a lot of practice with filmmaking before, though all those films are lost now. Thats the only one i can think of tha could be an obvious prodigy. This no prodigy idea is pretty interesting, but I'm willing to bet there are more examples of experimental film artists other than Anger that came out swinging. Jodorowsky might be a good comparison - what'd he do really early on?
JAWS, the movie that changed movies forever and made Spielberg who he is, was his SIXTH FEATURE FILM. SIXTH. And that doesn't count the several hours of television he had directed. And that doesn't count the five short films he had made either. Imagine how good you would be if you had FIVE FEATURE FILMS under your belt, plus several hours of TV and five shorts, before YOU set out to make the film that was gonna change cinema? Do not believe the propaganda and the stories. As the title accurately says, there are NO film prodigies.
This video is Electric! I’m 53 and was about to give up on my goal on being a filmmaker. I’m 2years from retiring from the NewYorkCity Police Department. I just figured let me settle in and just enjoy watching Movies. And then I saw your video… Thank you…
I have been a contemporary Fine Art Painter for 35+ years, in the art scene my standing is "moderate" at best, but I do sell work. Young art school graduates often seek me out at gallery openings or parties and ask me, "...what does it take to be successful artist....?", and I tell them, "...here take this hammer, and go walk out onto the middle of the street, and while dodging traffic, hit yourself over the head continuously while taking out your wallet, and throwing ALL of your money into the air....", when you get tired of that, then come back and we will talk about what it means to be a creative. Life, family, lovers, the world, your own personal demons, and the Universe at large will conspire over and over in preventing one from being a creative, if you do not LOVE what you do over and above anything else, then you are a fool for taking this on, and should seriously consider being a dentist, corporate lawyer, or better yet a cosmetic surgeon.
Really great video, as usual. Although the only thing i'd disagree with is the implication that Bottle Rocket and Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench aren't good. Personally i think both are great, the latter is especially a fantastic achievment for someone's first feature film. Bottle Rocket is far from Anderson's best, and he's hugely improved and developed over the years, but it's still a pretty damn good film in my opinion. The final thing i'd say is that technically a prodigy isn't someone who is great from the very beginning. It essentially means someone who is very talented at a young age. So technically there can be film prodigies. If they are young and very talented, then i see no reason that they can't be labeled as such. But i do agree with the overall sentiment of the video.
You've not done your research properly. Do not generalise without proper fact-finding. Satyajit Ray's first film "Pather Panchali", is one of the greatest films ever made.
i wish you wouldn't criticise your early films because they actually really look good and most people cannot even make their films look even 1/4 as good as those so it's quite dispiriting and depressing to see. kind of like 'why should we bother?'
There are no film prodigies.... except of course for David Lynch. The Alphabet and Grandmother were his first few shorts and let's just say that those films have heart.
Arguably, Orson Welles was a prodigy. He was strictly a theater guy and wanted to make his first film, so he made one called Citizen Kane at 24 years old. Not bad.
![เปิดบ้าน พี่ตูน Bodyslam หลังใหม่คนแรก ที่ภูเก็ต l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/flFwcmyDQSk/mqdefault.jpg)
A skill is a skill, you just have to learn it
Unless you're a prodigy.
somebody didn't read the title
There are limits--you can't practice enough to become Michael Jordan, for example.
A man who tries but cannot achieve, could still try to pass that passion and experience to someone they believe can. You may not become Michael Jordan, but you can still coach for the next one.
I'm more than just a hammer!
Can't believe Tarantino wore an Astroboy tie to that TV interview.
You can't? I can't believe he didn't dress up as Astroboy!
Alfred Hitchcock directed 17 films before "The 39 Steps", generally considered his first classic. He had been working for over a decade. I keep that pinned up on my writing desk to remind me this is work, and success is relative. You don't get to the classics without making a lot of stuff you'll forget.
I would argue "Blackmail" is Hitchock's first remarkable film and a classic as well. Your argument still stands, though ;)
Tom Waits and the lodger is great
people forget that the arts (film, theatre, music, painting, sculpting, etc) are a craft that you have to keep working on. I forgot and this reminded me. Thank you :)
Wonderful!
I expect this channel will blow up and be huge in the next year or so, but from those of us who are already fans- keep up the good work man, talent never goes unappreciated
As a senior in high school trying to get accepted into film school with only films that I am not quite proud of, studying techniques from all of the directors mentioned in the video, even after watching Slacker for the first time just yesterday, this video comes as a huge sigh of relief for me. Thank you
Jack Hoppy Please, try being forced to make your movies with a bunch of arrogant asshats who think they're deep and insightful. Scratch that, it's just one guy who's like that but I keep getting stuck with him and he's such an insufferable pompous little diva.
As a 16 year old filmmaker working on my first "real" short film, this literally made me tear up. I don't know why. Relief? Joy? Regret for all that time wondering why I sucked so bad? Still not sure. But I thank you and No Film School for this. I really needed it.
Elite Lens Films I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK WITH YOUR SHORT FILM!!!!!! its gonna get better with time, learn from your mistakes you'll do great stuff! i believe in you
I started at your age, I'm 27 now. Keep at it! I'm still making stuff today, more as an editor but I'm still learning. Your films will get better over time because you will have lived more and gained stories in your personal narrative that will reflect upon your craft.
I wanna see it! :D
marcos gualez - It's still in pre-production. We won't drop a trailer for a little while, but you can subscribe if you want to know when it comes out. :)
Thanks, guys! I've seen a lot of growth in myself just recently as well. I'm going to make a living off of this film thing. You watch. ;)
As a 40-year-old filmmaker with a long career, my advice to just own it. Show off your old stuff, don't be ashamed of where you came from. I'm commenting from a TH-cam channel that does exactly that.
Sitting here thinking I'm wasting away because I'm almost 22 and haven't made a feature film. You can't imagine how much I sigh with relief when I watch this video.
Guy and Madeline is really good, though.
upkody that's what I was about to comment 😂😂
upkody Personally I didn't think it was. I think it's for a niche audience tbh
TheMightyEgan That doesn't make it bad.
upkody ho.
There's probably a shit ton of student short films that have not scene the light of day.
3:16 -3:26 Damien used that visual cue in La La Land Wow
Ps love ur channel
AND in Whiplash. I hope he adds that to every single movie he does lol
Its a nod to Jean Cocteau i think
Yet another one of your videos that I constantly come back to. Thank you 🙏🏾
I honestly can't say how much this means to me, I've been feeling insecure about my filmmaking abilities and your videos are comforting. They really inspire me and remind me to keep going :) Thank you!
What about Kevin Smith, his first film is pretty much his best one
hence the "pretty much"
it's his first commercial film maybe. but I'm sure he made a lot more stuff before that. shorts,sketches etc that were terrible
Well, he did go to that short canadian film course just so he could make that movie, and had trouble paying to make that movie, considering that in those days he actually had to pay for film, that's why it black and white, also he is a very vocal person on social media, and his personal life is very well documented because of his many documentaries, books and podcasts, so I'm pretty sure we would know if there was
I find it hard to believe that that movie was the first time he picked up a camera. Again, it was his first proper effort at making something for a real audience. doesn't mean he didn't work on stuff before that(like Linklater says in the video)
That wasn't the first film he made considering the fact that he went to film school.
Thank you for not forcing humor into this video.
This is a lesson that I have to keep learning over and over again, lol. Film making and storytelling is really a skill that just needs constant practice, repetition, and hard work. Thank you for making this video. I'm so glad to have discovered this channel this year.
This is very comforting to hear
I thought Bottle Rocket was pretty good...
M Brewerman I think it's Wes Anderson's best film.
The video refers to his earlier short which was also titled bottle rocket made in 1992
Wonderful message and thank you for your videos. Happy anniversary Royal Ocean!
I know this video only has a little over 100k views, but it feels like everyone from every film school has both seen this video and breathed a sigh of relief because of it. Thank you for that gift to the community.
Congratulations on your anniversary.
A recently made a 5 minute short film with my friends at college, I had a wide view on what i wanted the film to be and when those things began going wrong, I felt disenchanted for a while, until my teacher said it was great and that it doesn't need to be a Tarantino, Scorsese, Anderson glory years film, it could be a Tarantino, Scorsese or Anderson first film. I feel more comfortable with it now and hope to continue making them because even though it went wrong in parts, and trust me, it did. I loved it, I loved the struggle of trying to piece up something that came from my mind
I really like what I'm seeing of Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, though.
there are always exceptions satyajit ray and his cinematographer Subrata Mitra
had never operated a camera before when they started production on pather panchali, of course Ray had worked in advertising before so he had a visual sensibility but still
congrats on your 1 year anniversary
Yup, do it for loving it, thanks for that. Get started and get moving!!! all of our first short films we were varying degrees of unhappy with, but the whole purpose was to help us learn, and when we had time and as our experience grew we eventually got to a place where they are all getting re-edited (also digital remastered, as we shot 12 films on analog 8mm tape, all captured in pc at half screen size, it was 2001-2003) then when they're finished put them online, put up details/videos of the story behind them, mostly to re-enforce this message you just put out here, which we have also been saying for years. not that we compare ourselves to Orson Welles, but check out his avant garde short film "The Hearts of age" 7 years and 4 directed films before he got to Citizen Kane. No overnight film prodigies/geniuses is right.
So as a 25 year old filmmaker in Denver, I have been at this for 9 years. I have made over 30 short films and my goal is to be in pre-production of my debut feature by 2020. And later this year I am going to be directing my first "big budget short". But some days it's tough. It's really hard getting into a business that less than 1% of people succeed in. But whenever I feel down, or I feel like I am going nowhere, I go to youtube and watch this video. It's so refreshing knowing that the people who I look up to and admire started exactly where we are now. And I am so excited to see what our generation has to offer.
keep at it is all you can do, i'm sure we all get disheartened in our quests. you just got to keep plugging away for whatever your goal is. Ours is just getting our first feature finished this year lol
So how did it go? you ever get that feature film?
@@chairio6212 Just finished the final working draft of the screenplay and obtaining funding is the next step! Obvious COVID put a lot of barriers in those plans. However-- not only did I finish that short film, but I made a second one! They are both in post-production now!
I first thought that Spielberg would be the exception because his first feature, a TV movie called Duel, was pretty great if not fantastic. But if you dig deeper you find out that had already made several movies at this point since he was 13 or so. And he also worked a couple of years for some TV shows. He made his terrible first movies at such a young age that he was able to make his great movies like Jaws in his mid-twenties.
I really needed to hear this.
this channel and this video reminds me so much of every frame a painting
it may seem a little odd to talk about your ISAO TAKAHATA video here,but i think you truly understand the conception and excution of ideas in movies, that is why you chose him as your subject of discussion.
which i think is simply great because its the basic nature of movies...
You're so right about the morose comfort of seeing how all the greats weren't that great at the beginning. Even Kubrick and Malick's first works were terrible, with Andrei Tarkovsky and Akira Kurosawa being the only filmmakers I can say were good from the start, but even then their early works are super stiff and more promising than anything.
This video was just what I needed after making my second film, which I wouldn't call a failure but certainly isn't the personal triumph that my first was. Even though I didn't end up making the film I wanted, I learned something invaluable: You're not going to get anywhere if you're afraid to suck.
I wanted to say the same thing, the hardest thing for me is getting used to the fact that the majority of what I make isn't going to be the masterpiece I want it to be. Only recently have I worked up the courage to start filming so I can practice and grow. Failure tends to be everyone's biggest hurdle
You're wrong about Malick. Badlands rocks.
Maybe he means his comedy short film Lanton Mills which is pretty impossible to find
Kyle C Yup I'm referring to that and his other early film, Deadhead Miles. One of his sophisticated classmates called these early works awful.
"You're not going to get anywhere if you're afraid to suck."
Now, this here should be put on a placard for every creative person to observe every day.
Thanks for shooting my "it has to be perfect otherwise i can't do it at all" mentality right in the foot.
You've done so many great videos in the space of a year! I want to start doing video essays but I don't know how I'd produce that many in that space of time
You're tapping into The 10,000 hours. Anders Ericsson (look it up). The basic premise of which is, just about anyone, in 10,000 hours of deliberate practice 2-5 hours per day, can become world class at almost anything. (Of course something like the NBA requires height...) You need good coaching. So you can become a good writer mostly on your own, but you're not likely to become a great tennis player all alone. Vanessa Williams is more than what you can see, but just about everything you need know about Charles Dickens is on the page. Filmmaking is collaborative, at minimum you need actors, so build a group of friends with similar interests. Think Shakespeare wrote a play and then thought, now who can I get to play.....? He wrote for the actors he knew would work. He listened to the good ideas from the experienced, and figured out how to work with the inexperienced who had naive ideas.
So there's no such thing as a prodigy-- period. In any field.
Mozart's career is examined, he was writing symphonies when he was 17. They're okay, but completely derivative. The Beatles? Hamburg 12 hours a day, to a bar with drunks who'd be in there all day, and they got bored playing the same 12 songs 15 times a day, so...
But here's the problem. The Dunning-Kruger Effect states basically that low ability people aren't capable of being aware that they're low ability. Basically it's really hard for you to tell if you're getting any better.
What I've experienced. I write, then I'll have the Speech Function on my computer read what I've written, and it sounds like an audiobook. I've listened to thousands of audiobooks, so I have some level of expertise. As the Dunning-Kruger Effect relates to me is, as I learn more and more, and work on my writing, I know that I'm improving, but the audiobook version still sounds 'good' at about the same level. This is like what happened with Tarantino's movie, what he thought he had in the can, he didn't have; but he wasn't aware it wasn't there. What I do notice is that I can tell when a sequence of event happens more efficiently. So comparison with established works.
One thing I have noticed as I've worked at writing, I've developed 'taste.' Ever see a crap movie but you thought it was good? Happens to all of us. But taste is not when you become a snob, but when you see something or read something and you have an idea of how it worked or went wrong (and no not the ending), But also how it did what it did and how it could be better.
Stephen King writes wonderful 300 page stories, unfortunately he buries them in 900 page unedited 'stuff.' So how do I know? Well, every part should be essential. Somebody explain how in 11/22/63 endless pages about casting student plays has anything to do with the story of time travel and the Kennedy assassination? There are ways it could....but they are not there. The TV version condensed the story but seemed to include the endless repetition... I skipped 4-5 episodes and watched the end and never felt I'd missed anything. (All the streaming services want 10-12 episode series, figure out a good structure for various genres so they don't become 4 episodes stretched to 10 and boring. Come up with some multi episode outlines and you could be working next week. They have to be desperate.)
Picasso said "Bad artists copy, great artists steal." Here's how this can work. David Lean transitions (good video. Thanks) Go out and quickly shoot, with your phone, a series of Lean transitions. Oh, it's overcast and rainy, so how are you going to do the match to sunrise? Do something else. Color. Mom says I want you to meet a nice girl, boring quiet guy looks down at his brown tie and then up/ teased red hair bright yellow dress female molotov cocktail. Make a list of Lean transitions, then go shoot as many as you can. By the time you get deep into this, almost none of the transitions you like will be traceable back to Lean. '
okay. Lesson over.
To all those people mentioning Orson Welles or Damien Chazelle as exceptions, there are some things you have to take into account. Orson Welles was put into a boy's school where he was able to learn drama rigorously starting at the age of 10 or so. He developed those skills his entire life and after 15 years of hard work he made "Citizen Kane". Damien Chazelle practiced drumming all his life to get the musical intelligence he displays in his films and studied filmmaking for 5-6 years before he made Guy and Madeline. Because his musical films are so unique, he's filled his own respective niche which everyone praises him for because he writes from his experience and knowledge. Yes, there is talent, but it accounts for 5% - 5% is understanding what will make you different from others and being in touch with your own experience deeply. The rest is 95% work and only those that believe it will make it. When Spielberg got rejected from USC 3 times he believed it. When Kubrick didn't even get into college 'cause his grades were so poor he believed it. When Woody Allen failed his film class at NYU he believed it. I don't need to go on. It's up to you.
Thank you for making this!
Thank you so much for this.
Keep em coming!
To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, "every artist was once an amateur".
great video with a great soundtrack as well!
I'm so glad I discovered your work :')
"There is no idiot savant filmmaker"
Also, I thought as a celebratory gesture and to hit home your point, you were going to show us your first film in the end there... oh well... Congrats on one-year!
love love love it. the only way to make good things is to make bad things first.
Everyone thinks that we're sh*t when we are making bad films yet working hard; then suddenly, everyone thinks we are prodigies when we make a kickass movie. But we don't care. We love it.
Could Orson Welles be an exception to this? Some of his first experiences with film making was on Citizen Kane. But could you validate the success of Citizen Kane to his experience in Theatre?
May i point out the Brows Held High video of "This is Not a Film" that dives into the whole spectrum of indie filmmaking as well as some heavy subjects about the director and movie in question, but by the video's end the message really is about the question "does easy filmmaking weaken it" or something like that, i can't the video out
but do you get me?:
_Royal Ocean_ shares its birthday with me ^_^
Happy anniversary~
Damn this channel is great, subscribed
Many thanks for this
And there are exceptions such as Satyajit Ray (Pather Panchali) who soared with his very first film
thx for cheer my day
Guy and madeline on a park bench is a good first debut, good video BTW
Great video. This is also the tough thing about growing a TH-cam channel, I consider all the shorts on there my 'early work' and fall out of love with them very quickly. I like the idea of showcasing the journey publicly though, as painful as that can sometimes be.
did i see Quentin Tarantino wearing an Astro Boy tie? or do my eyes deceive me?
Beautiful video. Although, watching Scorsese's first short, you could tell the kid was going places.
Well Guy And The Madeline On The Park Bench was great.
Whenever I doubt myself as a film maker I watch Peter Jackson's Bad Taste. The film has such a gung ho spirit and is a joy to watch. It's a constant reminder that we all start somewhere.
I may not like many of my films but I still leave them up for everyone to see. Why not.
The only exception, you can argue, is Orson Welles. But he too made his bones outside film before his first film.
He was a big radio name already, and he had Gregg Toland, one of the best cinematographers ever working for him, it's not like he was alone creating Kane like we do with our short movies. He had a great vision an a superb crew working with him, that's a recipe for sucess.
1:51 M Night Shyamalan is so embarrassed of his first film that he drowns himself in further embarrassment by making more films. It's the hair of the dog that bit you, interestingly.
but...Orson Welles?
He made some short films before Citizen Kane. And got a hell of a contract to make that film.
xynzu "The Hearts of Age", a short, and "Too Much Johnson" a previously lost silent film
I agree. Talent like that hasn't been seen before or since. Short films and lost films aside, he wasn't even 30 when he made Citizen Kane. He spent most of his 20s in the theatre. and radio, with little film work. He's absolutely a prodigy, maybe the only exception to this video.
Not to take too much away from Orson, who I agree was an incredibly talented filmmaker, it has to be noted that his first film (let's say for the sake of argument that we're talking about Citizen Kane) is the same as say, Linklater's first film. To illustrate, try to imagine what Citizen Kane might have looked like if Welles had to make it with a non-professional skeleton crew.
Of course, Welles is still the king.
Tomas Manchester l
talent is drive. the need to get better at something because you love it.
In virtually every case, despite lacking budget and production values, the first movies of directors who went on to become 'greats' show definite promise, and you can see that there's something to it that hints at potential for future work. The question is: is the problem that there are resources not available, or is it that the director is simply not talented? Someone making films should have a pretty good idea which is the case.
The question is: are you saying that you can see the potential because you're biased from knowing that they did go on to become great directors? Or would you be able to see it even if you did not know who directed it?
The title of this video could not be farther from the truth and this whole video has truly inspired me. Can't wait to see more from your channel!
Congratulations, man! I've just discovered your channel, really like it. Keep the great job :)
Don't know if I fully agree with the statement of no prodigies. I can agree though that even with talent, you're first great film doesn't appear over night, ya gotta develop skills first, which comes from practice.
Love it!!!
M. Night Shamylan feels shame?
I just finished working on my first real short, and I was super embarrassed by it. This video made me feel a little at easy. Thanks, Andrew.
Watching my first proyects give me fucking axiety and pretty much make me want to puke theyre awful, that doesn't mean I'll ever stop making movies though.
This basic idea is true for actors too. Harvey Keitel was in those early scorsese films.
What do you mean, Guy and Madeline sitting on a park bench is a good film
@a clemntine a work of plagiarism is not a good film. this applies to whiplash and la la land too. he's a scumbag.
@@UnbelievabIeMontages eh?
Damien's first film looks amazing tbh. Great video btw. I love your channel!
But Bottle Rocket is great
And they still look miles ahead of what I have done... haha. It's alright, I still enjoy doing what I do, and I'll keep making short films no matter what.
As comforting as is to see this, there is an exception: Orsen Welles (Citizen Kane).
Graveyard Shift films He was in theater before hand.
@@nowhereman6019 yup and directed 4 short films over a 7 year period preceding Kane. I love Orson, but the overnight success from nothing to 1 film to success and praise is a fantasy. And the massive publicity stunt of war of the worlds broadcast 3 years earlier couldn't have hurt his rise i'm sure, lol. how is that for a publicity stunt bringing how many people that heard that broadcast to now knowing who you are, and using it as a career catapult? though still a 7 year climb from starting directing films to kane, but used his 1930's twitter to get him to millions lol, great stuff. but not overnight
So I'm just back from my watching La La Land for the first time, utterly crushed by the talent of the director while at the same time being hopeful to not give up and here you are telling me it's all going to be okay and to not give up, but just keep making, thereby reinforcing my main take away from the film and now I feel so very much happier than I did 5 minutes ago. Thank you. Your Film Blog is amazing.
Oh, and not to mention that you refer to Chazelle's early work directly, which I was completely oblivious about.
Good point but there are some amazing first feature films eventhough their directors might have made shorts before!
Look at Lynch with Eraserhead or Polanski's Knife in the Water, Nolan with Following
In any case it's true that all wannabefilmakers should see all the first features of their favorite directors and enjoy there unpolished beauty!
PS: Keep up with the unpredictable/original goodness of you're essays and good luck with everything else!
Yes, I assisted a friend on a production recently. He's in his final year of high school. About mid way through he exclaimed he didn't want to finish making it. When asked why he explained
"Cause I didn't write this script because I liked the story. I didn't film this because I want to express myself. I did it because I wanted to make a film."
While all of his drama class buddies were pretty pissed I think I learnt a very valuable lesson that day.
Anyway, I myself am considering buying a camera. $400 AUD, give or take. Any suggestions.
Inspirational video :-)
Ha!
#theheartsofage
The closest I can think of to a film prodigy is Orson Welles, but even he made some low budget films before Citizen Kane.
Perhaps excepting Kenneth Anger. Made Fireworks at 17(!) - But apparently had a lot of practice with filmmaking before, though all those films are lost now. Thats the only one i can think of tha could be an obvious prodigy.
This no prodigy idea is pretty interesting, but I'm willing to bet there are more examples of experimental film artists other than Anger that came out swinging. Jodorowsky might be a good comparison - what'd he do really early on?
Andrew you are a beautiful human being. Excellent vid.
JAWS, the movie that changed movies forever and made Spielberg who he is, was his SIXTH FEATURE FILM.
SIXTH.
And that doesn't count the several hours of television he had directed.
And that doesn't count the five short films he had made either.
Imagine how good you would be if you had FIVE FEATURE FILMS under your belt, plus several hours of TV and five shorts, before YOU set out to make the film that was gonna change cinema?
Do not believe the propaganda and the stories. As the title accurately says, there are NO film prodigies.
This video is Electric! I’m 53 and was about to give up on my goal on being a filmmaker. I’m 2years from retiring from the NewYorkCity Police Department. I just figured let me settle in and just enjoy watching Movies. And then I saw your video… Thank you…
thanks for the pep talk ;)
I have been a contemporary Fine Art Painter for 35+ years, in the art scene my standing is "moderate" at best, but I do sell work. Young art school graduates often seek me out at gallery openings or parties and ask me, "...what does it take to be successful artist....?", and I tell them, "...here take this hammer, and go walk out onto the middle of the street, and while dodging traffic, hit yourself over the head continuously while taking out your wallet, and throwing ALL of your money into the air....", when you get tired of that, then come back and we will talk about what it means to be a creative.
Life, family, lovers, the world, your own personal demons, and the Universe at large will conspire over and over in preventing one from being a creative, if you do not LOVE what you do over and above anything else, then you are a fool for taking this on, and should seriously consider being a dentist, corporate lawyer, or better yet a cosmetic surgeon.
"With that, I'll give you the first of many years of Royal Ocean to come..."
"....Cheers!"
Really great video, as usual. Although the only thing i'd disagree with is the implication that Bottle Rocket and Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench aren't good. Personally i think both are great, the latter is especially a fantastic achievment for someone's first feature film. Bottle Rocket is far from Anderson's best, and he's hugely improved and developed over the years, but it's still a pretty damn good film in my opinion.
The final thing i'd say is that technically a prodigy isn't someone who is great from the very beginning. It essentially means someone who is very talented at a young age. So technically there can be film prodigies. If they are young and very talented, then i see no reason that they can't be labeled as such. But i do agree with the overall sentiment of the video.
Can't wait to see more of your work in the coming years :)
You've not done your research properly. Do not generalise without proper fact-finding. Satyajit Ray's first film "Pather Panchali", is one of the greatest films ever made.
i wish you wouldn't criticise your early films because they actually really look good and most people cannot even make their films look even 1/4 as good as those so it's quite dispiriting and depressing to see. kind of like 'why should we bother?'
There are no film prodigies.... except of course for David Lynch. The Alphabet and Grandmother were his first few shorts and let's just say that those films have heart.
Who's playing Hoagy Carmichael's Stardust version with the trompete at the end of the video??
Song at 00:16? Not quite sure but I think its from the Whiplash OST iirc
Arguably, Orson Welles was a prodigy. He was strictly a theater guy and wanted to make his first film, so he made one called Citizen Kane at 24 years old. Not bad.
I actually thought Bottle Rocket was quite good when I first saw it