Director Discussions: Poppa Giorgio

[Poppa Giorgio]

I guess the cat is out of the bag, yes, I want to become a director. Not just any director, one of America's greatest...


Since none of you have seen my films yet and I have yet to make them, anyone have any suggestions? Something about film making you would like to "Discuss" with me?

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Perhaps you could pretend you've seen my non existant movies, and if you did, which one would you say was my master peice or which one sucked?

[Underpants]

I hope not everyone who wants to become a director starts one of these.

Hmm..suggestions. Well, shoot as wide as possible. And if you're forced to use matting rather than genuine scope, hard matte the sucker so there won't be a hybrid 4:3 version with more image.

Dependent of the material of course, avoid quick editing. Give your actors a frame to play in and let there be silence too. So much good acting is lost to editing out quiet moments.

Don't try to impress. If you have to do a lot of fancy stuff to spice up things, your story and/or acting might be a little weak.

Don't add stuff that's unnecessary just to achieve the rating you might want. (ie; don't add an extra 'fuck' just so you can get the R-rated audience)

Make sure you can see the completed scenes in your head before they're shot. If you don't have a vision, your heart's not in it.

Pay close attention to any contracts you might sign. Try to avoiding giving up artistic freedom just to get your first one out there.

[Poppa Giorgio]

Thanks for the advice. Good words of wisdom...

[Poppa Giorgio]

Almost forgot...

Anyone seen my latest film "The Flower That Ate The Moon"

It has garnered some good critical praise. If you've seen it, give it a grade...

[Triple HHH]

Hey those are some good points underpants.

If one were set to make a movie, you should prepare by watching 3 or 4 of your personal favorite/most influential movies, just to raise your spirit and get you pumped. I know Spielberg always watched four movies before he starts his next picture, to inspire him: Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, Seven Samurai, and Citizen Kane. I think it's a good way to also see exactly what they did right in those movies, and use those as your Bible.

They also say the best directors are those that can make a decision quickly, but judiciously. I've heard some actors and crew members in interviews saying the worst directors they've worked with all suffered from lack of organization and decision-making skills. For instance a prop person may ask "where do you want to place this flower pot?" or a lighting person will ask "What kind of filter do you want to use?" And the actors are asking you for their "motivation" for the upcoming dramatic scene....before you know it, you have a thousand questions that need answering, and you have to address them all assertively and quickly, or the film production will be a lot more bumpier than you wanted.

And one thing that I see as the most important thing in a movie is the script, script, script. "If it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage." The script should be given the MOST attention and energy put into it, because it is the spine of your film. Everything extends from there. It's likely some filmmakers hate the writing process becuase it's so long and tedious (1 page generally equals one minute of screen time), so they tend to breeze through the "boring" part of writing just to get it done, so they can jump straight to the "fun" part, which is filming.
As Arnold says, "Big mistake."

If you enjoy writing and don't mind having to spend time on this vital aspect of filmmaking then that is a definite plus. Looking at Jaws, a film made nearly 30 years ago, we still remember the famous monologue by Quint about the sunken U.S.S. Indianapolis. The power and strength of words if done right can be a whole lot better than all the explosions in the world.
:violin: My 2 cents. :violin:

Almost forgot...

Anyone seen my latest film "The Flower That Ate The Moon"

It has garnered some good critical praise. If you've seen it, give it a grade...

**btw, what is that "Flower that ate the Moon" movie? Where can I see it, and is that your film? (is it a project?) I heard the title on the Ghost World website I think.