ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

6 years, 9 months ago - Vasco de Sousa

It's not about finding people "in the industry." The coen Brothers worked with family and a buddy from film school. Francis Ford Coppola worked with a lot of family members, who went by stage names. Even Ray Harryhausen had his dad build the models he animated. They all recruited friends and family outside the industry.

It's not about nepotism, it's about logistics.

Now, as for that killer script, forget it. Most short films have terrible scripts, including those that win festivals.

I saw lots of terrible scripts, so I wrote my own. People like my scripts, or so they tell me, but if I were in it for likes I'd be on Facebook. Great directors can make bad scripts look good.

For me, the biggest problem is finding committed people. If someone came to me and said "I have no talent, but I'm bored, willing to learn and have time and live near you, let's discuss things on Monday at 10 a.m. at..." then I'd probably want to work with them over the award winning blowhards who are best at making excuses and whining about government assistance.

If you actually pay, even a token amount, you'll find more people willing to trust that you're committed.

6 years, 9 months ago - Richard Anthony Dunford

If you feel ready to make a short you just need to go make a short.

If you're waiting for a killer script you could die waiting. Truth is on your first attempt you're probably gonna make a fair few mistakes; not necessarily a bad thing because you can learn from mistakes but you're better off just making something to get your feet wet first.

Start to hone your craft and style as a storyteller and then if the killer script comes along you'll then be ready to make the most of it.

Also to be competitive at the bigger festivals you're gonna need a fair sized production budget so i'd start small first.

And finally filmmaking is hard, in reality when it actually comes to making something you might find out you don't actually like the process, there's no shame in that but you're better off trying to see a project through first to see if you do like it and then search for that killer script.

6 years, 9 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

You ARE the industry - if you wait around, you could wait around a lot. MAKE STUFF HAPPEN. Make a terrible script, your first film will suck anyway(!), but you'll learn a lot of lessons, and your second one will suck less, then your third might have moments of greatness... You get the idea...

I'm being a little flippant as is my way, but action attracts action. There are many aspiring filmmakers who get stuck waiting to get the right script/camera/cast/crew/etc - they will stay stuck forever. The way to transcend them is to start making stuff, and keep making stuff. If you're busy, you'll meet and work with people, and that's how you find great people, teams, producers. It helps you find backers, too. If a potential backer is interested and says "So, what have you made so far?", they're a LOT more inclined to get behind someone who has made a load of stuff with their own energy and hunger than someone who hasn't learnt all the teething lessons yet.

You ARE the industry if you get your camera out, and you just get going.