My Goals in Filmmaking

In contemplating my goals in terms of filmmaking, I’ve come to two distinct conclusions.  

First is my long-term goal, which is to develop a distinct style that I will call my own. I used to be under the impression that any DP’s style tends to be restrictive, and to adopt a signature style would make for boring work.  I didn’t want to fall into a rut, feeling that choosing a style as a DP might pigeonhole me into certain types of films, while I want to make all kinds of films - from drama to comedy, from documentary-style narrative to epic adventures.  In our recent discussions regarding artistic style, along with the screening of “Visions of Light”, I’ve been trying to take more notice of individual filmmaker’s styles.  I’ve been discovering (with aid, no doubt) that artistic style is something that can’t really be avoided.  I see things the way I see them, and I will always try to put on film what’s in my head.  Now I feel that it would be exciting to discover a style, after realizing it IS more of a discovery than a choice.

My second goal is more of a short-term one, in a sense.  But then again, it’s probably something I’ll be doing for my entire life.  That goal is to master the technical aspects of camera operation in order to properly convey my artistic vision.  I have a lot of ideas in my head (as I’m sure most people do) and I have a very specific way of thinking and feeling about these ideas.  I want to be able to make the audience feel what I was feeling when my script was just a thought.  To be honest, I’ve never been very happy with a piece of work I’ve created.  Even if I’m happy with my script, even if I’m happy with my actors or editing, I’ve never been happy with my camerawork.  I’m sure some of my faults come from lack of practice, so I’d like to take more hands-on time with the equipment throughout the semester.  I want to work on some of my brainchild projects in my own time, while still fulfilling what is asked of me in the meantime.

Inspiration for the Uninspirable

Even as I’m writing this, I don’t know exactly what inspires me as an artist in regard to video production.  I’ve taken a lot of time to think about it, and I’ve decided that I ultimately tend to draw inspiration from concepts more so than actual specific movies or filmmakers.  For example, my friends and I got together last summer and, after a few drinks, devised an idea for a mockumentary.  Our idea was that there was a new, utterly ridiculous drug craze (“smoking beer”) rising in teenage circles and we would “expose” users and their practices.  After shelving the idea for months, the concept was reborn in a mock PSA that we produced, entitles “A Foamy Killer”.

I also tend to draw inspiration from my personal experiences, conversations, and inside jokes when I’m trying to write believable dialogue.  I never write a character from scratch.  Every character I’ve ever created in a script has had a specific person tied to the role (even if that person may not be able to play the role in the finished product).  When I wrote the script for the largest project I’ve personally undertaken (a short comedy entitled “A Thousand Pepperonis”), I found that I wasn’t really writing the jokes.  They wrote themselves, as I only had to recall various conversations between my two friends, who were the stars of the short.

10 Things

As hard as it is for me to choose my top 10 of anything, I decided to go with something infinitely impossible: my top 10 movies.  So for your viewing pleasure, here are my top 10 favorite movies (that I could think of... at the moment), along with a link to a scene or trailer I found that I liked for each.

1) Pink Floyd: The Wall

2) Fight Club

3) Forgetting Sarah Marshall

4) I Heart Huckabees

5) High Fidelity

6) Shaun of the Dead

7) Kung Pow! Enter the Fist

8) Pulp Fiction

9) V for Vendetta

10) The Matrix