How do I make a film ? And You ?

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Willy
Posts: 711
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 10:42 pm
Location: Antwerp Belgium

Post by Willy »

[quote="Willy"]Fourth step
How do I make a film ?
It takes two or three years to make a film.
It always takes two or even three years to finish a film. These are the films that I make with a competitive spirit. Of course I also make other films and I even take part with them in festivals. Ian said that he is a cameraman, a script writer, a director etc. at the same time... I understand what he means though there are also aspects for which you need friends. Not everybody has the right voice to read the texts. Maybe you also need someone who can better write scripts. Anyhow, I wonder how long our forum-friends work on a film.
Willy Van der Linden
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stingman
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Location: Isle of Wight
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Post by stingman »

The longest time I spent on a film is proberly only about 4 weeks if you compress everything into days without rest.
I find the filming is the quickest thing to do. When I film, I tend to just get on with it and get into it. While I film and act, I have more ideas. But one needs to know when to stop otherwise you can loose the plot. A bit like starting a thread on here and it changes into another subject.
Sometimes when i`m filming, I will get another idea for a new film!
After the filming it takes about a morning to capture the film to the computer. Then the fun really starts!

Editing can take as long as you want. You have to watch your footage so you can get a feel to it. You need to get onto the right wavelength of your footage. If you get it right then editing will become really simple and easy. If you don`t get into it then watch out, your editing will be harder to do. If you are editing your own footage then the editing will be easier. The film has your fingerprint on it, your style. It will still take longer to edit your footage as sometimes own own styles take time to do.

Just alittle addition and how I feel about it. Tell me if you think it`s twaddle!
Ian Gardner
Film Maker
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Willy
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Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 10:42 pm
Location: Antwerp Belgium

Post by Willy »

Next step : camera work, editing, asking your friends to criticize your rough copy.
let's not talk about camera work. We have already talked about it several times. And editing ?

Hurray, I have a casablanca !
I use a casablanca. I have the feeling that also in the UK there is some discussion about which system to use. Sometimes the discussions are endless and they are a loss of time. Every system - Adobe, Pinnacle, Casablanca - is excellent. Casablanca is expensive. I must admit that, but I have already worked with it for years.

Magicians or real filmmakers ?
Perhaps you already know that I am a member of two film clubs. In the Antwerp club the president allowed three friends to demonstrate their systems. Each time I looked at my watch but didn't say anything. I could see that these three friends felt like "magicians" who can create special effects with their "magic box". Unfortunately they don't make any real films.
Everybody must feel happy in a club and I understood the president.

A never ending process
Last night however I showed the rough copy of my film "Will 'ye go to Flanders ?" for the fifth time. I thought : maybe this will be the last time. It looks like a never ending process and it is time to start with my next film. My question was : "My film is now 27 minutes long. Maybe too long for judging panels. How can you make this film shorter without changing the quality ?"

If I were you ...
Some friends said : "If I were you I would do this or I would do that. " "Why not using that kind of music at the end of your film ?" "I would make a version for Britain and a different version for Belgium. Delete that part about the Irish soldiers ! You are an anglophile. You can feel it too much in this film, but try to suppress your love for Britain once. " Of course, that last remark was nonsence. An other one said : "Just delete the sound of birds when you are in the cemetery. Complete silence over there may create even a stronger feeling."

Some friends apologized and said : "Please, Willy, we don't want to "pull down" your film. We just want to help". I must say I was sure that they wanted to help me. It even gave me new courage to refine my film again. My friends were not trying to impress. On the contrary. They were trying to imporve my film. I think that not all filmmakers can accept that their film is criticised, but I don't mind. That's just a very interesting part of making a film.

Oh no, not again !
In my second club I have also shown my film a few times. Last time someone whispered : Oh, no, not again, ... we have already seen that film a hundred times. That clubmate only wants to see his own holiday film on a big screen. Maybe also the other ones. Of course that must also be possible. I am the president of that club and I give them enough opportunities to do this. Unfortunately it is not possible to change their mentality into the mentality of my Antwerp friends.

Now I am very happy that I am a member of two clubs and ... that my wife accepts me going to both.
Willy Van der Linden
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