Forget film school – just read this…
Rebel Without A Crew by Director Robert Rodriguez...a book that's actually not that good.
The following is something I posted on a forum in response to a person who was debating whether to go to film school, and what was important to learn about film. Because I am not only lazy but also self-absorbed, below is my response to him which I really do think can help a lot of people on the fence about film school or willing to teach themselves.
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I didn't go to "film school" proper, but I did study film as an undergrad. To be honest, there's not much in the way of academia that you can't teach yourself, though it helps to have knowledgable professors around to guide you. I'll try my best to break down what I've learned and where I've learned it.
Writing
- There are three major screenwriting gurus: Robert McKee (with his bible-like Story), Blake Snyder (Save The Cat) and Syd Field (Screenwriting). Personally I recommend the latter two for quick and dirty learning, but the former has lots of theory and analysis if your'e into that sort of thing.
- Also highly recommended is the recent book by the creators of Reno 911: Writing Movies for Fun and ProfitThere's a lot of humor in it, but this book is no joke. It's a great read.
- Another personal favorite is How Not To Make A Short Film It's an all-around how-to on how to make shorts from conception to distribution. You can get all of these books used on amazon or just spend a day at barnes & noble reading through the ones you can't afford. They're all entertaining and will keep you interested the whole way through.
- As far as formatting, it's very simple. Just google "screenplay format" or something and learn it. Use a free program called Celtx to write your scripts.
Camerawork
- Before I got into film I was a photographer, so I learned the basics of composing a good image within the frame from that. Along with technical things like shutter speed, aperture, and depth of field. My textbook for my first film class was Film Art. You can get an old edition on Amazon for $20 and learn all this stuff, but it won't really sink into your head until you apply it on a regular basis. So getting into photography is a good idea because it's a lot easier to practice than film.
- When it comes to film camera work, it's important to know the 180 degree rule, the 30 degree rule, the terminology such as pan, tilt, dolly, zoom, track, jib, crane, and the type of shots: extreme wide, wide, full, 3/4 (sometimes called cowboy), medium, medium close up, close up, and extreme close up. There are also dutch angle shots, inserts, POVs, over the shoulder, low angle, and high angle.
Lighting
- Again, photography. Do not underestimate the importance of lighting in either photography or film. Learn about types of lighting including hard and soft and get a good understanding of color temperature and white balance! A good intro to all of this is located here
- Lighting is absolutely something you have to learn by doing. Go on Mandy.com regularly, see what's shooting in your area and try to get a position as a PA, or just say you'd like to come and watch just to learn. Don't expect to be paid.
- Definitely watch Visions of Light
Editing
- Editing programs are relatively simple. Pirate yourself a copy of Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro and watch youtube tutorials. You'll pick it up in no time.
- If you want to read about editing, the #1 book by most accounts is The Eye is Quicker
- Learn the difference between hollywood continuity editing and discontinuity editing. Read up on Soviet Montage (Battleship Potemkin), jump cuts, matching on action, and the Kuleshov Effect. Watch Breathless
- Watch The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
Stuff to watch
This is MY short list of films you should definitely see and understand why they're important. Also get into the habit of going on Wikipedia and IMDB and reading everything you can about a movie after you watch it, especially the Production section on wikipedia. There's a great subreddit here at r/TheMakingOf with links to making-of videos for dozens of movies.
- Citizen Kane -- Top of the list. It's a great story, it's well told, beautifully shot and a pioneer of all sorts of really difficult-to-do technical shit that you can only appreciate if you read some of the stuff mentioned above.
- Eraserhead -- Watch it twice. You won't like it, but it'll change the way you see film. And it'll make a lot more sense the second time.
- Annie Hall -- If you like this film, you'll like a lot of Woody Allen's stuff. This one is widely recognized as the best though. Notice how you can have a fantastic oscar-winning movie without any major action or special effects.
- The Godfather I & II -- Two of the best films you'll ever see in your life.
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly -- Terrific for a cinematography lesson, aside from being a really incredible movie and a true story
- Night of the Living Dead -- The grandfather of modern horror films. If you're into horror (not everybody is) also make sure to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original of course) and Halloween
- Buffalo 66 -- A terrific micro-budget indie film that put Vincent Gallo on the map. It's the type of film even you could make with a camera and some time on your hands.
- Psycho -- I don't think it's an AMAZING movie, but certainly one any filmmaker should know by heart. There's a lot to read about how Psycho changed the landscape of film as a whole. It was the first movie to lock the doors once the film started. Before that, people walked in and out of the theater whenever they felt like it, but Hitchcock wanted to make sure the twist of the film was kept secret.
- Eternal Sunshine -- for all of the effects in this movie, hardly any of it was done with CGI. It's all tricks with editing, lighting, makeup, forced perspective, etc. Watch it again.
- Funny Games (original) -- It'll freak you out.
- Then of course, the classics. You know what they are. You've heard of them for years. You're not gonna like all of them. I'm personally not a fan of Jaws though many would argue it's an incredibly important film -- the first ever "summer blockbuster." Whatever. Watch what you enjoy and learn from it, and always try to expand your horizons by watching new and interesting stuff you've never heard of. Watch foreign films. A lot of them are quite good, and very different from what you'd see in America. If you don't have a netflix subscription, what are you waiting for? This may seem daunting and it's a lot to learn, but if you're truly interested you'll begin to soak it up like a sponge and in a year you'll be amazed at how much you've picked up. Again I reemphasize the book Film Art as a good introduction to everything discussed above.
Best of luck!
Podcast Episode 4
In this episode recorded 2 weeks ago (Sorry, been busy.) the original Schmuckast crew discusses the situation at Occupy Wall Street, eating habits, and how we feel about having kids.
Podcast Special Episode
In this first ever very motivational CommuteCast, I talk about how I landed my dream job and what you need to do to land yours. 20 minutes. Short and sweet.
Podcast Episode 3
Hooray it's episode 3 (even though I accidentally said 4 in the intro). This one is John and Erik with John Rovito and his friend Dave Blauvelt. Give it a listen or go die in a river.
Our debut podcast
Debut of who exactly? Well I'm not sure. My friend Erik and I used to host a weekly radio talk show that got a little bit of a following, so for fans of that this is more of the same. We don't know how often we'll be doing this but here's episode 1:
9/09/11 Podcast with John Gallino, Erik Gavilanes, John Rovito, Alex Lodato and Lichhang Yee
Pro Wrestling and Me
In less than 24 hours I'll be driving up to Stamford, CT for what I consider to be the most important job interview of my life to date. Though the position is entry-level -- taking notes, making copies, running errands and the like -- it is for the one company I have wanted to be a part of since I was a little boy: World Wrestling Entertainment.
I started watching the WWE (then known as WWF) in 1994. Channel flipping on a lazy Sunday morning, I caught a glimpse of WWF Superstars, the weekly re-cap show that brought young fans up to speed on the latest storylines in the program. I was instantly captivated by the real-life superheros on this show that seemed to put American Gladiators to shame. Among my earliest memories is being in awe of the 400 lbs Yokozuna as he slowly made his way to the ring. I remember telling my classmates in kindergarten about The Undertaker's ability to control the lights in the arena, with the wonder and enthusiasm that only a five year old can posses. I remember those mornings on the couch with my dad, fawning over the charisma of Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon.
Yokozuna drops a very heavy leg on an unfortunate opponent
I was lucky enough to grow up with a lot of kids in my neighborhood, and all of us were enamored with wrestling. We'd spend hours play fighting in the yard in exactly the way the WWE warns children not to do every week. Being the runt of the group, I took more chokeslams, powerbombs and tombstone piledrivers than I can remember, and I loved every minute of it. I could put you in a textbook figure-four leglock or sharpshooter before I could tell time. To me, wrestling filled a void that most young boys fill with sports, trucks, or comic books. It was more than simple entertainment, it was something to look up to. When most young boys wanted to be a race car driver or a first-baseman, I wanted to jump off the top rope and take chair shots to the face to entertain an audience of thousands every single week.
Thoughts on a Saturday
I still feel like I'm sort of in a phase of absorption. I've been reading books and columns, watching movies and learning about new things. It's like eating. Maybe if I eat enough media and creativity, I'll shit out a nice little piece of my own in a few months. That's the way I look at it. Cause I'm not a big fan of writing lately. I haven't written a blog post in a while. I feel like my writing style is fairly crappy, with a lot of repetition not only in content but in form. My vocabulary isn't as strong as I'd like. My sentence structure is dull, minus a few tricks I use over and over. And worst of all, I don't feel like I'm in the right headspace to write, say, a column on the WWE or stand-up or any other interest. Despite them being my favorite things, I feel as if I don't know enough about them to write about them, and I also feel like I don't have any strong stances to take on any issues. Good nonfiction writing has to take some sort of stance. A thesis. Something to say. All of my writings are sort of meandering "well if you look at it this way...but on the other hand" and I do a lot of speculating because I don't feel like I really know anything. I've noticed some of these columnists (check out Grantland.com and Deadspin.com) have a habit of speaking in absolutes, and sometimes drawing far-fetched connections that go unnoticed because of the assuredness of how they're stated. Is that a necessary evil of good writing? It's certainly a lot more interesting than the stuff I post.
A Letter To The Young and Suicidal
It's a dumb idea. It's dumb because how you feel today is not necessarily how you'll feel tomorrow. You have so many years ahead of you, full of successes and failures and triumphs and moments of joy the likes of which you haven't even begun to understand. Imagine standing at the alter looking into the eyes of the person you love more than anything in the world. Imagine the day you hold your first son or daughter in your arms. The day you land that dream job, or fall in love with someone that loves you just as much. These things, I promise you, are all in your future if you let them.
And there's so much more. Think of all the places you've yet to see. The ruins of Europe, the wilderness of Africa, the crowded streets of Tokyo, the beaches of Australia. The rusty train cars and ancient cathedrals and lush, green valleys and salt-splashed cliffs. The comfortable movie theaters and fascinating museums. The smutty sex shops and dusty old libraries. The food you haven't yet tried. The wonderful people you haven't yet met. The unlimited and never-ending combinations of events that could lead you to a life that is uniquely yours, that no one will ever replicate again.
Think of those that care for you. Though you may find it hard to believe, there will be many that grieve your absence. Your parents. Your siblings. Your friends. Your teachers, colleagues, and employers. Your close and distant relatives, and every person in every car that passes your funeral procession and thinks "How sad that another life is lost." Think of those you've helped through tough times. Those who knew they could count on you when no one else was around. They will miss you, and wish that you had stopped and thought a bit longer before making such a rash decision.
Even if you have no one now, that could all change tomorrow. You have unlimited abilities. You can help people. You can save a life instead of taking your own. You can make a difference, but only if you stick around.
Don't take your ball and go home, because the game isn't over yet.
Larry David with tits (or how being yourself isn’t always the best way to attract a mate)
I was changing up my okCupid profile today, after reading some Do's and Dont's about how to get a better response. So one of the main things is to put up pictures of you a) smiling and b) outside and doing something...and I quickly realized that very few pictures like that exist of me. And in the ones where I am smiling, it's a sort of half-baked "okay. let's just take this picture." kind of smile. Which is weird, because I'm not anti-pictures. I love having my picture taken. I guess I'm just a little self conscious about not making a dorky looking smile, so I attenuate it and it ends up looking put-upon.
Then the other big thing is to stay positive in the text of your profile. Don't be cynical. Don't be depressing. Don't be self-deprecating because although it's charming when Woody Allen does it, it can come off as low self-esteem to a stranger. So I started going through my profile and rewording the stuff that was kind of depressing or bleak-sounding. Where I formerly stated I liked "playing guitar even though I suck at it," now was changed to simply "playing guitar." I took out things mentioning that I'm broke, that I'm looking for a job, that I don't really know what I want to do with my life. For the question asking what I am "really good at" I replaced whatever cynical quip I had in there for a self-censored rumination about how I enjoyed a lot of things, but was hesitant to say I was "really good" at any of them, but if I had to say something I suppose I am "a very loyal friend"
AWWWWWWWWWW
I realized that by positive-izing my profile, I had succeeded in painting a very distorted picture of who I am. Someone who never met me, upon reading my profile would think that I'm a happy-go-lucky bro who doesn't think too much, and spends his days hanging out with friends, playing Zeppelin licks and going mountain biking. When the reality is that I spend a metric shit-ton of time alone, usually depressed and plucking away at a cheap acoustic with a complete lack of rhythm or finesse, and ride my bike about five times a year, wandering aimlessly around my hometown hoping to capture some long-lost teenage nostalgia. The things that I do take on a very different connotation when you sever them from their how's and why's.
The fact is that I'm really not a positive person. I'm not exactly a miserable scrooge either (though I do hate Christmas), but by stripping away my sarcasm and cynicism in hopes of not being a bummer, I completely neutered myself and went from a somewhat tortured Ian Curtis to a family-friendly Jason Mraz.
But I guess if you want to win the game, you gotta use what works. I don't know if girls are actually turned off by a guy who acknowledges that every silver lining has a cloud. I suppose a normal person may find that unattractive, but normal people never did much for me anyway. Maybe the type of girl that I'm looking for is not so positive herself. Maybe I'm looking for Larry David with tits.