First-Time Filmmaker F*#^-Ups First-Time Filmmaker F*#^-Ups Navigating the Pitfalls to Making a Great Movie
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First-Time Filmmaker F*#^-Ups First-Time Filmmaker F*#^-Ups Navigating the Pitfalls to Making a Great Movie Daryl Bob Goldberg AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON NEW YORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Focal Press is ani mprint of Elsevier Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier 225 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA 02451 The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1GB, UK © 2012 Daryl Bob Goldberg. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions. This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein). Notices Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary. Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility. To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Application submitted. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978-0-240-81923-5 For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www.elsevierdirect.com Typeset by: diacriTech, Chennai, India Printed in the United States of America 11 12 13 14 5 4 3 2 1 Dedication This book is dedicated to my family and friends, who support me through all my Fuck-Ups. Inna, Dad, Mom, Louis, Karie, and Uncle Buggy. Eric Berkal, Peter Tulba, Tim Hood, Dan Taggatz, Dennis McGonagle, and Lauren Mattos. Preface Countless people fantasize about making movies. However, only a tiny percent of them will ever sincerely attempt to make one. This book is for those few who would like to do more than just dream or talk about making movies. It’s for those who want to live that dream—without fucking it all up along the way, as is far too often the case. This book is the road map that will enable you to avoid the potholes and detours that prevent filmmaker after filmmaker from making their movie—or accomplishing the task as successfully as they could have. It’s the resource I wish had existed when I made my first feature film. I encourage you to read this book in its entirety. Even if you are interested only in how to get your movie started, not planning for the entire process is just one of the many common fuck-ups you’re about to learn how to avoid. After you’ve read the book, periodically revisit the sections that correspond to the stage of the process you’re approaching. You may be surprised just how frequently your movie is presenting you with the very problems contained in these pages. Problems, that by reading this book, you can avoid falling victim to. Anyone who has ever done it will tell you that making a movie is a long and difficult road to travel. However, I promise you that the journey can be every bit as rewarding as the destination. xiii Fuck-Up #1 “I Can’t Make a Movie” Why you (yes, you) can make a movie “Wisdom begins in wonder.”1 —Socrates The Fuck-Up… Like most things in life, your ability to make a movie lies not in what you know but in what you are willing to learn. If you have a willingness to learn and the ambition to see it through, then have no doubt, if you truly want to make a movie badly enough, you can. Don’t believe me yet? That’s okay. Throughout this book, we’ll discuss the pitfalls that prevent aspiring filmmakers from accomplishing their dreams. More importantly, we’ll learn how to avoid them. How to Do It Right… Let’s dispel two of the biggest reasons people think they can’t make movies right away: 1. Lack of connections 2. Lack of experience Connections and experience are helpful—and not just when it comes to making movies. Neverthe- less, neither of these excuses should prevent your filmmaking dreams. Here’swhy… Connections The list of successful Hollywood bigwigs who grew up already deeply connected within Tinsel- town is long. But guess what? There is an even longer list of Hollywood players who got into the industry with no connections whatsoever. The truth is there is no mythical wall trying to keep you out of the world of filmmaking. In fact, the film industry is known for its passionate First-Time Filmmaker F*#^-Ups. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-240-81923-5.00001-5 2 © 2012 Daryl Bob Goldberg. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Fuck-Up #1: “I Can’t Make a Movie” love of the new: the industry is always hunting for the next THE LINGO hot new actor/writer/director/shoe/car/club/drug. If you The Industry: Short for “the have talent, ambition, and (most important of all) can make entertainment industry.” — them a buck then the industry will want to find you. You Example: Many people in the just have to make sure they can. And that, for an aspiring industry assume no other filmmaker, starts with making your movie. industries matter, hence the term. James Cameron was a truck driver, Quentin Tarantino famously was a video store clerk, and even the late-great Orson Welles had no actual connections when he took it upon himself to stride into a theater in Dublin and simply proclaim he was a Broadway star in order to start his career out of absolutely nothing. It wasn’t who they knew that got them started. It was a lot of ambi- tion, a little bit of luck, and the talent to back it all up. They certainly didn’tusetheirlackof connections as an excuse not to try, so neither should you. Experience Stanley Kubrick once said, “One of the things that gave me the most confidence in trying to make a film was seeing all the lousy films that I saw. Because I sat there and thought, ‘Well, I don’t know a goddamn thing about movies, but I know I can make a film better than that.’”2 Woody Allen wrote, “I have no idea what I am doing. But incompetence has never prevented me from plunging in with enthusiasm.”3 The truth is that everyone must start somewhere, even if that somewhere is nowhere. Mr. Kubrick’s advice on the matter was simple, “Perhaps it sounds ridiculous, but the best thing that young filmmakers should do is to get hold of a camera and…make a movie of any kind at all.”4 JamesCameronputitsimilarly.“Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it. Shoot it on video if you have to. Put your name on it as director. Now you’re a director.”5 The story remains the same nearly every time; the only way to truly make yourself a “director” is by directing, and the only way to make yourself a “producer” is by producing. Furthermore, inexperience comes with its own huge advantages. When I was filming my first movie, I had raised about $250,000. Had I known then what I know now, I would have realized the movie I was filming should cost a lot more than that and I would have given up before I started. Iwastoonaïve to know I shouldn’t be able to do it, so I went ahead and did it anyway. Movie accomplished. The same goes for a lot of filmmaking: if we don’t know it’s supposed to be impossi- ble, then we won’t be discouraged from trying and achieving it. Experienced people will not hesi- tate to tell you what you can and cannot do—not believing them can be a powerful force. Inexperience is truly a problem only if we fail to recognize what it is we do not know. Socrates taught, “True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand.”6 You are 3 First-Time Filmmaker F*#^-Ups already on your way by getting proactive, picking up this book, and having a willingness to learn. You’re taking a tremendous step on the path to making your movie. Now keep walking. Key Points ● If you want to make a movie badly enough, you can. ● Most successful people in the industry made it with no prior connections. ● Inexperience can be a resource. ● If you don’t know something is supposed to be impossible, you’re likely to try and possibly achieve it.