Blogs » How NOT To Make Professional Film
How NOT To Make Professional Film
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The best thing you can do for yourself is learn from the internet bubble a few years back. They started businesses left and right on improbable yet cool ideas that were in no way profitable, but hey they were still damn cool. Then they set themselves up in a big office and filled it with comfortable chairs, drink machines, employees and LOTS of computers. Then they filled the computers with some of the most high end software available at the time. And then they attempted to run a business with a zero profit foundation (negative actually after the investment for the hardware) and enough material to support a large corporation. If you haven't caught on yet, this was a BAD idea. When you start a small business for anything you need solid grounding in your idea; lots of research behind it to support it and a good plan for how to carry it out. What you don't need is all the hardware, software and perks that come with a well-established successful business. Any good business will start as a grass roots zero budget operation where you will be the one pulling 18 hour days and your staff might be 2 other people. The same applies for film; if you want to be the next big filmmaker you've gotta start small. Whether it's Sundance or Hollywood you don't need all that stuff you think you need. Start with a dusty camera that's been laying around the house and learn how to use it! Too many people go out and buy final cut pro, adobe studio, 6 professional lights, a hundred dollar green screen, a dolly, reflectors and a 2000 dollar camera and THEN try to figure out how professional film is made. Eventually the overwhelming amount of things to learn and all the dissapointingly bad videos you've made becomes too daunting and you have a craig'slist garage sale. If you stick to your ten year old sony that still uses cassettes and get good enough to learn it's limits, then you can upgrade. What I'm trying to say is go untill you need the upgrade, till you're only limit is the technology available and not your own inexperience. This allows you to pick what you really need rather than what is being advertised at the time. Is Adobe After Effects too expensive to justify? try to get a few oddjobs through craigslist, BDA, classifieds or friends/cowokers/family. You'll rack in lot's of loot and then you can upgrade - sometimes a job will request proficiency in programs you don't have, that could be justification right there. There's no better way to learn a program then with an employer breathing down your neck and asking the impossible. The truth about technology and professional film is to be good at it you've got to earn it. You've got to struggle through your mini-DV and windows movie maker so you know what to do next. The most expensive technology in the world won't help you when you don't know how to set up a shot or run a business. So I urge you please start small so you can grow big. Oh and more on getting into the business of Freelance tomorrow...