Filmmaking
How To Make a Film Using the Dogme 95 Manifesto
I found this write-up about the Dogme 95 movement and how Lars von Trier made The Idiots really interesting. This article covers the Dogme 95 films and the movement that created them. From Wikipedia: The goal of the Dogme collective is to purify filmmaking by…
Herzog on the Obscenity of the Jungle
Some interesting comments from fabled German filmmaker Werner Herzog during the making of Fitzcarraldo: “Kinski says [the jungle] is full of erotic elements. It’s not so much erotic, but full of obscenity. Nature here is vile and base. I wouldn’t see anything erotic here. I…
Francis Ford Coppola and His Apocalyptic Shoot
You may have heard some of the crazy stories from Francis Ford Coppola’s frenzied production of Apocalypse Now. It’s lauded as one of the great films of the 1970s now, but during production many people didn’t even believe the film would ever see the light…
Without Commitment, You Ain’t Got Nothing
Following up from this post on Loving The Process earlier this week, just wanted to make a few clarifications after getting some interesting email on it. More On Loving The Process I’m not trying to insinuate that someone has to be working on their filmmaking four…
LOVE The Process! How To Change Everything!
You know, every day I think about filmmaking, and I have some wacky distinction that changes the way I perceive things. The crazy thing about filmmaking is that it’s one of the only art forms in which you have to really get out of your comfort…
20 Directors and How They Made It Part II
Continuing from yesterday’s piece about directors and how they made it, we continue the list of interesting cases of filmmakers making their start in the business… Christopher Nolan As a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States, he spent his childhood in…
The Importance Of Travel
I really want to emphasize the importance of travel. Besides its obvious and much talked about benefits, travel is incredibly important when it comes to filmmaking. I’ve traveled a lot myself, and I feel it’s one of the best ways to boost your confidence in…
Spike Lee’s Gotta Have It: A Look At The Making Of The Film
“Don’t think that because you haven’t heard from me for a while that I went to sleep. I am still here, like a spirit roaming the night. Thirsty, hungry, seldom stopping to rest.”
Why Using People’s Names Helps Your Filmmaking
One subtle thing that I’ve really found makes a lot of difference to my interactions, whether they be filmmaking related (on-set, for instance) or otherwise, is using people’s names! It may sound so simple, but this is a powerful thing to do. And, as we…
Definitions of the Journey and Some Advice
I recently had a conversation with a filmmaker friend who was questioning his path in life and whether filmmaking was the right thing for him. I approached my response to him in an unusual way. It’s an approach I don’t use very often…if at all. This…
