Storm Catchers

Landon D. Parks · May 20, 2005

Come on Rich, join in on the fun!!!!! I think where all about the have another fight, you wouldn't wanna miss that now, would a?

lol, anyway, im interested in hearing what the wise Mr. Boddington has to say about me.... Everyone else seems to be NOT on my side on this one, I take it your not either?

Stephen Williams · May 20, 2005

Dare I get into this thread? Or stay in retirement?

R.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Richard,

Please do!

Many thanks

Stephen

Jonathan Spear · May 20, 2005

I think someone needs a girlfriend here...

:D

Landon D. Parks · May 20, 2005

I think someone needs a girlfriend here...

I already got one think you! My, Ahem, Soon to be WIFE Jessee. Shes such a lil angel. See, she takes care of me becuase im to lazy to do it myself... :lol:

May 20, 2005

Ok well that's two votes in favour of me joining in.

Landon,

I'm on your side in so far as you are determined to succeed, that's a good thing. And in my view the most important trait one needs for a career in the film industry, because no matter how you slice it, it's tough.

Jim Carey once said, "the people who make it are the ones who keep going." And if you look at Jim Carey's background, coming from a working class Canadian family with no connections at all to Hollywood, you can see how he know's what he's talking about.

I do agree with all the sage advice you've been given in this forum regarding trying to do too much at a relatively young age. I know it's cliche but you remind me a lot of me when I was exactly your age.

In high school I was known as the "film guy." Making one Super 8 film, after another, after another. I should find a way to post one or two of them here, I'm sure some would get a good laugh over them. One of my high school films won two awards, including one from the Ann Arbor Film festival.

My entire high school career was dedicated to getting into the USC film school. A long shot for a poor kid from a single parent home in far away Ontario. I didn't get in, and ended up at BYU instead. A pretty good second choice, hey the BYU film school produced Jared Hess the 24 year old creator of Napoleon Dynamite. :D

My high school had a filmmaking class taught by Walter Shean. The school had a large number of excellent Super 8 cameras and editors. Walter Shean knew and loved film, he fought hard to get the course at the high school level. Filmmaking classes at high schools in the mid 1980s where unheard of back then.

Mr. Shean's filmmaking class was reserved only for grade 12 students, and only those that showed real interest could get in. You didn't have to have any film experience, Mr. Shean just didn't want goof offs who thought it would be an easy course.

One day I made an apointment to show Mr. Shean one of my GREAT movies I had made for grade 9 English class on the adventures of Persius. He politely sat through it. Then he showed me the "winning" film from his last filmmaking class. HOLY COW!!! The film from his class blew mine out of the water!! I mean it was amazing, it would defeat a lot of product I see at film festivals today.

So I left with my butt in a sling, that was humbling. However, Mr. Shean was a very nice guy, he said the thing that impresses me the most about you is that you are doing, you're making films on you're own so you have a passion for it. Even though my worked sucked!

Over the years I kept making films and Mr. Shean continued to mentor me. After each screening he would say, "you try to do too much, you'll impress people far more with some thing that is simple and good vs. complex and with poor execution." His other mantra was always "learn the grammar of film, learn the grammar of film." Meaning how shots go together etc etc.

Finally I started to listen, but it took a while. After all this Walter guy had not won an Oscar who was he to lecture me?

My little films improved, when I started to take direction, so I kept going. I took the filmmaking class in grade 11, and the final project I made represented our high school at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in I think 1985. Boy the school admin was happy about that!!

Of course the final had to be re-cut after numerous suggestions where received from Mr. Shean that I do so. Same basic mistake all first time filmmakers make, way too long, cut cut cut.

So Landon I tell you this story because I think it's more relavant in your case. You could save your self a lot of pain by following the advice of some really smart people here and try your hand at some simple short films. Make them good and learn the craft one step at a time.

You have a big advantage you can shoot and edit until the cows come home using DV at no cost. In my day, I'm old, you had to buy Super 8 film and get in developed.

If you're lucky you'll find your own Walter Shean. Even if you don't in person, there are tons of people here that can help fill the roll.

Why don't you shoot and edit a small project, post it here, and we can give you feedback. No one is going to rip on your work, it will be viewed in the context of where you at in your career.

R.