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What kinds of films do YOU want to make?


Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith

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Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith

Everyone here has a passion for film, but usually only certain types of film. Their dream is to make those specific types films.

 

But, what are they? What films influenced you into film making and what kind of films would you like to make?

 

Personally I've always been a fan of fundamental but powerful and clever stories. "American Beauty" has got to be a prime example of the films I want to make.

 

"Swimming with Sharks"

 

?Road to Perdition?

 

?One Hour Photo?

 

From speaking to a lot of people interested in film from my college, they all seem to be into Quentin Tarantino's work. Endless violence, blood, guts and gore. Personally, and I don't mean any offence to anyone here, but I think Tarantino is a child in a mans body. As a 16 year old rebel, even I think those movies were utter crap. "From Dusk Till Dawn" I believe was directed by two directors, Tarantino and another, the first half by the other director, second half by Tarantino. And it was a great film until Tarantino took over...

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"From Dusk Till Dawn" I believe was directed by two directors, Tarantino and another, the first half by the other director, second half by Tarantino. And it was a great film until Tarantino took over...

 

It was directed by Robert Rodriguez. Tarantino wrote the screenplay and costarred in it, but he didnt direct it. (Incidentally he did direct a scene in Rodriguez's "Sin City")

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Everyone here has a passion for film, but usually only certain types of film. Their dream is to make those specific types films.

 

But, what are they? What films influenced you into film making and what kind of films would you like to make?

 

Personally I've always been a fan of fundamental but powerful and clever stories. "American Beauty" has got to be a prime example of the films I want to make.

 

"Swimming with Sharks"

 

?Road to Perdition?

 

?One Hour Photo?

 

From speaking to a lot of people interested in film from my college, they all seem to be into Quentin Tarantino's work. Endless violence, blood, guts and gore. Personally, and I don't mean any offence to anyone here, but I think Tarantino is a child in a mans body. As a 16 year old rebel, even I think those movies were utter crap. "From Dusk Till Dawn" I believe was directed by two directors, Tarantino and another, the first half by the other director, second half by Tarantino. And it was a great film until Tarantino took over...

 

 

I don't really prefer any certain style over another. I like and dislike a lot of films of all types. I would really love to shoot a Civil War or Early American era film a la "Glory," "Gettysburg," or "The last of the Mohicans."

 

I actually do like Quentin Tarantino, quite a bit. His stuff is just fun and entertaining, if you're looking for intellectual and deep, you're looking in the wrong place. I would love to shoot a stylized action movie like Kill Bill. I think it would be a blast and would give you a lot of experience in a lot of styles. Think of the different scenarios in that movie, the DP must have had a blast.

 

Another thing I would love to try is a serious murder mystery. There are a lot of opportunities for the lighting to very strongly support the story. That's exactly why the film noir style is so well known, for the strong support the visual style lends to the drama.

 

Finally, I would love to have the opportunity to shoot a full feature in black and white, but I doubt I will ever get it.

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Other than fulfilling my lifelong ambition to shoot (or direct) a "Star Trek" movie...

 

My favorite films are "Seven Samurai", "Dr. Strangelove," "2001", "8 1/2", "Close Encounters", "Lawrence of Arabia"...

 

I tend to admire films that seem very controlled, the product of a very intelligent mind, a strong "voice", and executed with a high degree of craft. So I'd like to shoot more films like that. I also would like to shoot more movies where the story is told visually and not so reliant on dialogue.

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Guest Nathan Donnelly

I'm a sucker for fantasy/sci-fi/action, so I'd like to make an epic movie on those themes someday.

 

I would hope to eventually pull off something as visually stunning as The Two Towers. (The "Who am I, Gamling?" scene always floors me)

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Unfortunately the films I would like to make are the ones nobody would have the guts to invest on ... :lol:

 

I love the silence. I love films where you can hear the silence. Not many dialogues, no soundtrack, just silence. One of my favorites is ... hum ... "The Silence" from Ingmar Bergman.

 

I also like good composition and it really impresses me the way Bergman composed some shots in "Winter Light" and "Persona" and Roman Polanski in "A Knife in the Water".

 

Bergman is my favorite director and the one I've been trying to learn the most from.

 

I'd also include in my list some recent films like "Mulholland Drive" from David Lynch, "Pi" from Darren Aronosfky, "Spider" from David Cronenberg, and "Memento" from Christopher Nolan.

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Family / Fantasy / Kids movies is what I want to direct... Think films like "Harry Potter" "The Chronicles of Narnia" "Lemony Snicket" "Charlie and the Chocolate factory" ect.... Films like that.

 

Those are the type of films that I like to go see, films that take me into another world, ones that present me with things that can never happen in our world, you know what I mean?

 

Thats what cinema is all about for me.

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The movie that inspired me was Akira Kurosawas RAN.

 

Movies I want to make are poinient topical, and people driven. I'm a fan of Tarantino, but I would not want to shoot a movie in his style, it's just not me. To me, telling it is not as good as showing it. As a result, I'd sooner shoot a movie like Pi or North by Northwest than a War of the Worlds. I want to tell human stories.

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Has anyone ever heard a director or actor say:

 

"If you do not know what to say, say nothing".

 

I really like the idea of telling the story visually with little dialogue.

 

Vincent

C'mon,Marvin. You gotta have an opinion. Do you think God came down from

Heaven and stopped the bullets?

 

Vincent's .45 goes bang!

Marvin is hit in the upper chest,below the throat. Gurgles blood and shakes.

 

Jules

What the f...'s happening?

 

Vincent

I just accidentally shot Marvin in the throat.

 

Jules

Why the f... did you do that?

 

Vincent

I didn't mean to do it. I said it was an accident.

 

Jules

I've seen a lot of crazy-ass poop in my time-

 

Vincent

-chill out, man it was an accident,okay? You probably hit a bump or somethin'

and the gun went off.

 

Jules

The car didn't hit no motherf...in' bump!

 

Vincent

Look I didn't mean to shoot the son-of-a-bitch,the gun just went off,don't ask me

how! *[ Now I think the humane thing to do is put him out of his misery.

Pulp Fiction- Quentin Tarantino

 

On the other hand a great blending of script(strong story) with the visual aspect

gives us a powerful visual experience.

 

Greg Gross

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Greg: That is exactly what I'm talking about, that scene is what made Tarrantino for me. Now, I don't have his mastery of dialog, so I go about things differently.

 

However, I did try his technique for forming dialog once, still can't figure out a story to go with the resulting dialog, but man it's killer. 8)

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I've never really understood why or how someone can sit through 2 hours of ungodly amounts of blood & gore, decapitations, necrophelia, and all of that other 'wonderful' stuff people actually do to each other in real life anyways.

 

Kill Bill is completely void of timelesness. It's so far away from being a "good" movie in any shape or form that ultimately, in my opinion, U&Q wrote 120 minutes of purely glorified human terror. What's more, there's no point or resolve to the "story" besides revenge, which happens to be one of the most primitively inferior aspects of human nature.

 

If the leading lady wasn't so hot, most of us wouldn't even bother watching it.

Think I'm nuts? Try watching the movie without sound. It has absolutely nothing to offer.

 

On the other hand a movie like the Nightmare Before Christmas, which also deals with the macabre, has a good STORY behind it and a movie like that, to me at least, is inspiring.

 

I want to make movies that don't glorify senseless violence and suffering just for the sake of making a quick buck and pleasing a few brown-nosing deadbeat critics.

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Guest jeremy edge
I've never really understood why or how someone can sit through 2 hours of ungodly amounts of blood & gore, decapitations, necrophelia, and all of that other 'wonderful' stuff people actually do to each other in real life anyways.

 

Kill Bill is completely void of timelesness. It's so far away from being a "good" movie in any shape or form that ultimately, in my opinion, U&Q wrote 120 minutes of purely glorified human terror. What's more, there's no point or resolve to the "story" besides revenge, which happens to be one of the most primitively inferior aspects of human nature.

 

If the leading lady wasn't so hot, most of us wouldn't even bother watching it.

Think I'm nuts? Try watching the movie without sound. It has absolutely nothing to offer.

 

On the other hand a movie like the Nightmare Before Christmas, which also deals with the macabre, has a good STORY behind it and a movie like that, to me at least, is inspiring.

 

I want to make movies that don't glorify senseless violence and suffering just for the sake of making a quick buck and pleasing a few brown-nosing deadbeat critics.

 

Kill Bill was made from Q's huge love of the samurai movie genre....which all of those movies contain the things you hate about this one.I think his samurai movie is among the best. If you dont like the genre....well its like sending a chick who hates sci-fi to review the latest Star Wars movie.....

 

On a related note I think lately all music critics in rock mags really don't like rock music anymore.... I always thought in order to be a critic you should actually like what you're reviewing. i see this in movie reviews and music reviews all the time.

 

Ever read a review by someone who clearly "doesnt get" the genre of what they are reviewing?

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I don't know... I just really hate that type of glorified violence. It's such a cop out.

 

When I walk into a movie theater I don't want to be grossed out for no reason. It's not like I can't take it (I wish I had a weaker stomach), it's just that it's a pointless waste of time. If I want to see people chopping other people's heads off I'll turn on CNN. I'm sure the Bigley family in London got a kick out that scene with Lucy Liu chopping that guy's head off!

 

Seriously though, if there was one thing, anything, that made Kill Bill a good film I must have missed it.

 

Oh wait... :o !!!

 

Everyone says it's a cool, 'original' film... so I guess that means it has to be cool after all. That blood spurting everywhere... and that scene where Uma kills like 100 bad guys! That was f-----g awesome!

 

<grunt, grunt! beat chest!>

 

Now where's that damn banana?

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Guest jeremy edge
I don't know... I just really hate that type of glorified violence. It's such a cop out.

 

When I walk into a movie theater I don't want to be grossed out for no reason. It's not like I can't take it (I wish I had a weaker stomach), it's just that it's a pointless waste of time. If I want to see people chopping other people's heads off I'll turn on CNN. I'm sure the Bigley family in London got a kick out that scene with Lucy Liu chopping that guy's head off!

 

Seriously though, if there was one thing, anything, that made Kill Bill a good film I must have missed it.

 

Oh wait... :o !!!

 

Everyone says it's a cool, 'original' film... so I guess that means it has to be cool after all. That blood spurting everywhere... and that scene where Uma kills like 100 bad guys! That was f-----g awesome!

 

<grunt, grunt! beat chest!>

 

Now where's that damn banana?

I respect your opinion, but you see what I'm saying?

 

I mean....you should have been able to tell from the trailer that this was not your bag! So I dont feel bad for you not being able to enjoy it.

 

I personally hate country music, but hey....to each his own.

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Guest jeremy edge
I see what you're saying. Good point...it was my decision to go see the movie after all.

 

"""I personally hate country music, but hey....to each his own."""

 

True... but country "music" really does suck.

 

:)

lol!!!!

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If I want to see people chopping other people's heads off I'll turn on CNN.

 

I think the moment a guy gets his arm chopped off and blood is squirting out like the end of a super soaker, its pretty conclusive that this is not the type of violence you'd catch on a broadcast of cnn.

 

There's plenty of films you can pick on where the violence is gratuitous and done in bad taste. Kill Bill is not a film that brings a moral with it or can really be dissected intellectually. Its a film that ascribes to the "suspension of disbelief" phenomena. Its meant to be fun. Its meant to show how far a filmmaker can go.

When film was first becoming a main attraction, people sought out movies as a form of escapism.

 

Lighten up, Man! Not every film has to be so heavy handed, intellectually stimulating, a reflection of our society, bla bla bla. Who the hell can sit through American Beauty, The English Patient, In the Mood For Love back to back to back?

 

Theres nothing wrong with a little variety. Gone in Sixty Seconds doesn't have a meaningful moral to it - but poop, its still fun to watch! You can't label everyone who appreciates cinema thats violent and devoid of a meaning a barbarian.

 

Open your mind. I'm a hip hop head, but I still think Leann Rhimes and Patsy Cline sing pretty well.

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Everyone says it's a cool, 'original' film... so I guess that means it has to be cool after all. That blood spurting everywhere... and that scene where Uma kills like 100 bad guys! That was f-----g awesome!

 

<grunt, grunt! beat chest!>

 

Now where's that damn banana?

I don't think you could call it "Original". Tarantino makes no bones about the inspiration for all of the images in that film. From "Enter the Dragon" on. He certainly put his own stamp on the genre but none of the ideas were particularly "original".

 

I have to say that I wasn't crazy about the film but when Lucy Liu was on screen, it was a great movie. The scene outside the restaurant in the snow, with the deercatcher and its' rythmic "knock, knock, knock," I found that whole sequence riveting. I couldn't take my eyes off her and not just because she's so freakin beautiful. She's got a real, intellectual and electric prescense.

 

It was also fun seeing Sonny Chiba, and Tarantino payed him the proper respect by making him the sword-master.

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Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith
I tend to admire films that seem very controlled, the product of a very intelligent mind, a strong "voice", and executed with a high degree of craft. So I'd like to shoot more films like that. I also would like to shoot more movies where the story is told visually and not so reliant on dialogue.

Watch "One Hour Photo" with the directors commentary. It's really interesting the ways in which they portray the characters and their lives. If you've seen the film, an interesting example I found was the ending scene when "Sye" was sitting in the interrogation room, white clothes, plain white room, and the camera pulled out towards the end to a longshot. All signalling the character being isolated and on his own, lonely. I never saw the significance of that scene before but when I listened to the directors commentary it made me realise how well the film was crafted.

 

An extremely powerful and well made film.

 

 

Family / Fantasy / Kids movies is what I want to direct... Think films like "Harry Potter" "The Chronicles of Narnia" "Lemony Snicket" "Charlie and the Chocolate factory" ect.... Films like that.

 

Those are the type of films that I like to go see, films that take me into another world, ones that present me with things that can never happen in our world, you know what I mean?

 

Thats what cinema is all about for me.

I know what you mean. "Star Wars" got me into film making. I remember getting a toy space ship, making a fake background with stars on it, poking a whole through the background which would then fit a wooden stick through it attached to the space ship, so I could control it from the other side. No it didn't come out well.... But hey, I was 8 at the time.

 

Films like that capture your imagination and make you believe.

 

 

As for the whole, Quentin Tarantino thing, I don't respect his films simply because I could have made up a similar film with a bit of inspiration from rotten.com, 5 pints of beer, a joint and a few of my nutty mates around my house. The guy really is a child.

 

I can deal with un-realistic films, but not when they just go over the top with completely stupid things.

 

If people here are saying Tarantino is original because of those kinds of scenes, then forget it. He's about the most un-original film maker I've ever known. Because teenage kids are making those films all the time. Only difference is Tarantino was given a budget to back it. So.. if teenage kids can think of that kind of material, where does that leave Tarantino?

 

It's like saying Travis Barker is the greatest drummer in the world. Possibly the greatest celebrity drummer, I'm not sure, but there's plenty of unheard of drummers that are better. Same applies with Tarantino.

 

The best gory movie I have EVER seen has got to be "Irreversible". Now that was actually realistic and original. However sick, that movie deserves 10 times more respect than "Kill Bill". I've never seen a more original movie in my life.

 

I don't know if Tarantino is a genius, or a mental cockup who is obsessed with killing, blood, gore and guts who belongs in a film school with a load of other film making wannabe's who don't actually have a clue what they are doing, they just want to create mental horror movies with a ton of masturbation material and play on their Nintendo all day whils't eating cold beans from last nights dinner. (Geeks)

 

Liking or dis-liking the film, is opinion, technically a good film or not, is fact.

Edited by Daniel J. Ashley-Smith
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Guest Mathieu McFadden

I like film that offer interesting opinions, while still making the audience feel strongly about what they are seeing. I am a big fan of David Fincher's work, principally Seven and Fight Club.

 

Seven used very strong cinematography throughout. I absolutely love the look of the film. The dialogue and story played out with novel like qualities. All three lead characters in this movie offer up interesting arguments about their surroundings,

 

Fight Club I loved because of the Editing and the great performances by Pitt, Norton & Bonham Carter. I also like the way Fincher directs, he is a perfectionist, with his own set of values and priorities.

 

I really don't know what kind of movies I want to make, I just want to make something worth making.

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Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith

I usually walk away from the cinemas affected in one way or another by the film, that's what I want my films to do, to really make people think, to involve them.

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"""I usually walk away from the cinemas affected in one way or another by the film, that's what I want my films to do, to really make people think, to involve them. """

 

I think most of us do too.

 

But it seems like that's the hardest aspect of filmmaking. Getting your strong point of view across in a subtle non-manipulative or pretentious manner. It doesn't matter how important what you have to say (or show) is, if you scream too loud you'll lose your audience.

 

It's like being in an Oi! band and doing a gig at a nursing home.

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