Last week I wrote about the technical aspects of making films. While this is important, I believe it is even more important to have something interesting to say.
I started making films when I was in high school, but I stopped after I finished University. I didn’t make another film for another 15 years. Partly this was because I was busy with other things, but mostly because I felt I had nothing interesting to say. I only began to create films again when I felt I had something to say.
The film business is getting more competitive because digital technology has removed most of the barriers to entry. Just about anyone can make a film now, if they want to. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to give people something worthwhile. That is why I believe that having something to say is so important.
I find that ideas for stories often come while I am not thinking about films. As I contemplate the problems of the world and the challenges in my life, I begin to think about how I would explain my thoughts. This very often leads to a concept for a story.
In the last couple of years, I started to write articles and stories, and then post them on the internet. I was more interested in getting practice writing than making money. I have been doing many more articles than stories. I have found that articles are generally more successful than stories, so I started to write more articles.
More recently, I have started to rethink what I write. I only write articles about subjects where I think I have something worth saying. It may be better for me to take that message and use it as the basis for a story. Stories are a more subtle way to communicate.
One of the stories I am doing now, “Tom and His Incredible Traffic Model” came about when I decided to give up on an article I was writing on transportation planning. I worked for 30 years as a transportation planner and felt I had some valuable things to say. I decided it would be better to do that as a story rather than an article.
I just published a new story today. A Woman Alone in a Cruel World is a story that came to me while I was travelling through China last fall. It came from an event in Chinese history that I heard about. It is mostly about the emotions that people feel, rather than any specific message.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Reverse Engineering Films
I recently read some postings on Stacy Park’s blog ( http://independentfilmblog.com/) about what she calls “reverse engineering” films. She talks about understanding the film market, both what people what and what they will pay for it.
I have been thinking about similar concepts for some time now, as you can see in my review of Rick Schmidt’s Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices.
Many years ago I read an article about filmmaking in Scientific American that touched on the same subject. The article was about how digital technology was changing the business of filmmaking. They said that traditionally filmmakers developed a vision, and then looked for the money to make it. The new trend was for filmmakers to look at how much money you had, and then develop a movie that they make with that money.
What are the rules you should follow when making a film on a very low budget? I feel it is better to think of them as constraints rather than rules. I see constraints as a challenge to use your creativity, while rules are things you have to do. When you write a sonnet, you are constrained by the standard form of the sonnet, yet poets have created many great sonnets.
I have compiled a few constraints here. I will add more as I think of them. If you have any suggestions please post them.
Small cast. Every additional character adds complexity and cost to the project. It is more of a challenge to maintain flow and interest when the number of characters is small. A film like “Before Sunrise” shows that a good filmmaker can work with this constraint.
Small crew. Again, every extra person on set adds complexity and cost. However, a small crew will limit the types of shots you can get, and can slow you down. When you are developing a project, you need to keep this in mind, since some types of scenes and shots can’t be done with your budget.
Few locations. Moving from location to another adds time and cost to a film. I’ve heard people talk of the “six fuse box rule”. One of the worries about this constraint is that having the same location appear over and over could become boring. Lately I have thought that this constraint can be overcome using green screen. The cost of green screen is getting lower and it is already being used to reduce the need for location shooting. http://vimeo.com/8337356 has some examples.
Shoot digital. While I love film, shooting digital saves a lot of money at the front end. That can make the difference between going ahead with a project, or dropping it.
I have been thinking about similar concepts for some time now, as you can see in my review of Rick Schmidt’s Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices.
Many years ago I read an article about filmmaking in Scientific American that touched on the same subject. The article was about how digital technology was changing the business of filmmaking. They said that traditionally filmmakers developed a vision, and then looked for the money to make it. The new trend was for filmmakers to look at how much money you had, and then develop a movie that they make with that money.
What are the rules you should follow when making a film on a very low budget? I feel it is better to think of them as constraints rather than rules. I see constraints as a challenge to use your creativity, while rules are things you have to do. When you write a sonnet, you are constrained by the standard form of the sonnet, yet poets have created many great sonnets.
I have compiled a few constraints here. I will add more as I think of them. If you have any suggestions please post them.
Small cast. Every additional character adds complexity and cost to the project. It is more of a challenge to maintain flow and interest when the number of characters is small. A film like “Before Sunrise” shows that a good filmmaker can work with this constraint.
Small crew. Again, every extra person on set adds complexity and cost. However, a small crew will limit the types of shots you can get, and can slow you down. When you are developing a project, you need to keep this in mind, since some types of scenes and shots can’t be done with your budget.
Few locations. Moving from location to another adds time and cost to a film. I’ve heard people talk of the “six fuse box rule”. One of the worries about this constraint is that having the same location appear over and over could become boring. Lately I have thought that this constraint can be overcome using green screen. The cost of green screen is getting lower and it is already being used to reduce the need for location shooting. http://vimeo.com/8337356 has some examples.
Shoot digital. While I love film, shooting digital saves a lot of money at the front end. That can make the difference between going ahead with a project, or dropping it.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tom, a Woman Alone and ". . . and you said . . ."
I revised my story “A Woman Alone in a Cruel World” this week. It is a fable set in an ancient time. I want my wife to read it before I posted it. She hasn’t read it yet. She says it looks too depressing. Maybe I need to change the title.
“Tom and his Incredible Traffic Model” has been sitting idle for a while now. I hope to get back to it this coming week. It is a humorous piece inspired by years of work as a transportation planner.
I submitted one of my short film movie scripts, “. . . and you said . . .” to a script competition being run by the Show Us Your Shorts Film Festival.
I am looking at a couple of websites for selling my films on-line. One is Mishorts and the other is Payloadz . So far, they both look promising.
This week I watched Steve Hanon’s latest film: The Last of the River People . If you have a chance to see it, I suggest you do. I think this is his best films so far. It is a subtle film.
“Tom and his Incredible Traffic Model” has been sitting idle for a while now. I hope to get back to it this coming week. It is a humorous piece inspired by years of work as a transportation planner.
I submitted one of my short film movie scripts, “. . . and you said . . .” to a script competition being run by the Show Us Your Shorts Film Festival.
I am looking at a couple of websites for selling my films on-line. One is Mishorts and the other is Payloadz . So far, they both look promising.
This week I watched Steve Hanon’s latest film: The Last of the River People . If you have a chance to see it, I suggest you do. I think this is his best films so far. It is a subtle film.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Abandoned Scripts: What Do You Do When You Can’t Get That Big Star
I have posted a new article I wrote: Abandoned Scripts: What Do You Do When You Can’t Get That Big Star
Excerpt: The filmmaker Federico Fellini wrote scripts planning to have some famous actors play the leads. Many times, he could not get them. I am sure that most writers and filmmakers run into this problem. It has certainly has happened to me. I am certainly no Fellini. If he can’t get someone famous, what chance do I have? With some projects, you can go ahead with different actors, but with others, you have to abandon them. Here are a few of the ideas that I’ve had to abandon.
If you know of anyone who might find this article interesting, please pass this along to them.
I am working on another couple of stories now and will be posting them as soon as they are done. One is a fable set in the distant past and the other is a humorous piece drawing from my experiences in transportation planning.
Please have a look at one of my old stories: The Parasol
Excerpt: The filmmaker Federico Fellini wrote scripts planning to have some famous actors play the leads. Many times, he could not get them. I am sure that most writers and filmmakers run into this problem. It has certainly has happened to me. I am certainly no Fellini. If he can’t get someone famous, what chance do I have? With some projects, you can go ahead with different actors, but with others, you have to abandon them. Here are a few of the ideas that I’ve had to abandon.
If you know of anyone who might find this article interesting, please pass this along to them.
I am working on another couple of stories now and will be posting them as soon as they are done. One is a fable set in the distant past and the other is a humorous piece drawing from my experiences in transportation planning.
Please have a look at one of my old stories: The Parasol
Monday, December 28, 2009
How Would Proportional Representation Change Canadian Politics?
I haven't posted anything new lately because I spent nearly two months travelling through China. The trip gave me new experiences that will find its way into my work soon. I have big plans for 2010 and hope to have more to share with you soon.
I have posted a new article I wrote: How Would Proportional Representation Change Canadian Politics?
It came about as the result of watching a discussion on TV about how to make Candian democracy work better.
Please have a look at one of my old strories: Distraction
I have posted a new article I wrote: How Would Proportional Representation Change Canadian Politics?
It came about as the result of watching a discussion on TV about how to make Candian democracy work better.
Please have a look at one of my old strories: Distraction
Monday, October 19, 2009
Dynamic Lethargy Films - Newsletter - 2009 October 19
Newsletter 2009 October 19
I've been busy the last month and have some new stuff to share with you.
Video
"The Whispers Come" is a short video about being independent. You can watch it here:
http://www.openfilm.com/videos/the_whispers_come/
Story
"Billy's Big Discovery" is a short story about a young boy who wants to be a scientist and make a big discovery. Things do not always turn out the way we would like them to. The first six people who read this all posted comments.Feel free to add more comments. You can read it here:
http://authspot.com/short-stories/billy%e2%80%99s-big-discovery/
Articles
The Guess Who were my favourite band when I was in high school. Here is some trivia about them:
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/176954_guess-who-trivia
I posted a blog about an old idea I had for a movie. I called it "Boomtown - Busttown". It is about a young man who comes to Calgary during a boom, but has trouble when the economy goes bust. You can read it here:
http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog/?p=47
Song
The song "Happy Birthday" is still protected under copyright, so I wanted to write a happy birthday song that I could use without having to worry about buying the rights. You may recognise the tune.
http://www.loudio.com/Music/Electronic/Happy-Birthday-Its-Your-Day.1049615
Other News
My film "My Most Difficult Case" now has a page on the Internet Movie Database and I added a trailer that you can watch. You can watch it here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1496810/
Someone suggested that I make a movie like "Before Sunrise" ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112471/). I watched it a couple of times and I am now developing a story based this suggestion. It won't be exactly alike, but then there wouldn't be much point remaking a movie that was aready done.
I changed my website to add a DONATE button so people who wanted to support me could do so. I also added a UNDONATE button so people who did not want to support me could do so as well.
I hope you enjoy my work. If you know anyone who might find these interesting, please pass this along to them.
James Beattie Morison
www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Boom town – Bust town
During the late 1970s and early 1980s Calgary was experiencing a huge boom and people were moving here from all over Canada. I was one of those people. In 1982/1983 the boom went bust. Many people lost their jobs. While I did not lose my job, I was very worried at the time. The story is partially autobiographical, but I made life for my character harder than I had it.
The story begins with a young engineering graduate named Richard moving to Calgary. He says goodbye to his best friend Brian, who is staying in their hometown. Richard plans to work in Calgary for a few years, get some experience, make some money and then go back home for his real career.
Calgary turns out to be different from what Richard expects and it takes him some time to adjust. He feels like he is the only one who is having difficulty. A few years go by and he is more established and comfortable.
Then one day the company lays him off. This is a shock to Richard. He has always seen his self worth in the work that he does. Now he has nothing to give his life value.
In the film, his wife’s first appearance would be when he loses his job. She comes home from her work. It is bright and sunny outside. The camera follows her into the house. She goes to the living room, which has the curtains drawn and the lights off. Richard is sitting in a chair with his head in his hands. She asks him what happened. He tells her he lost his job. The camera backs out of the house the way it came. Now, outside, the sky has clouded up and rain has started to fall.
The rest of the story follows Richard as he starts his own business with a friend. More importantly, he shifts the focus of his life away from his work to his relationship with his wife and his friendships.
At the end of the film, Richard is still struggling financially. Brian, his old friend from University visits from back home. Brian tells him of a career opportunity in their hometown. Richard thanks his friend, but says, “My life is here now.”
The story begins with a young engineering graduate named Richard moving to Calgary. He says goodbye to his best friend Brian, who is staying in their hometown. Richard plans to work in Calgary for a few years, get some experience, make some money and then go back home for his real career.
Calgary turns out to be different from what Richard expects and it takes him some time to adjust. He feels like he is the only one who is having difficulty. A few years go by and he is more established and comfortable.
Then one day the company lays him off. This is a shock to Richard. He has always seen his self worth in the work that he does. Now he has nothing to give his life value.
In the film, his wife’s first appearance would be when he loses his job. She comes home from her work. It is bright and sunny outside. The camera follows her into the house. She goes to the living room, which has the curtains drawn and the lights off. Richard is sitting in a chair with his head in his hands. She asks him what happened. He tells her he lost his job. The camera backs out of the house the way it came. Now, outside, the sky has clouded up and rain has started to fall.
The rest of the story follows Richard as he starts his own business with a friend. More importantly, he shifts the focus of his life away from his work to his relationship with his wife and his friendships.
At the end of the film, Richard is still struggling financially. Brian, his old friend from University visits from back home. Brian tells him of a career opportunity in their hometown. Richard thanks his friend, but says, “My life is here now.”
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