Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Big, Pure-Hearted Babies



Move over King James, there's a new Bible in town.

I bought Digital Filmmaking 101 2nd ed for Brandon for his birthday. I then took it from him and am in the process of reading it cover to cover. It tells you, yes, You, that guy who busses tables at Little Jimmy's Breakfast and Lotto Shack and owns no equipment beyond a pencil and a pair of pants how to make a feature length film for less than $8,000 dollars. From purchasing the camera, computer and editing software to feeding your cast and crew, this book tells you how to do it.

It's not some philosophical exercise on the nobility of bringing your Vision to film, it's a practical, tough-love guide to making a movie. It doesn't tell you you're beautiful and if you just dream hard enough and have a pure heart, your movie will come true. Rather, it tells you if you really want to make this movie, but you also really want a new pair of shoes and you aren't willing to sacrifice the latter, then you really don't want to make a movie... And you should probably go do something else, you pure-hearted big-dreaming baby.

Good Stuff. Real Good Stuff.

Naturally, there are things that will and will not apply to this particular production. For instance, the $8,000 budget. We're already there and we don't even have a script yet. And we've already broken the authors' most adamant piece of advice. We used our credit card. I know it is wrong and I will pay for it later (in accordance with my credit member agreement). But that's it! The rest of this film will be beggared, borrowed, stolen, free, or almost free.

I am a convert to the gospel of these two men. Can I get a hallelujah?

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