KARMA-(Haik)

'Cinema Was the Thing That Saved Me'

"If you’re ever really going to write and direct movies and get your own movies made you have to be, you know, a hustler. You got to be, kind of, obsessively motivated. School’s not going to teach you that or  give you those skills. You just kind of have to do it." - Richard Linklater

Filmmaking Advice from One Producer to Another.

Trite but True ?

Scott Macaulay shared a few pointers he had received from fellow producers over the years — wisdom that he initially dismissed as eye-roll inducing industry platitudes that had little relevance in the real world of filmmaking. But over the course of his career, he found that their words held much more weight than he previously thought. If the advice given to Macaulay is reduced to its base elements, I think that what remains are universal and beneficial lessons for all creatives, namely filmmakers — important guidance that if considered, may offer a new perspective of the industry, and help steady your footing as a filmmaker.

Originally published almost 10 years ago,Maculay's describes these words of wisdom as “vague, counterintuitive, or just plain silly,” even ”Erma Bombeck-ish.” From the perspective of a producer, the advice seems too simple, too trite to carry the weight of a complex and merciless industry, but Macaulay explains how powerful it became later on in his career.

"When seeking financing for a film, don’t get people to say “yes.” Get them to say “no” and move on."

Macaulay describes how working with a flakey person hurt his project, because he was able to convince himself that “their ‘yes’ was truly a ‘yes’,” instead of accepting that perhaps the individual just wasn’t that interested in the project. Which, at its base, says: Work with people who match or exceed your passion.

My NTU Expo film

Expo film

26 of the Greatest Movies According to Director David Fincher!!!!!!

David Fincher's films are known for many things, but being traditional isn’t one of them. His grim themes, low-key lighting, and aversion to happy endings work in tandem with unusual subject matter, which makes for some bleak filmmaking. The genius of Fincher is found in his ability to tap into the beautiful dark side of humanity, evoking fear, anger, and intrigue with his audience. So, what kinds of films does a director of his caliber see as important pieces of cinema? In a hand-written note, Fincher lists 26 of what he considers the greatest movies, ranging from a seemingly obvious influence, Taxi Driver, to ones that seem to come out of left field, like Animal House.

This list has been making its rounds for a while, but thanks to Cinephilia and Beyond, it has resurfaced. Looking at the list, I found myself racking my brain to find something that connected them all. Leave it to an amateur to try to make sense of an iconic filmmaker’s movie preferences without any insight. However, some light is shone on his cinematic sensibilities when considering what he said about the difference between"movies" and "film".  

according to list i learn a lot :"mise-en-scene" form The Graduate. 

a Computer Screen Short Cuts Canada Festival 2013 anylsis mise-en-scene

Noah tells the story of a boy, a girl, a Facebook account, and the new vistas of communication we are living with every day. Created by Canadian film students Walter Woodman and Patrick Cederberg ,the film recently debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. 

A film just computer screen, the setup for the story is as old as love stories: a boy and girl ponder their imminent separation (going away to college), but everything we see is mediated through the boy’s computer screen — the Skype window he uses to chat with his girlfriend, the Facebook chats he has with friends, even a brief dalliance with Chatroulette can all be considered to be “sets” the filmmakers used to make their movie.

MA phase research question Survey