Should I listen to other people when they say don't direct my first feature film?

[ironpony]

Basically I am trying to break into the movie directing business and started working on other people's movies, usually as either an editor or a production sound mixer, and made a couple of short films of my own, along with a 3rd and hopefully 4th on the way.

 

After that I was going to direct my first feature film but everyone is discouraging me out of it, saying that I am crazy for risking so much money on it, when I haven't hardly had any experience working on professional studio industry or sets, since I have not lived in L.A., Vancouver, etc.

 

But people are really telling me it's a bad idea and that I need to learn to crawl before I can run. One person is actually begging me not to, and I feel that it's really me against the world, and it's very discouraging.

 

But now I feel that everyone is trying to stop me cause they care, but not sure if I should listen or not. One said that I am not following my dreams, but rather, following my delusions and another one also said I am delusional. But what do you think?

[basil67]

Basically I am trying to break into the movie directing business and started working on other people's movies, usually as either an editor or a production sound mixer, and made a couple of short films of my own, along with a 3rd and hopefully 4th on the way.

 

After that I was going to direct my first feature film but everyone is discouraging me out of it, saying that I am crazy for risking so much money on it, when I haven't hardly had any experience working on professional studio industry or sets, since I have not lived in L.A., Vancouver, etc.

 

But people are really telling me it's a bad idea and that I need to learn to crawl before I can run. One person is actually begging me not to, and I feel that it's really me against the world, and it's very discouraging.

 

But now I feel that everyone is trying to stop me cause they care, but not sure if I should listen or not. One said that I am not following my dreams, but rather, following my delusions and another one also said I am delusional. But what do you think?

 

Have your short films gained critical acclaim in short film festivals etc?

 

Do you have a feature film idea which is ready to be directed and produced? Does anyone in the industry think that your idea has the potential to be successful?

 

If not, then start at the beginning - not in the end.

[quankanne]

After that I was going to direct my first feature film but everyone is discouraging me out of it, saying that I am crazy for risking so much money on it, when I haven't hardly had any experience working on professional studio industry or sets, since I have not lived in L.A., Vancouver, etc.

 

interesting. My editor (of the small newspaper that I retired from, but still freelance for) is a screenwriter/director, and she started out with small projects and though they haven't garnered national attention, they are helping her work out the bugs (so to speak) with directing, because they're a learning process. And no, we are nowhere NEAR a big city, and yeah, her films have been done in smaller towns (100K populations and less), using friends to produce and act in them.

 

so I say if you are serious about wanting to do this, then go for it. You don't have to be in a big city ... it's about the learning process, not where you are when you create that film. When it's time to do the big-city scene, you'll be ready.

 

good luck, and God bless you in your endeavors!

[ironpony]

No they haven't one any awards or gotten acclaim, I just submitted them and never heard anything back. But I feel I shouldn't let that be the deciding factor, on whether or not to achieve my goal and make the feature.

 

Everyone keeps telling me that I am young and I am just starting out and need experience, but I am 33 and hate my career and want a to finally get into a business I like. I feel that in order to achieve that goal, I have to start making a feature right away, rather than make shorts for like 10 years or what not.

 

I mean I am older so feel that I have to get moving fast, if I want to be what I want to be, compared to being younger, and having a lot more time.

 

Even a person in the industry I met today, said that since I am older, I have to be much more aggressive in the business, compared to a younger filmmaker. As for the big city scene, I don't feel I need that to shoot a feature, and feel I can do it where I live now. But others think I could use the big city for some reason.

 

As for feature film ideas, I have a couple and writing the scripts, with rewrites in the process. As for whether or not they are good ideas to be produced into movies, I have gotten mixed opinions from awful to awesome, and I was told by someone in the industry, that that's normal and you just have to listen to the people who like it and go with your gut that they will be right.

Edited June 17, 2018 by ironpony

[Soak]

I think you should market-research your plot idea / script with friends and acquaintences once you are done writing your script. Don't give it to a studio to read as they will likely rip you off if you have a good idea.

 

In short, i think you should write the script. Make sure it meets all the elements of good screen-writing, such as intro, body and conclusion (three act structure) and that you think your idea has legs. Refine, refine and refine. Then i'd say to go for it! What have you got to lose? If you decide on your budget beforehand, it shouldn't be a problem. Say, for example, you have a $10k budget.. Ten thousand dollars in five years time will seem like nothing. Most people spend $3.5k on a hobby each year (on average). $10k over five years is $2k for each year.

 

Research low budget, start up movies. They are probably few and far between. I think Blair Witch Project was one, and SAW was a low budget movie that took off.

 

No risk, no reward. You could put it on YouTube, but what i'd do first is that once it's produced, i'd provide teasers to YouTube to build momentum. You could even do it in three parts to build suspense.

 

Make sure you have a killer idea though.

 

But, yeah, i believe you should pair your intuition with real-world research. In other words, creativity meets pragmatism.

Edited June 17, 2018 by Soak

[d0nnivain]

Entrepreneurs take CALCULATED risks.

 

Every industry is different & every industry has conventional wisdom about how to do things. Those steps don't work for everybody & sometimes you need to shake things up.

 

Before doing this you probably need to do some more research & planning. Do continue to talk to people. Read books on the subject & basic business concepts. Make a budget, revise the budget upwards by at least 20-25%. Calculate how much money can you afford to lose. I understand industry norms are about $11,000 per minute of film. If you sink $750k into this project (2 hours at $6,000 per minute), can you still live if it fails? Once you know the budgeting then you can make an informed decision.

Edited June 17, 2018 by d0nnivain

[BaronChairman]

Yes, it's insane. But everyone who was able to break into filmmaking and make a career of it started somewhere. You have to take a few calculated risks just to establish yourself, because this isn't an industry where you walking into a store with a "Now Hiring" sign in the window.

[JDJ]

It is hard to know which route is best, but any feature film can be a hit these days. You could be the next Tommy Wiseau!

[clia]

Well, Kevin Smith did it. Quentin Tarantino did it. Richard Linklater did it. So, it's not unheard of to attempt what you want to do.

 

The bigger question is how are you going to finance it? Is your budget cheap enough that you can finance it on your own, or are you going to need investors? Where do you plan to shoot it, how do you plan to cast it, etc.? Are you also writing the screenplay?

[bathtub-row]

When Jaws was done, it was done on a tight budget. I say, go for your dreams but don’t break the bank.

[gaius]

I just hear you talking about how you want to direct a feature, rather than you have a great idea that would work best as a full length movie. The greats usually had some awesome ideas and writing to back up their long shot goals.

 

I would try and write something you can sell first, if you can achieve that then maybe you can get some investors into a production with you as director. If everyone is telling you not to do this, nobody is paying attention to anything you've done so far and you can't get anyone to invest then you're probably not going to make this into any kind of real career unfortunately.

[JDJ]

If everyone is telling you not to do this, nobody is paying attention to anything you've done so far and you can't get anyone to invest then you're probably not going to make this into any kind of real career unfortunately.

 

Do you think Wiseau listened to talk like that?

[bathtub-row]

I wanted to add -- it's rarely a good idea to listen to others when you talk about taking risks and going out on your own. It scares the daylights out of most people.

 

The advice that d0nnivain gave about taking calculated risks is excellent. If you really want this, you need to be in the frame of mind where you won't take no for an answer. The expression about 'where there's a will, there's a way' is very, very true. Even if you fall flat on your face, you'll at least know you tried. The truth is, even if you fail to some degree, you'll learn from it and it actually could open doors you wouldn't have opened to you otherwise. I write novels. It's my true passion. The more I write, the more books I put out there, the better I get and the more experienced I become. What I struggled with 5 years ago is a breeze to me now. And I am SO proud of those projects. Few things have ever made me so happy. And you'll feel the same way. Nothing can replace action, or hands-on doing.

 

I fully encourage you to follow this dream of yours because it's your fuel, it's what drives you, it's your life blood.

[Soak]

Blair Witch Project cost $60k to make.

 

Edit: SAW promo cost $5k to make, which was then shopped to a studio to get more funding.

Edited June 19, 2018 by Soak

[JDJ]

The Room, on the other hand, cost $6 million.

[ironpony]

When Jaws was done, it was done on a tight budget. I say, go for your dreams but don’t break the bank.

 

Okay thanks. However, I may have to break the bank as I would most likely have to sell my house to get the movie made, and then if it doesn't make back any money, live off paying rent the rest of my life most likely.

 

I just hear you talking about how you want to direct a feature, rather than you have a great idea that would work best as a full length movie. The greats usually had some awesome ideas and writing to back up their long shot goals.

 

I would try and write something you can sell first, if you can achieve that then maybe you can get some investors into a production with you as director. If everyone is telling you not to do this, nobody is paying attention to anything you've done so far and you can't get anyone to invest then you're probably not going to make this into any kind of real career unfortunately.

 

Well I wrote a couple of scripts so far, and keep on revising the one I want to make the most. Whether or not they are good ideas, it's hard to say, since I have gotten opinions that have ranged from aweful, to awesome, and not sure how it would turn out cause of the wide range of opinions.

 

One filmmaker told me this was normal to get mixed opinions as everyone's opinion is going to be different, and I just have to trust that it would be good, and just make it, if that's a good idea.

[bathtub-row]

I’m assuming you don’t have a wife and kids. What you’re planning is an extreme risk but I’m not going to say it’s insane or anything like that. You just have to weigh the cost if you don’t succeed right away. In other words, what’s plan B? If there is no plan B, what will you do to promote your movie? Are there people you can approach now for funding?

[bathtub-row]

I just stumbled on this on Craigslist and thought of you. Maybe it’ll give you some ideas about funding.

 

https://houston.craigslist.org/rej/d/commission-on-completed-faith/6615398254.html

[clia]

Did you ever see American Movie? It's a documentary about a guy making an independent horror movie and all the setbacks and difficulties he experiences along the way. You might find it interesting.

[d0nnivain]

What about getting investors or setting up a Go Fund Me page? Heck didn't the Veronica Mars movie get made that way & they had TV "box office" behind them & legions of Marsmellows.

[Soak]

The other thing is that it takes people to make movies. You've got to think about whether you can juggle all the different personalities involved as they can be difficult!

[ironpony]

Okay thanks, I could try crowdfunding, but other filmmakers that I have worked under before have tried it, and didn't get enough for a whole movie. So I am just preparing for the worst, if I have to pay for it myself.

 

Plus I had asking people for money as well.

 

As for juggling personalities, I hope I can. I am going to have to with actors and crew for sure, but when it comes to post-production, I am going to try to take on a lot of those duties, so I have more control, since I am doing a lot it myself, and hopefully less hassle with other people therefore.

[bathtub-row]

Crowd funding probably isn’t the way to go. Maybe you could find someone who’s willing to invest in your movie. It’s hard to give you an answer on this because I don’t have the experience in this arena. If it were me, I would get as close to the source as possible. Meaning that I’d try to connect with people in Hollywood via a forum or something along those lines, people with experience, etc.

 

Before you break the bank, I’d recommend that you exhaust all other possibilities or learn enough that you have an extremely good chance at success once you do your movie. Maybe you’ve already done that.

[ironpony]

Okay thanks, I have no idea what my chance of success is, but I feel really anxious to do it, and have this now or never mentality about it, cause the more I keep putting it off, the more I regret it, and sick of working in a career I have hated all my life in comparison and want to get out.

 

I could try exhausting all other possibilities first, but I would like to finally achieve this goal and do not want to take years at finding other ways though, cause I feel I am getting too anxious about it and want to get it done as well, instead of keep putting it off. I don't think anyone in Hollywood would invest in a newcomer, but I suppose I could try.

[anika99]

Do you think Wiseau listened to talk like that?

 

Oh, hai Mark.

 

OP, you get one life and you have to live it the way you want. Now I'm not saying that means you should run right out and start this project. I'm saying that when you do make a final decision it should be based on what you feel and think, not on what others say.

 

You know that in taking this risk you could go on to become successful in the industry, or you could end up with literally nothing. No house, no money, no career. You might even go bankrupt.If you lose everything will you be able to live with that? Will you be able to emotionally and mentally bounce back and still be a relatively happy stable person? Some people can bounce back from anything life throws at them. Nothing can keep them down and they move on from failure easily. Other people are never the same after a huge setback. They become bitter, cynical and angry at the whole world.

 

So on the off chance that your endeavour does not become a smashing success and you end up with even less than you have now, can you live with that?