So, every week this semester I’ve used this column to write about movies and I’m going to do the same thing this week. If that surprises you, you’re reading the wrong column.
However, up until this week, I’ve written about the finished products, the films as they are when they reach the big screen. Prepare yourselves for something slightly different.
Now, some of you may be sitting out there scratching your heads and saying to yourselves, “Man, movies are cool and all, but how do they get made? How do they do those ridiculous things they do onscreen? How does somebody even begin to start making them, and where can they learn how?”
Or maybe you’re sitting there wondering if I’m ever going to shut up about movies; I don’t really know. Either way, there’s an answer to your question.
If you’re in the second group, then the answer is no, no I’m not. Sorry, but I’m a film columnist, and it’s my job. If you’re in the first group, keep reading. Whether you merely have a personal interest in movies or are looking at a potential career in making them, I’ve got some knowledge for you here.
As for how to get into the actual industry, it’s pretty simple. All you have to do is already have an established body of work you can use on your resume and already know a bunch of higher ups and powerful types in Hollywood who will give you a leg up. Easy.
Of course, if you want to go a more boring, “realistic” route, your best bet is to get as much work as you can on any indie film shoot you find, make friends in the industry and gain experience. I’m in the process of that right now, and it’s essentially a perpetual internship. With 15-hour days. It’s pretty awesome.
Getting experience is only the first part of the process though. Beyond that, you need to be able to actually produce a decent film, assuming you eventually get the opportunity to do so.
Now, a lot of people eventually give up on the whole “interning your way to a major studio and praying that somebody decides to just give you a chance to make your own movie” system. But it’s these ambitious individuals that produced the independent movie scene for us.
The DIY movie industry is probably the best thing to happen to film in a long time. It has allowed filmmakers to break conventions, to be experimental and to establish themselves while working with a small budget. Oftentimes they also have little experience.
Most people in the film business tend to look to Kevin Smith’s “Clerks” as the model for this method. He made the movie with no experience and a handful of his friends in a gas station, on a budget of about $27,000 that he raised by selling his comic book collection, asking for family donations and maxing out credit cards. “Clerks” went on to make over $3 million, and Smith is now one of the better-known indie directors working today.
However, this doesn’t answer the question of how to go about learning the art of filmmaking. If you can raise enough money, you can rent a camera and point it at things, but unless you’re Quentin Tarantino and manage to just absorb everything about every movie ever due to what I can only assume is a deal with some evil entity or demon of some sort, you might want to think about actually studying film before jumping in.
There is, again, the “traditional” route of going to film school, studying films, taking production classes and spending a lot of time and effort on something you have a very slight chance of ever being really successful in. We’re not going to talk about that, because it’s what I’m doing and these thoughts depress me.
However, if you’re only casually interested in how these awesome movies are made, or would like to learn more without having to invest time and a college education on it, then there’s a very thoughtful group of filmmakers on the Internet who have just the thing.
Organizations like Film Riot (who have an amazing YouTube channel) or Madison’s own TrezyTV (check them out at trezy.tv) produce videos that break down exactly how filmmakers achieve different effects or techniques and teach you how you can do them yourself. The tutorials are totally free, informative, hilarious and a fantastic resource for anybody curious about film production. Aside from that, good luck. I know I’ll need it.
Got some words of encouragement for Austin on his filmmaking endeavors? Send your reassurance to this budding movie mogul at wellens@wisc.edu.
