Donate to help run the site
and get a custom "Supporting Member" forum member title.
Welcome to Studentfilms.com, the online film discussion forum for filmmakers and students who are applying to film school, attending film school, need advice on making films, or just want to share their films with the world.
I have taken the website offline until the film is finished. When it is completed I will put it on here.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Samsuperfly,
Posts: 40 | Location: New Zealand | Registered: May 27, 2005
Wow. Have you been reading any of the posts on the need for originality?
-The faux "production company" bumpers at the beginning... *did I spot the Ferrari logo? Are you serious? -The casting of teenagers to play hard-boiled, dirty, tough gangsters doing a drug deal or money exchange. * "The money's all there. One million. This zit cream better be worth every penny." -The copyrighted music. * "Dude, listen to this...totally rad. by Hans Zimmer...hmm...I doubt anyone would recognize it anyway."
I know it's hard to resist the urge to play pretend but come on...this has been done a thousand times over...and over...and over..you're eighteen for chrissake! You should use your newfound maturity to write creative, original, thought-provoking and/or entertaining screenplays, not to buy Airsoft guns and black spraypaint.
The fifteen year-old with the leather gloves and trench coat did it in for me. Whew, oh man...catching my breath...
The creator of The Businessman (a movie about--surprise!--people in trenchcoats with guns), who was obnoxious enough to claim that his film is "the most ambitious student film ever", has an ego so big he has to stuff the excess in professionally bound DVD cases which he will gladly sell to you for the price of a professional DVD. Is the product professional? Well, erm...no. But because the guy spent more money on his film than a lot of others that are ironically better and more original in every conceivable way, that gives him automatic privileges to assume that the only people worthy enough to see it are the ones willing to fork out twelve dollars. For that money I could rent three episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000! That way, I'd still be watching a horrible movie, but there'd at least be reason to laugh! This Film This other film(more guys in trenchcoats with guns....spotting a trend here?) Oh, and this criminally derivative yawnfest are exactly what's driving down student filmmaker's credibility.
I'm sorry to burst like this but I just can't take it any longer. I may well just never visit this site again. And move to a place where creativity thrives. Like Japan.
At least this one has the balls to admit it's cliche.
Can't you see where you fit in? *rant over*
Now I see where I'm going to get lambasted for flaming and trolling and strolling and rolling and selling fake Rolex's, as this site does not condone these things and is a place to harbor good healthy filmmaking advice, but I said something I felt honestly needed to be said. You can ignore me; in fact I encourage you, I think student filmmakers have to go through a period in which they uncreatively emulate that in which they hold respect. But please, please--please--always remember to return to ideas that are truly yours. You are a filmmaker to share your imagination with others, not to try to impress them by playing Michael Bay dress-up.This message has been edited. Last edited by: funkbomb,
Wow. Have you been reading any of the posts on the need for originality?
-The faux "production company" bumpers at the beginning... *did I spot the Ferrari logo? Are you serious? -The casting of teenagers to play hard-boiled, dirty, tough gangsters doing a drug deal or money exchange. * "The money's all there. One million. This zit cream better be worth every penny." -The copyrighted music. * "Dude, listen to this...totally rad. by Hans Zimmer...hmm...I doubt anyone would recognize it anyway."
I know it's hard to resist the urge to play pretend but come on...this has been done a thousand times over...and over...and over..you're eighteen for chrissake! You should use your newfound maturity to write creative, original, thought-provoking and/or entertaining screenplays, not to buy Airsoft guns and black spraypaint.
The fifteen year-old with the leather gloves and trench coat did it in for me. Whew, oh man...catching my breath...
The creator of The Businessman (a movie about--surprise!--people in trenchcoats with guns), who was obnoxious enough to claim that his film is "the most ambitious student film ever", has an ego so big he has to stuff the excess in professionally bound DVD cases which he will gladly sell to you for the price of a professional DVD. Is the product professional? Well, erm...no. But because the guy spent more money on his film than a lot of others that are ironically better and more original in every conceivable way, that gives him automatic privileges to assume that the only people worthy enough to see it are the ones willing to fork out twelve dollars. For that money I could rent three episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000! That way, I'd still be watching a horrible movie, but there'd at least be reason to laugh! This Film This other film(more guys in trenchcoats with guns....spotting a trend here?) Oh, and this criminally derivative yawnfest are exactly what's driving down student filmmaker's credibility.
I'm sorry to burst like this but I just can't take it any longer. I may well just never visit this site again. And move to a place where creativity thrives. Like Japan.
At least this one has the balls to admit it's cliche.
Can't you see where you fit in? *rant over*
Now I see where I'm going to get lambasted for flaming and trolling and strolling and rolling and selling fake Rolex's, as this site does not condone these things and is a place to harbor good healthy filmmaking advice, but I said something I felt honestly needed to be said. You can ignore me; in fact I encourage you, I think student filmmakers have to go through a period in which they uncreatively emulate that in which they hold respect. But please, please--please--always remember to return to ideas that are truly yours. You are a filmmaker to share your imagination with others, not to try to impress them by playing Michael Bay dress-up.
Thats not very nice to the people who made those heart warming tales of compassion aww who am i kidding i think i heard someones voice crack in there....
FizixProductions.Hostmatrix.org-----"There is suffeincy in the for man's need but not for mans greed"M.Ghandi --------"We need an energy bill that encurages consumtion..."G.W.Bush
Posts: 251 | Location: bill nye's town | Registered: November 25, 2005
Alright.... alright.... alright.... tell us how you REALLY feel
I agree you with you in theory, but a cliched film does not a bad filmmaker make. I myself was guilty of many of these sins. My first film (a feature, made between the ages of 14 and 17) had many of these aspects in it. Kids in adult roles. Guns and trenchcoats. I like to think it was pretty creative too. It wasn't only about guns and trenchcoats. They were in a few scenes. I had it bound up into a professional DVD case and box. I had a production company logo. And guess what... I sold every copy of that DVD at profit. Ticket sales and DVD sales in my local area recouped my budget. Snippets of the movie got me into Tisch, and now I'm making movies with grown men in trench coats with guns more creative and original themes. I've begun to think that the horrible student film is an important step on the road of film life. We've all got one or two of them in us.
"If not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled." Wodehouse
Posts: 5203 | Location: Tisch at New York University | Registered: June 03, 2003
Haha. I have little to add to my argument. I meant it when I said rant over.
I think the farthest I ever went down that road was a lightsaber duel. That must've been when I was around 15. If you can call Ace Ramano "kids playing dress-up" then yes I guess I'm guilty of it too, but it was a comedy and I don't think any of us actually took it seriously. I hope not. All our actors wore big fake mustaches.
As I said in the previous post, I too think that this imitation thing is an inevitable and not altogether bad part of a filmmaker's growth but goshdarn, what little that does to curb my frustration...
Originally posted by titaniumdoughnut: Alright.... alright.... alright.... tell us how you REALLY feel
I agree you with you in theory, but a cliched film does not a bad filmmaker make. I myself was guilty of many of these sins. My first film (a feature, made between the ages of 14 and 17) had many of these aspects in it. Kids in adult roles. Guns and trenchcoats. I like to think it was pretty creative too. It wasn't only about guns and trenchcoats. They were in a few scenes. I had it bound up into a professional DVD case and box. I had a production company logo. And guess what... I sold every copy of that DVD at profit. Ticket sales and DVD sales in my local area recouped my budget. Snippets of the movie got me into Tisch, and now I'm making movies with grown men in trench coats with guns more creative and original themes. I've begun to think that the horrible student film is an important step on the road of film life. We've all got one or two of them in us.
I agree that we all have to go through that stage. I did too, but for me it involved kids dressed in Roman armor wielding swords and trebuchets, rather than trenchcoats and guns, but it was crappy and cliche all the same. But like TD, I got something out of it. We screened at multiple sold-out venues and made all of our money back, and the lessons I learned from the three-year experience are lessons that I still use today as a "serious" film student. It was an important step for me and I think it's an important step for all of us.
However, a crucial part of that step is the reality check, and thats why we have funkbomb.
Whilst I do strongly agree with your points funkbomb. I have in ifact thought about making a film that relates to topics and problems of my age group, but we are not professional actors or film makers. Therefore surely it is better to make a film that is "cliche" where the acting is relativley good seeing as we have watched these kind of films and are familiar with the characters, rather than making a serious drama in which the acting is bad. And by the way, just because the back ground concept isnt original, does not mean the story isnt, and like titaniumdoughnut said, just because it is a "cliche" does not make it a bad film. I mean you sound like a 50 year old script write who doesn't like the "new hollywood" way. The way I see it, I make films to cast away from every day problems, why do people need to be reminded of their problems at home? In my view, films are supposed to be a fun process. Thanks for your advice I will take it on board, even if i didn't ask for it, but judge it by the film not the concept behind it.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Samsuperfly,
Posts: 40 | Location: New Zealand | Registered: May 27, 2005