Writing, writing, & MORE writing
It's been always impressed on my mind that a film is as good as it's writing, and that's somewhat true. I'm no William Golden, but I do know good writing when I see it, or better yet read it. My first film was an attempt to get it done. The story had some interesting points and I tried to make it interesting. For some who have viewed Deadly Obsessions I've succeeded, but I do have my own criticism of my own work. Film is a visual medium, and while making it I tried to be as visual as I can. The dialogue was heavy, and the actors did a fantastic job with it. Given more time I believe the film would have been a bit better, but time is your enemy, and with every tick of the clock more money is spent, and since money was limited so was our time.
So as I'm writing my second feature I'm more and more looking at the written word, and since I have more resources open to me due to making the first film I'll be able to make a tighter film. I've been looking at different films lately from mostly European filmmakers. One filmmaker who has caught my eye, and interest is Claude Chabrol. He is often referred to as the French Hichcock, and his films deal with the suspense, and drama. Chabrols's name is associated with his criticism in Cashiers du Cinema, and the rise to the French New Wave. It is no secret that I am a fan of this era, and this period in cinema history.
I've been criticized for being to heavy on the dialogue, but in my case dialogue moves the story, and it's cheap. So I'm treating my next project carefully, and trying to get the writing as good as I can get it. What I'm most interested in is when I give it to the actors. I've pared down the players for the next one, and it'll stand on it's own only if the actors make it believable. Like I said before had I time on the first movie I would have wanted the actors to work with it a bit more. But what came out of the rehearsal, and the time I spent with them was pure gold. Even the crew helped in staging a scene, and it helped. So I'm really looking forward to working with actors again. It's what really makes a project bearable. I've never really liked the writing part, but I do know that it is the word that is essential. Without structure a film can fall apart, but sometimes in editing you can create a structure and a pacing of the story that you originally never had in the script. BUT you still need the story, and the story is what it's all about.
How I'll do this, and when is a question I even don't know, but I continue to plug along because it's the only thing I know how to do. Any other way would be tantamount to surrender, and I just don't know how to do that.
So as I'm writing my second feature I'm more and more looking at the written word, and since I have more resources open to me due to making the first film I'll be able to make a tighter film. I've been looking at different films lately from mostly European filmmakers. One filmmaker who has caught my eye, and interest is Claude Chabrol. He is often referred to as the French Hichcock, and his films deal with the suspense, and drama. Chabrols's name is associated with his criticism in Cashiers du Cinema, and the rise to the French New Wave. It is no secret that I am a fan of this era, and this period in cinema history.
I've been criticized for being to heavy on the dialogue, but in my case dialogue moves the story, and it's cheap. So I'm treating my next project carefully, and trying to get the writing as good as I can get it. What I'm most interested in is when I give it to the actors. I've pared down the players for the next one, and it'll stand on it's own only if the actors make it believable. Like I said before had I time on the first movie I would have wanted the actors to work with it a bit more. But what came out of the rehearsal, and the time I spent with them was pure gold. Even the crew helped in staging a scene, and it helped. So I'm really looking forward to working with actors again. It's what really makes a project bearable. I've never really liked the writing part, but I do know that it is the word that is essential. Without structure a film can fall apart, but sometimes in editing you can create a structure and a pacing of the story that you originally never had in the script. BUT you still need the story, and the story is what it's all about.
How I'll do this, and when is a question I even don't know, but I continue to plug along because it's the only thing I know how to do. Any other way would be tantamount to surrender, and I just don't know how to do that.
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