If the audience is bored with your story and bored with your actor's performances then the shortcomings of your production is laid bare for criticism. A solid story and solid performances from your actors are your first line of defense against the harsh criticisms aimed at anything technical. Your amateur lighting, uninspired camera work, lean set design and even lack luster special effects can be forgiven, within reason, by a well told story.
Lacking a trained eye, I've enjoyed movies on the first viewing, then notice poor production on subsequent viewings. If I did notice something, I didn't care, because I was so wrapped up in what was happening in the story and to the characters I had already become emotionally involved with.
"Brick" is a good example of this. The filmmaker took some liberties with jump cuts and audio but I didn't care. I didn't notice most of them till later viewings. Also, have you seen the 2005 Sundance selection of "The Puffy Chair?" The story and actor performances were obviously what captured the audience's heart and attention.
Give your audience something to chew on. A lot of drama. A lot of conflict. A character they want to see succeed, or one they want to see fail miserably. If you can tell an emotionally moving story with three clip lights, a $200 camera, and your friend's apartment, then the only thing you're missing is a big budget.
I firmly believe your skills as a storyteller can be identified within a 5min no-budget video. At least enough to catch the eye of someone who knows what they are looking at and can possibly offer you an actual budget.
Always strive for the highest production value, but don't think that 'pretty pictures' are enough to save an emotionally starved story.
- JC Cocker
Monday, February 11, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Compassion Shouldn’t Sleep When Passion Runs Deep
While listening to the Director’s commentary, on even movies I hate, I find genuine passion behind them. I respect passion.
I understand that a ‘hack’ can write a script just for the money. A producer can get caught up in a project because his / her movie-star best friend wants to play the lead. An unknown director can accept the job just to pay the mortgage. And a distribution company can pick up the movie just because it’s cheap enough to fit a hole in their line up of summer releases. I understand how total pieces of crap can float down the pipe. Devoid of passion.
But if I know the filmmaker, I know his/her passion is there. I consider all the work it takes to make a piece of crap and remember to be impressed that I know another person with enough desire and passion to put themselves through the process. I praise what I can. We are a community. I want to be known as a supporter.
Now why bother with compassion for Hollywood movies we hate? It’s not like Hollywood cries if we have a hateful thought. Well, think of it this way. When we become well known filmmakers it will be in our best interest to have the habit of expressing our opinions of other filmmakers and their creations with diplomatic compassion.
Once we become a part of the larger, yet still very small, filmmaking community, we will understand how to maintain relationships and spare the burning of bridges. If we don’t learn to curb our blatant hate and discontent toward the creations of our peers, it’ll come back when it’s our baby on the chopping block. But, most likely we’ll just find ourselves friendless wondering why opportunities pass us by.
So, find something you can compliment, keep the peace, and continue to support each other.
- JC Cocker
I understand that a ‘hack’ can write a script just for the money. A producer can get caught up in a project because his / her movie-star best friend wants to play the lead. An unknown director can accept the job just to pay the mortgage. And a distribution company can pick up the movie just because it’s cheap enough to fit a hole in their line up of summer releases. I understand how total pieces of crap can float down the pipe. Devoid of passion.
But if I know the filmmaker, I know his/her passion is there. I consider all the work it takes to make a piece of crap and remember to be impressed that I know another person with enough desire and passion to put themselves through the process. I praise what I can. We are a community. I want to be known as a supporter.
Now why bother with compassion for Hollywood movies we hate? It’s not like Hollywood cries if we have a hateful thought. Well, think of it this way. When we become well known filmmakers it will be in our best interest to have the habit of expressing our opinions of other filmmakers and their creations with diplomatic compassion.
Once we become a part of the larger, yet still very small, filmmaking community, we will understand how to maintain relationships and spare the burning of bridges. If we don’t learn to curb our blatant hate and discontent toward the creations of our peers, it’ll come back when it’s our baby on the chopping block. But, most likely we’ll just find ourselves friendless wondering why opportunities pass us by.
So, find something you can compliment, keep the peace, and continue to support each other.
- JC Cocker
Friday, January 18, 2008
JC Cocker battles "Newbie Zombies"
I don’t feel like a wannabe filmmaker anymore! "Newbie Zombies" changed that. I just finished shooting my first short film with a fully departmentalized crew. My friends Neal Bryant and Jeremy Drake gave me my first opportunity to focus solely on directing. Instead of having to work out all the details myself, I had a DP, a camera operator, a gaffer, grips, make up and wardrobe, and actors that were not already my close friends. It provided me with a completely new learning experience. Neal and Jeremy tackled the job of making it look good while I worked closely with the actors.
You can’t make a good movie without an awesome script. Alex Blair, a student at Harding University in Searcy, AR, passed on a masterfully crafted comedy sketch entitled "Inexperienced Zombies." The story: "A close knit group of zombies corner a woman, and find themselves cornered as well when they awkwardly explain why they’re not interested in making a meal of her."
Alex had originally written it for a sketch comedy show that I attempted to produce for a local cable channel. It was never shot and I have been a huge fan of the script for more than a year. It was an honor and blast to direct. I only added two pages to the script, just to set up the zombies with their victim and to tie in the location we had available to us. The rest is pure gold from Alex Blair.
Working with the actors was the most rewarding part of the project for me. I had a wonderful selection of performers to choose from, thanks to Jeremy and his connections to an awesome pool of local actors. I especially enjoyed discussing the characters with the actors, approving makeup, working out the blocking, and overseeing the stunts for safety. Everything in general about directing the actors was my favorite part of the process. I figure that’s a good sign. Because that’s the only job a director can’t pawn off on anyone else.
I didn’t spend much time watching the monitor. Jeremy and Neal both found that odd. Our monitor was a 27" tube TV. Very heavy and too large to fit in the cramped spaces around the apartment we were shooting in. I didn’t want to bother climbing over the monitor after every take just to get to the actors. Because of the inconvenience and my overwhelming interest in guiding the actors’ performances, I didn’t use the monitor much.
I have heard conflicting opinions pertaining to a director and the monitor. One says your job as a director is to watch the monitor at all times to see what your getting, and another says you can’t nurture an actor’s performance while hiding behind the monitor. I have yet to make up my mind on which opinion I agree with. However, this being my first ‘focused’ directing effort, I learned two things. First, I realized that I was able to maintain an intimate relationship with the actors by always being near by, just out of camera shot, able to step in and give lavish praise and minor adjustments. Actors are emotionally needy creatures, so I knew this was a good idea.
Second, if you trust your Director of Photography to capture "pretty pictures," and you both agree on a single vision, then you can afford stay close to your talent. Instead of humping the monitor, you can give your actors some intimate attention instead. After a few checks at the monitor, I felt comfortable continuing multiple takes of a shot while trusting the DP.
For the tech-heads out there, we shot with a naked Cannon A1, capturing HDV onto MiniDV. We had it on a Mannfrotto head and legs that spent most of its time strapped to a doorway / track dolly running on track up to eight feet long for some shots.
The lights were a mixture of Lowell and Mole-Richardson brands. Brad Floyd and Landon Steward worked their magic with two 550watt, two 720watt and one 1000watt rated lights as Gaffer and Key Grip respectively.
Audio was fed directly into the camera from a single shotgun mic through out the shoot. The boom pole was manned masterfully by Avery Moorehead. And post production will be a Mac based process with the cutting done by Jeremy and Neal using Final Cut Pro. There will be a little bit of green screen trickery handled by the careful hands of Neal using After Effects on a Mac.
This chance to focus the bulk of my energy on directing actors was an exciting learning experience for me that I will never forget. Only with an awesome cast and crew, including my own friends and the generous friends of others, could this have been possible. My many sincere thanks go out to each and every one of them from the warmest depths of my heart.
- JC Cocker
You can’t make a good movie without an awesome script. Alex Blair, a student at Harding University in Searcy, AR, passed on a masterfully crafted comedy sketch entitled "Inexperienced Zombies." The story: "A close knit group of zombies corner a woman, and find themselves cornered as well when they awkwardly explain why they’re not interested in making a meal of her."
Alex had originally written it for a sketch comedy show that I attempted to produce for a local cable channel. It was never shot and I have been a huge fan of the script for more than a year. It was an honor and blast to direct. I only added two pages to the script, just to set up the zombies with their victim and to tie in the location we had available to us. The rest is pure gold from Alex Blair.
Working with the actors was the most rewarding part of the project for me. I had a wonderful selection of performers to choose from, thanks to Jeremy and his connections to an awesome pool of local actors. I especially enjoyed discussing the characters with the actors, approving makeup, working out the blocking, and overseeing the stunts for safety. Everything in general about directing the actors was my favorite part of the process. I figure that’s a good sign. Because that’s the only job a director can’t pawn off on anyone else.
I didn’t spend much time watching the monitor. Jeremy and Neal both found that odd. Our monitor was a 27" tube TV. Very heavy and too large to fit in the cramped spaces around the apartment we were shooting in. I didn’t want to bother climbing over the monitor after every take just to get to the actors. Because of the inconvenience and my overwhelming interest in guiding the actors’ performances, I didn’t use the monitor much.
I have heard conflicting opinions pertaining to a director and the monitor. One says your job as a director is to watch the monitor at all times to see what your getting, and another says you can’t nurture an actor’s performance while hiding behind the monitor. I have yet to make up my mind on which opinion I agree with. However, this being my first ‘focused’ directing effort, I learned two things. First, I realized that I was able to maintain an intimate relationship with the actors by always being near by, just out of camera shot, able to step in and give lavish praise and minor adjustments. Actors are emotionally needy creatures, so I knew this was a good idea.
Second, if you trust your Director of Photography to capture "pretty pictures," and you both agree on a single vision, then you can afford stay close to your talent. Instead of humping the monitor, you can give your actors some intimate attention instead. After a few checks at the monitor, I felt comfortable continuing multiple takes of a shot while trusting the DP.
For the tech-heads out there, we shot with a naked Cannon A1, capturing HDV onto MiniDV. We had it on a Mannfrotto head and legs that spent most of its time strapped to a doorway / track dolly running on track up to eight feet long for some shots.
The lights were a mixture of Lowell and Mole-Richardson brands. Brad Floyd and Landon Steward worked their magic with two 550watt, two 720watt and one 1000watt rated lights as Gaffer and Key Grip respectively.
Audio was fed directly into the camera from a single shotgun mic through out the shoot. The boom pole was manned masterfully by Avery Moorehead. And post production will be a Mac based process with the cutting done by Jeremy and Neal using Final Cut Pro. There will be a little bit of green screen trickery handled by the careful hands of Neal using After Effects on a Mac.
This chance to focus the bulk of my energy on directing actors was an exciting learning experience for me that I will never forget. Only with an awesome cast and crew, including my own friends and the generous friends of others, could this have been possible. My many sincere thanks go out to each and every one of them from the warmest depths of my heart.
- JC Cocker
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Jack Black Teaches Filmmaking!
Acceptable.TV is a portal site for amateur comedic shorts to be considered for inclusion in a 30 min VH1 show by the same name. But what caught my attention was JACK BLACK acting as a magical mentor for two wannabe filmmakers in the tutorials for the site. Check this out!
- JC Cocker
- JC Cocker
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Eli Roth is a Growing Boy!
If you have any respect for writer/director Eli Roth, or even if you don’t, I still want you to experience his energy and zest for his craft. In a recent podcast with Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s editor Jeff Goldsmith, Eli Roth discusses his writing technique and methods. You will notice that he uses some of the same techniques that I discussed in my last podcast, FMLE#2. I’m just saying that what I’m passing on to you is not just rehashed tips from stuffy old books; these techniques are alive and well in the current film world.
Eli Roth is someone I plan to watch closely. He is developing his craft right in front of our eyes, one movie at a time. You may not be a horror fan, and I’m not the biggest, but regardless Roth is growing and honing skills as a writer and as a director, and I find his progress very inspiring. Every chance you have to read or listen to an interview with him I suggest you do. It’s the opportunity to witness the growth of a storyteller that is of inspirational importance here, not necessarily his story’s subject matter.
Granted you always study the masters, but I would like you to find other up and coming filmmakers a few steps ahead of you, that you can draw inspiration from. Learn from their mistakes and successes. Watch them grow as an artist and a storyteller.
- JC Cocker
http://creativescreenwritingmagazine.blogspot.com/2007/06/hostel-2-q.html
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Hello Podcast Listeners! - FMLE #2
I’m glad you found your way over here. I’m gonna give it a try. I think a blog’ll come in handy. I can get some info across to you too dense for the podcast AND some lighter topics too of a more personal nature than found on the podcast.
I want to keep the podcast right where it’s been, tip rich and educational. But here I can loosen up a bit, stretch my legs, and maybe prove I’m not as single minded as I might’ve seemed. Or maybe not.
I’ve included some “Scraps From The Script” of the latest podcast, FMLE #2 and also a “Source Reference” so you can follow me along reading the same books I do. I just discovered the Tiki Bar podcast and I love it. I think it’s a great example of what you can do at the no-budget level. Check it out when you can. It’s a riot.
Thanks for listening. It means a lot to me to know you’re out there.
- JC
I’m A “Tiki Bar” Podcast Fan!
The audio may be hit and miss and the lighting may not always be there, but the first thing I thought when I saw it was that somebody has really put some thought into this. Actually, my first thought was, damn she’s fine!
I’m not talking about the content. I do like the concept and the characters, but it’s the DIY production they have going on that inspires me. The lighting they do use, the camera angles, how they fill the frame and the editing is where my praise comes from.
They use a tripod for most every shot; they probably don’t even have a camera man. Just look at what they come up with. Most every wannabe wants to ditch the tripod. I’m always glad to see a production use the camera locked down, it gives me ideas that I can afford to use. And look at how affectively they use their house as multiple locations.
You got to love‘em. They’re heroes of mine, at least at this point in my education. Boy, what I would do to be their neighbor. Imagine having a talented bunch like that next door creating clever and funny content and all you have to do is focus on raising the production value. A nice side project, indeed.
Now if you wanted to be hard nosed about it, you could point out all kinds of negative things; but you have to learn to appreciate it for what it is and where it’s coming from. These guys aren’t pro’s but they have an eye for the craft and a Tiki mug running over with perseverance.
Scraps From The Script - FMLE #2
This is where I pass on the deleted scenes from the podcast script.
Get it on Paper:
Remember what Art Arthur said, “Don’t get it right, get it written.” And Michael Huege adds, “If you wait for it to be perfect it’s not even going to be good.” This is true all the way through to the first draft of your script. You have got to get it out of your head and onto paper. Get it all out in front of you, so can take a good honest look at it, to see what’s missing or what needs further nurturing.
Story Ideas can be Forced:
You might be thinking, you’re not supposed to force ideas out of a creative mind. They should flow freely at the whim of inspiration. Good luck.
The pros don’t do it that way. They set a specific time to write each day or certain days of the week and they stick to that schedule. Rain or shine, they are writing as planned, no excuses. Discipline, baby! The pros have it. Because, they know that inspiration is fickle and that a good ole fashioned work ethic gets the job done. I know, it doesn’t sound like it would work, but it does. And the pros know it.
Your Story Outline is Not Worthy:
When you flesh out your story’s outline don’t go out and start showing it to people. There is a problem with this. I noticed it when showing my own outlines.
When YOU read over your outline, YOU fill in the gaps of your outline with information still in your head. That’s one reason why I stopped showing my story outlines to friends.
I realized that I didn’t have it all on the paper; some of the story was still in my head. And they were trying to give me solutions to problems they saw with the story, but they weren’t problems at all. There were gaps in the story’s outline that my mind was filling in when I read the outline. It looked fine to me, until I had to explain to someone what was missing
It’s not until you write it out as a script, that can you see everything in front of you. When your story is in script format, either it’s there or not. You’ll notice the gaps tend to grow larger in the transfer from outline to script.
So just be patient. The outline is a personal thing. Wait until you finish your first draft of the script, and then ask for feedback. Trust me I’m saving you some misunderstanding.
Changing your Logline:
You may decide to change the logline during the writing process, but still keep some of what you’ve already written. That’s ok. But if you do change it, I recommend you hide the all the writings you have for the old Logline, and start a fresh new page.
On this page, only transfer what you know you want to keep and only what you can remember of it. Do you see what I’m doing? I’m helping you throw out the unimportant stuff from your first attempt and forcing you to brainstorm the new logline with fresh eyes while the notes from the old logline are still warm in your mind.
The magic is: you will only remember what you really liked about your first attempt. After you’ve made a good run at your new logline, you can then look back at the notes from the old one to make sure you didn’t leave a real gem behind. By this point you will have already established your new direction and won’t be influenced by your old notes.
At the end or beginning of a writing session, go back through what you have and check to make sure it all contributes to the telling of the story as described in your logline. Ask yourself, am I still on course? Should I make some adjustments to trim the fat or the unnecessary? Does this story head ultimately in one direction or is it all over the place with no real specific resolution.
Screenwriting for Dummies:
There is a plethora of screenwriting books out there that would make your head cave in and I own a few, but if you want to get your hands on a general-subject book covering all the basics, I recommend the “Screenwriting for Dummies” by Laura Schellhardt. I don’t know how you feel about these books but this one comes fully loaded. I want you to let it take you as far as it can and then look at some of the more focused-subject books on screenwriting as you feel you need to.
MOFS Podcast - FMLE #2 - Source Reference
Points of reference used in the latest podcast.
I want to keep the podcast right where it’s been, tip rich and educational. But here I can loosen up a bit, stretch my legs, and maybe prove I’m not as single minded as I might’ve seemed. Or maybe not.
I’ve included some “Scraps From The Script” of the latest podcast, FMLE #2 and also a “Source Reference” so you can follow me along reading the same books I do. I just discovered the Tiki Bar podcast and I love it. I think it’s a great example of what you can do at the no-budget level. Check it out when you can. It’s a riot.
Thanks for listening. It means a lot to me to know you’re out there.
- JC
I’m A “Tiki Bar” Podcast Fan!
The audio may be hit and miss and the lighting may not always be there, but the first thing I thought when I saw it was that somebody has really put some thought into this. Actually, my first thought was, damn she’s fine!
I’m not talking about the content. I do like the concept and the characters, but it’s the DIY production they have going on that inspires me. The lighting they do use, the camera angles, how they fill the frame and the editing is where my praise comes from.
They use a tripod for most every shot; they probably don’t even have a camera man. Just look at what they come up with. Most every wannabe wants to ditch the tripod. I’m always glad to see a production use the camera locked down, it gives me ideas that I can afford to use. And look at how affectively they use their house as multiple locations.
You got to love‘em. They’re heroes of mine, at least at this point in my education. Boy, what I would do to be their neighbor. Imagine having a talented bunch like that next door creating clever and funny content and all you have to do is focus on raising the production value. A nice side project, indeed.
Now if you wanted to be hard nosed about it, you could point out all kinds of negative things; but you have to learn to appreciate it for what it is and where it’s coming from. These guys aren’t pro’s but they have an eye for the craft and a Tiki mug running over with perseverance.
Scraps From The Script - FMLE #2
This is where I pass on the deleted scenes from the podcast script.
Get it on Paper:
Remember what Art Arthur said, “Don’t get it right, get it written.” And Michael Huege adds, “If you wait for it to be perfect it’s not even going to be good.” This is true all the way through to the first draft of your script. You have got to get it out of your head and onto paper. Get it all out in front of you, so can take a good honest look at it, to see what’s missing or what needs further nurturing.
Story Ideas can be Forced:
You might be thinking, you’re not supposed to force ideas out of a creative mind. They should flow freely at the whim of inspiration. Good luck.
The pros don’t do it that way. They set a specific time to write each day or certain days of the week and they stick to that schedule. Rain or shine, they are writing as planned, no excuses. Discipline, baby! The pros have it. Because, they know that inspiration is fickle and that a good ole fashioned work ethic gets the job done. I know, it doesn’t sound like it would work, but it does. And the pros know it.
Your Story Outline is Not Worthy:
When you flesh out your story’s outline don’t go out and start showing it to people. There is a problem with this. I noticed it when showing my own outlines.
When YOU read over your outline, YOU fill in the gaps of your outline with information still in your head. That’s one reason why I stopped showing my story outlines to friends.
I realized that I didn’t have it all on the paper; some of the story was still in my head. And they were trying to give me solutions to problems they saw with the story, but they weren’t problems at all. There were gaps in the story’s outline that my mind was filling in when I read the outline. It looked fine to me, until I had to explain to someone what was missing
It’s not until you write it out as a script, that can you see everything in front of you. When your story is in script format, either it’s there or not. You’ll notice the gaps tend to grow larger in the transfer from outline to script.
So just be patient. The outline is a personal thing. Wait until you finish your first draft of the script, and then ask for feedback. Trust me I’m saving you some misunderstanding.
Changing your Logline:
You may decide to change the logline during the writing process, but still keep some of what you’ve already written. That’s ok. But if you do change it, I recommend you hide the all the writings you have for the old Logline, and start a fresh new page.
On this page, only transfer what you know you want to keep and only what you can remember of it. Do you see what I’m doing? I’m helping you throw out the unimportant stuff from your first attempt and forcing you to brainstorm the new logline with fresh eyes while the notes from the old logline are still warm in your mind.
The magic is: you will only remember what you really liked about your first attempt. After you’ve made a good run at your new logline, you can then look back at the notes from the old one to make sure you didn’t leave a real gem behind. By this point you will have already established your new direction and won’t be influenced by your old notes.
At the end or beginning of a writing session, go back through what you have and check to make sure it all contributes to the telling of the story as described in your logline. Ask yourself, am I still on course? Should I make some adjustments to trim the fat or the unnecessary? Does this story head ultimately in one direction or is it all over the place with no real specific resolution.
Screenwriting for Dummies:
There is a plethora of screenwriting books out there that would make your head cave in and I own a few, but if you want to get your hands on a general-subject book covering all the basics, I recommend the “Screenwriting for Dummies” by Laura Schellhardt. I don’t know how you feel about these books but this one comes fully loaded. I want you to let it take you as far as it can and then look at some of the more focused-subject books on screenwriting as you feel you need to.
MOFS Podcast - FMLE #2 - Source Reference
Points of reference used in the latest podcast.
Book - “The DV Rebel’s Guide” - By Stu Maschwitz
Book - “Screenplay: The foundations of Screenwriting 3rd Edition” - By Syd Field
Book - “What They Don’t Teach You at Film School” - By Camille Landau and Tiare White
Book - “Screenwriting for Dummies” - By Laura Schellhardt
Book - “Filmmaking for Teens” - By Troy Lanier and Clay Nichols
Website - www.screenplaymastery.com - By Michael Hauge
Book - “Screenplay: The foundations of Screenwriting 3rd Edition” - By Syd Field
Book - “What They Don’t Teach You at Film School” - By Camille Landau and Tiare White
Book - “Screenwriting for Dummies” - By Laura Schellhardt
Book - “Filmmaking for Teens” - By Troy Lanier and Clay Nichols
Website - www.screenplaymastery.com - By Michael Hauge
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