Tropfest? anyone? Aspiring Film-Makers? (1 Viewer)

[Soul]

Does anyone here intend or have submitted an entry to the Tropfest film festival?

Anyone have an interest in film making and have thus structured your degree that way? e.g UNSW Arts- Media and Comm?

Are there any clubs that do that sort of thing? i.e. film clubs at Uni?

 

[timmii]

Hypothetically i would love to make a short film. I just would have *no* idea how to go about it.

Tropfest is a bit too polished and technical for my minimum skills. Last year there was a competition where u had to make a film in 24 hours using various sydney locations, and no editing was allowed. I don't know where one hears about it, but I reckon that would be a good jumping off point as it is rather egalitarian - it doesn't matter how much money or technical knowledge and equipment you have...

There is a film society at sydney that has a focus on short fim making etc...I'm sure unsw would have something similar - it wouldn't be *that* evil to deprive students with creative flair.

 

[Soul]

aaah well i must join one then!

I think UNSW has one, i checked the diary - FOUR REEL FILM PRODUCTION

just cant find the bloody stall!

I gotta find one to join, i have like 2.5k worth of video editing equipment and in terms of skill, well, hehe well, at least my enthusiasm is high!

 

[timmii]

Wow! how come you have so much awesome equipment???

hehe maybe I should leach off you for technical expertise. With your equipment and theatricalness (is that even a word?) and my, uh, well, uh, i may just be the marketing manager then...

Let me know if you make one, I'd love to see what you could do? Or have you made some before for english extension 2 or drama etc?

 

[1 more]

im with timmii: that 24 hr film contest sounds ideal!

Unfortunately although we can't use soul's editing equipment for it, we can however use your seemingly active "enthusiasm", because timmii and i have been talking for decades about doing something like this, only it never comes to fruition.

 

[Soul]

*proud*

Well, my major work for DT was a short film,

it was nominated for powerhouse (arr but didnt get in! HSC equiv to Oscar Nomination ;-)) and i got a BOS certificate of high commendation - it was personally output it to DVD, VCD and videotape with totally professional covers

i totally love movies, seriously, maybe thats why u can see it in my posts - i rent like 5 videos a week! hehehe

so anyway, i got a pretty decent DV sony camcorder plus a pretty high performance computer WITH a video editing card -semi-professional real time DV=Raptor RT and currently using Adobe Premiere 6, plus Adobe After Affects

In terms of skill? well, i can do pretty good edits, transfer to different formats, um but in terms of scripts and actual shooting and stuff im not real sure (most of my 5min film was 3d anim) but im enthusiastic

but yeah, ok -can u act? hehe first need to find place 4 me to get experience! then enter, win prizes, go on columbia-tristar young filmaker scholarship!

So why did i choose Commerce/Law? major in acct!!! im thinking i'll transfer!

 

[timmii]

soul - so you *did* choose to do commerce...last i saw you were equivocating between it and arts. Rather overwhelming prospect - no "humanities" or creativeness... still looks good though!

Congrats btw for your DT - thats brilliant! I'm in the presence of greatness. (1 more came 7th in the state for art! )

1 more - i think we really should get cracking on our desire to be productive. Maybe we can translate the breakfast thing into a short film? Using soul's equipment....? I don't know I'm inspired, I'm going to start thinking of proper ideas now, that comp was in about april (from rather faulty memory however...)

 

[1 more]

Who knew the boards would be such a perfect means for networking!

tim, i think we just found our ideal contact!

CONGRATULATIONS Soul on your DAT successes!! what was the film about?

what are some of your favourite films?

 

[Soul]

well thank you! 7th in state is better though!

thats cool, I just need some real experience 1st!

check out these links!

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/16/1042520725351.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/22/1045638539343.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/20/1045638414190.html
and http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/18/1045330595511.html
Well, I just watched "The Majestic" (Twice!) and that was totally excellent, i completely recommend it, the BEST FILM EVER!!!

Classics/Great IMO - rent these!

-Pleasantville (imo nearly as good as majestic!)
-Shawshank Redemption (of course!!!!! very intelligent)
-The Usual Suspects
-Green Mile
-Schindlers List (sad though)
-American Beauty (of course)
-Forrest Gump (shown on tv too much though! stole oscar from shawshank!!!)
-Its a Wonderful Life (yeah i know, cliched but true)
-Unbreakable (subtley powerful)
-The Big Lebowski
-High Fidelity (pretty good! love jack black)
-Mullholland Drive (apart from naomi watt pornographic lesbian love scenes,lol i was totally confused, a puzzling,weird and fun to watch - usual David Lynch!)
-I suspect i'll like the Road to Perdition
- Finding Forrester
- Election (damn funny! seriously good)
- Bridge on River Kwai
- L.A. Confidential
- Patton
-Reindeer Games (i luv it!)
- Three Kings


Ok or Excellent (just films that i remember as pretty good) IMO
Toy Story 1/2 + Monsters Inc -(Excellent script! great humour cos both adults and kids can watch)
Ronin (best car chases)
Truman Show (i like it)
Something about Mary (always funny)
Bourne Identity (2nd version with Matt Damon)
Minority Report (Phillip K Dicke based on - excellent!)
Matrix (Wachowski bros, cool)
um just going off the top off my head here so i'll edit it later! of course i like anything good - prob heaps of other good ones.

Yeah, the thing is that my film was a 5min 3d animation with a bit of live action footage - more a documentary science (mechanics) vid than real fiction narrative film - so i've got skills but i've not yet attempted a real storytelling film that is actually entertaining!

So yeah timmii, i am in quandary (i think thats the word!) because, commerce (acct) / law doesn't lend much room for creative thought! it could be damaging (really)

I feel like i've possibly made a BIG life mistake... too scared to just do arts with my valuable law degree, Maybe I should have done arts - film - I think i might/will transfer... (prob not hard, more harder vice versa) OR do my degree and go to the Australian Film Television Radio School 3yr degree when i finish or even better UCLA (Uni of Calif - very famous for film) - that way at least i'll have something to fall back on!

ARG! hope i haven't screwed up my life! i'll figure something out, always a way...!

how about you guys? what films did you like?

(sorry this post is so long!) ooh and any more volunteers?

 

[johnson]

Originally posted by timmii
Hypothetically i would love to make a short film. I just would have *no* idea how to go about it.

Tropfest is a bit too polished and technical for my minimum skills. Last year there was a competition where u had to make a film in 24 hours using various sydney locations, and no editing was allowed. I don't know where one hears about it, but I reckon that would be a good jumping off point as it is rather egalitarian - it doesn't matter how much money or technical knowledge and equipment you have...

There is a film society at sydney that has a focus on short fim making etc...I'm sure unsw would have something similar - it wouldn't be *that* evil to deprive students with creative flair.

yup, i'm *pretty* sure that it was part of the sydney film festival which happens around the middle of each year... i could be totally wrong though. (the 24-hour thing) is anyone goign to the Sydney film festival this year?

and soul.. yeah i've had major annoying changes in my 'career-thing' too, i'm doing architecture @ uts right now... but i wanna transfer to media arts and production at UTS now... cos i realised how much i love photography and film-making and the such. i just needa work really hard this year *sigh*. if i cant get in, then, yeah, off to the AFTRS it is for me. did you go to Summerskill this year? i was going to but i was oversea's, i went the year before, though, mostly to scriptwriting ones.

so yeah. if you want like, knowledge-y stuff then SummerSkill is a pretty good thing to go to it's like a bunch of seminars and lectures and tutorials about film-making in general, like not just the film making bit but also the design-y bit as well and also scriptwriting, EVERYThing about the film industry really..........

 

[Soul]

Johnson - "i feel your pain! bro!" lol

Summerskill at AFTRS? maybe i'll do a course with you - like scriptwriting!

hehe, we're all frustrated filmmakers...

maybe a crew like:
me: editor/whatever
1 more: artistic director?
timmii: sriptwriting or something?
johnson: cameraman 'cinematographer'?/scriptwriter? lol (saw ur posts in camera thread)

 

[timmii]

Johnson: thanks for the heads up on the film festival, I'm also going to ask members of the uni film societies, because I'm really interested in this 24hour thing I'll let you all know

Soul: yes comm/law is daunting, but it depends on what *you* want. If the film is a career ambition, then perhaps you should be looking at a combination that more effectively encompasses your interests, otherwise you can do as was suggested - do summer courses, do a postgrad degree, get involved informally through clubs and societies, and pick up random people from internet forums to be your film crew...

yeah, i'll take scriptwriting...and producer - organising etc

As for films, i find it really hard to think of these off the top of my head. I'm quite a fan of old, "classic" films such as citizen cane, casablanca, maltese falcon, my fair lady. I have quite an attachment to the films i used to watch 10times a day during my childhood (poor 1 more missed out on these...) e.g ten commandments, gigi, the king and i, sound of music - but at the same time I don't know if i could really handle seeing them *yet again*.

American beauty, l.a confidential, shawshank i agree with, and i like a few others on your list too

I'm trying to think of ones i've seen recently and liked...gosford park, bowling for columbine, bend it like beckham (all seen with 1 more) as well as "some like hot", "scarface", "memento", "shakespeare in love", "clueless" and "looking for alibrandi". *argh* there must be more i like....i'll think of them eventually

1 more: didn't you go to summerskills...? I'll let you tell your stories rather than me ruin your chance to shine