this year is my senior year at school and our final project can be whatever we want as long as it involves work. I want to make my first film. But to keep the challenge low so I dont ruin my first film, I have chosen the most simple story that I can think of which is a comedy about the grim reaper and his new apprentice, I got alot of ideas, and people say I have funny ideas but I want to know if this would be the right choice for my first film. The other film idea in mind I think will be too hard and It revolves around music and sound and IDK about getting the permisson to do so. Thank u for ur time. :)

My opinion is you're going to ruin your first film no matter
what you do.

So go with the comedy about the grim reaper and his new
apprentice and have fun. Put in all the ideas you have, get
help from your friends and do the best you can. The chances
are your friends will love it and everyone will get a great
laugh out of it and you'll start seeing only the problems and
flaws.

If making movies is something you really want to do the next
one will be better. And the third better than the second. But
if you never make another movie again, you're going to have
a blast making the comedy about the grim reaper and his new
apprentice.

So go for it! Make the one you think you'll have the most fun
making and watching.

to keep the challenge low so I dont ruin my first film

My opinion is that you are sinking your boat before it even sets sail.

Every single person you need to get onboard will *want* to be challenged. The actors. The crew.

Heck, even the viewer wants to be challenged.

Maybe your first film will be awful. Maybe it will be awesome. (Statistically, it will be terrible... just sayin' :lol:)

Regardless, how the heck are you going to learn or improve if you set a low bar?


a comedy about the grim reaper and his new apprentice,

No idea what you have in mind, but that's got a lot of potential. :)

Go for it!

My opinion is you're going to ruin your first film no matter
what you do.

.

Exactly.

I'll third (or fourth?) the sentiment, it's not going to come out great. There are just too many things you don't know; no matter how much reading you do, no matter how many questions you ask on every filmmaker forum out there, you have no idea of what you are getting yourself into until you spend your first day on the set (and then the editing room).

There are a number of great threads here and on other forums about getting started, they'll give you some idea of what you need to do - preproduction, equipment, paperwork, cast and crew, etc.

I'll say it for the 10,000th time; capture great production sound. Solid sound will cover up a multitude of other technical faults. A film starts with a script which is the aural interaction between the characters. Too many beginning filmmakers forget that when they get the camera in their hands, it becomes all about the shot. Then they get into post, realize the sound is horrible, then call on someone like me; and about the best I can do is take it from terrible to barely passable - unless you want to spend a huge amount of money on audio post that you probably don't have.

Check out my blogs here on IndieTalk for a primer on production sound, you'll at least know what questions to ask...

My college tutor (the greatest mentor in my life so far) told me to go for the ideas I want no matter how big they may be. Then work out how to do them later.
If you try to make an idea based on what you think you have, then it will become dilluted. Aiming low won't get you noticed. You won't come up with anything good. You won't learn anything (which I'm guessing is the purpose of your project).

As Zensteve said you need to be challenged.

My opinion is you're going to ruin your first film no matter
what you do.

So go with the comedy about the grim reaper and his new
apprentice and have fun. Put in all the ideas you have, get
help from your friends and do the best you can. The chances
are your friends will love it and everyone will get a great
laugh out of it and you'll start seeing only the problems and
flaws.



Well Directorik..if i am not wrong you also mean that the first project should be a comedy genre because t is more easy then compared to other genres and we being the first time film makers should adopt comedy GENRE ??

Just wanted to clear this !

More over what is this grim reaper Can any one tell please ?

Well Directorik..if i am not wrong you also mean that the first project should be a comedy genre because t is more easy then compared to other genres and we being the first time film makers should adopt comedy GENRE ??

Just wanted to clear this !

More over what is this grim reaper Can any one tell please ?

Not at all.

What I mean is fraserfilms says he has a lot of ideas for his
grim reaper story. I think he should make the movie he has
a lot of ideas for. fraserfilms said the grim reaper story is
the most simple story that he can think of. My suggestion
wasn't about comedy or genre - it was only about what this
high school student wants to do.

I think he should make the movie he wants to make for his
first project.

The "grim reaper" is personification of Death - death in the
phycical form. e is often depicted as a tall pale skeletal figure
shrouded in a long, dark, black hooded cloak wielding a scythe
which he uses to harvest souls with, although some accounts
say he just touches the person to pop their soul so they don’t
feel pain when they die.

http://assets.kaboose.com/media/00/00/00/48/9c7ae7321670affbb93fffdf3a119014db150f10/476x357/18367---grim-reeper_476x357.jpg

Thanks for clearing the confusion :)

Read some Terry Pratchett Novels. The character of Death is brilliant in them.
Soul Music is a good one. Death gives up and tries to forget about being Death, so his Grand daughter has to take over.
Then there's Mort which is actually about an apprentice to Death.

Dying is easy; comedy is hard. Donald Wolfitt

"On A Pale Horse" by Piers Anthony, which os the first book from the Incarnations of Immortality series, is also quite interesting.

what is this grim reaper


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoBTsMJ4jNk


Actually, just noticed something in the OP about the other story/film option, but with:

It revolves around music and sound and IDK about getting the permisson to do so.

That's definitely something you want to take care of, before starting. :)

thank you for the advice. from eveyones that i have read i have notice that i made a mistake saying that i did not want a challenge but i do, i am just unsure of how it will go due to a low to nothing budget, and living in a very small town with not too many friends interested in helping out.

i am just unsure of how it will go due to a low to nothing budget, and living in a very small town with not too many friends interested in helping out.
That's the challenge - besides the material, of course...

thank you for the advice. from eveyones that i have read i have notice that i made a mistake saying that i did not want a challenge but i do, i am just unsure of how it will go due to a low to nothing budget, and living in a very small town with not too many friends interested in helping out. This is for school right? Don't they have any resources you can use? Equipment you can borrow? These days even the smallest of schools have at least one camera and a computer capable of editing video.
I'll bet there's lighting gear and sound equipment from drama and music departments.

As for people to help out, where better to find free help than a school. Put up flyers asking for help, you're bound to get some interest. There may even be a drama or film club you could ask for help.

well I will try my hardest and do my best. I will use all the advice you guys gave me, I thank you again, your tips will take me farther than I would have gone. Thank you again.

Thanks a lot to Zensteve countevil and Alcove Audio for your contribution to increase my information