If most films were made that cheap with that bad of picture and even worse, sound quality, and using ADR even, it would be rejected by most film festivals. However El Mariachi went big, and boosted off Robert Rodriguez's career? How is that his film was the exemption to the rules? Did the producers just have really good international connections to get it shown in theatrical releases all over the world or what?
How did El Mariachi get so big with such poor quality?
- Thread starter harmonica44
- Start date
I think the main goal for a film to get into a festival is to get the audience hooked quickly.
At least, if I was the judge at a film festival, looking through more than 100 films, if the movie doesn't look good in the first ten minutes, than I wouldn't want to watch the rest.
Make it interesting, fast, and then go on with your movie
I'm new to this world and I'm up to #4, got the actors to agree to re-shoot a scene so I'll rinse and repeat. When do you know when you're done? lol
I agree. I always compare filmmaking to getting a new haircut.
Well I don't have that kind of confidence, thinking my script is the next Citizen Kane. Hopefully not thinking like that will help me shoot a my first film more carefully.
And as far as helping out at the festivals and getting to know people to get my movie in, there aren't any major festivals where I live, but there is one small one I offered to help out. The guy who works there though is very impartial, and does not let movies get in, just because he knows the person, or so I was told.
So what do most of the critics like when it comes to stories, aside from the technical execution? Just any story and genre as long as it's well done?
And as far as helping out at the festivals and getting to know people to get my movie in, there aren't any major festivals where I live, but there is one small one I offered to help out. The guy who works there though is very impartial, and does not let movies get in, just because he knows the person, or so I was told.
So what do most of the critics like when it comes to stories, aside from the technical execution? Just any story and genre as long as it's well done?
Good lord man, how's anybody supposed to answer that? Critics have their own individual tastes.
Dude, why are you gonna make a movie to try and please critics? It's almost impossible since there's so many with different views on what a good film is.
Just make a movie for the audience and that's entertaining. Don't make it so critics can go ape shit over it, this is your first film. Make it the way you want to
Hi everyone, I am new to this board, and world of Indie Film Making. It's something I've had a hidden passion about for a long time, and have decided to jump in head first, and try and make my mark. I hope you don't mind me commenting on this topic, as I've been reading and following along for the past couple days (finally made it through all 17 pages).
I just wanted to add (for those that haven't read RR's book), he also gave a lot of clues to his execution to get distribution in the Spanish VHS market. He talks about putting most of the action in the first 20 min of the movie, figuring any exec watching, might only watch the first 30 min or so, and they would see an action filled 20 min. And he also points out, part of his strategy also hinged on the fact, that if a company picked it up, for something other then his intended purpose, he knew they would sink the cash into it to get it where they wanted it (35mm print and so on), so why spend the money himself? Would that work now a days, I really have no clue. His intention was to make three movies, for the Spanish market, then with the experience of that under his belt, come sailing into Hollywood as a semi veteran, but since no one there would have seen any of his movies, they would just look at him as some sort of wiz kid. I'm sure it also didn't hurt, as he writes, that he was making movies (bad ones, as he says), when he was 12 years old, and because of the way he had to edit (in camera, or vhs to vhs), it taught him to formulate things in his head, prior to shooting, so it kept takes to a min, and things moving along at a good pace.
Again, I hope you don't mind me throwing my 2 cents in, I have a lot of reading, throughout this forum, left to do, and hope to learn a lot, and contribute (if I can) in the future.
Jeff
I just wanted to add (for those that haven't read RR's book), he also gave a lot of clues to his execution to get distribution in the Spanish VHS market. He talks about putting most of the action in the first 20 min of the movie, figuring any exec watching, might only watch the first 30 min or so, and they would see an action filled 20 min. And he also points out, part of his strategy also hinged on the fact, that if a company picked it up, for something other then his intended purpose, he knew they would sink the cash into it to get it where they wanted it (35mm print and so on), so why spend the money himself? Would that work now a days, I really have no clue. His intention was to make three movies, for the Spanish market, then with the experience of that under his belt, come sailing into Hollywood as a semi veteran, but since no one there would have seen any of his movies, they would just look at him as some sort of wiz kid. I'm sure it also didn't hurt, as he writes, that he was making movies (bad ones, as he says), when he was 12 years old, and because of the way he had to edit (in camera, or vhs to vhs), it taught him to formulate things in his head, prior to shooting, so it kept takes to a min, and things moving along at a good pace.
Again, I hope you don't mind me throwing my 2 cents in, I have a lot of reading, throughout this forum, left to do, and hope to learn a lot, and contribute (if I can) in the future.
Jeff
I agree it's best to throw in as much as you can in the first 10-20 minutes. My script there is a long action scene, in the opening, but that also depends if I have the money to film the sequence I have written. And I'll pile on as much plot as I can. The first quarter of my script a few of the scenes can be easily switched around actually, but I'm not sure which scenes to put first to make a more compelling opening 10-20 minutes. Well I only wanna spend my own money on making a feature since I probably wouldn't be given a grant. But after I've had at least a little more practice I will shop the script around to see if I can get a grant.
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