Who Am I?

Digital Root Films

Digital Root Films

I am 13, I have a passion, a dream that I am working towards, I have a camcorder, nice computer w/ nice editing software, tripod, dolly, nice mic & misc. audio equipment, and a powerful, creative mind. Who am I? I want to be a director, I am kind and can take charge and organize things, BUT... I want to be a cinematographer. I want to get those shots that I wanting to be the director tell myself to shoot. BUT... I want to write the things I direct/shoot. I have a creative mind capable of writing great screenplays for movies or tv shows. BUT... I enjoy editing what I shot and directed and wrote and adding special effects to piece the movie together. I CAN'T DECIDE!!! :no: I have the passion to do all of these things (minus audio, that is one thing I am okay with me not doing), but is it practical?

Can someone please pinch me and bring me back to reality. I can't do all of this....

....or can I :hmm: ....
 
Filmmaking is all about collaboration, for sure. :)

You'll soon find out that there's only so many hats you can wear. Meanwhile, you may as well try them all on, so you can see which ones fit best.

As soon as you figure out what you're awesome at (and what you actually enjoy), you'll know what to do.

Go nuts, dude. Give it all a whirl. Wish I'd been able to experiment with all the different roles when I was 13, instead of starting out at 35. :blush:



Now get off my lawn, young whippersnapper!
smiley_fist.gif
 
Thanks Zensteve! I knew that I would have to turn in one of my aprons so I could wear another. Have people ever been the cameraman, director, and screenwriter of one film?
 
I, too, love all aspects of creating videos/film making. I've decided that I like editing and camera work the most. While I enjoy adding and creating special effects...I sort of suck at it. :P

Take Zensteve's advice. Try it all on, then decide from there. That's the only way to decide what things you're better at and enjoy the most.

EDIT:

Have people ever been the cameraman, director, and screenwriter of one film?
Click to expand...

I think so, and I know it's possible for small films. Just don't do all of it on your own with a huge project. :P
 
Thanks for the advice! Ofcourse as Zen said, film is a collaberation effort. After I try out all the aspects of making a film, I will seek out my true passion. Thank you so much for helping :yes:! All input is welcome if anyone else would like to also help.
 
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You sound like a bright kid, Digital Root, and you are lucky to have such passion at such a young age! I believe you can do all the things you aspire to. I hate to use an old adage, but 'keep your eyes on the prize', and I bet you will accomplish exactly what you've mapped out. Make a promise to yourself to learn something new everyday, regardless of how insignificant you think it may be...you'll be surprised when a moment comes and you'll have a ready reference.
 
Thank you for the encouragement! :) I am going to shoot a short film over the summer in which I wrote and am going to shoot and direct. This is going to help me find out which job fits me best since I will be doing almost everything but sound.

P.S. and bird, "keep your eye on the prize" is an amazing cliche and I am glad you used that;)
 
Digital,

I don’t know what is in your area, but have you thought of getting involved in any kind of film workshops or camps this coming summer? Maybe you can get some broader hands-on team experience, try on some different hats in a collaborative scenario, and possibily meet some like minded people in your area to work with.

Have you seen the Doc Zombie Girl The Movie ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTBC-00AhGM

In it a girl about your age makes a Zombie feature.
She goes to a camp or interns for practical experience.

You could do that too and just start hammering away at things in prep for film school,
so who you are can merge nicely with what you want to be.


-Thanks-
 
I'm in Wilmington NC so I don't know if there is anything close. I have looked at some UNCW camps and also some out of state camps. My parents are friends with one of the camera mans on One Tree Hill, and I got a personal tour of the studios, editing places, and got to watch a rehearsal for my 13th B-day. My parents are also friends with a producer working on a musical comedy short working with some great actors. Thankfully I have contacts which people have told me is very important in film.
 
Hey that's great. Maybe you can get a chance to be a helper of somekind on a set,
or even shoot an interview (with someone your parents know in the field) about advice for young film makers.

-Thanks-
 
There's the old saw about being a jack of all trades and a master of none. Then, of course, there are people like Di Vinci who can master just about anything they put their hands to.

You're young and the whole world lies before you.

My first piece of advice is to go out and get as much practical real world experience as you can; work on other shoots, go to seminars, take courses, whatever you can find. You are fortunate that you have access to some professional folks; take proper advantage of it (be courteous, respectful, honest and know when to stay out of the way and keep your mouth shut).

Second piece of advice; get out there and do it on your own. Make lots of mistakes; you learn a lot more from your mistakes than from your successes. A professional baseball player who fails 67% of the time as a batter has a shot at the hall of fame. Edison failed almost 2,000 times to make the incandescent light bulb, but picked up a huge amount of practical data along the way.

Third piece of advice, keep it clean - no drugs, no booze and watch out for the bimbos; those three things have killed an awful lot of promising careers.

Fourth piece of advice; get an education. Don't ignore your studies. You'll be amazed how much of it will apply in the real world and your artistic endeavors (the reel world :lol:).

Last piece of advice; always remember that "Sound is half of the experience."

Welcome to the forum!
 
I am a Christian, I stay out of junk, and am getting experience from my church which does amazing bumps (videos at thebeginning of the service to tell about what the services are about).

I know I am so lucky and blessed to have this much proffesional input.

Thank you al!!!!!!! I am so happy you guys can help me! :D:D:D:D
 
bird said:
You sound like a bright kid, Digital Root, and you are lucky to have such passion at such a young age! I believe you can do all the things you aspire to. I hate to use an old adage, but 'keep your eyes on the prize', and I bet you will accomplish exactly what you've mapped out. Make a promise to yourself to learn something new everyday, regardless of how insignificant you think it may be...you'll be surprised when a moment comes and you'll have a ready reference.
Click to expand...

Ever since you have said that, I have taken on new tasks every week. I pick 1 program from the Adobe Master Suite 4 to work on every week so I can grasp each piece of software available. Next week I will be working on FCP and am going to try to get ahold of that program.
 
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James Cameron did pretty much everything on Avatar...

He wrote, directed, produced, did audio, used cameras, invented 3D techniques, cut sound effects, used his front yard to record falling trees, did special effects...

It's possible. Go for it.
 
Ah, 13, was it really that long ago....

*ahem* :D


For me, it's really finding what you like doing the best. As has been said, filmmaking is about corraboration(even if starting off you're doing a lot yourself). Myself, I prefer shooting and editing the most. You'll find that you will probably be able to do all, but have a "knack" for certain things. Just take your time and explore-you got a lot of life ahead of you to decide, and whatever you want to do best, getting in touch with others(like you getting on here) will help you find those who can fill the other spots-though it's a good idea to know the basics in all areas :)

Whatever you do, have fun! We as filmmakers are lucky that we have the ability to make things out of our imagination that people want to (and will pay to!) see. And we have a blast doing it :)
 
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