help out a new filmaker

[americantypewriter]

hi everyone,

My name is Andrew, I am 16, and a Junior in High School. I recently obtained a old Vivitar TL 6 Super 8 Camera, and after fixing the old thing (the batteries had exploded inside the grip, covering the camera in a caustic dust) I have decided, maybe adamantly, that I am going to make a short film. The details so far are a little sketchy- B&W, sound, approx. 30mins, hopefully projected at first, later onto digital. It going to be a drama, not like a soap opera, but drama is the only other word i can think of since its not going to be a comedy, action, horror, sci-fi, or documentary. I have a certain style I want to invest into the film, some would call it artsy. To the technical details, i am going to use a minidisc player to record the sound, and I am pretty well versed in lighting, as I take up photography as my hobby.

My main problem is- FUNDING.

I dont plan on this to be a high budget film, what i moslty need is film, devoloping, a projector, as for acting I will use hopefully the local drama department at school (I am not looking for someone who can act as realistically in the worst situation like a avalanche, but more along the lines of someone who can make it feel like the camera truly isn't there, act "normal" under the lens.), or friends. I am going to write my own script, and I have a soundtrack ligned up pretty much free of charge. So i was wondering...

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS ON HOW I CAN GET SIMPLE FUNDING?

Thanks so much.

 

[film8ker]

I think you’re going to find that parents or school are about the only options you’ll have for funding. It’ll be real hard to get the school to give up cash but they may have some old projectors and other equipment you can use. It’d be a lot cheaper to borrow a camcorder from someone and do it on tape.

 

[americantypewriter]

well, the thing is... i dont like camcorders. I dont like digital video cameras untill the get quite high end, like hi-def ( iam an avid photographer as well, and I choose film over digital 9 out of 10). I dont like the picture quality- I know your saying that a Super 8 from 1964 probably has worse than a digital cam, but the thing is- with this camcorder, i can probably count on not being able to have as much control, and try finding a lower end camcorder that's 1:1.8! I also like the feel super eight gives to a situation. So... it looks like I am gonna have to stick to money laundering and fraud. :twisted:

 

[film8ker]

Good for you! Don’t compromise! It’s a fine line when you do. I’ve found that you can have the next ‘Godfather,’ the best acting, best script, and crappy picture, and it will still be perceived as crap. It’s really hard for people to look past poor picture quality to see everything else that is quality. Vice versa is true too but not to the same extent. Look at all the crap that comes from Hollywood. It looks great but the story and acting can be terrible. Good luck on getting it done!