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AVOID THE MIDDLE GROUND!

So the lesson here with Birdemic on some BBC news site 0_0 Is to AVOID THE MIDDLE GROUND.... either make something amazingly WIN or SO FAIL ITS UNBELIEVABLE AND AWESOME ^ ^ I downloaded and watched Birdemic after I posted weeks ago... and the thing I found interesting is that simple scenes... like one where a guy is seated by a waitress was so awkward and bad I lol'd watching 10 times in a row... NOW in a normal film that scene would just be whisked by and wouldn't be memorable at all...YET in Birdemic even simple scenes are entertaining because they are so awkward ^ ^ I'm sure it will have tons of "midnight movie" success...

Birdemic director with Lynch in SAN JOSE in 2007
I was at Park City with WATS at Sundance at the same time 0_0
My friend went and got my book signed for me ^ ^

So if your making your own film you want to be "successful" with... whatever that means to you.... I say either go all out, take huge chances and make it amazingly good AND if you MISS with those chances it will probably end up amazingly BAD like Birdemic.... either way people will NEVER forget about it and talk about it and share it with others... WHICH is the BIG CHALLENGE today... TO BE REMEMBERED...  I've seen tons and TONS of like "Well done" indy films... ones where the makers knew what they were doing... and did everything "right" technically and USUALLY creatively which ends up as a film that is MEDIOCRE... and if you don't have a studio behind it pumping $$$$$ into the P&A no one will notice and it will fade faster than you can imagine...

So like other "indie" filmmakers may laugh at the Birdemic d00d... but he apparently found an audience and more people are probably talking about his film right now than all those "well done" mediocre indie films combined...

REMEMBER the audience that is NOT other "indie" filmmakers which is like %99.999999 of the audience DOES NOT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT....

- what camera you shot it on
- what you edited it with
- what lenses you used
- who your DP was and what TV he usually works on
- what inspired you to make it
- what scene was like inspired by some other scene in some other film
- your ethnic background or the "interesting" stories about how the film was made
- what film school you went to and who your instructors were
- what film festivals in played in (well in the US people know Sundance and thats it)
- How low your budget was and how hard it was to make the film with so little money
- How HARD it was to make an "indie" film
- What you think "as a director"

So if your going to survive in the new world of filmmaking remember that you serve the AUDIENCE not your PEERS! And in this new world your competing with one man army MONSTERS like me ^ ^
BUT this new world is BIG ENOUGH for all of us so thats why I'm trying my best to share what I think I've figured out so far... I survived so far on my will alone... So with HSM you'll see my new plans in action... then we'll all see if I know what I'm doing or not ^ ^

Here's something I learned about the audience after WATS... at first when people asked me "What is it about" I went on about the styles of animation and this complex shit and MOST people would just keep smiling but I knew I had lost them... after a trial by fire I learned... so then when they asked me what it was about I said " I don't think you should watch it... its some fucked up stuff I dont know what I was thinking when I made it?!?" AND that GOT THEM....

BUT thats like the hardest thing... you've spent A LONG TIME working INSIDE this film....its HARD TO GET OUT AND SEE IT FROM THE OUTSIDE where EVERYONE ELSE IS..... but you must DO THIS... if you want to know how to best promote it... when your inside as a filmmaker... You talk about lenses and software and inspiration and all this shit PEOPLE don't care about... so you need to shake out of it and go OUTSIDE and say REALLY WTF IS THIS THING?! be honest with yourself.... be clever and figure out NOT THE BEST WAY TO RELATE EXACTLY WHAT IT IS to people BUT THE BEST WAY TO GET THEM INTERESTED WITHOUT TELLING STRAIGHT UP LIES.... this is something that took me a LONG time to learn with the things I made...

Comments

  1. And what if my (short) film is not about being at the extremes? what if its about subtle nuanced emotions? what if its about genuine human nature? Do I have to throw that away to make a crowd pleasing piece? I worry that if only the extremes stand out (and can be successful), it doesn't leave much room for more subtle or deep works. I don't want every movie to be Birdemic or Mission Impossible 2, hah.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh birdemic looks a little better with music of HEROS that playing on BBC^ ^
    but I cant imagine whether there a God that can save this film ^ ^
    yAAS I was shocked of that crap and terrorED with the height of stupidity ^ ^
    really Its funny that week-ends when I was in the theatre at Hitchcock
    I ve been there on "BIRDS"
    really even "BIRDS" 1963 looks better than "BirdemiC" 2010 so I think
    as time goes back he need to name his film "Back to the Future" or no it ll be
    plagiarism and to re-MAKE and make copies of films of 1963 is not a plagiarism? o_O
    Better he d go to work not in a cinematography but in a chromotypography ...so he can make monkey's business..creating copies
    Sorry BIRDEMIC is shET
    when I see the SHET as BIRDEMIC I REALLY dont care about:
    "- what camera shot it on
    - what it edited with...
    -...." and strong puke in the motion picture theatre is not the best way to remember
    that day forever^ ^


    But when I saW WATS O_O I forgot about everything even if bomb fall near
    Ive never seen before such a treasure
    it was so touching, fresh, deep meaning, CleVER, so good at form and lighting, So PASSion, great fusion of music and video and etc.
    really I can talk about WATS eternally^ ^
    FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE IN FILM I SAW THE TRUTH
    AND I SAW THE ONE FILM LIKE ALL FILMS SHOULD BE
    and I start to care:
    "- what camera you shot it on
    - what you edited it with
    - what inspired you to make it" and HOW HARD IT WAS and this further fueled my interest and my love
    and maybe M. cuz u were honest with yourself, u were honest with uS
    people appreciate it very, and they feel it within

    AND ...AND I think in magic of "the state of mind of the moment as inspired by the motion picture theatre" is some nuance if the first 3 minutes of film captured u with the wave of emotionS and ur brain start feeding with blood YOU ll dive in deeper and deeper

    aand the BeSt way to GOT THEM is TO SHOW THEM O_O...and then to say like DAvID when I was making Eraserhead it was the most spiritual movie..ideas come to me one by one...but I couldnt connect them..and then I opened a bible and..WHOA..that was it...but what was it... I'll never tell U ^ ^

    and call David by phone he is too kind to make photos with each other^ ^
    I think if he see WATS he'll invite u to a cup of tea^ ^
    oH and I want Photo with DaviD too^ ^

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow man, that last paragraph had me nodding. I really respect what you do as an artist, your work is demented, but I come to your blog for advice like that. You put it how it is.

    I really hope you have a dialogue heavy film one day. The words you speak come from a place of true honesty. I´d love to hear em coming out of equally weird inspired little packs of pixels.

    And as an artist you´ve already made a mark. I think there´s an MF DOOM lyric where he more or less talks about how people try to be artists when they can´t even be men. You´re a fucking REAL man behind your art and it shows.

    Respect Mdot and tread on.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ TheUser

    You have to think about who your audience is, and why they would watch it instead of everything else available for them to watch. Like M Dot said, if your film is completely out of the ordinary, or bad beyond belief, then people will be drawn to it for those reasons. If your film addresses a genre or a niche that is ignored by mainstream film, and there is an established base of fans for that genre, then you'll find your audience there. But if your film is just a more nuanced version of existing (larger budget) films, then why would an audience choose to watch your film?

    Kaze: Ghost Warrior succeeded in part I think because all of its characters were anthropomorphised dogs/wolves, and it appealed to Furries who don't have that many movies in their genre. Birdemic appeals to a wide audience that just wants to see just how bad of a train wreck the film is. M Dot's films appeal to viewers who just want to see something really, really different than your typical film.

    Personally, if I make a film of my own it will be a sword and sorcery fantasy movie because there is a built in fan base for that genre, and despite the LOTR films and maybe the Legend of the Seeker tv show, there really isn't that much good material out there to watch. Add in more creatures and fewer humans, make it a bit darker and more psychological, don't be afraid to kill characters off because... well... screw the sequel, and I think there's an audience out there for it.

    So each of us should ask ourselves, "Where does my movie fit in? Who would want to see it? Why would someone watch it rather than the ton of other film/visual media out there trying to get time with their eyeballs?"

    Cheers,
    Michael

    ReplyDelete
  5. @theuser Movies can be whatever you want them to be, there will always be some kind of audience for it as long as you put all you have creatively into it.

    Dude, I just looked at your stuff on your blog and it is absolutely amazing. Don't give up on your dream, you have a real image there!

    ReplyDelete
  6. D00d! - U gotta check out Tommy Wiseau's 'The Room' if you haven't already seen it. It was made in 2003 and has been playing midnight movie screenings in theatres ever since.

    ReplyDelete
  7. i really enjoy your vlog mdot. i look forward to each post like i look forward to your youtube vids. it's awesome how much insider information you give us on your thoughts and process. def a priviledge.

    that's cool about david lynch doing a signing in san jose. shame u couldn't meet him but cool that u got an autograph. he's my all-time favorite director (other than you of course hahah). blue velvet and wild at heart are two of the coolest movies ever. i've seen all of his movies though and they all are inspiring and cool.

    i'm so glad you're not leaking any HSM stuff cuz i am like so excited and curious about it. it's gonna be a real treat. can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Indeed, a significant amount of the "civilian" audience really care about what is being presented. I indeed care about the RESULT of my works. For ANYBODY, it's good to acknowledge all sides, and all aspects of these such things. To be more aquainted with our fellows and understanding.

    As long as I achieve my desired result, that's all that really matters. That's the point. I wouldn't care exactly which camera I used, or what prop this, or that or whatever. isn't it confusion in a sense anyway. As long as the stuff GETS THE JOB DONE RIGHT!

    Maybe I'm a bit ignorant bout this and am just saying this because i'm not "there" yet, and haven't even started...almost anything when it comes to the tools. But even then, that's what it all comes down too.

    I DONT wanna be like some other hack "indie" artist that...idk, their just bland to me, and the stuff is in vain to me. I'm not sure about "perfection", but I'm certainly a "rightist" when it comes to creating this stuff, writing down my ideas. And even to some extent, that ultra expectation and self-critique may hold me back from the truthful execution..

    hmm.......

    ReplyDelete

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