Writing this and not coming off as a grumpy old man is tough. But we truly are living in the most exciting time ever to be a filmmaker. I am approaching the 10th Anniversary of my leaving college to become a professional storyteller, and in that time we have seen such an amazing growth in the capabilities of the tools and an intensification of the competition. It’s almost unthinkable where we will be in the next ten years.
When I started editing movies I used the first iMac with Firewire and the first version of the iMovie. The 1.0 of iMovie didn’t even have an “undo” feature. I had to save a lot and revert back. I was so excited when 2.0 came out and there was an undo. Render times for DV were atrocious and hard drive space was scarce (you couldn’t even fit a whole DV tape onto one drive).
Now most laptops can churn out DV, and Harddrives are spacious. Render times and space still get eaten up by HiDef, but that will change and soon we’ll all be working in 4k…
Back then I bought a Sony TRV-900 for $1800. It cost as much as my car at the time. It was a 3-CCD 1/4 Camcorder that recorded to Mini-DV tapes in Standard Definition. Feature films were shot on this camera, films that made it into festivals, and into the theaters.
Now I bought a Canon 7D SLR that shoots beautiful stills and video for that same $1800. It has an imager that’s as larger as Super 35mm film and shoots in High Definition with replaceable lenses.
Back in 2000, my friends at the comedy schools I attended and where I met Douglas Sarine, no one was thinking about putting their stuff on the internet. I was showing them films like 405, Hard Drinking Lincoln, and others to get them excited.
Now I go to parties that have 500 people all with their own web show. All seeking funding, all looking to be the next Ask A Ninja or LonelyGirl15 (and some of them not knowing what Ask A Ninja and LonelyGirl15 are…).
So in summary, in terms of tools, now has never been a better or more exciting time. If you can’t mange to get your vision realized with whatever level of tools you have available to you, you lack imagination. Every Mac for the last ten years can edit video there is a new or used one available at your price point. Most stills cameras from the last 3 years can shoot video, as well as most cells phones, and then there are the amazing and high quality HD camcorders too. The tools are there, go tell a story.
In terms of competing for scarce resources, now is probably the most daunting time. Anyone can be a producer and director, and you’re only going to stand out if you’re talented and lucky and persistent. LA is a great place, but it’s also a place where there will be thousands of other just like you. If you stay where you’re from and become undeniably good you’ll eventually get here.
I had no choice, I grew up in Southern California, but it’s very expensive and isolating without a family (and that “family” can be a close-knit group of friends too, but those are very hard to find in LA…).
Go tell your stories, and keep getting better at telling them. And always remember to care more, that will get communicated to your audience.
6 Comments
November 1, 2009 at 7:57 am
Good to see you back, Kent. Great post, and representative of media other than filmmaking. The publishing industry faces similar crunches in resources, which troubles authors like me.
But you’re right: There’s no better time to be a storyteller … especially if you’re absolutely committed to the quality of your work, and remain relentless in that commitment.
Keep up the excellent work.
November 1, 2009 at 8:54 am
10 years in Internet time = almost 100 years in the real world. History will remember you as a trailblazer.
November 1, 2009 at 9:37 am
You’re back! Excellent!
You’re absolutely right. There’s more opportunity now to roll your own than ever before. All whiners step to the back of the line. Get out and make your story. It’s not about access to equipment or knowing which button to push anymore. Tell your story and make it a good one!
Living in NY I’m a little outside the LA scene. There appears to be a bit of “wheel spinning” out there since the writers strike. Everyone seems to be trying to do exactly the same thing. Maybe that’s to be expected, or maybe that’s just my perception, I don’t know. In any case, the next few years are going to be very, very interesting.
November 1, 2009 at 10:35 am
Excellent post. My wife and I broke into the biz one way and one way only–embracing DV and shooting our own TV pilots and short films from scratch. Write, produce, shoot, direct, edit, make graphics: all possible thanks to an old blue and white Mac G3 and a Canon XL1 we went into debt for.
It makes us mad when people say “well, I don’t have the money to break in to Hollywood.” Here’s how you do it. Find a friend with a camera. Borrow it. Sign up for a class at the community college that gives us access to some computers. Sneak in and use them to edit. Or come up with some other creative solution.
Let’s face it, some of the best movies ever made were done for almost no money, and some of the most expensive movies of all time were total flops. Money, budget, gear will never replace content and creativity. Just look at what David Baker’s doing with Mission X–shooting on everything from an old PD150 to cell phones!
If you want to break in, the time has never been better. No more excuses. Make like Nike and just do it.
Great post, Kent. Best of luck on the remake!
Biagio
twitter: @jokeandbiagio
November 2, 2009 at 7:05 am
Really nice post
it is pretty crazy to sit back and think about all the old-school, awkward shitty little home movies I spend weeks working on… using my friends old iMac. Those were good days. Who knew how fast things were going to change and how far I would end up wandering down this road. To the next 10 years.
November 12, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Got into the video thing as a result of the initial Podcast Expo in Ontario Ca. 2005.
I never turned out to be the video podcast star like Dr. Tiki or Amanda Congdon but I still keep it up as more of a video blog of my life.
And luckily I have lots of VHS footage from 1983 from which to work.