What is Reddit's opinion of Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player?

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>I dont care about my english for now

Well...maybe try caring a little because your post is borderline nonsense. I must have read it four or five times and still don't really get what you're saying / asking.

>I am asking for tips and indication for guys filmmakers (indies or not) for inspire me.

Okay...so it appears as if you're looking for inspiration. Check out Rebel Without a Crew.

Keep making the videos you'd want to see. If others aren't that into it, fuck em, keep going. Have fun working so the process is its own reward, it will be very fulfilling. As you continue you'll get better and better and better.

Robert Rodriguez started with vhs tapes as a kid, editing from one vcr to another. He made tons of videos and credits his time doing so with a lot of what he learned and why he was able to become a professional. We learn by doing, so keep doing what you do. Check out his book if you're interested: Rebel without a Crew: How a 23-year-old Filmmaker with $7000 Became a Hollywood Player

See EL MARIACHI made for 7000 and read the book https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-without-Crew-23-Year-Old-Filmmaker/dp/0452271878 Robert Rodriguez continues to make movies his way.

I want to first applaud you for the work and effort. I only wish this sort of platform existed when I was younger. That said I have a few notes for you that I feel could help you with your next project. Please do not take them as insults just observations that could help you get to the next level. Fearless Feedback and being able to listen to it and learn from it I feel is imperative to being able to grow as an individual both personally and as a hobby/career.

• try using what would be called a silk or scrim to lessen the light in harsh environments like in your opening scene on the birthday boy.
• in connection with the above try using a bounce to add or fill extra light on the friends face when they are positioned with their back to the light source.
• the masked dialogue is difficult to understand try to either use a hidden lapel mic under the mask if it doesn’t rub against anything g giving you scratchy dialogue. Otherwise have them say the lines as best they can then have them re record their lines even in a program like iMovie you can do this and then add effects after the effect to make it muddier like from Behind something but not as intense. You could even have them re record their lines with something between them and the mic and try different materials till you find one you like (ie: trash bag, puffy jacket, piece of plexiglass, etc. it is always easier to destroy something in post them clean it up.
• as for the dialogue and script the back and forth needs to be punchier and show some distress. If he is fearing for his life I want to hear it, I want to see it. I want to see little bits of him fidgeting with the knots periodically trying to get out of the situation.
• that clock is a great idea for pacing use it to your advantage. Maybe hear the clicks subtle at first but never get rid of them. Have a verbal fight that escalated and as it does the clicking of the timer gets louder and louder like how Alfred Hitchcock did the build up of water and music in the shower scene in Psycho. Have it be fast and then maybe have the antagonist hit him so hard the protagonist gets knocked out and the clicking stops. Everything goes to black. As he wakes up everything’s foggy and out of focus. The camera plays the roll of the protagonist so you see it from their prospective of trying to lift their head up. Audio goes from groggy and like it’s from under water to back to sharp and have to antagonist say something like, “I didn’t want to do that, it didn’t have to end like this. You only wasted your own time.” Then cut to the clock showing that 57mins has passed.
• as for framing although it’s totally ok to break the rule of thirds it’s a good starting point to understand what is comfortable to the viewers eye. There were a few times where the subject was cut off or completely out of frame. With practice then work on doing things to make the viewer feel uncomfortable and out of place like the protagonist feels. Look to the film The Kings Speech to see how framing your subjects can have an effect. I this film Colin Firth is learning to speak without his speech impediment. In the beginning when he is framed he’s is shot in a way that there is a tremendous amount of empty space behind him and almost no room in front of his face. Has he gets better the camera starts to move and reframe him throughout the film till it becomes comfortable for the viewer to see him. It is a visual representation of how we feel about his progress as he learns to speak with out his impediment. Another film that shows this out of body experience well is a newer film called Upgrade.

I know this is a lot but I hope some of it helps. I’ve included some links below for you. Some are books as well. They are easy reads and if you like doing this I feel they will be helpful to your future. I am one that believes if you can do it on a budget then there is nothing wrong with that. Good luck and happy filming!

Silk/scrim- try PCV piping and some sheet that still lets light through: https://youtu.be/yR6avv_ujes Bounce - https://creativecoldsnow.com/product/foam-board-1-2-48x96-white/ Upgrade - https://www.inverse.com/article/45360-upgrade-movie-action-scenes - Rebel Without A Crew https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452271878/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_SE3XZ61RX6NZH7M5W4PS - In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing, 2nd Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1879505622/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_NEW51RBAQ7QXH2DNXQYX

Oh no dont worry about my backup, Im a Financial Economics Major with a minor in Information Systems also im in the states so I can hop into the banking sector whenever.

This quote comes to mind when we are talking about this. " We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. "- John Keating.

Also highly reccomend watching Desparado and reading Rebel Without a Crew

Robert Rodriguez's book Rebel Without a Crew has some good info on indie filmmaking in it.

You can find it on Amazon.

Not a professional filmmaker here, but I love the craft of cinema and am constantly shooting my own weird li'l no-budget solo endeavours.

Firstly, I definitely agree with other commenters thoughts that you don't really need a formal education for this kinda thing. It can obviously help on the technical side of things, but I feel the basics of the craft can be learned from just watching and analyzing your favourite movies.

I would also offer that as with any creative field, there are two parts to filmmaking - the 'craft' and the 'industry'. Surprisingly, these two things are often at odds.

Industry is where the money, the fame, the infrastructure etc. operates. The Hollywood machine. Obviously this is a very important part to get a project funded, crewed, shot and distributed.

However, the craft is where the creativity is, where the actual passion lies. The craft of cinema is where anybody with an idea and a will can get busy becoming a filmmaker. I have never had any formal filmschool training, but I have watched and analysed enough film to understand lighting, camera angles, composition of shot, good and bad acting, all that stuff. And I've put it into practice. These days, if you have a cellphone you can literally make a movie. So if you have an idea and you want to film it... there's no excuse not to. Hitting the bigtime and making blockbuster millions comes later, but it's worth asking yourself why exactly you want to make films... is it for fame and fortune, or do you actually love the craft?

If it's the former, well, I can't offer too much advice on that. But if it's the latter.... then just do it. Go write something and film it. NOW. Go on.

Robert Rodriguez is a big proponent of this kinda guerrilla cinema; just making films with what you've got and getting them out there. Whatever one may think of his movies, I've always respected his work ethic and creative process. Back in the 90s he wrote a book called 'Rebel Without A Crew' detailing how he made El Mariachi for under $7000. Some very useful insights and advice for aspiring filmmakers.

So read some scripts, write your own, charge your phone and go make a movie, pal! I hope to see it posted here sooner than later :-)

Hi u/SunLandingWasFaked - here are the books I recommend for microbudget filmmakers:

• Rebel Without a Crew - Robert Rodriguez.

• Filmmaking: Direct Your Movie from Script to Screen Using Proven Hollywood Techniques (This book was written by Jason Tomaric, who made <em>Time and Again</em> for less than $2000 and is now an Emmy winning Hollywood director).

• If you can find it, I also recommend Tomaric's The Power Filmmaking Kit: Make Your Professional Movie on a Next-to-Nothing Budget. This book is out of print, but is more of a practical "workbook" for movie production than Jason's other book.

• If you're on a budget and can't afford any of the other suggestions, I recommend 11 Simple Steps to turn a Screenplay into a Marketable Movie: or, How I got a $10k movie to gross $1 Million through Warner Bros - by Vince Rocca. I have read this book - and it is worth a lot more than I paid for it.

Hope this is helpful and good luck with your picture.

Rebel Without A Crew is a good read by Robert Rodriguez .... came from very little and filmed for peanuts ....

https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-without-Crew-23-Year-Old-Filmmaker/dp/0452271878

The OP did!

Rebel without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez.

Robert Rodriguez's Rebel Without a Crew.

Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez is pretty great.

Not as film related bur more related to the artistic process is Art and Fear. I highly recommend this to everybody I talk about art with. It's a great book to take notes in and destroy with highlighters.

/u/636rigger - once you've read Stockman's "How to Shoot Video that Doesn't Suck", some people might recommend books about cinematography, lighting and editing, but I've learned more from books from successful filmmakers who have actually made profitable movies, such as:

• Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player - $10.38 in paperback - by Robert Rodriguez

• Filmmaking: Direct Your Movie from Script to Screen Using Proven Hollywood Techniques - $33.03 for Kindle - by Jason Tomaric (This book was written by Jason Tomaric, who made <em>Time and Again</em> for less than $2000 and is now an Emmy winning Hollywood director)

• If you can find it, I also recommend Tomaric's The Power Filmmaking Kit: Make Your Professional Movie on a Next-to-Nothing Budget. This book is out of print, but is more of a practical "workbook" for movie production than Jason's other book.

• If you're on a budget and can't afford any of the other suggestions, I recommend 11 Simple Steps to turn a Screenplay into a Marketable Movie: or, How I got a $10k movie to gross $1 Million through Warner Bros - which is $0.99 for Kindle - by Vince Rocca, I have read this book - and it is worth a lot more than I paid for it.

I have not read this one, but The Reel Truth is next on my list - it consists of interviews with over 100 successful indie filmmakers who detail the mistakes they made - so the reader can avoid them. It is extremely well reviewed - literally 95% out of 89 reviewers on Amazon have given it five stars.

Hope this is helpful and happy reading!

Rodriguez is hardly "hollywood", even today: http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-without-Crew-23-Year-Old-Filmmaker/dp/0452271878

His garage is basically a techno-geek's wet dream, and he's one of the few young auteurs in hollywood.

Read this book it is inspiration when you feel at your lowest

https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-without-Crew-23-Year-Old-Filmmaker/dp/0452271878

It is not an overall filmmaking basics book, but my personal favorite book on filmmaking, and one that is just a terrific read, is Robert Rodriguez's Rebel Without a Crew. Very funny, very interesting, and he gives terrific insight into what it takes to try and film, produce, and shop something on no budget.

http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-without-Crew-23-Year-Old-Filmmaker/dp/0452271878/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1329509983&amp;sr=8-1