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This is another existential filmmaker post spawned by a few recent threads. You've been warned. Also spoilers for a film. Recently I saw a film that articulated a question I didn't know I was asking. That film was "Frank" the story of a talentless, wannabe songwriter/keyboard player who is recruited to join a band led by a man who wears a fake head at all times. You might have seen it floating around Netflix, and maybe you even disregarded it because it sounds gimmicky, or the poster looked like quirky nonsense, but I decided on a lark to watch it, and it was absolutely devastating. The "protagonist" of the film seems like a nice, sweet guy in the beginning, until he starts exploiting Frank's talent by secretly filming and posting videos of their rehearsals to youtube, eventually earning them a slot at SXSW. He tells Frank "People love us." to which Frank replies "People love us?" The pressure of the show, and pleasing an audience cause Frank to have a nervous breakdown. This film resonated with me in a major way. I watched it once, over a week ago, and I'm still thinking about it. I thought about how fame and success never occurred to Frank. He just created music for the art and expression of it, and when faced with the pressure of a major debut performance at a festival, he creates a terrible song that he thinks is his "most likeable song ever". The entire experience breaks him. The whole film forced me to think of my goals as a filmmaker. I've wanted to be a filmmaker since I saw the Making Of Jurassic Park on TV when I was six years old. In high school, I got serious about having a career in film after seeing Pulp Fiction and El Mariachi. I then discovered the French New Wave and John Cassavetes, and I wanted to make honest, devastating, achingly truthful and beautiful masterpieces of cinema. I made my first feature at 21...and now I'm almost 28, with not many shorts, and not a single follow-up feature since my first. My first feature was extremely disappointing to me. I was obsessed with it for years, and even tried to make a quasi-remake of it, which was a disaster. I've been struggling to come up with an idea for another film that I like. I haven't been able to finish even a first draft in two and a half years. I used to be able to crank out script after script, draft after draft with all the blind confidence in the world. And since my feature, I've come to the realization that I only really have a few basic themes that I keep going back to, and I keep trying to force myself to think of something different, to be a different filmmaker, but I'm not. And now I'm questioning my goals. I've wanted a career making indie films so I wouldn't have to work a crappy day job. I've been working the same crappy day job for almost four years straight, except for the nine months where I moved to LA to pursue my career. I could't even find a day job to pay the rent. Toys R Us interviewed me twice and wouldn't hire me to work in the stock room during the holidays. I sold a bunch of my lenses, and the DVX100 I didn't use anymore, for rent money. I moved back to my hometown a year ago, broken and miserable. A year later I'm in a great relationship with a woman I'm moving in with in a month. She also has a three year old daughter, and though I thought I never wanted kids, now I can see myself raising this child with my girlfriend, and marrying her. We both see it. She's extremely supportive of my filmmaking, and doesn't want me to give up. But I just feel discouraged. Discouraged that my films will never look good enough, have good enough acting or be important enough. And I still want to make films, but I'm wondering why I want, or need, to be successful at it. Before I got "serious" about it, I used to have fun making movies. The same group of friends and I would get together and film shorts on the weekends. Most people here I'm sure had the same experience. I think all I want now is to form a troupe of actors/crew members and make cheap movies in our spare time for fun, and perhaps never even show them to anyone else. I'm accepting that I'm nowhere near the level of talent as Francois Truffaut, Paul Thomas Anderson, or David Lynch, and it's okay. I'm giving up on success. I just want to make shit.

While it may be Andrew's site with his articles on the frontpage/blog, the rest of the threads on the forum its content is decided by the userbase mostly. So... if you're coming across a lot of tech stuff, that's mainly because that is what the userbase is into. That doesn't mean it's just a place for techies. The content on the forum isn't dictated by Andrew. I see it as an open platform where you decide what's the topic of the day. So if you feel like there's too little stuff going on in the artistic/creative direction, blame yourself, it's up to you to do something about it. Although I prefer when it's actually about something fresh and useful that benefits and motivates everyone, rather than the old flamewar debate that the best camera is the one you have with you, that you can enter a festival with something shot on an iPhone, that Kendy does great things with the T2i and that content is king. Yeah yeah, we've been over that before, heard it a thousand times, we even agree, we know. But imho there's nothing wrong with discussing the tools that make filmmaking possible. Cameras, lenses, lights, mics/recorders, monitors, stabilizers, et cetera. You can go full nerdgasm on any of these things by the way, not just camera bodies. But the way I see it most just want to explore new territories and open up new creative possibilities that allow them to create what they have envisioned. Nothing wrong with that. And in the end we all choose our own paths. You choose yours, let others choose theirs. Maybe you're oozing creativity and ideas, but are limited by the execution of things. New gear can enable you to move forward, to take it to the next level. Of course if you haven't even unlocked the full potential of your current gear, it's questionable if you really need that new bright shiny toy. But hey, as long as they don't ruin themselves financially, let them buy that RED Weapon Dragon or whatever and let 'em find out the hard way that it takes more then just buying stuff, right? Anyways. To end on a cool note, I like to share a video I came across the other day...

http://www.fdtimes.com/2015/05/10/anamorphic-118-page-review/

​Dude you made a feature film how many people can say that NOT many Nobody likes their work name me one artist director that loves his films or art and say Shit man i am good this is good No for some HARD CANDY LOVE stop bitching and moaning you wont get any sympathy from me and go have fun by making short films and stop thinking that one day you will be some bog movie director. You think all those directors you mentioned started because they wanted to be big and important at the beginning NO they do what they love. Keep doing what you love and if one day you make it then more power to you my philosophy is if i don't like it if it is giving me stress i don't do it. PS I was in a war 4 years at age 14 (Bosnia) lost 2 brother and father to that war escaped to Croatia over the mountain took me 3 weeks to travel 230k almost got killed in doing it, from there went to Pakistan for 2 years as refugee almost got raped in one of the refugee camps, come to Canada with red cross was homeless for 6 months in Toronto barely spoke any English lived from shelter to shelter could not get work thanks to my English took me 3 months to get welfare got my education went to collage for graphic design and film All that was 15 years ago do i make films NO do i work as Graphics designer NO I fabricate kitchens in a small town make good money have a beautiful family my own place nice SUV car there is clean water coming from my tap i have electricity and this film staff i do it as hobby and threat it as professional hobby why because it makes me happy But i am the happiest when i take my 2 kids to the park every day watching them play while i sip my coffee what i am tying to say don't over think just do what makes you happy if you make it then good I don't know it any of this makes any sense

Hi. JVC is going to lend me a JVC GY-LS300 for two weeks to give it a try and I was wondering if someone here would be interested that I test a few things for them? So if you want me to look in something particular on this camera or test something special, let me know! It is also a good way for me to give this camera a good try! Cheers

I think this is the perfect place to say that I just bought a samsung nx1 and I'm pumped for it!

Distribution has 0% to do with what kind of camera you shoot on. It's all about the story, target audience, cast, etc. Look at Tangerine: picked up for distribution by Magnolia pictures, shot completely on the iPhone 5s. You could shoot on the best camera in the world, with the best lighting, but if your story doesn't connect with an audience, you won't find distribution. Now, getting hired to film on the other hand, that's a different question. Producers always want to shoot the best quality they can afford that still works with the story, so being a DP with a 4k camera is probably a good idea.

Good for you baxter. Filmmaking should be fun. Success does suck. Ask kurt cobain. Failure is even better. Thats why i write. To fail. Let me lnow if you need crew or gear for your next film.

I relate a lot to that. Hardly requires a response, but I'm inspired by a lot of the same things and agree that it shouldn't be for anyone other than yourselves (especially if you're making something Cassavetean). I've had some trouble thinking of things to write about lately too, but sometimes I'm still making notes of a situation that gives me crazy anxiety and hoping later they can combine into something. A loose scenario with creative friends is a place i wanna go soon, maybe straight up improv, maybe more like group writing, but that could be a freeing solution or detour while still being significant. Good luck, Baxter! I enjoyed that post a lot

This video very clearly shows how impressive the new Kipon EF adapter is for Micro Four Thirds. It is shown working with the Canon 70-200mm F2.8L on the Panasonic GX7. I expect performance to be even more impressive on the GH4 thanks to its cutting edge AF engine. Read the full article

​While I can appreciate both sides of this discussion, this is a false analogy. It'd be much more like fuzzy saying you don't need a new typewriter, or new pens, or a new computer to write a good script. Which I would agree with, but I would also say that a new piece of writing software could potentially make scriptwriting a faster process, allowing for more creative time. Or that a new typewriter might inspire you to write.

It definitely can't hurt to have a 4K camera. Despite the fact that we're still largely in a 2K world, in 5-10 when 4K becomes universal, it will prove beneficial to have a 4K master backed up. However, a little knowledge can be dangerous. I know for a fact that those same producers who demand that you use a 4K camera, even a cheap one like the GH4 or Black Magic 4K would gladly take an Alexa, even though it shoots 2K ProRes (I know it can do Arriraw but practically nobody under a seven-figure budget does). Because all they need to know is that it's the camera Avengers was shot on. Status is everything.

​Yeah, that is the point. I'm just saying clearly there's a bit too much enthusiasm on either side of this conflict sometimes. love exploring new technologies on this site, may decide when I have the budget that something is absolutely essential for a film, even have to stick the script in the drawer until I can get this bit of tech. But don't become obsessed and upgrade every week without actually making anything. I have a reeeally low budget setup, but I can't make a film with my phone. It may be possible, but I just can't. I feel like sometimes we're even on the same page there, but arguments erupt anyways because of misunderstanding or whatever. Anyway, I have no reason to disrespect anyone on this blog if they upgrade a lot or somehow cheapskate their way into making 1 frame per minute films with disposable cameras. More power to you

​i missed where he said if you don't shoot 4K, you're in trouble. what I heard him say was it can be an advantage when dealing with places like Netflix who are leaders in providing 4K content. So of course, if you shoot and finish in 4K, you're checking a box for platforms looking for 4K content. But out of the thousands of regional distributors all over the world, that's an extremely small number. also, notice at the beginning he says they finished their theatrical exhibition DCP in 2K. the current reality is that there are so few places where 4K can be delivered to an audience that it's going to be the case for a couple years. remember, I just licensed my movie to Paramount Pictures for int'l VOD a few months ago and their requested delivery specs didn't go any higher than 1080p. all that being said, a distributor will take a movie they think they can sell, even if it was shot on SD and upres'd to 1080p. they aren't going to let something like resolution get in the way of making money.

​I agree 100%. Make this an interesting and positive place and it will thrive. Go off-topic and negative and it will die and what's more I will let it.

​Wow..Kristoferman. "The 4K bug is definitely hitting the otherwise unwashed masses". What a frightening (and true) statement for a lot of filmmakers. I know FOUR off the top of my head that are shooting as we speak on HD (narrative film). They've got their entire fortunes/bank accounts into their art. And some other people's money!!! Christ almighty it could get ugly. This conversation would scare the hell out of them. And what director Eli Roth said about 4K distribution. See post/link above. The landscape is changing. Fast.

What I would like to see more focus on, on various blogs, are the tools that complement the cameras.... Dollies, gimbals, cranes, lights etc The cameras are hitting saturation point, but there are some really interesting tools that can help with the cinematic look, every bit as much as DR, resolution etc.

Everything happens for a reason. If the owner gets bashed, there's a reason for that too. In the end he is a person just like the rest of us, regardless of what he does for the community.

​Exactly! That's what makes the LX100 worth gold! Can totally recommend it, you'll be using it all the time. As for a baby tripod. I have two Cullmann Magnesit Copters myself. As seen on: Mic wise, I haven't really got anything RØDE, which I guess is what most people go for? Videomic Pro. Or a NTG2 / NTG3. I went budget. First to get was the Zoom H1 (who didn't start out with one of those?), then added the Takstar SGC-598 and HTDZ HT-81 with an iRig Pre. They do a pretty decent job. With so many third party choices I'm not sure anybody uses Panasonic's own mic offering to be honest. Heard good things about Shure as well though. As for the LX100 with external mic. Depends on if you really need it. If you're going to put an audio track over it and just getting the visuals, why bother? You can even use ambient/environmental sounds slightly muted in the back to cover up the fact that it's recorded with the built-in mic (like a music track with visuals of waves crashing on the beach, with the waves audible, perhaps you can even hear some seagulls). If you just so happen to find yourself at a live music performance and need that audio performance. Well, yeah, you might need something else... maybe one of these RØDE smartphone attachments?

Why are posts like these, and discussions like this even allowed on this Forum Andrew. I thought Admins had been appointed to helping sort things out. Could you please remove all the PMSing people and people suffering from ED here? We could do with some constructive discussions, rather allowing for whining and negativity. Thank you.

I would really love to get a LX100. This little baby is perfect for shooting nice 4K video when you least expect it and can alway be carried with you. Add a little Baby Manfrotto Tripod and you have a great little camer in your bag. As for the Mic In missing, I will use in this case an external PCM recorder. As for the Shure LensHopper VP83F. How it is compared to the Panasonic official Mic for the GH4?

That's why all the content-is-king threads never had a long lifespan. Why should an artist talk about his motivation, when film is his medium? Actions speak louder than words. I don't see where Fuzzy or I attacked anyone. I also can't see why this should be a de-motivational behavior. The cap doesn't fit? Don't wear it. ​Isn't that the point? Finding a balance? The serenity to accept the things I cannot change (time, money, experience), the courage to change the things I can change (making full use of what I have, which isn't little)? I apologize for having abused this forum for personal psychotherapy, for openly wallowing in self-pity and for bashing anyone who might feel bashed. I just don't know what you are talking about.

​Your passion for film is highly visible. It seems to me you just found out something about yourself. You question your ambitious goals probably because they were to prove sth. to others. Why should one? ​No, you want to cut the bullshit. See it that way.

Look for other horror films like yours that are out there, with good ad-supported multi-platform distribution and contact those producers to find out who their domestic and international distributor was. chances are, they have a "type" that you're likely going to fit. I went with Gravitas Ventures for domestic and they have been fantastic. if you're looking for contact info, you can ask for an introduction, or get an imdb pro account and call them up. Also, I remember getting a compiled list of direct email and phone contacts for a ton of distributors as a member of the film specific web site.

Vectorscopes can help, but I think this is something you really have to eyeball yourself.. lucky we can check other peoples work with skintone we love as a reference! If it looks right to you, it probably is.. !

​I'm not qualified to advise you on your career, but as someone who's been married for some time I can tell you this (having someone who loves and supports you) is worth more than everything else you mentioned when it comes to happiness. My suggestion is to recognize and cherish that.

​Kendy Ty is a professional who shoots Alexa. The 550D was a side project, simple and small.

I think the point of this post is very simple... It is very easy to get sucked into the next best thing, especially during this digital revolution but there are cheap cameras available to the masses that are more than capable, tech-wise, to make a great film. A good filmmaker can make a great movie on a low end camera, and a bad filmmaker can make a bad movie on an Alexa.

This is all well and good but making films actually requires me to exert effort when I could just be sitting here window shopping for gear

OP asked why we tend to have threads on tech rather than art. Tech discussions are based on fact; art discussions are based on opinion. Consequently (as this thread is already showing), art threads invariably degenerate into attacking the straw man, where even reasoned opinions are countered by making an extreme and absurd interpretation of them. If one can shoot a Star Wars movie on T2i today that competes with "Gravity," great.

​Good time to ask then. If it is, how so? Because most stuff here is gear talk. I always thought EOSHD was mostly (not all) for people that were trying to do low-budget cinema with this new era of consumer cameras; so very tech-centric. I mean, I don't mind that, but threads about the artistic side of things don't seem to generate much discussion. Seems more about the technical craft. After all, talk about dynamic range and skin tones on some upcoming new camera and a 10 page thread is likely. Hey, if I'm wrong, no problem. Just curious to hear from the head honcho.