Filmmaking, Cinematography, and turning a passion into something more.

Recently I've been wondering if I have what it takes to make movies. Obviously it's a LOT of work and I do not want to go from "movie watcher" to "movie maker" overnight, but I would like to try. I love movies and I've been thinking about the filmmaking process and what goes into the general craft a lot lately. 

Last week during my stay at Elmira, New York, I found myself watching a ton of movies in the hotel. I finished all the Transformers movies (I almost did a post on that but I didn't have the energy. TLDR; only the first and Bumblebee are actually watchable movies) and many movies by M Night Shyamalan. 

M Night Shyamalan has such a fascinating filmography. Prior to last week, I never saw any of his movies. My curiosity was sparked from Marcus Cosmonaut's video on all 16 of his movies. What I found fascinating is just how varied are his films, from indie movie starring himself, friends, and family, to one of the greatest psychological horror thrillers of all time, to the worst live action adaptation ever, to unique compelling movie about a guy who's trapped at a concert. 

I watched the following in order: Trap, The Happening, The Sixth Sense, and Signs. While I won't go into deep detail on my thoughts on these movies, this is probably the best sampler I could've gotten for this director. Trap was just goofy and super entertaining. The Happening doesn't have a single line or delivery that I could say a believable human would speak. The Sixth Sense is a fucking masterpiece and I haven't been moved by a movie like that in ages, possibly ever. Signs was significantly better than I expected and showed me how important a given movie's goals are even if the subject matter doesn't line up perfectly. 

I think what I find inspiring about Shyamalan as a filmmaker is his neverending desire to create films across his career. Watching a lot of interviews, he just seems so genuine and passionate about what he does and seeing his highs and lows, all while still wanting to create is just inspiring. I see that and think "maybe I could try too." Not only Shyamalan but also the past year of movies and what's succeeding is something I find inspiring. 

The three most notable breakout successes this year are Obsession, The Backrooms, and Iron Lung. I haven't seen these movies yet (I'll be watching Obsession tonight) but seeing concept heavy horror movies healmed by single people do numbers at the box office, even beyond that of a Star Wars movie, is just amazing. The Backrooms in particular is impressive. Kane Parsons is 19 years old and he made a huge success of a movie. Regardless of what I'll think about any of these movies, I think it just shows that anyone can get to that level if they at least try. 

This kinda brings me to where my current headspace is at with this topic. I do not, by any means, expect to just jump in and create a multi million dollar hit of a movie. I need to study and learn the craft. I feel it is important to try (and fail) at any creative endeavor in order to become skilled. We've seen many times what happens when an amateur filmmaker jumps into an extremely ambitious project and it's never pretty. 

I want to start making short films. I don't have any particular ideas about what, but my goal is to mostly get an eye for cinematography and framing. When I watch movies, I find myself thinking about framing, staging, cinematography, and editing a lot. Behind the camera, what part of the story is being told? What's the goal of a shot? Alternatively, are they just trying to be stylish? How so? What's going into the technical process of a long shot? I think about this stuff a lot. 

Even in a very narratively simple movie like John Wick, these elements stand out. This sequence here sticks out in my head as one that's so particular in what it's trying to portray for the two characters. It's like something out of a comic book. Cutting back and forth between John and Iosef, showing the stable light and spiral screen he's centered on as he's locked in, while Iosef is frantically panicking with rapid flashing lights. It's an extension of the characters' mental states shown in the environment and through camera work. 

Unfortunately I know for a fact I will falter when it comes to writing. I am not a well read person. I've been telling myself I want to read more but let's be real it never sticks. That's also part of the process though. It's a skill I'll have to improve at nonetheless. 

So yeah, I wanna try making short films. It won't be easy, but here's hoping I can do it. Hopefully I also don't forget this feeling and it's just a brief ambition with no tangible results. That's happened a lot lately.