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(Click here ==>) danielbeanfilms on tumblr

I will probably be posting much more frequently on tumblr, because their iOS app is the best and easiest-to-use blogging app out there. The WordPress iOS app leaves much to be desired…

Nevertheless, I plan to continue this blog with more in-depth (albeit less frequent) posts, along with the more frequent and casual tumblr posts.

Our D.P., Mike call, chose to go with the Canon C100 Cinema camera for our feature film. A great choice…with its amazing low-light capabilities we’ll be able to shoot a lot of chiaroscuro and naturally lit scenes, which is exactly what I plan on doing with this film.

Last Saturday, along with Mike Call, our D.P., I started shooting my feature film Mise en Abyme. It was actually just a test shoot, but it got me excited for the weeks and months to come as we shoot our feature film. Seeing what I was able to do with Predestination emboldened me to go full-sail into production on this feature film. Mise en Abyme, like Predestination is a rather angsty, philosophical and personal work. Ever notice that the best films by filmmakers are always their most personal ones? I decided to skip straight to the good stuff. I really didn’t hold any punches when writing the script. It’s exactly the film I want to make.

The independent filmmaker’s dilemma: How to create a good film, even an amazing film, without Hollywood budgets…

The paradox of art is that restrictions, far from hindering you, actually free you in your creativity. If I had a huge budget, I would have never written this very personal script, which I feel is the best I could have written. Instead I would have unconsciously copied what every one else is doing and tried to make a “genre” flick. An action flick. A western. A sci-fi. I’m not knocking genre. I think genre, used artfully, can be amazing. Evangelion was able to transcend genre, and excel as a very personal work of art. Same goes to some degree with Solaris. When the filmmaker injects no personal message, no philosophy into a genre film, it is just a dead husk, a vehicle for making money. There is no greater art than art which speaks the truth. And the best way to speak the truth is to write what is in your heart.

Quentin Tarantino. image credit: levonbiss.com

So I’ve been polishing my feature-length screenplay, which I plan to shoot this summer, and it keeps getting better. I love rewriting, because I simply just go back and read what I wrote, and immediately I know what to write. “That’s no good, this is what I want it to say…” and boom, there it is. In a way, rewriting is much easier than writing, because you’ve been there, you are now more of an expert on your characters, and more importantly, what you want to say the the world through them.

Some Good News!

So I recently met with Mike Call, a Utah filmmaker who is not only one of the best D.P.’s around, but has even directed his own films. (He directed the feature-length documentary Raising Fluffy, which will premiere at the Tower Theatre in Salt Lake City on April 30th at 7:00pm. So if you are in the area, come by and watch!) Mike has come on board as D.P. on my first feature film! (Name yet to be announced…)

More Good News!

I submitted my short film Predestination to Raindance and Palm Springs International ShortFest…wahoo! I’ll keep you posted on its progress…

Okay, So How to Get an Education as a Filmmaker…

A lot of people thinking about becoming filmmakers wonder if they should go to film school. Many prominent filmmakers such as George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, etc. came from the “film school generation.” In other words, film was being taken seriously in academia by the late 60′s early 70′s, and many of the “American New Wave” artists went to prestigious film schools. On the other hand, Jim Jarmusch, the father of the American independent cinema movement, decided to use his scholarship funds to shoot a feature film instead of what they were intended for, and was denied a degree by the unimpressed staff at New York University. And Quentin Tarantino did not go to film school at all. He is famous for saying “When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, ‘no, I went to films.’”

So if an aspiring filmmaker were to ask me my own personal opinion on whether to go to film school, this is what I’d tell them:

I majored in film in college, and I actually read all the textbooks, and I actually paid attention in class. While my classmates majored in film to get away from having to do work, I couldn’t get enough work if it had to do with film. And even after I graduated, I have continued to have an insatiable desire when it comes to films. I can’t get enough of good film. So while Tarantino didn’t go to film school, he went to films and got a good education, I went to film school and films and got a good education, which hasn’t stop and won’t stop until I die.

That being said, probably the biggest thing film school did for me: gave me a deadline.

In other words, you can’t learn to be a filmmaker without making films. So whether or not you choose to go to film school, you have to make films. Period.

So long story short, if you are excited about film school, you love reading and watching classic films, then by all means I encourage you to go. It will make you a better filmmaker. If you just want to major in film because your parents are paying for your education and you don’t want to be there and your plan is to watch old films and go to sleep, then….please, get a life. Decide what you want to do with your life and go after it.

And if you aren’t excited about film school, but are excited about making films…then make films! Just do it.

Some Tips for Aspiring Filmmakers…

1. First of all, you’re not aspiring. You’re a filmmaker. (see below)
2. Write every day. If you want to be a writer or writer/director, or even if your end goal is to direct and not write, my advice is to write every day. It’s easier to break out by writing and directing a film then it is to find someone to write a film for you.
3. Filmmaking is far more than just knowing how to use a camera, although that is a very important part. If you want to direct, study film in its entirety. Study classic films, study how to use a camera, study screenwriting, editing, sound, acting….etc etc. Even if you plan on directing and not DP-ing, start by shooting your own stuff. It will give you valuable experience in collaborating with the D.P.s you work with. In fact I’ve even found that shooting and directing films has made it much easier to act. In a sense, while acting, I can direct myself to a point, insomuch as I know as a director what I would want. (This is especially good when both acting and directing. I’ve found that directing others first and then getting into acting has helped me as an actor.)
4. Don’t obsess. Many an aspiring filmmaker falls into the abyss of gear, blogging, social media, etc. Although all those things are and can be very important to you, nothing is more important than your work. Put making your films above all else. In the end, it is your work, not your skills with twitter, that will speak for itself.
5. Submit your work. Next to creating films, the next most important thing is to present them to a worthy forum. If you are making a film about your brother getting hit in the balls with a baseball bat, YouTube is a worthy forum. If you are making an intelligent film, you’d probably do better with film festivals, at least at first.
6. Learn about film. Do this by watching films. People who make smart, artistic, intelligent films, are usually well versed in…films. George Lucas was a fanatic about watching classic films. So were most of his colleagues. Or, if you want to make grindhouse films, do what Tarantino did and watch tons of grindhouse films. Become an expert at whatever it is that you love and do best.

I hope this article has served to motivate you. If you want to be a filmmaker, no one is stopping you. Do what Robert Rodriguez said in his book Rebel Without a Crew: go out and get yourself some business cards, with your name and “filmmaker” on them. Great. You are now officially a filmmaker. The point is you become whatever it is you do. So just decide to do it and then do it.

I also created a Facebook fan page for myself as filmmaker to make it easier to send out quick updates. If you are interested in following along on the journey, like my page here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Daniel-Bean/345213825579405?fref=ts

Ta ta for now!

Predestination is a film about instinct, habit, and free will.

Predestination explores the concepts of instinct, habit, and free will. It would rightly fall into the genre of philosophical film, if  that’s a genre. (Yep, it is.) Over the past year I’ve directed three short films, and this one is by far the best.

BETTER (AND CHEAPER) THAN FILM SCHOOL: SHORT FILMS

On the set of Predestination. From left to right: Ralph, Stefania (Producer), Antonio (D.P.)

To anyone wanting to learn how to make films, here’s a tip: go out and start making short films. The great thing about shorts is they are a wonderful medium to experiment with. They are much cheaper to make than feature films, and take far less time. I believe experimentation is the key to finding one’s style, and ultimately the key to making great films. The reason why Hollywood films are so stagnant is lack of experimentation. Hollywood films almost have to be formulaic because so much money is dumped into them, the investors feel they have a right to hedge their bet. A multi-million dollar investment is not seen as a great way to experiment and try new things.

On the other hand, if you make a short film, and you don’t like it, you not only don’t have corporate investors on your back, you have just learned more about filmmaking than any film school can teach you. And if you keep doing your own thing, and experimenting, chances are you will become much better than Hollywood filmmakers who don’t have the freedom to experiment. Making films on the cheap is the way to rise above the Hollywood mediocrity. Unfortunately there seems to be a pattern: filmmakers go out and experiment and make great stuff, subsequently get “discovered” by Hollywood, then with bigger budgets and more constraints go out and make worse films.

I’d like to buck that pattern. “Hollywood clout” isn’t everything. In fact, my filmmaking heroes are not the Hollywood heavyweights, but maverick filmmakers like Jim Jarmusch and foreign artists like Federico Fellini.

COMING SOON TO A FESTIVAL NEAR YOU

I’ve decided to take a different approach to this film than I have in the past. Rather than a straight-to-internet launch, I’m going to let it live in the festival circuit first, and once its festival life has come to an end, let it loose in cyberspace. So most likely the internet launch will be in 2014. I’ve chosen to do this for a couple of reasons.

1. Films are meant to be discussed

First, I feel like film festivals are the right forum for this type of film. In the past, I’ve gotten little to no substantive feedback or criticism via the internet. The internet is just too impersonal. For the most part, it’s not really a place where people give deep and meaningful feedback on films. People watch a video, and then are on to the next one. I’ve always felt like the best way to talk about films is in person. At Sundance, I’ve had some meaningful conversations with filmmakers about their films during the open panel after the film, and afterwards, just mingling and meeting in person. (Gramado, in Brazil, on the other hand was disappointing in that the filmmakers were not present after the film. That kind of destroys the whole purpose of having a film festival, in my opinion. Nevertheless, I do plan to submit Predestination to Gramado, since it was filmed just down the road from there in Porto Alegre.)

2. The opportunity to connect

The other reason is that film festivals are a great place for filmmakers to connect with other filmmakers, actors, investors, and fans. Again, for the most part, cyberspace is a very cold impersonal place. However, I have been fortunate to connect with some very exceptional filmmakers through the internet, such as Dale Kamp and Patryk Kizny. But I want to take it to the next level, and perhaps even do what Jared Hess did and find a financial backer. For those unfamiliar with the story, Jared Hess was a BYU film student here in Provo, Utah, who submitted his short film Peluca to Sundance. While at Sundance, he was approached by MTV to direct a feature version of his short, which he did, and it was called Napoleon Dynamite. Great film, but bad example because it’s nothing like my films. However, so far, I haven’t had any investors see a short film of mine on the internet and come pounding on my door wanting to back a feature. (They also haven’t seen this one yet…so let’s not count our chickens before they hatch.)

All in all, while the internet is a great tool which I plan to continue to use to great advantage, I feel that festivals are still a great avenue for filmmakers to take. At least, that’s the theory I plan to test. Stick around to see if I still believe that a year from now, or whether it will go back to being all internet for me.

With or without investors like MTV, I’m set to make a no-budget feature, which I shall presently call “M,” for fear of having my film title ripped off again. So stay tuned, more news on Predestination and “M” to come

Well let’s see how we are doing so far. First off 2012 was an awesome year…except, I didn’t reach my goal of shooting my feature film in 2012. Not good. Frowny face. Explanation point!

I did however shoot write and direct 3 short films, write my first novel, write my first non-fiction book, write a screenplay for Patryk Kizny’s follow-up to The Chapel, and lose 40 pounds. So not too shabby. But….I can do better.

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks for the encouragement, Waldo.

I set the 5 years 5 films 5 novels goal last summer. So I’ve decided to shoot my first feature film by my 36th birthday in June. Last year I wrote my first novel by my 35th birthday, June 19, 2012. Success. Over 25 years in the making.

This film will be 8 1/2 on an El Mariachi budget…pipe dream?

In 2012, I wrote an approximately 40 page script with the intent to expound upon it and for it to become my first feature length film. This year, throughout the month of January, writing every day (or sometimes late into the night as the case may be) I completely reworked that script and rewrote it into what will soon be a 70 page, completely revamped, bigger, better, more audacious script than what I started out with. So while I’m not happy with myself for not completing my goal, I feel that ultimately this film will be a stronger, much more provocative work than if I had gone out and shot it with the original 40 page script that I wrote. Kind of like stew, sometimes you have to let it sit for a while to enhance the flavor.

That’s right, I almost forgot….5 novels. What I plan to do is tackle the film the first half of the year, and then write the novel in the second half. If this works well, I might do this every year. Basically I’m just making it up as I go along. The only thing that’s important for me is this: make films, write books. Do it every day. If you are not actively pursuing your dreams every day, guess what? They aren’t going to happen. Nothing or no one is going to make your dreams happen but you. So, reality check: if you’re not making them happen, they ain’t gonna happen.

To sum it all up, I welcome this brave new year. In a few short months, before June 19th, I will have shot my first feature film or died trying.

Thanks for following along on my blog and feel free to share your comments and thoughts on filmmaking, writing, life, or the universe!

Image Credit: Patryk Kizny http://kizny.com/

Today I helped out with a recording session with some wonderfully talented Voice-Over artists as we recorded voice-over for Patryk Kizny’s upcoming film, a sequel to his acclaimed and very popular short film: The Chapel. If you’ve never seen it, you’re in for a treat. It’s one of the most amazingly beautiful short films to ever grace cyberspace with its presence. Watch here: https://vimeo.com/16414140

There are many things in life we can only learn by doing, voice-over is probably one of them. Directing actors another. And directing voice-over actors another still. Previous to working on Patryk’s project, I was fortunate to have had experience doing all three of these on my own previous projects. But I had never worked on anything quite like this. I can say I learned a lot from these seasoned and talented artists.

The fascinating thing about voice-over work is that even with the same words, the slightest different inflection, pacing, or tone can drastically alter the meaning and feeling of the piece. Each person is able to put a different spin, their own interpretation, which can enhance a message, alter meaning, invoke certain moods. The possible variations are endless. The voice is just as much an instrument as the violin or piano.

And of course, there is that certain satisfaction that comes from hearing someone make words that you write come to life….

I’ve also recently been putting the finishing touches on my own short film which uses extensive voice-over: Predestination. More on that soon. Stay in touch.

Just got back from Porto Alegre, Brazil, and shot a short film while I was down there, with Antônio Nunes as D.P. (“Tonhow” was also D.P. on Brains Vs. Brawn).

This time Idecided to storyboard the short film, which turned out to be a smart move. I was running here and there and everywhere in Brazil, and had limited time, so I only had time to draw the storyboard while I was in the laundromat (which by the way, laundromats are about 10 times as expensive in Brazil as in the U.S., and I had to take a taxi across town to get to one).

(To the right, you can click to see a side by side comparison of some of the shots from the storyboard compared to how they turned out in the actual footage.)

I was amazed at what a huge difference it made to have a storyboard. First of all, I think we shot the film about 5 times faster than we would have without one. Besides that, I know we wouldn’t have gotten the shots we got without one. In Brains Vs. Brawn, I didn’t make a storyboard, and instead we were just winging it. The result: we were able to make a much more visual and cinematic film as a direct result of some planning and forethought.

Antônio did an amazing job with the Canon 5D Mark III in probably the darkest bar I’ve ever been in. We didn’t use a single production light on this film! We were even shooting many of the shots inside the bar (and out on the street) at 12800 ISO (and using L glass), and they still looked amazing!