The Filmmaker's Guide to Creatively Embracing Limitations: Not Getting What You Want Leading to Creating What You Need

Description

Starting out as a filmmaker comes with a host of limitations and restrictions leading to one key question: how do you channel your creativity past these daunting challenges to create compelling and impactful films? Authors William Pace and Ingrid Stobbe advise the key is to not consider them roadblocks to being creative, but opportunities. Providing both historical and contemporary examples, as well as outlining practical exercises filmmakers can apply to their own creative processes, they illustrate how filmmakers can transform obstacles into successes. Looking into limitations and restrictions arising at all stages of the film production process, the book illuminates the importance of developing unique creative muscles and how to apply them to your own work. This is a unique text in the field that provides both a theoretical and practical approach to inspired and savvy filmmaking that uses limitations as points of inspiration. Drawing on examples from artists like Frank Oz, Pete Docter, Gabby Sumney, and Shaun Clarke, filmmakers will gain a well-rounded understanding of the creative processes behind motion picture production and learn how to shape their own independent creative voice when utilizing budget-conscious, creatively aware filmmaking. Foregrounding limitation-embracing strategy and capability, making a film for the first time or with limited resources is no longer overwhelming with this highly practical textbook. Ideal for undergraduate students of film production and first-time filmmakers. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Contents Foreword Preface Acknowledgements William Pace Acknowledgments Ingrid Stobbe Acknowledgements Pt. I: Limitation Throughout History 1. The Problem of Choice: Psychology and the Effective Storyteller 2. Historical Limitations Throughout Film Production's Evolution Leading To Innovation 2.1 World Wars, Isolation, and Storytelling 2.1.1 What It Was 2.1.2 Background: Art + World War I 2.1.3 Innovative Case Study: German Expressionism + The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1920 2.2 Pre-Sound to Post-Sound 2.2.1 Why was This A Moment of Innovation 2.2.2 Innovative Case Study: Dorothy Arzner's The Wild Party (1929), and The Invention of the Boom Pole and Shotgun Microphone 2.3 The Hays Code and Cinema Censorship 2.3.1 What It Was 2.3.2 General Principles 2.3.3 Particular Applications 2.3.4 Why Was This A Moment of Innovation: 2.3.5 Innovative Case Study: Some Like It Hot, 1959 2.4 Black and White Meets Color 2.4.1 What It Was 2.4.2 Why Was This A Moment of Innovation 2.4.3 Innovative Case Study: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, 1964 Notes 3. Film, Digital, Accessibility, and Contemporary Trends 3.1 Early Photography 3.2 Early Film 3.3 Early Video 3.3.1 Dogme 95 Vows of Chastity 3.4 Contemporary Trends: Streaming 3.4.1 Streaming Platforms and the Shift of Storytelling Timelines Notes 4. From Sow's Ear To Silk Purse: Creative Victories Through Limitation 4.1 "Just One Word - Plastics": Pete Docter on Toy Story 4.2 No Budget? No Problem: Maya Deren and Amateurism in the Quest for Artistic Authenticity 4.3 "They Have No Legs": Frank Oz on the Muppets and Beyond 4.4 The Martini Shot Notes Pt. II: Practical Implementation 5. The Why of Why: Why Is Each Element of Production Important, and How Does Limitation Aid the Visual Storyteller? 6. Exercises in Limitation: Storytelling on the Page 6.1 Starter Yeast 6.1.1 A Spare Scene Screenwriting Exercise 6.1.1.1 The Deets 6.1.1.2 The Goals 6.2 No Dialogue - The Active Screenplay 6.2.1 An Exercise in Onscreen Exposition and Non-verbal Communication 6.2.1.1 The Deets 6.2.1.1.1 Scenario 6.3 Less Is More 6.3.1 The Screenplay as a Hemmingway Haiku Exercise 6.3.1.1 The Deets Note 7. Exercises in Limitation: Storytelling on Screen 7.1 One-Take Jolly Dolly 7.1.1 An Exercise in Framing, Action and Movement with No Edits 7.1.1.1 The Deets 7.1.1.2 The Goals 7.2 A Lens by Any Other Name 7.2.1 An Exercise in Reexamining the Totality of an Instrument and Its Uses in our Art 7.2.1.1 Lens Whacking 7.2.1.2 The Deets 7.3 Oh What's in a Frame - Where Are the Edges? 7.3.1 An Exercise in Spatiality of Framing, Continuity of Cuts, and Maximizing Lensing 7.3.1.1 Where Are the Edges: 3 Frames | 3 Ways 7.3.1.1.1 What to Do 8. Exercises in Limitation: Storytelling in the Editing Room 8.1 5 Edits To Tell A Story 8.1.1 An Exercise in Finding the Most Value in Every Shot 8.1.1.1 The Deets 8.1.1.2 The Goals 8.2 Physical Editing: The Frame as Reversed Exquisite Corpse 8.2.1 An Exercise in Subjectivity, Topic Imposition, and Editing Bias in Storytelling 8.2.1.1 Using the Frame as Skeleton in Our Reversed Exquisite Corpse 8.2.1.2 The Deets 8.2.1.3 The Goals 8.3 More Than Meets The Eye 8.3.1 An Exercise in Working Around, Above and Through Problem Areas in Your Footage, and How to Plan for Common Editing Conundrums in Production 8.3.1.1 So Where Do You Come In? 8.3.1.2 The Deets 8.3.1.3 Scenario 8.3.1.4 Script 8.3.1.5 The Goals Pt. III: Conclusions 9. The Day You Have No Limitations is the Day You Have No Choices Pt. IV: Interviews 10. Interviews With Working Artists On the Role of Limitations In Creating Their Work 10.1 Interview Introduction Seth Barrish 10.2 Interview Excerpts with Seth Barrish Shaun Clarke 10.3 Interview Excerpts with Shaun Clarke Oliver Curtis 10.4 Interview Excerpts with Oliver Curtis Pete Docter 10.5 Interview Excerpts with Pete Docter Gretchen Hall 10.6 Interview Excerpts with Gretchen Hall Frank Oz 10.7 Interview Excerpts with Frank Oz Gabby Sumney 10.8 Interview Excerpts with Gabby Sumney Notes Pt. V: Addendum 11. Spare Scenes For Your Use and Practice Index