A question to anyone willing to answer

From the start, I'm absolutely nobody. I have nothing. No resources, no nothing. But I have someone who wants me to make this script he's writing. So just for arguement's sake. Who would I need to get this film made? Again, I have no resources, no contacts, no nothing. I just want to know whom it would take to get myself into a position to make a fan film.

 

Well, you'll want a camera for video, good mics for audio, and a system with editing software to put it all together.

You can rent cameras in most cities, or buy a good-enough camera for a few hundred bucks. Audio you can work around with the onboard mic on your camera, if you have to, but a proper mic is really helpful.

 

I also think costumes and props are important, especially if you want to make a legitimate fan film and not a lightsabers and blaster guns in the modern world film.

Because knowing somebody who can create costumes and props with just everyday stuff is an awesome talent waiting to be taken advantage of.

And also, scenes..... Probably one of the harest to do, unless someone is really good with after effects/CGI stuff. Creating a legitimate set takes alot of time and effort.

 

You might want to take a class on videomaking to get familiar with stuff, or go on youtube and learn all you can about filmmaking. Then when you feel comfortable, get a decent HD camera that will take an external mic and run some tests. Practice, make some five minute shorts. And practice. Then when you are ready, make the film you want it will turn out better if you do some practice work first and learn the craft at a reasonable level.

 

Hey JedifromFlorida, this someone who wants you to make this script he's writing, his name wouldn't happen to be VincentG would it?

 

"Yoda. You seek Yoda!"

Sorry for my snark, but there is no coach or tutor to point you to. It's a very daunting task to undertake, even more so if it isn't really in your realm of interests. Good luck.

 

And you need SOME money. No matter what anyone says, a fan film will always cost somebody something. How much you spend is entirely on the complexity of the story and how serious you are about making it.

My advice would be to only make it if it's easy and cheap 'cause fan films are a dead entity and aren't worth spending a lot of money on. Why? 'Cause hardly anyone makes them now and even less people watch them. The fan film "golden age" was between 1998 and 2008 so it's a boat that has well and truly sailed.

The last thing you want to do is spend thousands of $$$ making a great film that most people will never see.

 

Lol no it's not VincentG.

 

Which is kinda sad really, with the technology we have in our hands today. Especially with so many inexpensive camera/gear/equipment, and software options available to "nobodies" out there.

 

That's why I think the very thing that Fan Films needed is what killed it. As equipment became more consumer based and affordable, more and more consumer short films were put out, which is probably a factor of the general death of fanfilms. I also think time has been a factor since good fan films take a while to make, and so I think fan films wound up dying within 2-3 years of ROTS, which makes sense. I enjoyed the clone wars animated movie (at least the most out of the prequels), but I don't see that as a film that would inspire fan films.

 

Perhaps the re-release of Star Wars in 3D will get people back into it?
Anyone out there doing (or done) fanfilms in 3D? I mean with 3D cameras becoming more and more affordable...
Wow.... for rotoscoping lightsabers that would mean double the work right? One mask for the right eye, one for the left...
Fun!

 

You have to remember that 3D might make a film LOOK good, but it doesn't make it better. TPM will still be the film that most SW fans hate and having Jar Jar's tongue lash out from the screen won't make people say "wow I love this film now!".

As for fan films in 3D, I'm sure someone somewhere will give it a go, but the problem is how do you distribute it? YouTube/Vimeo et all aren't 3D capable (and computer monitors certainly aren't) so unless you have a 3D TV that can stream directly from the Internet, why would you bother? In effect you'd end up making this great 3D film that only 1% of the already reduced fan film audience can watch and even THEN there's no guarantee people will like it.

 

Actually YouTube does have 3D capabilities, at least using anaglyph, and there are ways to achieve full-color with anaglyph if you really know what you're doing. But the most successful implementation of 3D is using passive displays/glasses (like Real-D and certain TVs), which as you say, requires more than what most people have hooked up to their computers. Reduce the sample group down to those who would want to watch your film, and you end up with practically no one with the means to see your film the way you intended.

Oh, and rotoing stereo plates isn't quite twice as much work. It's about 1.5x. To put it breifly, you roto one eye completely and then animate an offset as the object in question changes depth, and then you double check the second eye and adjust here and there as needed. For any adjustments later, you can then manipulate both eyes simultaneously or separately rather easily. It can be a pain at times, but it actually adds a little fun to the otherwise very monotonous task of rotoscoping... IMO anyway

Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled thread...

 

Exactly why I hesitated and almost bought a 3D Camcorder, but then ended up getting an ordinary, single lens HD camera.
As for Episode 1 in 3D, I'm just hoping the podrace will be amazing, and for me that will make the 3D worthwhile

Ahh yes. Once I rotoscoped a double lightsaber (but not like Darth Maul's), where the two blades came out the same end and were side by side, and as you suggested I did one entirely and then just made a copy and played around with the mask position but not so much the mask shape itself, much easier than doing a wholenew saber! So with 3D it would be the same thing. But still, it does take more time than a single sabre blade!

 

How did we forget this?

You're going to need a team. You're going to need people. You're going to need a camera operator and actors at the very minimum, and as you move up you'll need a visual effects supervisor to keep an eye on filming, set dressers, grips, and all that other fun stuff.

But more than what they do, it's important how well you work with them. A good team atmosphere can carry even the most brutal production schedule with grace. And a team that doesn't work as such is more likely to not show up on filming dates. You'll have people flake out as you try to assemble your team, but once you've got those people, keep working with them.