Masterclass ” How To Make A Movie “
Avignon 2014
Masterclass when you hold us…at the time I write these lines, I am on the train back home. I arrived yesterday in Avignon. I only stayed barely 24 hours but I believe that this experience will long remain engraved in my memory. This Masterclass or conference, as I prefer to call it, was a great moment of sharing and meeting and a bit of stress too ;o). I hope that this has not seen too much.
This week, I decided to write on this masterclass, on this experience that was given to me to live. I know that this is not going to may not be of interest to everyone. Some prefer items that allow them to learn…
…Or those who are starting to know me know that the learning of the film is also done through the sharing of experiences and meetings. But for others, I believe that I have to tell you how I lived this Masterclass. We talked about essential things but above all we met and this has no price.
This festival was also an opportunity for me to get to know some of you and allow me as well to put a face to the nicknames or email addresses. So I want to thank all of you for coming to see me. Thank you to : Emma, Christopher, Christian, Claude, Aurélien and his father, who did not hesitate, for some, to several hundreds of kilometers to meet me.
We talked about your projects. I have answered all your questions, or almost, some of you are endless ;o). With those who have had the luck that I read their draft, at the time I was doing the analyses, we talked “live” to their project and progress of it. Other people have had the opportunity to show me their first film, in short, this Masterclass and this day on the international short film festival of Avignon have been very rich. The public was at the rendezvous. We were in a small room, very intimate, where we were to be thirty…
I would also like to thank Magalie and Taïs for having me this way and have done everything that I feels like home to me….I send you a big thank you ;o) as Well as Bernard Gilhodes for the invitation and the idea to do this masterclass.
I could also, in before first, discuss with you the draft of the platform on which I work, encouraging me to persevere. It is true that I get asked a lot of questions about the usefulness or not of such a platform. Without wanting to say more, I will surely be a ” survey “, via the newsletter, by asking two or three questions which I will consolidate in the idea of the launch or not.
I made a recording of the Masterclass so that you can all enjoy it. I hope to be able to put it online by next week or the following week. Yes I know it’s long, but I have to do a little editing, history of you save the 2 whites that I had and the rambling. ;o) Ride 1H30…it takes time ;o) It has not been possible to make me shoot. In contrast, the photographer of the festival, Taïs Of The Costa ma sent us some images of your servant, whose photo at the head of this article.
It was obvious that the topic of the masterclass : “how to make a movie “, could not be treated in 1 hour or 1h30. So I took the advantage to tell my story, share my experience to explain how I came to become a pro, and why I have made all the mistakes that I teach you not to commit today. Also a way to explain how I found myself out there to lead this masterclass.
We have talked about the scenario, how to find actors and a team, the attitude to have-as well as : how to find financing. Suffice to say that the masterclass in swept a wide range of topics.
You hear it on the record soon, we have spoken of this extraordinary adventure which is to make a movie, this human adventure, the sharing and the interaction that can be born, thanks to what you have produced, written, directed.
We also had the chance to have a composer that has participated in the Masterclass, Erwan Oitc who came to defend a short film with Us in which he has composed the music. He insisted on the fact that it was necessary to dare to go to them, that it was necessary to pay particular attention to the music of your films because, beyond the simple solid tones of music on images, it is an encounter between two artists. This meeting often comes a music that supports and also narrates the film, which accompanies it and gives it even more depth. You can find the web site Erwan here.
In this case the projection of films in competition, these were very heterogeneous. What you can blame is a lack of rigour in some of the selections. Some of the films had no place in a particular selection or should not be part of a projection/ collection targeted. I talk about that in more detail in the Masterclass.
What I remember and mostly what I had forgotten over the years, it is the violence of which the public can exercise in the face of a film, even a short film. If you decide to participate in a festival such as the festival du court métrage d’avignon or any other festival, be sure to be on the level. I want to say that you must have a backstory, a light-controlled, good actors and a good direction of the actors… make sure you think about your achievement…in short, try to be as professional as possible…because the public will not make you gift…and it will be right. The lack of means is not an excuse ! In the films I’ve seen at screenings, some had a sacred level , then, necessarily, in the face of such machines, projects more low seem even more weak. I have a concrete example in mind, but I let you discover in the Masterclass as soon as it is ready. Let’s be clear, I do not denigrate any short film. Those that run have a courage immense but the truth of the profession and the public notice are hard and do not gift.
To finish, you say that the public moves on to see of the short films is often an audience which is accustomed to see, and that the jury that has to make the list is often comprised of professionals…suffice to say that this does not necessarily the place to improvisation. ATTENTION : I have seen films produced in associative as well products of other production. This has nothing to do with the structure, it has to do with the involvement and the research to do the best you can, to be as close as a movie pro.
That’s it for this article on the Masterclass of the international festival of Avignon. For those who were there, please do not hesitate to share your experience in the comments at the bottom of the article. For the other, tell me what you are missing today in order to advance.
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Thank you to those who will make it ;o) and that are already doing that ;o). You are every day more numerous. I believe that if you gave me again the opportunity to go to your meeting, I would not hesitate for a second as I lived an extraordinary adventure made up of sharing and film ;o), I was boosted and full of ideas, thanks to you.
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Soon,
Tom Weil
PS : I would also like to thank Marine Place, a friend and great director, who allowed me to record this Masterclass in me, lending its H4N ;o)