Category Archives: Filmmaking

Voices: Documentary on Jean-Luc Godard Filming ‘One Plus One’ with the Rolling Stones

by Cimaxion

Here’s a film begun by director Richard Mordaunt. It shows Jean-Luc Godard working on scenes from his film, ‘One Plus One,’ that featured the Rolling Stones as they recorded ‘Sympathy For the Devil’ in 1968. Godard always has something nearly unintelligible to say but which ends up making perfect sense later on. You might also note that Godard seems to have very little in the way of a plan as he shoots his scenes. He appears to discover his scenes as he goes.  That is the only kind of intelligence in filmmaking that I can truly respect.  A director with a storyboard is usually a jackass.

Thanks to Paul Gallagher at Dangerous Minds.

Plot Device: Short Film

by Cimaxion

Seth Worley made this very fun and amusing tour through plot and genre as a sort of advertisement for Red Giant which provides filters used in video editing. A struggling video maker happens upon a ‘plot device’ and all sorts of trouble begins. Each segment has its own unique and appropriate look achieved through the use of Magic Bullet filters.

Documentary On Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Unmade Dune Film

by Cimaxion

Twitch Film has posted a preview of a documentary that is currently in production on the unmade 1974 Alejandro Jodorowsky version of Dune. It is nice to see a man talk about making something the way Jodorowsky does in this short clip.  When I see that kind of open enthusiasm I want to be in the same room.  Quite frankly, I would much rather have the Jodorowsky film of Dune than the piece of vapid nonsense that was actually made by David Lynch.  The general rule is if you see a movie with Sting in it… run for the exits. Documentaries are wonderful, but Jodorowsky really should make his version of the book now.

Everything is a Remix Part 2

by Cimaxion

Kirby Ferguson continues his Everything is a Remix series by showing us how many of our most cherished and familiar films combine elements taken from or inspired by other films to create their seemingly unique experiences. Sometimes, shots are reproduced almost exactly. Yet, the movie industry is extremely aggressive in prosecuting or suing anyone who tries to use their material.

10-Minute Film School with El Mariachi Director Robert Rodriguez

by Cimaxion | 1 Comment

Director Robert Rodriquez shows how he put several sequences together for his low-budget first feature, El Mariachi. His solutions for working with a single camera and extremely limited resources are ingenious. His consistent recommendation to young low-budget filmmakers is to simply refuse to spend any money on anything. After watching this film it becomes very apparent that the only thing really preventing people from making films is a simple lack of ability.

For further study, Mubi.com has nice in-depth article called 30 Minute Film School that covers all the shot types and lighting setups one needs in order to make a narrative film.

Here’s a fascinating continuation of the 10-minute film school in which Rodriguez shows how he filmed a complex shootout for Desperado with Antonio Banderas by using a video camera to pre-plan the entire sequence.