Producing with Passion. Dorothy Fadiman
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Название: Producing with Passion

Автор: Dorothy Fadiman

Издательство: Ingram

Жанр: Кинематограф, театр

Серия:

isbn: 9781615930449

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СКАЧАТЬ a filmmaker, you have the means to tell stories from the smallest details of life, to situations beyond comprehension. More than ever before, there are opportunities, through a range of new distribution outlets, for filmmakers to make documentaries that open people’s minds and hearts and that will be seen by many. Whatever ignites your passion has the potential to touch others. Whatever subject you choose, there are now ways to reach individuals and organizations around the world who can see and use your documentary.

      When you make a film, one of the major challenges is maintaining your focus until completion. At every step along the way, unplanned problems — technical challenges, financial worries, interpersonal friction — might throw you off course. Given these inevitable distractions, we want to help you find ways to maintain the optimism you had at the beginning. Each chapter of this book has suggestions to help you stay connected to your intention. No matter how exhausted you are, or how difficult a scene may be to edit together, no matter how unresolved an interaction with a crew member may seem, the stories and suggestions in this book have been written with these goals in mind: to help you solve problems, and remind you of ways to rekindle your spark.

      I’ve spent thirty years searching out practical approaches to get my productions funded, finished, and seen. In this book, I share what I’ve learned, and suggest ideas for how you can adapt my “solutions” so they work for you.

      This book is like a traveler’s guide. As you set out to make a film, the information and commentaries will help you decide which direction to take. We recommend ways to get there and suggest options to consider once you’ve arrived, but the journey is yours.

      The first few chapters will help you get clear about your overall vision, and give you tips about pulling together your resources. There are many books on filmmaking which focus on shooting and editing. This book does not. The first half of the book is about charting your course, and preparing to succeed in making it all the way to the summit and back. We do not discuss “shooting” until halfway through the book. Why? Because to us, the essence of your film will be what you bring to it. We provide encouragement and propose guidelines for maintaining your vision as you shoot, edit, and produce the movie. The final chapters put together useful suggestions for launching your project into the world.

      This book gives you information, suggestions, and assumes that — putting those together — you will find your way, yourself, to your destination.

      Films have the power to reach countless people. When you make a film, you have the means to make a difference.

      Let’s start.

      CHAPTER 1

      TRUSTING YOUR INSTINCTS

       1. Passion is a special energy.

      2. The momentum of that energy keeps you going.

      3. Trust your intuition.

       4. How do you deal with distractions and doubts?

       5. Prepare for what it takes to finish a project.

      Producing your own movie takes passion. You can make a film for hire without it, but to envision and complete your own film will take a special energy, which I call “passion.” When you find a subject that inspires you and truly captures your attention, you tap into a wellspring of vitality that gives you the stamina you’ll need to face the challenges of making a movie.

      Once you begin, you soon learn that the demands of filmmaking are continuous. Every day presents opportunities to be creative, to learn something new — and to fail. I’ve learned repeatedly that there are no easy answers. After trying for years to “get it right,” I finally discovered the wisdom of listening to my inner sense of “knowing what to do.” Following my passion has led me to trust my intuition. That sense of being on-purpose gives me the direction I need.

      Sometimes filmmakers find it necessary to work on subjects outside of their interests, usually because they need to make money, sometimes to help a friend. At other times, people choose a topic because it is popular or perhaps someone else urged them to pursue an idea that isn’t coming from the filmmaker at all. These films, which aren’t connected to the producer’s own vision, rarely have the same momentum as projects that are truly yours.

      However, even when you are the source of the idea, making a film that is truly yours is still difficult. If you don’t have enough support, financial or collegial or from your own belief in yourself, it’s hard to keep that flame burning. So when you make a commitment to the idea for your own film, make a decision that you will consciously stay close to what is true for you as you go forward.

      While harnessing the spark for my own first film, I learned the importance of listening to, and trusting, my intuition. The seed was planted when I was on retreat. I had settled into the final week of a month-long time out from my daily routine. I was in the tropics. I remember the sounds — a cascade of raindrops pelting on leaves outside the screened openings of my cottage. I had just read a passage on spiritual awakening, and was beginning to meditate, listening to the storm.

      As my mind cleared, I became aware of another sound, apart from the rain. A voice seemed to be coming from somewhere inside of me, asking this question: “May I fill you with light?” Inhaling deeply, I breathed out a silent “Yes,” and a shimmering radiance began to pour into my body. I felt as if I was floating in a sea of light. I trembled, not in fear, but in surrender. I knew, without knowing, that the brilliance flooding me was what saints and mystics describe, an infusion of a force that lifts them into another reality.

      I have no idea how long the experience lasted. As the light began to fade, a sense of purpose filled me. I returned home from the retreat, and began reading everything I could find, from scientific research to the memoirs of saints. I was compelled to create some vehicle that would communicate the power of this light. I had no idea where to begin.

      At first, I decided to imitate my husband, and write a book. He wrote non-fiction books, and I tried to follow his lead and do what he’d done. It wasn’t a natural choice for me to try to spell out in words something so experiential. I ignored my doubts, persevered, and went through years of frustration, working on a book about light. But words on paper couldn’t capture the essence of what I felt. I still have file boxes filled with my earnest efforts. I was discouraged, and nearly quit trying, but didn’t give up.

      One day, ten years after the initial experience, a filmmaker showed up in my life... literally on my doorstep. He lived in another city, and was in my neighborhood. He had heard about my futile efforts and was attracted to the project. Right then and there he challenged me. He said, “I heard you were trying to write a book about light. Did you ever think of making a movie?” When he asked that question, I knew, intuitively, that the answer was “Yes.” I could feel in my bones that filmmaking was the right medium for this project, and for me.

      I knew nothing about producing movies, but that didn’t stop me. The filmmaker offered to work with me, and our collaboration led to my first film, Radiance: The Experience of Light.

      He СКАЧАТЬ