True artistic freedom (V)

  What first and foremost strikes me when I watch current mainstream films is that the crew is making them with their hands tied behind their back, and that they are bored out of their skull.

  Doing it better can’t be much of an effort at all.

  I've always sought to make my own films, but have lacked the means and thereby equipment to do it.

  Now, that is no longer a consideration. The equipment has become so inexpensive that almost anybody can buy it.

  When I read about the release of Canon DSLR 5D Mark II in 2009 I knew that my long wait was over, that it was only a matter of time before I could start my career as a truly independent filmmaker. I knew that it wouldn't be soon, but that it wouldn't be that long either.

  Canon 5D Mark II was a professional camera taking still photos and that could also record HD-film with a price far below that of a previous professional video-camera, a downright revolutionary development, the digital revolution once again working for the common man and against big production companies.

  Then, three years later Canon 5D Mark III, yet another major improvement was released. While Mark II was a camera taking great photographs with some film capabilities, Mark III is a film-camera with still-photo capabilities. The stage was set.

  I’m currently reading/rereading three books: “The technique of filmmaking and video editing” (fourth edition) by Ken Dancyger, “Directing” (third edition) by Michael Rabiger and “DV filmmaking from start to finish” by Ian David Aronson, all slightly outdated, but still useful books. I read them mostly to fill the gaps in my technical knowledge, but also to slowly, deliberately approach it all.

  People have always told me that they wouldn’t learn filmmaking because it would lessen their enjoyment of watching films. To me it is the other way around. The more I learn about filmmaking the more I enjoy watching them.

  At this point it is probably at least six months before we purchase the necessary equipment. I take my time as always. Good things often take time. If you go back on this blog you can see how I have promised myself to become a filmmaker quite a few times, but this time the chances of me becoming one are actually bigger than ever. The only thing that can stop me this time is that my life or my financial situation experiences a drastic decline.

  The goal is to make films no one else has made before, of course, to go for a totally new approach to filmmaking. If you can’t be original, in my opinion you shouldn't do anything, and certainly not anything creative.

  I can with conviction state that I don’t care whether or not people watch my films. That doesn't mean they’re necessarily economically unviable, just that I ignore such concerns. Like I’m writing books I want to read, I will make movies I like to watch. The rest will be a surprising bonus.

True Artistic Freedom

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