The Filmmaker's Guide to Creatively Embracing Limitations; Not Getting What You Want Leading to Creating What You Need; 1

Starting out as a filmmaker comes with a host of limitations and restrictions leading to one key question: how do you channel your creativity past these daunting challenges to create compelling and impactful films? Authors William Pace and Ingrid Stobbe advise the key is to not consider them roadblocks to being creative, but opportunities. Providing both historical and contemporary examples, as well as outlining practical exercises filmmakers can apply to their own creative processes, they illustrate how filmmakers can transform obstacles into successes. Looking into limitations and restrictions arising at all stages of the film production process, the book illuminates the importance of developing unique creative muscles and how to apply them to your own work. This is a unique text in the field that provides both a theoretical and practical approach to inspired and savvy filmmaking that uses limitations as points of inspiration. Drawing on examples from artists like Frank Oz, Pete Docter, Gabby Sumney, and Shaun Clarke, filmmakers will gain a well-rounded understanding of the creative processes behind motion picture production and learn how to shape their own independent creative voice when utilizing budget-conscious, creatively aware filmmaking. Foregrounding limitation-embracing strategy and capability, making a film for the first time or with limited resources is no longer overwhelming with this highly practical textbook. Ideal for undergraduate students of film production and first-time filmmakers. The Filmmakers Guide to Creatively Embracing Limitations Cover -1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Foreword 9 Preface 11 Acknowledgements 12 William Pace Acknowledgments 12 Ingrid Stobbe Acknowledgements 16 Pt. I: Limitation Throughout History 20 1. The Problem of Choice: Psychology and the Effective Storyteller 22 2. Historical Limitations Throughout Film Production's Evolution Leading To Innovation 29 2.1 World Wars, Isolation, and Storytelling 29 2.1.1 What It Was 29 2.1.2 Background: Art + World War I 30 2.1.3 Innovative Case Study: German Expressionism + The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1920 33 2.2 Pre-Sound to Post-Sound 35 2.2.1 Why was This A Moment of Innovation 36 2.2.2 Innovative Case Study: Dorothy Arzner's The Wild Party (1929), and The Invention of the Boom Pole and Shotgun Microphone 37 2.3 The Hays Code and Cinema Censorship 38 2.3.1 What It Was 38 2.3.2 General Principles 43 2.3.3 Particular Applications 43 2.3.4 Why Was This A Moment of Innovation: 46 2.3.5 Innovative Case Study: Some Like It Hot, 1959 47 2.4 Black and White Meets Color 49 2.4.1 What It Was 49 2.4.2 Why Was This A Moment of Innovation 51 2.4.3 Innovative Case Study: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, 1964 52 Notes 54 3. Film, Digital, Accessibility, and Contemporary Trends 56 3.1 Early Photography 56 3.2 Early Film 59 3.3 Early Video 66 3.3.1 Dogme 95 Vows of Chastity 74 3.4 Contemporary Trends: Streaming 75 3.4.1 Streaming Platforms and the Shift of Storytelling Timelines 75 Notes 78 4. From Sow's Ear To Silk Purse: Creative Victories Through Limitation 80 4.1 "Just One Word - Plastics": Pete Docter on Toy Story 81 4.2 No Budget? No Problem: Maya Deren and Amateurism in the Quest for Artistic Authenticity 85 4.3 "They Have No Legs": Frank Oz on the Muppets and Beyond 91 4.4 The Martini Shot 96 Notes 96 Pt. II: Practical Implementation 98 5. The Why of Why: Why Is Each Element of Production Important, and How Does Limitation Aid the Visual Storyteller? 100 6. Exercises in Limitation: Storytelling on the Page 103 6.1 Starter Yeast 103 6.1.1 A Spare Scene Screenwriting Exercise 103 6.1.1.1 The Deets 105 6.1.1.2 The Goals 106 6.2 No Dialogue - The Active Screenplay 106 6.2.1 An Exercise in Onscreen Exposition and Non-verbal Communication 106 6.2.1.1 The Deets 109 6.2.1.1.1 Scenario 109 6.3 Less Is More 110 6.3.1 The Screenplay as a Hemmingway Haiku Exercise 110 6.3.1.1 The Deets 111 Note 112 7. Exercises in Limitation: Storytelling on Screen 113 7.1 One-Take Jolly Dolly 113 7.1.1 An Exercise in Framing, Action and Movement with No Edits 113 7.1.1.1 The Deets 114 7.1.1.2 The Goals 115 7.2 A Lens by Any Other Name 115 7.2.1 An Exercise in Reexamining the Totality of an Instrument and Its Uses in our Art 115 7.2.1.1 Lens Whacking 116 7.2.1.2 The Deets 116 7.3 Oh What's in a Frame - Where Are the Edges? 118 7.3.1 An Exercise in Spatiality of Framing, Continuity of Cuts, and Maximizing Lensing 118 7.3.1.1 Where Are the Edges: 3 Frames | 3 Ways 118 7.3.1.1.1 What to Do 118 8. Exercises in Limitation: Storytelling in the Editing Room 125 8.1 5 Edits To Tell A Story 125 8.1.1 An Exercise in Finding the Most Value in Every Shot 125 8.1.1.1 The Deets 128 8.1.1.2 The Goals 128 8.2 Physical Editing: The Frame as Reversed Exquisite Corpse 128 8.2.1 An Exercise in Subjectivity, Topic Imposition, and Editing Bias in Storytelling 128 8.2.1.1 Using the Frame as Skeleton in Our Reversed Exquisite Corpse 129 8.2.1.2 The Deets 130 8.2.1.3 The Goals 130 8.3 More Than Meets The Eye 131 8.3.1 An Exercise in Working Around, Above and Through Problem Areas in Your Footage, and How to Plan for Common Editing Conundrums in Production 131 8.3.1.1 So Where Do You Come In? 132 8.3.1.2 The Deets 132 8.3.1.3 Scenario 132 8.3.1.4 Script 133 8.3.1.5 The Goals 133 Pt. III: Conclusions 136 9. The Day You Have No Limitations is the Day You Have No Choices 138 Pt. IV: Interviews 142 10. Interviews With Working Artists On the Role of Limitations In Creating Their Work 144 10.1 Interview Introduction 144 Seth Barrish 145 10.2 Interview Excerpts with Seth Barrish 145 Shaun Clarke 148 10.3 Interview Excerpts with Shaun Clarke 148 Oliver Curtis 154 10.4 Interview Excerpts with Oliver Curtis 154 Pete Docter 159 10.5 Interview Excerpts with Pete Docter 159 Gretchen Hall 163 10.6 Interview Excerpts with Gretchen Hall 163 Frank Oz 168 10.7 Interview Excerpts with Frank Oz 168 Gabby Sumney 176 10.8 Interview Excerpts with Gabby Sumney 176 Notes 181 Pt. V: Addendum 182 11. Spare Scenes For Your Use and Practice 184 Index 192 film,production;,screenwriting;,creativity; film production,screenwriting,creativity "Starting out as a filmmaker comes with a whole host of limitations and challenges that lead to one key question: how do you channel your creativity within these limitations to create a compelling and impactful film? Authors William Pace and Ingrid Stobbe provide both historical and contemporary examples to provide context for filmmaking successes, as well outlining practical exercises filmmakers can apply to their own creative processes. Looking into limitations and restrictions that arise at all stages of the film production process, the book illuminates the importance of developing unique creative muscles and how to apply this potential to your own work. This is a unique text in the field that provides both a theoretical and practical approach to inspired and savvy filmmaking. Drawing on examples from Frank Oz, Pete Docter, Chloé Zhao, and Lee Isaac Chung, filmmakers will gain a well-rounded understanding of the creative processes behind narrative production and how to shape their own independent creative by encouraging budget-conscious and creatively aware filmmaking. Foregrounding strategy and capability, making a film for the first time is no longer overwhelming with this highly practical textbook. Ideal for undergraduate students of film production and first-time filmmakers"-- Provided by publisher