What do I buy a 15 year old kid who wants to make movies?

January 8, 2008 4:36 PM

What do I buy a 15 year old kid who wants to make movies? He already has a camera, lenses and Final Cut.

My 15 y.o. cousin in Florida is having his first career crisis. He can't decide if he wants to be a Producer or a Director when he moves to Los Angeles!

Before I hire him to make coffee in a few years, I'd like to buy him a book or send him something that he can get his teeth into and feel inspired. I'm just not sure what's appropriate for a passionate skater kid with a rather innocent outlook... Some kind of "Filmmakers Handbook" maybe? Or a documentary perhaps? I feel like all my ideas are too highbrow and boring.

THANK YOU!

posted by rocco to media & arts (36 comments total)

Light(s), microphone(s), tripod, subscription to Netflix.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 4:38 PM on January 8, 2008

El Mariachi.
posted by klangklangston at 4:41 PM on January 8, 2008

He might love something like this to run around with.
posted by null terminated at 4:43 PM on January 8, 2008 [2 favorites]

DVDs of Home Movies, an excellent cartoon about another kid who makes films (only he's eight, not 15).
posted by kmel at 4:44 PM on January 8, 2008

I would recommend this book.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 4:45 PM on January 8, 2008

Robert Rodriguez's book, Bruce Campbell's book (about B-movies), Walter Murch's book on editing. Then tell him to go BUILD the goddamn sets and get filming!!
posted by waxbanks at 4:46 PM on January 8, 2008

Waaay back when I had similar ambitions, one of the things that finally forced me to stop cranking out all of my goofy videos was that I couldn't afford to keep buying the S-VHS tapes. Getting him a book or something is a great idea, but I'd recommend giving him a case of whatever media his camera needs. I'd also send over a great big stack of blank DVD-ROMs so he can burn copies of his movies for friends & family (even though he's probably going to be uploading the majority of his work to YouTube or something similar) he'll also need them as backup storage for all the footage he'll be digitizing.
posted by ssmith at 4:51 PM on January 8, 2008

What's your budget? It's possible that the camera he has takes reasonable quality video (plenty of consumer-grade cameras have surprisingly professional-looking picture quality under the right conditions), but if he's working with the camera mic, he'll never have audio that will sound like anything but shit. If you can get him a decent microphone, you'll be doing him a favor.

If your budget doesn't run to the hundreds of dollars, though, Robert Rodriquez's book, as mentioned by Steven C. Den Beste and waxbanks, is an excellent one.
posted by dersins at 4:56 PM on January 8, 2008

I would disagree with the rodriguez book, it is quite out of date now for aspiring 'rebel filmmakers' on top of being a little boring, IMHO.

If he's making movies now, get him some really nice fake mustaches, they make everything better. I'd 2nd The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film by Michael Ondaatje as a book that digs into some theory behind making movies, but honestly, there are tons of books on film theory and production and all of them are generally worth reading for some reason or another.

Completely aside from the act of filmmaking, however, is it's creative, imaginative nature. Maybe it'd be best to get him some good fiction books that he could enjoy and really think about how it could be developed into a movie, picture it in his head, maybe ones that were turned into good movies? double Indemnity is short and I'd say it's good, for example.
posted by Large Marge at 5:04 PM on January 8, 2008

Definitely a good tripod.
posted by tractorfeed at 5:16 PM on January 8, 2008

I won't make a specific recommendation on a book, because there are many available (and I'm too lazy to look them up) but what about one of those books that studies a particular director's work, like Hitchcock. The better of these books have a lot of photos and snippets of screenplays, and explain the structure, the editing, and the symbolism.
posted by The Deej at 5:20 PM on January 8, 2008

I've been working in the sound side of the film business since the 1970s. Audiences can tolerate crazy messed up visuals much more easily than bad sound from a built-in camera mic. So I would recommend to upgrade his microphone. There are two kinds of microphones he'll be using: the ones at the end of a boom (boom mics), and the ones concealed in the actor's clothing (lavalier mics). A really slick system would be to have both, one on each channel of the stereo recording in his camera. But that may be more than your budget.

The right choice depends on the way he shoots; if he has lots of friends who like to help, then someone can probably hold the microphone boom. But if he works alone (and is filming actors speaking dialogue), then a lavalier microphone seems a better choice - he can't hold the camera and the microphone boom at the same time!

His camera may not have microphone inputs and if it does, an adaptor cable may be needed to convert between the microphone cable and the camera. If you get him a boom microphone, you'll probably also want to get a boom and a windscreen.

Because this is getting technical and detailed, I suggest choosing a reliable vendor of this kind of equipment and trusting them to put together all the parts of the system you want.

Call B & H photo video in NYC. They have good prices and smart staff. You need to know the model of camera he uses. Tell the salesman what you want and obviously tell him your budget limits - there are lots of inexpensive systems to choose from. Let the salesman advise you on the best ones.
posted by conrad53 at 5:27 PM on January 8, 2008 [2 favorites]

Hm. So he doesn't know whether to be a producer or director?

Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez
All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger, by Lloyd Kaufman with James Gunn
How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime, by Roger Corman
posted by infinitewindow at 5:39 PM on January 8, 2008

Seconding the microphone.
posted by king walnut at 5:40 PM on January 8, 2008

Thirding the microphone.
posted by davejay at 5:43 PM on January 8, 2008

Those of you "seconding" and "thirding" are actually "fourthing" and "fifthing." FYI.
posted by dersins at 5:48 PM on January 8, 2008

He can't decide if he wants to be a Producer or a Director when he moves to Los Angeles!

I'm assuming that is some kind of "lol Hollywood" joke, b/c you make it sound like his actual ambition is to be a filmmaker.

I highly highly highly recommend Robert McKee's book, "Story" (as seen in "Adaptation"). You know why 98% of Hollywood (and indie) movies are so awful? The story sucks, pure and simple. All the camera tricks in the world won't help you if your story sucks, and almost all of them do. You can't make a good movie without a good script, despite what some film school grads seem to think.

Even if he isn't interested in writing his own stuff, he needs to be able to know a worthy script when he sees one.
posted by drjimmy11 at 5:52 PM on January 8, 2008

Hard to go wrong with the mic, so I guess that would be the best option.

However, I always remember that when I was shooting stuff, there was never enough light. Does anyone know any good accessories for lighting on the cheap? I'm sure he'd love to do night shooting that actually looks like something.
posted by Doctor Suarez at 5:53 PM on January 8, 2008

Before I hire him to make coffee in a few years,

Oh and lack of condescension towards someone's dreams always makes a great gift.
posted by drjimmy11 at 5:56 PM on January 8, 2008

A Beret.

Tickets to a film festival.

One of those clicky things directors use before each take.
posted by clearly at 6:06 PM on January 8, 2008

Useful and fun things for a budding filmmaker:

- Trip to Lowes or Home Depot with this list (or this list) in hand (make your own dimmers), coupled with this book on lighting.

- A Flip Ultra, for the times you want to duct tape a camera to the front hood of your car and see how cool it looks.

- If he's already got a small camera, I recommend a Cleat for handy car/window/wall mounting.

- And yeah, a microphone. SO, important. At the very least, if they're using a consumer camera, a converter from mini-plug to XLR inputs would be nice, a la a Beachtek. Now, most people skimp on sound and spend their monies on camera or lights or other visual crap. DON'T NEGLECT SOUND. Either get a decent shotgun/lavalier microphone set up, or better yet, just hire someone who knows what they're doing to run audio for you.

You said they already have a camera, but hey, big shout out to the Canon HV20, 24p / 1080i shooting for under $1,000 and works with Final Cut Pro.

Everything else is experience and talent.
posted by CharlieChu at 6:13 PM on January 8, 2008 [3 favorites]

drJimmy11... lighten up a bit... a lot of folks get their foot in the door "making coffee", and are damn glad for the opportunity! I don't think that was condescending, there are dues to pay.

Netflix....
posted by HuronBob at 6:36 PM on January 8, 2008

I am that guy making coffee for the producers. Someone give me a real job.

In terms of filming, yes a good microphone and the know-how to stage lighting is more important then how you move the camera in most aspects. I recommend all the previously mentioned books as well as Shot by Shot.

On the writing side, pick up Screenplay by Syd Field. It's a bible, learn it, love it, then leave it.

If I remember correctly, the Florida state film commission is a good resource. So is the DGA Training Program (NY and LA), he's still a little young yet, but it's something to keep in mind.
posted by Derek at 7:04 PM on January 8, 2008

I'm going to seriously disagree with most people here.

I was in this kid's situation not too long ago, wanting to make films. I found myself saying, "If I just had this camera/microphone/lighting rig/pro editing suite I could really make movies!" I told myself things like that for years and got fed up with the quality of my movies in a logistical sense. It was never lit right and it never sounded right and the picture quality was never what I wanted it to be.

It took me a long time to realize that's not what making films is about. If you're looking to get your film distributed by a large production company and on the indie circuit, sure, it's got to look and sound at least a bit professional. But this kid is 15! I would say don't buy him any equipment at this point. He's got a camera, and he's got pen and paper, that's all he really needs.

I would agree, though, with those saying a subscription to Netflix would be great. There is so much more stuff out there than what he can find on the shelf at Blockbuster to inspire and entice him. When someone wants to write for a living, most people recommend that you read a ton before you write your own stuff. In the same way, if you're going to make movies, you need to see a lot of movies to realize 1) that the idea you want to do that you think is really unique has already been done a dozen times and 2) that no two filmmakers are alike, so you can create your own style.

On the book front, I never found any really good ones that I enjoyed. Most of them read like manuals, which is not the way I learn. I actually got some really good ideas and tips from Screenwriting For Dummies, though. Yeah, it's a Dummies book... but it actually is decent.

Above all, though, just encourage the kid! He can and will make movies if he's really motivated to, even if he didn't have any equipment at all. No microphone or camera or whatever thousands of dollars worth of junk is going to get this kid to make a movie if his heart's really not in it to begin with. I shot my first "film" on a crappy VHS camcorder with no mics, no lights, and no budget at all... and it was one of the best experiences of my life (even though I'd never let that footage see the light of day if I had a choice).
posted by joshrholloway at 7:49 PM on January 8, 2008

Book review. Haven't read it myself, though.
posted by Leon at 8:42 PM on January 8, 2008

David Mamet's "On Directing Film".

And some good movies to watch and rewatch.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 8:54 PM on January 8, 2008

Give him a budget to make a short film.
posted by Astro Zombie at 8:55 PM on January 8, 2008

Tell him to sign up for Fresh Films this summer. Full disclosure: I'm the screenwriter for the project, but the kids do absolutely everything else, from casting calls to shooting to editing (they also arrange craft services and figure out how to rent stunt turtles.)

In our five years with this program, out of about 45 total short films produced, we've had 10 of then go on to compete at juried, national and international film festivals, in Academy Award-qualifying categories. This past season, the kids got commentary and critique from a panel of industry talent including John Lithgow, and the writer/producer of Napoleon Dynamite.

I'm totally biased, but it's a great program, and it gives the kids who enter it a chance to make a real, festival-quality short film with real, industry-standard equipment. Oh yeah, and if he's selected, it's totally free. Seriously.
posted by headspace at 9:05 PM on January 8, 2008

I'd suggest the DVD for Once Upon a Time in Mexico, which contains Robert Rodriguez' "10 minute film school". He does talk about El Mariachi, but most of it is about how he makes films cheaply and digitally these days.
posted by O9scar at 9:07 PM on January 8, 2008

I was amazed at the Murch book — I never imagined anyone in Hollywood could be so sincere and smart — but I don't know if I'd give it to a 15-year-old. Billy Frolick's book actually follows around seven film school grads who want to make movies, and is a good real-world description of what newcomers to the business have to put up with.

The top book on screenwriting (all kinds of writing, actually; it's extremely detailed) seems to be Story.

But again, your cousin probably should be watching movies instead of reading books. Tell him to watch 500 or 600 movies, and then do his own thing.
posted by lelilo at 11:47 PM on January 8, 2008

Whatever else you get him, throw in a $14 homemade Steadicam for that nice smooth motion.

I like Astro Zombie's idea of giving him a small budget for a short film. But I'd turn it around and make it an RFP. Invite him to pitch you. Tell him to look up how to pitch a film and how to make a realistic budget, even if it's tiny, and try to sell you on an idea for short film. Maybe give him a small advance to, say, buy a couple of books that will teach him the basics of how to develop a concept and pitch it. Tell him if he comes up with something compelling and viable, you'll fund it, and if not you'll reject him and he'll have to try again. Be serious about it (behind the scenes, read up on what people generally look for in a film concept so you can play your part accurately). Give him a price ceiling (but keep some extra in reserve and maybe surprise him with it). What better way to get serious about making actual films than to have to sing for his supper? He won't be able to play around or be vague or lazy or indulgent. He'll have to do a lot of investigating, seriously plan, learn how much things really cost, figure out how to make an idea work within a budget, make some tough decisions, recruit people, delegate, assign specialized tasks (even if it's just to get one buddy to act and another to hold the mic and another to hold the light). I think this could be great, and what a learning experience for him. Memail me if you do it!
posted by kookoobirdz at 11:56 PM on January 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

If you get him a mic, get him a good shootgun mic. The are the most versatile, and way easier to use than lapel or boom mics.
posted by afu at 12:00 AM on January 9, 2008

I came in to suggest the $14 Steadycam as well.
posted by PenDevil at 4:03 AM on January 9, 2008

How about a commission for a finished completed project. Help getting the boring stuff done (actor/model clearances, permits, dvd duplicating, etc).

I found $30 Film School interesting.
posted by alikins at 11:22 AM on January 9, 2008

THANK YOU ALL for contributing to the dreams of a teenager. Some wonderful suggestions, really.
posted by rocco at 12:56 PM on January 9, 2008

I came in to say pretty much what joshrholloway said, buying any proper equipment (except a cheap shotgun mic) would be counter-productive, and too much pressure. It's all about limitation, creativity, experience and inspiration for the beginner.

Aside from the great suggestion for a small budget for a project, a good director's commentary on a DVD can be really inspiring and enlightening for understanding how things work (though perhaps not of much practical use finding out what to do at this stage). So maybe find out the films or directors he likes, then doing a little googling to see which have good commentaries.
posted by MetaMonkey at 2:44 PM on January 9, 2008