Couldn’t agree more. I’m extremely thankful for the Oscars contest because it taught me the beauty of spontaneous filmmaking, it taught me that I *could* make a movie, and that sitting around wasn’t going to let me accomplish my directing dreams.
Hey Joel, just wanted to let you know, I recently finished shooting my first feature film after seven months and have you to thank for encouraging me to finally get off my ass and make it. We’re in editing at the moment and I’m so happy that I took the plunge and committed to tackling this project. I think it’s by far my best work. Thanks again for continuing to be a fantastic and important voice in the modern film landscape and as always, I’m looking forward to what you do next 😎
Aww hell yeah!! Congrats on finishing shooting your first feature, that’s such a huge milestone. I hope the editing goes well and you keep that momentum and energy alive!
In the last year, I told myself if I applied to 100 jobs without getting one, I’d make a movie about it and how it made me feel. At some point, around 80 or something, I thought to myself “well, I wanna make this movie. Why wait?” I kept thinking of the proverb: The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is now. That and Joel’s mentality were helpful to me to realize how much pressure I was putting on making things. It shut me down for years. Hell, I still spent 6 hours trying to figure out the right picture profile for my film. Then I realized I was doing it all over again. In essence, I’d say do it when you’re ready, but also, try not to lie to yourself about when you’re ready. I struggled with that for ages and I still do, but I made progress. When I realized I was about halfway through filming, that was probably one of the most accomplished feelings in my life. It took determination, luck, fun, and just saying: “I don’t care if this is ‘good,’ I just wanna do it.” By the end, it was far better than I thought it would be. Thank you for your support Joel.
A beautiful story of realization and self actualization! Happy you stopped doubting yourself and took the plunge, and had a great time doing so. Congrats my friend!
"New ideas will emerge from shooting something" is super important, I think it's often where there are hangups if you don't follow through on an idea without getting everything lined up. Like with writing I think a lot of writers wind up discovering what the story is by writing, the complications or serendipity help push things forward or illustrate why an idea may be more complicated or may need a more practical solution, and with filming I've seen accident be one of the major good things that come out of actually getting in there and doing it. It's why I have an inherent mistrust in a lot of heavily planned, bigger productions, I guess, because they tend to try to limit happenstance and randomness that comes from doing something smaller and less tightly controlled. Bad randomness can happen too, of course, bad luck shooting and things not coming together but maybe the process itself is rewarding enough, and you learn stuff even when missing the mark that will inform work going forward. Helps to hear other people say it, I'm still trying to build up momentum myself...
Can't understate how grateful I am for this kind of filmmaking advice. Still working on breaking out of the "traditional Hollywood" mindset myself, but whenever I do, I'm super glad I did. Managed to carve out time earlier this year for the Oscars challenge, and the final result is one of my favorite films I've ever made. Not perfect, but such a blast to work on. Excited to try and do more films like this when I get the chance. You ROCK, Joel!!
I’ve actually been making my first movie this summer with a friend. I just graduated from high school, it has been in the back of my mind for a while but we’ve finally gotten around to it and it’s one of the hardest and most fun thing I’ve tried to do. It’s never too early to start doing what you love.
That’s amazing! You’re way ahead of the curve if you’re shooting your first movie just out of high school. Keep that creative fire alive! Wish you luck on the movie :)
@@joeltalksaboutmovies Thanks man! You were a big part in pushing me to do it now and making myself ask what I was really waiting for. Thank you so much for that.
Joel you are such an inspiration to so many people. I was really into making skits as a kid but I had no money and we were quite amateurish and people really hated us for being stupid kids making poor quality videos, but we were only like ten years old. I deleted the channel because the harassment was getting so bad. Wish I was able to see your videos back then and have some guidance because you're a great role model for this generation. I'm 24 now and sometimes want to get back into it because I had a lot of fun
Sorry you faced negativity at a young age like that, people hiding behind computers can be so cruel. Just know it comes from their own misplaced insecurities. You should definitely get back into it! Why not!
@@joeltalksaboutmovies Thanks man, I think I will get back into film making. You've really inspired me man, please never stop making movies, you're a damn legend!
Joel, you are such an inspiration. You're just a normal guy. It feels like a friend of mine who's just giving me some advise or just chatting with me while I work. I've been subbed to your channels for a long time, since you first started putting out content. I remember thinking "Man I wish I could do that kind of stuff", and you would always put out helpful guides explaining how you do the stuff you do, demystifying it and making it seem doable for a talentless schmuck like me. I still haven't made a movie yet. I still haven't even made a video. But, I did make an alternate youtube channel. And I do have video editing software now and I'm learning. Eventually I'll make something, maybe even for one of your jams, and you'll have been a great motivator along the way.
This is so sweet, happy that I could break down some of the walls around art for you. I hope you do make stuff, if for no other reason then it’s a lot of fun.
@joeltalksaboutmovies Thank you Joel! I look forward to seeing your continued success, and I look forward to being able to explore this wonderful medium of art and expression with you. What you're doing reaches so many in such a positive light. I hope you feel our appreciation, even though we don't always comment to show it. ♡
all these comments are saying it but i’m not afraid to add to the pile, your approach to film making has been one of the most inspiring things in my life. I’ve always wanted to make an animated film - and now i’m like screw it and i’m not afraid to fail!
Making a movie is sooo intimidating. I'm gonna be going to college for TV and Film production but I have imposter syndrome bc I've never made any movies or videos. I don't even have a camera just a phone.
Just finished the first year of similar at college level, coming from no experience outside of basic editing prior. You'll be fine. Chances are you're going to spend a lot of time doing the teasing-out of ideas and planning. When the camera comes out (and in my case all equipment was loaned out from the college, so don't worry about your own gear), it's actually not out for very long, you'll have already done a lot of the work already. It can be tiring by the time a semester is over, but *very* fulfilling, and once the first bits of work materialise, warts and all, you're gonna realise that yeah, you do belong there. Good luck!
I wish you the best of luck! Not knowing much will leave you with less biases and you'll want to learn more. You're going to do great things! I followed you in case you want to show us the work you'll be doing. No pressure, just want to support the little guys. ✌️
I hope you can ease your nerves, because I promise you nobody will judge you for a lack of experience. Be curious and create a lot while you’re in school, it’s the perfect time to discover the things you like to make and you will. Also, if you have a phone it doesn’t hurt to make a few things before you start! Why not! I wish you luck in college my friend!
love this Joel, your points on community and working with the resources hit so hard, this applies to all art forms too not just movies, go start a band, collage with your friends, on and on and on
I found the advice @7:50 relevant to other domains as well, like coding and research in my experience. "You don't need to have it all done to start shooting," applies to any multi-stage process. In research, don't wait until your experimental design perfectly handles all possible problems preemptively, just get it running and let the first set of data guide your next iteration. In code, figuring out a perfect architecture before starting throws away valuable insight you could gain by implementing some patterns and playing with them. Those are just my manifestations of this advice, but I think it's getting at some kind of universal truth, "Do things before you're ready to do them." And the mechanisms behind the counter advice of, "Do it right the first time," are more relevant if an attempt is very costly, which is rarely the case for personal endeavors.
Surprised to hear Matt Johnson would say your first movie has to be perfect. I've heard him say something kinda opposite about how you should get all your early works out of the way in film school etc so maybe he means your first project outside of that?
I too felt it was a strange sentiment coming from him. It was from a recent interview concerning Blackberry. I get why he might feel that way about a first feature, but I also think it’s bad advice for young filmmakers who already inevitably struggle with perfectionism.
I'm so glad ur 2nd channel exists. ur Videos are so inspiring, I use ur approach of "just doing stuff" for so many things besides just filmmaking. I just wanted to say thank u for that!!
I’m currently fighting through the tedious and enjoyable yet strangely masochistic process of trying my best to write a movie that does not suck. Very strenuous learning process I will say, especially as somebody who has only ever just had a passion for movies and whose only experience in writing is music related stuff. It’s based off of a not-really-all-too-popular-in-the-grand-scheme-of-things video game franchise. Which is definitely more complicated than an entirely original film. But as somebody who has only ever been good at coming up with ideas in the almost 19 years I’ve been alive, I don’t think I’ve ever believed in a vision as unbelievably much as this one, and I honestly don’t give a shit how complicated and convoluted of a process it’s gonna be, by god I’m gonna find a way to make this work. Or at least have it mean something in terms of my creative journey, even if it doesn’t turn out perfectly. At least as somebody who doesn’t want to live the boring and monotonous life literally everybody else around me keeps trying to tell me I have no choice but to live. What some may view as plain ignorance, people like us can recognize as unbridled passion, which is everything I feel for what I’m slowly but surely working on right now. And as long as that lays at the foundation, no matter how much it might put you through the ringer or how hard life might be at the moment, I think it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll find a way to rescue it from whichever chamber of your brain things like that reside within.
@@jenniferbauman thanks fam! :D thankfully the fact that it’s not too terribly popular like a triple A game or anything makes me confident that it’s worth it to pursue and try my luck. There’s so much untouched potential when it comes to doing things like that the right way with the right video games. I hope in time the filmmakers of the future can make the general public realize just how beautiful video games can be, same as any other art form. I think Spielberg said something about how when you get inspiration and you’re in that state of mind where the words are coming out faster than you can think it’s like the closest thing you can ever feel to flying. It’s like the planets align in your brain. I’m just glad we’re in a day and age where we have people like Joel on the internet to cheer us on lol cause without it I don’t think I would’ve even gotten this far.
One thing that helped me become a filmmaker with my debut feature The Squish Trilogy was to just make it out of three short films that got progressively longer. This way I could slow expand my scope and play with new aesthetic ideas while still working towards one cohesive project.
Love these videos Joel. I want to do writing not filmmaking but theres so much that applies to both creative processes so they've been very helpful. Im still very much in my head about it all which makes my progress incredibly slow but I'm gonna keep clunking away at a novella. Maybe I'll have another go at screenwriting one day.
I feel like you inspired me to make films in the beginning of this year and I was for real just doing it. You know, just doing whatever comes to mind. And lately i have been thinking a lot more about "learning the craft", you know how it goes, watching a thousand UA-cam tutorials and thinking that you suddenly are the ultimate director of all time. But thanks, i think I needed to hear this to like... Stand up from my chair and shoot some cool short films for once, and like, make a thousand mistakes and then laugh about it.
I found your channel after finishing a very hard and soul taking shooting of my first film. I thought I had one shot at this like you say in the beginning of this video. It was very stressful for me and my two fellow actresses. I thought that was the way. But now, I have seen almost all your movies and I have to admit I was very wrong. You make masterpieces because you enjoy filmmaking, not the other way around. Now I just want to do films like you or Cody Clarke. Thanks Joel , In a way you saved my soul (very dramatic I know). And if anyone reads this: filmmaking doesn't have to be hard. The "just do it" advice is 100% correct. My effort of years is never going to be as good as Joel's movie "A Simple Smash and Bash Job Gone Wrong" which he did in 3 hours. Just because he enjoyed that process a lot and I didn't enjoy mine. So, don't aim to be perfect. Aim to have fun and be creative
I just started my own personal productions because of creators like yourself, I’ve held off on making movies for the longest time because I always felt like it wasn’t the right time or my ideas weren’t ready, but I love what you say about how the lens of perfectionism might scare you from making anything, cause it sure scared the hell out of me. BUT! Because of encouraging and positive folks like yourself, I made my first few short films, am writing with some friends, and have some fun projects in store. Thank you, man! Much love to you!
i’m a huge matt johnsom fan and the best advice i’ve heard from him is “make the movie that only you could make, that steven Spielberg couldnt make for 100 million dollars”
I think it's totally okay to have some perfectionism; the important thing is to be working at it, learning, and getting a finished product. As long as you're actually getting somewhere, 10 hours invested is 10 hours and that practice will show in your following works. I have spent 20 minutes trying to figure out the color grading for a 3-second shot, but I was still learning the basics of color grading and when I was done I felt like I had done the best I could and I felt like I understood how to get to any specific look slightly faster next time. And besides just the practice, I also got one little bit closer to actually finishing something. I don't think there's one correct level of perfectionism, the important thing is just to be doing it; and make sure you don't just drop things that might not be perfectly attaining your vision, because then you get zero practice on "finishing projects" which is a skill in itself.
so weird to hear that coming from matt johnson (huge fan of his too). in a recent interview i heard him say something really beautiful about letting go of the idea that your film has to be this masterpiece you're working on and instead realize that the masterpiece you're working on is you. let go of the idea that it has to be a thing that defines you forever, let it work on you, and then go and make another film. (end paraphrase lol) i just really dug that and similarly to your videos, it sent me right into action
I used to film things like crazy when I was young and clumsily edit things together using two linked up VCRs. Even though I left that behind, I always enjoy your talks Joel. I feel like your advice goes beyond just film. Thank you
After hearing this I might just take a gap year after high school before university/college to just make my first feature. Thanks for the inspiration, I love your work, man!
Since getting into your films specifically I've started my own feature and I 100% wouldn't have if not for your approach inspiring the fuck ton of submissions made during the Oscars. Along with that, I've revitalized that new creative feeling but with the years worth of experience I've gained. Oh yeah- one last thing, if you haven't watched the Oscar films I'd highly recommend doing it. There are so many sick stories to see in them.
It is so crazy for me to hear you talk about Matt Johnson. I guess he is better known in Canada but here in Germany I feel like I am the only person that watches his work. You both are a great inspiration to me btw.
i for sure stop myself all the time from creating things just because i know that i need so many years of experience to even make anything that i want to make. It's a shame, I wish i opened myself up to failure more.
In season 1 episode 6 of the show Highlander, called 'a bad day in building A', there is a killer named Brian Slade played by Andrew Divoff who holds the gang hostage in a court building. The whole time watching the episode I couldnt stop thinking about how much he looked like a combination of Joel Haver and Antonio Banderas
I started shooting stuff in 2003 with my hi8 Sony Video Cam that I saved up to buy. Shot tons of stupid action parody stuff with my baby brothers--tons of footage of 10 year old boys running around and pointing water guns at each other edited to ripped tracks from soundtrack CDs :) Then I did the short comedy sketch stuff when I joined UA-cam early on. I'm still doing that, but the first real movie I made was out of college in 2012 (I don't count my senior thesis film because it was pretty bad) I wrote a 12 minute short film called Black Cat Hallowmas for my friend based around locations where I lived and we shot it over a long weekend. Never got any traction from it but I'm still proud of it. These days I'm shooting a series of interconnected shorts that are a bit more ambitious. For me I've never been able to write a film story longer than 15min. I just run out of stuff for my characters to say or do. I also love making mostly silent movies where the story is told through the visuals and action, sound effects and music rather than through dialogue. Anyway, your stuff is inspiring to me. I like that you keep making new stuff and experimenting, it's refreshing.
Great video! Can you make one about how to come up with the story? All the ideas that come to mind don't seem good enough or too expensive to do (or maybe expensive enough that I can do it but it's probably not worth it for the film it'll end up being due to my lack of experience). Saying this as a struggling 15yo filmmaker, I've made a few shorts and won a few awards but nothing excites me more than making a feature because there hasn't been a film made in my city in over 20 years. This makes it so I basically cannot make money and depend on my parents, so I cannot for example justify buying any kind of gear right now or a prop that's not cheap and specific to the movie like a certain costume. I really hope you read this!!
My mum always told me that if I was gonna put something on the internet, it needs to be the best work I can make. I think that’s the main reason I never made anything
I always love hearing your filmmaking advice because it is often applicable to most creative practices. Replace "make a movie" with "write a book," "write a song," "paint a painting," etc. You want to make it? Make it! :)
The Matt Johnson advice I always hold in the my head is to use your limitations: no budget, no actors etc and use them as strengths. To work with your limitations and your own personal insight to make the movie Spielberg couldn’t make with a 100 million dollars.
I've been wanting to make a movie since at least 2012, could've made something a few times but I never really had an idea that was easy enough to make, probably because I was just coming up with ideas rather than thinking about what I have at my disposal. I've written several scripts, all animated, something I can just do 100% on my own, and again never got around to making any of them, despite them being things I really wanna make. I did technically finally make a feature film this year with your Oscar's challenge, although it doesn't feel like a movie to me since it was only two camera angles, but it was still fun to make and showed me that I can just make something if I try. I've since had an idea that I think would be doable in live action, but I don't know when I'll get around to that. I have however been storyboarding a 40 minute animated movie for a month now, and I've got 4 and a half minutes storyboarded so far. It's slow, but I'm having fun with it and it feels fulfilling to finally see one of the scripts I've written come to life in some form, and your films and inspirational videos like this have definitely played a part in me finally taking that first step.
I had no idea you were from MA, nice. Making videos on youtube hasn't exactly paid the bills, but it has led to the jobs that I do have, which pay the bills and more. RIP to me being 30 and no longer being able to say 'working on a school project' believably though, ahaha.
I have been making regular non-cinematic UA-cam videos for years. However, in 2022. I saw Joel's contest on the day of the Oscars and knew I had to make a movie. That year I made a movie an hour after I found out about the contest on the day of the Oscars. It was a wonderful story but not that good of a movie. It was just me lying in bed pretending I was an old man that had a tell a story before he died. The story was about the man's uncle who was responsible for starting by himself the second world war and the Great Depression. Funny story but not a good movie. I'm just lying in bed talking to the camera. But it was so fun to make. In 2023 . I tried again. This time I was prepared. I wrote a story and got to play four characters. The movie is titled The Devil Goes Down to UA-cam. An old man makes a deal with the devil. The old man has a UA-cam channel and he wants the devil to make them have more views than anybody else on UA-cam. 10 times more. He also wants to live to be 150 years old and have a lifetime supply of tutti-frutti ice cream. Did I mention that the old man's channel is exclusively about one thing? Ice cubes. His channel is all about ice cubes. Every single video. I got to play the old man, an executive from UA-cam, the devil and a lawyer. And I filmed it myself in my apartment. So this was a wonderful movie to make and I had a lot of fun but it took me more than one day to film. So I could not enter my movie into the contest. Nevertheless. Making that hour-long comedy was the most fun I have had making videos on UA-cam and I have been making videos on UA-cam almost every week since 2007. I am an old man. You don't want to die with stories inside of you. Your movie may not be good. Your movie may not be seen by many people. But when you're done you're going to want to make another one. Thanks Joel.
Perfection has killed more dreams than trying ever has. Love your insight Joel, thanks for helping keep independent film alive and free of "rules". Mush Love 🍄📽
Extreme is the word lol, the Oscars movies are the best! People hate me for them, weird people, but people none the less. Only up from here, bby! We Are Sasquatch is so great and makes me want to get a Camcorder lol. The soft light of Europe suits you. Thanks Joel. ❤
Phooey to the haters! Hating people for creating freely is one of the greatest wastes of time I’ve seen, it is baseless and lazy and comes from self doubt and insecurity. I wish them the ability to feel more secure and find a fulfilling way to create for themselves. Thanks Jennifer!
@@jenniferbauman That movie was crazy to make. We were originally supposed to have 3 more cast/crew, too, but they couldn't make it last-minute. Just goes to show that filmmaking is all about adapting. I need to get back into watching more of those movies.. there are SO many!!
I lwent to school in a city called Belcher, and I thought the name was hilarious, but you were in Belchertown!? That's like a step above in city names.
Peculiar timing, I have been struggling with these ideas for the past week. I read a comment on a fellow "Folk Filmmaking" film, it was critique that really changed my perspective. Instead of spending so much time on creating a full feature film, the commenter urged the director to go for short films first to iron out basic flaws in their storytelling. I know the flaws/imperfections are what make them so unique and intimate, but I actually think it's for the best. It would also be easier to "keep" your audience and would also help create a guideline/template for filmmaking in the future so you don't stop yourself so easily (At least for me). It would make those smaller problems like writer's block and basically all mental challenges easier to navigate. When the year started I really wanted to make a feature as my New Years resolution, but for the past week, it has changed to "when I'm ready". I asked Trent for advice during one of his streams and I came up with the same conclusion. Anyway, just wanted to give my thoughts. I'm going to write down that tip about shooting what you have instead of waiting for the writer's block to disappear.
The problem with making a feature is it's intimidating and chances are no one will ever watch it (and probably, for a good reason too). Short films are easier to make. I think it makes more sense to make a bunch of short films before diving into making a feature. After all, there is a difference between a film not being perfect and being straight-up sloppy.
From someone who's done it on a couple levels, super intimidating, yes, but entirely worth it, even on the lowest $0 tier. You can learn a million lessons from failure, but very little from success. I love seeing folks who go for a full feature, even if it's not as "polished" as others. Sometimes you just gotta make a movie for you, too!! All about perspective. And it's always a rewarding experience.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
the annoying answer of “just do it now” is correct
Couldn’t agree more. I’m extremely thankful for the Oscars contest because it taught me the beauty of spontaneous filmmaking, it taught me that I *could* make a movie, and that sitting around wasn’t going to let me accomplish my directing dreams.
“Keep doing it” after making a piece of shit is pretty annoying too but it’s necessary.
Hey Joel, just wanted to let you know, I recently finished shooting my first feature film after seven months and have you to thank for encouraging me to finally get off my ass and make it. We’re in editing at the moment and I’m so happy that I took the plunge and committed to tackling this project. I think it’s by far my best work. Thanks again for continuing to be a fantastic and important voice in the modern film landscape and as always, I’m looking forward to what you do next 😎
Aww hell yeah!! Congrats on finishing shooting your first feature, that’s such a huge milestone. I hope the editing goes well and you keep that momentum and energy alive!
Will do my good sir, thank you so much for the encouragement! We’ll be sure to keep up the good work, as long as you continue to do so too 🫡
"JUST DO IT!" - Shia Labeouf
In the last year, I told myself if I applied to 100 jobs without getting one, I’d make a movie about it and how it made me feel. At some point, around 80 or something, I thought to myself “well, I wanna make this movie. Why wait?” I kept thinking of the proverb: The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is now.
That and Joel’s mentality were helpful to me to realize how much pressure I was putting on making things. It shut me down for years. Hell, I still spent 6 hours trying to figure out the right picture profile for my film. Then I realized I was doing it all over again.
In essence, I’d say do it when you’re ready, but also, try not to lie to yourself about when you’re ready. I struggled with that for ages and I still do, but I made progress.
When I realized I was about halfway through filming, that was probably one of the most accomplished feelings in my life. It took determination, luck, fun, and just saying: “I don’t care if this is ‘good,’ I just wanna do it.” By the end, it was far better than I thought it would be.
Thank you for your support Joel.
That was absolutely beautiful 🥹 I love your work!
A beautiful story of realization and self actualization! Happy you stopped doubting yourself and took the plunge, and had a great time doing so. Congrats my friend!
"New ideas will emerge from shooting something" is super important, I think it's often where there are hangups if you don't follow through on an idea without getting everything lined up. Like with writing I think a lot of writers wind up discovering what the story is by writing, the complications or serendipity help push things forward or illustrate why an idea may be more complicated or may need a more practical solution, and with filming I've seen accident be one of the major good things that come out of actually getting in there and doing it. It's why I have an inherent mistrust in a lot of heavily planned, bigger productions, I guess, because they tend to try to limit happenstance and randomness that comes from doing something smaller and less tightly controlled. Bad randomness can happen too, of course, bad luck shooting and things not coming together but maybe the process itself is rewarding enough, and you learn stuff even when missing the mark that will inform work going forward. Helps to hear other people say it, I'm still trying to build up momentum myself...
Can't understate how grateful I am for this kind of filmmaking advice. Still working on breaking out of the "traditional Hollywood" mindset myself, but whenever I do, I'm super glad I did. Managed to carve out time earlier this year for the Oscars challenge, and the final result is one of my favorite films I've ever made. Not perfect, but such a blast to work on. Excited to try and do more films like this when I get the chance. You ROCK, Joel!!
I’ve actually been making my first movie this summer with a friend. I just graduated from high school, it has been in the back of my mind for a while but we’ve finally gotten around to it and it’s one of the hardest and most fun thing I’ve tried to do. It’s never too early to start doing what you love.
That’s amazing! You’re way ahead of the curve if you’re shooting your first movie just out of high school. Keep that creative fire alive! Wish you luck on the movie :)
@@joeltalksaboutmovies Thanks man! You were a big part in pushing me to do it now and making myself ask what I was really waiting for. Thank you so much for that.
Love that tiny table
Joel you are such an inspiration to so many people. I was really into making skits as a kid but I had no money and we were quite amateurish and people really hated us for being stupid kids making poor quality videos, but we were only like ten years old. I deleted the channel because the harassment was getting so bad. Wish I was able to see your videos back then and have some guidance because you're a great role model for this generation. I'm 24 now and sometimes want to get back into it because I had a lot of fun
Sorry you faced negativity at a young age like that, people hiding behind computers can be so cruel. Just know it comes from their own misplaced insecurities. You should definitely get back into it! Why not!
@@joeltalksaboutmovies Thanks man, I think I will get back into film making. You've really inspired me man, please never stop making movies, you're a damn legend!
Joel, you are such an inspiration. You're just a normal guy. It feels like a friend of mine who's just giving me some advise or just chatting with me while I work. I've been subbed to your channels for a long time, since you first started putting out content. I remember thinking "Man I wish I could do that kind of stuff", and you would always put out helpful guides explaining how you do the stuff you do, demystifying it and making it seem doable for a talentless schmuck like me. I still haven't made a movie yet. I still haven't even made a video. But, I did make an alternate youtube channel. And I do have video editing software now and I'm learning. Eventually I'll make something, maybe even for one of your jams, and you'll have been a great motivator along the way.
This is so sweet, happy that I could break down some of the walls around art for you. I hope you do make stuff, if for no other reason then it’s a lot of fun.
@joeltalksaboutmovies Thank you Joel! I look forward to seeing your continued success, and I look forward to being able to explore this wonderful medium of art and expression with you. What you're doing reaches so many in such a positive light. I hope you feel our appreciation, even though we don't always comment to show it. ♡
all these comments are saying it but i’m not afraid to add to the pile, your approach to film making has been one of the most inspiring things in my life. I’ve always wanted to make an animated film - and now i’m like screw it and i’m not afraid to fail!
You could say the best time to do it was yesterday, and the second best is now.
Making a movie is sooo intimidating. I'm gonna be going to college for TV and Film production but I have imposter syndrome bc I've never made any movies or videos. I don't even have a camera just a phone.
Just finished the first year of similar at college level, coming from no experience outside of basic editing prior. You'll be fine. Chances are you're going to spend a lot of time doing the teasing-out of ideas and planning. When the camera comes out (and in my case all equipment was loaned out from the college, so don't worry about your own gear), it's actually not out for very long, you'll have already done a lot of the work already. It can be tiring by the time a semester is over, but *very* fulfilling, and once the first bits of work materialise, warts and all, you're gonna realise that yeah, you do belong there. Good luck!
I wish you the best of luck! Not knowing much will leave you with less biases and you'll want to learn more. You're going to do great things! I followed you in case you want to show us the work you'll be doing. No pressure, just want to support the little guys. ✌️
@@WarMomPT Thank you!
@@jenniferbauman Thanks Jennifer, but no need to follow me! This is just my alt account w none of my personal info on it lol. You rock tho!
I hope you can ease your nerves, because I promise you nobody will judge you for a lack of experience. Be curious and create a lot while you’re in school, it’s the perfect time to discover the things you like to make and you will. Also, if you have a phone it doesn’t hurt to make a few things before you start! Why not! I wish you luck in college my friend!
love this Joel, your points on community and working with the resources hit so hard, this applies to all art forms too not just movies, go start a band, collage with your friends, on and on and on
I found the advice @7:50 relevant to other domains as well, like coding and research in my experience. "You don't need to have it all done to start shooting," applies to any multi-stage process.
In research, don't wait until your experimental design perfectly handles all possible problems preemptively, just get it running and let the first set of data guide your next iteration. In code, figuring out a perfect architecture before starting throws away valuable insight you could gain by implementing some patterns and playing with them.
Those are just my manifestations of this advice, but I think it's getting at some kind of universal truth, "Do things before you're ready to do them." And the mechanisms behind the counter advice of, "Do it right the first time," are more relevant if an attempt is very costly, which is rarely the case for personal endeavors.
@@blake_n fuck ya love this- so relevant to other disciplines
I've been feeling really inspired thanks to people like you! I'm hoping to find time to shoot a film with friends soon.
Surprised to hear Matt Johnson would say your first movie has to be perfect. I've heard him say something kinda opposite about how you should get all your early works out of the way in film school etc so maybe he means your first project outside of that?
I too felt it was a strange sentiment coming from him. It was from a recent interview concerning Blackberry. I get why he might feel that way about a first feature, but I also think it’s bad advice for young filmmakers who already inevitably struggle with perfectionism.
Can’t thank you enough for these vids- you help keep us going🤙
I'm so glad ur 2nd channel exists. ur Videos are so inspiring, I use ur approach of "just doing stuff" for so many things besides just filmmaking.
I just wanted to say thank u for that!!
I’m currently fighting through the tedious and enjoyable yet strangely masochistic process of trying my best to write a movie that does not suck. Very strenuous learning process I will say, especially as somebody who has only ever just had a passion for movies and whose only experience in writing is music related stuff. It’s based off of a not-really-all-too-popular-in-the-grand-scheme-of-things video game franchise. Which is definitely more complicated than an entirely original film. But as somebody who has only ever been good at coming up with ideas in the almost 19 years I’ve been alive, I don’t think I’ve ever believed in a vision as unbelievably much as this one, and I honestly don’t give a shit how complicated and convoluted of a process it’s gonna be, by god I’m gonna find a way to make this work. Or at least have it mean something in terms of my creative journey, even if it doesn’t turn out perfectly. At least as somebody who doesn’t want to live the boring and monotonous life literally everybody else around me keeps trying to tell me I have no choice but to live. What some may view as plain ignorance, people like us can recognize as unbridled passion, which is everything I feel for what I’m slowly but surely working on right now. And as long as that lays at the foundation, no matter how much it might put you through the ringer or how hard life might be at the moment, I think it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll find a way to rescue it from whichever chamber of your brain things like that reside within.
Ooo, video game movie! That sounds amazing, and complicated like you said haha. Good luck! 🎮
@@jenniferbauman thanks fam! :D thankfully the fact that it’s not too terribly popular like a triple A game or anything makes me confident that it’s worth it to pursue and try my luck. There’s so much untouched potential when it comes to doing things like that the right way with the right video games. I hope in time the filmmakers of the future can make the general public realize just how beautiful video games can be, same as any other art form. I think Spielberg said something about how when you get inspiration and you’re in that state of mind where the words are coming out faster than you can think it’s like the closest thing you can ever feel to flying. It’s like the planets align in your brain. I’m just glad we’re in a day and age where we have people like Joel on the internet to cheer us on lol cause without it I don’t think I would’ve even gotten this far.
Love ya Joel. You are a great inspiration
One thing that helped me become a filmmaker with my debut feature The Squish Trilogy was to just make it out of three short films that got progressively longer. This way I could slow expand my scope and play with new aesthetic ideas while still working towards one cohesive project.
Hm, I never thought of doing it that way. Maybe I'll try it some time! 👍
That’s a great technique Charli! Anything that makes it less intimidating is huge for a first feature project. Excited to check em out still!
Love these videos Joel. I want to do writing not filmmaking but theres so much that applies to both creative processes so they've been very helpful. Im still very much in my head about it all which makes my progress incredibly slow but I'm gonna keep clunking away at a novella. Maybe I'll have another go at screenwriting one day.
I feel like you inspired me to make films in the beginning of this year and I was for real just doing it. You know, just doing whatever comes to mind. And lately i have been thinking a lot more about "learning the craft", you know how it goes, watching a thousand UA-cam tutorials and thinking that you suddenly are the ultimate director of all time. But thanks, i think I needed to hear this to like... Stand up from my chair and shoot some cool short films for once, and like, make a thousand mistakes and then laugh about it.
I found your channel after finishing a very hard and soul taking shooting of my first film. I thought I had one shot at this like you say in the beginning of this video. It was very stressful for me and my two fellow actresses. I thought that was the way. But now, I have seen almost all your movies and I have to admit I was very wrong. You make masterpieces because you enjoy filmmaking, not the other way around. Now I just want to do films like you or Cody Clarke. Thanks Joel , In a way you saved my soul (very dramatic I know). And if anyone reads this: filmmaking doesn't have to be hard. The "just do it" advice is 100% correct. My effort of years is never going to be as good as Joel's movie "A Simple Smash and Bash Job Gone Wrong" which he did in 3 hours. Just because he enjoyed that process a lot and I didn't enjoy mine. So, don't aim to be perfect. Aim to have fun and be creative
I just started my own personal productions because of creators like yourself, I’ve held off on making movies for the longest time because I always felt like it wasn’t the right time or my ideas weren’t ready, but I love what you say about how the lens of perfectionism might scare you from making anything, cause it sure scared the hell out of me. BUT! Because of encouraging and positive folks like yourself, I made my first few short films, am writing with some friends, and have some fun projects in store. Thank you, man! Much love to you!
Matt Johnson is great! Really inspiring to see how far he's gotten with Blackberry.
i’m a huge matt johnsom fan and the best advice i’ve heard from him is “make the movie that only you could make, that steven Spielberg couldnt make for 100 million dollars”
I think it's totally okay to have some perfectionism; the important thing is to be working at it, learning, and getting a finished product. As long as you're actually getting somewhere, 10 hours invested is 10 hours and that practice will show in your following works.
I have spent 20 minutes trying to figure out the color grading for a 3-second shot, but I was still learning the basics of color grading and when I was done I felt like I had done the best I could and I felt like I understood how to get to any specific look slightly faster next time. And besides just the practice, I also got one little bit closer to actually finishing something.
I don't think there's one correct level of perfectionism, the important thing is just to be doing it; and make sure you don't just drop things that might not be perfectly attaining your vision, because then you get zero practice on "finishing projects" which is a skill in itself.
so weird to hear that coming from matt johnson (huge fan of his too). in a recent interview i heard him say something really beautiful about letting go of the idea that your film has to be this masterpiece you're working on and instead realize that the masterpiece you're working on is you. let go of the idea that it has to be a thing that defines you forever, let it work on you, and then go and make another film. (end paraphrase lol) i just really dug that and similarly to your videos, it sent me right into action
you're an inspiration Joel. I'd love to see a video on your color grading an editing process.
I used to film things like crazy when I was young and clumsily edit things together using two linked up VCRs. Even though I left that behind, I always enjoy your talks Joel. I feel like your advice goes beyond just film. Thank you
matt mention alert
also locally made films r the funnest
After hearing this I might just take a gap year after high school before university/college to just make my first feature. Thanks for the inspiration, I love your work, man!
Since getting into your films specifically I've started my own feature and I 100% wouldn't have if not for your approach inspiring the fuck ton of submissions made during the Oscars. Along with that, I've revitalized that new creative feeling but with the years worth of experience I've gained. Oh yeah- one last thing, if you haven't watched the Oscar films I'd highly recommend doing it. There are so many sick stories to see in them.
It is so crazy for me to hear you talk about Matt Johnson. I guess he is better known in Canada but here in Germany I feel like I am the only person that watches his work. You both are a great inspiration to me btw.
i for sure stop myself all the time from creating things just because i know that i need so many years of experience to even make anything that i want to make. It's a shame, I wish i opened myself up to failure more.
Be willing to fail! You’ll be surprised how much fun you have and how much you learn/grow along the way!
In season 1 episode 6 of the show Highlander, called 'a bad day in building A', there is a killer named Brian Slade played by Andrew Divoff who holds the gang hostage in a court building. The whole time watching the episode I couldnt stop thinking about how much he looked like a combination of Joel Haver and Antonio Banderas
Great actor! And I can see the combination 😄
I started shooting stuff in 2003 with my hi8 Sony Video Cam that I saved up to buy. Shot tons of stupid action parody stuff with my baby brothers--tons of footage of 10 year old boys running around and pointing water guns at each other edited to ripped tracks from soundtrack CDs :) Then I did the short comedy sketch stuff when I joined UA-cam early on. I'm still doing that, but the first real movie I made was out of college in 2012 (I don't count my senior thesis film because it was pretty bad) I wrote a 12 minute short film called Black Cat Hallowmas for my friend based around locations where I lived and we shot it over a long weekend. Never got any traction from it but I'm still proud of it. These days I'm shooting a series of interconnected shorts that are a bit more ambitious. For me I've never been able to write a film story longer than 15min. I just run out of stuff for my characters to say or do. I also love making mostly silent movies where the story is told through the visuals and action, sound effects and music rather than through dialogue. Anyway, your stuff is inspiring to me. I like that you keep making new stuff and experimenting, it's refreshing.
Great video! Can you make one about how to come up with the story? All the ideas that come to mind don't seem good enough or too expensive to do (or maybe expensive enough that I can do it but it's probably not worth it for the film it'll end up being due to my lack of experience). Saying this as a struggling 15yo filmmaker, I've made a few shorts and won a few awards but nothing excites me more than making a feature because there hasn't been a film made in my city in over 20 years. This makes it so I basically cannot make money and depend on my parents, so I cannot for example justify buying any kind of gear right now or a prop that's not cheap and specific to the movie like a certain costume. I really hope you read this!!
I appreciate this very much.
My mum always told me that if I was gonna put something on the internet, it needs to be the best work I can make. I think that’s the main reason I never made anything
I always love hearing your filmmaking advice because it is often applicable to most creative practices. Replace "make a movie" with "write a book," "write a song," "paint a painting," etc. You want to make it? Make it! :)
The Matt Johnson advice I always hold in the my head is to use your limitations: no budget, no actors etc and use them as strengths. To work with your limitations and your own personal insight to make the movie Spielberg couldn’t make with a 100 million dollars.
I've been wanting to make a movie since at least 2012, could've made something a few times but I never really had an idea that was easy enough to make, probably because I was just coming up with ideas rather than thinking about what I have at my disposal. I've written several scripts, all animated, something I can just do 100% on my own, and again never got around to making any of them, despite them being things I really wanna make. I did technically finally make a feature film this year with your Oscar's challenge, although it doesn't feel like a movie to me since it was only two camera angles, but it was still fun to make and showed me that I can just make something if I try. I've since had an idea that I think would be doable in live action, but I don't know when I'll get around to that. I have however been storyboarding a 40 minute animated movie for a month now, and I've got 4 and a half minutes storyboarded so far. It's slow, but I'm having fun with it and it feels fulfilling to finally see one of the scripts I've written come to life in some form, and your films and inspirational videos like this have definitely played a part in me finally taking that first step.
I had no idea you were from MA, nice. Making videos on youtube hasn't exactly paid the bills, but it has led to the jobs that I do have, which pay the bills and more. RIP to me being 30 and no longer being able to say 'working on a school project' believably though, ahaha.
I have been making regular non-cinematic UA-cam videos for years. However, in 2022. I saw Joel's contest on the day of the Oscars and knew I had to make a movie. That year I made a movie an hour after I found out about the contest on the day of the Oscars. It was a wonderful story but not that good of a movie. It was just me lying in bed pretending I was an old man that had a tell a story before he died. The story was about the man's uncle who was responsible for starting by himself the second world war and the Great Depression. Funny story but not a good movie. I'm just lying in bed talking to the camera. But it was so fun to make.
In 2023 . I tried again. This time I was prepared. I wrote a story and got to play four characters. The movie is titled The Devil Goes Down to UA-cam.
An old man makes a deal with the devil. The old man has a UA-cam channel and he wants the devil to make them have more views than anybody else on UA-cam. 10 times more. He also wants to live to be 150 years old and have a lifetime supply of tutti-frutti ice cream. Did I mention that the old man's channel is exclusively about one thing? Ice cubes. His channel is all about ice cubes. Every single video. I got to play the old man, an executive from UA-cam, the devil and a lawyer. And I filmed it myself in my apartment. So this was a wonderful movie to make and I had a lot of fun but it took me more than one day to film. So I could not enter my movie into the contest. Nevertheless. Making that hour-long comedy was the most fun I have had making videos on UA-cam and I have been making videos on UA-cam almost every week since 2007.
I am an old man. You don't want to die with stories inside of you. Your movie may not be good. Your movie may not be seen by many people. But when you're done you're going to want to make another one. Thanks Joel.
Love you too, also hope you have a great rest of your day. Are you still visiting your grandparents?
Perfection has killed more dreams than trying ever has. Love your insight Joel, thanks for helping keep independent film alive and free of "rules".
Mush Love 🍄📽
After my last trip to MN I realized I say "you bet" (possibly) too much
love those pants, whered you get them?
Hell yes to Matt Johnson
Youre spinning me around 😊, my feet 🦶 are off the ground 🐳
Extreme is the word lol, the Oscars movies are the best! People hate me for them, weird people, but people none the less. Only up from here, bby! We Are Sasquatch is so great and makes me want to get a Camcorder lol. The soft light of Europe suits you. Thanks Joel. ❤
Phooey to the haters! Hating people for creating freely is one of the greatest wastes of time I’ve seen, it is baseless and lazy and comes from self doubt and insecurity. I wish them the ability to feel more secure and find a fulfilling way to create for themselves. Thanks Jennifer!
@@joeltalksaboutmovies yeah, they're only ever getting one comment out of me, and they absolutely hated it. Lol
Totally don't get why people do that. Some of the films I've seen from this year are ones I've enjoyed more than blockbuster movies!!
@@NathanLathroum like your's! Definitely one of my favorites, freaking fantastic!
@@jenniferbauman That movie was crazy to make. We were originally supposed to have 3 more cast/crew, too, but they couldn't make it last-minute. Just goes to show that filmmaking is all about adapting. I need to get back into watching more of those movies.. there are SO many!!
I lwent to school in a city called Belcher, and I thought the name was hilarious, but you were in Belchertown!? That's like a step above in city names.
Peculiar timing, I have been struggling with these ideas for the past week. I read a comment on a fellow "Folk Filmmaking" film, it was critique that really changed my perspective. Instead of spending so much time on creating a full feature film, the commenter urged the director to go for short films first to iron out basic flaws in their storytelling. I know the flaws/imperfections are what make them so unique and intimate, but I actually think it's for the best. It would also be easier to "keep" your audience and would also help create a guideline/template for filmmaking in the future so you don't stop yourself so easily (At least for me). It would make those smaller problems like writer's block and basically all mental challenges easier to navigate.
When the year started I really wanted to make a feature as my New Years resolution, but for the past week, it has changed to "when I'm ready". I asked Trent for advice during one of his streams and I came up with the same conclusion.
Anyway, just wanted to give my thoughts. I'm going to write down that tip about shooting what you have instead of waiting for the writer's block to disappear.
Hi, hello there
Hi Joel:)
The problem with making a feature is it's intimidating and chances are no one will ever watch it (and probably, for a good reason too). Short films are easier to make. I think it makes more sense to make a bunch of short films before diving into making a feature. After all, there is a difference between a film not being perfect and being straight-up sloppy.
From someone who's done it on a couple levels, super intimidating, yes, but entirely worth it, even on the lowest $0 tier. You can learn a million lessons from failure, but very little from success. I love seeing folks who go for a full feature, even if it's not as "polished" as others. Sometimes you just gotta make a movie for you, too!! All about perspective. And it's always a rewarding experience.
Great video Joel, say hi to Trent!