21 of the Best Short Films on Youtube

10 Minutes

Ahmed Imamovic

Still Life

Jon Knautz

New Boy

Steph Green

No Man's Land

Clara Glynn

Frankie

Darren Thornton

Please!

Paul Black

Nought

Jonathan Beamish

Model / Photographer

Zak Forsman

All About My Dog - Marimo

Atsushi Sanada

sweet night good heart

Dan Zeff

Strangers

Erez Tadmor & Guy Nattiv

The Girl With The Yellow Stockings

Grzegorz Muskala

The Black Hole

Phil & Olly

The Open Doors

James Rogan

This is Me

Sam Arthur

The Computer Virus

Jesse Chambers

The Bloody Olive

Vincent Bal

Pierre Oliver

On S'Embrasse?

Alive in Joburg

Neill Blomkamp

Signs

Patrick Hughes

Lovefield

Mathieu Ratthe

Filmmakers who never went to film school

Ever-growing list of notable filmmakers who never went to film school...

Werner Herzog
James Cameron
Stanley Kubrick
Ridley Scott
Wong Kar-wai
David Fincher
Peter Jackson
Quentin Tarantino
Alfred Hitchcock
Cecil B. DeMille
Clint Eastwood
Roger Avary
Sam Raimi
Frank Darabont
David Mamet
Spike Jonze
Richard Linklater
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Todd Haynes
Bob Clark
Raoul Walsh
Sydney Pollack
John Ford
Victor Fleming
Fritz Lang
Mel Gibson

Basically everyone who made films before there was film school.

Let us know who is missing from this list.

Why wait for film school?

One reason why many aspiring filmmakers aren't making films right now is, "I'm going to make a killer film once I get into film school". Good luck getting into film school...

Well once they actually do get accepted to USC or UCLA, the reason becomes, "I'm going to make a killer film once I enroll in the (blank) class". At USC the class tends to be Intermediate Film Production AKA CTPR310.

CTPR310 is a required class for all Film Production majors at USC and it entails creating a short film in half a semester. Previously, 310 films were shot on 16mm film but recently they switched over to HD(Sony EX1). Students are provided with practically all they need to make a short film(lights, grip, camera, editing station). And being that 310 is one of the highest level production classes that is required, many students wait until it comes around to make their film.

However waiting to make a film is absurd. Just imagine your film is being funded, but you have to wait a long time before you can actually make it... Oh, and you're funding the film. Huh?

That's right. Waiting to make a film is absurd but waiting to make a film when everything is already available to you is extremely absurd. The stuff the school provides is not free. You paid $200,000 to attend film school.

What's more?

-Your provided budget is $0.

-If you break any equipment, you pay for it.

-You are forced to work with a random partner.

-Weird rules like aspect ratio must be 16:9 and all sound must be post production sound.

CTPR310 and many other film production classes are absurd. You are not only paying for it, you are not getting your money's worth. And you only have one chance to make or break a film. That's like buying a $500 lottery ticket.

They use ancient technology at film school...

One of the things that has always surprised me about USC film school is the amount of ancient technology they use. Sure lights, lenses and grip last forever, but camera's do not.

As a camera fanatic I was interested in seeing what camera I would be working with for the introductory film production class(CTPR290). I expected some kind of HD prosumer camera like the Canon XH-A1 or the Sony FX1. After all it was the year 2008 and HD was pretty standard.

However when the cameras were introduced in class, I was sorely disappointed. The camera was the Sony PD170, a standard definition camera. It's not ancient, but it looks ancient.

The professors seemed excited about it though.

Professor 1: We will be using the Sony PD150 for this class.

Professor 2: No. I believe we have upgraded to the Sony PD170.

Yeah big upgrade. I bet you can't tell the difference between a PD150 and a PD170.

Anyways it's as if USC wanted to pick the biggest camera that produced the worst image. No high definition, no 24FPS, no 1/48 shutter, terrible sound(you are not allowed to record sync dialogue in 290 anyways)...

But wait... David Lynch used the PD150 for Inland Empire, Danny Boyle shot 28 Days Later on a standard definition Canon XL camera, Chan-Wook Park shot Paranmanjang on a freaking Iphone.... Those films looked good...

Those directors had their reasons. I'm not saying that the PD150 or standard definition is not capable of producing good cinematography. In fact it can produce great cinematography. But I think in an introductory class, the last thing students want to worry about is why the resolution is so bad or why there is a loud hiss in the sound or why everything looks like a documentary because the camera can only do 60i.

The idea behind the PD150 is that students get to learn about manual controls and also learn about limitations. First of all, at least 95% of 290 film will be shot in auto mode. They teach you how to manually expose and focus but they never really teach you why manual controls are important(it's not advanced cinematography!).

Secondly, HD cameras have manual control as well(well duh). They also have 24fps, 1/48 shutter speed, better sound, less grain etc. And with technology getting cheaper and cheaper every day, it is not hard to find an HD camera with manual controls that is a financially viable option for USC.

Thirdly, how uncreative is it to impose/create limitations on students? Filmmakers who aspire to make the best already have enough limitations/challenges to deal with. Filmmaking is about solving problems, not creating them. Students should be worried about how they should do a certain camera move, or how they will get a believable performance from an actor.

Cameras are not perfect. They are not meant to be perfect. But come on... Either get some HD cameras(perfectly financially viable option), or save some money and get some flip cameras.

The Golden Path to success in the film industry.

Chances are if you are attending film school or thinking about attending film school, you want to do one of the big creative jobs. You probably want to be a director, producer or a cinematographer. Most film students aspire to direct. Basically people just don't go to film school to become a gaffer(not to degrade the role of a gaffer).

The question is, how many of those aspiring filmmakers actually end up doing what they want to do? Very few.

The fact of the matter is that there are way too many aspiring filmmakers and most of them have no clue. No clue of the golden path to "get into the industry". That's because there is NO WAY to "get into the industry" except YOUR WAY. Your way is the golden path.

That means you have to be true to yourself and do what you want in life. This means thinking for yourself. Don't let anyone tell you what to do. That includes parents, friends, film schools and blogs(this does not mean don't listen to what others have to say. Listen but make your own decision).

If you are true to yourself, you will follow your desires. If you are extremely motivated to become a filmmaker, and you are true to your feelings about that, you will find yourself(not anyone else) working towards that goal. If you see yourself right now with a goal and desire but no progress, you are not being true to yourself(or being very lazy).

In film school and everywhere else I have seen VERY FEW aspiring filmmakers who are true to themselves. As a matter of fact, an aspiring filmmaker who is true to himself is not an aspiring filmmaker but is simply a filmmaker. These are the kinds of people that would have been making films regardless of the situation they were in. Whether they had money, a camera or whether they had attended film school or not, they would have become filmmakers(Yes I believe Coppola would have become a director regardless of whether he attended film school or not).

Are you being true to your desires? Are you being true to yourself?

When I'm trusting and being myself... everything in my life reflects this by falling into place easily, often miraculously. -- Shakti Gawain

COMPLETE 2011 Oscars Predictions

Here are the official FSS predictions for the oscars (as of February 21, 2011). These are predictions rather than personal preferences. Do I think these films deserve their awards? Maybe some of them...
And yes I think that Social Network will take best picture and Restrepo will take best documentary. The King's Speech is a British film and I think that would be enough for Social Network to win this year(and yes I know British films have won before). Exit through the Gift Shop was a great film, but I don't think it is "Academy material"(it doesn't touch on issues that the Academy seems to favor).

Best Picture - Social Network
Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids are All Right

The King's Speech

The Social Network

127 Hours

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter's Bone

Actor in a Leading Role - Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Javier Bardem (Biutiful)

Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)

Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

James Franco (127 Hours)

Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

Actor in a Supporting Role - Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Christian Bale (The Fighter)

John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)

Jeremy Renner (The Town)

Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are All Right)

Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Actress in a Leading Role - Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Annette Bening (The Kids are All Right)

Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)

Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)

Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Actress in a Supporting Role - Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)

Amy Adams (The Fighter)

Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)

Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Animated Feature Film - Toy Story 3

How to Train Your Dragon

The Illusionist

Toy Story 3

Art Direction - Alice In Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Inception

The King's Speech

True Grit

Cinematography - True Grit (Roger Deakins)

Black Swan (Matthew Libatique)

Inception (Wally Pfister)

The King's Speech (Danny Cohen)

The Social Network (Jeff Cronenweth)

True Grit (Roger Deakins)

Costume Design - The King's Speech (Jenny Beaven)

Alice in Wonderland (Colleen Atwood)

I Am Love (Antonella Cannarozzi)

The King's Speech (Jenny Beaven)

The Tempest (Sandy Powell)

True Grit (Mary Zophres)

Directing - David Fincher (The Social Network)

Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)

David O. Russell (The Fighter)

Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)

David Fincher (The Social Network)

Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit)

Documentary Feature - Restrepo

Exit through the Gift Shop - Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)

Gasland - Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)

Inside Job - Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)

Restrepo - Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films)

Waste Land - Lucy Walker, director (Almega Projects)

Documentary Short Subject - Strangers No More

Killing in the Name

Poster Girl

Strangers No More

Sun Come Up

The Warriors of Qiugang

Film Editing - The King's Speech (Tariq Anwar)

Black Swan (Andrew Weisblum)

The Fighter (Pamela Martin)

The King's Speech (Tariq Anwar)

127 Hours (Jon Harris)

The Social Network (Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall)

Foreign Language Film - Biutiful

Biutiful (Mexico)

Dogtooth (Greece)

In a Better World (Denmark)

Incendies (Canada)

Hors la Loi (Algeria)

Makeup - The Wolfman

Barney's Version

The Way Back

The Wolfman

Music (Original Score) - The Social Network (Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross)

How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell)

Inception (Hans Zimmer)

The King's Speech (Alexandre Desplat)

127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)

The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)

Music (Original Song) - "If I Rise" from 127 Hours

"Coming Home" from Country Strong Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey

"I See the Light" from Tangled Music and Lyric by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater

"If I Rise" from 127 Hours Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong

"We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3 Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Short Film (Animated) - Day & Night (Teddy Newton)

Day & Night (Teddy Newton)

The Gruffalo (Jakob Schuh and Max Lang)

Let's Pollute (Geefwee Boedoe)

The Lost Thing (Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann)

Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary) (Bastien Dubois)

Short Film (Live Action) - Wish 143 (Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite)

The Confession (Tanel Toom)

The Crush (Michael Creagh)

God of Love (Luke Matheny)

Na Wewe (Ivan Goldschmidt)

Wish 143 (Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite)

Sound Editing - Inception

Inception

Toy Story 3

TRON: Legacy

True Grit

Unstoppable

Sound Mixing - Inception

Inception

The King's Speech

Salt

The Social Network

True Grit

Visual Effects - Inception

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Hereafter

Inception

Iron Man 2

Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)

127 Hours (Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle)

The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)

Toy Story 3 (Michael Arndt, story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)

True Grit (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)

Winter's Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini)

Writing (Original Screenplay) - The King's Speech (David Seidler)

Another Year (Mike Leigh)

The Fighter (Paul Attanasio, Lewis Colich, Eric Johnson, Scott Silverand Paul Tamasy)

Inception (Christopher Nolan)

The Kids are All Right (Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko)

The King's Speech (David Seidler)

Money for your film!

One of the greatest barriers for filmmakers, artists and anyone in general is the lack of resources, namely money. First off, let me state that going to film school WILL NOT help overcome that barrier. You will actually find yourself $200,000 poorer after film school(no duh). But aside from the fact that film school sucks, how could/should you respond to the barrier of money?

Cry

Most people will end up doing this. They will complain about the lack of money and wait for stacks of hundred dollar bills to come flying their way. The film will never get made. "El Director" will find themselves working in another industry.

Produce it

You need money? Great! Time to go and get it. You can start by finding a paying job. Start saving. If your budget is $1 million, you will have the money to make your film in about 20 years. Way to spend all your time making money rather than making films.

Get creative

Think. How can you make a film now(or in the near future) in your current situation with the resources that are available to you? Don't think of what you need, but rather think of what you already have.

When it comes to the barrier of money, we usually think of how we can overcome the barrier. We see how big, wide and tall the barrier is and begin to calculate what it will take to put it behind us. What we sometimes don't realize is that the biggest barrier is creative rather than physical. It is in our heads. Once we realize that we can creatively overcome the barrier, it ceases to be a barrier and rather becomes a challenge.

Again, think of what you have rather than what you need.

This is not to say that anyone can create a film packed with explosions, gunfights and car chases on a zero budget(though someone, maybe you, probably could). This is to say that if you have the heart to create, don't let money stop you.

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt