New month, new program at Perth Film School!
Starting April 1st, we have a new Filmmaking course going on every Wednesday for 6 weeks!
With our fantastic returning coach, Steve Brown!
Need some inspiration to get into filmmaking? Or love it and want to know more? Read below!
Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese has made his mark on filmmaking with a career that stretches across 50 years and multiple genres.
Beginning with the shorts he made while attending NYU and branching quickly into impactful, gritty films like the 1973 breakout hit mean streets, Martin Scorsese soon gained a reputation as a passionate and dedicated director with a talent for making raw, character-driven films that examine guilt, violence, Italian-American identity, and corruption. He currently the has the most Oscar nominations of any living director, with eight to his name.1. "You gotta be serious about making a picture."In 2003, Scorsese appeared in a tongue-in-cheek American Express commercial that poked fun at his directing style. In this clip, Scorsese explains why the ad works so well, even while it's supposed to be funny. He says you have to be this serious and hard on yourself, even about something as lighthearted as a birthday party shoot. So approach even your most goofy work with dedication and the goal of utter perfection.2. Think about how you see scenes, and use perspective and cuts to translate that vision.Scorsese says he does his best to get the audience to see exactly what he wants them to see through a clever use of framing, cuts, and perspective. The point of view matters in filmmaking, and helps the audience experience the story on an emotional level, through the eyes of the characters.
3. Consider your opening credits sequence.One mistake a lot of indie or beginner filmmakers make is feeling the need to create a slow-paced or pointless opening credit sequence. He says that credits sequences should be like movie posters. They present the film and set the tone.4. Even if you have an idea for shooting a scene, be open to changes.In this 2017 seminar at the American Film Institute, Scorsese admits that he had planned to shoot Silence with a certain plan in mind, but then realized that the landscape was "speaking" to him in a way he hadn't expected. He made changes accordingly.5. Visual literacy is important.It's pretty obvious, but Scorsese is an incredibly visual storyteller. He discusses different visual styles and how they impact everything in a film, from emotion to pacing. He talks about lenses and editing in particular, and several visual inspirations for his own work.