Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts

July 22, 2010

Great news! | Extra! Extra!

(leia versão em português abaixo)

Los Angeles will not get rid of me so soon. Rather than pack up and go back to Brazil after a two months course, I just started the 1-year program!

I want to settle on what I've been learning, improve further and finally develop a personal style. So much work (and pleasure) ahead.

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Los Angeles não vai se livrar de mim tão cedo. Ao invés de arrumar as malas e voltar pra SP após o curso de 2 meses, acabo de começar o de 1 ano.

Quero sedimentar o que venho aprendendo, melhorar ainda mais e, finalmente, desenvolver um estilo pessoal. Então, tenho muito trabalho (prazeroso) pela frente.

February 11, 2010

The reason I'm doing this

I'm a Brazilian in my middle thirties. Graduated in Journalism and Psychology, with a Master in Cinema (Audiovisual Aesthetics). I currently make a living as a freelance news article writer for a few magazines in  Brazil (Sao Paulo City). I've covered several areas, such as economy and business or interior design. But now I write about entertainment (films, cable TV, internet, digital life).

I have some experience as a scriptwriter and director of corporate videos and political campaigns. Also collaborated on the script of a feature film that was nominated for seven Brazilian awards at Gramado City - including Best Screenplay - and won to Best Actress. I collaborated and co-directed a 16mm short film as well.

But those were a long time ago, in another century, as matter of fact. At that time I wasn't stubborn enough to keep going. Thought that a safe, comfortable and ordinary life would fulfill the lack of a dream that seemed impossible to reach. Pretty foolish, huh?

Well, a decade later, I realized there's no way of being happy unless you go for your dreams. I want a fresh start and a carreer change. But that's quite a challenge, 'cause we (Brazilians) don't have a film industry. The market is really narrow and difficult to access. I'm no longer a newbie or an intern that can afford to work for free just to learn the skills. Couldn't think of a better way to stand out from the crowd than applying for a short-term course in the best hands-on film school in the world according to many of today's top filmmakers*. Plus, that's all my humble money could buy.

So, I'm quitting a job that sucks and leaving behind all my certainties to a great single dive into the unkown.



* New York Film Academy is the acting and film school of choice of many Hollywood filmmakers and actors who have sent a son or daughter to study with them, like Steven Spielberg, Kevin Kline, Al Pacino, Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, Jodie Foster, Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, Bono(U2), directors Stephen Frears, Peter Bogdonavich, Roger Donaldson, James L. Brooks among others.

February 04, 2010

Can filmmaking be learned in 10 minutes?

There’s a famous speech of Robert Rodriguez (that guy who claims to have done a feature film costing almost nothing). He says that "the first step to being a filmmaker is stop saying you want to be a filmmaker: you are a filmmaker since the day you had closed your eyes and pictured yourself making movies". So just make yourself a business card.

According to him, all the basic thecnical knowledge you'll need to actually make a film can be learned in ten minutes. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on film school. Watch it below.


Do you think he's got a point? I seriously doubt it. Since I'm also a journalist (besides scriptwriter and director) I tend to work with facts when it comes to reality.

So in this blog I invite you to join me and find out if that's true or not.

February 02, 2010

Hello, Movieland!

Within 90 days, I´ll arrive in Los Angeles to study filmmaking in New York Film Academy. (Yes, I did no mistake, NYFA is in LA. Weird, isn’t it?)

I’ll stay in LA County for another 90 days. And I intend to tell you all about my journey.

So, if you’re thinking about attending courses at NYFA as well, here you can find tips and decide if that’s really what you want (or need).

And if you can’t afford to study in LA, but would like to know if you’re missing too much or not, be my guest. Hope you can learn something from my experience.