Been a quite a few years since I was behind the camera as I have been more on the musician/construction side of life in recent years. Have been working on a few scripts of my own for a while and have felt the need to get back into film and video.
Introduce Yourself : Greetings All. by Chris Chapman
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Hey, Chris Chapman! Good to meet you, and welcome to the community! You've come to the right place - all levels of creatives are welcome! Are you looking to find work on set or continue writing or both? Wow, you really do it all! I get the feeling you prefer independent filmmaking then?
Ooo, let's play a "getting to know you" game! What are the top three films that convinced you to start working in the industry?
Nice to have you back into film and video. I'm also a musician as well and had to go the music route when the writers strike happened. After that I slowly came back to the world of film and here we are years later. Knowing both worlds will be a huge benefit.
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Karen and Lou, Thank You for the kind words. I entered the industry by chance and circumstance. A friend of a friend was a director looking for an assistant. We had a chat one day, next I was in an AVID editing bay taking notes. Though, to be honest, 1977 and 1979 were very influential years for me as far as movies go. 'Star Wars' in 77' and 'Salem's Lot' and 'Alien' in 79' left a lasting influence on me. Living in Nashville, I worked on a lot of music videos and productions that came through the Nashville area. Started out as a P.A. and ended being a Key Grip. Since taking an extended sabbatical from being on-set, I owned and operated a prop design and fabrication shop, constructed some theatrical set pieces for Dollywood and other local productions. Work on the set-piece 's dried up due to lack of productions and I transitioned into becoming a full-time contractor building and remodeling houses. My first job was on a crew re-carpeting Opryland Hotel when I was 12. Being a musician since I was 6, music has always taken a more prominent role in my life. Music and movies have been my main loves in life. Being a musician I understood the importance of a movie soundtrack early on. When I watch a movie alone, which is often, I almost always have a guitar in hand and play along with the soundtrack. I have had some script ideas floating around in my head for a few years, jotted some notes down and went on about daily life. A few months ago I came across some old movie props that have been in storage and remembered how much I missed that aspect of my life. Came across Stage 32 by accident, or fate, and here I am.
Chris Chapman I like that! What benefits did you gather when playing guitar with a movie? I never tried that before. Part of my background is writing for orchestras and rock songs(using rock in general) and I write/direct as if creating music. It's such a unique way to carve out stories. Glad you see it that way too! Did you see Star Wars in 77'?
I did see Star Wars in 77'. My mother took a cousin and myself to see it. Been hooked on sci-fi ever since. Playing guitar while watching a movie opened up a whole new realm for me. My ear, on-the-spot improv and following an 'out of my wheelhouse' progression in time improved immensely. Jamming with a band and jamming with an orchestra are 2 different animals. Playing along to a Hans Zimmer or Howard Shore score is interesting with all the musical aspects at play. Which to follow, how to combine it all into one cohesive piece. One of the reasons I now play 8 string guitars though I use a unique tuning compared to other 8 string players. Soundtracks and scores are also a new realm of melody as opposed to traditional popular and/or rock band based 'radio' music. Soundtracks offer a different song structure beyond the verse, verse, pre chorus, chorus structure of traditional 'radio' music. I learned a long time ago that a soundtrack can help or hinder a movie. For example, I think Zack Snyder's 'Man Of Steel' is a brilliant movie visually and story wise but Hans Zimmer's soundtrack gives it that bridge of hearing the emotion of what you see on screen and sinking it home. One of the beauties of life is continually learning. Bettering one's self and their craft. Eddie Van Halen once said he never felt comfortable unless he learned something new every day. I feel the same way.
That's an incredibly cool exercise - playing the guitar while you watch a film, what a great idea! Actually, would you be willing to post about that in the Composing Lounge? I wonder how many other people started that way! https://www.stage32.com/lounge/composing I know lots of composers who replace soundtracks with their own to show what they can do, though. Maybe it could be the next step in your journey!
As requested, I posted about this practice routine in the Composing Lounge.