Hmm... what movie and director got me interested...

I think when I saw Lord of The Rings and Spiderman in theaters, I remembered the sheer fun of experiencing a movie, and it's profound effect. That actually made me interested in acting, but I wasn't sure I was really cut out for it. It's not something I have hopes of pursuing big time, because I don't know if it fits me yet, at least on such a big scale.

I've wanted to do a short movie for years, I don't really recall what spawned the idea. But I can say recently that Vanilla Sky and Cameron Crowe's work has inspired me, Mark Romanek as well. I will also add Nicholas Bartleet to that list now. ;)

Oddballs and Events
 

NBK is one of the most significant movies. Also Videodrome and Straw Dogs. The Photographer is another, and The Pledge, with Jack Nicholson. Crossroads for the music, and Rocky Horror for the same reason. Constantine, Hellboy, and, the absolute number one... Sin City.

Great topic, interesting reading... When I was a kid in the 60s, we had a pizza joint called Shakeys that had player pianos, waiters in straw hats, and played silent movies as you ate. I specifically recall the Harold Lloyd silent comedies and the amazing stunts he performed. Keaton, Chaplin, Keystone Cops were all part of the mix. I was hooked. Later we made our own single reel silent Super 8 features - a spoof of Dudley Dooright, a spoof of Bonanza - and then I did a few stop motion films. Everything was cut in camera and you didn't know what you had until it was developed. In high school I made more Super 8 silents for American History class and for a competition. The first R rated movie I saw was Cuckoo's Nest. That made a huge impact on me. A high school film class introduced me to a lot of classics that made an impression like Night and Fog, Battleship Potemkin, Citizen Kane.

I went into the theatre instead of film, though. Went to a good drama school and had a nice career for several years acting, directing, some writing based in NYC. (A lot of comedy.) Then I got interested in digital video just about the time the VX1000 came out and I started pursuing corporate video production. That's still my primary focus 8 years later and I enjoy it and my clients are happy. Some recent favorite films include Amelie, Eternal Sunshine. I stay vicariously connected to the NYC creative community through my best friend who is a writer/director (Pieces of April/About A Boy/Gilbert Grape). But I'm Dallas based now and expect to keep building my corporate connections and maybe move into commercials eventually. That's it for now.

2 movies, one director.

On Any Sunday, and The Endless Summer. Both by director Bruce Brown. These are a must-have for any aspiring action sports director/cinematographer.

I am in the process of producing/co-directing my first real film. It's an 'On Any Sunday' type motocross movie, set to be filmed next summer, and out next winter. I can't wait to start!

...I always like to see what people say to this question, it gives you an idea of what everyone is thinking...

...inspiration, okay...

...the film that made me want to go into filmmaking was one that I saw many years ago called 'Daughters of the Dust' by Juli Dash. It showed an aspect of African American life that very few people are familiar with. It was beautifully shot with a simple storyline and I think when I saw it, I watched it over and over just to look at how beautiful I thought it was.

...at this point in my life I am trying to shoot a documentary on an aspect of African American creativity that few people are familiar with. I guess I am still being inspired by that film....

...and I am glad to be here, this is my first post!

Wow Karen, i had totally forgotten that film! I saw it 10 years after its release as part of a class, it was being noted for its budget. I think it was an inspiration for indie minded filmmakers everywhere. glad you mentioned it

This is a great question and a great thread to write my first post.

Comics were my first exposure to the idea of creating a story with images. A big change happened while I was in grade 7 when my friend brought out his parent's VHS video camera. I was hooked. Unfortunately that only lasted a day. It wouldn't be until the summer after my grade 10 year when I finally bought my own after a summer of tree planting. I haven't filmed a lot do due other things going on in my life but I'm back into it 100% now.

Robert Rodriguez has had a huge impact on me as a filmmaker. El Mariachi was an incredible movie for only being made for $7000. The book "Rebel Without a Crew" was even better. Stanley Kubrick has been an inspiration, particularly his view on editing.

Great thread!

For me I find Inspiration in life.

Wow! This thread has really got me thinking.... Quick thoughts...

Classics like Hitchcock, Kubrick, Kurosawa, Wells of course... Then there's twisted folks like Tarentino.

But I guess what pushed me over the edge was Robert Rodriguez. He made me believe it was possible to go out and tell a story without having access to a gazillion dollars; just imagination, a lot of learning and a hell of a lot of work. That it can be done.

Viva Rodriguez.

After my dad got video editing software, I tried it out and found it was something that I enjoyed. Since then I've been making videos largely for the post production stuff of editing and making music for the soundtrack. All of the stages are really enjoyable, but there was no particular inspiration that made me want to make a movie.

I'm an actor Russell Crowe is my inspiration however the minute i saw the opening sequence of the film collateral by Michael Mann I knew i wanted to be a filmmaker. My goal is to write act and direct my own stuff which is what im doing now at only the age of 16.

i just joined this site, and this is my first post.

i live in san luis obispo and just graduated from cal poly. i came to poly to study lanscape architecture so as to become a better filmmaker. i felt that an architect's understanding of space, design, and how those things can communicate subliminally could set a filmmaker apart. it has seemed odd to most people, but i guess i can't blame 'em.

my biggest inspiration has been bob dylan. the scorsese documentary plays in my dvd player like a favorite record.

i writing a book, producing a few short films, and working on screenplay... so the creative prowess of dylan has always kept me going.

I loved Juliette Binoche in "Chocolate" so a friend of mine loaned me a copy of "Blue" from the Three Colors trilogy by Krzysztof Kieslowski. I loved it. I rented "Red" and "White" too. I couldn't get enough of this director. A Short Film About Love, Blind Chance, Camera Buff, No End, The Scar, A Short Film About Killing and then I found "The Decalogue" and it blew me away.

I've always loved writing stories and telling stories. Telling stories with moving pictures, like Krzysztof Kieslowski, has become an obsession. I think he was an artists in the truest sense of word. I aspire to make films like he does.

I had a desire to be a professional photographer. Learned a great deal about what it takes, had the equipment, became a photo snob, but I could never get over the "I took this picture" and move it into " I captured this memory". I have even been able to teach other talented people and couch them with their photography to take award winning photos.

Then my son was born and I purchased a video camera. The end results of my first hour of video footage was a realization that I thought in POV and time stream. I could tell a story with this tool! Well, the rest is history... I started sharing memories and events with the video camera.

Overall, I see that people who view my photos generally see a nice "snap shot". When I show them a short video that I have done they are mesmerized, and often emotionally moved. They have truly experienced and felt what I am trying to express.

That is unusual, because film-making requires the combination of more skills than photography. Consider yourself blessed.