Just finished "writing" our next film in 5 minutes on a plane
We don't need any script or storyboards...just imagination.
I, Strangetoshi Nakamanly am writing this while on a flight back to Amrika from Europa as I just finished “writing” our next film which we will complete before the end of 2021(the visual portion).
M doll had no script, just an outline- but I did storyboard the entire film- I didn’t end up using the storyboards past the first ten minutes of the film as they just slowed me down.
I’ve completed so many shots in my career now- probably over 10,000- I’m able to improvise my cinematography, staging and blocking- I’m able to do improv cinematic storytelling and the filmmaking platform of the Unity game engine allows me to do my filmmaking in realtime.
The “script” for the film is only about 200 words long and written as a set of bullet points- this is the base outline-
Next I will break the film into sequences and write more detailed outlines for each sequence. These sequences will be used as guides for actually making the film.
After M doll is released I will publish the outline for it here so you can see the connection between the outlines and the finished film.
We are returning from Luxembourg on a trip in part to decide whether we want to setup Imagination Rabbit Studios in Luxembourg
We are leaning towards not doing that- Luxembourg is nice but it didn’t make me feel like I needed to be there. On most fronts it is a much better place when compared with Silicon Valley where we are now, but it just didn’t grab me to want to go through the process of moving asap.
Our ideal place for Imagination Rabbit would be Japan but that would be a more complicated move given that we would have no legal right to stay there(we do have a legal right to stay in Luxembourg because of family). My wife and I both love Japan(she’s been studying the language for almost 2 years now) and it would awesome to be able to hire some Japanese workers. Japan is only a bit more complicated as we would need to legally setup our company there and hire two full time employees I believe.
For now we are in California and will keep producing our works there.
I finished the “casting” of our next film also here while on this flight. Here’s how I did it-
I went to the Daz3d shop and browsed the new items and stuff on sale
I spent $75 to finish off the casting
Here is what I bought
Now, when I was doing my casting or shopping I only had vague characters/story ideas in mind- as I was browsing if I saw something I thought was interesting I would brainstorm for a few seconds and figure out a way to how to include it into the films vague story-
Most indie filmmakers and 3d artist/animators are WAY TOO AUTISTIC with their “IT MUST BE EXACTLY THIS” bullshit- I don’t get stuck on details because I HAVE IMAGINATION and CONFIDENCE in my ideas I will find a way to make it work-
Give me interesting source material whether it be characters, sets, music, fx, concepts and I will make it work. I don’t care if it fits my EXACT IDEA because I don’t have an exact idea- I improvise, I use my imagination-
Some awesome artists made some cool Daz3d models and I want to use them to tell a story- so I buy them at a reasonable price and move forward like a storytelling Terminator-
If you are a real storyteller you can tell a story with anything- it doesn’t matter if its a shitty sock puppet or “professional” 3d model- only cowardly or wannabe “storytellers” feel they need super specific “professional” tools/actors/models/etc
I love telling stories and I love the audience so I’ll use whatever the best and most practical stuff I can get my hands on to tell my stories within practical time limits.
the PERFECT film will never exist so ignore that
the film that you believe will be perfect because you spent 20 years on it won’t be perfect either
the film that you believe will be perfect because you spent a trillion dollars on it won’t be perfect
the film that you believe will be perfect because you used super ultimate mega professional proprietary tools on it won’t be perfect either
EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON YOUR IMAGINATION and ability to be flexible, to improvise
If you claim to be a storyteller and if you have a way to tell stories now but are not doing so because you claim you can only do so with “professional” tools etc- you probably love yourself more than you love storytelling and/or the audience.
The reason I say that is because you are afraid to “look bad” and/or you believe your ideas/stories are so epic and or important they can’t possible be realized any other way haha- stop kidding yourself and start being a storyteller.
The tools we are using are fast, cheap and awesome- so it doesn’t matter if anyone else is doing it- we’re going to kick out a bunch of films because we love stories and because we love the audience.
So if you want to make films but can’t get over fear, “perfectionism” or other useless things just ask yourself- Do I love telling stories? Do I love the audience? If the answer to either one is no then this is not for you. If the answer to both is yes then get over yourself and starting realizing what love is, what it means- then act on it!
Love without passion is like an automobile without wheels. Sounds cool but it is going nowhere fast. Rile up some passion and act on it!