To Manifest or Not to Manifest

Beat Film Manifesto

This is not about any gender, politic, ethno-product, but ideas and the form of events documented as they happen and made meaning of in their review. This is history invented. Beat Filmmaking is the following (guidelines rather than rules)

The experience must be fun. No torture for art, no limiting movement in some attainment of pure ideals. Things change, life happens. Movement must not be prevented.

The work must contain whatever moment is presented. Go with the rain storm that shows up. Take advantage of the ugly guy on the train. Movement is the life around the camera.

Work quickly
Edit soon after the shoot
Present the film soon after that

These are the three stages of beat film: shoot, edit, show

Don’t wear out your idea with repetition to ‘get it right’
Change something to make it righter.

The story is evolving. Come up with certain ideas. Plan a little. Abandon the plan when needed. Invent dialogue. Don’t bring this into improv.
Hand total strangers scraps of paper with topics, lines, instructions, questions.
DEATH to SCRIPTS!
There are truths, ideas, stories that will unfold and set a direction. You will know when this happens. Movement is a gut reaction to the invention of narrative.

Nothing is written in stone
Roles can change

Let the narrative move

Old Iggy Bergman – NEVER BE BORING

Do not break laws. Bend them. Tamper with the field of vision. Toss the camera back and forth to others. No camera man, no director alone. Who makes this work? The editor.

A clump of filmmakers

Be kind. Don’t film against people’s wishes, however, sometimes you just can’t turn the camera off in the face of authority. Don’t forget to remove the lens cap.

CHARGE ALL BATTERIES

Put in an element of Dogma, for the fun of it. Pick a number at random.

Include others. Especially those who do not expect it
or who want it, but don’t know how to ask.

MORE FEMALES – films made by men about men turn into films made by boys about boys

Poetry? What the hell. Can you write a poem with the camera without getting knee deep into art film crap?

Old Bobby BRESSON – poetry seeps in unaided through the joins

Keep it simple. Don’t think too much. Don’t expect too much.

Watch everything or watch nothing

Cameras move
Eyes move
Looks move
People move

Go somewhere else

Never ask permission to film on someone’s ‘property’
Always ask permission to film someone

Only the cameraperson decides when to turn the camera off.

Try to listen. Use silences, too.

Old Larry Trier: nothing is easier than making a film.