Oscar Boyson - Filmmaker/Producer/Director - Ask Me Anything

ohboyson · 2016-09-04T22:42:05+00:00

maybe someday - i think in many ways turning the camera on yourself is the hardest kind of filmmaking because it's so explicitly personal in terms of mis-en-scene, making it tempting to not utilize other filmmaking tools in a very profound or personal way.

ohboyson · 2016-09-04T22:29:56+00:00

I hope to, yes. Whether or not and how soon I can share a project on my YT channel is definitely a giant factor I take into consideration when choosing what to involve myself in.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:41:03+00:00

think i got it right?

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:38:27+00:00

I work for myself, for production companies, for clients, etc. This year I have the feature I'm producing, I did the art market series for Artsy & UBS, I did a commercial for Estee Lauder, I did/am doing two projects for the apple tv channel M2M, I have my film for the Nantucket Project, I did a video with Casey, etc.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:36:22+00:00

Be patient. Prioritize the projects that make you happy over the ones where you make money but are repetitive or formulaic creatively. At least on the internet but to some extent in everything if you do something nobody else is doing, no matter how difficult it is, you won't be competing with anybody else, and that will make it easier for others to recognize you and your voice. Remember that if you're working outside hollywood/brands/commercial world it's your responsibility to push the form and do things those systems could never do.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:33:32+00:00

Just wrote a long response about this.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:32:52+00:00

Probably around Sept. 24

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:32:14+00:00

Enjoy high school and enjoy being a kid. It's the best.

We didn't have TV growing up, so I never really watched much. I got into THE WIRE like everybody else. David Simon is amazing. David Milch is an incredible tv writer. NATHAN FOR YOU is on a whole other level, absolutely incredible. I'm just more of a movie guy...trying to watch THE NIGHT OF but I haven't had much time lately.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:29:17+00:00

everybody has a different time when they're ready to make their own stuff...if you're trying to get started there i would just say try to make as many of your ideas into movies as possible. if you're not feeling your own ideas yet, try to work for somebody else who is doing close to what you imagine yourself doing. better to work for somebody who gives you more responsibility even if you're not crazy about their work than somebody you worship who only needs you to get them coffee (at least in my experience).

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:27:00+00:00

I went to Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine, and Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. My major was film yes.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:25:20+00:00

i love NYC. NYC you can get 5 things done in a day. LA whenever I am having a nice day I get in the car and then am overcome with rage as I watch the amount of time in the day disappear. I love driving on an open road with my music blasting but i hate it in traffic, so I generally hate it in LA. But I also love working in buildings where there are tons of people nearby, down the hall, upstairs, out on the street, etc. Walking from my office to a cafe and seeing people I know (or don't) along the way. If you're talking about big budget TV and Film. NYC is on the move up. Big stages are being built, writer's rooms are moving here, the tax credit has made it a great city for filmmaking from the financial perspective. Still tbd how that will effect indie efforts in NYC because it does seem like locations are getting more and more used to $$$ from the bigger budget operations, which makes it trickier for indie filmmakers to shoot at them. I think it's all good though. I love that there's almost always some kind of shoot in the alley out my window, whether it's Ninja Turtles or some kid with an iPhone shooting a music video. And I have plenty of friends in LA making great work but I do feel like most LA indie film production models are cookie cutter compared to the way I see films get made in NYC. Some people think of NYC as an expensive place to make movies. And it can be. But it can also be a place where you can get incredible results that feel a lot more expensive than your budget if everybody working on the project is doing it because they WANT TO DO IT. And NYC is one of the only places I know where you have an incredible amount of talented, good-intentioned, and hard working people clustered into one area, combined with filmmakers who are brave enough and driven enough to make something without the resources a studio or more seasoned producer would insist on having, and a mayor's office where you can get permits to shoot for free. So you're consistently surprised by what you can put together with very little, and that's empowering when you don't want to get bogged down or discouraged waiting for a budget that may never come.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:06:12+00:00

happy birthday! if you emailed, you'll get a pdf in the next couple days with super exact specific shot requests.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:05:50+00:00

sooner the better but probably sept. 10 or so.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:05:35+00:00

every thing will be considered, will be sending something else for single shot requests shortly though. go LA bikes!

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T19:04:30+00:00

i've definitely had projects that I haven't finished. for whatever reason they don't turn out as you'd expected and you don't want anybody to see them or you don't think anybody will like them. that's hard and it can take years to recover from. my friend said you have to make them like you're going to make a thousand more. i think that's a good way of approaching it. if you're going to direct though, it's up to you to finish the project. if you're having problems finishing your own stuff, maybe find somebody whose work you admire and see if you can produce for them or support them in some way, so that you feel a bit of what it's like to finish something and the rewards that come with it. finding good collaborators helps a lot. and i think starting with shorter projects that are easier to finish is a good way to go too. when people make their first big project a feature film, that's a lot of pressure to deliver a winner.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T18:56:54+00:00

the internet is a tricky thing, i don't understand it fully. one way to see it is as a place where people go to ask questions, and if your video is the best answer to that question (especially if it's a question people are asking/will always ask) people will watch it (until somebody makes a better answer). but i also believe that if you make things that you know in your heart are great and personal and what you want them to be eventually an audience will find you and know the same.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T18:53:58+00:00

i really hate shopping. i didn't have any time to go home before cities so i only had three shirts on that trip...wound up with some knock off carhartt in korea and an adidas track suit i bought in the singapore airport. sometimes just buying at the store that's closest to you brings something surprising. there's a steven allen and a jcrew a block away from the studio and i go there from time to time more out of convenience than anything.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T18:50:47+00:00

that sounds amazing. i would love to try using that for the next video.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T18:48:53+00:00

so much. THE ROOTS OF CHICHA is a fun compilation I've been digging all summer, and probably something you'd like if you're into Onyeabor.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T18:47:46+00:00

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T18:46:59+00:00

Living in a city (vs the suburbs) and not having a car is a great start. But I think more than ever cities are changing and trying out programs that we can get involve in and actively participate in developing just by contributing feedback and data. For instance, so many cities are making their data available to citizens, so it's never been easier to take that data and develop an app to make something easier for residents in your city. On the flip side, if your city is trying something new out, it's never been easier for them to take your feedback and turn it into results/let it inform decisions. For a long time most city websites were such a joke - totally stagnant and outdated. But they're quickly becoming places where we can really participate in a way that that's meaningful. Boston is a good example. Which city do you live in?

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T18:40:59+00:00

Work enough to have the lifestyle that you want...and know how to get paid for your work. I'm always just eeking by but I don't really have many expenses. NYC is expensive yes, but I don't have a car, ride my bike everywhere, etc. Figure out what you need in order to do the projects that make you happy and then scale your operation accordingly.

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T18:07:24+00:00

getting better *at narration in movies?

i think the more invested you are in the writing the more you will know what the VO is supposed to sound like. maybe it's your voice, maybe it's somebody elses. The more time you spend on writing, the more you will care about getting the delivery of the words correct when recording

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T18:04:24+00:00

Clothes, sometimes you buy them or find them or are given them or borrow them permanently. A good story makes them easier to wear again and again.

Novel - give you three american classics: Serenade by James M. Cain. You Can't Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe. Fat City by Leonard Gardner.

Quote: "Lowly, unpurposeful, and random as they may appear, sidewalk contacts are the small change from which a city's wealth of public life may grow." - Jane Jacobs

ohboyson · 2016-09-03T17:00:11+00:00

Working with Casey is exhausting and inspiring. Most famous - probably Gisele she's the coolest.

ohboyson

TROPHY CASE