Okay, admittedly, I haven’t been in a class setting (even a virtual one) for years. Today, I took my first lesson in Casey Neistat’s filmmaking class and had a chance to meet my peer group. My classmates are from all over the world and have a wide variety of backgrounds and skill sets.
My first impression is the course will be a lot of FUN, it will push me out of my comfort zone, and possibly set the course for the next decade of my life.
Today’s class really has gotten the idea muscle fired up. Casey just taught us his methodology for coming up with film concepts. The spontaneousness of his particular brand of filmmaking style has already taken a lot of the stress out of the process for me and put more of an emphasis on the creativity of it all. Our first assignment is to come up with a few ideas for our own short film.
"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something." Neil Gailman
I can already tell this was a good investment in my time and money. I’ve been feeling so constrained lately by expressing myself only in the written word. Peoples’ attention spans seem to be shrinking more every year. Film might be the last medium left to truly tell a compelling story that people will devote their entire attention to.
"All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." Ralph Waldo Emerson
As I look over the montages I’ve posted over the years on my YouTube channel I can see this has always been the direction I was heading.
I feel like life is a constant quest to prove the internal voice that screams...
YOU CAN'T DO THIS!
YOU'RE TOO OLD!
THIS IS A WASTE OF MONEY AND TIME!
It’s so great to feel this ignited and inspired about something again. After existing in the strange world of the pandemic with all of its fear, tragedy, and emotional manipulation I'm starting to feel myself coming alive again. I can’t wait to share more with you all.
Have a wonderful week everyone!
Eric
Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
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Let’s Keep In Touch
Not yet, but having and living on a sailboat is my big dream. And my goal. This is why I put my HBD to savings. I currently have $898.16 HBD in savings.
This will literally be an experiment. I was not on a sailboat, but maybe I could get on one just to try it before I buy (or receive) one. Hopefully everything will be good. Hopefully I will get a sailboat, and I will be able to live on it for long term, so I could avoid paying high rent and high bills (compared to my low income, which is under the local minimum wage).
To be honest, I am a little bit scated about the maintenance. Many people say that it is very expensive to maintain a sailboat.
Good luck and all the best with filmmaking (and with everything else). Maybe I will be able to participate in one (or more) of your future films with my future sailboat. Okay, this is maybe a very wild thought, but who knows. The future can bring literally everything. There are no limits. Just/only those we set for ourselves.
Have a nice day. All the best. Greetings and much love from Hungary.
You're making good progress! I would definitely speak with plenty of others who live on sailboats to try to learn from their experience. There are probably even YouTube videos about it. Maybe you could find one to rent for a week before you buy just to get a taste of the lifestyle. Boat maintenance is not cheap but if you learn how to do some of it yourself it'll save you lots of money. Have you ever considered living in a box truck or cargo van conversion? There are tons of people doing that here in American now to fight the high cost of living. That would be another option to living on the water if a sailboat proves too problematic.
Thanks! I love the idea of filming on the boat. Who knows what the future might bring? This might just happen one day. I hope you have a wonderful week!
I looked for RVs, but they are very expensive. They are around $4800 USD, which is approximately $1800 USD higher than my yearly/annual pension-like income, which is approximately $3000 USD per year. But of course I would love an RV with solar powered energy. No rent, no electricity bills. Free life. And I heard that it requires much less maintenance than a sailboat. My income in real life is very low, so I cannot afford high cost maintenances. Maybe a sailboat is not a good plan if it really requires a lot of money.
Now I checked the lowest prices of the box truck ($17 000 USD) and the cargo van ($9000 USD). Both of these are even more expensive than an RV ($4800 USD).
Even if I would plan to get an RV, it would probably take years to earn this amount, even with Hive. And I do not know what will happen next winter.
Don't give up on your dream @xplosive, where there's a will there's a way. Maybe the sailboat is only a shorter-term solution to allow you to save up for an RV eventually?
My dream is actually to avoid having to pay high rent and high bills (compared to my low, under the local minimum wage income), so not having to choose between paying rent/bills and buying food again. And I also do not want to become homeless again. This does not necessarily mean buying and living on a sailboat. Literally any solution would be good. And there is no point in buying a sailboat, if I cannot afford its maintenance. I would lose it quickly in that case, so that would be a waste of money, a huge failure, and I do not want that. The Hive blockchain community (you too) helping me a lot, and I would like to make a responsible (the best possible) decision. I am sure that there is a solution. I just have not found it yet.
I'm sure there's a solution too. Setting yourself up for a life of minimal expenses is very smart!
This must be really cool for you.
Soft online skills can never be underestimated in this generation and I guess it might just be a plus for you.
Maybe you might just do a film of one of your novels.
Yes it's definitely exciting to be trying something new.
Thanks Eric for sharing this amazing skillset with us. I agree with you that film may indeed be important in the next few decades compared to prints.
I will be on your page to learn about your growth in this class.
Kudos!
Thanks! Shorter videos are definitely where things are trending for content creators. Even twenty minute YouTube videos fail to hold people's attention. Just a decade ago twenty minutes was considered a mere blip.
I am glad this is turning out to be even more than you hoped for. It sounds like it is going to be a really fulfilling experience for you! I can't wait to read about your journey through the process.
Thanks my friend. If the first day is any indication it's going to be well worth it. I appreciate your comment and hope you and the family are good!
Doing great thanks! I wish the same for you!
Wow. This sounds so exciting. That is a big step.
Wish you all the best on your filming journey @ericvancewalton
Thanks! It feels like a big step. I appreciate the good wishes!
Casey Neistat
an excellent example proving that if you believe in yourself and not be afraid of difficulties, then success will surely come. You are very talented and you will succeed. Good luck
His life is a great example of that isn't it? He had no formal training and went on to be the top YouTuber of our time as well as excelling in business. Thank you!
Hello dear friend @ericvancewalton good afternoon
I'm very happy for you, everything you tell us is great, it's good that the investment of time and money was worth it; It was a successful decision making. congratulations dear friend
I am also anxious to know what the remaining courses will be like. Enjoy it very much dear friend
Thank you my friend!
You have a new subscriber :)
Much appreciated @ssekulji!
Best of luck with your course; I love Casey Neistat's style. My husband is a filmmaker and loves his videos.
And I think we are never old to learn and do new things that motivate us. I'm already curious about that short film you will make and more about this adventure you are boarding on.
Thank you! What kind of videos does your husband do? I found Casey's channel just a few years ago through a younger YouTuber (Simon Wilson) and instantly connected with his style. I've finally figured out what the first film will be about, now I just need to take the plunge and start filming.
Hi!
My husband makes mainly fiction films, he has made several short films, and he shot his second feature film last year. He has also made some documentaries. And some years ago, he made a series of videos on youtube documenting the protests in Venezuela in 2017, a bit inspired by Casey's style.
It will be very interesting if you plan to share parts of the process here. Good luck with the filming :)
Wow. This sounds so exciting and inspiring. There were so many new things I wanted to try last year but didn’t, mostly due to fear of wasting my money and time. Your post just gave me the push I needed. Thank you
Awesome! What are some of the things you want to try?
I'd love to write a book, start a YouTube channel and also get into fashion designing which is something I'm really passionate about.
Of course, it was fun to take classes for filmmaking and get to know friends from different countries. I hope that what you are doing now will be successful and make your life more successful and meaningful in the future. Have a nice day, Eric.
Thank you Eliana! I really appreciate it.
So cool! I love film making, especially the editing process. I really should get back to it one day :-)
What made you choose the Casey Neisat course?
Cg
I had no idea you had experience with this. I may be coming to you with questions.
I chose Casey’s course because we have similar backgrounds. He wasn't formally trained in his craft and figured out a way to prosper. I’ve learned to value immensely people who are able to show results and he’s definitely delivered in that regard. He’s a filmmaker for the modern age.
I'm so happy you're investing in what makes you happy.
I should too. I should stop considering money and time and just get on with what makes me fulfilled.
Will be looking forward to seeing your short films created with magic and style😁
Love the statement about making mistakes. It reminds me of two things:
When I skied, if I wasn't falling down some, I knew I wasn't skiing at my top.
When doing math, if I knew I didn't understand something, I also knew I was on the right track.
Cool video! Enjoy the track you are on.