A bit of background info...
J.J. is an American film director, writer & producer. Some of his most famous film work as a director, producer or writer includes the new Star Trek (2009-present) franchise, the Mission Impossible (2006-present) franchise, Super 8 (2011) [my favourite film], Cloverfield (2008), and of course Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Some of his most famous television work as a director, producer or writer includes Alias (2001-2006), Lost (2004-2010) & Alcatraz (2012).
As a young man his father gave him some advice, he said "it's more important that you go off and learn what to make movies about than how to make movies". And because of that he didn't go to film school, instead he went to college. He got his first be break during his senior year at college when he and a friend had a feature film treatment purchased by Touchstone Pictures, a treatment that went on to become Taking Care Of Business (1990). Since then he has worked on many amazing projects and has been nominated for numerous awards including BAFTAs, Writers Guild Awards and Emmys. Listening to his father was probably the best thing he could have done.
To learn more about J.J. and to find out his opinion of filmmaking, I watched a short film produced by BAFTA Guru.
How does he influence my work?
Like me, and most other filmmakers, J.J. started out making films as a kid. Unlike me, he only had access to a Super 8 camera. In the video he talks about the equipment and software available today and how the best advice he can give to a young filmmaker is that if they want to make movies, they just need to go out and do it. For him as a child making a movie was more difficult, there was a lot more involved. And that's why I love his film Super 8 (2011) because, whilst telling the story of a bunch of kids who discover an Alien, it also tells the story of a bunch of kids trying to make a zombie movie using only a Super 8 camera. The fact that back then kids could make movies using just a Super 8 camera makes me feel lucky to be living in the era I am. If I want to make movies or TV shows, I can and it was J.J. that taught me that. I remember when I first saw this short film and all I could think about was the incredible journey he has been through to get to where he is. For me to explain how he influences my work I don't need to talk about his trademarks (like the use of lens flares), because in my opinion that's not what makes him a good director. For me, what makes him a good director is the journey he has been through and how he has used this to become the filmmaker he is today. And I want my work to show that too. When people see the films I make, I want them to get an idea of what I have done to get to where I am. I want people to see how I have changed and developed and how my skills have developed too. And that's why he influences me, because of his journey, because of how he became who he is and because of the process he goes through and what he thinks about when making a movie.
In terms of this unit, J.J. influences me because of the way he talks about characters. He is a firm believer of character development as it drives and develops the story. He also talks about how actors can pick up on things that a writer or director may not have noticed, for example ideas on how to develop a character. And because of this, on my project I will listen to all opinions, as I usually would, and try to implement as many as possible if it helps to develop the story and the characters. Especially considering that I am using someone else's characters, it is important that they come across right onscreen and I beleive character development is a good way to do this.
And that's J.J. Abrams.
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