Alexander Payne is an award-winning director known for hits such as Sideways, About Schmidt and recent project The Holdovers to name a few. Throughout his illustrious career, Alexander Payne has had the opportunity to look back and see things that he wish he would have known before he started filmmaking. With the combined powers of hindsight and experience, Alexander Payne noted a few things that would help the next generation of filmmakers.
One of the primary things he mentions, is the fact that timing management is essential. Mr. Payne said that one of the biggest misconceptions people have in regards to filmmaking, is that there’s an unlimited amount of time to film and compile scenes. This is could not be further from the truth since movie studios pay for a certain amount of time to have access for filming locations and therefore are on a budget. Mr. Payne is naturally punctual and holds his actors to the same standard which in turn produces better results, allowing for scenes to be filmed on time.
Another thing Mr. Payne says he wished he knew before filmmaking is knowing how to write a complete script. Mr. Payne’s advice to the next generation of filmmakers is to not expect anyone to produce the next big summer or Christmas blockbuster on a whim. In his own experience, even he had to both write the script in its entirety, create and use adequate storytelling methods such as visualization and bring the entire work to life on his own.
The key components of time management and proper scriptwriting are the foundation any movie regardless of budget or staff experience needs in order to showcase good storytelling. Every famous Hollywood director had to get their start in their youth through showing their storytelling and production quality abilities. Naturally, it should be expected for the next generation of filmmakers to follow their predecessor’s ascension to the top of the film industry.