The Lone Gun Manifesto

There’s something brewing that I’m really quite excited about.  Based on years of grinding against a system that is outdated and regulated to the hilt, Clive Davies-Frayne (aka @filmutopia) has come up with the Lone Gun Manifesto, a way of making films for the 2.0 world:

Pretty exciting stuff huh? Well, I think so. When I first read this the other day it was like a great weight had fallen from my shoulders.

There are several things I find liberating about this. First and foremost is the fact that filmmaking this way makes the whole process so much easier. Obviously this won’t be for everyone, but for a techy geek like me, being in charge of the camera and the sound and the actors (as much as you can or want to control actors) is near heaven.

You’re not waiting on other people to sort things out, you’re not worrying whether the DP is getting the shots you want, you’re not worried about coverage, you’re not worried about lighting.  You’re just making a film, telling a story as simply and honestly as you can. Once you’re comfortable with the technology, it’s all about the story and the actors.

I rewatched Woody Allen’s ‘Manhatten’ last night. Utterly inspiring on all levels. The long master shots with the actors going in and out of frame. The dialogue that is to die for. The genius use of natural lighting. I could go on…

Another thing I like, and this I think is truly genius, is the whole Open Source aspect of it. Not only does it fly in the face of the whole Digital Economy Bill debacle that went on this week in Westminster, but it becomes a flexible way of making films that can share a core belief without being dogmatic.

Someone questioned Clive as to whether there was the need for such a manifesto with the the likes of Dogme 95 around. The beauty of this is that it isn’t a Dogma, it’s a practical mindset, and one that is so open that once you get past the ‘One Man (or Woman), One Camera’ scenario (and let’s face it, if you’re not doing that, you’re not doing Lone Gun), pretty much anything goes.  If you want to play safe, you can, if you want to experiment and make movies that break the mould, go for it. If you want special effects, fill your boots. If you think some bits are just plain silly, forget about them then. Whatever works for you and the project.

As Clive pointed out on his posterous blog this morning, there are different levels of doing this. You can be as hardcore as you like, you don’t need to be bound by anything. Just get the camera, microphone and actors and go (although make sure you have something worthwhile to say first).

For the short film I’m preparing at the moment (expect more news about that this week), I’m going as Lone Gun as is practically possible. However, the script wasn’t written with Lone Gun in mind, so I’ll have to make some concessions, but ultimately it will pretty much be me running the show, which is how I have always wanted it to be. Not because I’m a control freak, but because I love all aspects of filmmaking, and the bits of work I’ve done that I’m most pleased with were the bits I did on my todd.

There’s lots more about the whole manifesto that I could wax lyrical about all night, but I won’t on this occasion. I don’t think I’ve been this fired up to make a film in a very long time.

I’d be fascinated to know what everyone else thinks about it.