Twenty years ago, Pulp Fiction hit theaters, blew audiences away, and influenced a significant change in the film industry, especially affecting the independent filmmaking world. The impact was wonderfully struck by a filmmaker with an immense passion for the history and art of cinema. Regardless of where Quentin Tarantino stands among the great film directors, he is a director who inspires others to achieve their best and to stay true to their personal visions of what filmmaking ought to do and what cinema is in the realm of the arts.

A glimpse at Pulp Fiction shows the unique energy of the film that continues to captivate viewers. Even if only his sophomore effort, Tarantino’s film achieves the appeal of a modern classic, pushing the boundaries of film in terms of structure, dialogue, and violence to name a few aspects. That is why a close study on the making of Pulp Fiction proves to be a worthwhile viewing for filmmakers. Telling interviews with the cast of the film reveal Quentin Tarantino’s filmmaking approach. From Tarantino’s introduction to the actors, to how much believing in your collaborators influences their output, there are many, many lessons to learn from The Making of Pulp Fiction.

A solid script, for example, leads a director to great heights, and though there are “standards” to screenwriting, these rules do not need to dictate one’s writing. Often pushing those “standards” to a side for new approaches, whether in screenwriting or in terms of the actual film’s storytelling, leads to unexpected results that in the end satisfy a need, that is a need for a better film. Further, at times even the unexpected in the process of making a film allows for the better. Tarantino interpreted his script, not filming it exactly according to what was written, but finding the cinematic story through the script as a blueprint and adding more through ideas presented and improvisation. Genius is not a quality that is fixed, it is revealed, and that revelation comes forth, in any of the arts, through passion.

As Samuel L. Jackson says, He’s always been a great filmmaker, even in his head. When he was sitting in that video store, watching movies, he was becoming a really great filmmaker. I think that’s what makes him a great filmmaker, because he loves film, he loves storytelling. There aren’t a lot of people who do this job who have the kind of genuine adoration for what the cinema is, or what cinematic history is, or what made us fall in love with movies in the first place. And he’s one of the people that gives his soul to those particular things when he goes to work. And that’s the biggest thing about him that I appreciate.

Federico Fellini of 8 1/2, Akira Kurosawa of Seven Samurai, Billy Wilder of Some Like It Hot, Ingmar Bergman of The Virgin Spring, David Lean of Doctor Zhivago, John Schlesinger of Midnight Cowboy, Sergei Bondarchuk of War and Peace, Franco Zeffirelli of Romeo and Juliet, and Mike Nichols of The Graduate share their insight and ideas on filmmaking in this 1969 presentation from the 42nd Academy Awards, narrated by actor Gregory Peck. Courtesy of Barthendrikx, the short presentation contains invaluable tips and ideas for the filmmaker and film lover alike, reaching into topics such as “censorship, the new freedom of the screen, and where they’re leading us.”

Of much interest to us today is the encouragement that the directors offer to those attempting careers in filmmaking. [T]here are a lot of very bright young people who want to get into it, and I think it’s terribly important for them that they fight with all the energy they have and never ever take no for an answer, declares John Schlesinger. Meanwhile, Franco Zeffirelli further supports that determination by touching upon the kind of mentality that would be beneficial for these very bright young people, They’re in a position that they don’t risk much, so why bother with obeying certain laws. Break all the rules and see what happens after that.

The personal stories of how these legendary film directors began their careers is also inspiring. David Lean proves that through hard work one is able to achieve his or her goal. He started carrying tea for the camera department, and since their was an absence of unions in his day, he was able to get experience in “almost everything,” from being a camera assistant, assistant director, even “wardrobe mistress.” Billy Wilder on the other hand was working for a newspaper when he “latched on to a group of young filmmakers.” Akira Kurosawa had plans to become a painter and “accidentally” entered the world of cinema. For others it starts at an early age, when one becomes fascinated by the magic of moving pictures as in Ingmar Bergman’s case.

Still, an essential insight in this presentation comes from Federico Fellini. He sheds light on the importance of a filmmaker engaging with his or her audience. The taste of the audience, the development of the taste of the audience, I think that is encouraging, and it obliges all of us to be better, to be more engaging, to not be so silly like in the past years. Respect for the intelligence of the audience is key in the evolution of filmmaking, as much as it was in 1969 it remains so today. Storytelling is an art that allows us to become more aware of life and of ourselves, reaching into our dreams, thoughts, feelings, desires, and awareness of who we are and why we belong here. It is vital that we continue to allow imagination and emotions to reveal more about ourselves, to, as Fellini puts it so well, oblige all of us to be better.

He sort of won the race, didn’t he? Through sheer persistence, consistency and focus. And longevity. He’s a poet who just kept going. Richard Linklater's words on the passing of Eric Rohmer in 2010 give clear indication of Rohmer's greatness to cinema and filmmakers. Among the critics-turned-directors of the Cahiers du Cinéma group that included Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, Rohmer was a prominent figure of the Nouvelle Vague, or the French New Wave. His filmmaker's style gave him the distinction of a romantic philosopher whose cinema was one of intimacy, not only in a sensual sense but also in the way he presented the personal worlds of his characters. Moreover, his influence on today's filmmakers may extend further than just influential subject matter. His approach to filmmaking through a mindset that focused on resourcefulness may be highly influential for independent filmmakers and even the film industry itself, proving that what is essential is not the size of your budget but your vision and how you calculate the execution of that vision through resourceful means.

An essential watch, Cinéastes de notre temps presents two hours with Eric Rohmer in the documentary Eric Rohmer: With Supporting Evidence. In this portrait of Rohmer, the filmmaker discusses his approach to and ideas on cinema while touching upon his films. He begins by speaking about his own influences, in particular the influence of foreign culture and art, which shows how important it is to extend one’s awareness for other cultures. German philosophy and music, for example, play a great part in Rohmer’s feel for his art. Music especially takes on a key role. As David Lynch, Ingmar Bergman, and Andrei Tarkovsky have suggested, for Rohmer as well the core of a film lies in the rhythm or flow of pictures and sound, how these flowing elements produce a rhythm within a film’s unique narrative in order to engage the viewer.

Touching again upon his influences, Rohmer claims to have been greatly inspired by two filmmakers: the silent filmmakers D.W. Griffith and F.W. Murnau. Though his films utilize to a great extent conversation among his characters, he believes to be a silent filmmaker and even affirms this distinction as he describes Griffith and Murnau as two talkie filmmakers. For him, Silent films are talking films without knowing it, and he continues to share, If I say I’m a silent filmmaker, as is Rivette, as is Godard, it’s because we all began by making silent films and silent films with subtitles…We expressed ourselves without sound and didn’t know how to make talking films because there weren’t any amateur talking films. This should be of some inspiration for emerging filmmaking to make attempts towards making their first films regardless of budget size and equipment, regardless of the film being a silent or talkie.

Of high interest is the revelation of Rohmer’s approach to filmmaking and his filmmaker’s style. He begins his process with the use of notebooks. He starts with ideas, a first draft of an idea on paper, with simple statements. For example, for The Green Ray, he wrote, “It’s an ill wind…Discussion about chance, luck, fate. One believes, the other doesn’t. One is wise, the other isn’t…Variant: one is law-abiding, the other likes trickery.” He also writes dialogue in the notebooks, saying characters “exist when they begin to speak.” In addition, he makes notes of locations he comes across.

Still, a key element of his process is intuition itself, trusting his gut. He intuitively chooses his actors, preferring to see them in real life and how they situate themselves with the everyday. Being a witness of who they are is more important to him than seeing them audition for a role. From there, he proceeds to do screen tests on his own and using “amateur” resource. He allows them to read and then improvise. This enables him to judge the acting and helps him with character portrayal.

In Toutlecine's hommage to Eric Rohmer, we get a glimpse of his visual style. As with many great filmmakers, simplicity achieves an engaging elegance of storytelling, and simplicity is certainly at the foundation of Rohmer's films. He prefers to fix his camera in one place, allowing for the possibility of a pan as movement or a zoom for a psychological viewpoint. He also extends the space of the frame, playing with action outside of the camera shot. [T]here’s a great lesson we can learn from a filmmaker like Lang, he says, Lang would make it seem things in shot when they weren’t. You imagine you’ve seen things, but when you analyze it you haven’t. Rohmer also has a preference to see a greater part of the actor’s body, emphasizing to a lesser degree, in comparison to other directors, the close-up. For him, an actor’s gesture is just as important as his or her facial expression since we express, in actuality, ourselves with our full bodies.

Furthermore, Rohmer proves to truly be the Independent filmmaker’s filmmaker. He reveals the equipment he uses and discusses his very DIY approach to shooting. When he speaks of lighting, he declares one needs to use logic. For example, there shouldn’t be shadows on the wall. His grasp on lighting is towards the truth, using natural light sources and avoiding hard shadows, or anti-expressionist photography. He also prefers to use hardly any equipment since his ideal is an un-predetermined style of photography, claiming, What marks a cameraman out is the equipment he uses, and the less he relies on equipment the more he relies on vision. In addition, he shows his resourcefulness in regards to equipment—he displays an inexpensive DIY reflector he designed using a large portfolio covered with aluminum foil. Filmmakers ought to relish as amateurs a resourceful approach to equipment.

It is evident that Eric Rohmer is an inspiring filmmaker who has directed films that touch views on a personal level, closer to relating life than telling stories. Remaining loyal to the New Wave philosophy of making films like writing novels, with the hand of a sole author, he also shows how a resourceful approach to filmmaking can lead to great results. Moreover, he encourages the filmmaker shedding light on the uncertainty of artmaking:

Cinema is a more uncertain art than the others. The arts embody an uncertainty that wasn’t invented by modern art. It’s even found in the ancient arts. They talked of inspiration, of muses, which means man hasn’t mastered what he invents. You find this idea in painting and in music. There has always been improvisation in music. I think this approach is quite necessary in filmmaking. Most filmmakers would tell you otherwise. They feel everything should be thought out and planned. They’re afraid of leaving things to chance. The only filmmaker who recognizes the power of chance and the importance of a method that relies on chance is Renoir. He has always said that…and it impressed me. He said, “I knew what I wanted, I have some thing I didn’t want, but what I have is better than what I want.”

Be inspired filmmakers of the world and dive into Eric Rohmer’s world of cinema!