New Year Resolutions for Filming

FILMAKERS RULES?
1. I will never again make
a hash of shots, because I
listened to too much advice.

2. The makers of my camcorder claim to give good pictures at ‘NO LUX’! I will never again worry about light.

3. Why bother with a tripod. I have such steady telephoto hands!

4. My shots will always be in focus. Though on the other hand, I reckon softies look interesting anyway!

5. I like ‘hose piping’ - it’s such fun!

6. The Dutch Tilt is good, especially corner to corner.

7. When I pan it’s fast -
LEFT RIGHT LEFT
RIGHT. Oh what fun!

8. And zoom zoom, IN
OUT IN OUT IN OUT.
Oh, my battery’s run out of
juice. Did I bring a spare?

9. Use the mains charger and a mile of cable. Gives a super hum.
10. My camcorder
sometimes makes mistakes. Puzzling. Especially if it doesn’t compose the picture well. Faulty viewfinder is the obvious answer.
Yes, another recap. “Why?”, I hear some say. Please forgive me, but it’s just a reminder without going oven all the old ground yet again. THAT COULD BE TOO BORING!?

On a more earnest look at movie making that will take us on through the coming year, the best resolution as far as I am concerned is:
TO STRIVE TOWARDS  FILMING PROFESSIONALISM.

Using domestic video equipment is no excuse for a weak story line especially if that is combined with poor camera work, framing, panning and mad zooming. Then to finish up with bad editing, often because there are not enough close ups, also a common fault, means the movie could have said the same thing and much more effectively at half the length. The reluctance to cut anything for fear of losing a nice shot, or any part of it, defeats the objects This is unlikely to win a trophy, if that’s what you want. Brought up on film, I soon learnt the importance of carefully working out each shot, as the medium was expensive, and results of a day’s shooting were not seen until the film was processed. I made mistakes and listened to advice from professionals.

There are many more important aspects to bore you with. One could fill pages, and it seems there is little compensation for noticing one’s own mistakes and learning by them: I certainly have and still slip up. It's s easy to find there are not enough cutaways when it comes to editing. When we look at film festivals, it is sometimes very obvious why an entry didn’t get the top award - maybe bad continuity, or shots that need not be there at all due to bad editing. Then, with lighting, a bright shot followed immediately by a very dark shot is distracting. Sometimes the story line is not clear - this needs to be well thought out at the scripting stage. Often the story is spoilt by ham acting: some club members may be good, but it is a good idea to make friends with the local drama group.

BEST OF LUCK FOR FILMING IN THE NEW YEAR!

 Not another list stating the obvious, I hear you say!

1. Look at any well produced film. Study the framing (every picture an oil!). Study the continuity. See where the close ups come in.

2. The subject, if it is a person, should be looking into the frame, not out.

3. In general, it is bad to leave a big gap between the top of the head and top edge of the frame. With a CU the head can just disappear into the top of the frame.

4. When filming a scene, always start the action a few seconds after starting the camera, and run on after the action has finished.

5. Never begin the shot in the middle of a pan. Hold still on the subject, then pan and hold the shot at the end for a few seconds to give the editor more scope.

6. Avoid panning first one way then back again. There are a few exceptions to this, for example following the flight of a bird or fast action at a sporting event.

7. The same applies to tilting up and down.

8. Use a tripod wherever possible. Especially with telephoto.

9. Reliance on low lux claims by the maker of the camcorder is never a substitute for good lighting. It can be useful in a dark corner, and the picture can be reasonable, but there will be an increase in graininess in the same way as fast films.