Before I start writing about things I did well and things I messed up, I want to say that I'm very proud of this film. I could watch 1000 times without getting bored.
I think I created a really nice film about the BBA Girls Varsity Team. It doesn't has a story but I don't think one is necessary. I had to adapt the length of the first few clips so that the
drop is on Grace Pinkus' diving header. This is probably the best part of the film and I always smile when I hear and see it. Not everyone see it, but it looks like Emily Bleakie kind of throws
the ball to Grace because I cut while the ball was in both clips in the air.
I cut the middle part of the song out so that I still hear the drop but also have a smooth ending. The color correction makes everything much more active and interesting. I could delete some of
the headers and add the sunset shot from our pep rally ( I filmed it with my phone). Overall, I am just super happy and proud of my film.
Top 15 Mistakes Filmmakers Make. Every start is difficult and your films can just get better if you make those mistakes because otherwise you can’t learn from them.
If a film has a weak story you lose the interest after the first few scenes. The characters need clear goals and that is what you’re going for when writing the script. Furthermore
do undercooked scripts not connect the scenes very well. Sometimes a connection doesn’t even exist and scenes are just put together without any relations between them.
(*) The worse mistake is bad sound because the sound is the first thing the audience will really notice. If noises are disturbing a conversation you can’t follow that well anymore.
Besides that sound effects (walking sounds) have a major impact on scenes. Don’t do the mistake and display the audio from the video. Always hold the mic as close as possible to the actors
and record nice and clean sound.
Every film needs characters. For those characters you have to find the perfect cast. Poor cast choices can destroy your film. A perfect cast is not the other gender, or an other
age. The cast has to be able to show same character traits or sensitivities. With a lot of focus on the cast the film will turn out better than without.
(*) If you shoot a conversation of two people talking to each other, put movement in the background to have at least a bit action in this scene. Avoid dead space because that's the
biggest mistake in shot composition. A guide grid will help you to fulfill the rule of thirds and you can easily create symmetry in your shot. Try to create
depth by putting persons/ objects behind our characters. Decorate white walls with posters/ pictures/ color/ whatever, but don't leave them white. If we get boring from just two people
talking we start looking at the background. We keep watching if there is something we can look at.
(*) Never ever have bad lighting. Lights are a must at the set. You lose the audience if a scene is too dark. Use every necessary light to make the film better.
Insert shots show us usually an object closer to see more details but unnecessary insert shots don't add further information we need to know so it’s better so cut them out because
we are not stupid and can add one and one together.
(*) Don’t show people going from one place to another because it’s a boring part and we want to get further in the story (Lingering).
Too many pregnant pauses in a scene, slow the whole film down and it’s difficult to get out of this hole.
(*)During a conversation the actors should move around and do something to bring at least a bit action in it. (Movement)
Too much sh** chat loses the audience instead you should have action.
Action in the sake of action. Combine action with the story for example ate comedy to make it more interesting.
Every beginner film starts with someone waking up in bed. Those clichés are classic and uncreative. Come up with something new and mysterious. The point is, a film with a weak
start will lose their audience soon.
(*) The music has to fit to the scene. Generic music can even destroy the atmosphere or turn a scene to something ridiculous.
Every single mistake will be done by me before I leave this cinematography class. Mistakes are life and we learn in our life so we learn from our mistakes.
(*= mistakes I already did)
Color Correction:
Saturation --> Global: 35-40%
Shoe - the thing on top of the tripod where you fix the camera
Tripod head - you clip the shoe into the tripod head
Leg locks - you can change the height of the tripod and to fix a height you have to lock the leg locks
Pan-handle - something like stick to move (pan) the camera smooth around
Disposable media - use of simple ways to make a film
Lighting - lightning creates THE look of a film and is an important part.
Key light - eye light
fill light - used to reduce the contrast and maybe equalize the shadows.
story board - sketches show the story
cold opening - no introduction; start with music and get straight to the first point
XLR cable - connects studio microphone with camera
Lav mic - small microphone that is stocked to your shirt or whatever. It is connected to the camera.
LED Light - used for key light
Soft box - used for fill light
SD Card - all the recordings are saved on the SD Card
