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Avoiding static filmmaking


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also Brian. The 30 shots is for the whole film. Not just one conversation. It involves car shots, four or five conversations, some in-camera fx shots... shot over the course of 2/ 12hr days. But it is all on one EXT location and shot on DV.

 

(sorry the edit option was screwing up)

 

I also ran into the issue with having a huge area to light (night EXT) and after I made up my lighting plot, the availability of all of our bug guns changed and threw a wrench in my setups. I was trying to light this huge area so that very minimal lighting changes would need to be made between shots.

 

I got it covered. It's just frustrating to go from having a Ruby 7 (w/Dichroic Bulbs/ they wouldn't let me use the big HMI's, and 2 10K's (and 12x12's) and then find out that "no, now you have just one 575w HMI, a Tungsten 5K and a 4x4 Silk."

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also Brian. The 30 shots is for the whole film. Not just one conversation. It involves car shots, four or five conversations, some in-camera fx shots... shot over the course of 2/ 12hr days. But it is all on one EXT location and shot on DV.

 

(sorry the edit option was screwing up)

 

I also ran into the issue with having a huge area to light (night EXT) and after I made up my lighting plot, the availability of all of our bug guns changed and threw a wrench in my setups. I was trying to light this huge area so that very minimal lighting changes would need to be made between shots.

 

I got it covered. It's just frustrating to go from having a Ruby 7 (w/Dichroic Bulbs/ they wouldn't let me use the big HMI's, and 2 10K's (and 12x12's) and then find out that "no, now you have just one 575w HMI, a Tungsten 5K and a 4x4 Silk."

 

Only being allowed no more than 30 shots in a film sounds a bit arbitrary rather than real world. The usual restrictions are shooting time, running time and limits on resources. Although, the resources available are usually known before you get into the pre production stage.

 

I'm not saying you won't get kit pulled from you in a real shoot, I've had it happen on the second day of a commercial (of all things), when the producer decided to save £10 on the hiring the lights we were using the previous day.

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yeah. I had a backup lighting plot and so I've got it worked out, but it is just irritating that they put so many limitations on us and then wonder about the quality of the product that the students produce.

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yeah. I had a backup lighting plot and so I've got it worked out, but it is just irritating that they put so many limitations on us and then wonder about the quality of the product that the students produce.

 

With two directors etc., it sounds more like they're intended to be training exercises rather than the graduation films that people do at traditional schools.

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yeah, we're only in our 6th month. We will get to shoot a short doc (on HVX200's) a live-style TV Broadcast on Sony HD Cams, a short 16mm and short 35mm as well... I hope that they're simply getting the committee-style stuff out of the way on our Digital Cinematography class... though I have heard mixed things. It's just too many Chief's and not enough Indians... ...

 

It is frustrating but you hear the instructors say things like "Most of you aren't going to like your finished product." or "The quality of most projects in this class are poor..."

 

and with 15 Directors per 7 min movie... they're probably right!

 

Oh, well. At least it'll be lit well!!!!! :D

 

Sorry, I am bitching a lot... which has more to do with the school and not the actual people in my group. We've got some really talented people and I think we have a chance of making something really unique. It is just frustrating when we all want to SPECIALIZE in something and we're forced to direct one scene, then boom the next, then grip the one after... there is no hierarchy for decisions to be made. It's sort of a cluster...

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yeah, we're only in our 6th month. We will get to shoot a short doc (on HVX200's) a live-style TV Broadcast on Sony HD Cams, a short 16mm and short 35mm as well... I hope that they're simply getting the committee-style stuff out of the way on our Digital Cinematography class... though I have heard mixed things. It's just too many Chief's and not enough Indians... ...

 

It is frustrating but you hear the instructors say things like "Most of you aren't going to like your finished product." or "The quality of most projects in this class are poor..."

 

and with 15 Directors per 7 min movie... they're probably right!

 

Oh, well. At least it'll be lit well!!!!! :D

 

Sorry, I am bitching a lot... which has more to do with the school and not the actual people in my group. We've got some really talented people and I think we have a chance of making something really unique. It is just frustrating when we all want to SPECIALIZE in something and we're forced to direct one scene, then boom the next, then grip the one after... there is no hierarchy for decisions to be made. It's sort of a cluster...

 

 

I'd assume the instructors are more interested in teaching a process rather than say allowing directors develop their creative talents in a safe environment.

 

This process approach works OK on the more technical areas and this course sounds rather like the old BBC induction course, when people go onto their specialized areas after the course. That course only being part of a longer training process.

 

In areas like directing you do need the space to develop your own unique style. Of course, much of industry in practise often doesn't allow this and is mostly formula stuff.

 

From the sounds of it, if you want to become specialize further in your training you'll have to find a high end film school that has a good reputation in your area of interest.

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There are many different theories and opinions, but there is really only 1 "rule" that I know of and that is the 180 degree rule.

 

 

Just noticed this thread today and saw the above statement. What's funny about this is that almost every TV show out there breaks the 180 degree rule here and there. Every TV production I've worked on crosses the line here and there. The thing is, if the geography of the scene is well established crossing the line is actually not all that jarring. I'm not advocating that people cross the line but it happens all the time in TV work. When it comes down to it, the priority is for the best performance at any given moment and if that means a line jump many people will go for it. The problem comes when you cross the line in a jarring way on a not very dramatic moment, then it really stands out adding emphasis to a moment that should not have it. Jumping the line on an intense dramatic moment can add to the tension of the scene in some cases.

 

There is also an example from Tarkovsky's film Stalker, in the scene after they get out of the "meat grinder" when they are sitting in the room with all the piles of dust. There are 2 (I think its 2, could be only one) huge line jumps in the scene that I believe to be unintentional (it hard to believe that the scene was shot this way intentionally with a shot reverse shot pattern in mind. it really looks like they were just working with what they had.) but that work great to help the sense of unease and the strangeness of the place they are in.

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  • 1 month later...

Just wanted to chime in concerning the 180 degree rule. Since people are being flushed by images, photos and films in such a rapid fashion as today, I would be bold enough to say it's getting a bit passé.

 

Of course you need to establish the area where the action takes place, but after you've shown it I wouldn't stick with just safe cuts. Naturally depending on the situation.

 

Agreeing with Mr Hunter is the short way to put it.

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  • 1 month later...
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It's the age-old need and love of people sitting together in the evening to tell each other what everyone has ecountered during the day. Some are better in capturing their listeners. There is the art of storytelling. You have nothing, only your speech, your mimic, your gesture, the timing.

 

To avoid static filmmaking you adapt the whole cinematic machinery to your personal way of telling something. Start with a joke. Try to observe yourself while telling it to someone. That is cinema.

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