First time with 35mm

Francesco Chiari · March 18, 2012

I've graduated from film school only a few months ago. This is my graduation film after a year focusing on cinematography:

http://vimeo.com/francescochiari/endure

password: endure13112011

Positive feedbacks are welcome, negative ones are MORE than welcome. All I'm asking for is to know the motivation behind your comment.

Thanks :)

Freya Black · March 18, 2012

I've graduated from film school only a few months ago. This is my graduation film after a year focusing on cinematography:

http://vimeo.com/francescochiari/endure

password: endure13112011

Positive feedbacks are welcome, negative ones are MORE than welcome. All I'm asking for is to know the motivation behind your comment.

Thanks :)

Hiya Francesco, looks good but you need to watch out for close ups on aerosol paint. Wide shots you get away with it but there are a few closer shots on the door , bath etc where it isn't working. Maybe you could use depth of field or filters or something to hide that or just avoid those shots altogether. That was the main thing that stuck out to my eye!

love

Freya

Francesco Chiari · March 18, 2012

Thanks Freya. Which shots in particular are you talking about?

Freya Black · March 19, 2012

Thanks Freya. Which shots in particular are you talking about?

The shot where he first opens the door is it about 1:30? and then later at about 2 minutes in you can clearly see it is aerosol paint on the right of screen part of the bath, both sort of medium to close up shots, on the wides theres no issue and most of the other stuff isn't as obviously aerosol, but the thing is that when you see those 2 shots you suddenly realise the rest is aerosol, so it ruins the overall effect.

I'm afraid if you are unable to see it I'm not going to be of much help! I guess the rule would be to keep it as wide as possible and do what you can to sell the effect when you go in closer.

love

Freya

Francesco Chiari · March 19, 2012

I see which shots you mean, although we never used aerosol paint, what you see is all brushed paint I just checked with my Production Designer. Thanks for the feedback, I'll look more into it.

Anyway, any thoughts on the Cinematography?

Freya Black · March 19, 2012

I see which shots you mean, although we never used aerosol paint, what you see is all brushed paint I just checked with my Production Designer. Thanks for the feedback, I'll look more into it.

Anyway, any thoughts on the Cinematography?

It was a thought on the cinematography! Surprised to hear it wasn't aerosol but it really doesn't matter if it's aerosol or air brush or put on with brushes or whatever, the way it was filmed on those shots didn't sell the effect, whereas generally you could have easily got away with it if it wasn't for a few shots.

love

Freya

Matthew Kane · March 21, 2012

--take my comments with a grain of salt--I am going to be shooting 35 for the first time this summer myself, and I'm by no means the most experienced DP.

I didn't find the paintjob distracting, but I can see what Freya is pointing out (I'm noticing it at 0:57, the first time he goes to the door--the smudges on the door feel too intentional). It doesn't ruin the film for me at all, but the set does feel almost like a theater set, with big touches that make it believable from the cheap seats. That's not all bad--it is beautifully imagined--but your lighting tends to be more gritty and harsh (in a good way)--so they don't really match up. While the effect of the lights coming through the slats nailed over the window is beautiful, it feels a bit phony--as if he nailed those boards up specifically to make a nice picture (they certainly won't keep out enemies or the weather). Again--not things that ruined the story, but it's all the same ball of wax.

The lighting and camera work was quite nice--I'm always happy to see shots where the key is coming from so close to the camera's axis, but still looks atmospheric. With a big capstone project like this, I would have been tempted to over light, or spend too much time polishing every angle--but you keep the lighting spontaneous and motivated. Overall, I missed looking into this poor guy's eyes--it seems like they are usually in shadow, or we're looking at him in profile.

This is more of an editing thing, but it also feeds into how you direct and frame a shot--it seems like much of the film takes place at the same rhythm. There are highs and lows, but I only vaguely understood this man's experience--long stretches of boredom and depression, followed by bursts of terror that force him to make a life changing decision. The framing and editing is still pretty intense when he is doing something like pulling out a can of food--I want to save those tight shots and fast edits, so that when he reaches points of crisis or fear, I can really feel how scary and brutal it is. With everything happening at a relatively fast clip, it's hard to absorb the story, and the suspense never gets a chance to build. This seems like a good example of where cinematography and editing meet--even if he is tearing that canned food out like a wild animal, a wider shot of the same action would emphasize his loneliness and desperation, rather than the action itself.

Lastly--the subtitles are pretty distracting. I'd recommend a smaller font, placed consistently in the frame (maybe experiment with a gray tone on a serif font)--the sound design and his body language do a fine job of telling us where the enemy soldiers are--I'm not even sure we need to know what they're saying, just that they're out there. It's not a cinematography thing, but it does distract from the story. Especially if this is a showpiece for your cinematography, you should make sure there are no elements distracting from the story and your work. You might even try doing away with some or all of the VO or subtitles--see what it feels like if you force us to gather the story from the picture and the soundscape.

Anyways--take the off-topic comments as a sign that a lot of your lighting and camera work is really solid--leaving plenty of room to pick at other things.