Well, I have an infection. Not COVID, but with a need to analyse every bit of moving footage I see.
After a period of video tech saturation, getting my head around what I have and what I need for capturing decent vision and sound (small time, but high on bang for the buck value), I have hit the next level of my learning curve.
Avoiding processing for the moment apart from some basic iMovie stuff, because I can (thanks to support from work), I am concentrating on only content gathering, but with a heightened awareness of the process and its requirements.
So I am infected.
The excellent videos from “Tomorrows Filmmaker” and “Studio Binder” have inspired me. I cannot now look at a film without “seeing” the elements that make it.
The film that inspired this post in particular is on as I write. It is the quirky and brilliant “Sometimes, Always, Never” by Carl Hooper.
The Drama of life, captured one way, soon to be captured another. I feel there is a direct link between stills to moving stock.
It starts with a beautiful shot using the rule of thirds and a very wide aspect ratio, then moves to an equally cool shot trucking across a “typical” British seaside scene, then to a clever two person medium shot using a three section bedroom mirror, on to a slightly surreal shot of a car driving through the countryside, that looked hyper real to the point of being deliberately fake, at odds with its surroundings in an old school, projected background way, then to a wide angle master shot sequence set in a moodily lit room populated by four people, deliberately placed and shot.
Straight down time lapse for eating and scrabble play, pull back master shots, creative use of the rule of thirds, lens angles, trucking across and creative use of framing, silhouettes, shadows, cut lighting, lots of depth, strong complimentary colours etc.
Lots of cool stuff and a great tool for beginners to play “spot the technique”.
There are plenty of examples all through the movie that are brilliant. Many break the rules at the right time and in the right way. There are elements of Amelie, anything Wes Anderson and other favourites.
What a little sleeper.
Is this curable, this inability to just watch, and not appreciate process, or analyse?
Do I want to be cured?
The thing that struck home the most to me is the “less is more” mantra. The best cinematography is rarely full of movements, jarring light or sound unless these are the creative elements. Less really is more. “Quality over quantity” is as relevant here as anywhere.
Something I have really noticed is how much I have not noticed.
Stressing my own movements and procedures, I am noticing that there is a lot more “roughage” in modern film making. “Loose” movement is a lot more common than I realised. An episode of Dr Who I am watching now (later), is almost completely shot in a smooth hand held style. I really doubt I would have specifically noticed that before.
Suddenly, I am watching films with different criteria, often films that I traditionally would avoid. While watching “Red Election”, I picked up on a thread of blue/yellow lighting contrast, a lot of deliberate camera movements on “Endeavour”, and in contrast, the relatively staid shooting techniques of older productions, due to most likely to technical limitations.
I could not even watch an add for the New South Wales tourist board without counting the movements and transitions used.
The rules that come home to me time and again are;
Plan.
Decide on your shot type, framing and aspect ratio.
Use movements, lighting, depth of field, lens perspective, colour, tone and angles well, but creatively.
Establish expectations from the beginning.
Be controlled and clear in your work.
Create a style to call your own. A signature for consistency.
Avoid those things that break the “fourth wall”, (unless that is what you are going for of course), so no aggressive zooming, focus shifts, or uncontrolled shake.
Pay attention to all the elements of movie making, which include the above, then editing and sound. They are all connected. None will save you is even one is off. You don’t have to be good at all of them, just aware of them and get them achieved through others if needed.
Sure there are law breakers out there, but I will guarantee, they earned the right, by doing things well before they pulled them apart, a bit like jazz.
I am not a pro, nor will I ever be in this world of wonder, but striving for the best results, just like with my more comfortable stills shooting, will get you the best result you can achieve at that time. Trying to achieve less will diminish everything.