Most of videography and cinematography is starting to look the same. Derivative creation, a contradiction in terms is the norm.
If you say I saw an ep of the latest hit programme or movie and described it as “you knoe, the desaturated, soft, glowey one with the dramatic back light”, well, you are descibing them all really.
The technical reality is digital footage has a look, something decidedly un “filmic” so measures are taken to address that, ironically, un-sharpening the sharp, reducing high resolution and flattening contrast of high dynamic range, high acutance footage.
The result is predictable and unexciting.
Time to break some rules.
For my own personal journey, the answer to my anti conformist reaction is to look at the field I have been working in for the last 35 odd years.
Rule 1
Compose a video frame as I would frame a stills image. It sounds simple but as I will explain below, I seem to have forgotten everything I have learned already as if it is irrelevant. It has never been more relevant. This also means controlling exposure, white balance and focus with the same ease I do for stills.
Rule 2
Use more natural light. Not exclusively, but as much as possible. I do use flash in my stills work, but only when the situation requires it, basically when there is no natural light, but when I do, I aim for natural or at least invisible.
Simple natural light, all I normally use.
Rule 3
Soften only to reduce the video look of my footage, no more. This may be with a filter, in camera, selection of a lens, or maybe in post, but only soften towards a natural look and un-digitise, not a stylised trend.
Rule 4
Avoid cliche traps, be original. There are so many pervading formula around that are very easy to fall into as safe habit and this is ripe for simple AI replacement. AI preys on the accepted trend, not the bespoke or unpredictable (yet). Only originality and effort has any legs now.
Rule 5
Remember where I came from and how I got there.
Without yet mastering many current habits, I find I am already pushing back against many of them. This video thing has seemed too hard sometimes, but I realise I have ignored my instincts in favour of slavishly adopting the wisdom of others. With still photography my style developed in a relative vacuum. I was inspired by images I saw in books and magazines, conversations with people who knew more than me, reverse engineering, learning by doing. This is something my video journey has lacked.
With video, my learning tends to come from Youtube, which leads to opinion, misinformation, a lack of personal experimenting, no internal growth. I don’t work that way, never have.
This does not mean inventing a new framing like that weird subject jammed into on the short corner thing or rejecting needed tech, it means chasing a better shot, not just a better execution of the same-same. If the remit is “build a better race car”, then you need to conform to the needs of the race, but if the remit is “just get there faster”, then maybe a 4WD and going straight line across country wins or even learn to fly.
Rule 6
Make rules for consistency of vision and its delivery, but these rules must hero simplicity and quality over gimmicks and they may/must break some current rules that do not suit.
Rule 7
Be authentic. In a world where illusion is the norm, be authentic to your subject and your self. There is no other way to be taken seriously and in some way, relatively time-proof.
Rules are important, but they are only a guide, not a coral. I am sure I will bend, break or modify these to some extent, but the journey matters. The journey however needs to be taken and the clearer the destination, the easier it is to execute.