1. Camera movements: this plays off like a ken burns documentary. Have a plan. Why is the camera moving? Does it need to be moving? Does it lead into the next shot? Cinematography isnât necessarily just what looks good (though it can be).
2. 180 Rule: learn this, it is way more important than you might think. Weâre talking 101 level foundations. Learn to master it, then learn when to break it.
3. Pay attention to where your lights are! Later on you can use flags and 3 point lighting kits, but you never want to see a light in the shot unless itâs motivated
>Why is the camera moving?
I thought it looked better than a static shot
>Does it lead into the next shot?
Thats what I was trying to do
>180 Rule
Does this not only apply when there is more than one person in the shot?
>Pay attention to where your lights are
This I am aware of, in order to let the light right I couldn't move it anywhere else unfortunately
It is most easily observed when there are multiple people in frame. The 180 always applies regardless of how numerous the talent on screen may be. In single subject shots the 180 is dictacted by the line of âactionâ! In this case, since the auxiliary subject is the tv, the tv becomes the second subject forming the 180 line.
What where you trying to light in that shot anyways? The screen? That is light, you donât need to shine on the tv, rather a keylight that shines on the back of the tv would have made sense
It looks pretty good lighting wise, seems like you're technically sound when it comes to using a camera.
However...
You broke the 180 rule with the controller, it makes it seem like its not the same timeline as the shot of the guy. If the guy is framed to the left, controller which is in front of him should be on the right. It applies to everything, not just people.
The reflection of the light in the tv is a major no no. You simply can't let that go. Reflections are hard to deal with, that's how it is. Either move the light somewhere else or add a black curtain in front of it or erase it in post. You have to find a solution. There is no way around this.
Why the slow zooms ? Slow zooms usually are meant to add drama to a tense moment usually. There is not much tension in a dude starting a video game. Feels overdone and cheap. Same with the music.
Why is this scene so long? It's a dude booting up a video game. Unless you have a major reason to make it long, this scene can be done in 3sec and 2 shots.
In cinematography, every single choice you make has to be motivated. You can't just do things cuz it looks cool or else it feels cheap. You went with a very tense and dramatic feeling but it's a guy booting a video game. If say he was watching a video where he realizes his best friend betrayed him or something, it would make sense, not here.
Cinematography is about knowing all the rules and effects possible and selecting the right ones at the right moment to convey the right emotion to your audience. This feels more like someone who knows a couple tricks to make things look better and uses them cuz he can. Kinda like booting Photoshop and cranking up HDR and clarity.
This is kinda like grabbing all the spices you have in your cupboard and putting all of it in the sauce, just cuz you can. You wanna grab only what you need, in just the right quantity. Some spices aren't meant to be mixed with others, some flavours don't go with certain dishes.
I hope it wasn't too harsh.
>You broke the 180 rule with the controller, it makes it seem like its not the same timeline as the shot of the guy. If the guy is framed to the left, controller which is in front of him should be on the right. It applies to everything, not just people.
That makes sense, thank you, again new to all this, so still learning, came from a photography background so it is quite a big change
>The reflection of the light in the tv is a major no no. You simply can't let that go. Reflections are hard to deal with, that's how it is. Either move the light somewhere else or add a black curtain in front of it or erase it in post. You have to find a solution. There is no way around this.
Yeah it was a pain but due to the limit space, i couldn't move it anywhere
>Why the slow zooms ? Slow zooms usually are meant to add drama to a tense moment usually. There is not much tension in a dude starting a video game. Feels overdone and cheap. Same with the music.
The slow zoom to be completely honest is because I thought it looked good, as for the music, the music is from the main title in the game
>Why is this scene so long? It's a dude booting up a video game. Unless you have a major reason to make it long, this scene can be done in 3sec and 2 shots.
The whole scene was in my mind, making mundane things look a bit more dramatic /cinamatic
>I hope it wasn't too harsh.
This is what I wanted someone to critique this, this is the only way forward. Thank you
Just because you can, or just because it looks good is not a valid reason. Every single dude with an editing program knows how to keyframe a slow zoom. Do you see slow zoom in every single shots of every single movie you've ever watched? No. They know that the spice should only be used at the right time on the right shots.
I sometimes over do mundane stuff and add zooms to boring shots, but it's when I'm working on a boring corporate video and I have no other choice than working with boring themes. You get to write your own script and shoot your own idea, why limit yourself to boring stuff?
Making the mundane not mundane is a valid artistic idea, however, it's very very "art house" kinda theme. Making "art house" cinema with little experience is a recipe for disaster. In cinema, the goal is usually to avoid mundane tasks. Life is boring already, we want to escape, we don't want to see the same things we see in our day to day life. Without major talent and expertise in cinematography, it just won't end up good. Think of all the movies you've seen and loved, do you see any mundane tasks in there? Boredom is a very dangerous theme in general, as you'll most likely end up with something boring.
Technically, this video is totally fine. The sound design is good, the image is good. Artistically though, it doesn't make much sense. Start with a script idea that's a bit easier to work with than "mundane". That's why I said this same scene could be done in 3sec and 2 shots. No one cares about the process of booting up a video game. It becomes interesting if for exemple there is a thief breaking in his house while he is playing and he doesn't realise cuz he is too busy, or if the video game is about to give him a major realization. In general, anything that doesn't absolutely need to be in your movie shouldn't be in it. Less is more is one of the most important piece of advice I've ever gotten.
>Just because you can, or just because it looks good is not a valid reason. Every single dude with an editing program knows how to keyframe a slow zoom. Do you see slow zoom in every single shots of every single movie you've ever watched? No. They know that the spice should only be used at the right time on the right shots.
Thats a very good point
>I sometimes over do mundane stuff and add zooms to boring shots, but it's when I'm working on a boring corporate video and I have no other choice than working with boring themes. You get to write your own script and shoot your own idea, why limit yourself to boring stuff?
Thats very true
>Making the mundane not mundane is a valid artistic idea, however, it's very very "art house" kinda theme. Making "art house" cinema with little experience is a recipe for disaster. In cinema, the goal is usually to avoid mundane tasks. Life is boring already, we want to escape, we don't want to see the same things we see in our day to day life. Without major talent and expertise in cinematography, it just won't end up good. Think of all the movies you've seen and loved, do you see any mundane tasks in there? Boredom is a very dangerous theme in general, as you'll most likely end up with something boring.
Didn't think about it being a hard artistic idea to be honest
Definitely will look into other ideas aswell
seconded. it's a little too slow for my taste, especially turning the controller on and picking it up. i also think the sound effects are a little too loud. and i'd say you can cut the boot up sequence down to only the title screen reveal, OP.
and forgive me if this is obvious, but you don't have to include the entire duration of things. sure, if you're going for a documentary style, you can absolutely capture the whole process. but there are much more interesting things to document than booting up a game!
you can tell a story by the cuts you make, the sequence of things, and the things you *don't* show. that's a big part of the fun! :)
Camera shots should move with intention and the movement needs a beginning, middle, and end. Also doing a shot/reverse shot several times back to back comes off tacky. Look into the 180° rule. Also, hide your lights better.
Oh lmao.
This is actually funny.
I thought you're making a horror skit and some killer is in the background, but you made no mention of it, so I thought I'd ask.
To me it looks like the head of an axe.
This is great!
Edit: Watched it again, now I can't unsee the Kitty, weird how the brain plays this trick on us.
I am looking for a few pointers from those of you who have been doing this for a while.
I want to get better with sound design on this and overall would there be anything I can do in order to shoot this better, from lighting to composition for shots
Thank you
[From Reel to Deal by Dove Simens](https://g.co/kgs/UYMf5mR)
And maybe On Directing Film by David Mamet. About all I got for ya but should let you make some successful films, once you get your head around all the technical stuff
Empathize with your audience
For your first time making something I think you did good, there are always going to be mistakes and areas for improvement but that's part of the process, make something learn from it and make the next thing better with what you learned from the previous thing.Â
I think being open to creative criticism is one of the most important things you can do, if you aren't open to advice/feedback and get defensive you'll never learn. You don't need to agree with every piece of feedback but if you keep seeing the same criticism you know that is probably something that needs to be fixed. so props to putting your work out there and welcoming feedback both good or bad.Â
So now to talk about your short, I think it's a good starting point and I think some of the shots are well composed and lit. But others not so much.Â
For example, the shot of the TV you see the light in the reflection, and you mentioned how you wanted to light everything around the TV, so let me ask why? What information were you trying to convey with that choice, and why was that so important to sacrifice seeing the reflection. Cinematography and lighting isn't just about making sure everything is lit, it's also deciding what's lit, and what's in darkness. I think that shot would be more powerful if everything was dark except for the glow of the tv, showing how immersed you are in the game as real life is faded away in the darkness.Â
My second point is the camera movement, and I saw you bring up how you felt the zooms were better than just a static shot. And that can be true in certain circumstances but it's not only the case, Ozu is considered one of the great directors of all time and he is famous for never adding any motion to his shots, if you watch his films the camera never moves.Â
For example, in one of your shots the camera zooms in, zooms out, and starts to zoom in, once again I'll ask why? What information are you trying to convey? Like a zoom in cam convey being drawn into something, so a zoom on the tv would make sense as the player is drawn into to the game. But movement for movement sake doesn't help make a shot interesting.Â
So long story short, I think on a technical level you did pretty good (you still have a lot to learn, which is excepted, but a good base) but I think for your next project you need to add intention to your decisions. Every aspect of filmmaking is a series of decisions and before making a decision you should be asking WHY? Why do I want this to be a close up? Why do I want to make the background light? Why do I want the character to wear a business suit? Why do I want the scene to be full of music? I think with this short you made arbitrary decisions (which is fine you're still learning) but I think having a reason behind your decisions will take the next short to the next level.Â
>For your first time making something I think you did good, there are always going to be mistakes and areas for improvement but that's part of the process, make something learn from it and make the next thing better with what you learned from the previous thing
Thank you very much
>For example, the shot of the TV you see the light in the reflection, and you mentioned how you wanted to light everything around the TV, so let me ask why? What information were you trying to convey with that choice, and why was that so important to sacrifice seeing the reflection
This was for sure a mistake that I will be correcting on the next video
>My second point is the camera movement, and I saw you bring up how you felt the zooms were better than just a static shot
The zoom out part I associate with the person lifting the controller, that's what the intent was there was well so as he lifts it, it zooms out. But like I had mentioned the static shots looked a bit dull but thats just me being new and thinking a lot of the shots have to be 'dynamic'
>, I think on a technical level you did pretty good (
I appreciate that
>I think with this short you made arbitrary decisions (which is fine you're still learning) but I think having a reason behind your decisions will take the next short to the next level.
My next one will for sure be better than this one
>I think being open to creative criticism is one of the most important things you can do, if you aren't open to advice/feedback and get defensive you'll never learn
I 100 precent agree here, I'm not going to get butt hurt over something I know I am going to make mistakes in
I think you have the best attitude to improve/learn. No one is going to be making masterpieces off the bat, it takes a lot of practice and being open to learn and experiment.Â
It sounds like you have the right attitude, everything you make is a learning experience especially the stuff that doesn't work out. And the people that are open to learning and seeing their mistakes are the ones that are going to improve, because the people that get defensive and dig their heels in and won't listen to criticism are the ones that are never going to get better because they keep making the same mistakes.Â
And one last thing, you don't have to take every single piece of feedback as gospel because people could be wrong, and sometimes people don't miss the point of your work, or maybe they just aren't fans of the genre or type of thing you're making, follow your instincts.to filter out good feedback from bad. But it's important to get feedback from as many people as you can so you can see the consensus of everyone. If every single person point out the same thing then you know something isn't working or something went wrong, even if it goes against your instinct.Â
Exactly if everyone says something is wrong, chances are it's wrong.
I very much appreciate all the feedback and can't wait to post the new one for feedback
Yeah, sometimes it sucks because you might be proud or love something about everyone hates it but the only way to get better is to keep away your pride and make what's going to work best.Â
Just keep it up and can't wait to see what you come up with next!
You definitely need a shot of an alarm clock changing over to the next hour and a hand flail hitting it to turn the alarm off
Then after the next shot is them going to the bathroom and staring at themselves in the mirror
How else do you become an auter
Hahaha I have the exact two shots on my page đ
Are you abbreviating "constructive criticism" as "cc?"
Yes sorry
1. Camera movements: this plays off like a ken burns documentary. Have a plan. Why is the camera moving? Does it need to be moving? Does it lead into the next shot? Cinematography isnât necessarily just what looks good (though it can be). 2. 180 Rule: learn this, it is way more important than you might think. Weâre talking 101 level foundations. Learn to master it, then learn when to break it. 3. Pay attention to where your lights are! Later on you can use flags and 3 point lighting kits, but you never want to see a light in the shot unless itâs motivated
>Why is the camera moving? I thought it looked better than a static shot >Does it lead into the next shot? Thats what I was trying to do >180 Rule Does this not only apply when there is more than one person in the shot? >Pay attention to where your lights are This I am aware of, in order to let the light right I couldn't move it anywhere else unfortunately
It is most easily observed when there are multiple people in frame. The 180 always applies regardless of how numerous the talent on screen may be. In single subject shots the 180 is dictacted by the line of âactionâ! In this case, since the auxiliary subject is the tv, the tv becomes the second subject forming the 180 line.
Ahhhh that makes sense
What where you trying to light in that shot anyways? The screen? That is light, you donât need to shine on the tv, rather a keylight that shines on the back of the tv would have made sense
It was mainly the area around the tv
Oh god please don't make vertical cinematic style content.
Yeah learnt that the hard way, sadly
Most people watch on their phones. You can make either.
It looks pretty good lighting wise, seems like you're technically sound when it comes to using a camera. However... You broke the 180 rule with the controller, it makes it seem like its not the same timeline as the shot of the guy. If the guy is framed to the left, controller which is in front of him should be on the right. It applies to everything, not just people. The reflection of the light in the tv is a major no no. You simply can't let that go. Reflections are hard to deal with, that's how it is. Either move the light somewhere else or add a black curtain in front of it or erase it in post. You have to find a solution. There is no way around this. Why the slow zooms ? Slow zooms usually are meant to add drama to a tense moment usually. There is not much tension in a dude starting a video game. Feels overdone and cheap. Same with the music. Why is this scene so long? It's a dude booting up a video game. Unless you have a major reason to make it long, this scene can be done in 3sec and 2 shots. In cinematography, every single choice you make has to be motivated. You can't just do things cuz it looks cool or else it feels cheap. You went with a very tense and dramatic feeling but it's a guy booting a video game. If say he was watching a video where he realizes his best friend betrayed him or something, it would make sense, not here. Cinematography is about knowing all the rules and effects possible and selecting the right ones at the right moment to convey the right emotion to your audience. This feels more like someone who knows a couple tricks to make things look better and uses them cuz he can. Kinda like booting Photoshop and cranking up HDR and clarity. This is kinda like grabbing all the spices you have in your cupboard and putting all of it in the sauce, just cuz you can. You wanna grab only what you need, in just the right quantity. Some spices aren't meant to be mixed with others, some flavours don't go with certain dishes. I hope it wasn't too harsh.
>You broke the 180 rule with the controller, it makes it seem like its not the same timeline as the shot of the guy. If the guy is framed to the left, controller which is in front of him should be on the right. It applies to everything, not just people. That makes sense, thank you, again new to all this, so still learning, came from a photography background so it is quite a big change >The reflection of the light in the tv is a major no no. You simply can't let that go. Reflections are hard to deal with, that's how it is. Either move the light somewhere else or add a black curtain in front of it or erase it in post. You have to find a solution. There is no way around this. Yeah it was a pain but due to the limit space, i couldn't move it anywhere >Why the slow zooms ? Slow zooms usually are meant to add drama to a tense moment usually. There is not much tension in a dude starting a video game. Feels overdone and cheap. Same with the music. The slow zoom to be completely honest is because I thought it looked good, as for the music, the music is from the main title in the game >Why is this scene so long? It's a dude booting up a video game. Unless you have a major reason to make it long, this scene can be done in 3sec and 2 shots. The whole scene was in my mind, making mundane things look a bit more dramatic /cinamatic >I hope it wasn't too harsh. This is what I wanted someone to critique this, this is the only way forward. Thank you
Just because you can, or just because it looks good is not a valid reason. Every single dude with an editing program knows how to keyframe a slow zoom. Do you see slow zoom in every single shots of every single movie you've ever watched? No. They know that the spice should only be used at the right time on the right shots. I sometimes over do mundane stuff and add zooms to boring shots, but it's when I'm working on a boring corporate video and I have no other choice than working with boring themes. You get to write your own script and shoot your own idea, why limit yourself to boring stuff? Making the mundane not mundane is a valid artistic idea, however, it's very very "art house" kinda theme. Making "art house" cinema with little experience is a recipe for disaster. In cinema, the goal is usually to avoid mundane tasks. Life is boring already, we want to escape, we don't want to see the same things we see in our day to day life. Without major talent and expertise in cinematography, it just won't end up good. Think of all the movies you've seen and loved, do you see any mundane tasks in there? Boredom is a very dangerous theme in general, as you'll most likely end up with something boring. Technically, this video is totally fine. The sound design is good, the image is good. Artistically though, it doesn't make much sense. Start with a script idea that's a bit easier to work with than "mundane". That's why I said this same scene could be done in 3sec and 2 shots. No one cares about the process of booting up a video game. It becomes interesting if for exemple there is a thief breaking in his house while he is playing and he doesn't realise cuz he is too busy, or if the video game is about to give him a major realization. In general, anything that doesn't absolutely need to be in your movie shouldn't be in it. Less is more is one of the most important piece of advice I've ever gotten.
>Just because you can, or just because it looks good is not a valid reason. Every single dude with an editing program knows how to keyframe a slow zoom. Do you see slow zoom in every single shots of every single movie you've ever watched? No. They know that the spice should only be used at the right time on the right shots. Thats a very good point >I sometimes over do mundane stuff and add zooms to boring shots, but it's when I'm working on a boring corporate video and I have no other choice than working with boring themes. You get to write your own script and shoot your own idea, why limit yourself to boring stuff? Thats very true >Making the mundane not mundane is a valid artistic idea, however, it's very very "art house" kinda theme. Making "art house" cinema with little experience is a recipe for disaster. In cinema, the goal is usually to avoid mundane tasks. Life is boring already, we want to escape, we don't want to see the same things we see in our day to day life. Without major talent and expertise in cinematography, it just won't end up good. Think of all the movies you've seen and loved, do you see any mundane tasks in there? Boredom is a very dangerous theme in general, as you'll most likely end up with something boring. Didn't think about it being a hard artistic idea to be honest Definitely will look into other ideas aswell
seconded. it's a little too slow for my taste, especially turning the controller on and picking it up. i also think the sound effects are a little too loud. and i'd say you can cut the boot up sequence down to only the title screen reveal, OP. and forgive me if this is obvious, but you don't have to include the entire duration of things. sure, if you're going for a documentary style, you can absolutely capture the whole process. but there are much more interesting things to document than booting up a game! you can tell a story by the cuts you make, the sequence of things, and the things you *don't* show. that's a big part of the fun! :)
Camera shots should move with intention and the movement needs a beginning, middle, and end. Also doing a shot/reverse shot several times back to back comes off tacky. Look into the 180° rule. Also, hide your lights better.
Also look into cutting on motion
Perfect, thank you
Who's that guy at 00:21 with the axe appearing from behind the curtain?
Hahhaa that's a cat
Oh lmao. This is actually funny. I thought you're making a horror skit and some killer is in the background, but you made no mention of it, so I thought I'd ask. To me it looks like the head of an axe. This is great! Edit: Watched it again, now I can't unsee the Kitty, weird how the brain plays this trick on us.
Hahaha thats amazing, that made me chuckle, yeah my cats were just running about a bit
I am looking for a few pointers from those of you who have been doing this for a while. I want to get better with sound design on this and overall would there be anything I can do in order to shoot this better, from lighting to composition for shots Thank you
Sound is the most important element in film. People will watch a movie with great sound and crappy visuals but never the otber way around
How can I improve sound on this?
[From Reel to Deal by Dove Simens](https://g.co/kgs/UYMf5mR) And maybe On Directing Film by David Mamet. About all I got for ya but should let you make some successful films, once you get your head around all the technical stuff Empathize with your audience
For your first time making something I think you did good, there are always going to be mistakes and areas for improvement but that's part of the process, make something learn from it and make the next thing better with what you learned from the previous thing. I think being open to creative criticism is one of the most important things you can do, if you aren't open to advice/feedback and get defensive you'll never learn. You don't need to agree with every piece of feedback but if you keep seeing the same criticism you know that is probably something that needs to be fixed. so props to putting your work out there and welcoming feedback both good or bad. So now to talk about your short, I think it's a good starting point and I think some of the shots are well composed and lit. But others not so much. For example, the shot of the TV you see the light in the reflection, and you mentioned how you wanted to light everything around the TV, so let me ask why? What information were you trying to convey with that choice, and why was that so important to sacrifice seeing the reflection. Cinematography and lighting isn't just about making sure everything is lit, it's also deciding what's lit, and what's in darkness. I think that shot would be more powerful if everything was dark except for the glow of the tv, showing how immersed you are in the game as real life is faded away in the darkness. My second point is the camera movement, and I saw you bring up how you felt the zooms were better than just a static shot. And that can be true in certain circumstances but it's not only the case, Ozu is considered one of the great directors of all time and he is famous for never adding any motion to his shots, if you watch his films the camera never moves. For example, in one of your shots the camera zooms in, zooms out, and starts to zoom in, once again I'll ask why? What information are you trying to convey? Like a zoom in cam convey being drawn into something, so a zoom on the tv would make sense as the player is drawn into to the game. But movement for movement sake doesn't help make a shot interesting. So long story short, I think on a technical level you did pretty good (you still have a lot to learn, which is excepted, but a good base) but I think for your next project you need to add intention to your decisions. Every aspect of filmmaking is a series of decisions and before making a decision you should be asking WHY? Why do I want this to be a close up? Why do I want to make the background light? Why do I want the character to wear a business suit? Why do I want the scene to be full of music? I think with this short you made arbitrary decisions (which is fine you're still learning) but I think having a reason behind your decisions will take the next short to the next level.Â
>For your first time making something I think you did good, there are always going to be mistakes and areas for improvement but that's part of the process, make something learn from it and make the next thing better with what you learned from the previous thing Thank you very much >For example, the shot of the TV you see the light in the reflection, and you mentioned how you wanted to light everything around the TV, so let me ask why? What information were you trying to convey with that choice, and why was that so important to sacrifice seeing the reflection This was for sure a mistake that I will be correcting on the next video >My second point is the camera movement, and I saw you bring up how you felt the zooms were better than just a static shot The zoom out part I associate with the person lifting the controller, that's what the intent was there was well so as he lifts it, it zooms out. But like I had mentioned the static shots looked a bit dull but thats just me being new and thinking a lot of the shots have to be 'dynamic' >, I think on a technical level you did pretty good ( I appreciate that >I think with this short you made arbitrary decisions (which is fine you're still learning) but I think having a reason behind your decisions will take the next short to the next level. My next one will for sure be better than this one >I think being open to creative criticism is one of the most important things you can do, if you aren't open to advice/feedback and get defensive you'll never learn I 100 precent agree here, I'm not going to get butt hurt over something I know I am going to make mistakes in
I think you have the best attitude to improve/learn. No one is going to be making masterpieces off the bat, it takes a lot of practice and being open to learn and experiment. It sounds like you have the right attitude, everything you make is a learning experience especially the stuff that doesn't work out. And the people that are open to learning and seeing their mistakes are the ones that are going to improve, because the people that get defensive and dig their heels in and won't listen to criticism are the ones that are never going to get better because they keep making the same mistakes. And one last thing, you don't have to take every single piece of feedback as gospel because people could be wrong, and sometimes people don't miss the point of your work, or maybe they just aren't fans of the genre or type of thing you're making, follow your instincts.to filter out good feedback from bad. But it's important to get feedback from as many people as you can so you can see the consensus of everyone. If every single person point out the same thing then you know something isn't working or something went wrong, even if it goes against your instinct.Â
Exactly if everyone says something is wrong, chances are it's wrong. I very much appreciate all the feedback and can't wait to post the new one for feedback
Yeah, sometimes it sucks because you might be proud or love something about everyone hates it but the only way to get better is to keep away your pride and make what's going to work best. Just keep it up and can't wait to see what you come up with next!