Marketable Movies

In my opinion, the most marketable movies are the ones that take weeks of preparation from the pre-production stage to a finished, polished film. The videos that have made the most impact on my life are presenting radical topics in aesthetically and visually pleasing simple way. These videos captivate the audience with shots that invoke emotion. Let’s take a little look into some of my personally favorite videos:

“Move” is a very unique video. I have not seen a film that has changed the scenery effectively like this. Most of the work in this film was done during editing by taking a few seconds of each scene and putting it to the beat of the music. I believe that in some ways the short film does motivate its audience to move and travel around the world.

“Call + Response” is an emotionally moving film trailer. Notice how in a short amount of time the editors tell a story. They show the heartache, activism, movement, and pain that is created by one of the largest industries in the world. It begs its audience to move into action through a visual medium. This is what film is about. Film needs to invoke emotion, move people to action, and fill space where old mediums have failed to reach a technologically savvy generation.

“The Messenger” is a video produced by Elevation Church in North Carolina. They shot with a Canon 5D Mark II and edited with Final Cut (they were not specific on what version) Da Vinci effect/filter. The person they used to do the voice over on the film had an intriguingly unique voice that fit the film excellently. The feel of the film was gathered by the music, voice over, acting, shots, and audio all working together. Did you notice how they set the scene in the very beginning with a wide shot of the man riding his horse into the frame? Also, within that shot they used the Rule of Thirds. From there, they went right into a close up and extreme close up shot and finished the story with him back on his horse, victorious. The film does jump around a lot from where the man was previously to where he is now, but it was well done to the point that as a viewer I could track the full story this way. Did you also notice how they panned from the trees to the man riding his horse into woods? That is a great shot and one that should be replicated. Panning is a great way to segue into different shots.

“G.O.S.P.E.L. Propaganda” is a great video for advanced cinematographers to look at. Notice the different angles the director uses: wide shot, close up, extreme close up, looking up at the man speaking, shooting eye level with him and medium wide shot. The editor used a variety of shots in a single frame, which was a great edition. As shown in this video, out of focus shots can be effective and accenting them with powerful typography helps. Notice how the typography and music accent what the man is saying. It reinforces the topic and causes the audience to stop and take a look at what he is actually saying. The man speaking is passionate speaker who wrote a poem about the Gospel, now tell me that isn’t unique? Did you catch the floor moving and blowing out dusk effect? Did you see how the bass dropped when that happened? All of those different aspects worked together to make an intense and effective 3 seconds in the video. One thing I think the camera man could have fixed was the amount of head room he gave the man. Sometimes the shots were a little distracting with all the head room.

The Power of Music

Music is powerful in itself through its instruments and lyrics. It has the ability to move people emotionally. One song can make you feel sad about your recent break-up and the next can make you feel powerfully independent. Music compiled with visually stimulating video and effects can draw out particular emotions in stronger ways. Unfortunately, music videos do not do the visual medium and songs justice considering most of them don’t have a lot to do with the meaning of the actual song (usually they highlight the artist and their ability to stand and sing). On the other hand, when music is set behind a story, much like featured films in the box office, it makes you feel what the actors are feeling. On the other hand, wrong music at the wrong time can distract the audience and confuse them as to which emotion their supposed to be feeling. For instance, if you watch an action filled fighting scene in a movie, you wouldn’t hear “Bubbly” by Colbie Caillat. If you did, you would be thinking to yourself how that ruined the scene. More than likely, you would hear a victorious and triumphant background track which helped display bravery, courage, and resilience to defeat. Music is one of the most important aspects in your film. It can either make or break the emotions you want the audience to experience.

Let’s take a look at a few videos whose music really brings their story to life.

“Don’t Be That Awkward Runner” is a humorous short film. The background track is a song that motivates people. Their choice of song is great because, it captures the humorous aspect of the video as well as the seriousness of not being that runner. If you are that runner “someday love may find you” (but not likely). Notice how they seamlessly edited the song to match the video.

Although the “John Piper and the Prosperity Gospel” video is a typography film, it still reinforces the power of music message. The music is commanding behind the radical words John Piper is representing. In my viewing, I felt as though the music really strengthened whatever emotion I was feeling at any particular time. The inflection in John Piper’s voice and build of the music helped me feel, imagine, and see exactly what the he wanted me to.

“Are You Ready?” is a video made for a series at a mega-church in Arizona. They didn’t use any spoken words in this “bumper” (what we call a short video right before the sermon), but the music, editing style, and video brought everything together for an effective video.

“The Bourne Ultimatum” is a great example of how music brings to life the story. Notice how in the beginning the music and video are building in suspense. They both build and then jump into a fast paced drumming while he’s running. During the fight, the music is suspended and your eyes are glued to the action unfolding in front of you. All of the Bourne movies have incredible sound tracks that draw out a variety of emotions.

“Move” was written and produced by a group of guys who traveled the world. I chose this for my last example because it is the perfect video that incorporates music in every part of it’s editing style. As you watch it, notice how the cuts go with the beat of the song. They use an upbeat song to encourage others to travel and move. Personally, I believe the way that they shot the film does just that.

Editing

Probably the most important thing you will ever to do a video is edit it. Editing is what structures the footage of the film and it has the potential to tell your story in a variety of different ways. As the editor, it is important to have an eye for which shots to use, cuts to make, and audio levels to adjust. When you start, it is best to ask yourself: What shots work best? Which ones tell the best story? What story am I telling?

As the director and editor, you must decide the direction of the film. This will help you organize your shots, audio effects, music and other aspects of your film. The greatest power in film making lies in the hands of the editor. Not only is it powerful, but is can be the scariest position to be in.

As an editor, it is safe to assume that nothing will go the way you plan. It is important to save your data in a couple different areas. This is a precaution if your program has a defect, computer crashes, or someone throws away your data. In any case, expect the worst and hope for the best.

Some of the best editors I have encountered are those who are creative and enjoy doing long, tedious, detailed work. It takes a lot of patience as an editor to edit a film and know the right amount of time to place after an person is talking, where the audio should come in and which video cuts to make.

 

Green Screen

News stations, weather stations, action movies and video games all use the same approach to graphics. Each of these various genres use a video technique called Chroma Key, also known as Green/Blue Screen. The only difference between the blue and green screen is dependent upon the directors overall goal. If you want your actor(actress) to wear a green shirt, then shoot with a blue background and vice versa. This will keep them from blending in the background and becoming “transparent” to whatever you fill the green/blue screen with. The basis of a green screen is to create a background that would otherwise be impossible or highly expensive to do. For instance, if you need to shoot at a beach and you are in Arizona, the beach may be too far to travel to and far too much money. The Chroma Key makes it possible for you to substitute your desired background into any subject.

Normally, Chroma Key is used for films with a lot of special effects. Computer Graphics (C.G.) and Green Screen go hand in hand; take into consideration the movie Transformers or Star Wars. Both films used C.G. effects and Green Screen to accomplish backgrounds and “transforming effects” that have brought in some of the greatest revenues for the box office. Although C.G. has come a long way from when Star Wars first came out to the new age of Transformers, we have see a new generation of C.G. taking the stage to make films look more dramatic and realistic. So how do they do it? How do film makers design such “real” C.G. footage?

In order to pull off Green Screen effectively, lighting must be a priority. When lighting a Green Screen “stage” you will need a 3-point lighting system which consists of a Key, Fill, and Hair/Background light. First evenly light the background of the “stage” so that lighting across the actual Green Screen is as similar as possible. This may take two lights; Tungsten lights are good for Green Screen; however you will need to cover the light with a CTB (Color Temperature Blue or Blue Gels), because Tungsten casts an orange-ish glow. This will create a cooler, warmer tone to the screen. On the other hand, fluorescent lights cast cool blue colors and are possibly cheaper and easier to get a hold of. The next light you will want to place is your Key light. This is the most “head on” light you will use. Start by placing it directly in front of your subject and then move it to the right or left about 10 – 15 degrees. If you use a soft box it will keep from your subject becoming too “hot” (over lit) in spots including, but not limited to their face, clothing, and even the background that you just lit. Placing this light will cast a shadow on one side of your subjects face and this is where your Fill light comes in. Cast the Fill light on your subjects side of the face with the shadow from the Hair light. It is always beneficial to have these lights on dimmers so you can adjust properly. Once you have figured out your lighting, there are a few things you need to consider: one, is your light matching the background you plan to place behind your subject? If you place your subject in a dark night scene and they are heavily lit, the two will not match and you will be able to tell you used a green screen. Two, make the green screen as seamless as possible. The entire goal of Green Screen is to make it look natural. You want it to look natural and as though you actually shot it there. Three, most of the work in Green Screen comes in post production. Post production approaches vary on the type of software you use.

As we have discussed in previous posts it is important to keep things real and this is essential to green screen. I cannot say that I know a lot of people who enjoy watching a movie that is completely and visibly Green Screened. Illusion is great for films, but too much illusion can work against itself. Personally, I think Green Screen should be used very little by amateur cinematographers. I think you should experiment with it and learn how to use it appropriately and properly. However, I prefer not to use it because I don’t personally enjoy editing it. Green screen in post production is time consuming, but has become easier with the advancement of software’s.

Click here for an epic fail at Green Screen. Notice how the man’s tie changes colors!

Click here to look at a Green Screen film that has taken months of preparation and post production editing.

Location Location Location!

Location has the ability to tell your story effectively or be a distraction to what you are trying to tell. Remember before you start shooting the acronym R-O-C-K-Y: Relevance, Originality, Committment, Kash (Money), Your Access. This will help you produce a film where all aspects are working together; rather than producing one where their are conflicting details.

Location relevance is important for bringing your story to life. Use surroundings effectively to capture your audience. If you are taping someone who is talking about death and desolation, shoot them in the desert with cactus’s and tumble weeds. If you are talking about the busyness of life, shoot them on an inner city street with a lot of vehicle or foot traffic. Keep your location relevant to your story line. However, sometimes it is important, especially if you are interviewing someone to use an interesting background. If your background is too busy then it may take the audiences eyes off of the subject. I must warn you that this video may be controversial; however, if you pay more attention to the shots and the background, you will begin to understand how in some ways a background can be distracting. Even though it may look like this location may look like it has nothing to do with the subject, it actually shows a lot of similarities as a Victorian Church. Notice the different angles and how the camera crew has set up the different angles.

Originality is important! There are so many opportunities for anyone to post videos and messages and if you want yours to be heard or even seen you have to take a different approach to the subject matter. Think about what makes you unique as a cinematography and incorporate that into your films. Try to stretch the limits of what you think you can do and experiment and try new things. In doing this, you will fail, but don’t be afraid to pick yourself up and learn from others around you.

Making films take a lot of time and a lot of trial and error! You as a director have to be committed to your ideas to carry them out to fruition. Be ambitious and persevere through adversity! As I have said in previous posts your video will never be finished; you can always make minor adjustments here and there. Always learn from the mistakes you have made and the mistakes others have made. This will save you a lot of time and energy in the future. If you are testing out new shots commit to them, because you never know when a strange shot is a million dollar shot!

Money (Kash) in today’s economy seems to be an ongoing battle. Although it may be hard to come by, remember that fundraising, film festivals, and other competitions or sponsors can help your dream come alive! You don’t need the best of the best equipment to create a professional quality videos. It is important as a user to know how to use your equipment correctly and effectively to get the most out of it. If you don’t use your equipment properly, you may be jeopardizing the quality of your video.

It is important to note that not every location is “free.” Certain public domains are off limits without permission prior to recording. Such locations include malls, airports, hospitals, libraries, and more.  If you don’t go through the proper channels to shoot, as a team you may face large law suits for illegally recording. Be sure that your location is a safe recording zone.

Location is very important to help tell your digital story. Use locations that are interesting and push the limits as to what shots you take. If you don’t take some risks in shooting videos, you may never know how much you can do.

Interviewing

Now that we have taken an over view to pre-production aspects, lets take a deeper look into actually shooting. When interviewing someone, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Keep your subjects from wearing really bright colors and thin pinstripes. Often times thin stripes cause the camera to produce noise or “flutter” on the subject’s shirt. Bright colors such as vibrant whites or yellows can cause spots on the frame to be over lit. For additional tips on what to wear on camera, click here.
• Keep your subject looking presentable; this includes hair, make-up (if applicable), and attire.
• When your subject is talking, have them speak in a slower than normal pace, clearly (enunciating words), and normal use of voice inflections when needed. If they do not speak the language clearly and effectively or have a heavy accent, it would be in the best interest of the viewer to use subtitles. Also if the audio is a little unclear use subtitles.
• The subjects story or topic must be interesting and unique. Viewers want you to keep their attention and if you fail to do so, your take on the story is less likely to be presented effectively.
• Allow the subjects personality to shine on camera. If they smile a lot capture those moments on camera, possibly before their interview. For a reference video, click here.
• If the subject is using a hand held microphone, keep your them from waving it around, talking with the microphone (as in hand motions), and holding it too close to their mouth. Sometimes it is easier if the interviewer holds the microphone, but this is all dependent on the speaking and body language of the interviewee.
• Effective interviews incorporate different angles in their video. This includes, but is not limited to the person speaking side shots, straight on, and possibly the hands or feet of the person. Click here to see an example (you don’t have to watch the full 10 minutes; however the first 5 are good).
• When shooting your subject, do not leave too much head room. If there is too much head room, it distracts the audience. When shooting a documentary/interview style film, you want to do a wide shot to establish your scene, followed by a close up, medium close up, or extreme close up (in no particular). Your first shot should always set the stage for your video.
•  Light your subjects face with a soft box lighting unit and back light them with either another soft box or another light. This will keep sharp light from hitting your subjects face. If you wish to keep your subjects face anonymous, just use a soft box to back light the subject.
• B-Roll is a great addition to interviewing someone. When you are interviewing a person, you are telling a story. B-Roll is alternate footage that you use to place inside of your film. This footage should help enhance your story. Click here to watch a video that has effective and meaningful b-roll footage inside the interview/documentary film.
• Always listen and respond to your subject and never ask them “yes” or “no” questions. If your subject is slow to give you extensive answers, ask more questions and dive deeper into issue. Don’t push your subject over the edge, but ask questions that require detailed answers. This will give the most material to work with while editing. It is easy to start with “warm up” questions and ask them to talk about their day, the weather, and other small talk topics. During this time your crew can do audio checks, focus and place cameras properly and any other checks necessary prior to recording.
• When you set up your camera, it is best when your subject is not looking directly into the camera answering questions. Give them a focal point just to the right of the camera. You want to make sure that your subjects eye line appears natural and somewhat equal with the camera (you don’t want them looking at the floor or the ceiling). It is helpful if you have someone stand there that the subject can look at.
• The power of the interview is truly in the editing process. How you edit the interview truly brings the story to life. Choose your cuts wisely and experiment piecing them together to tell the BEST possible story you can with your footage.

Pre-Production Recap

We have looked at a lot of various things to consider when producing a video. Let’s recap and look at a few different aspects we haven’t touched on before:

• Brainstorm your project, decide what the overall plot of the story is and how you are going to accomplish it.
• Research sets you plan to use on your film, what you plan to accomplish and how possible it is with the equipment you have. Look at various angles of the story and tell it in a unique way and you can do that through researching your topic and how others have approached the topic.
• Story board your approach. This includes angles, sound effects, shot list, location, time of day, and other information you find important to that specific shot. It is helpful to write down your “take” number so that when you edit it is easier to find your best take. Also, during this stage it is important to write a script so that you don’t shoot blindly. Your script should have a lot of the same material as your story board (sometimes it’s easier to choose one or the other). While shooting your film, you do not have to stick to  exactly what the scripts says, rather use it as a guide through the film. If you have a better idea for the shot or location, take the risk and do it!
• Create a production plan! This includes developing a crew which may consist of producer, director, sound people, camera operators, equipment movers, wardrobe people, actors/actresses, make-up artists,  editors, graphic artists, and many other people. Not all teams will include this many members and generally working on small films you will fulfill about four or more jobs yourself. A production plan needs to have research, interviewing of the subjects, locations, approach, equipment package, crew, and most importantly a budget.
• Create a budget for your project and try to the best of your ability to stick to it! Shoot for under your budget if you need to.
• Decide on what gear you want to take out shooting. Think about what parts of the lighting kit you need to take, tripods, cameras, extra fully charged batteries, SD cards, sound recording equipment, microphones, headphones, and anything else you may need. When we would go shooting for my internship we would always bring small snacks and lots of water in case we were out later than expected (which was most of the time). You will also need to allow extra time to correct any problems you may run into on set.
• Now that you have successfully accomplished all the work prior to production, pack up your gear and GO OUT AND SHOOT! Take risks, put your knowledge into action and continually learn how to see things on set through the eyes of a lens. This will help you find creative shots and approaches to a story. Don’t forget to be open minded to an idea that is different from your original. I have experienced many times that stories unfold if you just turn the camera on let it roll (this is only true for specific genres of film (such as documentary or during interviews); others will not apply).

Where’s All My Money?!

As you begin your cinematography career you may not have or need a budget; but as you become more experienced this will be a part of the production process. When developing a budget it is important to not overlook the little details (such as food for your crew members). Project Managers often get themselves into trouble when they don’t include discounted items they hoped to secure, create alternate budgets (in case they can’t get exactly what they need), or exclude contingency money (your “what if” money…it should be about 10% of your entire budget). “What If” money is a great way to plan ahead for unexpected expenses.

If you want to lower your budget, here are a few things to consider:

• Find free or inexpensive equipment. Sometimes it is cheaper to rent equipment especially if it is something you will only use a few times.
• Find a free or inexpensive crew. This often includes interns, people who have some knowledge of film making and the process it goes through.
• Find free or inexpensive snacks to buy the crew. If you buy in bulk from Sam’s Club or Costco you are able to get more food at a cheaper price.
• Use cars to travel. Sometimes public transportation can be expensive and often times trucks use more gasoline.
• Shoot in less days with less people. This particular consideration looks at larger movie sets where you actually have to hourly pay your employees.
• Research the best deals on needed products and equipment.
• Use original music! Adding music to your film can be a very difficult and expensive task when royalties and licensing come into play. If you fail to adhere to any law, you may be facing serious fines and/or court cases.
• Try to use public domain footage. If you are trying to shoot in a particular location such as a museum or zoo, your team may have to pay a fee to use their facilities.
• Natural light is the best lighting and the most inexpensive lighting to use.
• While you are working through the different scenes, remember to log your footage. This will help the editing process move much smoother and faster. If the director writes down the “take number,” then the editors know exactly which direction he/she is taking the film.

Budgeting can be the most strenuous part of the production process, but it is one of the most important. Take your time and research how you can save money on the various project you may have going.

Shot List

How you shoot your video is important. The overall goal is to recreate what your natural eye sees through the lens of a camera. Most directors begin with a script where they develop a plethora of shots for the film. This is a very important step in pre-production. Here are a few shots that will help you get started.

• Wide Shot: Used to establish the scene; usually the first scene
• Medium Wide Shot: Establishes the scene, but shot is not as vast
• Medium Shot: Object in frame is featured more prominently in the frame
• Medium Close Up: Featured object is dominantly in the frame
• Close Up: Part of the featured object is filling the frame
• Extreme Close Up: Detail of the featured object fills the frame
• Symmetrical Shot: Dominant featured object is in the center of the frame and sides are equal to make the frame balanced
• Asymmetrical Shot: Frame is not balanced with objects equally on each side
• Point of View (POV): This shows the subjects point of view

While shooting, keep in mind the Rule of Thirds. Imagine the frame is divided into thrirds horizontally and vertically. The most interesting shots are the ones where the object is placed where the “lines” intersect. Similar to photography, it is more aesthetically pleasing to people to have the featured object in different spots in the frame.

The most important thing about shots is to view others work and decide which shots helped better capture the story and which ones didn’t. From there develop your own and EXPERIMENT! You may not get it right the first time but keep critically viewing your work on how you can make it better and decide what worked and what didn’t. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and LEARN from other people’s mistakes.

Lighting

Lighting is important for high quality videos. Essentially, it can make or break your film because in video production, the goal is to make things feel and look as real as possible. Todays rules in video are to engage your audience to the point that they think they are in the film; For example, 3D movies.

Lights are easily the most hazardous piece of equipment on set. Here are a few guidelines to protect yourself and those around you. First, use heavy duty extension chords, gloves, and scrims (which are protective covering for hot lights). Sandbags are also a great way to steady lights. (For more information on specific lights, please view my “Education” page).

After working on a few different sets, I have learned that natural light is the best light for a camera. If you don’t have natural light, replicate it as best as you can. If you are not shooting in natural light, close off all sources of natural light so that you can manipulate your different light stands to look natural. However, sometimes as a cinematography you have to shoot in low light and to do so effectively, adjust your gain function, shoot wide, and decrease your shutter speed. These three steps will help you shoot clearer videos. Some cameras have the ability to put “zebra stripes” on the picture to show where there is too much light.

Finally, here are five easy steps to set up lighting:

1. Decide where you want to shoot.
2. Set up your camera and monitor (if you use a monitor) and choose your frame.
3. Take control of the lighting in the room (close off all natural light if you are not using it as your main light source).
4. Assemble your lights.
5. Adjust your lights and set up the final frame to look as though it was natural light.

Lighting is probably the most important and difficult aspect of filming. If a subject is too hot (washed out), then people focus on the details rather than the story. Keep your light natural looking and people will be less likely to focus on minute hiccups. When you shoot, you want to make sure that you are creating exactly what your natural eye see through the lens of a camera. If you see light highlighting one side of a tree, you want to capture that through the lens of your camera. If you make your video as “real” as you can, viewers are more likely to keep watching.