What are the rules of filmmaking?

so many people disavow the rules because to learn them properly is such a pain in the a$$. The problem is that if you don't know and follow these rules your film will most likely be a pain in the a$$.

It seems these days that people think that just because you can turn a camera on, you can shoot gold with it. We are seeing so much crap anymore because people simply don't watch great films and ask "Why is that so great?". THey just go out and shoot willy nilly at cray distracting angles, crossing the line and causing the subject to be talking form both sides of the screen. I really wish that more people would be concerned about "the rules". I mean there are rules for writing because if you end every sentence with a preosition people think that stupid you are.

C'mon I mean WRITE, SHOOT, EDIT is great and all but what if all of a sudden there was a "self operation device" that saved the world from huge health care costs. Sure it would be great but how many people would be running around with internal bleeding and massive disfiguring scarring. Sure it is a preposterous analogy but c'mon there is so much more to the art of story telling than WRITE, SHOOT, EDIT. Do degrade the people that are true story tellers.

Like many other arts, film making is very rarely a natural talent, don't figure that it is.

But over all remember to pay your crew.
 
When somebody says "write, shoot, edit", they are not saying to necessarily ignore the rules. But there is no teacher like experience.

Yoou are correct that filmmaking is a CRAFT, and hence takes discipline, time, and skill to master...or even be competent at. People thinking they can pick up a camera and be great is not a new phenomenon, nor is it unique to film (ask anybody who has given guitar lessons). But the advice given is in CONJUNCTION with references to specific learning materials.
 
Johnmilton said:
Ps. Santo Domingo es un lugar muy lindo!
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Besides its beauty it´s very dusty, hot, noisy and with a lot of underpaid jobs to do:violin:

Referring to leaning the rules of filmmaking: Watch your favorite movie twice or even more times. I hate that, in fact I avoid to do so (only when it´s going to be repeated on TV years later) But its a really great lection about filmmaking.
 
"So your belly is full? OK you´re paid. Get out of here!" Hmmm. that´s the way they use to pay you in the caribbeans. Not always a good deal if you really want a willingly hard working crew that stands behind you. :huh:
 
Naanan said:
so many people disavow the rules because to learn them properly is such a pain in the a$$. The problem is that if you don't know and follow these rules your film will most likely be a pain in the a$$.

It seems these days that people think that just because you can turn a camera on, you can shoot gold with it. We are seeing so much crap anymore because people simply don't watch great films and ask "Why is that so great?". THey just go out and shoot willy nilly at cray distracting angles, crossing the line and causing the subject to be talking form both sides of the screen. I really wish that more people would be concerned about "the rules". I mean there are rules for writing because if you end every sentence with a preosition people think that stupid you are.

C'mon I mean WRITE, SHOOT, EDIT is great and all but what if all of a sudden there was a "self operation device" that saved the world from huge health care costs. Sure it would be great but how many people would be running around with internal bleeding and massive disfiguring scarring. Sure it is a preposterous analogy but c'mon there is so much more to the art of story telling than WRITE, SHOOT, EDIT. Do degrade the people that are true story tellers.

Like many other arts, film making is very rarely a natural talent, don't figure that it is.

But over all remember to pay your crew.
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Big ups to Jim Brennan. His post was pretty much what I was getting at. Nothing is going to beat practical , hands on experience.

The more you WRITE scripts, the more you SHOOT film/tape, the more you EDIT, and the more you SHOW your work to others, is going to teach you many things about filmmaking and the world it is connected to. If you care, you will do what you need to develop as an artist. At the end of the day, you are going to create something good, or bad, or somewhere in between.

Sure we live in a world now where filmmaking is a more common, anyone with a 3 chip camera and a decent computer can make a movie, but what mostly happens is alot of crap is made. Still the idea of trying shouldn't be discouraged. The real artist will know it, learn the craft, the language of cinema, and try to get better.

If you are worried about the willie nillies that are burning tape or film will congest the world of watchable movies, let them. Eventually they will fall to the wayside.

I agree that there is more underneath the surface of this simple concept. There is infinitely more to the art and craft of making good films which can not be ignored. The art form is a hundred years in the making and still going. If someone wants to learn about filmmaking, going out and doing it is the best way to learn in my opinion.

After all, there were filmmakers before there were film schools.

Peace.

eMJay

*Here's an inspiring little quote by Stanley Kubrick for aspiring film junkies to ponder.

“The best education in film is to make one. I would advise any neophyte director to try to make a film by himself. A three-minute short will teach him a lot. I know that all the things I did at the beginning were, in microcosm, the things I'm doing now as a director and producer."

(...and feed the crew...and pay them if you can.) =^)
 
NBCshooter said:
Whatever James says goes. Pray Alone is the best-looking short on the internet, period.
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I'll look for it. I just saw a great short today available on the iTunes music store. It's called "Cashback".

I know, I know. Everyone here has probably seen it. I might be late to the party. So feel free to shower me with Noob mail if you so desire. But if you haven't, check it out. It's a really great short.

MJ
 
Thanks for that NBC shooter. Mucho appreciado.

Joe1008 - I really meant at it's most basic. Paying your crew is all well and good in an idea world but not altogether practical for most of the people here - so what I was proposing was at the most basic - get them some food. Its just a courtesy.

Beyond that - as stephen spielberg himself has said - there are no rules. A brief viewing of Tony Scott's Domino will surely back that up.
 
jamestmather - That trailer has a great look.

As an actor I learned a concept that's applicable to all the arts. 'You learn the rules in order to forget them.'
 
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Thanks RSBush.

Yep, that rules thing is true - I was being facetious at some level by saying that there are no rules but the best practitioners of the no-rule thing are those who know the rules but choose to break them to good effect. That better sums up the theory.
 
jamestmather: I know, too, what wonders a pizza and a Coce can do. Especially if you have the possibility to feed AND to pay. I mean, it´s really astonishing how much good vibrations you can achieve with food that don´t appear when you simply show a big bill. Must have to do something with the archaic structure of human personality. RESPECT to all those enthusiastic people who make possible so many projects with their voluntary and unpaid work.
 
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Prey Alone is available on Jonny3d.com in the mpegs section - Jonnys a mate who acted as animator on the 3d stuff and hosts the movie on his site.

I recommend the hires version - the lores is just too dark and hard to see.
 
rules of filmaking
1-never hire a student from a filmaking school.....sorry
2-shot in frame
3-focused
4-master shot
5-2pop ups shots
6-cutaway shots
7-lot of coffe for the crew
8- you got a movie
 
I'd say from my personal experience that the most important thing is to get the balance right. There are many aspects to making a film, identify what they are and ensure that someone concentrates on getting that little piece of the jigsaw right. That person could well be you, but if you feel you are lacking in any any particular area, get someone who understands the rudiments and rules of that area to handle it, they will know where the rules can be broken and where they must not be broken. My point is that if you wanna make an omelette, you don't start by ignoring the rule that it must have eggs in it, some things are fundamental.

When I talk about getting things in balance, what I mean is that you could get it spot on technically with the directing, editing, lighting, etc, but the storyline sucks or you get all that right and the acting is crap. There are so many things involved that have to be done right to get a good movie.
 
djgvinny said:
rules of filmaking
1-never hire a student from a filmaking school.....sorry
2-shot in frame
3-focused
4-master shot
5-2pop ups shots
6-cutaway shots
7-lot of coffe for the crew
8- you got a movie
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wow, so you're an idiot. ok, cool. :)

Well I, as with many others on this board go to film school. So we'll make our own little rule. Never hire anyone who misspells their own #2 rule.

Please. 2pop ups shots, cutaway shots, master shots? What is that?

To whomever it was who originally started this thread. Let me say first off.

The 180 line is a technical thing. Draw an imaginary line between your two actors at any given position and that is "the line." basically, you're splitting the room in half with that line. Typically, if you cross it (or go past 180 degrees) with the camera, eye-directions won't match and the space can become disorienting. That being said, it's done all the time. Look at a show like 24... there is no line. Of course, space is clearly established, etc, so that people aren't confused.

in the end, it's really your call. You can do anything you want, given money, time, talent, equipment, etc.

Throughout history, people have created sets of rules for performance, film, art, etc. that's always going to happen. They are not rules locked in stone, they are rules that were created for various reasons, some timely, some for experimental purposes, some for economics, and so on.

I would never say that you have to follow any rules, or create any new rules. But studying past "rules" "movements" and so forth will only help increase your filmic education, and certainly wont hurt you.

That being said, when someone learns something new (especially in an institution) it is often common for them to dogmatically obey that new knowledge. Clinging to book smarts, because they have no street smarts. that's what such geniuses as the guy above that I quoted use as fuel for bashing film students.

I think the best is to have both. It never hurts to know too much...

zoo

---
http://www.mysilentsadness.com
 
cineaste: listen to your avatar --

"Perhaps it sounds ridiculous, but the best thing that young filmmakers should do is to get hold of a camera and some film and make a movie of any kind at all."

"[FONT=helvetica, arial]The best education in film is to make one. I would advise any neophyte director to try to make a film by himself. A three-minute short will teach him a lot. I know that all the things I did at the beginning were, in microcosm, the things I'm doing now as a director and producer. There are a lot of noncreative aspects to filmmaking which have to be overcome, and you will experience them all when you make even the simplest film: business, organization, taxes, etc., etc. It is rare to be able to have an uncluttered, artistic environment when you make a film, and being able to accept this is essential.[/FONT][FONT=helvetica, arial]
[/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]The point to stress is that anyone seriously interested in making a film should find as much money as he can as quickly as he can and go out and do it. And this is no longer as difficult as it once was. When I began making movies as an independent in the early 1950s I received a fair amount of publicity because I was something of a freak in an industry dominated by a handful of huge studios. Everyone was amazed that it could be done at all. But anyone can make a movie who has a little knowledge of cameras and tape recorders, a lot of ambition and -- hopefully -- talent. It's gotten down to the pencil and paper level. We're really on the threshold of a revolutionary new era in film."[/FONT]

Stanley Kubrick
 
zoostory said:
The 180 line is a technical thing. Draw an imaginary line between your two actors at any given position and that is "the line." basically, you're splitting the room in half with that line. Typically, if you cross it (or go past 180 degrees) with the camera, eye-directions won't match and the space can become disorienting. That being said, it's done all the time. Look at a show like 24... there is no line. Of course, space is clearly established, etc, so that people aren't confused.
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My personal definition of "The Line" is specifically the eyeline between any two characters interacting at any moment. So in a show like 24, there is a constantly moving eyeline and most of the time the line is NOT being crossed in the edit. The edit points happen when the moving eyeline allows it to, without becoming disorientating. I'm not saying the line is never crossed, only that it's not crossed as much as implied by the above post.

I think this approach may help with the traditionally difficult big dinner table conversation scene with multiple eyelines.

Edit: Actually even more specifically it's the eyeline of the actor that is our focus of attention at any one moment. This covers the situation of the lone actor, and also when an actor isn't looking at another actor but is nevertheless our focus at the moment. If he/she is looking around then the line is sweeping around with their gaze, and this will determine a good time to make a cut to another angle which isn't disorientating.

Edit 2: 17 May 2006: Actually my above definition of "The Line" has been pointed out as being incorrect. Doh! See further posts below for clarification.
 
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