sometimes I hate non-technical people

orchidsofwrath

orchidsofwrath

Active member
This is a bit of a rant... I have no technical friends who would understand... I need to vent to you guys.

So I helped some buddies out with a film that was for a class project of theirs. It wasn't a film class but it was indeed a big project. Since nobody in the class new anything about making a film, naturally, everyones film was utter crap. Which is understandable since its not their hobby and they don't dedicate time to learning.
On the day we showed our films to the class, after my film (naturally my story, execution, and production was light years better than anyone elses because film-making is my passion.) I got a meager clap. Nobody really cared which is fine. Its what I expected...

but here's the part that really ruined my day and made me wanna kill someone: One kid said this to me: "wow I could tell your guys' movie was totally higher quality than everyone elses. Do you have a really expensive camera or something?"

It saddened me so much to realize that average non-technical people think my productions look good because my camera is good. It saddens me to know that most average people are incapable of noticing any technical/artistic details whatsoever such as shot comp, lighting, audio, continuity and artistic use of focus camera moves.

For the 1500 watts of lighting I lugged around to every location... For meticulously setting mixer levels and booming all dialogue... For all the blood hours I put into color grading, audio cleanup, mixing and mastering, and refining the movie... the average shmuck thinks I have a nice camera...

These kids held a handycam up while they really shittily acted out a PLAY in their living room... most of them didn't cut more than once ever 5 minutes, let alone had ANY thoughts in their mind remotely related to vizual storytelling.
Then they go and grab commercial music and throw it on and add stupid fancy title presets from windows movie maker....

Sometimes i wonder... do they think if their camera was nice and expensive like mine (yeah, my real expensive hollywood hv20...) their movies wouldn't look like ****?

Sometimes I feel like hobby film-making is a thankless skill to hone. But then I remember dvxuser and vimeo. I think i'd kill myself if not for places like that...

Anyone else feel like that ever? That people just blame your gear?
 
You have to understand that filmmaking is one of those things that if you do your job well the audience doesn't know you're there. That is the goal, that people can just be entertained by a good story, well told. Your average person has absolutely NO idea what goes into making a movie. They think it just all happens in two hours. My mother in law came to my set once just to see and was flabbergasted by the amount of work that goes on. She just thought actors were followed around with the camera and that was it. So don't be upset about it. That's what you strive for, that people can just enjoy your work without being hung up on how bad it looks, or sounds, or how terrible the acting is. If nobody notices then you are doing your job right. Nobody cares how hard you did or didn't work. All they care about is what's up on the screen.
 
Yup. Generally speaking, the only time non-production people will notice the technical aspect of a work, is when something's wrong. Competent lighting, sound, camera work, etc are basically transparent to the untrained eye.

First time my folks visited me on a feature set they were startled by the sheer size of the crew. They had imagined that I normally work with perhaps five to ten other people. Seeing thirty people on set to get a relatively simple shot is *not* what they were expecting.
 
Sad Max said:
Yup. Generally speaking, the only time non-production people will notice the technical aspect of a work, is when something's wrong.
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That's true of pretty much any work.

Or heck, just daily life -- which is generally about doing 10,000 things correctly every day, and no one notices if you do, only if you don't.
 
When people ask me crazy crap like that I ask them if they ever sit through the credits at the movie theatre. I tell them to sit through them next time. And understand that it took ALL THOSE PEOPLE to make a good 2 hour movie. And you can let them in on the secret that darn few held a camera, or acted in front of it.
 
i enjoy the unfiltered, raw response to the content you get from non-filmmakers. I do not enjoy talking about what lenses I used and how many people it took to "screw in a light bulb", so to speak.
 
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orchidsofwrath said:
Sometimes i wonder... do they think if their camera was nice and expensive like mine (yeah, my real expensive hollywood hv20...) their movies wouldn't look like shi*?
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Even many on DVXUSER feel the same way..."Oh, if I only had the Dvx"..."Oh, if I only had the HVX"..."Oh, if I only had the Red...then I could make my movie."
 
PerroneFord said:
When people ask me crazy crap like that I ask them if they ever sit through the credits at the movie theatre. I tell them to sit through them next time. And understand that it took ALL THOSE PEOPLE to make a good 2 hour movie.
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Of course it can also take that many people to make a thoroughly crappy 2 hour movie.

Zak Forsman said:
i enjoy the unfiltered, raw response to the content you get from non-filmmakers.
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Unfiltered, raw responses are better for you, anyway. More vitamins and minerals. Not to mention fiber.
 
In all fairness, the same crew that creates an absolute paragon of cinematic perfection on one project can very well end up perpetrating a crime against art and all that's decent, on the next go-round.

The finest crew in the world can't save inept, no-vision, no-taste producers/writers/directors from making the world's most craptacular groanfest, if that's what their hearts are truly set upon doing...
 
Actually, those usually *are* made with a much smaller-than-usual crew.

Frequently shows in the production values, too, but really who cares?
 
Well, I don't know anything about building say... a kitchen cabinet. But when I see some really awesome woodwork I know not to ask, "so... did you just buy a really first class jig saw?"
I know that 90% of the time its not soley tools that make something great. I think its from all the arts I've tried throughout my life. I guess I just think it'd be really awesome if other people had the same mentality.

I know what you guys mean though by making the technical side invisible just like in the dvxfest tips, hah. I guess I'm going to have to get over not being appreciated if i want to persue a career thats an artistic team effort. At least I know SOMEONE understands though (hah, you guys!).
 
Happens to me all the time. Never took note in a rant though.

"Hey man your film is sick. Is it HD? Sick camera." Meanwhile, my film is SD! (DVX)

Although hearing "HD" makes me and the DVX feel good :)

Robbie
 
cyclone said:
Even many on DVXUSER feel the same way..."Oh, if I only had the Dvx"..."Oh, if I only had the HVX"..."Oh, if I only had the Red...then I could make my movie."
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'Oh if only i had talent' - nobody seems to say that one?

:happy:
 
Loki said:
'Oh if only i had talent' - nobody seems to say that one?

:happy:
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Speeking about good analogies:

You hear all thos girlies out there saying
"Oh I´m so fat, I got to go on a diet and loose some pounds"

But I never heard on of them saying
"Good Lord, I´m so stupid, I got to read some books"

Back to topic:

I had it the other way round.
When I showed UNZEIT to my friends and family I heard:
"That looks almost like Hollywood,
I have never thought that YOU can do someting like that"


:) Frank
 
orchidsofwrath said:
One kid said this to me: "wow I could tell your guys' movie was totally higher quality than everyone elses. Do you have a really expensive camera or something?"
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I may get some flak for this but you probably should ask yourself why the kid's first sentence wasn't enough for you. I would have said " Hey, thanks man. Yeah, I have a pretty cool camera." If your focus is on the world telling you how great you are, you're probably in for a rough ride.
 
Batutta said:
Your average person has absolutely NO idea what goes into making a movie.
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Ha ha true, but on the flipside, I'm amazed by what the average person DOES know about the process. Maybe it's the massive exposure/bombardment of TV and movies in the 21st Century. Or maybe it's all the behind the scenes DVD features people are watching. :Drogar-Evil(DBG):

Especially the kids. They have grown up in an age where FCP is in the classroom and retailers are practically giving away 24p cameras.

Some people seem to know a whole lot. Others, not so much.
 
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