Frustrated with all the free post software and unsophisticated audiences

J

jbcon

Active member
I just wondering if any of you guys get frustrated like I do with all the freebie or cheap post-production stuff out there that anyone can use and attempted to do what we do…. I am far from a professional and categorize myself as more of a hobbyist than anything else but get a lot of enjoyment from shooting footage and learning new things. I was slightly frustrated this weekend when I debuted my first couple of episodes of a travel series I created to highlight some of my personal travel videos and my audience was equally impressed with my work as a kid who did a photo slide-show from footage taken with her cell phone.

While I have invested several thousand dollars in camera equipment and related (lights, stabilizers, audio recorders, etc), not to mention my post-production stuff… I found myself presenting my work; which I can admit is nowhere near the caliber of most of the folks here on the forums, up against my niece who did a photo montage of her travels which she shot with a 5 MP still camera and her cell phone, then edited in Windows Moviecreator and produced to 480i DVD.

My audience was so unsophisticated that while they recognized my work was more professional looking, they just didn’t appreciate the efforts that I put into mine to get it where it was. I could have done my intros and effects in PowerPoint and the rest on a free program and they would have been equally impressed…

Part of me feels like I need to keep at it so I can educate my audience, but with technology the way it is, it is frustrating. Part of my problem is I am new to it all and have only been shooting and producing my own stuff for a couple years, but am wondering why I put in several hundred hours of work for something that a kid can do in 20 minutes on a laptop.

Anyone got any motivational words worth sharing on the subject.




https://vimeo.com/conleyfilms
 
I don't think it has anything to do with educating the audience. People like what they like and they'll never care how long it took you to create something. If you're just learning then you're going to spend a lot of time mastering skills to achieve good results. Some of those skills might be automated with free or cheap software, but will always be more limited than what you can achieve with a proper tool.

Professionals use professional tools for a reason. If they provide more functionality than you need, then perhaps the time required to learn them isn't warranted.
 
Agree with Snazzy. I got little recognition early on and felt like chucking it all. But over time that changed as I got better and found the niche viewers for the subject matter I specialize in. If a novice with non-pro gear can do better than me then that just challenges me to try to become better.
 
You're right... if I love what I do and get enjoyment out of it, it shouldn't matter how much time I put in. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the work and the time I put into it. I guess it boils down to learning not only the tools of the trade, but like you said, what the audience wants.

Its one thing to try and create something that is new, innovative and appeals to a wide audience, it is another all together to get an audience to enjoy something that they probably would never seek out and watch on their own. The fact that this most recent project of mine was travel videos, probably explains my challenge. Who likes to watch someone elses travel video anyway? As a business model, that probably wouldn't make a whole lot of money, but it would be fun to travel the world and take other people's videos for them....


I had more interest on my short film that had me using really bad special effects and acting to tell the story of a guy reading through paperwork to find info on the guy who killed a girl in a picture.
 
You just have to accept that part of your job as a filmmaker is to make your work appear seamless to the average viewer. If they aren't noticing the work you've done, and simply enjoying the content, it's because you've done your job well. How much enjoyment they get has just as much, if not more to do with the content itself being compelling than the technical virtuosity on display.
 
The teenager's piece was also likely cut to a recognizable pop tune, which a reputable pro or informed amateur would not do due to copyright issues, but the choice of music can make a huge difference to the audience perception of the work.
 
Batutta said it all, everything you need to know, that which all of your decisions should be made upon:
It all has "more to do with the content itself being compelling than the technical virtuosity on display".
The lesson is clear. None of that software matters _NONE OF IT (really - except maybe for sound). Go buy a Fisher-Price camera Pixelvision PXL2000.
Here's an example of something shot on the PXL2000:
 
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no one cares how much blood, sweat, and tears you put into your project. nor do people give a crap about how much your equipment cost or what software you used. all that matters to the audience is if the film engages and entertains them. it could look "professional", but if your work is boring and lifeless, no one would want to watch it. you need to figure out what your niece's presentation had that yours lacked.
 
And on the other side of the coin. She's your niece so, I assume younger? Especially at a family thing - the younger will always garner the higher praise and so they should - they need to build their confidence.
 
Content is king.

All the equipment, technical knowledge and experience are subordinate to however good the story and concept is. Just keep working at what speaks to your passion and compare yourself to the best in that genre.
 
"normal" people don't see the amount of work behind the productions we provide, they just judge the final results - there will ever be the most approval from filmmakers to filmmakers
 
Something can be enjoyed if technically inept if the content works, while technically excellent products can be amazingly dull. People only notice content when it's exceptionally good or bad, but notice technical issues only when they're bad. Good technique is transparent and unnoticed. Most of my stuff is pretty dull, content wise, and the best I can do is hope the technical side doesn't get noticed! If the only comments are on the content, that, for me, is good! Weird industry isn't it?
 
Ryan Farnes said:
Content is king.

All the equipment, technical knowledge and experience are subordinate to however good the story and concept is. Just keep working at what speaks to your passion and compare yourself to the best in that genre.
Click to expand...

One of my favorite lessons learned. I was having some success making shorts for a company. Then I got some new equipment. The next short used every trick the new equipment was capable of. It was the worst thing I ever made. I got so enamored with using the tool to the fullest, rather than being sure the content was good.
 
Little kids making things and showing them off is cute as hell. When shown side-by-side to with more polished work, the audience will side with the kid because all the odds are against them and yet they persevered. So the story is really about the filmmaker and their film, and though you may be an interesting fellow, there is no competing with that. Remember why you are doing this...it's fun!

Now you know how Salieri felt.
 
I think there are a ton of good points brought up here.

My bit to add would be to realize that we live in the day and age where a film like Avatar can introduce sophisticated new filmmaking techniques and smash box office records, but is a pretty loathed film by a large percentage of the audience. Yes there are people that liked the film, I'm one of them, but I dare not mention that I still like Avatar anymore. Even the few people I've seen the film with on theatrical release that initially liked it, now don't really think it is anything that interesting nor would they watch it again. Most people I've talked to about Avatar think I'm a fool or have a low IQ for finding the film worthwhile. This is both online conversations and real live ones too.

Maybe an anecdotal example, but what it showed me is you can't win. Make what you want, what moves you, enjoying the creative journey, and if an audience follows then great. If not, then at least you can use the experience and learn from it or have fond memories of the project (unless it was one of those projects that was an epic pain in the arse to make, cause those can sting).
 
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