avery
Active member
wrote it and directed it. heres the link.
http://films.goldbullet.com/movies/joth.mp4
(thanks to nick louie for putting it up)
http://films.goldbullet.com/movies/joth.mp4
(thanks to nick louie for putting it up)
"Just Over The Hill"
- Thread starter avery
- Start date
was it shot progressivly or interlaced...looks interlaced maybe becasue of the compression problems (i am using a PC). Not to offend you but you need to work on a lot of things. As it is, You didnt need to use an xl2 to shoot this. The audio isnt really done well and way to typical. The acting was obviously bad but thats just something thats hard to help in ametuer film making. way 2 many zooms. Even when it could have worked like the first person shots of the sniper guy it just felt wrong. play with the shallow depth of field that is available with the XL2 and your cuts need to be tighter and quicker. sound effects are obviously way off and to the actual type of guns they are using and you need to use after effects or soemthing get some flashes to go with the gunshots. Based on the age of the actors i am guessing you are still very young, I think it is decnt work for someone your age if i am correct but if you want to improve learn your camera better and learn more about photography like DOF framing, apertures, focal lengths etc. keep posting..
J.R. Hudson
Spirit Animal
avery?
Feel free not to make post after post after post. Think about what you wan't to say and then post' if you need to add something; use the edit function.
Feel free not to make post after post after post. Think about what you wan't to say and then post' if you need to add something; use the edit function.
one peice of advice is that video is a closeup medium dont be afraid to get 2 close not everything has to be shown. dont frame everything centered, try putting subject to teh side and balancing the other side with something. the shallower the depth of field the more depth appears in teh pciture giving it more of a theatrical feeling. you can get shallow depth of feild using a few methods whihc you should google to learn more about but quickly they are wide apertures (low numbers), longer focal lengths (zoomed to telephoto rather than to wide) and bigger CCD size (cant really change the cd size on an XL2 but you can pruchase a 35mm adapter if you are willing. The XL2 is a great camera to learn on but you wont ge amazing results unles you really know how to use it. when i was 14 i was getting started with a digital 8 and used it for a long time before i got a new camera. There is a lot to be learnt even from crappy consumer cameras. It can teach you how crucuail lighting and by comparing the diffrences to a professional camera you will be able to see what professional equuipment allows you to do and why things look more professional than others. Learn your camera, practice composition and edit edit edit.
HDCinema25
Active member
avery,
Couple of things, try not to use the zoom too much. Using it way too many times usually screams "Amateur!" Like Yuppers said, use close ups. Like that beginning scene where one of the guys gets shot and the guy that was with him yells out "Private. Private!" A close up on his face as he tries to revive him so we can see his expressions. Even a close up on the dead private's face would be good too. Did you edit this with FCP? Premiere?
Kev
Couple of things, try not to use the zoom too much. Using it way too many times usually screams "Amateur!" Like Yuppers said, use close ups. Like that beginning scene where one of the guys gets shot and the guy that was with him yells out "Private. Private!" A close up on his face as he tries to revive him so we can see his expressions. Even a close up on the dead private's face would be good too. Did you edit this with FCP? Premiere?
Kev
HDCinema25
Active member
Forgot one thing about editing, be careful of jump cuts. Like the one in the very beginning when the two guys fall into the ditch, it looked kind of odd to me.
Kev
Kev
avery
Active member
LeSeulGiraffe, the snipers name is chris, and we did tell him to bring his pellet gun that looked real. lol. well thanks for all the comments guys, yeah i got the whole zoom thing down and am understanding the close ups to show emotion. thank you very much. oh and HDCinema i did this on iMovie HD.
STORYTELLER32
Well-known member
Oh come on guys, cut him some slack. He was obviously just taking a shot with the camera and getting his feet wet in film making for the first time. Avery, you'll learn more from your mistakes than you will from your successes. Congrats on taking the plunge.
I'm not going to discuss the techincals because it would take too long to type it all out. But you should look into a book on lighting for film. And sound is of course a biggy. It's just as important as the visuals.
A couple of tips for you in general for your next one:
First and foremost, try and work out your story before you start shooting. The story is your foundation and if it doesn't work, you'll lose your audience.
When shooting, get more coverage of your scenes. I'll give you an example:
When you had the two soldiers lying against the hill taking cover, you should look to shoot that same scene several times but from different angles and distances from the actors (or subject). This is called coverage.
The common way to get coverage of a scene is to first start with a master shot (usually full figure, but could be as close from the knees up). Then shoot that same scene again in a medium shot (taken from the waste up). Then shoot that same scene as a close up (basically a head shot).
In the end, you'll have more freedom to edit with in post production (not to mention better performances to edit from). Angles and distance from the subject coupled with composition conveys emotional impact one way or another. The kind of impact you want to convey in your story should dictate your framing choices on set.
Hope this helps and keep it up. Wish I had started this when I was 14! :thumbsup:
I'm not going to discuss the techincals because it would take too long to type it all out. But you should look into a book on lighting for film. And sound is of course a biggy. It's just as important as the visuals.
A couple of tips for you in general for your next one:
First and foremost, try and work out your story before you start shooting. The story is your foundation and if it doesn't work, you'll lose your audience.
When shooting, get more coverage of your scenes. I'll give you an example:
When you had the two soldiers lying against the hill taking cover, you should look to shoot that same scene several times but from different angles and distances from the actors (or subject). This is called coverage.
The common way to get coverage of a scene is to first start with a master shot (usually full figure, but could be as close from the knees up). Then shoot that same scene again in a medium shot (taken from the waste up). Then shoot that same scene as a close up (basically a head shot).
In the end, you'll have more freedom to edit with in post production (not to mention better performances to edit from). Angles and distance from the subject coupled with composition conveys emotional impact one way or another. The kind of impact you want to convey in your story should dictate your framing choices on set.
Hope this helps and keep it up. Wish I had started this when I was 14! :thumbsup:
....when you post its always something useful and informative.
avery
Active member
thanks a lot STORYTELLER ill be sure to keep all of your guyses tips in mind for my next film, what should i do about the lighting i mean for outdoors do i have to do presets. oh yeah and would it be okay if i started a thread about my next film displaying my shot list so you guys can help out? well i know it would be okay but i mean would you guys post?
STORYTELLER32
Well-known member
I don't know enough about the XL2 settings to advise you there. But I do know it has less to do with settings and more to do with positioning your actors based on where your lightsource is coming from.
Hold your fist up in the air and use it to judge where your highlights and shadows are placed on the day you're shooting. Keep an eye on the amount of time it's taking to cover your scenes as well because the sun does move and if you spend too long on one scene, you might have mismatched lighting when you cut it together.
Hope this helps.
Hold your fist up in the air and use it to judge where your highlights and shadows are placed on the day you're shooting. Keep an eye on the amount of time it's taking to cover your scenes as well because the sun does move and if you spend too long on one scene, you might have mismatched lighting when you cut it together.
Hope this helps.