Solare
Member
I'm no filmmaker, just learning how to be one, I'm mainly a composer and here's my first edit.
http://vimeo.com/16945433
http://vimeo.com/16945433
La Dernière Nuit EOS 550d - 50mm and 24mm primes. (shot in Paris)
- Thread starter Solare
- Start date
Three words: buy a tripod.
DSLR cameras are really hard to work with when shooting handheld. There are lots of solutions out there like shoulder rigs and stabilizers, but a solid tripod with a good, fluid head on it should be the first acquisition. The footage is really shaky, and at times is hard to watch because of that. Also, practice (a lot) on keeping up with the focus. The rack-focus was overused here, and often ineffectively (such as the shot of the Stella Artois glass, that seemed to want to rack focus to the other glass, but then went back to the first one).
Watch your super-long cross dissolves, too. There were some where the outgoing clip went past the point you'd really want to show, and when the shot changes drastically before it has faded out the viewer can be distracted. And as far as the rest of the edit, it just seemed a bit disjointed. The shots were random, and bounced back and forth (or repeated in some cases) without really telling a story or painting a complete picture. There's a way to create an edit like this that seems somewhat random, but is still cohesive. This didn't do it.
Also, it seemed like most of the shots relied on a standing POV. Beginning film makers often try to see the world exactly as they see it day-to-day, standing up and looking at everything from natural eye level, whether looking up or down or straight ahead. Don't be afraid to get the camera out of that zone. Take it low and shoot across ground-level objects, or take it low and shoot up. Get the camera into a tight spot from where the human eye would never be able to see. Just try to shake it up a little and capture images in an interesting way.
Kudos for getting out and shooting, though. After all, practice does make perfect. Keep going!
DSLR cameras are really hard to work with when shooting handheld. There are lots of solutions out there like shoulder rigs and stabilizers, but a solid tripod with a good, fluid head on it should be the first acquisition. The footage is really shaky, and at times is hard to watch because of that. Also, practice (a lot) on keeping up with the focus. The rack-focus was overused here, and often ineffectively (such as the shot of the Stella Artois glass, that seemed to want to rack focus to the other glass, but then went back to the first one).
Watch your super-long cross dissolves, too. There were some where the outgoing clip went past the point you'd really want to show, and when the shot changes drastically before it has faded out the viewer can be distracted. And as far as the rest of the edit, it just seemed a bit disjointed. The shots were random, and bounced back and forth (or repeated in some cases) without really telling a story or painting a complete picture. There's a way to create an edit like this that seems somewhat random, but is still cohesive. This didn't do it.
Also, it seemed like most of the shots relied on a standing POV. Beginning film makers often try to see the world exactly as they see it day-to-day, standing up and looking at everything from natural eye level, whether looking up or down or straight ahead. Don't be afraid to get the camera out of that zone. Take it low and shoot across ground-level objects, or take it low and shoot up. Get the camera into a tight spot from where the human eye would never be able to see. Just try to shake it up a little and capture images in an interesting way.
Kudos for getting out and shooting, though. After all, practice does make perfect. Keep going!
Solare
Member
Hello, thank you for your comments.
I in no way want to "tell a story" it's just moving pictures for te music I created.
I am a photographer or a 'snapper' rather, I like to capture moments.
Everything on the other hand were shots with manual focus, (even the Stella one) and I was drunk in a lot of them
I've edited video before with very much accuracy (because they asked me to do so, and in Windows Movie maker!! *the dammed thing worked...) with story telling and all (it was a documentary) but somewhat this time I didn't feel I should tell a story, I just started testing the waters and I said, ok I've got this shots I've made in some neighborhoods and some apéro with friends... yeah I'll just put them there with the music.
As I said I'm no filmmaker nor I plan to become a serious one, I'm learning to be one just in case. I'm more than anything a composer.
I've now decided to make images for the music and not the other way around.
The shots with unusual points of view.. nice advice but for more personal stuff I would just like to shoot things standing/sitting and up close (hey it was a 50mm in most of the shots!) had to get personal and in the same time non-invasive.
I in no way want to "tell a story" it's just moving pictures for te music I created.
I am a photographer or a 'snapper' rather, I like to capture moments.
Everything on the other hand were shots with manual focus, (even the Stella one) and I was drunk in a lot of them
I've edited video before with very much accuracy (because they asked me to do so, and in Windows Movie maker!! *the dammed thing worked...) with story telling and all (it was a documentary) but somewhat this time I didn't feel I should tell a story, I just started testing the waters and I said, ok I've got this shots I've made in some neighborhoods and some apéro with friends... yeah I'll just put them there with the music.
As I said I'm no filmmaker nor I plan to become a serious one, I'm learning to be one just in case. I'm more than anything a composer.
I've now decided to make images for the music and not the other way around.
The shots with unusual points of view.. nice advice but for more personal stuff I would just like to shoot things standing/sitting and up close (hey it was a 50mm in most of the shots!) had to get personal and in the same time non-invasive.
I'm not talking "story = plot." Rather, just as a still image tells of a single moment, the story is more of a complete sense of feeling or place or time. The images don't have to be of one constant subject. Rather, piece them together in such a way that the viewer is able to follow along.
Everything on the other hand were shots with manual focus, (even the Stella one) and I was drunk in a lot of them
Makes the shoot go better, some times... :beer:... but inebriation notwithstanding, manual focus is one of those things that takes practice. It also takes memorizing (as not all lenses work in the same directions) which way to rotate the ring to focus closer, and which way to focus farther. And shifting the focus is intended to shift the viewer's eye to whatever it is you want the viewer to see. When it is shifting back and forth, seemingly with no place to land, it's a bit uncomfortable to watch.
Never make excuses for art. Learning to be a film maker "just in case" is an excuse to accept "just good enough." The music in this piece was great, and creating visuals to go along with it is a great idea. And just as a complete piece of music - even one without words - can tell a story, craft the visuals to follow.