GH4 Watching my GH4 shot feature film on the big screen!

Wow! Bring it. That looks like one great movie. Love to see it. Completely inspiring for all of us DIY filmmakers.
 
A lot of very nice looking shots! The trailer looks pretty good as well. Its takes a lot of talent to pull of something professional looking on a small budget. Having the latest camera equipment is always benificial, but an older DSLR (Not that the GH4 is that old) plus a good colorist is going to beat the latest camera plus an amateur, everytime.
 
Just judging by the trailer, the acting looks pretty solid. It might be helpful to share your approach with actors. It's almost always the weak link in DIY productions.
 
icarusfilm said:
Wait a minute I thought it was game over for Panasonic?
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Only in the alternate reality where the individual blames the camera instead of their own abilities or lack of!...this stuff looks beautiful...we are long beyond the point where the camera is the obstacle or excuse...and obviously in the right hands (always the case with everything really!) Panasonic seems to be doing more than fine!
 
rsbush said:
Just judging by the trailer, the acting looks pretty solid. It might be helpful to share your approach with actors. It's almost always the weak link in DIY productions.
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First, I get the script right. If a scene is badly written, it will be badly acted. I try to be clear on the page and give the actors all the information they need. Then, cast the right person for the part. Doesn't necessarily need to be the best actor, but they need to embody the role as much as possible. I wrote a lot of these roles for actors I had known for years so I could write to their strengths. The book Directing Actors with Judith Weston was a big help. I read it about ten years ago and it really gives you the tools to talk to actors in the right way. The main takeaway, don't go for result oriented directing. This is why line readings are always bad. You don't tell an actor, say the line this way, or be more sad. You explain why they are sad in this moment, where they are coming from, what they want, how much they want it, etc. Supply them with the right context, and they will give it the right emotion without you explicitly telling them. It might seem like beating around the bush when all you want is more sadness, but a good actor will give you genuine sadness rather then ginning up fake tears because you asked for tears.

Since I was also running the camera, I watched playback as much as possible to make sure I got what I wanted, as sometimes I'd be more focused on technical aspects during the actual take. I didn't do any rehearsal, or rather, I filmed the rehearsals as I didn't want to miss any magic that might happen. One thing to look out for, be wary of actors who do the same thing every take. It means they aren't actually living in the moment. They aren't listening to the other actor, they are just waiting to say their lines. This is something beginning directors freak out about, they think it should be the same every time, but in the cutting room I notice the actors who are slightly different from take to take are more alive and less stilted.
 
It means they aren't actually living in the moment. They aren't listening to the other actor, they are just waiting to say their lines. This is something beginning directors freak out about, they think it should be the same every time, but in the cutting room I notice the actors who are slightly different from take to take are more alive and less stilted.

+1000....and surprising how often it happens....even in big films...it becomes glaringly apparent, especially in unnatural responses in terms of timing....that's the death of a performance....when you "see" the acting.
 
Following this thread and the others on the making of your movie have been a lot of fun, even if I'm late to the action. Any update on when we can see this? I'm looking for some GH4 inspiration!
 
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