Nate and I came together to make this film. We came up with the idea and used my iPhone to film it. We were lucky enough to have an actress to help us. I filmed and Nate and I co-directed and co-edited. To get the film off of my phone we airdropped it to the computer. We then used Final Cut Pro to edit the film together. I think that by both editing and it added a lot to the film. We both had different opinions which made the film better in the end. I think that once we got started it was pretty easy to complete the film. One thing I wish I did differently was to film longer on each end of the shot. I also wish that we were quiet on set the whole time because some clips we are unable to sound in because there is people talking. We had people talking in the background because we thought that we were going to have no sound and just music. However, once we began to edit we thought the footsteps added another element to the film and music would take away from that.
Overall, I felt that our film was nicely done and really enjoyed making it.
15 Mistakes Movie Review:
1. Clear Goal
- Each character needs to have a clear goal, especially in short films so that the plot is interesting and not all over the place. Without a clear goal, people will get confused.
2. Bad Script
- Take time to rewrite script so you can have a strong story so people can understand what you are making. With a strong script, you have a strong story. A bad script allows for people to get confused and weakens the overall quality of your film.
3. Bad Sound
- First thing audience notices, screams amateur. Get mics close to actors for nice clean sound. Even if you have a bad shot with bad lighting, if you have clear sound your film will be of much better quality. Audience determines good sound with good film maker.
4. Poor Casting Choices
- Write roles for the people you have. Classmate cannot play mom. Cast with care. If you have the eight year old play the drug dealer, your film will be unrealistic and make the audience lose interest.
5. Poor Shot Composition
- Avoid dead space (beginner move). This allows the people to get bored. Always try to apply the rule of thirds to avoid dead space. Take time and find symmetry. You need depth as well. It makes the shot more interesting. Depth allows for the viewer to believe that they are in the shot and that the place where it is being filmed is larger than it already is.
6. White Walls
- White naked walls is a key factor in amateur work! It is so boring. Put up pictures and make the walls more interesting for your audience! Even with a bit of color on your walls, the shot becomes more interesting. You can paint your walls or add pictures of practically anything to make the shot more interesting.
7. Poor Lighting
- If people cannot see, they lose interest. Shots are not lit well? Boring. Lighting allows for the viewer to see what is really going on and when used right, different lighting can convey different meanings. Additionally, good lighting allows for the viewers to believe you are really good at making films.
8. Unnecessary Insert Shots
- If the shot is not adding something then take away the insert shot. The audience can imply. Additionally, use close up shots to add suspense or excitement but DO NOT OVER USE.
9. Lingering
- When you see people doing uninteresting things or uninteresting actions. Cut out execs movement. With too much lingering and extra people, the audience gets distracted from the main part of the film and may instead watch the other people.
10. To Many Pregnant Pauses
- To many pauses can slow scene down and take audiences away from the film. They bore audiences and cause people to lose interest. You don't have to have a lot of pauses to build tension.
11. No blocking
- Standing is boring. You need movement to keep your scene alive and energized. Have actors moving by making up things for them to do. This way, the audience follows the actors and does not get bored of them sitting around.
12. To Much chit-chat
- Don't rely to much on chit-chat. It makes the film boring. Show not tell.
13. Action For the Sake of Action
- This gets redundant and boring. You need other things like humor to make the film more interesting. People do not want to see a constant battle of constant gun scene. If you do have this, you should add something else to help offset all the action.
14. Clichés
- Don't always start with people waking up in bed. Way over used. Comb through script to make sure you don't have clichés. If you are going to use one, find a fresh way to make them interesting.
15. Weak Starts
- You need to grab audience with something interesting so they stick around to watch the end of your film. If you draw the audience in early, they will be more likely to pay attention because they will care what is going on.
16. Generic Music
- Music is either to epic or does not fit the scene. This kills the mood. Try to get original music or no music at all. You cannot have suspenseful music on a happy person. You cannot have weird clown music on a conversation between two people. This will confuses the viewer and cause them to lose interest in your film.