Over the last seven weeks, I have been delving into how best to use the camera to create the best videos possible. As the final week draws to a close, there are still some final tips and tricks for creating a successful film.

READING & WRITING
The Barebones Camera Course for Film and Video – Some Final Words

The art of filmmaking, like all art, is subjective. There are no absolute rights or wrongs in filmmaking, but there are specific methods that have been proven to work, and these are considered the basics of filmmaking.

Straying from the basics is fine for filmmakers, but it is best done when they understand precisely what they are doing and why. Otherwise, the director may lose control of the narrative and confuse the viewers. This is why it is suggested to shoot a basic sequence before going artsy.

When it comes to criticism, welcome it and even criticize yourself, because knowing what we did wrong is how we do it right next time. Every criticism can tell you something about your work as well, even if you don’t necessarily agree with it. Alternatively, analyze your successes, so you know what you did right and can replicate it next time. Professionalism is about the ability to repeat your successes and avoid repeating your failures.

Schroeppel, T. (2015). Some Final Words. In The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video (3rd ed., pp. 141). essay, Allworth Press.

Reflection

Over the seven weeks of this course, I feel as though I learned a lot not only about video editing but also about cameras in general, proper visual composition, the importance of good lighting, and just not being so scared of doing narration.

While I have done plenty of animation editing in the past, I have not done much video editing. In my undergraduate studies, I focused more on animation than film, and even then, it was the very basics. From this course, I learned editing skills I either lacked or had perhaps forgotten over time.

While I have taken some design classes before, it has been a long time, and I have never taken a photography class. I recall going over how a camera works in classes before, but not going into as much depth on it, and I honestly found that a really interesting part of the book.

 Visual composition is something that I feel like was covered in my undergraduate studies at some point, but it did not actually stick in my head. It was honestly helpful to do the scavenger hunt. Now I am recognizing it in every single thing I watch, from silly animation to trash television.

One last thing I felt like I learned from this class is not to be afraid to use my voice for stuff, to jump in, and not to fear making mistakes. I made A LOT of errors while trying to record audios for all my projects, but with each one, I felt it made it easier for the next try. Hearing myself back still isn’t my favorite thing, but it is getting easier, too.

RESEARCH TO INFORM

This is an NBC Exclusive with Dateline’s Keith Morrison, advertising for the full Dateline episode about the Lori Vallow case. In this exclusive, you see small clips of interviews from Vallow herself, her one surviving son, Colbie, and an investigator who worked on the case. At about 0:13, we already see a J-cut as we hear Morrison narrating, and then the Dateline crew gets ready to start the interview with Vallow before it cuts to a close-up of her. This effectively sets the scene before moving on to the interview. At about 0:40, there is another J-cut as we hear Morrison continue narrating while we see the investigator working, and then the clip of his interview begins. Showing the investigator at work helps provide context to Morrison’s narration before we see the investigator in his interview. At the 1:04 mark, we see an L-cut when the clip of Colbie Vallow walking plays, and the audio of his interview starts before we see the video of him being interviewed.

This video is the first 11 minutes of the extended cut of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). However, at approximately the 4:40 mark, there is a J-Cut when you hear the Grinch speaking to Max, telling him he did a good job scaring away the Who-Teens. The scene then cuts to close-ups of the Grinch, eventually revealing him as he continues speaking about his disdain for the Whos. By hearing the Grinch and using the slow reveal of him, it successfully builds up suspense before showing his face and his grinchily grin.

This is a Behind-the-Scenes documentary for the movie A Muppet Christmas Carol. In it, you will see interviews not only with Sir Michael Cain but also with the Muppets themselves. The entire video is about 16:53; however, at about 1:25, there is an L-cut where you will hear Sir Cain begin to speak before you see him in the interview. Also, at about 3:29 there is a J-cut with Kermit discussing the director Brian Henson in the interview before they show the director working with the Muppets in the next shot as you continue to hear Kermit speak. Then at 3:59 there is another L-Cut to as Gonzo reassures Rizzo not to worry about the stunt, you hear Gonzo continue to talk as they cut to Rizzo performing the stunt.  

CREATE

Something I have been working on throughout this semester’s projects is my ability to narrate my projects. I have never been a fan of having to use my own voice for projects. In the past, I would always avoid it when I could. By choosing a subject with characters I would have to voice myself, this project forced me to be comfortable narrating and just hearing my voice in multiple ways. It would not make much sense for the dolls to all sound the same, so I did my best to give them distinct voices as they narrate. I am by no means a voice actor, but once again, I did my best.

To simulate a real interview, I used three points of light for each interview scene. For all the b-roll, I used the same three light sources, but placed them in different spots depending on the needs of the scene. I was able to use two regular lamps around the house, plus a super-bright ceiling light that happens to be in a very fortunate spot for filming. I also made sure the video includes both L-cuts and J-cuts to support the narrative the dolls set up. Such as showing Caroline drunk and crying on a stereo as Kit explains that she’s not taking being archived well.

Even though, based on prior experience, I planned for 3 days of filming, I still ended up having to do a fourth day after realizing a glaring mistake in one of the stop-motion sections. The camera itself had gotten out of focus and refocused between shots in an obvious, distracting way that couldn’t be fixed in post, so I ended up having to reshoot it.

Another issue that I ran into is losing different items. The first thing I lost was the original invisible wire, so I had to use a white string instead. Then, in the middle of shooting B-roll, I lost Kit’s green little clip. This was especially frustrating because that is a small item I have been careful not to lose since I was 12. Initially, I shot her B-roll with her hair brushed like it had her clip. Since it was in all of her interview footage, her B-Roll needed to at least look like it was in for continuity. Luckily, I was able to find it and reshoot her B-roll to include her clip, especially since I had wanted to focus on it in a shot.

Overall, I feel like I made a funny, easy-to-follow narrative with my dolls, and I hope you find it as entertaining as I do.