The Straightest Path to Better Cinematography
Or Developing “The Eye”
"Now I can blackmail Susie!"
For many “idea driven” indie directors, cinematography is a bit of an after thought. Sure, you’ve got that cool shot in mind, but the bricks and mortar shots that make up the rest of the film just “end up” based on decisions made on the day of shooting.
But cinematography can’t be ignored. No film has been called truly great without brilliant cinematography, and it has made many a mediocre film worth watching. This is because cinematography pulls the viewer along (sometimes against their will) and tells a story all on its own. Most importantly, good cinematography can break down the barriers which guard a viewer’s emotional chords. Nothing is more important to the modern filmmaker, as we are dealing with a generation so jaded that they can watch California fall into the ocean and call it a “popcorn flick”.
So how do we achieve better cinematography? By realizing that it is both an art and a skill. It has to be learned (as a technique) but also honed (as an instinct). You probably already know the rule of thirds, but it’s developing your eye for composition that will really take your films to the next level.
So how do we get there? Here is what I would recommend:
1. Take Pictures on Real Film
Old Reliable
There is no better way to develop your eye than to bust out your dad’s old 35mm SLR and start snapping. If you don’t have one (the camera I mean) get one cheap on e-bay. You’ll start to notice how the placement of objects (and their relationships) tell a story. You’ll begin to understand how angles and textures can entice the eye and keep it moving. You’ll learn the hard way about exposure and depth of field. Most importantly, you’ll learn to rely on your imagination to predict the final image, because there is no LCD screen to shortcut the technique. Here are three important notes:
NO BLACK&WHITE: It’s a gimmick. Trust me. The same crappy color photograph will look like an act of genius in B&W, regardless of the skill of the photographer. I’m not saying old B&W isn’t an art in itself, but it allows a beginning photographer to get away with a host of mistakes. Treat B&W with respect; it’s sacred ground.
NO EXTREME CLOSEUPS: Another gimmick. It will impress 100% of your friends but 0% of photographers. It certainly won’t teach you composition.
NO DIGITAL: Don’t get me wrong: I love digital. It’s the future. Heck, it’s the present. However, digital is too forgiving. It lets you endlessly tweak and correct an image until it looks gorgeous. Not so with the silver-halide crystals in a roll of film. They are a direct representation of the light you provided. Therefore, if the photograph doesn’t look right, it’s up to you to learn how to do better. A person who learns on 35mm is a composer, a person who learns on digital is a reactor.
2. Storyboard
This is a hard one. It can feel like a waste of time, especially when time is short. But, as my Swedish film teacher told me again and again, storyboarding is the art of film.
Here’s why: it is on the storyboard that you decide, free from practical distractions, how best to tell a story with images (which is the essence of film). You’ll be amazed at the discoveries you will make about the story and its characters. Seriously: the difference between hobbyists and filmmakers is storyboarding. You don’t want to remain a hobbyist do you? (wink nudge)
*Not my Swedish film professor
*Not my Swedish film professor
3. Take light seriously.
On our most recent shoot, we took a 75 pound battery and light kit even though we were shooting outdoors. It was a pain in the neck (and back), but we were able to use those lights to create the scenes exactly as we envisioned them. The point: don’t just react to natural light, used light to create the scene that the story requires.
4. Learn the ins and outs of framing.
You probably know that a character looking right needs to be on the left-hand side of the frame. You probably also know that shooting upwards at a subject makes them seem powerful. But did you know that right-to-left camera motion indicates discord? That vertical lines in the background of a shot indicate character obstacles? This is the sort of composition that becomes a storytelling method all in itself.
So that’s all I’ve got for now. In a later post I’ll talk about light itself, but for now, go out and give your eye as much practice as you can. Your films will thank you.
Hard to Port. Loose All Sails.
It was some time ago that we raised the anchor, and even further back that we shoved off from the dock. Yet even up till several weeks ago a solid shout would reached the the ears of those on that same dock…so to say it’s been a slow beginning. Creatively and economically. But guess what…
WE STAYED ON SCHEDULE!!
Yes, the production of Wine for Three went surprisingly well. It was amazing. We got in when we were slated to get in and we were only about 10 minutes behind getting out of the restaurant when we said we would. It was a very long day on the 17th of June, but it was worthwhile. Well over 50 shots (not takes, shots) in 15 hours, and almost all of them look great. (If you’re simply one of our friends reading this blog, yes, that’s impressive).
The shoot brought together a main cast of three, a crew of seven, and ten extras. We had only rehearsed the main cast once prior to the 15 hour shoot (we intended twice, but one of the three got stuck out of town and couldn’t come). Half of the extras came from the audition process, the other half we had never met. We also hadn’t met most of the crew before that morning, and that’s generally how things roll. Until you’ve got an established group, you’ve just kinda gotta take who you can get. Post to Craigslist and hope some half-way decent folks respond, and then hope that half of those half-way decent folks show up and know how to hold a boom-pole. Until you have a network, your only options are to gamble or to simply not play the game at all. Thankfully, our gamble paid off.
HOW DID WE DO IT?
Big “P” little “l” anning. Planning. We couldn’t have planned it better. Not so say we planned it well. After all, we had 70 shots (many of which required changes in the lighting set up) planned for one day. No, not necessarily a good plan, but a plan none the less, and we knew the plan and the cast and crew could see that we had a plan and that in itself is worth gold. The biggest difficulty, the largest challenge in pulling together a group of people is convincing them that you aren’t wasting their time. Below are four links to two of the main planning resources.
Call Sheet. Shot Sheet: Page 1; Page 2; Page 3
The shot sheet referenced line numbers on the script and these things, plus a good shot log and slate, were essential so that our crew, which had no incoming knowledge of the production, could keep pace with us. It worked pretty well. In student media and true indie productions (folks getting together on weekends to make something), the pre-production leg of the pre-pro-post triforce often gets a bad wrap and pushed to the side. It’s really not fun. It’s certainly not glamorous. It is neither quick nor easy. It is, obviously, unfortunately, quite essential.
You’re only as good as your network.
Aspiring painters paint.
Aspiring writers write.
Aspiring filmmakers think about filming then go to bed early because that made them tired.
And therein lies the problem. A filmmaker is not just an avid movie fan: a filmmaker is an artist. They want to do what other artist do . . . create art with their medium.
But they can’t.
They need someone to hold the microphone. They need someone to hold the camera. They need someone to tell the bystander with the bluetooth headset to go continue his conversation elsewhere so the scene can continue. They’re also poor, so unless they have a stash of illegal immigrants in their basement (which is illegal)(and wrong), they need people willing to do them a favor.
In other words, if you are an aspiring filmmaker, you need a network. You need to know people. You need creative partners.
This isn’t easy. Sometimes you may need to be willing to sacrifice some creative control. Other times you may need to be willing to work on someone else’s project, regardless of whether or not you are totally on board with the concept. Without a network your hands are tied.
So go . . . get involved. Find what is going on in your area and start lending a hand. Be nice. Be engaged. Let people know you appreciate them and consider their work valuable.
Remember, being a filmmaker is not about the strength of your ideas. Your job is not to recreate the movie you see playing in your head. Your job is to facilitate the creative abilities of others. Your job is to wrest your film out of other people. And that’s why you love it.