Caleb Ward is back with more insight into showbiz productivity. We’re very glad we found this dude and the Premium Beat site.
by Caleb Ward
Here’s a few tips for translating your creative vision to the big screen.
Have you taken a film or video project from conception to completion…only to find yourself unsatisfied with the end result? Here’s a few reasons your projects may be falling flat.
1. You’re Focusing on the Details, Not the Big Picture
When it comes to filmmaking there is a lot to remember and we are afforded the opportunity to learn something new every time we shoot. In a way, creating a film is a lot like a flexible checklist. While you would never say it out loud, the thought that’s probably going through your head on-set is something to the effect of:
- Composition, Check.
- Depth of Field, Check.
- Continuity, Check.
- Stabilization, Check.
- Focus, Check.
- Actor’s Delivery, Check.
- Motivation, Check.
- Etc, Etc, Etc, Check, Check, Check
It can be easy to compartmentalize the production process and fall into a series of checklists, but this can be extremely harmful to your end result. The beauty is not in the details, it’s in the finished project. If you’re busy focusing on small stuff like script formatting, and not the script itself, you’re going to be disappointed.
2. You’re Putting to Much Emphasis on the Craft Instead of the Story
We talk a lot about gear here on the PremiumBeat blog and rightfully so, it’s fun to follow gear. New cameras, lenses, and equipment releases are exciting. But one rut that new filmmakers tend to fall into is focusing way to heavily on the gear and not the story at hand.
Sure having an impressive 2 minute long tracking shot is cool, but how does it fit into your narrative structure? Have you spent more time focusing on the gear than the characters in the film?
Having cinematic quality footage is important for keeping your audience engaged, especially if you are trying to prove your legitimacy, but we live in an age of progressing technology. If you want your film to have real staying power, focus more on the story. It’s easy to forgive a film with average cinematography if the story is solid.