Aspiring Cinematographer— Help!

Far from what you are looking for, I am going to burst in here and say something probably not very fluffy.

You see, this makes me recall my much cherished fencing days. You may not know this, but there are actually three different types of fencing each using a different sword and different style. They are foil (what I did), epee, and saber. My coach would always start beginners off with foil and then let them try the other two to see if one of those fit them better. Now, I had a friend who was very good at foil, but he just liked the saber so much that he switched to it. He did very well, but my fencing coach could see that he had limits. He was doing well, but he could never really advance to be a great saber fighter because that was not what he was natural at. My coach and I both knew he was a natural foil. I also had another friend who was probably even more of a natural at foil who kept trying out epee and saber way to much. It really hurt his foil fight.

I think it is similar in writing (and a great many other things). You can be good at many things, or you can be great at one. I thankfully had enough good advise and good sense to stay with foil because I knew that was what I was good at. Because of my dedication to it, I excelled. Now, I would try the other two on very rare occasions just because they were really fun every now and again. Saber however, I especially stayed away from because it was very different from foil. My very minor indulgences didn’t hurt my foil.

And so with writing, try out many things, have fun, see what you’re a natural at, but once you’ve found your niche, stay there. You can always make that rare but cherished excursion, but make sure it is truly rare and cherished.

Sound like a good plan. I now yield the floor to those who actually know what they are talking about.

A logline is basically getting to the base of your story by writing your whole concept in two sentences. It’s like an elevator pitch. In those two sentences you have to describe the initial situation, the character, objective, opponent, and the stakes.

I’ve directed (and written/acted in/edited/about anything else you can think of) several short movies. Well…I don’t know if I’d call them movies because quite frankly they are pretty bad. Our longest was 20 minutes, but most were 3-5 minutes. Anyway, normally I (being the oldest) was the director and had siblings aged 17-8 acting.

Getting them to talk loudly and clearly was the hardest part, especially because I was just using a digital camera.

As for tips, well…I paid them with candy at the end of each scene, and they had prizes when the filming was complete, so that helped some (‘If you don’t act right, you won’t get as much candy’). Having set goals and rewards is good. Also, having rehearsals with just saying the lines and working those out (what I wrote in the script was hardly ever what we actually said) helped the actual filming go quicker. The hard part was getting my actors to consent to the rehearsals in the first place. 🙂 So, basically, to get my siblings to act, I enticed them with candy and prizes, then cajoled, reasoned, bribed, yelled (not often, but don’t judge until you’ve tried to direct a sword fight with five boys, all carrying wooden stick swords, in an enclosed area…when none of them really want to be there) and eventually got something done. 🙂

But I suppose I should probably add something helpful.

Be patient. Don’t get frustrated when you have to redo a scene for the tenth time. Or at least, don’t take it out on them. Make it fun. Joke around a bit, laugh at yourself, and just in general try to keep the peace. 🙂

As for those too shy to make a fool out of themselves…well, almost all of my siblings had that one time or another. I don’t have much helpful advice here. After the begging failed, what I usually would do is give that person another job related to the “movie” to do. Maybe they’re the camera guy for this one. (A little scary when the fate of your movie rests on a seven-year-old’s filming skills, but hey. We were a budget production. Meaning the budget was $0.) Maybe they can run and grab the props you didn’t know you needed until the last minute. Maybe they can tell the passersby to stay out of the shot. (Now that’s a problem unique to filming in a neighborhood…)

Hope something there was helpful!

For doing “movies” I suggest not being an actor yourself. You should be the one holding the camera because you know exactly how you want to movie to look like. Also, try to get friends who are actually interested in acting or movies. They usually are easier to work with.