Amateur and student films

In addition to analysing major successful films, I also found it useful to watch a variety of short student and amateur films. Such research was significant as it gave me an insight into the common faults that film-makers make. I paid specific attention to the cinematography to try and prevent myself from making the same errors as the camera operator.

1. Poor shot composition

• Dead space- parts of the frame where nothing is going on.

Advice: apply the rule of symmetry/rule of thirds, in order to create a more cinematic and visually pleasing aesthetic. 

2. Shots with no depth

• Across numerous films, there were no depth to shots, which creates a flattening effect. 

Advice: 

• Carefully consider production design to create a more dynamic shot. 
• Avoid the overuse of white walls and filming actors directly in front of them. This makes the footage lack depth and makes it uninteresting. 
• If an actor is directly in front of a wall, decorate it by adding photos, paintings or other sources to add some interest. 
• Ensure that the main subject/object is centralised. 

3. Poor lighting

• Makes the set look dull and or flat

Advice: 

• Consider three point lighting and other lighting techniques, in order to make the image clear to the viewer, to form a three dimensional look and to serve as a narrative device for the film. 

4. Unnecessary close up shots

• These tend to not add anything to the storyline
• CU is supposed to signify something important, add depth to the story and suggest to the audience to pay close attention.
• Therefore, an overuse of CUs would lead to their loss of effect. 

Advice: 

• Show CU of important aspects of 'Child eyes', that are vital to progress the storyline. 

5. Walking shots

• Much of the student films dedicated a lot of time for tracking character walking to multiple locations, which wasn't significant for the plot development and made the film repetitious and dull to watch.

Reflection: 

Many of these observations made me consider shot types, the rule of three, depth of field, lighting and production design, which would inform further research into my camera role to maximise my potential.