After watching several videos early this morning, have you ever noticed that indie film trailers or funding videos are never about the story and characters but about some overused close up of someone looking intense or a Dutch angle on a hallway with a bare incandescent bulb glowing in the foreground. An exterior shot montage of every cool location is not a story, a close up of a special effect makeup is not a story, two characters sitting in the light of the golden hour is not a story. Filmmaking is not only about composing a picture, its also sound and acting and emotional position, filmmaking is about composing and telling a story with elements. As a DP I fully understand composing a picture. And I try hard to compose that picture in relation to the story. The director is tasked not to assemble pretty scenes but to assemble elements out of memories and conditions and emotions sourced from the story. When I look for a film project to work on, I look for substance. Maybe the failure of a lot of indie film is lack of substance in the trailer or funding request, where is the story? Just a thought.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 12:13:30 +0000