Part 1: Basic Terms French for "author". Used by critics writing for Cahiers du cinema and other journals to indicate the figure, usually the director, who stamped a film with his/her own "personality". Opposed to "metteurs en scene" who merely transcribed a work achieved in another medium into film. The concept allowed critics to evaluate highly works of American genre cinema that were otherwise dismissed in favor of the developing European art cinema. Director Abbas Kiarostami appearing as himself in the last scene of Taste of Cherry (Ta'm e Guilass, Iran, 1997) The diegesis includes objects, events, spaces and the characters that inhabit them, including things, actions, and attitudes not explicitly presented in the film but inferred by the audience. Different media have different forms of diegesis. The joining together of clips of film into a single filmstrip. Picture: Yelizaveta Svilova at the editing table of Man with the Movie Camera (Chelovek s kinoapparatom, Dziga Vertov USSR, 1929)
Saskia’s Guide to Producing: The Film Package « New Breed This is a series of posts delving into the gory details of what it takes to produce an independent film. Covering the entire process — from development to fundraising, production, distribution, online strategies and beyond — they will be written in real time, from first hand experience, as I go through the process of producing a feature-length documentary. A few weeks ago I posted about some legal issues and paperwork that you needed to get going for your production. That’s all well and good, but there’s no use in having all your legal stuff worked out if you don’t have a story, and — of course — a really good film package. What follows is all information I’ve gleaned from various sources- including the internet, several lawyers, and my colleagues and friends in the industry. First and foremost, it’s important to clarify to yourself what the purpose of your film package is. Since the document then functions as a strategy AND as a sales document, writing it becomes quite the art.
Opening Scenes of Alfred Hitchcock films (film directing, criticism, story settings) Borgus.com - Geography and space were important factors in Alfred Hitchcock’s storytelling technique. So much so that film scholar Paul Duncan (2003) described his formal style as merely "a series of set pieces linked together by plot." In 1934, Hitchcock wrote to readers of Film Weekly declaring his appetite for more "freshness in choice of backgrounds" citing mundane locations in other British films (Gottlieb 1995). Here we will examine more specifically the opening scenes of Alfred Hitchcock films and examine his strategy for introducing his stories to the viewer. In his opening scenes, Hitchcock established tone and setting from a point of objectivity toward the subjective, flirted with the boundaries between public space and private space, and painted a satirical world filled with a tapestry of caricatures. 1. In the early part of Hitchcock’s career he wrote about the need for shifts in tone throughout a film, and that a comic opening is essential to suspense. 2. 3. 4. References:
How to find top quality crew. — Cinema Advanced Cinema Advanced It’s your first film, you’re under the gun and have to get things done. Money is disappearing by the second. The actors are getting antsy (or possibly drunk). Finding a good crew isn’t impossible, in fact its probably not nearly as hard as you might believe. Where to find film crew members Well…first things first…where not to find crew: your non film making friends . Don’t get me wrong, your friends will want to help…at first. So where do we start our search? The absolute best way to find crew The absolute best way to find crew, is to volunteer for someone else’s production. But, most importantly, joining another production helps you to meet people and see how they work, before you are actually dependent upon them. Third, those people will see that you work. So now that we’ve found a crew, my next article will cover how to keep them working hard for you. Tagged as: film crew , filmmaking tips
666 DIY Horror Filmmaking Tutorials It’s that time of year again, so we thought it was time to update last years killer feature “Horror Filmmaking: From Script to Scream.” That’s right a sequel! This time we are narrowing the focus a bit and concentrating on the DIY (Do It Yourself) elements. Hopefully this will help you slash the budget without murdering your production values. DIY: Blood, Bullets & Stunts DIY: Stage Effects/Green Screen DIY: Digital Effects After Effects Sony Vegas DIY: Make-Up/Costumes DIY: Static Props DIY: Motion Props DIY: Horror Sets DIY: Packaging Prop Shops & FX Supplies 202 DIY Filmmaking Tutorials Why buy it when you can build it? Well… most of the time you don’t have a choice. Other times it’s just way too much fun! ****Update: We have two new entries in our 202 Series “202 Sony Vegas Tutorials,” “202 Final Cut Pro Tutorials” and coming soon “DIY Horror: From Script to Scream!” Dollies XL-1 Table DollyIroning Board DollyDolly and Track SystemBuild Plan DollySkate Wheel DolliesRadio Controlled Camera PodBuild a Tracked Camera Dolly for CheapSimple DollySnodart’s DollyPVC dollyEazy DollyD8 Ladder DollyFilming Dolly With 10′ TrackSodart’s DollyJsal27′s Dolly system Stabilizers/Steadicams $14 SteadycamLight-Duty “Steady Cam” StabilizationImproved Steadicam for under 40 dollars! Car Mounts Poor Man’s process method for shooting an in-car sceneBack-seat-view car mountExterior car mountLow-budget (not DIY) car mountCar RigsCinesaddle Car Mount JIB Arms/Cranes Misc. Lighting Audio Stage Effects/Green Screen Blood, Bullets & Stunts Make-Up/Gore Costumes Props Featured Photo by Asiatic League
Screenplay Basics - Scripped A Scripped Compendium by Johnathan Carr Traditional storytelling recounts past events, whereas screenwriting is locked in the present - thus you may not deviate from PRESENT TENSE. You may also be tempted to describe every inch of the world you're creating - don't! Take comfort in the idea that a screenplay is not meant to have any literary value. As you're writing, be mindful to preserve only the most important details: information that will advance the story. At the beginning of a feature film script, often but not always, the first line will be: FADE IN. While you can write a longer ACTION paragraph, think about keeping it under five lines at a time. In the ACTION line, be sure to capitalize SOUND EFFECTS, CAMERA DIRECTION and the first appearance of a speaking CHARACTER. Use a PARENTHETICAL to note an action the speaker is performing while speaking or if you want to indicate whom the speaker is addressing such as addressing a new character in mid-DIALOGUE. Think subtext.