Getting into filmmaking is, in my opinion, utterly exhausting. I’m not going to film school, I don’t own a nice camera, I’m using Premier Pro for free from my university right now but I have no idea how to work it, and it feels like there is more and more information every day that I cannot seem to learn fast enough.
Its easy to get discouraged when you’re just starting to get into filmmaking, but it’s important to start with the basics. If you’re interested in primarily cinematography or editing, that’s great, but you have to take into account the story you are telling. What’s the point of making a video or film if your audience won’t gain anything from it.
In “Are Travel Videos Ruining Filmmaking?”, a short video by Aidin Robbins, he discusses the importance of making mundane things seem beautiful and how you don’t have to travel to make a good video. This is very much true and I think Aidin Robbins is a fantastic creator for new filmmakers and for those interested in learning more about the art; however, that is not the topic I will be exploring today.
Today, I’m exploring how important it is to plan out your videos and your shots. Movies, TV shows, Short films and even some YouTube creators write scripts for them to follow in their films. These scripts act as a blueprint for the video or film as they detail what shots will be needed, what dialogue is needed, and a basic overview of what is being told.
When I first started getting into filmmaking, I forgot this concept often. I was so caught up in filming pretty things that I forgot about the story I was telling.
In the original video below, I talk a little bit more about that and I give an example of what that would look like so give that a view if you would like.
Now, in Aidin’s video (embedded below), he has some amazing shots that add to the complexity and beauty of the video and add to the overall message.
One of the first clips that caught my attention was the alarm clock. As small of a detail as it was, I found it to be very visually interesting and just cool to watch it change from 1:29 to then 8:29 and 8:30 when the alarm went off, triggering both a transition to his next shot as well as a flight or fight response in me as I haven’t had to wake up to an alarm in over a month.
The next scene has a drone shot that smoothly transitions into a massive zoom out that becomes the entire state of South Carolina and then Google Maps as shown from Robbins’s map on his phone. This shot itself is one of the primary shots I wanted to focus on in this post. Robbins got so many comments asking how he got that shot and he actually posted a tutorial (which I will embed below) on how he did it.
This shot, which took an insane amount of effort to create, was also planned by Robbins before shooting it. This was not a shot he could have created with just his drone so it wasn’t a simple shoot and go type of scene. He knew the amount of effort it would require to create such a shot and planned accordingly by recording the shots he needed in order to line up a transition that would enable him to create the edit.
The point I’m trying to stress: You can’t just pick up a camera and record something without planning. I mean, you can, but it won’t be as interesting or captivating like it would be with a well planned story.
Filmmaking shouldn’t be stressful, but its not particularly very simple either. It requires a level of forethought to what type of shots you’ll be getting, what settings you should be using on your camera for specific shots, how you plan to edit it all together, what type of story you’re telling, and music/sound design to go along with it that adds to the video instead of distracting viewers.
There’s quite a bit that goes into filmmaking but I don’t want this post to be overwhelming or stressful. It’s important to take all of these aspects into account, but it’s equally as important to enjoy what you’re doing. The more passion you have for what you’re doing, the more you will be willing to put the work in to make it as great as you want it to be.
That’s all I have for this week. I hope you all are doing well and staying safe during quarantine. Remember to only go out for necessities. Together we can all do our part to keep it from spreading further and keep ourselves and others safe.
Until next time, you can find me peering through the viewfinder, secretly longing to go out again.
Through the Viewfinder 