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HOW-TO, Techniques, & Best Practices Channel
Common Mistakes Every Filmmaker Will Make
By Chris Cavallari
posted May 29, 2009, 12:02 |
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Common Mistakes Every Filmmaker Will Make: In a Perfect World, You Would Know Better...
Mistakes help us to grow. What�s true in
our personal development is also true in the
development of our films. Making mistakes
allows us to see what we did wrong and
forces us to come up with creative ways
to fix the problems. And, because of the
fluid nature of filmmaking, mistakes can
often lead to what we lovingly refer to as
�happy accidents.� Mistakes aren�t always
bad. It just depends on how you handle
the situation when it presents itself. The
following �mistakes� are in no particular
order or category, and the list is by no
means exhaustive.
Mistake #1: Don�t Plan...
Ever.
Go ahead, do it at least once in your life.
Go into one of your productions without the
slightest idea of how you�ll get from point A
to point B. I�m serious. This will give you a
two-fold learning experience.
First, running headfirst into a project can
sometimes free your mind from external
distractions and allow your creative ideas
to spill out onto the page. In a sense, it�s
free association, where your mind is free to
wander without self-imposed restrictions
that can hinder the creative process.
Aristotle wrote about the tabula rasa, or
blank slate, where people are born with
no innate mental content, and so are
affected by the world around them. People
fill in what is necessary as they go along,
learning. This premise can be applied to
filmmaking, whereby you start with nothing
and fill in the blanks as you go along. Don�t
put anything down on paper or on the
computer before you start shooting. Go out
and shoot, bring back what you have, and
cut it together. Your ability to tell a story
naturally will guide you.
On the other hand, not having some
sort of outline will show you how much
more difficult making a film is without at
least knowing something about how you�re
going to get things done. One of my early
short films was a disaster. I brought in high
school friends (who had no experience
making movies) as crew, and worried more
about Craft Services than about what I was
going to shoot. I didn�t have a finished script,
I didn�t rehearse, I didn�t have a storyboard.
I didn�t even have a shot list. While there
is a time and a place for wing-and-a-prayer
filmmaking, this wasn�t one of them, and the
final product shows it. It�s an orange mess (I
did a bad white balance) with nervous firsttime
actors. It is now locked away in the
confines of my apartment, and no one � not
even the actors and crew members � is
allowed to see it. To this day that film serves
as a constant reminder that concentrating
on the inconsequential, while ignoring the
important, will only hurt the production in
the end.
Mistake #2: Pick Up a
Filmmaking Book... and Be
Done with This �Reading�
Thing.
This is a doozy. There are hundreds of
filmmaking books out there, many of them
really well-written and very interesting.
Great ideas from the masters of filmmaking
are just waiting for you to grace them with
your presence. Do not, however, limit
yourself to just film related books. Read
fictional novels. Read sci-fi, romance,
comedy, and teen novels. Read lots of nonfiction.
Some of the best fiction comes from
real life. And don�t just read books; watch
as many fiction and non-fiction films and
television programs as you can as well.
Go to art and science museums. Read the
newspaper and scour the Internet. Sit in a
nearby park or mall and people-watch (just
don�t be creepy about it). Try to absorb as
much of the world around you that you
can, and take notes on what you�ve read
and seen. I don�t think that there are any
truly �new� ideas; instead, I believe there
are original and unique versions of ideas,
seen from your singular life perspective.
So absorb as much information as you can,
and let it synthesize in your mind. What
comes out may surprise you.
Mistake #3: Grab a Hot
Light
No matter who you are or what position
you hold on a film, if you�re on a set,
you�re likely to grab, graze, or bump into
a hot light at some point in your career.
Hopefully, it will only be once. What can
you learn from this? There are potentially
hundreds of things on a movie set that can
jump up and bite you. This is not to say
that all movie sets are death traps waiting
to devour you the moment you let your
guard down. The point is to be alert and
know your surroundings at all times. Your
superiors will appreciate that. So will the
guy you save from the teetering C-Stand of
Doom.
Mistake #4: Run Your
Mouth Off
In all walks of life, etiquette is a hot
topic. For some reason, filmmakers can be
tetchy people. Great people, but tetchy.
Maybe it�s because of the high level of
stress inherent in most film jobs. Perhaps it�s
the insane amounts of caffeine consumed
by cast and crew alike. Whatever the case,
at some point in you�re career, you�re likely
to step on someone�s toes who will make it
known what a dolt you are for even thinking
about opening your mouth.
I once worked as a grip on a production
where a recent film school grad was hired
as a Production Assistant. Obviously not
knowing his place in the grand scheme
of things, he began second guessing the
Director of Photography. The DP held his
tongue for most of the shoot, occasionally
shooting looks of utter frustration at me and
the other grip. At one point, the PA was
bold enough to walk right up to the DP and
start arguing with him about the camera
setup! It was then that my grip buddy and
I discreetly exited the set. Needless to say, I
never saw that PA again.
This is really about a few things. Most
importantly, by not running your mouth,
you�re more likely to be paying attention to
everything that�s happening around you, and
Keys (heads of the department) appreciate
that. It means you care. It means you�re
interested. It means you�re in the moment.
Of course there�s some ego stroking going
on, but it�s also about respect. Not just
the basic respect people should be giving
each other, but the respect that is earned
after paying your dues. And of course, by
shutting up and paying attention, you�re
infinitely less likely to ruin a take because
you just had to critique the DP�s choice of
lighting.
Mistake #5: Yank That
Chain (Rope/Cable/Cord/
Tail)
This will also likely happen to you at
least once in your career. You see a rogue
cable lying on the ground, seemingly in a
bad place. You take it upon yourself to move
said cable, but it�s stuck on something. So
you pull a bit harder. Still it won�t budge.
Ok, a little harder still. Finally the cable
frees itself from its dank confines, and you
dutifully coil it and stow it safely away, all
the while oblivious to the fact that you�ve
just pulled the power for the entire video
village during the middle of a key scene.
Oops.
Aside from the fact that on most big
budget films, you�d likely be breaking some
union�s rules, it just seems silly to yank on
anything you can�t see the end of. You�ll
end up embarrassed, and more than likely
some piece of expensive equipment will
have just been smashed into a hundred
twinkling pieces. Don�t be that guy.
Mistake #6: Leave the
Camera Running (or Vice
Versa)
Oh, we�ve all done this one, haven�t
we? You think you�ve tapped that little red
record button of death, and you walk away
for your much needed cup of joe, only to
find during dailies that you left the camera
running for 10 minutes. Now you have
a blurry shot of the set as crew members
move in and out of frame. It�s an abstract
artists dream, but your nightmare. Just be
thankful you didn�t ruin any shots. I mean,
just think what would have happened if you
had stopped down on recording when you
thought you were starting? Whew!
Mistake #7: Forget to Write
It Down
I know you will. We all do. If you make
this mistake once, hopefully it won�t happen
again for your sake. But in a business where
time is money, forgetting even what seems
to be a menial task can cost big money.
Just because you don�t think it�s important
doesn�t mean it�s not. All you need to do
is carry a small, cheap notebook and a pen
with you in your pocket. Quickly write
down all the tasks you have to do, and cross
them off as you get them done. You�re not
writing a book, just jotting down notes on
everything from how much petty cash was
in the box when you left, to what f-stop the
lens was set to in the previous shot. You will
be perpetually on the ball and constantly
admired by your peers.
Mistake #8: �We�ll Fix It In
Post�
Let�s face it, film sets are complicated,
intimidating, somewhat mystical places.
A multitude of operations occur nearly
simultaneously all day, every day. Most
times, the best laid plans are so intricate
and complex that they can � and will � fall
behind, or even fail. As a result, certain
parts of the production tend to take a hit. As
a producer, cameraman, and editor, I know
that it takes a lot of work to get a show from
pre-production to post. Time and again,
however � especially on student films and
non-professional productions � I�ve heard
the phrase I dread the most: �Don�t worry,
we�ll fix it in post.� Been there, done that,
got the t-shirt.
Seriously. I wear it all the time.
�We�ll fix it in post,� is probably the
biggest cop out in filmmaking today. It
not only insults the crew during shooting,
but also the people who work in postproduction.
It�s a poisonous attitude that
belies a bigger problem in production: Lack
of planning, discipline, vision, creativity,
and skill. �Fix it in post� means someone
wasn�t prepared. It�s passing the buck.
Conclusion
There are countless more mistakes
everyone will make at least once in their
career � and many of us will indeed
make them. Each one can be a learning
opportunity that will make you a better
filmmaker, if only you pay attention when
it happens. You shouldn�t be afraid or
ashamed to make a mistake. It�s not really
about the fact that you made the mistake,
but that you weren�t prepared to be in the
situation you were in. You also should not
be afraid to try new things, take advantage of
new opportunities, or experiment with new
techniques. The missteps you make in each
situation will likely move you forward. By
paying attention, being prepared, listening
instead of talking, and using a little common
sense, you�ll be able to take advantage of
the situation when it presents itself. After
all, where would we be if some pharmacist
hadn�t accidentally mixed carbonated water
with a syrup made from kola nuts and the
leaves of the coca plant?
This article may not be reprinted in print or internet publications without express permission of StudentFilmmakers.com.
Check out this article in the June 2008 print edition of StudentFilmmakers magazine, page 30.
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