Dibyendu Joardar’s Post

Creating a trailer that perfectly represents your video's genre involves several key elements: Identify Key Themes and Tropes: Understand the core themes, tropes, and elements that define your genre. Whether it's action, romance, horror, or comedy, knowing what your audience expects is crucial. Highlight Key Scenes: Select scenes from your video that encapsulate the essence of your genre. These scenes should be visually captivating and emotionally engaging. Use Appropriate Music: Choose music that complements the mood and tone of your genre. For example, fast-paced music for action trailers, suspenseful music for thrillers, or romantic melodies for dramas. Create a Strong Opening: The first few seconds of your trailer are crucial for grabbing the audience's attention. Use a compelling visual or line of dialogue that sets the tone for what's to come. Build Momentum: Gradually increase the intensity and excitement throughout the trailer. Use pacing, editing techniques, and a mix of short and longer shots to keep viewers engaged. Include Key Dialogue: Incorporate memorable lines of dialogue that resonate with the genre. These lines should hint at the central conflict or themes of your video. Showcase Visual Effects and Cinematography: If your video features impressive visual effects or stunning cinematography, make sure to highlight these in the trailer. They can serve as a major selling point for your audience. Create Mystery and Intrigue: Leave viewers wanting more by hinting at unresolved questions or teasing unexpected twists. This can build anticipation and curiosity leading up to the release of your video. Maintain Consistency: Ensure that the style, tone, and visuals of your trailer align with the overall tone of your video. Consistency is key to effectively representing your genre and setting accurate expectations for your audience. End with a Bang: Finish the trailer with a memorable moment or cliffhanger that leaves a lasting impression. This can entice viewers to seek out more information about your video or eagerly anticipate its release.

Navigating the Complex Dynamics of a Film Set: A Semi-Experienced Perspective Working on a film set is a multifaceted experience that demands a blend of creativity, technical proficiency, and resilience. For someone who is not entirely new to the field but is still accumulating experience, the environment on a film set presents both exhilarating opportunities and significant challenges. Understanding the intricate roles and responsibilities of various departments, along with managing the demanding workload, is crucial for contributing effectively to a successful production. A film set is a bustling ecosystem where creativity meets logistics. Even with a foundational understanding of film production, working on a set involves navigating complex workflows, meeting tight deadlines, and adapting to the fast-paced nature of filmmaking. The primary goal is to translate a script into a visual narrative, requiring seamless collaboration among various departments. 1. Production Department At the heart of a film set is the production department, which oversees the entire filmmaking process. This department is responsible for budgeting, scheduling, and coordinating the myriad tasks required to keep the project on track. For someone with some experience, understanding the intricacies of production management becomes crucial. The workload here is intense, involving detailed planning and constant problem-solving to ensure that every aspect of the production is aligned with the overall vision and schedule. 2. Direction The director is the creative force behind the film, guiding the vision and ensuring that each element aligns with the intended narrative. For an individual with experience, interacting with the director requires a nuanced understanding of both creative and practical aspects. Directors make pivotal decisions about performances, shot compositions, and overall storytelling, all while managing the dynamic environment of the set. The workload is demanding, as directors must balance artistic goals with logistical constraints, often making split-second decisions that impact the final product. 3. Cinematography The cinematography department is tasked with capturing the visual essence of the film. Cinematographers (or directors of photography) work closely with the director to achieve the desired look through camera work, lighting, and shot composition. An experienced crew member needs to grasp the technical aspects of camera operation, lighting setups, and visual storytelling. The workload involves intricate planning and execution, requiring a blend of creativity and technical skill to adapt to various shooting conditions and achieve the desired visual outcomes.

What is Deep Focus? https://ift.tt/AqtZbuo What do you know? My parents got a sweet new 80 inch TV and and I couldn't resist but to immediately flip on Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Obviously 2001 is one of the greatest movies of all time., but one of the things that inspired me to see it on the big screen was the deep focus Kubrick used in some of notable space scenes. But, hey, guess what? You don't have to be Stanley Kubrick to use deep focus in your projects. Today, I want to go over the idea, the implications, and look at some examples of it in cinema. It's a powerful cinematography technique that can significantly enhance your storytelling. HAL, Let's dive in. Deep Focus Definition Deep focus is a cinematographic technique that renders all elements in a frame—foreground, middle ground, and background—in sharp focus. This is achieved by using a large depth of field, which refers to the range of distance within a shot that appears sharp. It's like viewing the world through a wide-angle lens, where everything is equally clear and detailed on the screen. Why Use Deep Focus?  When it comes to putting everything into focus, deep focus is where it's at. An image with deep focus has the background, mid-ground, and foreground all in focus, and everything is visible. The most classic example of deep focus is Citizen Kane. More modern entertainment includes HBO's A Plot Against America where cinematographer Martin Ahlgren used deep focus to tell an alternate universe where famous aviator Charles Lindbergh (a Nazi sympathizer) won the 1940 presidential election over Franklin D. Roosevelt. When it comes to creating shots with deep focus, you'll need to understand aperture and use larger aperture settings on the lens to create the look. What's unique about having a film with deep focus is that the audience is immersed in the story but also in the environment. Viewers connect with the production design, lighting, and set decoration. It invites them into the space and allows them to look around. And when they watch it again and again, they'll see new things in a scene. Because of that, deep focus affects your compositions. You have to make sure all the elements in the frame don't distract from the story or call attention to inaccuracies. For example, if it's a period piece and we see modern cars in the background, it's not going to make any sense to the audience. You simply can't hide anything with deep focus framing. But when it comes to visual context, you can use deep focus to your advantage. How? If your entire project is in deep focus, your viewer will start to connect with that visually. Then, when the moment is right, you can use a shallow focus to emphasize a plot or character point. The audience will feel it, but they won't necessarily know why. You can do the opposite with a project that heavily uses a shallow focus. Why else should you use Deep Focus? Enhanced Visual Storytelling: Deep focus can...

Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that every single part of a film is fake. Filmmakers manipulate what we see, how we see it, when we see it, and what we think it means. This has always been true, but the layers can become even more granular since the advent of digital cinematography, non-linear editing, and sound that can meld as many layers on a timeline as a designer wants. But one of the most powerful and often misunderstood tools is the LUT, or the look-up table. What are they, how do they affect the color and light of a filmed image, and why did “Barbie” have three of them? 

One of my favorite contemporary companies is A24 studio. What they have done and are doing is unique! Their business model is just mindblowing for me. How can a movie studio actually have a cult following? It goes against everything we know. How can a studio have fans and followers like film directors or actors do? How is it possible? As one of the admirers of this company, I want to mention some points that make me an absolute admirer of this studio: 1. From the very beginning, they introduced us to then-unknown geniuses of cinematography like Ari Aster and Robert Eggers. 2. They maintain their movies' standards and thus have created their own signature or style. Movies of cinematographic beauty always with a hidden meaning, incorporating horror and arthouse elements. 3. Thanks to that, they act like a film director, if you know what I mean. You can easily take a list of their movies and think that all of them were made by the same director. Not because they look like copy-paste, but because the ideas and philosophy at the core of the films are very similar to each other. Their model is really fantastic. No other film studio has such a pronounced style and principles of cinematography. I always know that if a movie is from A24, it should be something extremely interesting. Until now, I have been disappointed just twice. This model shows a lot of interesting things to me as an entrepreneur. Here are my most favourite films from A24. If you see some of these movies, you will understand my thoughts. The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer Beau Is Afraid by Ari Aster Past Lives by Celine Song Men by Alex Garland The Lighthouse by Robert Eggers Uncut Gems by Safdie brothers Enemy by Denis Villeneuve Ex Machina by Alex Garland The Witch by Robert Eggers The Lobster by Yorgos Lanthimos Hereditary by Ari Aster Climax by Gaspar Noe Midsommar by Ari Aster I also absolutely in love with their following movies: Under the Skin by Jonathan Glazer It Comes at Night by Trey Edward Shults A Ghost Story by David Lowery The Florida Project by Sean Baker The Killing of a Sacred Deer by Yorgos Lanthimos Lady Bird by Greta Gerwig The Farewell by Lulu Wang Lamb by Valdimar Jóhannsson The Tragedy of Macbeth by Joel Coen The Sky Is Everywhere by Josephine Decker After Yang by Kogonada X by Ti West Pearl by Ti West Aftersun by Charlotte Wells The Whale by Darren Aronofsky Talk to Me by Danny and Michael Philippou The Iron Claw by Sean Durkin Everything Everywhere All at Once by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert #a24 #cinematography #filmindusrty #film

How to Create Natural Looking Moonlight https://ift.tt/hpv7GKy In a werewolf movie, it’s not uncommon for a lot of the scenes to take place at night, under a full moon, since that is when werewolves come alive. Moonlight can have many different appearances though, so how does the filmmaker know which to use? For Dark Sky Films’ new werewolf tale, Blackout, DP Collin Brazie and director Larry Fessenden had many conversations about this topic during pre-production and what approach they wanted to take. The duo quickly ruled out deep blue moonlight that was prevalent in the lates 80s and early 90s in films such as Beverly Hills Cop II and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Collin explains, “Blue moonlight feels a bit hyper real to me and even though we were making a werewolf movie, a lot of our approach lighting and camera wise we wanted to come from a place of realism.” They landed on a more naturalistic, silvery vibe explaining, “We both felt that held a sense of realism of what a full moon actually feels like.” To achieve this look, Collin used a mixture of different LED units, mainly a few different sizes of Arri Skypanels among other things. We spoke with Collin below about everything from Blackout to his desire to work on a neo-noire crime drama in the below interview. Blackout - Official Movie Trailer (2024) www.youtube.com No Film School: Can you tell us some info about yourself. How did you first get into cinematography? When did you know you wanted to make a career of this? Collin Brazie: I grew up in Dayton, Ohio—loving and going to a lot of films. I suppose I initially started getting into films and cameras in high school—making dumb videos with friends and electing to make video projects for class assignments in lieu of writing papers. In college I started making actual narrative and experimental short films with friends and classmates, shooting 16mm black and white film while also getting introduced to some higher end video/digital cameras. I think I started getting into cinematography around that time because I began falling in love with composition and being behind the camera. Figuring out lenses and camera placement was such a fun experiment. But my friends and I had no real idea what we were doing lighting wise yet. When I decided to get my MFA at Chapman University I applied to their cinematography program—probably because the lighting and exposure was the worst part of all my early student short films. The whole idea of exposure and getting the film developed was such a mystery at the time. I think I knew I wanted to do this when I was around 17 or 18 years old. But it wasn’t until I was really studying and shooting that the idea of having a career seemed realistic. Growing up in Ohio and not knowing a single person in the industry made it seem like such a pipe dream. NFS: What intrigued you most about the Blackout script? Brazie: When Larry (Fessenden) sent me over the script I was very excited to read i...

How do you source the best local crews while ensuring your production maintains the quality you need to tell your story? Drawing on years of experience working with crews across the globe, from the US to Canada, South America, Asia, and Europe, I've directed and produced countless shoots for clients. Each project is unique, but a common thread is our reliance on local crews. We develop our creative concepts and storyboards in close collaboration with our clients. Then, we execute these plans with vetted local crews. Typically, only one key team member—either the director or the producer—needs to be on-site. Our clients can trust that the production will maintain the high production value and quality that define Satellite Film and Video. *** How do we ensure these crews meet our high standards for cinematography, audio, and lighting? It's a refined process that we’ve perfected over the years. It starts with reviewing work samples and references from prospective crews. We conduct thorough interviews to assess their compatibility, subject matter understanding, and the quality of their work. At Satellite Films, we've produced nearly a hundred shoots in Europe and Asia and close to three hundred in North America. This extensive experience has allowed us to build a trusted network of local crews in almost every major city. Whether the shoot is at a lab, a company, or any facility, we have the local resources to make it happen seamlessly. Every project upholds the high quality that Satellite Films is known for. For our clients and collaborators, this means avoiding additional travel costs while retaining the creative expertise of your agency. This approach is our superpower, allowing us to keep costs down for our life science and technology customers while delivering exceptional production value. In the comments is a video we produced for GenScript, the story of their RNA service line. Developed with Satellite Films, and executed with me and and a local crew. What has been your experience with local crews? Do you rely on local talent or prefer to fly in your production team? Sarah Whitaker Eric Forthun

Game of Thrones is well known for having breath-taking cinematography. The showrunners are able to create such amazing backdrops, as they often use real-life locations… Morocco seems to have flown somewhat under the radar, even though many scenes have been filmed across the country over the years. but the most recognisable place is " the ancient town of Ait Ben Haddou", which doubles as Yunkai: one of the great cities in Slavers Bay, that Daenerys lays siege to in season three . It’s easy to see why the creators of Game of Thrones decided to use Ait Ben Haddou as the backdrop for the so-called ‘yellow city’. It perfectly fits George RR Martin’s description of Yunkai, meaning very few things needed to be added/changed in the post edit. From a fan perspective, this makes visiting Ait Ben Haddou very exciting, as even a glance at the fortified village will take you to Essos. More so, wandering through the ancient streets, you start to feel like Daenerys… Or, at the very least, one of her followers. Ait Ben Haddou is more than just one of the Game of Thrones shooting locations, the village is actually a UNESCO world heritage site, and for good reason… It was once a key stop along an ancient Sahara Trade Route, as Traders would rest here on their way to Timbuktu or Western Sahara. Ait Ben Haddou has also been used as the stage for over 20 movies, such as "Gladiators". Making a visit even more worthwhile if you’re a film fan in general! Overall I’d, therefore, say that Ait Ben Haddou Game of Thrones filming location is a must visit when you’re in Morocco… 📧 contact@tangiertravel.ma 💻 www.tangiertravel.ma

This DP's Secrets to a Making Stunning Short Film https://ift.tt/xv2MTFY Making a short film is a unique challenge—you have a limited amount of time to tell your story, and often even more limited budgets. You're also likely competing with other filmmakers in a very crowded field. With the advent of affordable camera equipment, editing software, and distribution methods, more creatives than ever before are able to make and distribute short films. More films being made and released every day, making it harder for individual filmmakers to shine. However, filmmakers can stand out from the crowd by developing their visuals. Strong cinematography and lighting can help elevate a short film, grabbing viewers' attention instantly. That's certainly the case of "Ministry of Loneliness", a moody short about bureaucrats working in an office that distributes aid and advice to lonely constituents. The DP responsible for the look of the film was Jackie Fang, a Chinese cinematographer based in Los Angeles who drew inspiration from classic film and used color to show the characters' changing emotional journey. We spoke with Fang via email about her work on the short. She shares her lighting and camera setups and offers advice to beginning DPs. Enjoy! "Ministry of Loneliness" screens at the LA Shorts International Film Festival on July 26. Ministry of Loneliness Provided No Film School: Please share a bit about how you got into cinematography. Jackie Fang: I think my early childhood experience set a base for my cinematography career. I grew up in a country where color contains a lot of metaphorical meanings. As a kid, we moved around a lot, and I became very adaptive to new environments. We’ve lived in different apartments in the city I grew up in, and eventually moved to Beijing. I remember telling my mom when I was very little that I wanted all warm lighting for our apartment no matter where we moved to, because that’s what I felt was “home.” When I moved to San Francisco for undergrad at the age of 18, I didn’t know anything about the arts. Dark room photography was my first introduction to the visual arts. What fascinated me more was actually the process. It was really like magic when you see your photograph appear slowly as you agitate it in the tray of chemicals, because that was the first time one can actually see the photo after it has been taken and processed. There was certainly lots of excitement, as well as some fear. Later I practiced sculpture for a year. I love the way that it trained you to really think about perspective. Where do you place the object is to direct the viewers’ eyes to see or not see certain things, to have people come and observe closely or keep them at a distance. I appreciated the craftsmanship in both photography and sculpture, but I didn’t feel like either of them could express my voice fully. I was in my early 20s, in a foreign country alone, curious about the world while trying to figure out “Who am I?” ...

Film Review: "Razakar" A DENTAL DRAMA "Razakar" joins the ranks of films that stumble over the hurdles of low-budget production, showcasing a blend of weak writing, lackluster cinematography, and a performance from Raj Arjun that can only be described as dental drama. It's a film where the actors seem to be on a seesaw between overacting and underplaying their roles, with Arjun leaning heavily towards the former. In this tale of cinematic woe, "Razakar" serves as a humble representative of the struggles faced by low-budget productions. The writing limps along like a wounded gazelle, unable to find its stride or deliver a coherent narrative. Scenes feel disjointed, dialogue falls flat, and character development is about as robust as a twig in a storm. The cinematography, unfortunately, does little to elevate the material. Instead of painting a vibrant picture of the world within the film, it opts for a palette of drabness, with poorly framed shots and uninspired composition. It's like watching a slideshow of someone's vacation to a particularly uninteresting corner of the world. But fear not, dear viewer, for amidst the rubble of "Razakar," there lies a nugget of wisdom: the importance of choosing your low-budget films wisely. Just as one wouldn't expect the culinary delights of a 5-star restaurant from a humble vada pav stand, one must temper their expectations when delving into the realm of low-budget cinema. If you've got the dough for a vada pav, don't expect caviar; embrace the simplicity and enjoy the ride. In conclusion, "Razakar" may not be a cinematic masterpiece, but it serves as a gentle reminder that even in the realm of low-budget filmmaking, there are diamonds in the rough. So, the next time you find yourself craving some cinematic indulgence on a budget, remember to choose wisely and maybe opt for the vada pav instead of the 5-star hotel. After all, sometimes the simplest pleasures can be the most satisfying.