Amateur filmmaker quirks

moonshieldmedia

moonshieldmedia

I once read an interview from a film festival programmer who gave the advice "Whatever you do, don't start your film with a character hitting an alarm clock and then getting out of bed."

Apparently he gets an unbelievably comical amount of submissions starting that way, and ever since I read that article I've noticed dozens of student films with that familiar "close-up on alarm clock with hand reaching in frame to silence it" opening.

Besides production quality, what are some other quirks, or tell-tale signs of an amateur filmmaker?
 
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I do think though that most of the stuff we are saying here don't really apply to amateur filmmakers. But they apply to filmmakers WHO MAKE BAD DECISIONS. Because just for example, even Michael Bay rely on VFX over storyline.
 
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With all of the above in mind..... I think it's best to not be afraid to make mistakes. And it's okay to be amateur sometimes. It's always hard starting out with no budget and no real professional actors. In my own opinion, the key is GOOD DIRECTION. Even with the worst actors, a good director should be able to make them work. Be creative with what you have. We all have to start somewhere. Start a project... you can always work on it over and over and over again. Don't be married to your first few edited versions. Always keep an open-mind and don't be afraid re-edit the entire project from scratch if necessary.
 
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Great first post JW! I would also say - do all of those things above and see how they look and why people don't like them.

I was just talking with my producer about making a short that does all of the opposites of these.

Know that when you use these... your film will look amateurish, but you'll still have finished a project... which is my big thing: Done is better than right!
 
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rayw said:
Ams.


You'd think they'd spend a nickel to clone over that in post.
Cheap lazy bastards.
Click to expand...

Even in Batman Begins there is the whole frickin' crew when the batmobile is on a roof.

Anyway, I'd go with

1/Sound
2/Composition
3/Lighting


Everything else doesn't scream amateurish. It may scream bad taste or imagination but that's it.
 
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jumping will is totally right, however i always notice in amateur films that people never spend enough time on the "boring parts" such as sound and creating fully formed characters. Oh and ridiculously long establishing shots seem to be the staple of amateur/indie films.

oh way too much dialogue in shorts, and the fact that people always have to bang in an american accent or something to do with the CIA when they are quite obviously from the UK or whatever, people should really learn to write about what they know and experience.

actually now i think about it there a quite a few things that bug me haha, however i know how hard it is to start out with minimal gear so i don't judge harshly i just offer constructive feed back :)
 
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It is hard to say what hasn't already been said... There's nothing here I don't agree with.

-Choreography that is stupid and makes no sense (in a drama/serious film).

(IE: Someone's shin gets kicked, and suddenly they are unconscious!? WTF!?)
 
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