archived-videos First attempts at short films

S

synchro

Here are my first two attempts at (very) short films.

I was looking for a new hobby, and find this pastime very fulfilling. I like the
fact that shooting the film is only half the job, and post production is just as
enjoyable!

Not being the most creative person in the world, I'm finding storylines very hard
to come up with. Any tips about this would be appreciated!

I'm using a Sony Bridge camera by the way.

The Hitchhiker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4T5JKa214g

The Lighbulb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BALJpHSBZo
 
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The Hitchhiker

The images are incredibly muddy and washed out. Add some contrast and saturation. Some of the sound effects are not very subtle either. The driving shots went on longer then they needed to as well. Perhaps a phone call scene or something to keep the audience interested might help. Some shots showing the face of the driver would help as well. I was confused at first with the man being the hitchhiker. You have to clarify what exactly happened. Some audiences might be confused.

The Lightbulb

The whole setting looks kind of bland and depressing looking. Put in some music to lighten up the mood, throw a bunch of lighting on the scene, and perhaps up the saturation or stylize with color grading. The audio isn't very good either. The little dialogue in the film sounds very poor, and there's a hissing/humming throughout. The character's reactions seem a bit unrealistic. The dialogue is composed of obvious exposition, and I doubt anyone would be asking a lightbulb questions which occasionally flashes. The story really drags though, that's the biggest weakness of the film. This would have been much better if you cut it down to a minute/30 seconds. It feels really dreary and slow throughout, which I assume is what you weren't going for.

Anyway, keep it up, you have talent, and you're doing fantastic as a beginner.

- Dominic
 
Thanks for the critique,

I filmed the Hitchhiker when it was daytime and tried to darken it afterwards.
I agree it does look more washed out than it should.

As for the other, I think I need to get some better audio recording gear as opposed to
using the cameras mic. Unfortunately the camera doesn't have an external mic connector.

I was considering adding some music, but find it's hard to know what is appropriate. Can you
recommend any sites for royalty free stuff I could use?

Lots of skills to learn and get wrong too....
 
synchro said:
I think I need to get some better audio recording gear as opposed to
using the cameras mic. Unfortunately the camera doesn't have an external mic connector.
Click to expand...

You can get a decent external recorder very inexpensively. There are some recommendations on the site for a good, but cheap, recorder & boom-mic setup. Obviously that entails having a person to operate the gear, but the step up in sound is a no-brainer.

I was considering adding some music, but find it's hard to know what is appropriate. Can you
recommend any sites for royalty free stuff I could use?
Click to expand...

The Tune Peddler (www.TheTunePeddler.com) has great stock music, that comes with royalty-free licences. Very inexpensive, but excellent for the price.

Jewel Beat (www.TheJewelBeat.com) has insane pricing at 99c per track (royalty-free), but sounds a little more generic.

Regardless, either gets you excellent music for the price.

Other options include maybe hitting up a budding composer to create a score for your short (there's no shortage of composer wannabes, looking to build experience) in exchange for a credit in the film, or even just contacting unsigned or indie-friendly bands and asking to use their music, once again just for credit. You won't get the Rolling Stones, but there are tens of thousands of amazing bands out there, looking for exposure.

Don't ask, don't get - right? :bag:

.
 
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