Good Production values in a video/film??????????????????

R

rakesh1985

Here is a video I made for a contest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbTjNOV8I8A

This was my second attempt at making a video/commercial. I know it is not going to get me any prizes but I did gain good experience making it.
When I compared it with other good videos, one difference I found was production values. Some videos tend to be of higher quality while others look amaeturish. Could it just be because of

a high quality(HD) camera (I shot my footage with a good quality camera too)

or post production where you edit and put togather the footage adding color/matte/contrast......etc

or could it be due to any other reason that we newbies tend to ignore.

I would be making a short film soon and would want to incorporate the so called production values in it.

Any suggestions about making out a visually attractive video/film is welcome.
 
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Noob here with 0 experience, my longest film so far is 10 sec!.

That said.

The story idea is good. I get it, though, I had to watch it twice to read the headline.

The information in the headline is critical to the gag. So, the few seconds wasted on the spinning newspaper should be showing the headline. Better set with props and you wouldn't need the newspaper at all! You need a machine that goes "PING"

No art to speak of! by that I mean, colors, sets etc didn't get ANY artistic attention. Though, to be fair, your actors are at least in appropriate attire for the role.

White balance looks off (But IM hyper focused on that right now because of this forum!)

open mouth full of chips? Your mom is right, NO ONE WANTS TO SEE THAT! :)
 
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It’s good that you’re noticing the problem.

First thing is art direction. Logically, a millionaire dying in what looks like a college kid’s dorm room is a tough sell. Think of the opening of “Citizen Kane” and the backdrop he died in.

Try to think about your backgrounds for each shot before you shoot them. What does the environment of the character tell you about the character itself? Would you set a Victorian Era feast at a McDonalds? Framing someone against a white wall with flat lighting (meaning too even with no shape) is about as environment-less as you get. Add that to pro-sumer video and less than stellar actors and you’re left with some bad production value.

A friend of mine made an interesting little film about an American kid living in Peru. Although the film is good, what I found most interesting was the fact they couldn’t point the camera in a bad direction. Peru is a beautiful place and with all the people moving to and fro, their production value was through the roof no matter what money they actually spent.
 
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Heh, that was actually kinda funny.
smiley_haw.gif


Also, pretty much what Hayward said.

Also, I would have gone with something more busy & over-the-top as far as characters standing by. Or rather, not idly standing by.

Doritos competition just finish, or sumthin'? This is the second one posted this week. :)

.
 
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I thought it was cute...although it was low production value as you said.

Things that would add more production value:

* older actors
* not framing against a stark white wall, and/or not shooting in a boring bedroom.
* better lighting...more interesting...there are many options here--take a look at cool movies for good examples. Not that you have the equipment to pull off some of the lighting setups in big budget film...but you can mimic thigns the best you can.
* color correction and grading
* a better camera

Those are a few places you could start looking at when improving production value.
 
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Actually the video I imagined was in a big room with a bungalow shown initially. Also I thought of showing the camera moving over an actual newspaper (lying on a table) at the beginning.

Being a student with limited resources, I had to shoot it in my apartment. Also a few of the actors who are supposed to act as an attorney and the third son did not show up. So I had to shoot the video with the available actors.

The reality is the video is nowhere close what I had imagined. Maybe it is called inexperience.

I borrowed the lightning equipment from someone I knew. But had trouble arranging it. No matter where I had the lightning set up, I seem to have difficulty. For example, directly in front of the person caused too much light, besides the person would cause shadows to appear in the video and so on. Is there something you have to follow to get optimal lightning?

PS::Hayward, can you please post the link (if available) to the film your friend made about the American kid in Peru. I want to take a look at it to get to know more about production values.
 
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It's Justin.

I can’t find a link to their feature version. This is an article, but only a link to the short…

http://lofuproductions.com/ChicleAndPostalesSynopsis.htm

Point is, we should just look around. Don’t limit yourself to your own world. There’s plenty out there to put in your backgrounds. Like I said, the fact you notice is a good start.

Lighting-wise, well, that takes alot of trial and tribulation.

Just keep your eye out… focus... pay the ut-most attention to the frame and scream your opinions!
 
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well, my critique is the following.

you spoke off the production values of others, be it cameras.
your camera was a kind of..... frosted? there seemed too be a bad balance of colors, that's one thing i noticed, the color was bad in the picture, but that's not something you can really do much for while recording unless you have a good camcorder.

another thing i noticed, was the make up. again, this is probably far from something you would know, (i know this due too a lot of special effects make up work i have done..... it's what i started as.) but you could have smeared the edges to create a more fluid transition from the deep browns to the natural skin tones.

although that was probably part of the jokishness that i felt (good thing) throught the video, thus is okay and not really that important just me nit picking.

the panning was the only thing that really bothered me....
it felt too rushed...

there is something most of the people who have advanced themselfs along have learned how to do well, this is prolly something you would never have thought off.
blocking and viewpoints. they affect every scene in everything. and i myself can't give mutch advice seeing as i am not near a master of it myself.
having said that i can say the concept.

now lets say your setting in a empty restaurant. no one there, no condiments, nothing just you the tables and the chairs.
add the condiments and the plates and the food. looks a lil more pleasing too look at right? more lively, and with something for the viewer to concentrate on it can make it look a TAD bit more fluid. now add all the people. you have the viewers not only paying attention to the main actors, but all the distractions in the background.
but that's not just it.

they use the people moving around to their advantage in a number of ways, lets say a couple walked past them, maybe in front of the camera, change the angle right there.
another thing i would say is, i don't like people using TRIPODS.
why.... its just my belief, that tripods make it look soo still and cold and hard.
give it to a hand to carry and it looks more fluid, more raw, and a lil shake gives it character.

idk that much about it, but maybe some one else here could explain it?
 
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tongoll said:
another thing i would say is, i don't like people using TRIPODS.
why.... its just my belief, that tripods make it look soo still and cold and hard.
give it to a hand to carry and it looks more fluid, more raw, and a lil shake gives it character.
Click to expand...



:0

*gasp* You kiss your Mother with that mouth?!?!?

The death of cinema!

Tripods are not only your friend, but they also help you compose shots, as well as give you fluid movements. If your location, set design, lighting, and performances are quality, there will be *nothing* 'still', 'cold' or 'hard' about the scene--unless you planned it that way. And just because a shot is still, doesn't mean it loses character. Have you not seen any of the thousands of films already made that are masterfully shot on sticks?

Man, this is a perfect example of the new generation...HDD, playing twitch-based FPS games...with MTV editing mentalities. Completely destroying the art of cinema.

And not to sound like a jackass, but 95% of handheld work sucks in independent film...you have to first master composition, before you succeed in hand-held. And even then, it should be used sparingly.

Thanks for allowing me to rant.
 
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M1chae1 said:
:0

*gasp* You kiss your Mother with that mouth?!?!?

The death of cinema!

Tripods are not only your friend, but they also help you compose shots, as well as give you fluid movements. If your location, set design, lighting, and performances are quality, there will be *nothing* 'still', 'cold' or 'hard' about the scene--unless you planned it that way. And just because a shot is still, doesn't mean it loses character. Have you not seen any of the thousands of films already made that are masterfully shot on sticks?

Man, this is a perfect example of the new generation...HDD, playing twitch-based FPS games...with MTV editing mentalities. Completely destroying the art of cinema.

And not to sound like a jackass, but 95% of handheld work sucks in independent film...you have to first master composition, before you succeed in hand-held. And even then, it should be used sparingly.

Thanks for allowing me to rant.
Click to expand...

XD my bad, i meant camera tripods XD, the kind that aren't made for camcorders but for still life photography XD that's what it looked like he was using.

having said that, i completely agree with you. hmmm... it looked like..... nobody was handling the camera? like they propped it up on the tripod and didn't move it in the slightest.a lil movement with the camera would have been nice that's all i really wanted to say

oh, and not to burst your bubble, but i hate MTV, but some FPS games are fun.
but i would never even think for a moment of shooting a movie like a FPS game....

and it wasn't that he had a still shot, it was that they where all still shots.....its just a little thing that bothers me in movies,clips, and ads? just a opinion though.

did not mean to offend anyone XD
 
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lol...

Clearly there was a misunderstanding. You sounded like you said all things shot on a tripod lack character and life. I didn't realize you meant a specific type of tripod, with a specif amount of moment on the tripod.

I personally love FPS games...I was just making a point about the current HDD generation.

Obviously a misunderstanding. If you read what I quoted you on, I think you can understand why it was misunderstood. No worries regardless.

Take care.
 
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I infact shot the entire video handheld. I would have preferred to use a tripod but the camcorder did not fit on it. But I am glad most of the footage was not shaky.

Can you elaborate a little on the following which I honestly could not understand hundred percent. Maybe you could try to explain it through a video.

1. but you could have smeared the edges to create a more fluid transition from the deep browns to the natural skin tones
Click to expand...
(I do get the point but could you point it out on a video so that i can grast the concept more clearly)

2.
the panning was the only thing that really bothered me....
it felt too rushed...
Click to expand...


Thanks Justin, the trailer itself gave me the idea of what the film would look like. It is in complete contrast to my video. While the trailer was colorful and vivid my commercial looked pale and lifeless. I guess Art Direction is also the responsibility of the director.

One question I would like to ask you guys is
"Do you have to adjust the color of the footage during editing most of the times or would you prefer a more natural look?"
 
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