Hello new dude!
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So are you pulling short films off of the internet, and briefly talking about them in a video - regardless of if you think they're good or bad to get people interesting in short films?
If so... there's a few things I don't like.
Why not feature fantastic short films of good quality, or have people submit films? It could be like an Moguler-Made type thing then slowly develop into a more indie short of the week type deal?
If you have no clue what I'm talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_uGc9CnM7k
http://www.shortoftheweek.com
Another thing is the opening of the video(s). Because of low attention spans, many people shut off videos within 5 seconds on Youtube. If you are trying to appeal to average Youtubers, then you have to start the show off with a bang, or build up a large enough fan base so that people will sit though a video regardless of it's quality (but to get a fan-base, you have to get fans somehow, so you have to grab people's attention).
There's also no links provided. You shouldn't be telling people to search it themselves. Either put links in the description or in the video.
Oh, and white walls. But in this case it would be orange walls
Put some posters on that wall, or stand by a more visually interesting area. It's kind of boring to look at an empty wall. It looks sad. Start off with a Big Lebowski, Fight Club, then a current movie.... etc.
Here's a great little piece from an article from
Lights Online Film School:
Production Designers are hired for a film to help create the environment for the actors and the story. Many Hollywood productions are shot in studios so the entire set needs to be built from the ground up. In this scenario production designers, set decorators and art directors are all needed to help build the world the characters will inhabit.
Independent filmmakers don’t usually work in the studio environment. Instead they use natural environments. For example, a independent horror film may use a conveniently located forest for one of their chase scenes. Or an independent romance film may use one of the actor’s living rooms for one of their love scenes.
Using natural environments is a great way to add a sense of realism into your film. It’s also a great way to save money. That being said, natural environments need to compliment your story, your film’s color palette and your design preferences.
Allow me to take this moment to invent a filmmaking phrase:
“Not every living room was built to be in your movie”
Not a great phrase, no doubt, but it communicates the point. It’s important not to be lazy with location scouting or set decorating.
In the realm of production design there is a lot that needs to be considered. However, one of the biggest issues I notice repeatedly with independent films (the lower the budget the more common I find this practice), is the use of white walls as a backdrop.
White walls are infinitely boring. They lack texture, they don’t hold shadows well, they lack a strong emotional element and audiences subconsciously associate white walls with bad filmmaking.
You need to design your background. Add mirrors, curtains, coat hangers, paintings, wallpaper (you can put it up with double sided tape so you don’t ruin the paint on the walls). Nurse your background into a life of it’s own that compliments the mood of your scene. At Lights Film School our students need to study color theory so they can actively think about a color palette for their set which complements their story.
One of the world’s best filmmakers, Wong Kar Wai, is a great filmmaker to study from a production design standpoint. Watch his films and notice the attention to backgrounds. I would recommend you watch the films “2046″ and “In the Mood for Love”. He uses both natural environments and studio environments. In both cases he incorporates his love for color, design and texture. Watch the following video to see an example of how to design interesting backgrounds using nothing more than color, texture, lights, curtains, painted walls and wallpaper.
This doesn't only apply to filmmakers. This applies to video-makers in general.
There is a Youtube hack named "Ray William Johnson". While I think he has poor content, one thing he does do is provide viewers with an interesting background to look at. Now I don't know if you have the budget to do that, but the least you can do is hang up some posters or stand by a bookshelf.
A better example would be "The Needle Drop".
He's a music reviewer. One thing he does well is have an interesting location. Here's a snap shot:
White balance is off as well. Everything is orange. It looks like is was quickly shot on an iPhone.
http://digital-photography-school.com/introduction-to-white-balance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_balance
Incase you don't know about white balance:
If you do not have a WB option on your camera, you may have to mess around with color in post. I don't know what NLE you work in, but even the simplest of programs like iMovie can make adjustments. You can also make adjustments using the Youtube Editor (may have to get a partnership).
Keep the pacing up too. Start as late into the show as you can, and end it as quickly as you can. Begin and end with a punch, and keep them entertained the whole way through, either with humor and charisma or randomness... which always seems to be a selling point.
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