Fix it up in Post Production
At the dawn of the Third Millenium I became involved with some independent filmmaking groups, some working on fanfilms and others on original material. As a keen media SF fan I’d read a great deal about filmmaking technique and had some prior experience in the 80’s & 90’s ranging from super 8 film/vid home movies to 16mm film productions involving industry professionals, but the 2000’s were the real eye opener.
Initially I was highly impressed by the level of professionalism shown, with lights, digital cameras, proper sound booms, costumes, creature makeup, clapper boards and other pro movie paraphernalia in evidence, and the fact that some crew members had professional training and they were using properly cast actors, but I was soon to find out that some people knew more than others.
Some groups could turn out a decent script and assemble a crew but they made fundamental mistakes, like shooting in echoey wooden halls which gave terrible sound. They also relied far too much on green/blue screen matting techniques, which were ok with older analogue equipment but with digital cameras and computer editing gave matte lines like those which used to afflict 70’s Dr Who so badly. On one occasion I saw a blue backdrop and green backdrop used together, you don’t do it that way! Worst of all they boasted of having more effects shots than Star Wars, forgetting that you need a Star Wars sized team to make all that stuff work properly.
Some learned from their experience and went on to produce worthwhile films, others stayed in the same rut, made the same mistakes, spent a fortune, wasted everybody’s time and never completed a damn thing.
Initially I was highly impressed by the level of professionalism shown, with lights, digital cameras, proper sound booms, costumes, creature makeup, clapper boards and other pro movie paraphernalia in evidence, and the fact that some crew members had professional training and they were using properly cast actors, but I was soon to find out that some people knew more than others.
Some groups could turn out a decent script and assemble a crew but they made fundamental mistakes, like shooting in echoey wooden halls which gave terrible sound. They also relied far too much on green/blue screen matting techniques, which were ok with older analogue equipment but with digital cameras and computer editing gave matte lines like those which used to afflict 70’s Dr Who so badly. On one occasion I saw a blue backdrop and green backdrop used together, you don’t do it that way! Worst of all they boasted of having more effects shots than Star Wars, forgetting that you need a Star Wars sized team to make all that stuff work properly.
Some learned from their experience and went on to produce worthwhile films, others stayed in the same rut, made the same mistakes, spent a fortune, wasted everybody’s time and never completed a damn thing.