What Every Filmmaker Ought to Know About VOD Film Distribution

If you think you're in business of filmmaking, think again. Your real business as a filmmaker is to build an audience. Read this movie distribution article.

15 Steps to Creating Mise-en-Scene in Your Next Film

In filmmaking, the term Mise-en-Scene refers to identifying each component through analysis and explaining the respective significance while connecting them to the film’s theme. In the following 15 steps, I’ll walk you through what you need to look for to creating the mise-en-scene in your next film. 15 Steps to Creating Mise-en-Scene in Your Next Film […]

Man charged with murder of Garvey Thomas in 2010

A man has been charged with murder five years after the death of a shooting victim. 

Murder of 77 year-old woman in Croydon

A woman has been charged with the murder of 77 year-old Martha Pereira in Croydon. 

Father jailed for killing his son

A father has been jailed  for nine years for force-feeding his son to death. 

Murder of teenager in Goodmayes

A 19 year-old man was stabbed to death in Goodmayes on Thursday (27 October). 

Digital Self Distribution: How To Sell Your Movie Online

Looking to get film distribution? In this filmmaking article, we discuss digital self distribution and how to sell your movie online.

Man jailed for Rory Anderson murder

A man has been jailed for at least 20 years for the murder of Rory Anderson in Northolt. 

Murder of hotel housekeeper in Hayes

Detectives are investigating the murder of Pardeep Kaur in Hayes. 

Murder of 28 year-old man in Shepherds Bush

A 28 year-old man has been stabbed to death in Shepherds Bush. 

Murder of 33 year-old man in Wood Green

A 33 year-old man has been stabbed to death outside a pub in Wood Green.

Man convicted of manslaughter of Jerrell Elie

A man has been convicted of killing Jerrell Elie in Brixton.

Two men jailed for Abdul Hadi Arwani murder

Two men have been jailed for at least 32 years for the murder of Abdul Hadi Arwani in Wembley

Murder at Pentonville Prison

A man in his 20s has been stabbed to death at Pentonville Prison. 

Film Distribution: How To Get Your Movie To Market Fast

In this filmmaking article, LA Producer Jason Brubaker explains why most filmmakers wait seven months before selling their movies and why you shouldn't.

Murder of teenager in Wembley

An 18 year-old man has been stabbed to death in Wembley.

Aubergine (Baingan) Chutney Recipe | Cooking | Food | Recipes | My Kitchen

You are here to see my new post with great details for you..!

The Zen of Digital Film Distribution (So You Can Sell Your Film)

The demise of DVD distribution, coupled with inexpensive production technology has flooded the marked with cheaply produced, accessible movies. For most filmmakers, basing an entire distribution strategy on outside studios “picking up” completed films is silly. Digital film distribution is now a primary way movies are getting seen and sold. This paradigm shift makes it […]

Three Tips For Digital VOD Distribution

We have entered the era of Digital VOD Distribution. In this filmmaking article, we provide three tips for Digital VOD Distribution success.

How To Break Into Hollywood (Without Moving Here)

Given advances in technology, you do not have to break into Hollywood to make money making movies. Here's how you pick up a camera and take action.

Murder of 33 year-old man in Walthamstow

A 33 year-old man was found dead in Walthamstow on Saturday (8 October).

Man jailed for killing Sebastian Hyman-Knight

Dean Copeland, 32, has been jailed for shooting dead Sebastian Hyman-Knight in 2014. 

Crowdfunding For Filmmakers: How To Create Irresistible Incentives

Crowdfunding incentives (perks/rewards) are the muscle and might behind an indie film campaign. Lately, however, I see filmmakers getting less and less creative and innovative with them, so I’m sharing Chapter Fourteen of Crowdfunding for Filmmakers –– 2nd Edition exclusively with Filmmaking Stuff so you’ll know that there is more than one way to incentivize your audience to become […]

Dussehra Recipes | Besan Khoya Burfi Recipe | Cooking | Sweets | My Kitchen

You are here to see my new post with great details for you..!

Indian Set Pancake ( Set Dosa ) Recipe | Cooking | Breakfast | My Kitchen

You are here to see my new post with great details for you..!

Murder of 22 year-old man in Croydon

A 22 year-old man was shot dead in Croydon on Friday (7 October) 

How To Become A Modern Independent Filmmaker

Some of my independent filmmaker friends consider indie film to be sacred and they avoid the studios like the plague. Other friends think studio movies are the ONLY movies that count. And they discount indies as a passing fad or a calling card to simply get noticed by the studios. If you’re like most, you […]

Man guilty of manslaughter of Ali Nasrollahi

A man has admitted stabbing Ali Nasrollahi to death in Barnet.

Man jailed for life for murders of Sian Blake and her two sons

A man who murdered his partner and their two sons before burying them in the garden and fleeing to Africa has been jailed for life.

How to read a movie scene

4 October 2016

• You can learn a lot about filmmaking by analysing a single scene from a movie
• Start by freeze-framing and looking at each shot in detail
• Then look at the editing, sound, and how the scene shows time
• You could even try recreating it – filming and editing your own version

You can teach yourself a lot about the mechanics of filmmaking by watching films. You’ll learn why filmmakers do things, and you’ll get an idea of what film can do. Like Quentin Tarantino said, “I didn’t go to film school, I went to films.”

But if you watch a two-hour feature all the way through, you’re probably talking about hundreds of separate shots. It’s overwhelming. So the best thing to do is go right back to the basics and look at a short sequence (one scene, or less – or a complete short film or TV ad) in detail. TV ads can be particularly useful as they fit a lot of storytelling into a short space of time.

The interrogation scene from Blade Runner is a good sequence to analyse, with great use of camera, light, sound and editing

Shot by shot

First, look at each individual shot. Pause the video. Try and work out why the shot was used. What does it bring to the film? How does it help you understand the story?

What’s in the shot?

Look at everything you can see in the shot: people, clothes, setting, vehicles, background. Why are they there? What can you tell about them?

What’s not in the shot?

Do you think anything has been deliberately left out, perhaps to add mystery or to be revealed later?

How close is it?

What’s the shot size? Is it a closeup, that just shows a face or a detail, an extreme long shot that just shows the setting? Or something in between? Why did they use that particular kind of shot?

Where’s the camera?

Now try and work out the camera position. Was it at the same level as the subject, or was it higher or lower? How does that affect what you think of the subject?

Was it directly in front, at a slight angle, at the side, or behind? Why was it filmed from there?

How are things arranged in the shot?

Does the shot look natural, or is the composition obviously formal or symmetrical ? Or is it unbalanced, crooked or deliberately awkward?

How do things move?

What movement is there in the shot? Do things or people in the shot move? If so, are they moving towards or away from the camera, across the screen, up or down the screen? How does this make you feel about them?

Does the camera move? If it does, what kind of movement is it? Is the movement slow, fast, smooth or jerky? Why?

What colours are there?

What colours are in the shot? Are they vivid or drab? What do they mean and how do they make you feel? What about the colour of the light: is it warm (reddish/orange), cold (blue), or something else?

How is the scene lit?

Is the light bright and flat (‘high-key’), or dramatic and shadowy (‘low-key’)? Do you think the scene was filmed with natural light or artificial lights? Was there just one light, or several? Can you work out where they were?

What comes next?

Look at the shot that comes next. How is it different from the one you’ve just been looking at? What does the new shot bring to the story? Does it show the same thing filmed differently, or does it show something new?

How the sequence goes together

How are the shots edited? Are they joined with simple cuts (where one shot goes straight to the next one), or are there more complicated transitions, like dissolves or fades? If so, what are the transitions telling us?

Find  the cut

Look at where the editor decided to make the cut between two shots. Use slow motion if you can. (If you’re watching on a computer, you may be able to use the left and right arrow keys to move forward frame by frame.) How does the edit point fit with the action, the dialogue, the soundtrack or the actors’ performances?

Do the sound and picture change together, or at different times (split edits)?

Does the sequence use cutaways (where the sound from one shot continues, but we see a different image)?

Pace

Is the editing fast or slow? Does it get faster? How does this match the mood or the action?

What can you hear?

Look away from the screen or cover it up. Play the movie, listening to the soundtrack. What different kinds of sound can you hear? Can you list them all?

Now watch the movie with the sound and work out what the sound brings to the story.

If it’s music, what style of music is it? What instruments were used? How does it make you feel? Is it telling you about the place, the mood, the period, a character – or warning you about something that might be about to happen?

If there’s a voiceover, who’s speaking? How does their voice make your feel? Are they a character in the story or an impartial narrator?

With natural (diegetic) sounds, do they sound realistic or are they exaggerated? Do they come from things you can see on-screen, or do they give you information about things that are off-screen? Do you think they were recorded live, or added later as sound effects?

Time

How does the sequence show time?

Is it in real time – where things take as long as they would in real life?

If not, is it compressed time where they leave things out? If so, what’s been left out and what’s been kept in?

Or does it use stretch time, where things take longer on screen than they would in real life? If so, why? How have they extended the time?

You might also see cross-cutting or parallel editing, where the film cuts between action happening in two places at the same time. If the film uses this, how have they managed to do this without you getting confused? How do you know which location is which?

Or does the scene use flashbacks or flash forwards? How can you tell?

Now try it yourself

Depending on the film you’ve chose, you could try copying the scene yourself, shot by shot. Can you film it and edit it so that your version exactly matches the original?

More about film language

The post How to read a movie scene appeared first on Learn about film.

Sponcer page

Murder of 20 year-old man in Bethnal Green

Detectives are investigating the murder of a 20 year-old man in Bethnal Green.

Five Lessons I Learned Making A Low Budget Feature

Making my low budget feature film, Earshot, was groundbreaking and exciting.  And it was also a huge learning experience. It was the first time a feature film would hit the big screen with only one actor on screen for the entire duration. Making the choice to shoot a low budget feature on film (not video), […]

How To Manage Fear Of Failure In Filmmaking

Learning how to manage fear of failure in filmmaking is essential for your success. Yet for some reason, you’re stuck. What if you attempt to make your film and it fails or falls apart? What would you do with your dreams then? You’re not alone. Odds are good you’ve met someone who has all the […]