Comments on: Maxing Out Your Indie Budget: “Remus”by Julien Lasseur, Elite Team Assistant & Media Manager

By: Thierry Dauga

Thierry Dauga — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:27:03 +0000

Merci beaucoup Julien pour ce précieux partage ! :)

By: Leeroy

Leeroy — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:12:26 +0000

Here are some personal observations I’ve made myself after planning and shooting a film in school.
(Bear in mind these are not universally applicable , they’re about a certain style of short film that I like)

No order

• Take one core visual idea and expand upon it.

• Atmosphere. Decide on an atmosphere the sequence is supposed to communicate. Storyboard and design to accommodate this.

• Cinematographic chance. Taking advantage of the suspension of disbelief. (Example: hitting something spot on, like a difficult basketball hoop, or nailing a hard to land jump in an action sequence)

• Let the actors play outside of the lines. (Think of the pacing in Jarmusch films)

• Round characters. They’re not just junkies or cops, they’re real people, with thoughts, emotions, expectations, interests.

• Credits! / Intro!

• Music! Never leave anything unbacked by sound.

• Destroy something. If you haven’t destroyed anything, you haven’t made a motion picture.

• “With no sound, people would still stick around to find out what’s going on” – Conrad Hall

• Less is more. Cinema is not reality, it works better when we view it through a veil of non-reality (prolost)

• Frame and message, frame and message. Always point the camera at the story. Never frames that don’t say anything.

• Not too many still shots. Move the camera if you have the means. It’s not a photo.

• Long takes require EXTRA ATTENTION. Compose according to the extended communication requirements, rehearse until you land the end of the shot perfectly.

• KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid

• “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

• Respect the planned steps. For instance, set up, blocking, rehearsal, lighting, metering, focus rehearsal, etc.
Respect the shotlist and storyboard. In the end it proves best, otherwise you may end up with uneditable footage.

• Exploit the set! Linger and do more shots of the same thing from different angles to express its characteristics more clearly. This saves production time, helps in the editing phase and clarifies the communication.

• “What isn’t in the frame doesn’t exist.”

—

«Film will only become art when its materials are as inexpensive as pencil and paper. »
- Jean Cocteau

By: Don Hankins

Don Hankins — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:33:16 +0000

Julien,

Great post, I like the 6 six points of short film production. You are so right on location and production design. I watched the short trailer and can’t wait to see the whole short.

-Don

By: Julien

Julien — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 02:51:30 +0000

Aaron,

Absolutely! Thank you for the response.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:06:03 +0000

Julien,

I’m the producer for the Interrobang Film Festival. We just finished this year’s festival, but I’d like to get in touch with you when we start soliciting submissions later this year for next year’s festival.

Good luck with your film.

_Aaron

By: Duane

Duane — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 19:03:16 +0000

Usually there’s quite a bit of jargon and gear application that is just a little over my head, this seems more rudimentary. Thanks!

By: Julien

Julien — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:42:13 +0000

Thank you for sharing! I very much agree with your statement. Out of curiosity, may I ask what you mean by typical Hurlblog post?

By: Julien

Julien — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:31:17 +0000

Thank you for the kind words!

By: Duane

Duane — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 13:56:29 +0000

Not the typical Hurlblog post… but content none the less. So, what’s an apple box? Robert Rodriguez says that film school conforms creative minds to the same tired drivel that Hollywood has been churning out for years. I think with the onset of affordable film gear, those creative minds will finally be able to see their vision on the big screen without thinking film school is what it takes to succeed in the industry.

By: Ron Dawson

Ron Dawson — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 22:28:02 +0000

Great advice Julian. Especially the part about production design. That is so easy to overlook. People think, “I just need a house. Any house will do. Any bedroom will do.” Nope. It makes a huge difference. I learned that years ago.

Thanks for sharing. I look forward to seeing the completed film.