When i make a film I start with a subject that interests me. This is so
important and means you'll think about what you are going to shoot and how this will shape
your story. For this film. I'm going to shoot Allan, a man with a very unusual occupation.
A great way of getting your ideas straight is to get them down on paper.
Make sure all your gear is sorted before you leave the house, charge batteries,
format memory cards and clean your lenses. For even better audio you can use an external mic.
I think that establishing your setting is so important to framing your story.
I like to play with scale and I capture super close-up textures along with wide landscapes.
Once the audience knows where you are it's time to show them
who is the story and what they'll be doing.
Capture your environment. It's this setting and what happens here that makes your narrative
interesting. This classical portraiture style is familiar to photographers but
fairly unconventional for filmmaking so it's a bold way to introduce our main character.
Close-ups are intriguing, they tease the viewer with details and unusual crops. This location is
visually very rich and I want the audience to feel curious about what Allen is doing.
Look at all these shapes and the colours it's an image maker's dream.
Mix up the great details of establishing why's he'll give you a bit more context.
Once you've captured those key moments, it's worth taking some time to try something a little bit different
Completely move your position, try an unusual point of view,
go very high or even get down on the floor.
The composition is so important. Try some extreme crops or keep it simple and super
symmetrical. And it's a great opportunity to add your own style to what you're filming.
I love to play with speed and time. Time-lapse is great for condensing
action to shorter more dramatic sequences. Use jump cuts in your edit to add pace and drama.
Every story needs a finale but before your conclusion
build the suspense. The more your audience is on the edge of their seat the more impact
your ending will have. Use some of the techniques like close-ups and unusual
compositions to explore that final setup and be careful not to make them wait too long.
It's the finale, that climatic burst of action that the film has been building up to.
These movements are exciting and dynamic and I like to capture both the details and
the narrative of the action. But remember the reactions of the roboteers are just as important
as the destruction caused by the robots. It's a contest so we want to see the emotions on
their faces as they struggle against each other. Move around while trying to calmly
capture as much as you can in order to tell this vital bit of the story.
It might sound obvious but you've got to enjoy yourself.
Keep the sense of humour roll the punches when things don't go as planned
and try and build a rapport with the people you are filming.
By capturing their story you've also become part of the experience.
Finally, think about the finished film and how it makes all the hard work worthwhile.