Every film starts with the seed of an idea, is anything from a location to a line of dialogue.
But to develop this idea into a good film, we need three main things.
Number one: experiences.
Every film we've watched, every person we know, every conflict we've been through,
is all part of the inspiration that feeds into the film.
Number two is money and, to get a project going these days, it really doesn't take much.
But we're still missing something absolutely vital and that's effort, which is needed throughout the entire production.
The second we stop working hard on the film, all progress is put on hold.
On the flip side is amazing how far a hard worker can go even if they have very little experience and barely any money.
Let's get specific.
You'd be hard-pressed to find good fiction that doesn't involve conflict, which is when things go wrong and people disagree.
My favourite scripts have dialogue that gives us an idea about the characters and the story,
but in a really natural and authentic way. People rarely say exactly what they are thinking.
And of course we need the plot, an order of events that takes us from A to B.
Could be complicated and unpredictable, or really simple and subtle.
Along the way there's the subtext, the deeper meaning behind the plot.
Some films are complex political allegories and others have a simple message about relationships.
Now, we could probably condense most great characters into having two things: desires and flaws.
The child who desires to impress their parent, but keeps on failing.
The hero who fights for justice, but sometimes goes too far.
Their desires provide a reason for their actions and their flaws make them relatable,
and often lead them into conflicts.
The best charachters are nuanced and a lot of that comes from the actor who plays them.
How they show their emotion at different points including how they react to other actors
Believability is important too. Without it the illusion of a real story is lost.
The best actors use their body language, face expressions and
timing to bring the whole character to life.
But timing is not just for actors. The order of key plot points and character moments is vital.
Just watch City of God for a great example of a story that's not told chronologically.
The pace of each scene matters too.
The simplest examples are things happening fast for more energy in a scene,
and drawing things out slow in a moment of tension.
And we're always introducing and concluding, setting up and paying off.
That's structure.
Next up is sound and, within it, the ambience background noise that immerses us in the location.
The sound of driving rain, or a loud cafe.
Foley and sound effects are further building blocks that really help us to feel like we're there, in the moment.
And then there's dialogue, which we've already looked at,
and of course music, which helps to contribute to the vibe, the style, the pace and the mood of the film.
And then there's the visuals.
How we move the camera, how we choose to position it, and the lenses we use.
Lighting is also part of the aesthetics.
From dark, contrasting looks to beautiful soft images, and everything in between.
Equally important are the locations, costumes and props,
which tell us so much about the time period and the setting,
but also affect the colors and the overall vibe of the scene.
But, at the core of it all, is the story.
It's where everything in the film comes from, feeds into and unites all of these individual techniques.
Without the story at the center, they're just a pile of separate ideas,
so it's up to the filmmakers how we use all of these different elements.
Some stories lend themselves to focusing on character and dialogue,
while others are more about the experience, the overall tone.
But deeper than that we should remember that every film has unique influences.
You give three different filmmakers the same idea and they'll all interpret it in completely different ways,
because of where they were born, what kind of art they like and what kind of life they've had.
So let's not worry about making good films and instead focus on making our films,
the films that can only grow in our patch of land drawing from our own experiences and influences
My name's Simon Cade. This has been dSLrguide, and I'll see you next week.