Tell us about a hard film-making problem you had that was...

Vamp · Post by **Vamp** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 11:49 pm

Really simple to figure out but took you ages to

Be it, special effects, stunts, cinematography, editing whatever... Tell us! I'll start.

While filming The Cannibal Monologue there was a scene where we watch the cannibal get into his car from outside the passenger window. What was the problem? The reflection of the camera on the tripod was caught in the passenger window! We spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out how to do this when the Cannibal announced..

"Hey, why don't we just open the passenger window and leave the driver window closed?"

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 12:26 am

Geez do not get me started here

Truggy · Post by **Truggy** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 8:10 pm

One was when we were doing My dog kipper, how 2nd_recon would jump off his garage that was high high up in the air.. finally we determined we'd edit it together.....Makin it look like he jumps....or i dunno what he's doin wit that......he does the editing

2nd_Recon · Post by **2nd_Recon** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:22 am

In essence, I had one shot of me jumping, one shot of me airborn, then a third shot of me landing.

One of the biggest problems I've had with that was overly simple to fix was Truggy's horrible camerawork. I kept trying to tell him "Do NOT zoom at all in this shot" and he would, and I wouldn't know about it untill I looked at the footage the next day, which, by then, it would be to late to reshoot the footage. I thought about this for at least an hour, then enacted my brilliant plan. "(Truggys Real Name), you will not be going behind the camera for a while. ok?"

Carnage7p · Post by **Carnage7p** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:29 am

i always review the footage before i leave the set. cause stuff like that always happens. i've even had friends that were stupid enough not to start recording, didnt take lense cap off, and the list goes on. what lesson did we learn today folks? ALWAYS REVIEW YOUR FOOTAGE.

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:30 am

hmmm constructing an actual over 10 metre span rope bridge for Dangerous Dan Jones

JJJSWIFT · Post by **JJJSWIFT** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:26 am

Carnage7p wrote:i always review the footage before i leave the set. cause stuff like that always happens. i've even had friends that were stupid enough not to start recording, didnt take lense cap off, and the list goes on. what lesson did we learn today folks? ALWAYS REVIEW YOUR FOOTAGE.

i was once doing a little jackass type stunt where me and two friends got in an argument about ones girlfriend while in a canoe which just happened to be out in the middle of the river in front of someones house party, i got pushed off and the two others took off down the river and i pretended to chase after them like i was really scared and almost drowning etc.....All my friend on shore had to do was film it from behind a boat and make sure to get the reactions of the poeple...when we got back on shore we see him hiding behind the boat watching the film...so we assumed he was playing back what her recorded WRONG! he had been watching some previous filming the whole time, never recorded what we did. Camera people can be really dumb sometimes

foxwood · Post by **foxwood** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:33 am

I would have to say casting for a comady that I was doing last year, it was so impossable to cast that I had to call it off.
That or trying to cope with fixing a fight after one of our swords broke.

Raptor · Post by **Raptor** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:56 am

2nd_Recon wrote:In essence, I had one shot of me jumping, one shot of me airborn, then a third shot of me landing.

One of the biggest problems I've had with that was overly simple to fix was Truggy's horrible camerawork. I kept trying to tell him "Do NOT zoom at all in this shot" and he would, and I wouldn't know about it untill I looked at the footage the next day, which, by then, it would be to late to reshoot the footage. I thought about this for at least an hour, then enacted my brilliant plan. "(Truggys Real Name), you will not be going behind the camera for a while. ok?"

My personal rule of thumb on zooming... if it is not necessary for the shot ( a specific visual, to separate dialog from the setup of a scene, and it's maybe not necessary here, can be done with a cut ) But I degress, on any one scene, you can rack in OR rack out, one time on the scene, but only if it can be held for 8-10 seconds. The human eye, does not zoom, it may focus on part of a scene but it doesn't zoom. Behind the camera we use the rack in to force the audience to focus on what we want them to, but since that zoom is such a foreign element to the human eye, we need time for the audience to adjust to the new perspective. and that is the reson you only go one direction, one time. If you need to get closer, then a new camera angle is required.

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 5:11 am

Geeze... You guys all have really dingy friends!!! Personally, I don't let people touch my camera! If I am acting in it, it stays on a tripod and I push the record button! Mostly, I am behind the camera because I know exactly what I want it to look like. As much as I love my friends, I really hate spoiled footage! I hardly review my footage unless I think I need a reshoot. If a friend is behind the camera, then definately review it!

I only zoom when I am doing a recording for people where I cannot move around but the shot requires close-ups. These projects aren't really movies, though either. Zoom is an evil, but tempting option in filmmaking. I suggest covering it with industrial packaging tape if necessary to avoid any desire! Try that with Truggy!

I've never had a real problem before, but my greatest fear is that my friends will simply forget and not show!

foxwood · Post by **foxwood** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 5:45 am

What I have done on some projects when the cam can't move but I need close ups in zoom, then in post take out the zoom and go from the wide to the close up, and they are non the wiser, is that cheating?