10 fatal mistakes amateur filmakers make

[elstongunn]

after reading why most filmakers on matt suck i have summed up 10 fatal errors amateur filmakers make and put them into a collection which i like to call..

10 FATAL ERRORS AMATEUR FILMAKERS MAKE

1. set a deadline

2. tell people your deadline

3. looking at a half finished script "we'll find inspiration on the shoot"

4. "oh noone will notice that"

5. "hey this ripple effect is way cool"

6. "wow man check this out, its no ordinary transition it looks like somone is turning a page in a book! lets use it every time!"

7. Star wipe!!!!!

8. thinking that your mini dv camera mic will pic up sounds that you want (dialogue) and leave out background sounds that you don't want (helicopter).

9. for a scene planned as a series of closeups "a long shot could work just as good."

10. make a film that involves you running around the bush behind your house with a couple of painted plastic guns in your uncles old army clothes, edit it in half an hour, post on matthawkins and excpect people to seriously critique your "epic."

[ALove]

Lets make a list.

11. Zomg if we light it flat, it will look 3d, even with these 1/6 inch CCDs using 2.5mm lenses.

12. Who needs planning., I'll just find the right shots.

13. The built in mic is fine, man.

14. Whoops, I forgot to charge the battery.

15. Let's shoot in pitch black, even with a $200 digicam, with about a 4-5 stop sensitivity.

16. Script?

17. Who needs a tripod or any other sort of stabilization.

18. Yay for wide angle, I'll never zoom in, unless the camera happens to be recording.

19. Closeups? We don't need no stinking close ups.

20. Without any sort of planing, I'll just fix it in post.

[Jperson]

I like it, and you know thing about the transtitions, that often happens to me but with effects.

[windog]

its always the zooming!!!

[rhys]

21. "Wow, the matrix was cool lets copy all the effects, change them ever so slightly then call them ours."
22. "War movies are so cool, every one wants to see them, ill get so famous"
23. Me - "Lets make another fight scene"
24. Wide angled fight scenes.
25. Special Effects too often, for little reason.
26. Star Wars remakes.
27. Makin a movie then having to explain it to the audience either due to lack of story/Too big of twists.
28. Not listening to the audience when they say they want to see something in particular.
29. Makin a horror movie (or any movie) that wraps itself up in 5 mins or less.
30. Wire fighting where they land without a bounce (daredevil).
31. Unrealistic pain.
32. Gun fights where someone doesnt get hit after 20 shots, when only 2 meters away.
33. Main actor stays alive after being shot in the temple.
34. Sci-Fi with unrealistic objects.
35. Horror without background check of demons, monsters, etc.
36. 11 year olds having a gun fight.
37. 7 year olds trained in army combat.
38. They dont film emotion.
39. Actors who put on a show when there supposed to be alone.
40. Thinkin that all mistakes can be caught up in editing.
Basically, anything unrealistic or stupid.

[Lebotimizer_1]

gotta agree with rhyses number 22 war movies really suck

[santi]

Maybe you know this: http://filmmaker.com/DUMPS.html

[youngfilmmaker]

Dont you guys do some of this stuff anyways? And you are listing the errors that you always do? Like i seen some stuff of yours that is Really UNREALISTIC like the staff fight! Not saying any names

[Ornsack]

Maybe you know this: http://filmmaker.com/DUMPS.html

I was gonna post that. I learn't soooo much from that site in college! Seriously, everyone read it.

http://filmmaker.com/DUMPS.html

[Lawriejaffa]

Yeah lol sounds like the guy on the DUMPS site felled compelled to rant! Pretty much all of that is true too hehe. I think its a little unfair to criticise the film schools tho as if they are encouraging contrived cliched style filming. Though they will happily let students make mistakes for the first year so they can 'learn' from them hrmph.

[Ornsack]

My film school was restrictive. I went in to it saying "If I end up making a film about a depressed artist, get me out of there". And I pretty much gave up on it when they actually forced me to make a documentary on a depressed artist (I'm not even kidding. My last few films have made good use of taping over the original footage)

Thankfully they let me do Jesus 2 as my final project after much begging.

My favourite part on the DUMPS page was "Your friends band sucks, seriously". Dunno why. I think it's 'cus I have a load of friends in bands who think they're gonna take over the world (some are very good, but some are just there to impress the lay-deez)

[elstongunn]

that dumps site is awsome. hahahaha ornsack i got a few friends who think they're band is gonna take over the world. everythin on that site is true ay

[santi]

My film school was restrictive. I went in to it saying "If I end up making a film about a depressed artist, get me out of there". And I pretty much gave up on it when they actually forced me to make a documentary on a depressed artist

So the schools are the same every everywhere. Friend of mine in competitive school was told that they don't like his "americanish" ideas and he should do a documentary about blind street violonist or something. I was more lucky in choosing a film school.

One of the things I hate most is "tea making film". It goes like this:
shot 1 - CU hero wakes up
shot 2 - MS hero gets up
shot 3 - XCU hero puts shoes on
shot 4 - FS hero goes to the kitchen
shot 5-20 XCU's of filling teapot, lighting gas, etc in varoius angles
but if there's a dialog scene in this film a conversation it is just one, long shot of boring blah-blah.

Instead of making tea you can put any simple and insignificant (for the plot) act like brushing teeth or puting CD into stereo.

My friend's band is really awfull (some sort of religious reggae) and don't know how to tell them :/ They want me to shoot a video for them... I'm not tough enough to stand it.

[pdj]

Religious reggae that’s hilarious! Is it in Polish or English? That would be a kak to listen too- lol

[santi]

In polish, but you don't loose anything. The lyrics are terrible. Like written by teens.
But that's nothing. I know a dark-metal band whis sings texts from bible.

[rhys]

youngfilmmaker: Your a tool, like to see u do anything... and yeah, that movie was lame, but i didnt try very hard at all, but it was just to fill in some time, cos there was nooothhhing to do. seriously, i havent seen a thing uv done. Wasnt this thread supposed to be about the stupidest things filmmakers do?

[Epsilon]

What is the point of this thread? Everything in life should have a point.

You failed to mention about credits. Everybody hates a movie where you gloat yourself with credits...

www.soldierprops.com/credits.mov

[youngfilmmaker]

Rhys yes this thread is about stupidest things filmmakers do, and i thought that was one, i was crtitizing your work :sleep:
Try to work on that staff scene
I felt that was pointless!
I believe Epsilon is rite i agree with that.

41. Ppl making clips for no reason. So start making movies

[Kentertainment]

Religious reggae that’s hilarious!

Haven't you ever heard of "Matisyahu" he's a jewish reggae rapper and is really good, check it out.

42. People make movies way out of there experience.

[Epsilon]

42. People make movies way out of there experience.

There is no such thing in the world of Amatuer filmmaking. No limitations exist. It is the foundation of innovation.

[ProdigyFilmsinc.]

43. Ripping music from soundtracks.

I know making music is hard adn we all have done this but at least everyone should try one film with their own music.

[elstongunn]

but not their friends bands

[rhys]

that was one, i was crtitizing your work

Uh, do u know the meaning of cristisizing? Yeah, it was pointless, but u talk about it as if it were mearly a movie i spent 4 months on, and turning out to be a bunch of cr**, like on this iv seen "im 20 and tried as hard as i could with a really good location and props, but then forgot to actually make something that made sence." seriously, i hated that movie (if you dont know what im talkin about, dont worry).
No 42, i make the clips because i get bored, and im going to start a movie when i figure out how it goes and when i write the script, its about my life, but slightly altered due to legal and privacy reasons.

[youngfilmmaker]

Rhys- I suggest you start working on a "real movie" and not just pointless clips xD

[Zacatac927]

hey... hey

youngfilmmaker... let him be doing what he wants... ok maybe not...

but rhys lay off the vampire and blood... i dare you to make a drama... movie.... no action

hah