Topic: Youtube has not made film making easier.

[snowcat]

So, this is something that has really got to me recently, a friend of mine has been telling me that film production is an easy subject and that its not worth taking and that she would ace the course etc.... he argument is that Youtube proves how easy film making is.... I wrote her a large txt file it went a bit like this

I don't want to rant about it too much because it makes me sound like I think I know it all.... thats not what I mean by this at all... What I mean is.... its not easy and youtube just proves why its not easy.

Sound:
sound is a big thing in video.... if you can't hear something or its to loud it can put you off.... especially if people have music and talking in a video.... the music is often too loud... If your filming a video in your bedroom and you are too embarrassed to let your parents hearing you talk in to a mic and ask what you are doing. You should not be making films...

Lighting:
If your video is to dark or to light it makes it hard to watch, its not hard to get a desk lamp and shine it at an angle that doesn't blind you or the camera

Camera problems:
...there are a few problems here, and this is not even to do with quality! shakey camera movements.... this isn't Cloverfield! if you are just talking then seriously... keep your camera still. invest in a cheap tripod!

Dead Space:
...Why is there so much space above and around a subject in some videos?... you wouldn't see that on TV or in a film so why is it suitable for youtube?
BAD!


GOOD!


Front on angles:
...If you are sitting to the side of a camera looking to an angle don't have the angle pointing you straight in the face....
GOOD!


Scripting:
If you have ever watched the out takes that certain popular bloggers but on youtube you will see that sometimes just going all out and not scripting does not work, Its like this post.... sometimes you can think what you are saying makes sense when it clearly doesn't. SCRIPTING IS IMPORTANT!! especially if you want to make a 5 minute video about a subject!!


...I sent this to her and she still insisted that I was wrong... what do you guys think?

[Achim]

Maybe you too are not referring to the same thing?

On the one hand, YouTube shows us, that making a short film using basic equipment can be done and it can be done well. They can look good, sound can be sufficient and often the little stories or subjects are handled well.

However:

Those videos that fall in the above category are far and between. Mostly you get the examples that you descibed, where things go wrong one way or the other.

Since in the end you want to make films professionally, learning the foundation is very important. The famous Directors of Photagraphy or sound guys don't just wing it,they learned their trade.

I guess it's a little bit like in Ratatouille "Everyone can cook."

[snowcat]

  Exactly... I mean, everyone can film a family home video but its not gonna win an oscar 

I think she just doesn't understand that there is alot more to it then point and shoot, and ive really tried to explain it so many times.. she just doesn't get it... maybe I should challenge her to make a movie.

[lyonsden5]

My favorite part of your rant is the pictures 

[snowcat]

  Well lol.... she wasn't understanding the txt so I added pictures 

[Najemikon]

It comes down once again to a favourite pet peeve of mine: People are not willing to be educated any more. 

YouTube is for every kind of random video you can think of. Criticism is not measured when your target audience are just clicking random selections and most of it is just funny junk that doesn't require any effort. Otherwise there are people like yourself that have been through some sort of course and understand the fundamentals; or people that have a natural raw talent and understand the fundamentals anyway. Anyone else who watches their results and claims they can do it, without any thought or effort is a waste of time.

[Alien Redrum]

So, this is something that has really got to me recently, a friend of mine has been telling me that film production is an easy subject and that its not worth taking and that she would ace the course etc.... he argument is that Youtube proves how easy film making is.... I wrote her a large txt file it went a bit like this

This argument makes me want to scream. Your friend is wrong on so many levels, and just not what you pointed out to her.

I love low-budget horror, but with it being so inexpensive to produce nowadays, there are thousands of people out there with the attitude such as your friend that it's quite easy to make a movie. I mean I have a camera, right? And what you get is 99% garbage, 1% gold.

I don't mean to knock your friend, by any stretch, it's just a soar subject with me. I could go into paragraphs on why this attitude severely hurts real filmmakers. :lol:

But, yeah, you are right. 100%, no question. I am so tired of seeing piss poor productions from untrained backyard filmmakers.