Short Horror Film - Haunted 403

[NiteshV]

Friends..this is my first attempt at making a short film. Need your comments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83eJVJl0Y1c

Thanks.

[newb]

editing was too choppy....sound wasn't that good....acting was not good....a bit boring

[neverending]

Since it's your first effort I'll give you a C. Average work.

Good points: You had a clear story to tell, and stuck to it. You got your idea across.

Bad points: Please, do yourself and your audience a huge favor and invest in a tripod. It'll be the best $50 you ever spent. With a tripod your shots will no longer be shakey, and you'll distinguish yourself from every other Joe out there who thinks all you have to do to make a film is get a cam and point it at things.

Filmmaking is an art. You need to make every image you present have a purpose and you must compose every shot for maximum effect. Go and watch some movies. You'll notice they're made up of various types of shots- long shots, medium shots, close ups, point of view shots, etc. Except for the opening and closing shots in your film, everything is shot in medium. That's visually boring and you miss so many opportunities to add emotional resonance to your piece. For instance- the first time the plant is blown by the ghost I almost missed it because the plant was so tiny in the frame. You need a close-up of the plant at that point. Sure, composing separate shots takes more time and effort, but the results are worth it.

A tripod will also help you compose your shots to greater effect. There are several times when the top of the guy's head is cut off at the top of the frame because your cameraman is so shakey.

After you've gotten a tripod, storyboarded your script, shot your footage, then invest in some editing software. You need to be able to do more than shoot in sequence and do in camera editing. Editing is what makes a movie a movie. If you were able to edit your footage you'd be able to cut out the part where the guy can't get the door stop to work. Seriously- things like that just say amatuer. Again, using good editing technique will distinquish you from all the other guys who got a camcorder as a gift and got a couple friends together for an afternoon and thought they made a movie. It will halp you to become an artist.

Sound mixing: Yours is way off. Having the proper audio levels is just as important as editing. The sound of the guy's shoes crashing to the floor is way louder than his voice, and the sound of him dropping the keys on the glass table was non-existent.

Acting: average. How many times did that guy run his hands across his mouth and chin? How many times did he run his hand through his hair? Is that his entire acting repetoire? The screams were entirely unconvincing..

Plot points: 4 weeks later? It took 4 weeks to rent out that apartment? Why? If there's a reason, it needs to be explained.

I encourage you to keep making films, but you really need to develop some skills- shot selection, composition, editing.

I wish you luck.

[Sistinas666]

Originally Posted by neverending

Since it's your first effort I'll give you a C. Average work.

Good points: You had a clear story to tell, and stuck to it. You got your idea across.

Bad points: Please, do yourself and your audience a huge favor and invest in a tripod. It'll be the best $50 you ever spent. With a tripod your shots will no longer be shakey, and you'll distinguish yourself from every other Joe out there who thinks all you have to do to make a film is get a cam and point it at things.

Filmmaking is an art. You need to make every image you present have a purpose and you must compose every shot for maximum effect. Go and watch some movies. You'll notice they're made up of various types of shots- long shots, medium shots, close ups, point of view shots, etc. Except for the opening and closing shots in your film, everything is shot in medium. That's visually boring and you miss so many opportunities to add emotional resonance to your piece. For instance- the first time the plant is blown by the ghost I almost missed it because the plant was so tiny in the frame. You need a close-up of the plant at that point. Sure, composing separate shots takes more time and effort, but the results are worth it.

A tripod will also help you compose your shots to greater effect. There are several times when the top of the guy's head is cut off at the top of the frame because your cameraman is so shakey.

After you've gotten a tripod, storyboarded your script, shot your footage, then invest in some editing software. You need to be able to do more than shoot in sequence and do in camera editing. Editing is what makes a movie a movie. If you were able to edit your footage you'd be able to cut out the part where the guy can't get the door stop to work. Seriously- things like that just say amatuer. Again, using good editing technique will distinquish you from all the other guys who got a camcorder as a gift and got a couple friends together for an afternoon and thought they made a movie. It will halp you to become an artist.

Sound mixing: Yours is way off. Having the proper audio levels is just as important as editing. The sound of the guy's shoes crashing to the floor is way louder than his voice, and the sound of him dropping the keys on the glass table was non-existent.

Acting: average. How many times did that guy run his hands across his mouth and chin? How many times did he run his hand through his hair? Is that his entire acting repetoire? The screams were entirely unconvincing..

Plot points: 4 weeks later? It took 4 weeks to rent out that apartment? Why? If there's a reason, it needs to be explained.

I encourage you to keep making films, but you really need to develop some skills- shot selection, composition, editing.

I wish you luck.

Wow! I hope this guy actually comes back and reads this, it looks like NE took some time and gave an excellent observation. When the hell did you become a softie for tha noobs ya old fart?:p

[NiteshV]

Originally Posted by neverending

Since it's your first effort I'll give you a C. Average work.

Good points: You had a clear story to tell, and stuck to it. You got your idea across.

Bad points: Please, do yourself and your audience a huge favor and invest in a tripod. It'll be the best $50 you ever spent. With a tripod your shots will no longer be shakey, and you'll distinguish yourself from every other Joe out there who thinks all you have to do to make a film is get a cam and point it at things.

Filmmaking is an art. You need to make every image you present have a purpose and you must compose every shot for maximum effect. Go and watch some movies. You'll notice they're made up of various types of shots- long shots, medium shots, close ups, point of view shots, etc. Except for the opening and closing shots in your film, everything is shot in medium. That's visually boring and you miss so many opportunities to add emotional resonance to your piece. For instance- the first time the plant is blown by the ghost I almost missed it because the plant was so tiny in the frame. You need a close-up of the plant at that point. Sure, composing separate shots takes more time and effort, but the results are worth it.

A tripod will also help you compose your shots to greater effect. There are several times when the top of the guy's head is cut off at the top of the frame because your cameraman is so shakey.

After you've gotten a tripod, storyboarded your script, shot your footage, then invest in some editing software. You need to be able to do more than shoot in sequence and do in camera editing. Editing is what makes a movie a movie. If you were able to edit your footage you'd be able to cut out the part where the guy can't get the door stop to work. Seriously- things like that just say amatuer. Again, using good editing technique will distinquish you from all the other guys who got a camcorder as a gift and got a couple friends together for an afternoon and thought they made a movie. It will halp you to become an artist.

Sound mixing: Yours is way off. Having the proper audio levels is just as important as editing. The sound of the guy's shoes crashing to the floor is way louder than his voice, and the sound of him dropping the keys on the glass table was non-existent.

Acting: average. How many times did that guy run his hands across his mouth and chin? How many times did he run his hand through his hair? Is that his entire acting repetoire? The screams were entirely unconvincing..

Plot points: 4 weeks later? It took 4 weeks to rent out that apartment? Why? If there's a reason, it needs to be explained.

I encourage you to keep making films, but you really need to develop some skills- shot selection, composition, editing.

I wish you luck.

Thanks a lot for the comprehensive feedback and some really useful tips. Will ensure to implement them in the next movie.

[newb]

Originally Posted by Sistinas666

Wow! I hope this guy actually comes back and reads this, it looks like NE took some time and gave an excellent observation. When the hell did you become a softie for tha noobs ya old fart?:p

He said the same damn thing I said.....but with more class and more words.