Relationship between a Cinematographer and a Director

Relationship between a Cinematographer and a Director

A relationship between a cinematographer, and a director should be very strong, and there should be a bucket of understanding in front of them. A cinematographer as I had said in my previous posts is the eye of the director, as it portrays the director’s visualization in reality. We write a screenplay which is in other words a visual writing, and a shooting script which is as well for the cinematographer. As a film maker you can make this successful when your cinematographer will be able to almost visualize your idea the same way you did so, then he/she can compose the frame according to what you want as well. We cannot always guarantee that both of the director and the cinematographer will have that bonding which is professionally needed, but in my point of view creating that particular bonding will make the job much easier as well. Making the story into moving images is completely upon the director, and the cinematographer. They both are equally responsible for the quality of the film. A director should have overall knowledge of film making. You see, the director should have the knowledge of the cinematography stage, because it will then only be possible to coordinate in a much appropriate way to portray the film in real life. Whereas a cinematographer should have the knowledge of the director on the part of what exactly he/she wants the film outcome to be like, and also the cinematographer should go into the depth of the story, as to make the visual approach world look as characters as well.

The execution part of the film is mostly dependent on the way the cinematographer work. If we become practical, a director can just explain the imagination either verbally, or by the written part (like script/screenplay, story boarding, shooting script, etc.) Sometimes the story isn’t very strong so the cinematographer can use his/her talent to make the film look very appealing in front of the audience to continue watching the films. But in my point of view, this should be fully avoided as the story as well should be very strong enough.

Even though film making is a team work, in the team the director, and cinematographer has the responsibility for making the hard work look good in the celluloid. Even though the actor/actress does their job very well, or the other crew of the team contributes their hard work these two are dependent for the outcome on- screen to look appealing to the audience. Sometimes conflicts such as, a director having a different perception of taking a particular shot, and a cinematographer has his/her own. But this can resolve by thinking, and discussing on how to manage it will help resolve this problem as well. The editor’s job can be much easier also when the part of cinematography is done in an appropriate way. Sometimes the shots are taken in such a manner that it becomes difficult for the editor to manage during the editing. So both the director and cinematographer should look upon this part as well. The success of the film is also dependent on the way the director, and cinematographer makes, and portrays the film on screen, and as a director you should be very witty enough to choose the kind of cinematographer you want to work with, especially the one who matches your style of film making.

Making a Biopic – Is it a challenge?

Making a Biopic – Is it a challenge?

Cinema is a very strong medium, as it has the liberty to show you different talents, and also can portray the unique real stories of distinct people, as an entertainment form as well. Recently, I had studied about this particular topic. I have written a lot about creative ideas which a film maker tries to imagine, and make fictional character, plot, etc. as well. But making a biopic does not mean that the story is already ready in front of you. Well, in my point of view, making a biopic is also a very challenging task. Let me explain how. Firstly we cannot forget that we are going to show the depth of a particular person’s life. Usually legends are the main topic in the biopic genre. As a film maker we have to be very careful in portraying the story in an appropriate manner, as cinema is actually somewhere a big influence on people, and they believe what they see. So if you are showing a story of a person in reality struggled, and for example, became famous, you cannot have the right to spoil the image as well. Secondly there are a lot of formalities as well to be completed. As making a biopic of a person it’s very vital firstly for the permission to be taken place. If that person doesn’t exist then the permission should be taken from the family or friends, etc. Even we have to explain each, and every part to the people related to the person you particularly want to share on screen, as it would be more ethical as well. Making a biopic sometimes, also limits the creativity, as we cannot fool the audience about the reality of that person. For example, if we take a legend from the history it’s very important for maintaining that particular respect of the legend we will be portraying.  In this world there are so many people, and between them there are also many of them who does something either good, or bad in their life which gives us morals, and also aware. If as a film maker you want to take the topic of a man for example who has done crimes which scandalized many people then showing him on screen is a big task, he is the protagonist of the film, and somewhere we have to make him heroic also. We know people who are famous usually by their ‘fame’, and professional life, but if we want to make their biopic researching about their personal life is actually a very tricky task. It’s not important in this particular part to stick exactly with the facts, but it’s vital to stick ‘mostly’ with it. Another challenge is choosing the cast for the film. As a film maker if you are making a biopic hunting for the perfect cast, and especially the protagonist is very important to suit the real person as the actor/actress should be able to connect with the movie as well. Recently I had watched an amazing movie ‘Sarbjit’ and personally I feel that the protagonist chosen has done a wonderful job, and made many people fall in love with the story as well. If you also want to portray epics, the art direction part works a lot over here. It’s a challenge to make the set look real, and we cannot forget the atmosphere being created the same way it was in the history. Even the costumes will be considered over here. Making epics is also challenging as we have to take the people to that particular era, and making history alive in the present.

Choosing locations to shoot, and make that person alive on screen in the ‘reel’ life is tough, and stressful also. But in the positive side as a film maker you get to explore, and learn so much as well. Making a biopic, of a particular person, and portraying the struggles, with carrying it as an entertainment form will make even him/her famous, and as well as you a famous film maker with the success of the film.

Watching other film makers work – Can it help a film maker?

Watching other film makers work – Can it help a film maker?

Every film maker has a thought in his/her mind on the scope of improvisation regarding making a film. There are many kind of ways a film maker can improvise, but there is one way which can also help for improving as well as a film maker you can learn as well and that is is watching different kinds of film. Even directors, actors, editors, cinematographers, etc. a part from their films, watches the work of different people but mostly just as a film maker. As we start to work in the industry the tag line we being an ‘audience’ is deleted, as when you become a film maker even if you will want to watch it as an audience you will obviously watch it as a film maker. Let me brief it how.  This usually happens when a director watches the work of the other director with the similar kind of genre. If we consider this psychologically, the director would watch the film, and mostly look out for mistakes as well. Sometimes watching other films, and pointing out some mistakes will also help to avoid to repeat it in future for your own film. Let me give you some examples regarding this. As an actor/actress when he/she watches the work of another actor/actress he/she can observe the acting and avoid the similar mistake being done, like if there is exaggeration or over acting taken place. This also helps the cinematographer to learn how to make the shots much better. For example, avoiding of camera jerks, or any other ideas for taking a particular shot. 

If there are films which hardly has any false points, and everything just looks perfect on the screen, as a film maker you can learn a lot at the execution part as well.

Everything cannot be perfect, but if it looks appealing to the audience then sometimes the minor mistakes are ignored.  By watching other films you can also get the idea of how to make your style of film making better and also recognize where the flaws are.

Even though your style is unique, and loved by the audience, there is no harm in making it much better right?

A film maker does not just watch films to criticize it but to even learn, and also improvise and avoid to fail as well. So watching other film makers work will surely help the film maker in different kinds of ways.

Choosing a Team

Choosing a Team

What is a good team? We can define this as where understanding, coordination, and especially the similar styles of how people work will be considered especially with less problems.We all are very well aware of the fact that film making is just possible if we have a team right?  But have you ever wondered what kind of a team is necessary to gather for making a particular film? After we write a story, and have decided to meet the producer for the pitching of the film it’s very important firstly to decide the ‘perfect cast’ for suiting the film. Sometimes the actor/actresses does not appear the way the director had imagined him/her too, and this pulls down the film. So it’s very vital to gather the appropriate cast for adding more color to the film. Even sometimes we need to choose a team according to the ‘way’ they work. There are people who are very talented enough, but because of their lazy or reckless attitude the work gets delayed. So this should also be seen, and avoided as well. As a director it’s also very important to consider the cinematographer’s idea as similar as yours. Basically a cinematographer is your eye. He/she helps to portray the visualization which you have imagined, and helps it bring out practically, and look appealing as well. No matter how strong is the screenplay, and the shooting script, the director, and the cinematographer has to somewhere have the same kind of visualization for a much better coordination as well. If we consider an editor as well, it should be sure that the editor chosen for editing your film has the exact knowledge the way the director wants the film to be portrayed as well. Film making as I had said previously in my other posts is the usage of more than one brain. So contribution of each and every stage is very valid and helpful as well.

The disadvantage of team work comes when there are also conflicts between people, as you can never assure that you can find everyone with the similar way of making a film. Mostly, having a team with everyone having the equal passion and also contributing their best, working hard as well is very difficult to find, trust me. But it also somewhere depends on the patience, and the way how you lead the people. Understanding the people working with you will also make the impact of your team having the passion of working hard will increase as well. So it’s very important to get right kind of people to work with you, but that is always not guaranteed right? You will always in your path find a troublemaker, for example, not being punctual. But if that person will contribute his/her hundred percent, and will also somewhere be the reason for the success of your film, his/her name will surely be spoken by you while giving a speech about your film. Hence, choosing a team for your film is surely a tough task, but at the end of the day it will make the impact of the film in a much better way, just like you always wanted it to be.

Challenges while writing a story

Challenges while writing a story

This phase I think almost everyone one of us has gone through. Before the production of the film starts obviously we will need a proper story, and most importantly the proper structure of the story to execute it. But have you ever thought about the difficulties faced while creating a story? The first and the trickiest part are the beginning, and the end of the story. For getting our audience indulged for watching the film, our beginning of the film should be very interesting, and also give a reason to the audience to continue watching the film. Whereas the end of the film is also in my point of view is tough to think about as it will give the film more impact as well, and also complete the film in an appropriate way.  Sometimes some endings leave the audience with confusion which usually loses the the impact of the film. I am not talking about cliff hangers, but just a confusion ending. The brain also has to get pressurized thinking how to continue the story without making the audience feel bored. Sometimes during the movie before the climax the audience usually gets either bored or restless, and to avoid that it is not an easy task, as you have a ‘blind audience’. In my previous post I have spoken about ‘’Who is our audience?’ And trust me without knowing it becomes even more a challenging part, as you cannot generalize.people as well. While writing a story there also challenges like our own self-consciousness. Sometimes while creating a story in between we are not very confident about it thinking about the reaction of the viewers which somewhere also is a red light to the creative part as well.  Another task can also be the ‘structuring part of the story’. While forming a story we always will have the visualization into our heads. But the challenge which will be born during creating the story comes when we have to structure it. In some films the story will be very unique, and also nicely written but the structure fails, and sometimes also pulls down the concept of the film. So it’s very vital for looking upon that as well. Making the protagonist is also a very challenging part as well. Mostly the main motive of the story is to make the audience attached with the hero/heroine of the film, and the rival being hated as well. Before creating a story which is in our mind, it will be fixed that how you want to make your audience leave the hall, for example while crying after being emotional. So creating those emotions also is not a very easy task, as we have to make the story very strong enough to reach the audience.

These challenges are not impossible to overcome, and every film cannot be a success right? So experience and knowledge is the cure to this, and also your creativity cannot be stolen by anyone as well. At the end of the day, it’s your own world created, and portrayed.

Who is our audience?

Who is our audience?

When we make a film, we have many things which go inside our minds, and one of those is the target audience. A film is made and categorized in a particular genre, and certified either as ‘U’ U/A’ or an ‘A’. But have you ever thought of what exact audience you want for watching your film? This is also a very tricky part as well. Let me explain how. We make a film according to our own creativity. As I had said previously that this is the biggest disadvantage in this field as one may like your creativity, and the other may not.  But what if your film is loved by a small part of the audience instead of the majority part? Let me take an example, in India. We our brought up by a particular culture, and psychologically our mind follows only that way of learning, behaving, seeing, and reacting to the things happening in front of us. But usually what happens is that if we make a film which is very distinct from the particular way of the current living status, then mostly at start the audience will not be able to connect themselves, and also they might go against the film. How much ever talented and creative you are until, and unless the film is not liked by the majority of the audience it will not be successful, and also people might after sometime forget even if it exits in the film industry. In India it usually happens that ‘majority’ of the people go to watch a film as according to the star system; the cast chosen for the film, instead of seeing the plot. I am not generalizing anything, as there also might be people who prefer to watch films according to the story, etc. In my point of view, there is no harm in experimenting different kinds of films. Maybe a person who is just in love with the genre like drama can experiment watching a violent film. There is no guarantee that he/she might like it, but at least as an audience you tried to watch something different right? As a film maker we make films if we like the idea, and have the trust that you will also do, because that ‘trust’ only pushes the film maker to carry on with the idea.

Cinema is such a strong medium that we can show the culture, and the way people live for example we can show how the living style of the people who are in The United States sitting just in India itself. But as an audience you can be entertained, and explore as well.  In my point of view if we choose our audience then your talent, and name as well will be in limited people’s head and this for surely just depends on the way of your film making. Obviously the film being certified to particular audiences is accepted but there is at least no harm in looking at something very different portrayed by someone’s point of view. Hence as a film maker you can never know who your audience exactly is, but just can see the numeric figures rated to your film.

Improvisation

Improvisation

A film is successful also obviously by the acting of the cast, as they play the real characters of the story written. It’s really not an easy job to face so many people without knowing who will watch you, and in which way they will watch you as well. And also the fear of if they will like or dislike you. For an actor/actress it’s very important to look natural on screen, as through that method acting the audience will get more connected towards the film.  But one more very important thing an actor/actress should consider is the ‘Improvisation’ tool. Basically, improvisation is adding on your own creativity to the part which is already planned, for example the script. It’s not just the director, writer, cinematographer, editor,  etc.  job to be creative. An actor as well should be very creative enough to improvise on a particular thing. The key for that success is just imaging him/her at the place of the character. For example, if a particular scene consists of an actor/actress crying out loud, then he/she should also imagine themselves at at hat very position. This will help them to look more natural on screen as well. Even it’s not very necessary to deliver the ‘exact’ dialogues written in the script. But this thing does not apply always. Dialogues help for the message to be even clearer to the audience, so if an actor/actress using his/her imagination improvises on it in a much better way; it will also contribute to the film being a success.

Improvisation only doesn’t concern to actors, but also at many different jobs of film making. Let’s consider ‘cinematography’. A cinematographer, having the ‘shooting script’ in his/her mind can also use the power of his/her imagination to improvise the look of the shot. As a director we give our visualization into a screenplay jotting down everything. A cinematographer also can have the freedom to somewhere change the outcome of the shot as it will give a better result as well. Film making is a process involved with the use of more than one brain. So including everyone’s point of view, and improvising the film will at the end of the day surely indeed to help it being a success, and make the audience not just like but love it as well. 

Being Busy - A feeling when we reach cloud 9

Being Busy – The feeling when we reach cloud 9

Usually people crave for vacations, and to have some rest for either sleeping or enjoying or for any other reason. But over here we crave for working, as hardly there is a chance to work in a film. This kind of field is a just like being on a vacation as we get to travel at different places, and we shoot, and also getting together the whole cast and crew for discussions, etc. Well if I give my personnel point of view when I say that ‘I am busy’ it’s equally the feeling of reaching cloud nine. Being in a shoot, and having that experience with your name associated with it is a feeling which cannot be expressed through words trust me. Sometimes our tiredness rules over us, but we have to learn to overcome that as well. If you are in a film making course, and you are lazy to work I am sorry to say that you are in deep trouble. We have to learn how to go through sleepless nights, and also learn to be fit enough during the shoots. Recently I have developed this into me. Having two three projects together also in the other hand is difficult to handle but not impossible. If you are in case dead tired, and have to go to the shoot, as an actor as you come in front of the camera trust me the word ‘Lazy’ will be vanished from your dictionary. If I take the example of a director as well with lots of pressure, and work the feeling of making a film will be the medicine to cure that problem. To be honest, at start I had that passion of working, but used to not take more than a project, because I wanted to avoid being too busy. Now I can proudly say that having two- three projects in a line with the tag line ‘being busy’ will also make you feel more proud about yourself. Sometimes it also becomes a distraction as we cannot focus on one thing, but this world will not stop for you right? You also have to learn how to work in two three tasks together, and that can only happen if you are good in ‘time management’. No one will stand with a script in their hand, and wait for you to approach them, it’s you who has to take the steps first. As a learner I am having my personnel, and college projects with exams on their way, but I do not want to step back, as the more experience we will have right now the more prepared we will be in the future as well. But this only depends on you. Some people likes to just concentrate on one project, and that is absolutely not a wrong thing. But it’s good enough to have the capability to manage more than just one.

Having the opportunity in front of you, and stepping back from it is the sign of your passion decreasing. Learn to kill your laziness, and increase your passion towards your goal, because when you will achieve what you want to do the it will take you to some other world trust me.

Continuity- The breath of the film

 Continuity- The breath of the film

This particular term is one of the most vital parts to be considered during making a film. Continuity is one of the toughest stages to maintain in film making. Over here the pressure is almost on everyone’s head; the actor/actress, the cinematographer, make-up people, the assistant director, director, etc. Maintaining continuity will help give life to your film. In my words it’s the breath of the film. Basically it is the part where you make sure that the scenario which is created is maintained the same way every time you shoot it. Let me explain this with a very small example. If an actress has to wear blue shoes in a particular scene, so it has to be sure that this is continued every time we shoot the same scene. As when our audience will watch the film, and notice that the continuity of the film is broken they will start discussing about it as well and, this will make the film somewhere break the audience’s interest, and belief. Sometimes minor mistakes are not pointed out, but it is noticed very quickly. The toughest part comes when we have to shoot a particular scene in different days. For example, if we do the make-up of the actor/actress, it has to be taken care that it should be done the exact same way it was done previously. Sometimes even the positioning of the accessories matters a lot. The assistant director takes care of all of these due to so many pressures on the director as well, but the director cannot ignore it completely. And the cinematographer also has to try his/her best to maintain the same way the shot is being taken. The actor/actresses sometimes struggle with their personal problems, like if an actor wants to shave due to the heat he is forbidden too.

Recently, I had watched an amazing film ‘Neerja’. This film had left people scandalized, including me as well, and also was very touching. But it somewhere had failed to maintain the continuity. Like in a particular scene at one part the actress’s lipstick was dark red in color, and just the next part it magically turned pink. So these are the mistakes which sometimes make the audience ignore the action in front of them, and notice it. As I am learning film making, and also being an audience watching films I have noticed that now a days the audience has become very witty enough to point out all of these. It also becomes a very frustrating job especially for the director if an actor/actress does not listen in certain ways such as being dressed up the way he/she was previously to have that continuity. There also reasons like tiredness sometimes, and if we consider the human psychology, because of the pressure it is not noticed by the cast, and crew. These all things must be taken care of, and also continuity in a film should surely never be ignored as well to make your film avoid being a prey for the critiques and also makes the film alive and also successful.

Reality in a film

Reality in a film

Portraying reality in a film is one of the major key to make the audience believe in what you are trying to show on screen. Especially in specific genres like; biopic, epics, romance, etc. But the tricky part over here is how to show the reality to the audience. There are so many key elements through which an audience for a moment believes and connects to the film which is going on in front of them. Firstly we can say the way the actor/actresses portrays his/her character. I might have repeated it several times, and I will repeat it once again. Through the actor/actresses acting and making the viewer’s believe that he/she is not faking out the character will help the audience to get more connected, and most importantly believe in the film as well. Avoiding of exaggeration also can help show reality in a film. There are obviously exceptions such as melo-dramatic films or any other genre, but now a days audiences usually crave for a more realistic plot. In my point of view this will also help giving more effect to the film. The locations also help emphasizing the realistic part of the film even more. Art films comparative to commercial ones surely looks at this point as well. There is one very vital term that is the continuity of a particular movie. Sometimes we notice that in a particular scene at one shot the actor’s hair is messy, and in the other shot it is automatically neat. This is a fail in continuity. Maintaining the continuity also helps to add a realistic part also. For a film maker it’s very important to understand his or her audience. If a biopic is being made, as a film maker you have to make sure that carrying out the facts and the realistic part with entertainment is taken place, because without that we will have limited people to watch our films. Basically cinema is a medium of entertainment and also somewhere we are either influenced or motivated after watching a particular film. But adding more realism to the film will add more color to it as well. Reality in a film only doesn’t mean non-fictional stories. Obviously fictional stories can also have realism in their films. Let’s consider a plot of two lovers with different religion. So a made up story will surely work but the role of realism over here takes place according to what kind of scenario you are trying to show your audience. For example if we are showing that story in an orthodox family the situation which will really occur will have more impact. And sometimes if we want to change the perception of the people of our society we can also show it in the way of the same situation but later on the opposite of it.

Having reality in a film will surely make your audience enjoy and even get emotionally connected to the film, and also learn something from it as well, but most importantly it also depends on the genre as well.