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What kind of opinions are you looking for?

As you say, it's just a random, minimal plot-line, improv style movie. A few friends playing around with a camera. No lighting to discuss, no script to discuss, no time spent on camera work or acting.

Any constrictive criticism I could offer wouldn't be very valid. I could say the story wasn't coherent and you would say that there was no script; it was just random, improve style. I could say the lighting was flat and that you needed to use more than just available light and you will tell me it was just a random improve style movie with no lights. I could mention the camera work was uneven and the editing choppy and you will tell me...

Well, you get the idea. It looks like you guys had fun, but I don't know what opinions you want from me as a fellow filmmaker. Are you hoping to learn about better writing? About good lighting and sound? Or are you curious if I/we liked it?

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

My camera messed up and started cutting it when I loaded it on my computer. I own one light that could help. Its more of like a portable spotlight that sits on the ground and the light goes up. I spent about 10 minutes figuring out what I was going to do. If I just sat down and actally tried to write a script of some sort I believe I could do that.

I did a movie like 3 years ago about 30 minutes long and I wrote a script for that. Course that had minimal plot-line as well. My main problem (I think) is that I don't have a cameraman, which I working on getting. The only sound device I have is on the camera so I'll have to speak up more I guess.

I wish to be a serious filmmaker so any advice or tips about how I can improve the final product is always appreciated.

Am I curious if you liked it,yes. I don't think there's anyone here that would not want to know what people think of their movie.

Thanks

I agree. Every filmmaker wants to know what the viewer thinks of their movie. I'm just not sure by what criteria you want constructive criticism.

Based on all the usual criteria - story, acting, lighting, sound, editing - your movie doesn't hold up well. You said yourself that you didn't really bother with most of those things. Using those points, I didn't like it. But as I said, it looks like you and your friends had a lot of fun. I was making movies very similar when I was 14-15 and it's a great way to learn. So keep at it.

I do have a few tips for improving the final product:

Write a script or at least have a story with a beginning, middle and end that you want to tell. While it's a lot of fun to play around in front of a camera (and very good experience) once you want others - people who don't know you - to be interested, you have to get a little more serious. And I don't mean you need to make a drama - just that you need to have a story you want to tell. A minimal plot line is fine - I made a film about a guy holding a shotgun trapped in a closet and something is out there. I made a film about two kids daring another kid to ring a doorbell on a spooky house. That's what YOU like when you watch movies and that's what we all like, too.

Work with lighting to get a more interesting image. With video you can just point and shoot and still get an image. That doesn't make it enjoyable to watch. And you don't have to spend a lot of money.

A couple of work lights with stands from any home improvement store.
?url? http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=9401794&PMT4NO=0?/url?

Five or six ?scoop lights? - those clamp on work lights with the silver reflector.
?url? http://www.doityourself.com/invt/u239921?/url?

Three or four pieces of Foamcore from any art supply store to use to bounce the light.
?url? http://www.artsupply.com/brand/foamcore.htm?/url?
Two or three paper lanterns that you can get at Ikea. I hook each one to a dimmer (home improvement store again) to get better control.
?url? http://www.cherryblossomgardens.com/paper_lanterns.asp?/url?

Some colored gels (check on line or if there is a small theater in your town they often have extras) and some black wrap. Check Studio Depot.
?url? http://www.studiodepot.com/store/?/url?

A do-it-yourself Croney Cone made from foamcore and gaff tape can be made to use as a gel holder, soft box and light shade.

To get better sound you don't need to just speak up - you need a good mic and you need to get it close to the actor. This is going to cost you some money. What you're looking for is a good shotgun mic. That in itself is a generic term that means any long barreled mic. You want a good condenser (externally powered) mic with a ?lobar? pick up pattern to put on your boom pole. Lobar pick up means the mic focuses its audio pick up to a narrow area. This is why you want to use a boom pole to get the mic as close the the actor as possible - you?ll get clean dialogue tracks with less ambient noise.

There are three main suppliers of shotgun mics:

?url? http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/?/url?
Sennheiser is the mic most used by professional sound recordists. They are expensive and worth it. Check out the ME-66 and the ME-67.

?url? http://www.audio-technica.com/?/url?
Audio-Technica makes great mic?s and they?re cheaper. Check out the AT835b.

?url? http://www.azdencorp.com/?/url?
I?ve never used Azden mic?s. They?re inexpensive and I don?t hear too many good things about them, but if that's all you can afford it's MUCH better than using the camera mic.

A good mic is an investment. It will last longer than your camera - why skimp?

The further away the mic is from the actors, the higher the volume needs to be. The higher the volume, the more ?noise? you get. Your goal is to have a very high signal to noise ratio - more signal (the dialogue) less noise (the background). Even a very good, expensive Sennheiser mounted on the camera will pick up a lot of background ambiance because it?s far away from the actors. So you need a boom pole. This can be as simple as a painters pole with a microphone shock mount on it.

I will be sure to look into getting a mic and different lights. I appreciate you giving someone like myself a few pointers. and hopefully the product will be a lot better.

Thanks for all your help