I made jokes about the art of watching water boil last year; I wasn’t kidding. I’m still watching water boil in 2021 and you can look forward to watching water boil in multiple entries of my film journal.
film journal Parameters
Limitations breed creativity and innovation. I’m going to try to create one film journal entry per day for an entire year. To save myself from burn out here are my requirements:
- Videos must have a runtime between one to three minutes. They will ideally land on the shorter side.
- No scripts! Part of this exercise is to be present and highlight the overlooked details of life.
- An entry doesn’t have to summarize an entire day. I can choose to feature only one moment or moments.
- My deliverables don’t have to be perfect. Flaws and imperfections should be littered everywhere. If I’m not tripping up, then I’m not venturing into the unknown and exploring the medium.
- This project should bring me joy, and I will allow myself to skip days or stop completely if it becomes a chore.
What I Learned:
Film is a Close Cousin of Photography
My background is dominated in photography and post production (primarily in Adobe Photoshop.) A lot of the principles and practices from still photography are transferrable to recording film, but there are distinct differences to be mindful of.
Camera Settings
With still photography, I have aperture, shutter speed, and ISO at my disposal to control exposure. Shutter speed is no longer part of my arsenal when I’m filming. For that, I have aperture, ISO, and ND filters.
Raw Photo Files are More Forgiving
I feel like I’ve just been thrown a curveball when it comes to working with footage. I’m familiar with handling raw photo files and maximizing them to their fullest extent, but I’m learning that video files don’t have that same latitude for adjustments. It’s more imperative to get it right in camera (or set it up properly for post-production) in film.
Editing Workflow
Despite having zero intention of becoming an editor, I believe that it’s indispensable to understand the editing and post-production workflow.
I’m currently here:
What I Need to Learn:
- How to color correct
- How to record in the dark