In my last blog, I looked at writing as one of the ways I am able to get what is inside of my head out into the world. Technology plays a significant role in how I am able to express myself. Another form of expression I love is very dependent on technology. In this blog I will look at making films and talk about my ambitions and goals.
Film(scripts)
It has been a while since I was involved in making a film. That’s a bit of an understatement, I just now checked my site and apparently it’s been 10 years since I last finished a creative project. I did a “commercial” project 8 years ago, but that doesn’t really deserve a mention.
Writing the script, casting actors, directing, shooting, editing and -to a lesser degree- fx, I have taken on all of these roles and had a lot of fun doing it. It is hard work to shoot a film, it is a collaborative effort and it takes a bit of time, but it is very rewarding. I say “film”, but I mostly shot music videos and in my mind there is a small voice that keeps insisting “those aren’t films”, but screw that voice. I love the work I have done, by and large. In any case it is very satisfying to be able to watch a finished product, since that by itself is an achievement and worthy of pride.
In this “making of” of the music video I shot for Rodèlle, there is some very rare actual footage of me directing and shooting the video.
Of course you need cameras for making a film, lenses, filters, tripods, shouldermounts, stabilizers, etc. I won’t go into all of that in this blog. Yes, all of that is important, but I do believe that a good film isn’t dependent on which camera you shoot with. I think story is as, if not more so important, so I’ll focus on that for now.
I used to write my scripts in Celtx. How I came across Celtx back then, I am not sure now. Of course via the internet, but I don’t remember the specifics. I do recall immediately enjoying the automatic script markup it offered, since it made everything I wrote look so professional. Also, sticking to the format felt good, it felt as if I was learning to be a proper filmmaker.
After that last project in 2016, I wrote two more scripts, that due the various circumstances did not get made unfortunately. Eventually, after 2018, I stopped writing them. There is a gulf between a script and a film in its finished state. But it begins with a script. And perhaps writing scripts will be the impetus for actually finishing a film again. So as one does these days, I talked about it with ChatGPT a bit.
I let the LLM read one of the last unshot scripts I wrote and asked it to analyze it and suggest improvements. The bot was pretty complimentary, but I guess that’s just the way the programmers want it. It said:
The improvements it suggested where actually pretty good and inspired, they fit nicely with my intentions and ideas for the story. This stirred all kinds of things inside me.
When I wanted to download Celtx for my new mac, I found that it was no longer available as a standalone download and it too had fallen victim to the scourge of modern software, the subscription model. I was a bit sad, but Google to the rescue and soon I found Fade In, which would allow me to open Celtx scripts, it works about the same as Celtx does and has a one-time fee, which was pretty reasonable. I decided to download the trial version and if I like it, I’ll spring for the 100-ish euro to own it.
I’m not sure yet what I want to do with script writing, but I think that’s ok. Writing a new script would be a huge leap forward and maybe it will lead to more. For now, that is fine. I can publish my scripts on my new shiny website I (re-)built at the end of 2023.
Editing
In my opinion you tell a story three times when making a film. First in the script, second in the direction and third in the edit. A long time ago, I taught myself how to edit using Adobe Premiere. I loved that program so much. A decade or so ago, I bought the package that included Photoshop, Premiere and After Effects. Aside from AE, I have become pretty proficient with a number of these programs.
Although After Effects always felt like a bridge too far, too complicated to figure out by myself, I did use it from time to time. One title sequence I created with After Effects for a project I worked on in 2010 I still like very much:
Alas, Adobe also has switched to the subscription model, increased their prices to insane levels and adopted business practices that have earned them an inquiry by the FTC. On top of that I suddenly got an email telling me that my bought license was no longer valid and would be cancelled.
Even though the price for their subscription is extremely high, I was fully willing to pay the price to have access to all their apps on my new computer. I was so used to them, and they are the standard, surely there was no real alternative?
Long story short, after some recommendations, research (watching Youtube videos, that’s research, right?) and feature comparison, I downloaded Davinci Resolve, which is free, unless you absolutely need the pro version, which I don’t. From the recommendations I also found Affinity Photo 2, a really decent Photoshop alternative, which was on sale, even though it is not expensive at all, and sold for a one time fee. Click. I feel confident that after a hopefully short period of painful adjustment and some learning, I will be able to master these sufficiently for my purposes.
Vlogs
Vlogs are something else completely. In my mind they are visual forms of written pieces. And I guess that is a good way of thinking about it. I like the style of Youtube videos, that’s known as a video essay. Explanatory, expositional, educational, philosophical. For some reason, I am less interested in the cinematic aspects, and more interested in the substantive aspects. It seems attractive to me to use this medium as a way to convey thoughts and ideas. Though, when a couple of years ago (8 years already!) I experimented with vlogs, they were pretty visually oriented. Here’s an example:
I think I would prefer more talky vlogs these days. Perhaps I could use still images or AI generated content as illustrations, to make these videos more visually appealing. Although I am not that drawn to AI for this type of thing. If I felt at all comfortable, I would just film myself, but insecurity and good old AvPD are still forces to be reckoned with and I don’t feel like I am there yet.
Writing an outline, or even a full script for the vlog would be the first step… Well no, thinking of a topic would be a first step. But I think I want to allow myself complete freedom to talk about anything at all. I am not looking to be successful on Youtube, I think I really do just want to express myself. So perhaps I should start out with something personal. Alienation, isolation, anxiety, you know, the good stuff.
Write an outline or a script, record it, decide on the imagery to use. Perhaps I could use my photography, stills, but I would soon run out, because how long can you look at a still image before it gets boring? I would need lots and lots of photos. I will have to give the visual aspect some more thought.
I do however feel some sort of excitement about doing this. If I can just free myself of this stranglehold that is my self-imposed censorship. I will also have to think about where I want to publish these vlogs.
My “film”-Youtube channel could be the place for this, but then again perhaps I want to reserve that for film-only material. Perhaps a new Youtube channel would be best. I might also need a new category on my website. I’ll have to think about this.
Technology
- Fade In
- Obsidian (For notes and working on ideas)
- Brisqi
- AI – Midjourney / Runway (Not sure)
- Davinci Resolve
- Affinity Photo
Publishing
- Website
- Youtube
Goals
- Start work on a new film script before 2025
- Start work on a new vlog concept before 2025
Read the other blogs in this series:
