Production-Now.com Media Production Mentoring

Free online film school designed with beginning filmmakers in mind.

10.18.2008

Two Approaches

I've seen two flicks in the past days that come at filmmaking from opposite ends of the spectrum. On one had, you have "Reverie" which is a super high-end image piece shot on a Canon still camera. On the other side, you have "Primer"--a film shot for $7,000.


Reverie


Primer

One film was full of color, depth of field, and all the other "filmic" pieces that make it a very artistic piece. The other looked like it was shot with a VHS camcorder that didn't have manual focus.

And while "Reverie" is fun to look at, I enjoyed my experience with "Primer" a whole lot more. Why?

Story.

"Primer" had one. Okay, "Reverie" has one too... but it's not very interesting. The images are interesting, but the story? Not really. "Primer" is a fascinating look at indie filmmaking. This piece was written, director, edited, and starred by one guy. He had a crew of five. And his movie went to the big screen and grossed over 60 times his budget.

That's good.

"Reverie"? A cool demonstration of the ability of a digital SLR to make pretty video clips.

There's absolutely a place for both, but as an independent filmmaker, I'd rather have "Primer" under my belt.

~Luke Holzmann
Your Media Production Mentor

No comments :