This is a curated collection of videos on video production, editing, and cinematic language fundamentals, if there is a good video you have come across that you think should be added to one of these playlists, please get in touch with me using the contact page. — David Tamés
Contents
Personal visions
- Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943, 16mm, B&W, silent)
- available through Kanopy streaming (original silent version), also available through Fandor (this version has the score by Teiji Ito added in 1959).
- Watchtowers of Turkey (Leonardo Dalessandri, 2014, 3:34)
Three different genres: experimental documentary, commercials, performance
- The Above (Kirsten Johnson, 2015, 8:22), experimental documentary
- Volkswagen: Milky Way, (dir. Dayton/Faris; agency: Arnold Boston, Music: Nick Drake “Pink Moon,” 2006), commercial, think about the cinematic metaphors at work in this piece
- Please Consider #6: Skype (michelle ellsworth, 2011), performance; while this was made nine years ago, replace “skype” with “zoom” and it’s totally up to date!
- Ikea: Lamp (dir. Spike Jonze, agency: Crispin Porter + Bogusky, 2002)
- Ikea: Lamp 2 (dir. Mark Zibert, agency: Rethink Canada, 2018), a remake of the classic Lamp commercial
- Door Into the Dark (May Abdalla and Amy Rose, 2014), a trailer for an immersive documentary installation, consider how sound is used in this work
Lighting and cinematic storytelling
- Cinematic lighting explained – Basics, tutorial and ultra-mobile lighting kit – Epic Episode #9 (Media Division)
- a good, concise summary of lighting fundamentals and how to achieve cinematic lighting with modest gear
- Bao (Domee Shi, 2018)
- a short animated film about a dumpling made by a mother that comes to life, and she then raises it with her husband as if it were her own child; notice how the cinematic lighting techniques discussed in the first video are evident in this video, which is one of the factors that contribute to the cinematic style of the work, see also this article (New York Times). Thanks to Mariam Alsadek for suggesting this contribution to the video playlist. Note: Unofficial copies on YouTube and Vimeo get taken down; Bao can also be viewed on Amazon Prime; other sources are out there
Sound recording
- Recording Sound on Location (Lizi Hesling, CADARN Learning)
- provides a good overview of location sound recording, recommended for additional coverage of location sound recording.
- UCLA Post Production: How To Wrap A Cable (David McKenna)
- a demonstration of the mechanics of wrapping a cable with the “Over-Under” method, It’s important to wrap all cables properly and you’ll be expected to wrap the cables we use in the workshop using this technique, so practice a little bit before the workshop
- The Foley Artist (Oliver Holms, 2015)
- many of the sounds we hear in fiction films are not made by the actual objects we see on the screen, many of the sounds in cinema are the work of foley artists.
- Justin Boyd: Sound and Time (Mark Lee Walley and Angela Guerra Walley, 2013)
- the sound is half the picture and often stands on its own, this is not only a short documentary about sound, but it provides a good example of a very well crafted short documentary with good b-roll footage that brings the story alive, a good example to draw upon for your micro-documentary projects
Essay films
- 199. Elements of the Essay Film (Kevin B. Lee)
- explores how essay films use sounds, images, words, and editing differently than other forms of cinema.
- Poetry will be made by everyone
- an excerpt from Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil (1983), an essay film that reflects on the characteristics of human memory and how our recollections are always fraught with uncertainty and fabrication, see also the first few minutes of Sans Soleil (1983) here: Sans Soleil – The First Minute.
Narrative/fiction
- Splitscreen: A Love Story (James Griffiths)
- directed quite a long time ago, this short video was shot entirely on a Nokia N8 mobile phone, demonstrating that a strong concept, along with good composition, exposure, and basic technical craft is more important than technical perfection or expensive equipment.
- A Ninja Pays Half My Rent (Steven Tsuchida, 2003)
- an example of a well-crafted labor-of-love project by Steven Tsuchida, who works in television and film production in Los Angeles, is also a good example of an efficient coverage strategy, excellent editing, and perfect writing for a short narrative. This film played at many festivals and won several awards when it was first released, and has stood the test of time as an excellent example of writing, direction, and editing in the context of a short narrative.
- Other
- a short film written by and featuring Vanessa Baden Kelly and directed by Xavier Burgin about a black woman who struggles with her feelings as she navigates white spaces in the aftermath of the white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, an example of fiction based on contemporary social reality.
Production craft
- Guerrilla Filmmaking: How We Shot a Short Film in Two Hours (Shutterstock Tutorials)
- where he says, “Black magic cinema camera,” pretend he said “Sony a7iii available from the Media Center” :-)
- 10 Types of Shots Every Filmmaker Should Know (Shutterstock Tutorials)
- a good overview of key shots, Optional: Review Michael Wohl’s essay, “The Language of Film” for a discussion of the various types of shots in a scene
- Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement — Every Camera Movement Technique Explained (StudioBinder)
- The 180 Degree Rule in Film (and How to Break The Line)
- a short video that covers one of the most important rules to establish continuity in a scene (note: this video was made by StudioBinder to promote their products, and yet, it does a good job introducing the concepts); see also: Creative Match Cut Examples & Editing Techniques for Your Next Shoot that offers some tips that will help you create more cohesive sequences (note: this video was made by StudioBinder to promote their products, and yet, it does a good job introducing the concepts)
Editing craft
- The Science Behind Film Editing (This Guy Edits)
- Karen Pearlman talks about “Editor’s Thinking,” a skill set you can use to improve your plan before you shoot, based on her book Cutting Rhythms – Intuitive Film Editing, highly recommended!
- The Kuleshov Effect is SO WRONG! (This Guy Edits)
- Karen Pearlman suggests that the most important editing concept needs a new name.
- Top 5 Most Common Problems with Student Films (This Guy Edits)
- good advice that will help you avoid mistakes
- 5 Things Film Editors Literally Do – According To Science (This Guy Edits)
- based on Karen Pearlman’s book Cutting Rhythms – Intuitive Film Editing, which I highly recommend!
Technical topics
- Why Lens Choice Matters In Cinematography | Focal Lengths (In Depth Cinema, 2020)
- The Difference Between Anamorphic And Spherical Lenses Explained (In Depth Cinema, 2020)