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What defines your style as a film-maker?


kye
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If you showed your entire catalogue to a bunch of strangers, what defining characteristics would they identify in your work?
Do you like your style?
What makes you do things like that?  
How did you learn?

And for bonus points, what one characteristic would you want to add to your style if you could just snap your fingers and have it?

For me, I don't think I have a good answer as my style is still changing and developing, but I think I have pretty good composition, both in terms of framing but also moving the camera around to get the best angles.  I make home videos and they are mostly set to music without much dialogue, kind of like moving photographs, and I think I do a good job of editing with music and incorporating that rhythmical element.  I like my style broadly, but I'm still working on defining and refining it and each project gets better quite substantially I think.

I learned composition from doing stills photography for years, starting as a way to document my vacations and then incorporating street photography as a way to "practice" while at home.  In terms of editing to music I have written electronic music for many years, and so in a way I am familiar with how to break down a song in a rhythmic sense and kind of program the visuals like a beat, with some shots lasting a single beat, some two beats, some four, and also knowing when to go off the beat, how to shake things up from looking mechanical, in the way that you might perform a solo over the top of some rhythm elements and not always stick rigidly to tempo or timing.

If I could learn a style I think it would be making dialogue-driven films, as in a way I'm kind of afraid of using dialogue because I'm not as comfortable with it, especially as my videos are kind of highlight reels and dialogue snippets might not make sense when edited back-to-back with each other, and so not being as familiar with that is kind of limiting.  Even things like narrating would be good to learn how to do.

Your turn! :)

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3 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Yes, your style is awesome.

Thank you. 

What about it is awesome? Not fishing for compliments, just how people would describe it (I’m collecting some “keywords” for promotion. 

But to answer the OP...

I’m not sure I “like” my own style. It’s just what comes out. 

When I create, I seek to make an eye-catching distinction. By that, I mean something interesting to look at. Something exciting. That may come out as a combination of things. 

I learnt by messing around with house hold lights, getting a subject and seeing how interesting I could make it. It could be a teddy bear, my dog, my brother or a garden. I’d keep changing angles, perspectives, movements. Then I’d put it in the edit as mess with the footage. Especially aesthetic. How interesting could I possibly make it? 

I think this experimentation moulds my work now. Whatever happened in that process so early on has certainly shaped my creative thinking....

I don’t know what that style is though. I just do it and it happens. 

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2 hours ago, Oliver Daniel said:

Is that directed at me?

If so, I’m not sure what you mean by (with “S” : D) in your post. 

recognise versus recognize -- I had to say no to the spell checker ; ) "it" because that's all about your style instead, not exactly addressed to you : )

Once you said you're curious on the way people see it, I wonder if you recognise yourself from that one, that's all : )) You are much more than the source. We are all entitled to be receptors in these days of reader-response criticism. And it's always a curious exercise to see people to deal with the scope of others over their own -- sorta OP's sub-topic/subplot, you won't probably let me down, I guess (E : -)

 

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9 hours ago, Oliver Daniel said:

Most people say they come to me for my style. I don’t even know what that style is, I’m trying to find out. 

Anyone kind enough to tell me? 

www.videoink.co.uk

Here are some of my impressions...

  • Simple compositions, often with a single subject centred in the frame
  • Lots of closeups, often with shallow DoF, both for product shots but also headshots
  • Camera movement combined with speed-changes, often synced to the music

Another thing I noticed is that your style is kind of 'loose'.  What I mean is that a less relaxed / more up-tight style would only do movement with fixed sliders and tripods, wouldn't be comfortable getting as close to people, wouldn't use different speeds on the same shot, wouldn't use the fancier transitions as editing punctuation, wouldn't use the odd fisheye shot.  It's like you've taken a more boring style and turned it up a couple of notches, but haven't abandoned the fundamentals.

Nice work! :)

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I'm always pushing to cut one more frame from a shot while still telling the story, or adding something else into a frame to heighten visual interest.  Maybe I fear the ability of the modern audience to click away, check their email, or start browsing the web.  I find whenever I'm watching a film and a character stares wistfully off into the sunset, I'm going to the timebar to check how much more of the film is left.  I really don't want that to happen on any of my work, so I'm constantly fighting it.

I don't know if that is a style, but it's something I'm constantly aware of while cutting a project.

Love it or hate it, this guy seems to have figured out a formula that's made him quite wealthy.  Maybe that is what I aspire to...  ?

BTW, I love how the narrator relates the style with layers of condescension.  Props to him for recognizing the style and breaking it down, but I doubt Bay is too stupid to really know what he is doing.

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10 hours ago, Oliver Daniel said:

Most people say they come to me for my style. I don’t even know what that style is, I’m trying to find out. 

Anyone kind enough to tell me? 

www.videoink.co.uk

It has a 50's film look that is not digital looking. That is a good thing, no, a great thing. Refreshing from all the newer camera stuff that all looks alike. ?

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5 hours ago, Oliver Daniel said:

What about it is awesome?

I think you do a pretty darn good job of constructing a scene in terms of composition and lighting, and you incorporate good camera movement, but don't let it interfere with the actors. Meaning, the talent are appropriately lit for the mood you are trying to convey, and you do a good job of capturing their expressions.

I agree with @kye above that one way to describe it might be "kind of loose" although I think there might be some shots that would benefit a bit from a slightly more handheld look.

Anyway, those are just my impressions from your work.

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1 hour ago, Towd said:

I'm always pushing to cut one more frame from a shot while still telling the story, or adding something else into a frame to heighten visual interest.  Maybe I fear the ability of the modern audience to click away, check their email, or start browsing the web.  I find whenever I'm watching a film and a character stares wistfully off into the sunset, I'm going to the timebar to check how much more of the film is left.  I really don't want that to happen on any of my work, so I'm constantly fighting it.

I don't know if that is a style, but it's something I'm constantly aware of while cutting a project.

Love it or hate it, this guy seems to have figured out a formula that's made him quite wealthy.  Maybe that is what I aspire to...  ?

 

Do you aspire to the "more is more" style of Michael Bay, or the wealth of Michael Bay?

Either one is fine - no judgements from me - just curious if the style is the goal, or a means to an end.

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I am not sure what my personal style is. I think it would change depending on the project. I'll say I generally like to see what's going on really well so I often prefur static or slowly moving wide shots. I also enjoy slow motion as it can really let you see something that wouldn't otherwise be notice able or too quick to be noticed. 

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3 minutes ago, thebrothersthre3 said:

I am not sure what my personal style is. I think it would change depending on the project. I'll say I generally like to see what's going on really well so I often prefur static or slowly moving wide shots. I also enjoy slow motion as it can really let you see something that wouldn't otherwise be notice able or too quick to be noticed. 

What kind of projects do you do?

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