What to film with bad audio and no inspiration

Smurfy8797

Smurfy8797

hey,

with my camera, i can shoot some decent video right, but the audio is shite and i couldnt possibly expect someone to listen to something shot with that mic and i havent got money atm to buy an external mic. (i was thinking of gettin a zoom H2 attatchin it to a shock mount and a DIY boom pole when i get some moo la) what d'ya think?

so i thought i could shoot a silent short - but anyone that would be willing to be in any of my movies is proper terrible at acting - im not looking for professionals but it looks terrible when you watch it. and i live in a desert - literally, so i am in a little civilisation of 7,000 and there is no-one here who is interested in filmmaking - so im on my own.

so you think i could just shoot something outside? no - i live in literally - a compound of 7,000 people, in the middle of a desert and there is **** all to shoot, oh and its technically illegal to film ANYWHERE inside this place. so im struggling to find inspiration to film anything.

have you got ANY ideas of what i could do, to do with filmmaking? im good, in theory, i know stuff, but what could i shoot? i was watching hulk 2 the other day and all these techniques were racing through my mind that i could now recognize and found myself shouting, THATS A HITCHCOCK ZOOM i loled at myself. ive just read 50 quids worth of filmmaking books and so im bursting to shoot stuff - but theres nothing. help :beer:
 
How is it illegal to film there? Are you on like a military base or something? If so then I can't help you. If not just go in some of the friendly stores and ask the owners of the stores/bars/restaurants if you can film something. Then depending on what you get make a short out of what you have. I've done a silent movie before, it's not much different then filming one with sound, except you can talk in the backround and nobody can hear you :yes:
 
Are you on like a military base or something?
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not far off it. its an oil field, and the oil company doesnt like any pictures or videos of anything taken, i do film though, all the time its just i cant do anything big because people would know and then some guy would just say scoot off.
 
Hey Smurfy!

A desert has AMAZING flora and fauna. You just have to look closely.

Do a National Geographic kinda piece. Choreograph it with some kick-ass editing and put it to some really cool music.

With attention to the shots I'll bet you could come up with some amazing images and footage. Dazzle us with your composition.

Theme would be "Hidden Glory of an Oil Field,"


-C
 
No?

LOL


Hell, I'd bet the oil company would pay you to do it. Heh.

I'd start with sunrise, the rigs, a few workers, then move to examine things more closely. You could make it stark (probably would have to be). There is beauty in the seemingly most mundane landscapes and ecosystems.

Sorry you took it as a joke. I was serious.

Best,

Charles
 
oh ok, now you explain it i can actually see it. the first time it just sounded a bit sarcastic :blush:

uff, the sunrise and sunsets here would make any filmmaker jizz in their pants so i actually will go out at 4 oclock tomorrow morning and get, like 30 minutes of it. look good in time lapse :) thanks Charles:cheers:


edit: any comments on the zoom h2 setup?
 
First, a desert might seem lifeless to us, but it's bursting with beautiful life -- it just happens to be a little more spread out.

Anyway, yes of course a silent film is an option. But it's not your only option.

I guess the answer to your question depends on what you intend to do with these shorts. Do you want to get them into festivals? Well, in that case, I guess you better have good audio. But if you're just making shorts for the fun of it and/or to practice your filmmaking skills, I see no harm in using the in-camera mic. Yes, it will sound like crap, but nobody will care. Student films get a pass on stuff like this (I know you're not a student, but my point still applies, I think).

I'm not familiar with the H2. Somebody warned me once, though, about using anything less than the H4n. I don't remember why they warned me on this. I've been rather happy with the H4n. Maybe someone more knowledgeable on the subject can comment?

But here's option #3 -- crappy mic, DIY boom pole. Before stepping up to the H4n, I made a few movies using a ridiculously cheap setup. I got a crappy mic off ebay for something like $30 and plugged it in directly to my camera. The mic was taped to a broomstick, no shock mount. Just told my boom operator to be very ginger with it.

With that crappy setup, we cleaned up at the 48HFP awards ceremony. Didn't win any awards for audio, but the audio wasn't so crappy that it distracted from other aspects of the movie. In my opinion, at this juncture, you maybe don't have to ask how to get the best audio, but how to get audio that is at least somewhat acceptable.
 
no - i live in literally - a compound of 7,000 people, in the middle of a desert
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Have you ever seen Lawrence of Arabia?

I'd love to have access to a location like yours. Think silent movie, one actor. Man vs. Location. He's got to escape from the compound because he knows the oil field is about to be destroyed.
 
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I like Uranium's idea of man vs. location.

What if it's two people vs. location? For some reason, these two people are stuck together, to try and survive this harsh environment. But they don't share a common language. This setup would require a small amount of dialogue, just enough to let the audience know that they can't speak with each other, and then from then out, it's a silent film! Strangers vs. location.
 
I like Uranium' idea too.

What about a tough-as-nails female protag? There's a growing market for strong female leads.

Use a little V.O. Maybe ambient sounds, music.

#jealous of your location*

-C
 
thats gave me a great idea. sometime soon me and my dad are gonna take a trip deep into The Desert, were just gonna drive off and then camp some place. i could document the experience:

Preparing food - setting up the tent - making tea/coffee - making a fire. stuff like that. just roll the camera loads and edit it all when i get back - that would be cool. ive also just remembered something i scribbled down in 'THE BOOK' about me doin a 48 hour movie marathon type thing without sleeping and then documenting it on video and rating all the movies and stuff. that would be good.

Thanks guys! :) :cheers:

Callum :beer:
 
I think that if I were in a situation where I couldn't film with great audio, no one to shoot, and not allowed to shoot outside, then I would be taking my time to make a really kick ass stop motion piece. Maybe you start buying little action figures and build little sets and it is a stop motion about a zombie or alien invasion. Then eventually when you have good visuals you then start looking for some one to help you to record ADR or you keep it so there is no dialogue and just some cool sound effects and screaming. Thoughts? I think that would be awesome.
 
^^^ yeh that sounds cool. i did try that with some smurfs - :P impatience got the better of me - i just cant do it but i will try it again sometime im sure

:beer:
 
You can add sounds/voices in post. A primarily silent film with just a tiny bit of dialogue (and atmospheric music/sounds) could be interesting in that location.
 
What if it's two people vs. location? For some reason, these two people are stuck together, to try and survive this harsh environment. But they don't share a common language.
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For inspiration on C-Funk's excellent idea, check out the Twilight Zone episode "Two" written and directed by Montgomery Pittman and starring Charles Bronson and Elizabeth Montgomery (of "Bewitched" fame).
 
The necessary forging of cooperation between two parties who are natural opposites or enemies (or merely fundamentally different) in the face of adversity is a standard story meme. That doesn't mean every permutation has been told yet. Think of an angle that's fresh and it could be a winner. (It's "standard" because it's good and allows for all kinds of dramatic twists and turns, not to mention great comedic relief -- Think of Bogart and Hepburn in African Queen).
 
Adeimantus said:
The necessary forging of cooperation between two parties who are natural opposites or enemies (or merely fundamentally different) in the face of adversity is a standard story meme. That doesn't mean every permutation has been told yet. Think of an angle that's fresh and it could be a winner. (It's "standard" because it's good and allows for all kinds of dramatic twists and turns, not to mention great comedic relief -- Think of Bogart and Hepburn in African Queen).
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i do believe this is a lot like Avatar.
 
Smurfy8797 said:
i do believe this is a lot like Avatar.
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Uhh, no. I suppose there's a small tiny bit of that element, but "Avatar" is a movie about rebirth.

ANYWAY, Charles is correct to point out that this has been done before. When I mentioned the idea, I was thinking about "Enemy Mine". I haven't seen it since I was a kid, but I remember I thought it was pretty sweet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xa1QNn7wOQ

So, imagine that movie on a smaller scale, and the reluctant partners are not able to communicate through language.
 
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