Am I too OCD in my filmmaking?

My friends say that I worry to much about the shots after showing them. That it's okay if one shot in a scene has more noise, than the next shot, or that the color is a little different in one shot, than the next, or if an actor goes out of frame for a third of a second, cause the camera couldn't keep up.

Other people who have sent their films into film festivals, or got to people to get them critiqued, have gotten feed back over things like more noise in one shot than the other, and so the only reason why I am being very OCD, is because the experienced people say, that critics like to nitpick, about those things. So I am only being OC cause they might be, from what other's have to say, but do you think my friends are right, and if most viewers won't care, that the critics won't care?
 
Depends on why you want to make films.

Long ago, I spent some time as a noise/abstract/ambient artist. It's music I still connect with on a very deep level, but 99.9% of people would not enjoy listening to. I know this now as I knew it then. I never was pretentious enough to think that people just "didn't get it"...I think people are perfectly capable of understanding that sort of music, they just didn't want to (I was pretentious in other ways: I hate the term "experimental" since it implies I didn't know what I was doing. No one heard the experiments, they heard the shaped sound after I had experimented for hundreds of hours. But I digress).

Doing that sort of music, I would spend hours rehearsing techniques, composing on a microscopic and microtonal level. I would obsess over details that no one listening, not even people who are REALLY into that sort of music, would notice or care about. Again, I knew this, and did it anyway. It was about the art and the expression, and making the music I wanted to hear.

When I decided I didn't want to work a day job, and started to learn about film music (something someone might actually pay to hear), I learned an important thing is to get it done. Yes, you can always do it better with more time, but you need to say "here's when it's finished", and it needs to be as quick as you can. Not that I don't still obsess over details, and it's not that now I "phone it in" (anyone who has worked with me can tell you that). But you need to say "project done" and move on.

So, do you want to make films for the art of it? Then spend every moment that you need obsessing over details. That's the only way you'll be satisfied, and that's what matters in that case. Do you want to make films for a living? Drop the OCD, do the best work you can, but give yourself deadlines. Cut yourself off, move on, move forward, or you'll be making that one short for the rest of your life!

If you want to do both, then learn to make things for a living first. You can work on your art films once you are getting a steady paycheck.

...at least, that's what I'm hoping anyway ;)
 
It'd only be Obsessive and not the Compulsive portion of OCD. lol.

Strive to be the best filmmaker you can be. A lot of very successful people got where they are by being Type A individuals. Perfectionists. Just be careful b/c that type of personality in an industry where things that can go wrong do go wrong... it can burn you out quickly.

In the end - do your best. Don't sweat the small things. Go Big or Go Home :D
 
I second Alcove, and hasten to add that one important factor in your storytelling is to do it in such a way that the audience is not removed from the illusion because of some technical shortcoming. A good filmmaker does have obsessive tendencies, if for no other reason than he wants to make certain his audience remains engaged. That is definitely not a bad thing.
 
My friends say that I worry to much about the shots after showing them. That it's okay if one shot in a scene has more noise, than the next shot, or that the color is a little different in one shot, than the next, or if an actor goes out of frame for a third of a second, cause the camera couldn't keep up.

Here's the thing . . . all these things are easily fixed in post. If they bother you, fix them. It'll cost you nothing.
 
My friends say that I worry to much about the shots after showing them. That it's okay if one shot in a scene has more noise, than the next shot, or that the color is a little different in one shot, than the next, or if an actor goes out of frame for a third of a second, cause the camera couldn't keep up.

Other people who have sent their films into film festivals, or got to people to get them critiqued, have gotten feed back over things like more noise in one shot than the other, and so the only reason why I am being very OCD, is because the experienced people say, that critics like to nitpick, about those things. So I am only being OC cause they might be, from what other's have to say, but do you think my friends are right, and if most viewers won't care, that the critics won't care?

I believe the thing you are trying to describe is not OCD, but attention to detail. I don't think that's your problem.
 
It gets bad if you linger on one shot more than you should. You have to remember that people are only gonna see that shot for a few seconds. And it's only gonna be 1 on several good takes.
 
Okay thanks. It's just people have told me horror stories about how all these little details matter to pros and experienced people looking at your work, even though normal viewers probably wouldn't obviously spot them.
 
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Short answer: it depends..

Pretty much +1 to most of the answers already..
The only thing I'd add is the shots in a scene should match - If one shot has no noise, and the next shot is full of visible noise then it is something that I would be worrying about. If an actor ducks out of shot it's fine as long as it doesn't look out of place. If it looks like the cameraman wasn't paying attention, then I think it's something to worry about. As long as it tells the story without drawing the audience's attention to the technical side, I think it's fine.
But then, you may only be making films as a personal outlet, in which case do what you feel is right.
 
Okay thanks. It's just people have told me horror stories about how all these little details matter to pros and experienced people looking at your work, even though normal viewers probably wouldn't obviously spot them.

Yes, but at this point, you won't necessarily be putting your work in front of these people... that's a few projects away yet. Robert Rodriguez got awards for his short "Bedhead" which was almost the hundredth little short he had made with his siblings... These skills take time to develop. My recommendation is: fix the problems on your next one... every time. Know and accept that you'll never be happy with anything you produce and let that drive your learning.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116479/

"Contained on the DVD version of 12 Monkey's is a very interesting documentary called "The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys" which gives a unique behind the scenes look at the making of a film from concept to release and every stage in between. What emerges from the documentary is a frequently frightening portrait of a director who becomes obsessed with details and tends to loose focus on the project. The hamster of the title of the documentary refers to a scene in which James Cole (Bruce Willis) is seen taking a blood sample from himself after his return from the surface world. Barely noticeable in the background there is a silhouette of a hamster on an exercise wheel projected on a screen. While Willis performed his scene flawlessly the hamster had difficulty running on cue. Gilliam became obsessed with getting the shot right, taking the better part of a day shooting the scene over and over again until the hamster's performance satisfied him. Gilliam's artistic vision can be an asset as well as a liability when he is involved in a film. To his credit Gilliam's artistic vision and integrity made it possible for him to resist test audiences and the studio executives suggestions that elements of Twelve Monkeys be changed to clarify the story." - http://www.timetravelreviews.com/movies/12monkeys.html
 
Okay thanks, but I think I have to put my work in front of those people. The only way I could get a few of the actors to take it seriously was to say I was going to, and two of the actors who have some connections, already contacted those people and got them lined up to see it now. So if I saw no, I'm not ready yet, that will set a poor impression at this point. I already told them I would cause I thought it was probably best to come off with professional confidence.

And a guy I know who know more about post-work showed me some neatvideo effects of removing noise. Removing noise give the actors a different look, and they look younger. I don't have any examples to show, they are on his computer, but he even says if you want your actors to look their age, don't use noise reduction program. Can I still do it, and maintain age?
 
2 layers of the video, one with NR and one without, then mask out the actors (or use the flesh tone to create a chroma matte) and let the non-NR'd fly free on their faces.

Knowing how to apply a plugin is different than understanding how to bend an image to your will... Tell your post savvy friend that you want just the background NR'd, then walk away. If they are a creative person and a good collaborator, they'll rise to the challenge and appreciate that you've trusted that they can make it happen.
 
And a guy I know who know more about post-work showed me some neatvideo effects of removing noise. Removing noise give the actors a different look, and they look younger. I don't have any examples to show, they are on his computer, but he even says if you want your actors to look their age, don't use noise reduction program. Can I still do it, and maintain age?

Frankly, you need to ADD noise to the other clips in the scene to make it all match. Most people won't notice it and it's better than having those few mismatchs stand out.
 
Thanks, I tried GuerrillaAngel's advice on added noise before but it seems to be too noisy on black areas, particularly on shadows, in a dark scene. However maybe it's just me. I will add and post for opinions when I am finished.

Some of the shots are blurry. I tried reduce the minimum amount of shots, but some of them I have to use even though they are blurry. I tried cutting them quick and too a minimum. I'll add sharpness, which helps a bit, but does that mean I should add sharpness to the whole movie, to match as well?
 
H-44, here's another trick (I've mentioned this before) -- after you've matched grain as best as you can, add a third element to all the clips, for instance, a slight tint. This will tie the clips together and your illusion will be compete.

Good luck.
 
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