Bad Learning
I have a theory:
We learn about film making from bad movies.
If a movie is flowing and gripping, camera angles, sound and lighting are far from our mind.
The moment it gets boring, we become aware and start watching how it was done.
So I guess the only thing to do, is watch a good movie a second time, with the only purpose to learn film making.
It helps to mute it, or so I've heard. Screencaps (or paused video) would probably be best for studying lighting.
I have the same problem when my mission is listening to a score. Sometimes watching distracts so I'll not look and just listen.
Being "critically" aware of what we're seeing and hearing isn't always that easy.
I might be alone, but often when i watch a movie, i'm wondering more (except when the movie is a damn good one = Inception) how they placed the lights, camera angles, color correction...all that stuff...
I tend to find this frustrating, because if a movie isn't exceptionally entertaining, it comes to my mind naturally and i start thinking about the technical aspects right away.
But, watching it a second time helps, pause often and try to keep in mind : how they did it > lights/angles/color correction...etc..
Makes sense.Originally Posted by Playing
I remember as a child my father used to spoil a really scary movie for us by saying: Just imagine there is a camera there and a crew. Grrrr…
Interesting theory. I'll try it out, what first, Killer Clowns from Outer Space II?
Do not view me as a critic or a judge. I just tell it how I see it, valuable or not.
drapeama:
I just joined your "might be alone" club only a few to 5 or so weeks ago. I never watched for lighting before, and now it's one of the most interesting technical things I'm seeing in some films.
Other things, also thought ... like getting the verbal introduction about the crane shot in the opening of "Touch of Evil" on TCM, right before they run the film, and the version that Orson Wells insisted they re edit and print, not the original release where they ruined that scene by running credits over it. Anyway I'd have never noticed it, consciously, but after being told to watch for it, that was one awesome continuous 3 minute shot with no cuts!
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