Tom Marcoux speaks on Digital Film-making to 600 attendees of the
National Association of Broadcasters 2000 Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.Create an excellent Digital Film for Your Web Site
As a faculty lecturer at Cogswell Polytechnical College in Sunnyvale, California (Silicon Valley), I teach my students powerful techniques in digital film production. Here are some items that their final exam covers:
For the beginning of your digital film, use one or more of these items: a) a dramatic question, b) a startling image and c) "salting phrases."
A Dramatic Question:
The first image must grabs the viewer's interest and create the question: "What's going to happen?" For example, in my film "DimensionMan," the first image is of the hero's face hitting the ground. A first question can be: "What happened - and what's he going to do about it?"
A Startling Image:
Wake up your viewer. She can easily change the channel or surf to another web site.
"Salting Phrases"
This process is based on the phrase: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink -- unless you salt his oats first." Maintain viewer interest by using strategic phrases like: "Find out how to burn calories while sitting in front of your computer" or (in fictional narration) "If I knew what was going to happen, I would have run the other way . . ."
The Key Component to Your Digital Film
When you want to create a compelling digital film, be sure that you know exactly what you want your viewer to do immediately after seeing your film. Perhaps, you want her to type in her e-mail address for your database. Maybe, you want her to be so intrigued with the short film that she wants to see it again. You may want her to be so delighted with your film that she sends out a global e-mail to her friends saying: "Go to digitalfilmnow.com There is a fantastic short film you must see!" Finally, you may want to end your digital film (on your web site) with a title that reads: "For your Free E-newsletter on [topic] type in your e-mail address in our guestbook. Thank you."
The Fastest Way to Structure Your Digital Film
Use what I call "bookends." Begin your digital film with a startling image, and then end it with the same image but with a significant alteration. For one project, I came up with the image of a young woman reaching for a knife for a suicide attempt, and at the end of the film, she reaches for a knife -- and places grape jelly on a sandwich for her daughter. It is a happy ending because she DID live to care for her baby.
BOOKS with Tom Marcoux's film-making insights:
* "Self-Promotion for Actors: Get an Agent; Work with Casting Directors; Get Parts on Your Own"
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Your Big Opportunity:
You can make your own digital motion picture. You just need the information and to avoid the mistakes that others have made. Here's how. . .
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* secrets of writing for a digital motion picture
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* which script competitions are the best to help your career
* how to break through Writer's Block
* secrets of writing a motion picture that can do well in mainstream markets or writing one that will do well on the film festivals circuit
by Leo Maselli (screenwriter of "Spiriting West" and "Electro's Indulgence")
and Tom Marcoux (screenwriter/director/producer of "TIMEPULSE", "LIVING", "BOATDREAMS (which went to the Cannes Film Festival)")
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* "Auditions, Action Movies, and Your Demotape"
Click here for Tom Marcoux's workshops
An excerpt from an Interview with
Producer-Director Justin Hutchens, president of Hutch Productions.
www.hutchproductions.com
What mistakes should new digital filmmakers avoid?:
The first mistake to avoid is not having proper lighting and equipment to manage the lighting. When shooting a production make sure that your director of photography is someone with experience in either photography or cinematography. For one of my productions, I found that an excellent still photographer did great work with video. Digital video will offer a real nice picture, but bad lighting can make any format look bad.
Treat your digital video production as you would a production shot in 35mm. Because it is a different format, your planning (in terms of your script, your casting, your crew, and all aspects of your motion picture) is critically important. Your film is only as good as the people you have around. One of the things that has made digital film so popular, besides its spectacular clarity, is its affordability. But projects in digital video can be very expensive if you dont solicit feedback from people who have experience in filmmaking.