Video DSLR's / Waiting

Usually, DSLR’s only shoot still images. But recently, they’ve started shooting videos too. The Canon 5D Mark II is so far the best – it shoots HD video, with full color and exposure control, and it lets you zoom and focus while shooting. It’s so good, in fact, that independent filmmakers are using it to shoot films.

The only problem, though, is that the audio is weak. It only has one input, so if you want high quality or surround audio, you have to use a separate audio recording system. Plus, it’s a very expensive camera.

It’s tempting to buy one right now, just because the idea of having two in one is so much fun. But the quality of the recording isn’t good enough yet. This is still a brand new medium, and it needs to improve a little bit first. It’s still in its “beta” stage. Sometimes it is better to wait for a new gadget to improve than to buy it when it’s brand new. Otherwise, you get stuck spending a lot of money before you get the item you really want.

Wes Anderson / Style

Wes Anderson is the director of three of my favorite movies – Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Darjeeling Limited. I can always tell when I’m watching a Wes Anderson film because has his own very distinctive style.

1. Most of the shots are extremely wide-angle, showing the barrel distortion from the lens.

2. Most of the shots have a peculiar symmetry.

3. The camera’s movements (when it even moves at all) are very smooth.

4. Every movie has its own color scheme. This color scheme repeats in every scene, all throughout the movie.

It is always a good idea to have a distinctive style (or two, if you’re like Nate Williams). Being consistent with yourself and following the rules of your own design style can help you become more recognized – this helps when looking for jobs or when looking to become well known. All of the great artists (both centuries ago and now) have their own distinct styles. And since film is an art form, each director should have his own distinct style too.

What I love about Wes Anderson’s films is that his style is absurdly recognizable. His style is tremendously different from typical Hollywood films and even from other independent films. His style is by far the most distinctive in the industry right now.

The Tracey Fragments

Sometimes life is a little bit broken.

In the movie The Tracey Fragments, which is based on a book, Ellen Page plays a depressed, mixed up teenager. In the film, she is looking for her younger brother, whom she has hypnotized into believing he is a dog. This movie is bizarre and depressing, but its editing is incredibly noteworthy.

Most movies show you one thing at a time, but The Tracey Fragments is not like most movies. The stage is fragmented, showing bits and pieces of clips at a time.

The entire movie looks like this, and I think that the fragmented clips help add to the movie's main theme. Tracey is a fragmented girl, a little bit crazy, and the editing helps show that. Also, having a film be split into pieces lets more things be shown at once, and it gives the final piece more replay-ability. You can't watch the whole screen at once. You have to move your eyes around, deciding which spot is best. It's almost like a puzzle.

Something like this would have never been able to be done with film. Having the film be digital is the only way that a stage can be split into so many fragments at the same time. But even still, this must have been a terribly difficult movie to edit.