John Grey

never do what I do (e.g. use “camera” as a verb)

I have been learning this stuff for about what, a year and a half now? Starting from scratch with the exception of thinking I’m good at it. That’s how I get into this and I keep the reasoning “I am good at this” but always keep educating myself. In class we were very loosely taught how to use a camera. Functions beyond the “record” button, you know? What do you need to do? White balance. Good - what else? Check for alright sound levels. Good - what else? Set up your framing. Good - what else? Uuuugh.

I never owned or looked at using a real film camera and have never much been into photography.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Learning to figure out exposure - god tier in terms of knowledge.
Learning to figure out how to use lenses - god tier in terms of knowledge.

It’s way up there.

While I’m up here, main problem with most student films? The image can be beautiful but the second you hear someone talking in the background, when the scene’s supposed to be a deserted forest - shit tier.

Learning to use proper sound design - god tier in terms of knowledge.

Oh, another thing - the amount of effects in your film don’t matter at all [with the exception of trying to put together an effects showreel]. Examples? Star Wars 4 5 6 - awesome effects however the story was so mind-blowing and grabbing that the effects were like a bonus. Star Wars 1 2 3 - “wow.. this piece of shit sure looks nice".

So how important is your story / script? On a scale of 1 to 10 - it’s at about a 12.
How important is the sound? On a scale of 1 to 10 - it’s about a 9.
How important is a good working image? On a scale of 1 to 10 - it’s about a 9.

So much stuff you need to figure out - no one single thing matters a whole lot more than the next.

It’s like you have a dictionary and you need to know every word in that book. No one word is all that difficult but the amount of shit you need to consider - mind: blown.

I wish someone threw that book at me when I was younger.
And maybe a photo-camera.