One
of the joys of the revised edition of Ivan Watson’s Manual of Successful
Movie Making is that it is so expertly organized, after reading the book it
can be used and re-used as a constant reference guide. This is because the book
is set-up as an outline of fifteen Golden Rules. Each rule is then followed by
several pages of descriptive analysis explaining its importance. Mr. Watson
examines each rule in such a concise and logical method that the book is a
pleasure to read. Anyone, from novice to expert, can learn something from this
book!
The very first golden
rule has proved quite useful to me already: "The 10-10 System." "The 10-10
System" simply refers to setting any 8mm camera’s zoom lens to a focal length of
10mm, and the focusing ring to 10 feet (about 3 ¼ meters). These settings will
give a sharp clear picture from everything within two or three feet on to
infinity. Obviously this system should not be used in all situations, as it is
using only one focal length of a zoom lens, but utilizing this rule is quite
useful when trying for a "grab shot," or following some action that never stays
in one place, or any time it’s not practicable to find an exact focus. This is
often the case with home movies or
documentaries.
Interestingly,
one of my cameras, an Elmo 612S-XL super-8 sound model from the late 70s,
marketed a unique feature called "focus free." Although the general public might
have been confused with the term, as Canon was introducing auto focus about the
same time, the "focus free" feature worked quite well by using nothing more than
a modified version of the "10-10 System." A slide on the camera’s lens barrel
could lock into place the focusing ring at fifteen feet and restrict the zoom
lens from the normal 8.5mm – 51mm range to only 8.5mm – 15mm. This made
everything in focus from five feet to infinity.
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Perhaps the most
important Golden Rule is to "economize" with respect to shooting action.
An action need not and should not be shown from start to finish, as this
"real time" photography can be painfully boring. The action can be
economized by shooting only part of the movement so that the audience will
think it’s seen the whole thing, or understand the passage of time during
the event. This is pretty easily accomplished by breaking down the action
into related shots, and changing the angle and image size between shots.
These two bits of advice actually are what make our hobby a possibility.
Whenever I tell most people that fifty feet of Super-8 film is
approximately three minutes of screen time they are aghast! What they
don’t understand is that in order to make a good home movie (or any other
type of movie) one must show only the highlights of a particular event.
Filming on film actually forces this economizing to happen, and following
Ivan Watson’s rule about changing the angle and size of the image between
shots of an action will help make the economizing seem smooth, orderly,
and accepted by the audience. The result is a film people will want to
watch. |
The
book teaches the importance of keeping the camera on one side of the "Action
Axis" better than any explanation I have read. Nobody has explained it as easily
as Mr. Watson, who has laid it out on paper in a manner that makes it easy to
remember and includes a couple of illustrations as well. The "Action Axis" is an
imaginary line the cameraman does not want to cross in order to keep continuity
in the film, otherwise the audience is liable to become confused. Obviously, if
an action is moving in a straight line, the camera should not cross to the other
side of that line or it will appear as if the action has taken an about-face and
started moving in the opposite direction (the parade was moving from left to
right, for example, but in the next shot moves from right to left). This rule
applies to anything that moves. The direction of movement becomes the axis.
Often is the time I have completely forgotten about the "Action Axis" and found
myself running short of cutaway shots to insert between the constantly changing
line of direction the action was taking. In another context, if two people are
talking to one another, and one is filming over-the-shoulder shots of each
person, even though there is no movement, an imaginary line should be drawn
right between the two people. If the camera crosses that line, when the shots
are cut together, the images will appear confusing, as if the two people are
constantly shifting places.
A
Golden Rule that is all too often broken today by the so-called professional
filmmakers is to never use camera movement for its own sake. Amateur films
(assuming the camera is not hand held), due to their equipment and budget
limitations, frequently have little camera movement, but this can be better than
too much. Many times I have seen a complete 360° tracking shot circling an actor
in a big budget feature, and became so distracted by the passing background that
I forgot what the actor was saying. Camera movement can be a very useful tool to
engage an audience and help tell a story, but it must have a purpose, and like
many tools, is best used in
moderation.
The Manual of
Successful Movie Making is described on the cover as "the nuts and bolts of
movie making," and I found it just that. It’s actually three books in one: First
the mastery of filming techniques and learning the language of film is discussed
in great detail. This section includes the fundamentals of breaking a film down
into shots, but also covers changing viewpoints, giving your picture depth, and
composition. Second, there are technical tips on lighting, editing, focus,
exposure, color, and soundtracks among other things. Third, there is invaluable
information on general storytelling techniques and scriptwriting. This includes
the usage of characters in a narrative film and key facts to remember if
planning a documentary. Each of these three parts of the book is fascinating,
informative, and incredibly useful. Here is one excerpt:
So, what is a story? You can’t define it. There’s no magic
formula for it.
There is, however, a formula for the way you present it...what Hollywood
would call ‘dramatic construction’. Perhaps ‘formula’ isn’t quite the
right
word. More accurately, there are ‘rules’ for gaining audience attention so
that
the people watching your movie will be hooked and will willingly stay with
you
from beginning to end. These can be stated with almost scientific
precision.
Not one amateur, non-pro...call them what you like...in a thousand knows
the
first thing about them. At the risk of being cursed with bell, book, and
candle
by the professional Screenwriters Guild, I’m going to tell you what you need
to
know (if it were the Magic circle, they would kick me out!).1
Pretty powerful words. The entire book is that direct and to
the point. As a summary, Ivan Watson writes about what makes a successful movie
and what doesn’t. There is also an appendix devoted to widescreen filming,
written by Tony Shapps, who also updated and revised this new edition of the
book (the original edition having been out of print for many years). After
reading The Manual of Successful Movie Making, you will not only gain
many useful technical tips to improve the quality of your films, but you may
re-examine the very nature and content of your movies as well.
¹ Watson, Ivan. Manual of Successful Movie Making, p. 56,Revised Edition, 2001
² Manual of Successful Movie Making is available at The Widescreen Centre, 48 Dorset Street,
London W1H 3FH. Price is £24.95
--- Chris Cottrill
E-mail:
chris_cottrill@yahoo.com