**DISCUSSION THREAD** Things you HATE to see in Fanfilms

"rock" music. Anything with guitars should be banned.

 

I'm going to digress and talk about very common problems in Batman fan films (hey, the topic is what do you hate in FANFILMS)...

Darkening the picture to the point where you can barely seem anything is not "moody". It's just undulating light. All I can think of when I see this is that I wish Batman would just turn on a goddamn flashlight. Do us all a favor and actually light the set so we can actually SEE what we're looking at. Creating mood is a lot more than just turning the lights off.

Also, Gotham City is not the business district of your suburb. It's supposed to be, you know, an actual CITY. If you consider tackling Batman at least try to do some location shooting so you make your film somewhat believable. It really really shows, guys.

 

Not everyone is able to light their set artificially, so perhaps you shouldn't watch as many Batman fan films. A reasonable lighting system can cost a lot of money, and even then, using them in outdoor locations can be tricky due to the lack of nearby electrical sources. The dark look you refer to may well be unintentional in many cases.

 

Still, it's really annoying when I don't know what I'm looking at.

 

Whether or not its easy to get a lighting setup is not important. If you know you cannot afford or rent a light kit then plan on not shooting any night or dark scenes. That being said, what I "dislike" about fanfilms is when the creators shoot for the stars and go all out in planning, only to execute their ideas poorly and end up with a solid concept that looks like crap as a final product. Some of the best films come from directors knowing their limitations and treading that fine line to get the most out of their projects.

 

But people don't think like that. Beginner film makers are naturally eager to hit the streets and get some filming done. Like I said, maybe you guys should know the drill by now and perhaps stop watching Batman fan films, if it causes you so much anguish.

 

This one never gave me anguish.
Or this one
Or this one
Or this one
Or even this one.

No offense but your telling us to not watch Batman fan films is really, really stupid. We're upset about a problem found in several lower-tier Batman fan films, not every single one of them. It's like telling someone stop reading British literature because they find some of Jane Austin's books boring. This thread is to point out flaws that annoy us in CERTAIN fan films. You might as well tell us to not watch a fan film ever again just to avoid their flaws the way your logic is going.

 

Ahh, yes... Star Wars: The Clone Wars had guitars... didn't quite understand that...

 

Christ, dude - three of those were made by a millionaire, one was a cartoon, and the last one was clearly made by a group of serious film makers. It's like making a general complaint about the lack of light in fan films, and then using The Godfather in comparison. I'm not telling you to stop watching Batman fan films par se, but if this has become a regular problem for you; rather than complaining about the issue, why not try to understand it? Because, as I've explained, beginner film makers really are not "in the know" when it comes to lightning - I used to be the same when I first started out.

 

*snort*

 

It's like death - it comes for us all...

 

This entire thread, in its very title in nature, is about complaining about common problems we see in fan films. Of course I understand why it's dark. I also understand that a lot of people use forrests for lightsaber fights because it's the quickest and easiest local place to shoot and they use Duel of the Fates because they can't/won't afford a composer. But that still doesn't mean I should just shut up about it and let the problem get bigger. If you don't like us complaining about fan films then why are you in this thread?

Plus, what gave you the idea the Batman filmmakers were millionaires? Sandy Colera is struggling to get his indie sci-fi movie into theatres, and I'm sure the other two aren't swimming in a money pool. Sure they probably spent a whole ton on their films, but I'll bet you anything they struggled to get that money and they were in debt for months after the shooting ended.

 

Because I am willing to counter people's complaints. Anyone can enter a thread and make a complaint about something they dislike in a fan film that is shot on a hideously low budget and is created by two or three people at the least - that's why I'm not really a huge fan of this thread nor the complaints made. I think it's an incredibly ego-inducing thread to create, and if there's one thing I dislike about the fan film industry it's snobby film makers.

So, think of me as the rebel around these parts. If you don't like people disputing your views, despite the "nature of the thread", then perhaps you shouldn't be in this thread...?

The dude spent thousands on "Dead End", "Grayson" and "World's Finest". Whether or not he's in debt now is quite irrelevant, since the films you posted were all funded on a ludicrously high budget.

Do you not see the problem in comparing a low budget fan film with a high budget fan film? Clearly not...

 

Grayson was by John Fiorella, not Collora, and only cost $5000, most of which was film stock and the cost of which was spread out over the course of more than a year. While Dead End and World's Finest required a good amount of capital -- and, more importantly, favors from talented/professional friends -- a film of Grayson's caliber is totally do-able for any filmmaker willing to put in the time and effort, and if you shoot digital rather than film it would only cost you a couple hundred bucks. At that point talent, not money, will be the limiting factor.

(Somewhat unrelated, the concept trailer for Descendants we did last year was shot in the same alley as Batman: Dead End. Small world.)

 

Which ties in neatly with my original point. It's okay to complain about a lack of light in any random Batman fan film you stumble across on YouTube, but then again, not everyone is willing to cash out $5000 to shoot the thing. Like I said, lights - and good lights at that - are very costly. It is actually no wonder that most fan film makers fail to light their set.

Any film anyone has ever made is do-able - you just need enough people around you who are equally as passionate, and who are also talented in their respective field. If you gave me fifteen actors, a costume designer and a production designer, I'd give you your Grayson fan film. Problem is, right, not everyone has over twenty people working on their non-profit fan film.

But, as a side note, why is this even relevant...? A minute ago, we were discussing beginner film makers failing to light their set.

 

Wow. I never realized that films were just ideas that get made by people and they will turn out the exact same every time no matter what directors, actors, and writers add or take away from the project. I mean, look at Gus Van Sant's Psycho remake. That proves your point exactly.

Because I think talent has a much bigger hand in film quality than budget. Talent will always show through a film's quality content, while budget is just cake on the frosting.

 

How about:

Guys who waste all their time on discussion forums whining about fan films instead of making them.

 

Right, but light is light! It can't be generated by your fingertips, like Force lightning.

That's all I'm saying. Talent is one thing, but some things in film require funding, then the talent comes into play. Not every amateur film maker is able to cough up the required amounts to make a productive fan film.

 

If you're gonna build sets without lighting, then there's no point in building sets. Lighting IS a part of the set.

If you have no lights and are filming outside, don't film when it's dark (which I suspect is the case with these Batman Fanfilms). It's easier to make day look like night in post than it is the other way round

 

Things I hate to see in fan films:

1. Opening Crawls in Star Wars films that are under 10 minutes long.

2. End Credits that are longer than the movie itself.

3. Poorly choreographed lightsaber duels.

By this, I mean a duel in a film that isn't specifically a lightsaber film. Sometimes you'll see a film where the acting is ok, the story is engaging, the effects are good and then when it comes to the final confrontation the duel looks as if it was done at the last minute.

4. Rave music.

5. Younger people playing Jedi Masters.

This is obviously a limitation that can't always be helped. You have to do the best you can with the people you have, but I still hate to see it.

6. Bad acting.

Now while I could forgive this in films made by younger people, I think if you're in your late teens and up, there's no excuse. It doesn't matter if the person playing the role is a real actor or not. The director should be looking to get the best out of the people they are working with and seeing the actor stop midway through a sentence, trying to remember their line is frustrating...if that happens, that's not the take to use. Keep doing it until you get it right.

7. Obviously fake backgrounds.

Greenscreen is a wonderful tool but it's only as good as the person utilising it. The number of times I've seen people in a scene who are so obviously standing in front of greenscreen is ridiculous.

8. Emphasis on effects over story.

I don't want to spend 10 minutes looking over the actors shoulder at a space ship taking off. Sure it's great that it can be done but the focus should be on the actor and the story, not what's going on behind him. By all means, include shots like that but keep them in the background.

9. Bad writing.

This isn't so much of an issue in lightsaber films, but in films where there is actually supposed to be a story, I find it inexcusable that a crew could start shooting with a script that isn't solid. This isn't limited to fan films (I'm looking at you Michael Bay), you see it all the time in Hollywood movies, especially at Fox.

10. Sound.

This is a big issue for me. I can't count the number of times where dialogue has been drowned out by music or sound effects. Sometimes the realities of film making means that the on set recordings can't always be used, in which case I'd like to see more people doing ADR.

 

Then again, maybe someone who's new to film-making would find some good ideas and useful tips. More of a "hey, while you're at it, maybe you shouldn't do X...."

 

I don't think this thread is helpful is any way, shape or form. Someone might proclaim to hate opening crawls in Star Wars fan films while someone else proclaims to absolutely adore them.

Honestly, this thread is a waste of time! People are talking like they are the next big thing. Live and let live. A thread like this isn't going to help a beginner film maker in a million years - it's just going to limit the amount of ideas they can play with.

All I'm getting from this thread is this: Maybe you shouldn't use rave music, maybe you shouldn't write badly, maybe you shouldn't use green-screen badly, maybe you shouldn't use opening crawls, maybe you should light your set, maybe you should not set your film in a forest.

 

I don't think people here are talking like they are the next big thing. What about a casual movie goer who talks about things they dont like in hollywood movies.

It's purely for discussion. And for a little thing I'm working on that I won't get into.

And if any good comes out of this besides miscellanious exchange of ideas (that IS what forums are for, aren't they), I am sure some new filmmakers could find a few things that they should try to avoid:

overlong opening scroll, duel of the fates, drowning out dialogue w/ music.

It shouldn't be limiting ideas for them to play with because there is nothing creative or artistic about any of the things I mentioned. It's just bad filmmaking.

 

the number 1 thing i hate is the use of toys for props. like using the toy lightsabers as real ones.if you are gonna take the time to make a "film" at least use a descent saber like "parks" or if you're broke , go to home depot and get some stuff to make a saber hilt.

 

Wow, guess I started something!

Wolverine, you have a good point about how this thread is really rather useless, but to me its all about just hearing what different people find annoying in fanfilms, and yes, perhaps thinking twice before doin those things in my own films.

Discussion is useful, arguement is not. I concede that there is a fine line between the two, nor am I suggesting anyone is at this point in the thread...it IS an opinion thread BTW, its bound to get heated...

Edit: Oh yea, and if you think we're all here thinkin were hot sh!t, you dont know what your talking about...most people here are surprisingly respectful...otherwise they dont last long.