SPECIAL PROCESSES & GENRES
Special processes should be studied by the film maker because they can add another layer to the effectiveness of a film and sometimes they impart an artistic quality to it.
Using specially modified film can create a special texture that complements the theme of the movie. The most common technique has been the use of black and while film instead of color, for heightening the feeling of realism of a story, especially to convey the illusion of "old times" and things past, sometimes like faded photographs, or as in SCHINDLER'S LIST, making the unbearable horror of the Holocaust viewable.
Flashing the film allows several types of effects. There are many ways to flash film. You can post-flash the negative (after it's exposed) to give the film more printing latitude (increasing the "acceptable" ratio of highlights to shadows,) pre-flash it (before photography) for more speed (increasing exposure index,) and add a color tint or texture. You can also pre-flash the print stock, or any of the intermediate film types for that matter.
For example, if you're doing a story about gold mining, you could consider pre-flashing your negative with a golden filter, giving your film a golden tinge. If you're doing a film about coal miners, maybe you can flatten out the color and create a coarse texture with monochrome colors.
You can pre-flash the film with sepia tones, brown, corral tints -- there's really no limit to the types of looks you can attain.
There are solarization techniques which are popular in still photography, but somewhat more cumbersome and costly with film. But there are ways to do this, if you're persistent and motivated.
You can use infrared film for certain types of shots or sequences, and generally you can mix and match many moods by using a number of film types with various speeds and characteristics from different
manu-facturers. You can use 16mm to 35mm blow-ups to create a grainy or contrasty look, or as just a way to cut costs and shooting a lot more footage, especially if your subject is documentary or semi-documentary in nature.
There are matte and glass painting techniques for creating fantasy backgrounds or creating locations and establishing shots which are difficult to attain otherwise.
You can use extensive miniature techniques to creating environments or doing science fiction movies with spaceship dog-fights! Also, miniatures of historic structures and buildings, such as Aztec or Maya temples and so on.
Let's segue into different Genres at this point and discuss some of the types of movies that require special handling.
I don't like horror that much; I say "that much" because there is a little bit of "horror" in every movie one gets to do on low budget. After a while though you learn how to deal with production problems. But you're doing fine, reading this book will save you a lot of heartache, maybe even a bad marriage (don't marry the first beautiful girl you work with, most likely she's only acting! I once worked on a production where a beautiful actress kept smiling and approaching me repeatedly with endearing words, she'd pirouette, turn around and come back again and again -- it was starting to go to my head -- until I realized she was using me as a dummy to practice her lines on, in between takes!)
Where was I? Oh, yes, horror! What can I say, you gotta have a yen for it. I mean, some people go to movies to get scared, some guys enjoy having their date jump in their arms "for protection" from vampires and ghouls (this sort of thing was always sort of beneath me, but I have nothing against it, mind you.)
I have a friend in fact who loves to do horror. The first time I ever visited him, he brought me to his closet. He relished the moment as he pulled out a severed, rubber arm with blood dripping from it's stump. He touched his finger to the bloody part and held up the gooey stuff for me to examine, "Corn syrup with a little bit of (red) food coloring -- much cheaper than theatrical blood ... you know it costs a fortune for a pint!"
I can dig that sort of enthusiasm for a genre! Use a lot of fog and a few fog machines, or try dry ice (it's more expensive, but the fog lays low, like pouring out of a tomb, if you're looking for that effect.) Fog machines are a lot more practical, though. You can spread the fog around and there are ways to vary the consistency of it by using more or less of the base, mixed with other things.
Ask the rental house if you need more information on this, but your special effects person will most likely have a few tricks up the sleeve. Always ask for these tidbits of wisdom from every technician on your production.
Horror should be photographed with a lot of filtration on the lights. Color gels are great for this sort of thing.
You should buy yourself some rolls when they go on sale or when they are occasionally auctioned off. Special effects houses get rid of their gels periodically when they get old and brittle. With a little bit of care you can make them work for you just fine. They're good to have along with the 85s for converting sunlight to 3200?K (3200 degrees Kelvin, which match your tungsten lights for interiors as when you're shooting an interior with sunlight coming through the windows,) and the cinemoids (or blues which convert the tungsten light to sunlight when you're shooting daylight-balanced film outside and you need a little extra light on someone's face or something -- in which case you should use a reflector, but there are a few exceptions.)
Then there are martial arts movies. You should shoot a lot of coverage on fights, because there will be a lot of times when you won't be able to make the fighting look good. Generally it's best to do a lot of hand held, quick cuts. Pepper the film with tight and frequent blows during the fight sequences. Establish and maintain a fast pace. Don't slow the film down for long pieces of dialogue or romantic scenes. Martial arts audiences like only action. If you're going to do something different, you should wait until you've achieved a state bordering on genius as a film maker, before you can break this rule successfully.
Comedies should be brightly lit. The vaults of Hollywood are full of the skeletons of directors and producers who broke this rule. I've never seen a funny darkly lit movie yet, so forget it! Why swim upstream if your intention is to get somewhere! (I'm not here to teach you how to assassinate a comic's career, but this is one way you can do it.)
There are no rules for science fiction, except the main one which applies to all movies: make them believable. Your sets, costumes, gadgets, all have to look right. The camera technique should be subtle. I recommend little camera movement, it adds to the illusion of reality.
Pornography, (I hate to even mention it, but this is a comprehensive book) -- pornography is not film making!
You're only selling sex, you're a "sex vendor," to use a euphemism. But since I've broached the subject, let me tell you, I too am guilty of putting sex scenes into movies just to improve their box office performances. You say that now you're not talking about pornography!
But remember, you cheapen your movie when you use "sex" to sell it. When you become a competent film maker, you'll learn how to portray sexuality on the screen, and you'll be praised for it.
You'll be more successful as a film maker if you maintain your artistic integrity. Sexuality is an important human characteristic and cinematically interesting, but showing fornication, even simulated, is not the best way to portray sexuality. If it were, pornography would've been the main staple of movie houses. Sexuality is more than just naked bodies rubbing against each other. And nudity is not sexuality. Sexuality is a manifestation of personality and it's best portrayed through character development in a movie. Standard devices of dramatic writing encompass unlimited expressions for communicating sexuality. Even the Bible contains elegant and sometimes poetic passages about human love. Shakespeare and great novelists wrote wonderful stories about love and sexuality.
You just have to be quality-conscious! You too can portray sexuality in your movie without lowering it to pornographic levels.