Love Filming, Hate Writing

Love Filming - Hate Writing!

by Harold Cosgrove

Harold Cosgrove has been quietly winning awards for many years with his travelogs. He makes light of his skill in finding and capturing fascinating moments, of blending famous sights and intriguing glimpses of local life wherever he goes. Filming is a pleasure for him, but before the work can go off to festivals there is a chore he hates ...

I love making movies but I hate writing!!! In fact the most difficult part of movie making for me is writing dialog and commentary.

On Location

I now make mostly travel videos and in most cases I have never been to a particular location before so I simply "grab what I can" and make up the movie when I get home.
If I see something interesting I figure other people will find it interesting too so that's what I shoot. I try to get footage from as many angles as possible and shoot lots of cutaways. You can never have too many cutaways.
In my old age I carry as little kit as possible. My cameras are light and small and everything I shoot is hand held. (I'm built like a tripod so that helps!!) Use a shoulder support and keep at the wide angle end of the zoom and your footage will turn out just fine.
I shoot "off the cuff" as I go when on vacation so it doesn't interfere too much with my travel plans.
I don't plan ahead but always shoot in terms of "sequences" providing me enough footage to produce a "mini" story of what I find interesting.
If I come across a snag I deal with it then carry on as usual. I have not really had any problems with officialdom. If anybody complains I simply stop shooting. (Then grab the shots I need anyway when they are not looking!)
I have been making movies for more than 50 years and in all that time I have never heard of a true amateur (one who makes movies with no gain in mind) getting into trouble for using what ever material he chooses. If somebody complains about my choice of music or footage I will remove it. Until that day arrives I'll carry on as usual!!
I shoot cut aways as I go, as many as possible, and I still never have enough!!!


The Battleship Aurora From Russia with Love	Church on the Blood From Russia with Love	The Hermitage Museum From Russia with Love	Souvenirs From Russia with Love

Structure

When I return from a trip I normally store the footage and leave it for a year or so. When I decide to review the footage it's as though somebody handed me a bunch of shots to work up a story line. I then pick out what I consider to be the best stuff and arrange it into sequences to makeup the story line usually saving the best sequence for the end.
In my opinion every good movie will have a beginning a middle and an end!!

Commentary

I usually do a rough visual edit first then write my commentary then record it directly into iMovie. There is usually some adjustment to either the commentary or the visuals to make them fit together. (All the prize winning movies I have produced in recent years have been made in iMovie 6. It is simple to learn, easy to use and does a great job.)
I almost never read guide books, if I can't write suitable commentary I log on to Google and "re write" information I find in cyberspace!! I don't use personal anecdotes. However I once made a travel movie where my wife and I argued constantly throughout the movie. Of course she was always right!!


Mariner of the Sea Caribbean Holiday	Interior of Mariner Caribbean Holiday	Model at Cazumel Caribbean Holiday	Mariner of the Sea Caribbean Holiday

Editing

The only thing I have to say about titles is - Keep 'em short, to the point and use an easy to read font because they are only on the screen for a very short time!
In my opinion the most important part of amateur movie making is EDITING. Editing is like doing a jigsaw puzzle but you have to make all your own pieces!! Cutting your own footage is extremely difficult but over the years I have learned that it must be done to make a good movie.
The biggest fault with ALMOST ALL amateur movies that I see are that they are WAY TOO LONG. Most of them could easily be cut in half to produce a much better product.

Story Films

Many years ago I did make several "story" movies but this was long before lip sync was practical for the amateur so I simply used voice over on the sound track.
I would allow experienced actors to sometimes improvise. The problem for amateur moviemakers is finding people who can act!! Most amateur "story movies" show the inexperience of the maker both in story telling and choice of suitable acting talent.


Dancing Flowers	Dancing Flowers	Dancing Flowers	Dancing Flowers

Bees in my Bonnet

Many of today's young movie makers are obsessed with the technical side of production but a good movie is all about pleasing your audience, so remember "it's the story stupid!"
Did I mention how important it is to have lots of cut aways?!!

This article is here because Harold accepted my nagging and questions with very good grace ... his stills give a hint of the quality in his movies ... and whatever he says, I reckon he can write pretty well too. - Webmaster