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10 Essential Filmmaking Techniques | Blog

May 19, 2022

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It's easy to be captivated by the "movie magic" that we watch on our big screens. But the reality is that the magic comes from the result of hundreds of methods of filmmaking working together to produce every frame that delights us.

What Are Filmmaking Techniques?

Filmmaking techniques are the tools which filmmakers employ to produce their final product. In the course of the evolution of film, these techniques have evolved not just with technological developments, but also the evolution of filmmaking as an art style. Nowadays, there's an "language that is a film" that audiences come to anticipate when they sit in a theater.

In the end, all the techniques used in filmmaking and cinematic effects should serve the narrative of the film as well as the characters who reside in the film.

1. Camera Lighting

The lighting on a film set can be employed to mimic the natural light of the scene's surroundings. Certain films, such as Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon ,use only natural light from the sun or candlelight, as well as lamps. A majority of Hollywood films have lights off-screen that guide the viewers eye and enhance the style of the film.

It is possible for lighting to appear artificial and add to the general atmosphere of the film. Dario Argento's Suspiria Suspiriais a fantastic use of lighting colors that highlight the fairy-tale surrealism of the film.

2. Film Editing

Editing an argument scene isn't as easy as editing a high-flying action sequence.

Film editing is the process of taking raw footage shot on set and assembling footage into the finished film. In the post-production world this is among the crucial stages.

Editing dictates the pace of the scene. When a scene is fast-paced edits can show that with a series of quick edits. If the scene is especially anxious, the long cuts followed by one swift editing can surprise and reduce tension.

3. Camera Movement

From tracking to tilting , and every other aspect in between, camera movement assists in telling the story by manipulating what's visible on the screen. They are powerful when it comes to evoking an emotion.

The striking Dolly scene in Gone With the Windemphasizes the tragic loss of life and the desperation of Scarlett O'Hara. The slow-motion speed of Michael Corleone's face in The Godfather is a great illustration of his internal struggles with committing the assassinations of Sollozzo McCluskey and Sollozzo. McCluskey.

Even within a single genre, there are many camera motions that can evoke similar feelings. As an example, the terror in Cloverfield can be seen by the frenetic motion that is captured by a hand-held camera while the terror that is the first scene of Halloween comes from the single-take Steadicam image that places the viewer in the POV of a cold, calculated criminal.

4. Visual Effects

Visual effects allow for entirely new kinds of tales to tell in films. You only need to be aware of that Avatar phenomenon to appreciate the impact they can have on viewers. The combination of practical and visual effects can lead to huge successes such as Mad Max: Fury Road. But visual effects can also be used for subtle yet significant changes like the de-aging effects on The Irishman.

5. Film Blocking

In terms of choreography, you find a lot of intricate blocking in musicals like the scene in West Side Story. But you don't need more than a few movements to make fascinating blocking. In Kurosawa's High and Low and Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men, there are many wonderful instances of blocking in films which boil down to an entire group of people sitting around in a room.

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6. Film Sound

At one point in history films were the most shocking and groundbreaking innovation in the art of film. While it has become entirely commonplace today, the importance of film's sound can't be ignored.

The sound of film can be divided into two types: diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic sound refers to anything that occurs natural in the film such as people speaking, glass breaking, the clapping of hooves from horses. Non-diegetic sounds are those which the actors cannot hear but the audience can listen to, for example, a soundtrack or voiceover narration. In general, they are employed to heighten emotional tension in scenes.

When Mr. Blonde is dancing with her feet to "Stuck on the Midway With the One You" within Reservoir Dogs, that's diegetic sound. "Born to Be Wild" played over the beginning credits of Easy Rider ,on the other on the other hand, is an example of non-diegetic sound.

7. Sound Effects

Sound effects on film are generally created in the post production stage and help enhance the sounds taking place on screen. The majority of the recording on set is specifically focused on recording dialogue, all additional sounds are mixed together and later added.

Folk artists are typically in charge of creating sounds such as footsteps, the sound of rustling clothes, and other incidental sound effects. Doors that are slammed or other background sounds may be made from libraries of sound effects. Some sounds must be created out of thin air. Nobody knows for sure what T-Rex sounded like However, the sound engineers working for Jurassic Park did a pretty effective attempt.

8. Shot Composition

Shot composition is a step beyond blocking and considers every element that are present in frames to produce the desired result. It is not just about how the actors appear in relation to each other as well as where they're connected to various aspects in their surrounding.

in Citizen Kane ,Orson Welles uses the depth of field in order to give an immersive, thrilling action that is close and far away simultaneously. The way that these fields interplay is a fascinating composition of the shot.

9. Tone in the Film Tone

Film tone is the overall impact a film can have on its viewers, made possible by a blend of cinematic methods. The tone of a film is usually in direct correlation with the type of story that it tells.

Film noirs like Double Indemnity and Kiss Me Deadly feature nefarious criminals and strong-as-nails police officers while being in the dark and relying on dramatic music. Horror films from the 60s and '70s like Night of the Living Dead and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre are dark tales of human depravity , and in turn, look dirty, grimy and sweaty.

If you master all filmmaking techniques, you will wind up with a film style that matches perfectly with your story.

10. Shot Framing

Similar to the composition of a shot, shooting framing is an approach that is more scientifically oriented to the image in a frame.

One of the most fundamental principles in framing is The Rule of Thirds. If you imagine your frame divided into three horizontal and three vertical ones, it is best to place your subjects along those lines which will naturally attract the viewers focus. You can also do this with different angles within your frame, creating a large wide field of view.

Another approach to the composition of a shot is to use symmetry. This typically centers around a single object and features similar elements to each other. Nearly every second of the film The Grand Budapest Hotel involves something symmetry-related--in fact, all of Wes Anderson's movies do.

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