Managing Your Business Like A Professional

The Dullness Of Amateur Film And How To Upgrade Your Cinematic Masterpiece

by Sherri Robinson

Film students looking to make their mark want to produce a Cannes-worthy film. The trouble is, you do not have the Cannes film budget to really make an amateur film look that extraordinary. Most amateur films, when first shot, look quite dull, drab, and not as exciting or engaging, regardless of the storyline, plot, action, etc. It is okay, though, because there are ways you can upgrade your cinematic masterpiece to a Cannes Festival-worthy piece. Here are a few suggestions. 

Cinema Grade Color Grading Software

A film is only as good as its editing. Ask any film editor, and that is what he/she will tell you. While you cannot afford the equipment or an editing studio worthy of the film editing masters, you can afford cinema grade color grading software. Digitize your film so that you can work on it on a PC or laptop with high resolution and gamer's graphics to give you the best editing results. Then use this kind of software to really bring out the colors of costumes, scenery, and skin tones to highlight, brighten, and visually stun viewers. If you mess up, do not worry; you can automatically save all edited versions and retrace your editing steps back to the version you like best before continuing the coloring and editing processes. 

Reach out to a company like Cinema Grade to learn more.

Sound Needs to Hit Home

You may perform sounds on camera, but when the film plays, you can barely hear them. That is why the pros overlap sounds on film during the editing process. There are dozens of digitally mastered sound effects on computer CD's that you can download into your computer and pull to insert in your film. Listen each time you do this so that the sounds match, and hit exactly when you want them to in the film. Since some sounds are critical to understanding the action, make sure the sounds you use to overlap previously filmed sounds are loud enough to hear when the film plays. 

Also, you might want to consider background music. A lot of scenes in major productions are just too quiet. It causes the action to lag, and viewers' attention to wander. Think about a scene where a cowboy rides over a hill. You might hear the horse pant and the hoof beats, but everything else is so quiet that there really is not much mood or meaning in the action. Adding music creates interest, and sets the mood and tone for that moment, and others, in your film. 

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