What would you call the equivalent of writer's block when shooting?

[Brice LeCarre]

I am in the middle of a project, a corporate video, for which I have been given carte blanche. Since I am in the industry - airline - I am not to worry about not delivering a project they will like.
However since I started to work on it, I had to grind though every frame. I am usually pretty giddy when behind the camera and get an emotional reaction with what I shoot.
But this time, nada! I feel all my shots are blend and I have little to no inspiration when placing the camera.

I don't make my living with a camera but I am very passionate about creating cool project and I put the effort in- https://vimeo.com/147254170

So what is it this time? The subject is pretty cool. Lots of airplane shots, ramp activity, control tower, radar room and so on. But my heart is not where it usually is.

Film schoolers and no film schoolers, have you guys experienced that? And how did you deal with it?

 

[Louis Maddalena]

Sometimes I feel like I can be a little blocked but I never work alone, Director , Producer, Etc. So I can always turn to them and say "I'm not feeling this, what are your thoughts?" and usually getting somebody else in on the creative process can help fire me back up so after they say something I'll be inspired again.

Airlines are a fun thing to shoot there are so many great shots available and as soon as you find one that you love you'll be inspired again.

Somethings I would shoot:
Planes flying over head (from directly underneath, wide lens close to plane)
Planes take off and landing
Tires on pavement
Ground Control (with the orange wands)
Ground Crew (attaching and detaching pipes, checking tires, loading aircraft)
ATC (People talking on the radio, radar, etc)
Engines spinning up.

Slow motion, I love the look of fast things recorded over cranked, especially planes. but don't over do it. Also don't forget camera movement, a good dana dolly or movi shot here and there will really break up a bunch of static images.

 

[Marc Wielage]

I am in the middle of a project, a corporate video, for which I have been given carte blanche. Since I am in the industry - airline - I am not to worry about not delivering a project they will like. However since I started to work on it, I had to grind though every frame. I am usually pretty giddy when behind the camera and get an emotional reaction with what I shoot. But this time, nada! I feel all my shots are blend and I have little to no inspiration when placing the camera.

Drugs and alcohol have inspired people in the past. For me, generally the paycheck is all the inspiration I need.

In the case of how to get the most out of the footage, hiring a great editor and then a great colorist for the final delivery will help ensure the final results look their best. 90% of what a good colorist does is to try to make the images pop as much as possible and look dramatic and have the greatest possible impact, depending on the intended results. For a corporate video, a lot of that just lies in maximum contrast, emphasizing the key element in every shot (like a person's face or the product shot), adding a little fill light when necessary, and bringing down any part of the frame that you want to de-emphasize.

 

[Marcus Friedlander]

Sometimes I feel like I can be a little blocked but I never work alone, Director , Producer, Etc. So I can always turn to them and say "I'm not feeling this, what are your thoughts?" and usually getting somebody else in on the creative process can help fire me back up so after they say something I'll be inspired again.

100% agree! This is why I think it is absolutely essential to build long term working relationships with incredibly talented crew members, from top to bottom. Film is a collaborative art form. No one makes a great film by themselves! (Despite what some director's think :lol

 

[Brendan H. Banks]

I am in the middle of a project, a corporate video, for which I have been given carte blanche. Since I am in the industry - airline - I am not to worry about not delivering a project they will like.
However since I started to work on it, I had to grind though every frame. I am usually pretty giddy when behind the camera and get an emotional reaction with what I shoot.
But this time, nada! I feel all my shots are blend and I have little to no inspiration when placing the camera.

I don't make my living with a camera but I am very passionate about creating cool project and I put the effort in- https://vimeo.com/147254170

So what is it this time? The subject is pretty cool. Lots of airplane shots, ramp activity, control tower, radar room and so on. But my heart is not where it usually is.

Film schoolers and no film schoolers, have you guys experienced that? And how did you deal with it?

Oh yeah, this is a thing all the time! I was shooting very consistently but it didn't feel like I was growing or going anywhere with it. I tried lots of things -- doing online video competitions (this gave me requirements and goals to shoot for), collaborating with people on some personal projects, etc but I was just having trouble. I ended up taking a shooting-video hiatus (took lots of stills though) and that made a huge difference. I found that my real goal was getting big or working on "cooler" projects and not growing internally.

What I try and do nowadays with projects like this (one's where I'm not feeling completely inspired or into it), is hone in on a single thing and try and do that really well. Sometimes it's going out of pocket to rent a piece of gear that I find exciting...but most of the time it's going after a new technique. Rely on 60fps a lot? Try and make everything happen in 24 or 30. Find yourself relying on your 50mm a lot? Give everything a go with an 18mm instead. If you typically shoot down or on eye level, give looking up at them a shot. Use a slider a lot? Try just making all the magic in a static frame or a very light pan/tilt.

I've been getting more out of projects that would have bothered me in the past. Sometimes "good enough" will blow your client out of the water and that, for me, is tough. I always try to challenge myself on some of those projects and go for a new technique. Overall the video may still feel bland to you and that's honestly not the worst thing in the world...but if you have one shot where you tried something new, that could open a new world.

 

[Satsuki Murashige]

Stephen King once wrote in his memoirs 'On Writing' that you can't rely on artistic inspiration - you go to work every day, go through your routine, and hope that the muse decides to show up that day. He describes his muse as a drunken free-spirit, lazy, grumpy, and never on time, if he shows up at all. I think we all know people like that! But King puts up with it because when his muse does show up, the little guy always brings magic fairy dust in his pockets.

I think this is the best any of us can do. Put your head down and do the work - ask all the questions, do the research, write, shot-list, storyboard, location scout, casting, makeup, wardrobe, crew up, camera tests, and then just hope that the muse decides to wander back into your life on the day. I will say that the earlier you begin work, the sooner he usually shows up.

 

[Brendan H. Banks]

Stephen King once wrote in his memoirs 'On Writing' that you can't rely on artistic inspiration - you go to work every day, go through your routine, and hope that the muse decides to show up that day. He describes his muse as a drunken free-spirit, lazy, grumpy, and never on time, if he shows up at all. I think we all know people like that! But King puts up with it because when his muse does show up, the little guy always brings magic fairy dust in his pockets.

I think this is the best any of us can do. Put your head down and do the work - ask all the questions, do the research, write, shot-list, storyboard, location scout, casting, makeup, wardrobe, crew up, camera tests, and then just hope that the muse decides to wander back into your life on the day. I will say that the earlier you begin work, the sooner he usually shows up.

Absolutely on point Satsuki. This is a fun little gem where George RR Martin asks King "how the fuck do you write so much?!" -- https://youtu.be/v_PBqSPNTfg?t=50m8s

 

[Patrick Tresch]

Drugs and alcohol have inspired people in the past. For me, generally the paycheck is all the inspiration I need.

Marc, this is a big one! Made my day! :thumbup1:Thanks
Pat

 

[Marc Wielage]

Stephen King once wrote in his memoirs 'On Writing' that you can't rely on artistic inspiration - you go to work every day, go through your routine, and hope that the muse decides to show up that day. He describes his muse as a drunken free-spirit, lazy, grumpy, and never on time, if he shows up at all. I think we all know people like that! But King puts up with it because when his muse does show up, the little guy always brings magic fairy dust in his pockets.

Note that Stephen King is a writer who wrote about two dozen best sellers while heavily drinking, on coke, and all kinds of stimulants. It wasn't until the early 1990s that he got off of everything. (And I'm a huge King fan and admire his writing very much.)

I do agree that writing and filmmaking are professions where getting the work done is about 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration (as Edison once said).

 

[Chris Henze]

My two cents.

I guess it can be possible for filming to be a grind. It's never happened to me after many years and many 100's of projects. I always feel so grateful to have the opportunity to do what I do.

If I was to give you a note on filming after looking at your other piece, I's say you're disconnected from your passion about the story you're telling. That disconnection carries over to the way you tell a story. The bow craftsman is an amazing man and your piece about him is bland and uninspired. The beauty that exists with him, his craftsmanship and his story. For me there's so much there and not captured, it's actually painful for me to watch the piece because of how much is missing. To me a story isn't be told because you use a drone or 3 point lighting, it's when you carefully and humbly listen to the person, place, light, history, spirit and the other whispers that create a moment and do your best to capture it. The ability to listen at that level only comes from an open heart and the willingness to be vulnerable by putting yourself on the line.

You asked the question, so I imagine that you're interested in finding another level to your storytelling. My two cents have run out.

 

[Brice LeCarre]

Thanks everyone for the time to respond.
There is some good advice here, if not very painful from some of it.
I don't do drugs and drink moderately (LOL) and from some comments, I have a very, very long way to go. Finding inspiration might prove difficult.

 

[Chris Henze]

The distance to travel in finding inspiration could be your next thought. Don't underestimate the power of your willingness to ask the question. Most never will open themselves that much. You're already ahead of the game.

Breathe that in, quiet the noisy conscience and let some whispers of sub-conscience wash over, hear them and act.

Here's a piece where this director Spielberg talks about the exact subject. I think he's done some stuff.

 

[Satsuki Murashige]

Note that Stephen King is a writer who wrote about two dozen best sellers while heavily drinking, on coke, and all kinds of stimulants. It wasn't until the early 1990s that he got off of everything. (And I'm a huge King fan and admire his writing very much.)

Well, yes. And yet he has remained incredibly prolific well into his 60's. Some people just have ideas bursting out of them, for better or for worse. Combine that with a strong work ethic and you have something. Not to say that being prolific or popular necessarily makes for great art, but it can at least make you fabulously wealthy.

I do agree that writing and filmmaking are professions where getting the work done is about 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration (as Edison once said).

Isn't that true in most human endeavors, though?

For myself, I struggle with this question all the time. As a cinematographer, I don't typically generate projects. I work for a director. Therefore, I must find something in their project for myself - some point of view, some frame of reference that I understand and can elaborate on. As a gun for hire, that can be difficult when you simply have to say yes to every job for the paycheck. You can't be inspired by every job unless you are just thrilled to be shooting for the sake of shooting. You need a baseline of craft to fall back on, some kind of guiding principles which will see you through the project, whether inspiration shows up or not.

I tend to think that most of my best work is done in pre-production - endless discussions with the director on the story and how best to tell it, scouting, planning out sequences, ordering the right equipment, hiring the right crew, and then mostly executing on the day. Just showing up on the day with a bunch of random gear and a blank slate is about the worst way to work for me - filmmaker triage. You are basically just putting on tourniquets at that point, trying to keep the project alive until it can get to the editing room. It's exhausting and not much fun. But I suppose some people find that inspiring!

 

[Elsie N]

I am in the middle of a project, a corporate video, for which I have been given carte blanche. Since I am in the industry - airline - I am not to worry about not delivering a project they will like.
However since I started to work on it, I had to grind though every frame. I am usually pretty giddy when behind the camera and get an emotional reaction with what I shoot.
But this time, nada! I feel all my shots are blend and I have little to no inspiration when placing the camera.

I don't make my living with a camera but I am very passionate about creating cool project and I put the effort in- https://vimeo.com/147254170

So what is it this time? The subject is pretty cool. Lots of airplane shots, ramp activity, control tower, radar room and so on. But my heart is not where it usually is.

Film schoolers and no film schoolers, have you guys experienced that? And how did you deal with it?

May I suggest it is not your shots that are uninspired... but your editing? For me anyway, My inspiration erupts in the edit process, more than the shooting process.

 

[Brice LeCarre]

May I suggest it is not your shots that are uninspired... but your editing? For me anyway, My inspiration erupts in the edit process, more than the shooting process.

I would agree with you. Being a one man band I have to do it all now. I am more interested today in learning camera work. I have to learn also the art of interviewing which is not easy when you have one chance usually to get the goods. For some reasons right now, editing is somewhat behind in my set goals of learning to make documentaries. The last skill I want to get into more is color grading and let's not talk about audio.

I do not have the possibility to follow someone else as a crew member to learn. So I rely on sites like this one or watch other's work. Spielberg's words are fine but at this stage, for me, way above my head.
Thanks for your advice.