Reed's D Band Media Log

What makes a good movie

For me, one of the single most important parts of films is the sound effects. Because of my dad's profesion, I get to see the difference between a film with complete sound mixing and a film with just straight diagenic/location sound. Not only is there a huge difference, but the location sound is just boring. Simple dialogue with maybe a few hits and bird chirps. That's all you get. But after you spend a good amount of time with a scene, you can add a lot. Voiceovers and other non-diagenic sounds make a world of difference. A good film has to have a good sound job. If it doesn't, it may be the most impressively visual film EVER, but if it sounds like crap, then it's really not going to work for me.

Then again, if done right, some silent films can be amazing. But the only way they can work without sound, is if there is a lot of style put into the picture. Constant cuts and shifts of the scene are a must; without the changing angles and shots you'd get pretty bored. Pans, tracking shots and zooms are helpful things as well, because they can add dimension to the film. Also, with a pan in the right place, you almost feel like you're actually in the film. Also, the right kinds of dissolves or cuts between scenes are extremely important. You can't go from an extremely dramatic scene to a happy bright one, without a dissolve. You just can't make that an automatic cut.

Movies require depth. That normally starts in the script, which has to have a beginning, middle and end. If it doesn't, the movie will suck.