Art of the Microbudget

STRAY
This is a little story that happened in daily life, a story between a man and a thief. I think the design of the story is very realistic but interesting. Producer Wang Zirui stated the development of the story very well, and showed the emotions and characters of the protagonist in some ways. The whole film fits the theme of Art of the Microbudget very well, with simple scenes, a small number of actors, and uncomplicated story content. But at the same time, the lower cost did not negatively affect the quality of the film, and the audience can still easily understand the story and feel the emotions in the film. If I were the producer of this film, maybe I would like to add more details to express the emotions of the characters in the film .

COME TO THE CHAT…
Compared with STRAY, COME TO THE CHAT created by antong-li has completely opposite mood and style. As a timid person, I actually didn’t have the courage to click on this video. COME TO THE CHAT combines a tense storyline with scary clips , making the whole movie even more terrifying. And Antong-Li is very good at processing music and sound effects. Many clips in the film use reasonable sound effects. In my previous studies, I have studied the importance of music to film effects, and Antong-li’s films are very good emphasizes this idea. This is worth learning and practicing.

IMMERSIVE SANDBOX

Peter Nottsworth (How I Learn to Live with Myself)
Have to admit, Peter Nottsworth is a very impressive film. Living with a clone of yourself was a never-before-seen theme and very creative. The filmmakers use interesting techniques to support the theme of cloning. For example, the protagonist and his clone appear in the same screen at the same time through editing, and the dialogue between the protagonist and the clone is recorded from different angles. I like the fact that the same shot appears at the beginning and end of the film, which makes the story seem more complete and fluid. Many of these skills are worth studying. The whole film records Peter Nottsworth’s life from a very ordinary perspective, but the unique shooting and editing techniques make the film have a high degree of completion.

“HELP” (2023)
Unlike the previous work, the atmosphere of this film is very tense and fast. I think this is also an excellent film and television work. The film tells a horror story of a VR glasses invading the real world. I really like some of the first half of the film, such as editing the protagonist in reality and the game world in VR. This is an excellent idea. As the story progresses, the mood of the whole film becomes more and more tense and weird. The protagonist encounters some strange things , and at the end there is a news report of a VR murder. There are no scary scenes in the film, but the viewers feel panic through the shooting technique and the storyline, which is very remarkable. In future creations, I will pay more attention to storytelling and details.

咖啡人Final cut.mp4

在这部影片的制作过程中，我主要研究从设备、人员安排、剧情、拍摄场景等方面将拍摄成本降到最低。
我觉得我在最初的剧本安排上做得不够完美，我设计了一个相对复杂的情节和镜头，导致我在拍摄的前几周遇到了很多问题，我把拍摄过程理想化了。
原来的故事里，我设计了追车，一些航拍，后来没实现。长达一个月的雨季，需要额外的摄影师和高拍摄风险是我遇到的最大挑战。所以我不得不放弃一些精彩的镜头和情节。
如果我能有更多的时间来完善甚至重做这部电影，我希望我的整体策划能更符合微预算的主题，更巧妙地表达微预算的概念，保留精彩的故事情节。因为在这次尝试中，我遇到了太多阻碍我构思的因素。
我认为在这个工作室对我来说最大的挑战是微预算和伟大作品之间的概念冲突。毫无疑问，这是违反直觉的。几乎所有人都知道，更精彩的剧情和更震撼的画面需要更高的资金和人力支持。所以在微预算条件下拍出更好的电影，需要电影人有更多的知识积累和综合能力。
在拍摄过程中，我主要使用了iPhone13和大疆的云台作为拍摄工具，因为这个组合足够方便，也足够便宜。另外，为了让画面不那么枯燥，我加了一些花絮和旁白。对于这些内容，我使用了索尼相机 A7M4、DJI AIR2S 和 DJI OSMO ACTION。因为这部分镜头拍摄难度较低，可以轻松获得更好的视频效果。期间参考了一些优秀视频制作人的内容，比如youtube的Casey Neistat和Sam Kolder。他们的创作给了我很多启发，尤其是在拍摄手法和音效的选择上。

风险管理安全报告.xlsx

Coffee Man, tells the story of a professional barista. Alex is a middle-aged male barista, different from other peers, family, economy and age do not limit his character and life. Free and happy to engage in the career he loves is something he insists on for a long time. From the perspective of an outsider, I briefly showed this charming barista by recording  Alex’s day.

Process
Coffee Man is a movie with a relaxed mood. During the production process, I kept the shooting and editing as simple and rigorous as possible. I hope to tell the character and life of an ordinary but unique barista through such a movie.

Learning Reflection and Summary: The Art of Micro-budget Movies

In this semester’s Low-Budget Film Art course, as a communication media student, I learned more about the production and art of low-budget films. I’ve learned and been inspired by exploring some classic films, writing my own scripts, and making low-budget films myself.

First, by studying classic low-budget films, I realized that it is possible to make memorable films with limited resources. Rather than relying on high production costs, these films emphasize the importance of plot, character development, and creativity. In the history of the development of film art, many films have achieved success by virtue of original plots and strict shooting arrangements. I deeply understand that the key to the success of small-budget movies is story and originality, not expensive special effects or extravagant directors.

Next, I experienced the hardships and joys of the creative process by writing the script myself. Its importance is self-evident in a low-budget movie, because the script is the basis of the entire production. I learned to use my limited time and resources to structure the story, develop the characters, and build a detailed plot that communicated the heart of the story. This process made me understand the difficulty of creation, and improved my creativity and problem-solving skills.

Most importantly, working on a smaller budget gave me a better understanding of all aspects of filmmaking. I personally experienced the whole process from budget, shooting planning, shooting, editing to post-production. In filmmaking, I realize that expensive equipment, huge crews, and great special effects are never the only ingredients to make a great movie.

Through this course, I not only learned the techniques of low-budget filmmaking, but also developed my creativity, problem-solving skills and teamwork. These skills and experiences will play an important role in my future career development in the communication media industry.

Overall, learning the art of cinema on a low budget was a valuable experience. I’ve learned a lot about the art and challenges of low-budget films by researching classic films, writing scripts, and making low-budget films. This course not only strengthened my professional knowledge, but also developed my creativity, problem-solving skills and teamwork spirit. I look forward to applying these learned skills to future communication media projects and continuing to take filmmaking to new heights.

Coffee Man Final cut.mp4