What is Film? What is Phone?

 

Film Capture

Film capture is never impromptu, never captured because it is beautiful, captured to archive a memory, an event, an activity, a selfie, group photo, to show off a dress, hobby, activity.

It is always planned, rehearsed, staged.

Unlike posts on social media, it is not possible to just capture something interesting – but something that tells a story that is always planned, rehearsed, staged.

The most obvious example is that the film shot gives us more context about character through the space that surrounds the characters whereas the social media post is only about a projection of a person, carefully omitting context that does not fit the required projection. The film capture is always a sort of betrayal – a comment on the primary object of focus. The phone is always concerned solely with the primary object in focus.

Not one shot

Why is film normally not one shot?

Because, it is always planned, rehearsed, staged, even a one take will take a number of shots to get the right one. Furthermore, film normally uses a number of takes which it edits and stitches into a filmic narrative.

The Narrative

The filmic narrative uses a filmic tongue: silence, light, darkness sound.

It also traverses different zones of silence, light, darkness sound. Any narrative will revolve around what is heard and unheard, seen and unseen.

This means that most of the message that comes across is indirect, not implicit, causes different interpretation, interpolation – touches upon zones, areas or narratives which are extrinsic.

SO the audio-visual talks without talking and displays without displaying underneath what is being heard in sound and dialogue and seen in image and movement.

This is the direct opposite of what is posted on social media platforms where the only result is an explicit dialogue, action and image.

This is in direct contrast to a written script. Words tend to describe and anchor character, setting, plot and story – film tends to un-anchor and to un-describe

Words tend to lead a reader by the hand, film tends to fool the spectator, to leave the spectator in expectation, apprehension, suspense, in not knowing – in unexpected discovery, revelation. Words tell. Film chooses what not to tell. Words display. Film chooses what to show and not to show.

The Frame

Why is the film not a square but always an oblong?

Most phone users place the phone upright – whereas most films use the horizontal oblong frame. Check out the difference.

The vertical oblong frames all the person – perfect to show off one’s clothes, body, dance etc.

The horizontal frame automatically frames the background and part of the body. The more body the more background.

The vertical oblong therefore reduces context and focuses on the totality of the object/ person in frame.

The horizontal frame therefore distributes focus on context and object/person in frame. Most importantly the horizontal frame betrays a choice – even manipulation of what is in frame and what is not on frame.

Does the frame move?

In film the frame may be static, may move smoothly on a dolly, on a gimble, or even frantically – as in handheld.

Similarly, the phone may move to follow action, characters or be placed on a stand or filmed from your seat.

Differences: The phone is always your point of view: The film frame takes a point of view: That of a character, that of fly on the wall, a spy, a distanced or involved perspective – even a switch of pow within the same film.

This means that any choice of frame and camera movement needs to be justified by a reason – What is the point of view of this narrative? Is it silent or heard, seen or unseen?

Editing

Today one can easily edit phone shots. Cut, paste shots from any recorded footage at will.

The difference is that in film, the edit follows a pre-drawn storyboard. In other words, the edit is already pre-determined before the shooting. This includes pre-determined shots in sequence, that have been made with the edit in mind i.e. how the shot will lead to the next shot in what transition. Is the cut supposed to be seamless, a match-cut, a sound cut or a jump cut. These are choices of style and narrative and need to be storyboarded and shot accordingly. The edit should be clear from the script – and this includes editing information about pacing, sound, silence and cut.

The Script

The script is important. Most films start from there – but they never end there. The problem with any script is that it is text. Text kindles different images and actions in people’s imagination. The film that you imagine after reading a script is very different to the one imagined by its author. It becomes extremely important, especially for film production for everyone involved to be on the same page.

Here the phone wins. Its impromptu shots are vivid and always display the same image, action and sound. This means that no script can be turned into a film, unless there is a visual to support the scripted textual description.

The Storyboard

Few phone users even know what a storyboard is – less again make one. The film cannot exist without one – however rudimentary or detailed. The storyboard makes the script visual. It gives directions to the camera operator, to the editor, light and sound crew, actors, costume artists, to all the crew involved. It becomes the director that governs everyone before the director even has to say a word.

Consider the storyboard above: The costume designer knows exactly what costumes are needed. Casting knows what type of actresses. Art department knows what type of artistic design. The location scout, what type of location. The cameraman what type of framing. The editor how to edit. Even in a small crew, the storyboard communicates exactly what the script leaves up to interpolation.  The arrows below betray the stylistic – in this case camera moving wildly but directed - planned, rehearsed, staged - around the characters.

The Dialogue

Social media dialogue is used to explain, describe and explicitly state context, problem, idea etc. Film dialogue does nothing of the above. It talks about seemingly nothing relevant – seemingly. What it does do is betray, insinuate, surprise. 

Music

Social media users choose music according to their taste or to make it fit their content. Film music is chosen to add other or different layers to the visual content. Think of music as a character in itself – even as the main instigator of things. Think of it in opposition or harmony – as background filler or give it the role of sensation, of a different beast.

The Heart of The Film

Social media does not care about any heart. It is there to give a message – media.

Let us clarify: What is this post about?

The film does not exist without a heart. Here is a girl who loves punk music and therefore is not happy in her outfit. This is a film about “coming out”, youth rebellion or its opposite -repression. This is a picture with a logline that will drive the whole narrative without expressing it explicitly through words. If it is a misfit – then the misfit should be reflected in the clash of the fitting and misfitting context – the clash of what is expected from the girl and what she wants to do. This should be reflected in silence, light, darkness, sound – in camera framing, movement, mood, colour etc. The message is in these elements. Film does not post, tag or comment as in social media.

For the Wannabee Director.

So, you want to direct a film. Consider everything that has been tackled above.

Create a logline. Using the above example, it could be something like: A girl dressed to fit the world is silently pulled toward the noise of who she really is.

Create a synopsis: E.g. A young girl, dressed in imposed elegance, moves through a world of rigid silence and expectation, her every gesture controlled and observed, until the distant pull of punk—felt in sound, light, and the fracture of the frame—begins to disrupt her composure; as she subtly resists through small acts of misalignment, the space tightens around her, revealing the tension between who she is meant to be and who she longs to become, culminating not in open rebellion but in a quiet, irreversible shift where she no longer fully conforms.

Prepare your pitch

You don’t pitch this film by explaining it. You pitch it by making them feel it in 20–30 seconds. Think mood, tension, contrast - not theory.

E.g. A girl dressed in perfection moves through a silent, controlled world - but beneath it, she feels the pull of punk. The film is about that tension - the clash between who she’s expected to be and who she is - told entirely through image, sound, and space. No exposition, no dialogue -just the moment where something inside her refuses to stay quiet.

If the pitch is longer, you can add: Visually, it contrasts rigid, symmetrical frames and silence with fragments of distortion - sound bleeding in, light breaking, composition slipping. It’s not about rebellion as spectacle, but about that internal shift - the instant where identity stops aligning with expectation. The story is carried through mood, rhythm, and visual tension rather than narrative explanation.

End with a hook line: e.g. A coming-of-age story where rebellion isn’t shouted—it leaks through the frame.

Question Time

Prepare answers to questions they may ask.

·        What actually happens in the film?

·        What is the beginning, middle, end?

·        What is the turning point?

·        What is the final image?

·        Why punk?

·        Why no dialogue? Or What is the dialogue about?

·        How will you keep the audience engaged?

·        What is the audience takeaway?

·        Who is the target audience?

Most importantly:

·        Visuals

·        Location

·        References: Film Visual References. (Perhaps lens, stylistics, colour palette, genre choice, framing, camera movement). Show us the type of film you have in mind. Make it play before our eyes.

·        References: Real people, real life characters or film characters. Show us the type of character you have in mind.

·        However, what makes this film different from your references?

·        Why this film?

·        Why you?

·        What inspired / motivated you to do this film.

Character Profile

A character arc. Is there one?

The punk girl example can be described as: Internal arc → Negative-to-positive awareness arc Suppression → consciousness

From imposed identity → to internal rupture → to quiet self-recognition

From False Self → Awakening → Turning Point

You need a full character profile – a backstory which you will probably not show during the film, but you and the actors must know who they are playing. If you are asked about the character during the pitch you must have the answers ready.

Location

This is your most important character. Do not dream up a location, find one. Experience it first-hand. Imagine how your film would progress in this location – how the location will change certain scenes – how the location will impose its own character on your film.

Sound

First of all, what is the ambient sound of your actual location? How can it be used? What needs to be added and why?

Music: Is there any music that fits? How does it pace the film. Is it slow or fast tempo. Is it aggressive or atmospheric? Etc. Try to experiment with scenes from your storyboard over a piece of music to experiment with the tempo of your film.