Let's talk about cliches for a sec. These are the ones I've noticed in many student short films that I think we should all avoid.

The gun: It seems that filmmakers who have a toy gun say, "let's make a movie cause we have a gun". Avoid having a gun in your film unless you're absolutely gonna use it. For police it's the very last resort. They don't pull it out unless they absolutely feel it's essential. Do the same.

The bathroom scene with the mirror: I've seen so many short student films that have that one scene where the main character looks at himself in the mirror. Yeah it looks cool and the shot is fun and easy to compose but it has few or absolutely no meaning. Rarely has it been essential for the film. Even a friend of mine did it and I just had to say something.

So those are the cliches I've noticed. Any more cliches you've seen? What are your opinions?

Well, I like to refer to student films, not so much as a film, made by a film student, but rather as a certain style of film. Several cliches make this so.
The gun cliche dosent seem so much tied to student films, as simply to amatuer films in general. Kid likes violence, kid makes violent movie, blah, blah...
Some that do get into student films, ALOT, are....
The afore mentioned mirror shot (overused, with no emotional continuity)
The alarm clock opening shot. Many open with an alarm clock. I actually have a short coming up, that opens with this shot, but is used as a device to unsettle the audience, and hopefully will avoid the "Student film" cliche.
Dissillusioned youth. So many films about kids, with rough lives, just, because blah...
Suicide. How many shorts have I seen about the guy, whos girl left him, and now hes gonna end it all? Some originality please. Arrgh.....
Bizzare fractured imagery that people try to pawn off as "art" and "experimental" and "cutting edge", but is really just bad cinema. I love art films, dont get me wrong. Im also a big fan of metaphor, but this has gotten out of hand. Many make a film, go to extremes, having no idea what they are doing, but figuring thats what all artists do, and when nobody gets it, they say, "Thats because its art, and no one understands but me." Please. This is why Hollywood dosent want to see any "student films". It annoys them. Theyve seen millions of these, and they dont want to see anymore. If you dont want a career in this bizz, keep at em. if you do, better start making something that will entertain in some way, shape or form. It dosent have to be "commercial" you dont have to "sell out" you just have to tell a cool, interesting, original story. Easy enough, have at it.
Thats all Ive got off the top of me head. Throw some more in folks.
R. Michael McWhorter

And you shall know us by the trail of dead.

Actually there's a whole bunch of 'student film donts' at http://www.filmmaker.com/dumps but it's a bit cruel-worded.

Everybody is Funny Looking in their own way
~Funny Looking Productions

Very cool website!!!

In addition to alarm clocks, any short that opens with someone waking up.
People talking on the phone. ...and cell phones.
Extreme, Requiem For A Dream, closeups.
Stolen sound tracks --if I'm watching a short and hear music from another movie, I'll stop watching that short and go rent the movie. It's distracting. This includes Mulholland Drive.
15-25 year old actors. Yes, they're ten times as easy to come by, but they are so over used. I just can't believe a mob/crime ring/kung fu circle are all teen and early 20s.
No art direction.
Guy looses girl. guy meets girl. guy gets girl.
Overly sped up or slown down footage.

And yes, I've broken every single one of these.
joren

Heck, there's plenty of commmercial Hollywood feature films out there that violate that list every day!

"Die Another Day" for example ...

Cliches are Cliches for a reason. Used properly, they can be quite effective ... which is why I used a hacksaw in my film rather than a gun.

Richard Purves
One Man Band
omb@blueyonder.co.uk
http://www.omb.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

I thought Die Another Day was the worst Bond film since Octopussy.

I always see a film that has loud cheesy music with the opening credits, and then just abruptly stops it when going into the first scene. I've seen it so many times, and it already sets the pace for an unsmooth film. Another thing, don't use clockwipes or weird transitions if you can aviod(unless your making Ocean's 11.) Unless your doing a laid back comedy, then you can maybe get away with it once in a while.

As far as i'm concerned ... the only transition effect that should be allowed is the cross dissolve!

I did use an additive dissolve once ... but that's it!

Richard Purves
One Man Band
omb@blueyonder.co.uk
http://www.omb.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

GUNS RULE

TACO WAGON PRODUCTIONS©