I'm not critisizing or anything but has anyone else noticed to repeated use of that "gun pointed towards camera" framing, in almost every film that involves a gun?

"I don't have time for film school...I'm too busy making movies" lol

Yes, we've all noticed, and we all roll our eyes every time we see it on the website. In fact, i think there was one week in which, among the six "new release" thumbnails, two had the exact same gun-pointing shot, even with the characters framed in the exact same positions.

I think this topic might have been discussed previously on this board once. The consensus was, yeah, it's unoriginal, but they're students and they're just learning so give them a break.

But yeah, I know what you mean. It's pretty lame. I usually just skip the ones which feature a pointing gun towards the lens, which perhaps isn't too fair to the filmmaker, but.... no. It's perfectly fair.

--Alan

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http://www.alandenton.com
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Yeah, it's lame. I think it's from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It caught on with young filmmakers.

If you guys think that everything involving a Gun is unoriginal, or maybe it's been done before, then please show what is Original, because if anyone on this sight was Original, than they would be making blockbuster films in Hollywood with the likes of Spielberg or Lynch.

Please stop saying things on this site are unoriginal because there aren't ANY stories, films, books, novels, music, paintings, or any PIECE OF ART at all that is original--everything is a copy of a copy, and we build and we learn from the people we as artists admire, whether it be Picasso or Hitchcock.

to copy anothers work is to pay homage to that artist which inspired you to go out and shoot your film, the one who got you started, who drove you to follow a dream, but in the scope of humanity, art is not about originality but about evolution.

I am sick to the bone about hearing whether ones work is unoriginal, because if ANY of you out there have A TRULY ORIGINAL IDEA than please tell me because I would like to hear it, so I can stop making films from which I learn from, and go into making films in Hollywood where I can make millions.

There ARE NO ORIGINAL IDEAS, just ORIGINAL WAYS at looking at old ideas.

The truth to the matter is that one should not say that a student's work is unoriginal, but instead tell the filmmaker what is original. It would be more positive criticism.

I think it was Isaac Newton who said...

"If I have seen farther than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants".

I was never saying that those films were not good. I was saying that they are unoriginal...yes UNORIGINAL. It's great to borrow...and yeah I do it with all my art, that's were ideas come from. Although, originality does excised, what happens(as we all know) is that an old idea is modified to make a new idea. In the cases with the "guns" those were not modified...they were straight up the same shot...framing and all.
Of course we are students and learning but I was just mentioning that issue, for the sheer purpose of BRINING it up...to make them think a little about their framing, not a criticism(I mentioned that in my original post)but a "thought" on the topic of films on this site, that's all.
I'm glad to see others making films it awesome! But I would like to see a little more than the same old shot'em up film...and framing, unless it has a twist or great story, most don't. And Hollywood if any artist community lacks about the most originality(well in most cases).

"I don't have time for film school...I'm too busy making movies" lol

If it's brought up then I'm gonna say what I think. That's what forums are for. And not all who are original care to be in hollywood. Some of us have other plans.

Oh and by the way, I wasn't talking about Heist. That shot is actually pretty good.

if you see the film, then it is not framed that way--its a Kubrick zoom in. anyways, don't forget that Chris is probably the one that chooses the screenshots for each movie.

also, I wanted to say that each new film that I make is different than the last. so, hey, I just wanted to do a crime picture, so Shoot Me--it's a cool genre!

Yes. Guilty as charged. I choose the stills for the movie. (Although sometimes the filmmaker recommends one)

I choose something which looks like it would be a cool still that would drive someone to want to see the film.

-Chris
Studentfilms.com

ps - I did notice that day when there were two films with (almost) the same still.

Hey man, Heist was a dope short, I liked that...cool ending. I wasn't really talking about the framing of that short...but more so on the past films that have been placed on the site. I don't take too much time on those stills though, I usually just go down the list and watch them one by one, so I noticed the "copies" within the films. The begining of Heist was my fav. opening shots with music and cross cutting with titles was rad, well done.

"I don't have time for film school...I'm too busy making movies" lol

I agree with kubrick77 for the most part....BUT, I think that there ARE original ideas, and not only original WAYS. I just don't think there are enough for everyones film to be completely unique.

And what's wrong with that shot? I think its cool and i don't mind seeing it at all, as long as it fits with the context. Same with the Hitchcock push/pull. If its used at a proper moment in a film, then i have no complaints. If its there just so that it can be there...well, than i would probably go "meh".

and chris: You pick pretty good screenshots. That screenshot was the reason i choose to watch heist over all of the other ones.

Yeah...no doubt originality is out there and people can pick and blend ideas all they want but it's true that films always have ties to other films as does any art form to another I suppose, good point!

But really...I can't get over seeing the same shot over and over...I tried to accept that but I can't. It makes me want to stop watching when I see something over used. For example all the "Matrix" camera work every where I look. It's kinda like the saying "it was cool the first time around" but you all know what I mean. No dis to the other film makers on the site, really, I'm happy to be able to view this much student work no matter how it's shot.

"I don't have time for film school...I'm too busy making movies" lol