Production Philosophy, Process & Aesthetics

Practically since the very beginning, there has been a strong self-reflexive thread weaving its way through the history of filmmaking. This self-aware questioning of the nature of film (as both actor and agency) as well as its reasons for existing at all is expressed in the study of film theory¹ and the philosophy of film (as a branch of Aesthetics).²

Of course, there has also been a strong tendency among film and video production professionals to focus on the technique and technology of visual storytelling—favoring the “making” of movies and TV programs over “thinking about” movies or TV programs—without recognizing the valuable connections between the practice of visual storytelling and the theory and philosophy surrounding why visual storytelling is such an engaging and compelling human endeavor.³ However, every influential filmmaker—from Sergei Eisenstein to Martin Scorsese—has also been a student and scholar of film.

It is probably safe to say that engaging in single-camera visual storytelling without also being cognizant of the fundamental cinematic theories &/or philosophies demeans the film craft to the level of being merely a diversional pursuit. Likewise, the opposite is true; studying film history, theory and philosophy without corresponding experience in the elemental aspects of visual storytelling leaves scholarly film and video research without a solid basis, devoid of "real-world" context, forced into abstractions divorced from practical relevance. As a practitioner of single-camera video production you should endeavor to be a student of the craft; and, as a student of the craft, you should be prepared to practice what you’ve learned!

Karin Chien, independent film producer and four-time Independent Film Spirit Award nominee, once stated that having a production philosophy is as important as having a smart financial strategy or a strong audience engagement plan.⁴ What did she mean by this statement? As a video producer you are literally making hundreds of decisions every single day, and you are responsible for everyone who is giving their time and talent (and sometimes, money!) to help make the vision of your media project a reality. It can be a simultaneously exhilarating as well as frighteningly lonely position to be in with all eyes on you. So, hopefully, when you arrive at this position you have a philosophy that can ground you to reality. Such a philosophy is typically drawn from experience and it can be different for each individual, but there are several constants that everyone in “the business” recognizes as forming the core of their own philosophy:

Respect—you have vetted everyone on your team and brought them into the project because of their expertise and experience; regardless of whether you pay them for their services or they are all volunteers, recognize and honor their talents. Be professional and treat your team like professionals!
Collaboration—you can’t make a film/video completely by yourself, visual storytelling is inherently an act of collaboration. It is obviously a collaborative effort with the people on your set, but it is also collaboration with the social network of individuals supporting your efforts and the audiences who watch your films/videos. They all contribute to the success of your endeavors in one way or another.
Perseverance—in the words of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, “Always bear in mind that your resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.” Likewise, film director James Cameron once said, “the [media] industry is about saying ‘no’ to people, and inherently you cannot take ‘no’ for an answer.” So, be persistent, be tenacious, but also remember the first two tenants above and be patient, be gracious and above all, be humble.
Education—seek the advice of others who have been in the business longer than you, learn from their “war stories.” You will also make (many) mistakes; learn from them too, and never make the same mistake twice! But, above all, remember to share with others the lessons you’ve been taught and those you’ve learned the hard way… Pay it forward!

Understanding the production process is not nearly as “heady” or nebulous as developing a production philosophy. Generally speaking, the production process is a workflow that pretty much applies to any type of media production; from single-camera film and video to multi-camera television to integrated transmedia storytelling. Of course, the process of producing a media project can be quite complex, involving a lot of people, time and money to accomplish. Though they tend to flow seamlessly into each other, there are roughly three main stages or phases of the production process:

Preproduction—represents the planning, scripting and storyboarding, scheduling and budgeting, process that takes place before you even pick-up a camera. During this phase you will also choose the cast and crew, secure your production equipment, props, wardrobe and locations for your project.
Production—also called “principle photography,” is the phase in the production process that represents the actual process of setting up equipment, rehearsing and recording performances, and striking the equipment (repeat daily!) until you complete the shooting of all the scenes in your video project.
Postproduction—includes editing visuals and audio, acquiring graphics and titles, compositing and color grading, acquiring music, completing sound design and everything else that transpires between wrapping production and creating the final master copy for archiving, duplication &/or distribution.

However, as a process workflow of how to go from idea to final product, there are a lot of steps in-between and they are not all equal in the amount of time, money or effort needed to complete each step.⁵ We could certainly add to the above three steps two others, one prior to preproduction, the other after postproduction:

Development—from the original idea through the writing of the screenplay, devising a business and marketing plan, development is the process of seeking financing for your project. A project can languish in “development hell”⁶ for quite a while, but you need to remember that, to succeed, you must persevere. Once your project is financed, you now have the “green light” to start the preproduction process.
Distribution—after postproduction is completed and you have the final product, you need to deliver the content to your audience—in most cases, this would require a sales and marketing plan. Distribution can take any of several routes: if you produced the video for a client, give them a DVD or digital copy of the final project (and collect your final payment!); or, submit your video to various film/video festivals in hopes of getting a distributor to acquire and promote your video; or self-distribute your project through the sale of “self-published” DVDs or through cable &/or satellite television “video on demand” services, or via online streaming services (e.g., Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo).

When you chose the clothes you are presently wearing, you made an aesthetic decision. When you paint the walls of your room or redecorate, the color and furnishings you choose reflect your aesthetic tastes. Even the determination of what you like and don’t like is rooted in your personal perceptions and aesthetic judgments. Therefore, when you choose an aspect ratio for your video, frame the image, what you selectively focus on in the frame, or when you select a lens for its focal length,⁷ set the aperture, adjust your shutter speed or even light the scene in a specific way, you are making aesthetic choices and applying them to your video production. Sometimes we make these aesthetic decision based upon instinct—what looks or “feels” right. However, if we are engaged in the production process and wish to exercise aesthetic choices based upon more than our “gut,” we begin to see the mutually dependent and essential “connectedness” of art and life, theory and practice. This is what Herb Zettl,⁸ a media producer, teacher and scholar, calls “applied media aesthetics.” In order to be an effective media communicator, you will need to acquire a degree of aesthetic literacy as well as develop the acuity to recognize and perceive the complexities, subtleties and paradoxes of the aesthetic choices you make in the use of light and color, two- and three-dimensional space, motion, shot sequencing, and sound. Molding your story or message through these aesthetic choices (a process called, “encoding”⁹) assumes that you, as the media producer, have a thorough working knowledge of the tools of production (cameras, lenses, lighting, audio, editing equipment and software) as well as the principles of applied aesthetics (light and color, selective focus, image framing, editing shot sequences into scenes, and music selection) in order to achieve your desired communicative purpose—be it fiction or nonfiction, entertainment or informational.

The focal length of your camera’s lens will establish the field of view of your video image which, in turn, impacts the aesthetic interpretation your audience will have of the image’s content. [images courtesy Sigma Photo, Japan].

As a visual storyteller, you make aesthetic choices. You use all of the tools of production at your disposal to manipulate light and shadow, color, texture and framing in order to establish an emotional connection with your audience. Like the great cinematographers, you employ the principles of applied media aesthetics to serve the needs of your story. A short video documentary directed by Steve Weiss for Zacuto (Light & Shadow¹⁰), asked some well-known cinematographers a few simple, yet profound questions—“What is creativity?” “What shapes your vision?” and “How do you look at life?”—Their answers may surprise you. What they all acknowledge is that the technical and formal aspects of production and aesthetics can be taught, but to capture emotion and move an audience through your visual storytelling requires you to dig deep into aspects of your own personal creativity, talent and drive; it is up to you to keep shooting videos, while learning and honing your craft along the way. As cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, ASC, says, “…we are the result of everything preceding us.”¹¹

Light & Shadow from Scott Lynch on Vimeo.

“Film Studies,” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_studies.
Wartenberg, Thomas, "Philosophy of Film," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2011/entries/film/.
Tomasulo, Frank P. "Theory to Practice: Integrating Cinema Theory and Film Production," Cinema Journal, Vol. 36, No. 3 (Spring, 1997), pp. 113-117, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1225680.
Chien, Karin, "Greeting From The Trenches: How A Successful Producer Developed Her Philosophy," Film Independent (November 20, 2013), http://www.filmindependent.org/blogs/greetings-from-the-trenches-how-a-successful-producer-developed-her-philosophy/#.UwZoR_1Qm0s.
Creative Skillset, Understanding Filmmaking—The Business, http://www.creativeskillset.org/film/business/#.
“Development Hell,” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_hell.
Graf, Alan, “Lens Focal Length Explained,” Digital Photography Student (November 13, 2009), http://www.digital-photography-student.com/lens-focal-length-explained/.
Herb Zettl Interview, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al8LJefza7k.
Encoding/Decoding Model of Communication, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encoding/decoding_model_of_communication.
Light & Shadow, http://www.zacuto.com/light-and-shadow.
Neyman, Yuri, “The Art of Cinematography: An Interview with Vittorio Storaro,” Global Cinematography Institute Newsletter (February 2014), http://globalcinematography.com/news/storaro/.