ways to make film without a camera

04.07.08

hmm, lets see... six ways to make a film without using a camera....


1) my imac with a built-in webcam/microphone

2) digital camera - still shots and/or movie mode

3) video phone

4) scanner (same principle as still shots from a digital camera, but with a totally different feel)

5) using clear leader/stock film, and inking, scratching, magazine transfers, etc...

6) after effects



so how do all these fit into the big picture? or why would you possibly choose to use any of this stuff to create a film (sans option 6, which kind of speaks for itself...) ?

well, my initial idea in class, upon learning that we couldn't use a camera, was to use my imac. my girlfriend has a macbook too, so therefore i could have two different "cameras" to use, and depending on the mystery prop, this will probably be my preferred method. although it will more than likely involve me taking my imac outside (which will be stationary, while the macbook will be able to move around) my first thought was just leaving it inside my room as it is now, and using it a sort of "hidden camera" kind of deal that kind of chronicles someones day... using a digital cameras movie mode would create the same effect, but using still shots and editing them together could create an interesting feel, depending on the kind of story you are going for. you could almost use it to "document" a trip that someone was taking, like being a sightseer downtown, and only seeing through the eye of the lens.... a video phone would work, although i do not (and hope to never) own one of those things. again, depending on your story (like that movie with colin farrell in it, "phone booth") maybe that is the only means of communication of the main character... a scanner would work much the way the still shots with the digital camera would work, and could possibly hold a story of a person who is terrible bored at work, and feeling a bit mischevious... using actual film and physically creating your film would work, but it of course creates a much more abstract style of film, used less for story, and more for overall effect.... and finally, within after effects, you could fully draw (or cut-out) whatever you wanted, animate it, and then add dialogue to create your story, much like i am going to be doing with my final project in motion graphics class. this is effective, of course, to pull of many many things that real-life filming cannot do.

essentially, the possibilities are limitless, although it is still a bit hard to step outside of the bubble and make a film without a camera....