Back in April, we posted a link on our Facebook page to a beautiful short film that was made in France using the D5100, called ‘Fragments’. In case you missed it, the film is about a man who lives an uneventful life until one day he begins receiving mysterious pieces of paper in his mail.
We thought it was time to catch up with the creators to find out more about what went on behind the scenes of the filming so we put a few questions to Simon Bonneau and Charles-Edouard Dangelser. For two regular guys with a passion for filmmaking, and who are still students, they have certainly achieved a remarkable cinematic look with this film. We chatted to them about their inspirations, shooting tips and plans for the future.
Here’s what they said…
What was your inspiration for the film?
Our biggest inspiration was the short movie “Momentos” by the Portuguese director Nuno Rocha. In fact, you will see that there are a lot of similarities in the two stories and in the direction of the actors. For ‘Fragments’, we were given a short deadline of one week to storyboard the film and so we decided not to try and create something completely original. There is also an influence in the story from the French movie Amélie (Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain) and Nino’s recomposed pictures collection.
Our intention was to try and move people, and make them smile and be happy, so that while they were watching the film they could be transported – however temporarily – away from the problems of the world.
What are your tips for shooting with a D-SLR?
D-SLR cameras like the D5100 offer film makers some significant advantages over traditional broadcast cameras, such as a small body, simple settings and very affordable set-up costs. It means that there is a new way to make broadcast-standard movies, and more people (amateurs included) have the chance to develop their creativity by making films.
Specifically, the D5100 has the vari-angle screen which is very useful to shoot from everywhere you want to. For example, you can do good floor shots without needing to lie down on the floor. It also means the director doesn’t have to be behind a monitor the whole time to see what is being filmed – he can look back and see that on the vari-angle screen. So my tip would be, make the most of these possibilities!
How does it differ from using a traditional video camera?
The settings of a professional camera are more advanced, and they are made for technicians who are already trained in how it works. A D-SLR menu, on the other hand, is more accessible to an amateur or enthusiast.
The size is also a big difference. Being more compact and portable than a traditional video camera, a D-SLR enables you to shoot almost from anywhere everywhere you want, and it is often the solution in challenging locations. Also, the depth of field you can get with a D-SLR is closer to what cinema cameras make (35mm, 16mm) so you can get a really similar look to the one you’d see on the big screen.
What advice would you give to budding film makers?
Well, we are budding film makers! We are still at film school, and we still have a lot to learn. But if we were to offer something from our experience, it would be that your passion will lead you where you want to go.
Also, if you want to get into the world of film you need to get connected: go and find people, show them what you do, speak with them, ask them questions, learn from them…
Alongside that, we think it is a good thing to develop a cinema culture, watching as many films as possible, learning from great directors, analysing how they shoot and asking yourself why their films were successful.
What are you up to next? Do you have any future plans with our D-SLRs?
We have many ideas, some of which could include more D-SLRs. We have a lot of music clip projects in which a camera like the D7000 would be useful. Our biggest and surest plan at the moment is a documentary we are going to shoot in India at the end of the summer. You can find out more about that soon on our Facebook page.
If you want to know more about Simon and Charles-Edouard’s film Fragments, you can check out their full ‘making of’ video below:
What did you make of Fragments? Have you used your Nikon to shoot a short film? If so, why not post the link below?
Add a new comment