The 5 Most Essential Elements Of A Successful Film

Cinematography is both an art and a science. While the finished product is typically deemed to be a work of art, there is a lot of science that drives the actual behind-the-scenes work that is required in order to bring the final screenplay to life.

Here is a list of 5 essential elements of cinematic production that you need to be aware before you embark on your next film project:

#1: Fine-Tune Your Storyboard

A wise man once said that success is 90% inspiration and 10% perspiration. This is absolutely true and is every bit applicable to cinematography. Before you hit the record button on the camera, you need to have a comprehensive and fully detailed stepwise scene-by-scene plan for each and every frame of your video production. For the uninitiated, this plan is commonly known as a storyboard.

#2: Put Yourself In The Shoes Of The Viewer

If you were the viewer, would you be wowed by what you see? Would you find it captivating? Would it convince you to follow through on the call to action that the video is prompting the viewer to take? Be sure to compose your production, keeping the viewer in mind.

#3: Ensure That The People In The Video Are Wearing Appropriate Wardrobe

Clothes make the man (and woman). This timeless axiom is every bit as true for the people appearing in your film (whether it is a fiction or a non-fiction production) as it is true in any other facet of life. You do not want to underestimate the efficacy that wardrobe has on the overall impact that our video will have on your audience. The right colors, styles, and fashion will set the stage, convey the mood, and communicate the tone of your production.

 #4: Ensure That The Background, Setting Or Venue Is Appropriate For The Tone

 Location. Location. Location. This may sound like the mantra of realtors, but it is equally applicable to filmmakers as well. Planned correctly and staged properly, the setting, location, or background of your production itself can literally “come alive” as a “character” in its own right.

 #5: Do Ensure That Your Musical Score, Background Music, And Audio Is Storyboarded

 When developing the storyboard for your production, it is imperative that you address the use of music, sound-effects, and the use of audio amplification, in addition to everything else. When do you play what sounds, using what instruments or tracks? Audio is instrumental to the success of your production (pun intended). 

There’s a lot more to cinematography than meets the eye. The aforementioned 5 tenets are just barely scratching the surface. But they encompass a great deal of the pre-planning that is required in order to produce a successful screenplay.

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