Film Talk with Nim'keenhs Wemigwans

Summary

In this insightful discussion, Kyle and Namekies Whammygwans explore the world of digital content creation and filmmaking. Namekies, a digital content creator and filmmaker, emphasizes the importance of just starting, using whatever tools are at hand, from smartphones to mirrorless cameras. He discusses the fundamentals of lighting and audio, the impact of editing on storytelling, and the various roles within the filmmaking industry. The conversation highlights the creative process, the power of storytelling, and the journey of a filmmaker, encouraging aspiring creators to learn, practice, and share their unique messages through video.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker, Nim Whammygwans, emphasizes the importance of just starting in filmmaking, regardless of the equipment you have at hand, including using cell phones or tablets.
• 📱 Nim suggests that upgrading your cell phone with lenses and microphones can be a good start for aspiring filmmakers who are on a tight budget.
• 📹 The speaker highlights that the type of camera is less important than the story you want to tell and the look you want to achieve, including the option to use vintage equipment for an older aesthetic.
• 💡 Lighting is crucial in filmmaking as it helps set the mood and convey the story, regardless of the camera's quality.
• 🔊 Audio quality is just as important as lighting; poor sound can detract from the viewer's experience, making it hard to engage with the message.
• 👥 Filmmaking involves various roles, not just the person behind the camera, and each role contributes to the storytelling process.
• 🎬 Nim shares personal experiences, such as working with bands and traveling across North America, to illustrate how diverse and enriching a career in filmmaking can be.
• 📚 The speaker encourages watching a wide range of films to understand different storytelling techniques and to find one's own style.
• ✂️ Editing is a powerful tool in filmmaking that can significantly alter the tone and message of a film, as demonstrated by examples like the different versions of 'Justice League'.
• 🎨 Color grading in post-production is another storytelling element that can affect the mood and atmosphere of a film.
• 🚀 The speaker concludes by advising aspiring filmmakers to practice, learn from mistakes, and not be afraid to create and share their unique stories.

Q & A

What is the main topic of discussion in the video script?

The main topic of discussion in the video script is digital content creation and filmmaking, including the basics of getting started, the importance of lighting and audio, and the storytelling aspect of filmmaking.

Who are the speakers in the video script?

The speakers in the video script are Kyle, a grad coach for First Nation Metis and Inuit students, and Nim (Namekies Whammygwans), a digital content creator and filmmaker.

What advice does Nim give for someone starting in filmmaking?

Nim advises that starting in filmmaking comes down to just doing it, using whatever equipment is available, such as a cell phone, and emphasizes the importance of lighting and audio.

What role does lighting play in filmmaking according to the discussion?

Lighting plays a crucial role in filmmaking as it helps create the story, set the mood, and convey the message of the film. It is considered the number one key in creating a scene.

How does Nim describe the importance of audio in filmmaking?

Nim describes audio as the second most important aspect in filmmaking after lighting. Poor audio quality can cause viewers to lose interest in the video content, regardless of the video quality.

What examples does Nim give to illustrate the impact of editing on storytelling?

Nim gives examples of the 'Justice League' movie and how different directors (Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder) created different tones and messages through their editing choices, including color grading and scene length.

What does Nim suggest for beginners to practice filmmaking?

Nim suggests that beginners should start by using the cameras they already have, such as cell phones or tablets, and practice by shooting different scenes, experimenting with lighting and audio, and editing their footage.

What software does Nim recommend for video editing?

Nim recommends Adobe Premiere as a professional tool and Davinci Resolve as a free and powerful alternative for video editing.

How does Nim emphasize the importance of storytelling in filmmaking?

Nim emphasizes that storytelling in filmmaking is about sharing a message and conveying emotions. Whether it's a feature film, a short video, or a social media post, the core purpose is to tell a story that resonates with the audience.

What is Nim's perspective on the concept of 'perfection' in filmmaking?

Nim believes in the concept of 'better' rather than 'perfect', stating that there is always room for improvement and that the goal should be to continually learn and enhance one's skills.

What advice does Nim give for someone looking to become a filmmaker?

Nim advises to go out and start shooting, learn from mistakes, and use free editing software to create demo reels. He also encourages learning from online resources and practicing to improve skills.

Outlines

00:00

📹 Introduction to Digital Content Creation

The video script opens with an introduction by Kyle, a grad coach for First Nation Metis and Inuit students, who is joined by Namekies Whammygwans, a digital content creator and filmmaker. They discuss the basics of digital content creation and filmmaking, emphasizing the importance of starting with whatever equipment is available, such as smartphones or mirrorless cameras. Namekies shares his perspective on the unlimited possibilities in filmmaking, given the advancements in camera technology and the creative potential of even the most basic equipment.

05:01

💡 The Importance of Lighting in Filmmaking

The conversation shifts to the crucial role of lighting in setting the mood and conveying the message of a film. It is highlighted that lighting is more important than the type of camera being used. Various examples are given, such as using a flashlight or natural light to create different effects. The discussion also touches on the use of diffusion to soften light and the importance of considering the color temperature of light sources to match the scene's environment.

10:02

🎥 The Role of Audio in Filmmaking

Continuing the technical aspects of filmmaking, the script emphasizes that audio quality is as important as, if not more than, video quality. Poor audio can detract from the viewer's experience, whereas good audio can enhance storytelling. The roles of different professionals on a film set, such as the audio engineer and the director of photography, are briefly explained, illustrating the collaborative nature of filmmaking.

15:02

🌟 Consuming Media to Understand Filmmaking

The script encourages aspiring filmmakers to watch a wide variety of movies and media to understand different filmmaking techniques. It discusses how studying films can lead to an interest in specific roles within the industry, such as audio engineering or cinematography. The importance of storytelling in film is reiterated, with examples given of how even quiet or intense sounds can play a significant role in conveying the film's atmosphere.

20:02

🎬 The Power of Storytelling in Film

The discussion delves into the concept of storytelling through film, using examples like 'A Quiet Place' and 'The Hunger Games' to illustrate how filmmakers must adapt written stories to the visual medium. The process of creating a film involves translating the detailed descriptions from books into visual elements that maintain the story's essence, which can be challenging but rewarding.

25:03

📚 Transitioning from Student to Filmmaker

Namekies shares his personal journey from a summer job at 15 with a camera to becoming a filmmaker. He talks about the progression from using simple point-and-shoot cameras to learning video production in college. His experiences working with bands and traveling across North America for community visits and storytelling workshops are highlighted as valuable learning opportunities.

30:05

🌐 The Impact of Current Events on Future Films

The script reflects on how current events, such as the social unrest and historical discoveries of recent years, will become history and potentially inspire future films or documentaries. It encourages viewers to consider the stories and messages they want to convey through their work, whether it's through social media, books, or films.

35:06

✂️ The Art of Editing in Filmmaking

Editing is presented as a critical aspect of filmmaking that can dramatically alter the perception and tone of a film. The script uses the example of the 'Justice League' movie to illustrate how different directors can create distinct versions of the same film through editing choices. The impact of editing on storytelling, pacing, and mood is discussed, emphasizing its importance in filmmaking.

40:08

🎨 Color Grading and the Emotional Impact of Film

This section explores color grading as a storytelling tool, using the 'Justice League' as an example again to show how different color palettes can evoke different emotions. The discussion covers the technical aspects of color grading and its role in setting the mood and enhancing the narrative of a film.

45:11

🛠️ Finding Your Style and the Pursuit of Improvement

The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of finding one's unique style in filmmaking and the pursuit of continuous improvement rather than perfection. It discusses the cultural belief in the imperfection of human creations and the value of learning from mistakes. The script concludes with advice to aspiring filmmakers to start creating, using the tools they have, and to enjoy the process of learning and growing in their craft.

Keywords

💡Digital Content Creation

Digital content creation refers to the process of producing material such as videos, blogs, podcasts, and other digital media. In the video, this concept is central as it discusses the journey and experiences of a digital content creator and filmmaker. The script mentions various aspects of content creation, including the use of different devices like cell phones for filming and editing software for post-production.

💡Filmmaking

Filmmaking encompasses the entire process of creating a movie, from pre-production to post-production. It is the overarching theme of the video, with the speaker sharing personal insights and advice on how to start and develop skills in this field. The script uses the term to discuss various aspects of film creation, including camera work, lighting, and editing.

💡Lighting

Lighting is a critical element in filmmaking that sets the mood and conveys the story's emotional tone. The script emphasizes the importance of lighting by stating that it doesn't matter how expensive the camera is; without good lighting, the visuals will not be effective. Examples from the script include using natural light, flashlights, or even professional lighting setups to create different atmospheres in a scene.

💡Audio

Audio is as important as visuals in filmmaking, as it contributes to the overall experience and understanding of the story. The script mentions that poor audio quality can detract from a video, no matter how good the visuals are. It discusses the importance of clear dialogue and sound effects, and how they can be used to enhance storytelling.

💡Camera

A camera is the device used to capture images or video. The script discusses various types of cameras, from cell phones to mirrorless cameras and vintage VHS, highlighting that the type of camera is less important than the skill of the filmmaker. It also touches on the evolution of camera technology and how it has become more accessible.

💡Editing

Editing is the process of selecting and combining shots to create a coherent and compelling narrative. The script talks about how editing can change the story's tone and pacing, using examples such as the different versions of 'Justice League' to illustrate how editing can significantly impact a film's reception.

💡Indigenous Culture

Indigenous culture refers to the customs, beliefs, and practices of indigenous peoples. The speaker in the script discusses the importance of storytelling in indigenous culture and how it has influenced his approach to filmmaking. The script also touches on the concept of perfection in relation to indigenous crafts, emphasizing the value of individuality and improvement over time.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling is the art of narrating stories, whether in writing, speech, or visually through film. The script frequently returns to this concept, discussing its significance in both filmmaking and the speaker's indigenous culture. It highlights how stories are used to convey messages, teach lessons, and share experiences.

💡Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers are individuals who have a significant following on social media platforms and can influence trends and opinions. The script mentions them in the context of using older media formats like VHS tapes to create a vintage look for their content, showing how influencers are part of modern content creation and distribution.

💡Demo Reel

A demo reel is a short video showcasing an individual's work, often used to demonstrate skills to potential employers or clients. The script advises aspiring filmmakers to create demo reels using free editing software and the devices they have at hand, such as cell phones, to start building a portfolio of their work.

Highlights

Kyle introduces himself as a grad coach for First Nation Metis and Inuit students and invites Namekies to share his perspective on digital content creation and filmmaking.

Namekies Whammygwans introduces himself as a digital content creator and filmmaker from Manitoulin Island, emphasizing the importance of starting in filmmaking with available tools like cell phones.

The discussion highlights that anyone can start filmmaking with basic equipment, including cell phones, and that creativity and storytelling are more important than the type of camera.

Namekies suggests using cell phones and tablets to start creating content, as they have advanced camera capabilities, and encourages upgrading with lenses and microphones as needed.

The conversation touches on the use of old VHS tapes to create a vintage look for films, showing that filmmaking is about achieving the desired aesthetic regardless of the equipment used.

Namekies emphasizes the importance of lighting in filmmaking, stating that it can make or break a scene regardless of the camera's quality.

Creative DIY solutions for lighting are suggested, such as using shower curtains for diffusion, demonstrating the resourcefulness required in filmmaking.

The role of audio in filmmaking is discussed, with Namekies stressing that poor sound quality can detract from even the best visuals.

Namekies shares his journey into filmmaking, from his first summer job at 15 to studying video production in college, and encourages learning through doing.

The concept of storytelling in filmmaking is explored, with Namekies explaining how every aspect of film production contributes to conveying a story or message.

The impact of editing on storytelling is discussed, with examples given from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the changes in tone and pacing through different edits.

Namekies talks about the importance of color grading in setting the mood of a film, using the 'Justice League' movie as an example of how different color grading can change the audience's perception.

The idea that filmmaking is not just about being behind the camera is presented, with Namekies explaining the various roles that contribute to the filmmaking process.

The transcript includes a discussion on the importance of watching a variety of films to understand different filmmaking techniques and storytelling methods.

Namekies shares insights on how to start with no money, using what you have, and gradually building up your equipment and skills over time.

The conversation concludes with advice for aspiring filmmakers to start creating content with the tools they have, learn from their mistakes, and continually improve their skills.

Namekies suggests using free editing software like DaVinci Resolve for beginners and emphasizes the importance of creating a demo reel to showcase one's work.

The transcript ends with a reminder to pursue filmmaking with passion, as it is a journey of continuous learning and improvement rather than a pursuit of perfection.

Transcripts

[Music]

and surrendered

territory hi my name is kyle i am a grad

coach for

first nation metis and inuit students at

gloucester high school

and i'm here with uh

nim who uh i'll give some space to

introduce himself shortly and

we're just going to have a little bit of

a talk around digital

content creation and film making and

things like that um

and then brings pretty great perspective

so i will just open up the space for him

to introduce himself and uh

take it away honey

hey everyone my name is namekies uh

whammygwans i'm originally from um

comic-con unseated territory on

manitoulin island so

i'm a visitor to the algonquin territory

here in ottawa

and yeah so i am a

digital content creator filmmaker uh

what have you um

so i've been sitting around talking with

kyle and

a few others about like what is

filmmaking and where to start

and for myself i believe

that starting in filmmaking

it comes down to just doing it

whether it's you get um a certain kind

of camera in your hands whether it's

your cell phone

so you can use like a cell phone a plain

cell phone just like this one

you could start upgrading your cell

phone to have like lenses and to have

mics into them

you could potentially start using more

bigger

like detachable lens so mirrorless

cameras is like what i use

and for some of those newer social media

influencers

that are trying to go for the older look

you can actually go something like this

this is an old vhs tape you know so like

filmmaking doesn't really

it's it's not really set you know it

comes down to like

what kind of look you want to do um

and first and foremost your budget in

the beginning you know like if

nobody has any money to start all this

stuff i know all the stuff that i own

now

it's taken a long time to get um

but for most of you guys are watching

this right now

i think your best spot to start actually

going into filmmaking would be using

your cameras your your phones that are

that everybody has you know a tablet

your laptop all that kind of stuff all

of these cameras are doing

so amazing lately that

realistically they're starting to catch

up to all of the other kind of cameras

so filmmaking is actually pretty

a wide spectrum of where you want to

start especially with today's day and

age most of you guys probably use tik

tok or instagram

um and those have some pretty

interesting ways of like editing video

you guys are already telling a story in

these

reels or these stories whatever you want

to call them

so you're creating content you're making

a film

whether it's a 30 second film whether

it's a 10 second film

all those kinds of things so that's

usually where filmmaking starts

that's awesome um one of the uh one of

the things i was thinking about as you

were

as you were talking there was lighting

considerations

you think that's something you could

jump in on yes

yes uh so lighting is

it doesn't really matter what kind of

gear you have to be honest to begin to

start off with

um you could have

a thousand dollar phone you could have

a three thousand dollar camera you can

have a ten thousand dollar camera

it doesn't really matter where exactly

you started as long as

you have good lighting because

realistically

without lighting these cameras can't do

the things that we need to do so

lighting is actually what helps create

the story

um if i had a light with me i guess i

could kind of use

my cell phone um you know there are

certain kind of things that you can use

so like a flashlight

you know you can brighten up one side of

the face you can start putting shadows

on a certain side you can put

the sun's above my head now i'm telling

like a spooky story about a campfire you

know stuff like that

so like lighting really conveys a mood

it conveys your message of what exactly

you want

your thing to say you know like whether

it's at night

so what do you do at night usually it's

the moonlight so

you don't want really orange lights

because the moon doesn't tell you

that it's orange you usually see white

or blue

you know when you go walking around same

thing with a fire you don't want like a

blue light

you want something very orange so there

are a lot of things there that you can

start doing

um to start off you know usually i say

amazon if you start off with like amazon

lights granted they're not

the greatest but it's a start um i've

slowly been working at buying all of my

lights

and right now i actually have one like

if i can like grab the camera

or grab the laptop i would show you this

one's actually just pointing at me

it's actually very bright and now i got

the little dots in my eyes just from

looking at it

but um lighting you know that is

the number one key to doing like a very

nice scene

so like controlling your lighting

whether it's you put um

you put like a very harsh light which is

kind of what's happening right now

if you put like certain kind of things

you can use shower curtains you know

there's a lot of

indie diy stuff that you can use and

it's called diffusion

and it just makes the lights softer and

you know that helps with certain kind of

things so like filmmaking

or if you want to think of it as a

photography thing like when you see a

lot of like

um models in fashion or this you know

that's a certain kind of hard light

but you know when it's um a family

portrait and stuff you want to make it

softer like because it like

kind of starts to hide certain things

starts to do

whatever and

the lighting yeah like like i said it's

number one key

besides audio audio would be your next

thing

everybody can watch a video

that has very skippy video where it's

like somebody moves

then they're over here a few seconds

later but if it doesn't sound good

people won't so if it's very crackly

it's stuff like this

people are just gonna like instantly

check out of the whole situation and be

like i

do not want to watch this because i

can't hear the message

so like audio is

number two behind lighting lighting then

audio

and then after that that's when you

start doing all your stuff with your

cameras

and so when people think of filmmaking

there are a lot of jobs

other than just being behind the camera

you know behind the camera yeah sure you

get to see

what this is but like when you

if you worked on like a movie set a tv

show a documentary any kind of set

and there are multiple people there

there's potentially one guy doing audio

and that's all he does

there's another guy that's doing um

lighting that's all he does

and then you have your director

photography

or and then your camera person so

director photography and a camera person

not necessarily the same thing it could

be

depending on certain kind of things

certain kind of budgets

especially in like bigger hollywood

productions

so you know that's one of the most

important things and that's another

thing about filmmaking

is that all of these jobs even though

you're not

shooting the film you're not being the

camera person you're still a filmmaker

because you are

using all of these things to make a very

good

you know project you're making a very

good uh

outcome that what you're gonna see um

i'll use a quick example

the movie that came out a couple years

ago called a quiet place it's kind of a

horror movie

um you know the it's very apparent what

it's going to be about it's called a

quiet place so the movie's going to be

quiet

but if you actually watch to go back and

watch the movie there's not a lot of

talking

so all of the sound had to be even more

intense than what it normally is

and this can go into like a certain way

of

like when people are like i want to be a

filmmaker how do i start

i always tell them to start watching

things start watching any kind of movie

you can whether it's you're watching um

schindler's list for some of you guys

you probably don't even know what that

is

um and you know from as new

as like let's say what's a comedy movie

that just recently came out

let's let's say um any adam sandler

movie the

grown-ups they're from those two

different types of movies

if you just start watching things in

between whether you're watching star

wars whether you're watching any marvel

movie

or dc movie once you start looking at

these

you start understanding what they did

and then you

start looking at oh i like how it sounds

and then you may quite potentially

become an

audio engineer or you can be like i like

that camera shot that they did here

you know all those kind of things to go

back to a quiet place

so the audio engineers there the foley

artist is what they're called

they had to really bump up their game

step up their game

and be like how can we make a quiet

movie

the best sounding movie out there so

um spoiler alert if you haven't watched

the movie

uh they're aliens and what they do is

they listen

so that's the whole premise of the movie

that's how

we figure it out but eventually

somewhere in the movie like a

flap opens up and as that flap opens up

and they start listening

listen to the sound there you know and

it's like a crackling like

what you don't know is that that is

lettuce that is celery and lettuce being

cracked

and you know who knew that that's what

the sound was going to be

because you know for some of you you may

believe in aliens

for me i'm kind of skeptical but if

aliens we don't know what they sound

like

so we have to create it in our heads of

what it sounds like

you go back to looking at the predator

from the predator series

you know it has like the same thing like

a crackling sound

and the guy who voiced the predator

based it off of a um an aquatic animal

that was

dying on the beach and it was making

that

and he was just like okay that's that's

what i'm gonna do

and he didn't know if he was gonna get

the job or anything like that but the

audio engineers behind him were like

we're on to something this guy's he's

got it

you know so there's that you know

there's foley the lighting people

um what's a i can't even think of like

um a good lighting movie um

i'll use the movie la la land so i'm

throwing like a lot of movies and this

is where like

a lot of things this is how i talk about

you know like when you start becoming a

filmmaker

whether it's you're doing stuff for

instagram or you're doing short films or

you're gonna work in hollywood

la la land same thing it's like this

musical kind of like dance thing

but like the colors in there are so rich

that they had to do all these things to

the lights they had to create

feels they had to make it feel happy

they didn't have to make it feel sad

they had to like really emphasize

the sun going down you know so like

the camera itself doesn't perceive what

the

human eye can see so just like

pointing this at the sun um sunset

isn't gonna see exactly what we see we

have to do a lot of things to this to

like

actually make it look like that so

you know like like i said um filmmaking

how do you do it

consume consume consume i grew up

watching a lot of movies

i grew up watching stuff from um

you know from the titanic from you know

mean girls to star wars to

um you know cowboy western movies like

you know the good the bad the ugly all

these kind of movies uh the godfather

scarface some of these movies as a kid i

shouldn't have been watching

but you know like i kind of thank my

parents for allowing me to do so they

gave me the opportunity to like consume

this type of media and

you know like they told me so when it

was like the godfather

or like scarface or die hard you know

they were saying hey

you know they're going to be saying some

stuff that you may not understand

or they're going to be swearing you know

try not to swear in public and stuff

and um but you know some of those movies

became some of my

most favorite movies out there and so

like watching them and just being like

what did they do here you know like

using certain kind of lenses also

conveys a message

you know like it helps you focus on

whether who's talking

um you know i got like certain little

lenses for my

computer here that i could zoom in

without doing anything digitally

or i can make like a superfish where you

can see like a lot of the

area that i'm sitting in so like all

those kinds of things

go into creating films

and um you know like a

couple days ago i had somebody ask me

are you a filmmaker

and i had to think am i well

i i create videos i create content

i create and i convey a message

and that's the ultimate thing so like

how i got started in like filmmaking or

digital content creation

was i was working with a buddy of mine

he was originally from

uh winnipeg and we started i

right after school i went to video

production like all of this started when

i was like 15 years old when i got my

first

summer job and there they put a camera

in my hands and said

you know there's something happening in

the community go home go

over there and go shoot it so it's like

okay

and so i started doing that and then

eventually i started getting into it

more and more

i bought myself a little point-and-shoot

camera and i started vlogging myself

you know so talking to this camera every

single day of my life

and learning to edit on windows movie

maker or media maker whatever it was

called at the time

and putting that on on youtube granted i

only had like 200 people watching

but then that also helped and then in

high school i had a photography course

and that also helped me

learn about how to use these kind of

cameras and to understand how they

really work

so you know jump before jump forward a

few more years

and i'm now in college video production

and i'm learning how to do this kind of

stuff

and so i'm learning how to use the big

shoulder cameras i'm learning how to do

like talk shows or the news anything

like that

and i was learning a lot of skills

and i was like okay this is tv but i

like i want to create my own kind of

videos

so i started doing stuff on my own and i

started working with people

i worked with a couple bands from

toronto and then i met up with my buddy

and he was just like i know you just

finished school want to come work for me

and we travel across canada then we

travel across north north america

and we were doing all of these kind of

like uh community visits

and one of the things that we talked

about there is we did a workshop

and we called well we we say it in our

language i actually can't remember what

we called it

but in translation in english it means c

t and storytelling

and in um in our culture in indigenous

culture

storytelling is how we learn a lot of

the culture you know there's a lot of

stories behind

a certain kind of teaching about like

eagle feathers or anything like that

but everything's very orally given

and what's what's a story it's the same

thing

whether it's written down or whether

it's read to you spoken to you

or anything like that and if you look at

making a film um let's use

what do i want to use let's use the

hunger games so the hunger games was

originally a book

and you know so they have to you have to

be very

much in detail with when you read it you

need

and then you start picturing what that

person looks like

um or what the scenery looks like around

them

so that's telling a story now when you

go to make it into a movie

you still have to tell the same story do

you have to go into so much detail

yes because you have to look at the book

and it says

um i'll use the second one because that

one's

you know it's a circle with water and

there's all these spike or

spokes kind of like a bike wheel going

to the middle

so they had to create that whether that

was digitally whether they did

half a set whether they did all this

kind of thing

they had to really figure out how to do

that so they started telling the story

visually

themselves rather than you reading it

and you thinking about it

but all of these things go into creating

and telling that story

so when somebody asked me am i a

filmmaker

i'd say yeah i am because

whether i am shooting a documentary

about you know my dad being a lumberjack

when he was

you know 19 to 40 almost 40 years old

that's a story like that is 20 years

story you know like when me and my buddy

used to travel

and i used to film what we call

sizzle reels or like um just anything

it's just like a quick recap of what

that um

that stop entailed that was telling a

story this is what me and him did

you know like it was oh we went to go

see this elder to talk to them to do our

podcast with them

and then we went to go talk to that

community's chief

same thing um and then we did the

workshop the

teen storytelling with the youth you

know teaching them about podcasting and

teaching them about camera

and then at the end of the night we did

a full taping podcast

of um our stories from the land

and we had a bunch of storytellers there

so filmmaking

is telling a story and telling and

having a message

whether that message is you know about

culture uh whether that message is about

you know friendship loss grieving or

finding

new friends you know like or battling

racism you know in the past couple years

a lot of movies have coming out

have come out there's 12 years a slave

there's the green book there's all of

these different kind of things that like

tell a certain kind of story and that

some people don't may not even know

about

you know right now we live in a time

that um some of these things that are

happening

in today's day and age in today's world

will eventually become history the stuff

that happened down in the states

you know like last year um in 2020

like the the rioting the

um just recently with the

founding of the 215

all that stuff is history and eventually

maybe

who knows either that becomes a

documentary

it becomes a movie there are so many

messages

out there and for whoever's watching

this right now

anyone that are sitting there there's a

message that you have

you may even personally have something

inside you where you're like

i don't know if i want to write a book

or if i want to make a movie

that there's a message there and

how to get it out is up to you

you know whether you do it through tick

tock whether you do it through

instagram facebook youtube um

whether you do it on a book you know

write a book or whether you do a video

a short film anything like that

that's probably one of the best things

that a lot of people can do is

tell a story or go find a story

and help create it to bring

bring it to a wider audience so that

they can understand that story

themselves too

so um i'm sure kyle has a lot more

questions for me

so we're gonna go i'll let him i'm gonna

take a drink

yep yeah so that's awesome a lot of uh

a lot of what you're what you're talking

about i think is really

helping make the connection right with

what we're hoping this course gives

students an opportunity to do

um i love right like what i'm hearing

you say about lighting and audio and

actually the video part

is like there's a lot of trial and error

right there's a lot of like what does

this device in my hand actually do

and finding out what this right the

adjustments in the settings are and all

those things are

right like they're so user-friendly now

it's like

just go for it right like that's

essentially what i'm hearing you say in

terms of get started

i wonder if you could sort of transition

to talking about editing

a little bit editing process and the

sort of

concepts that you shared the other day

around editing

yeah so same thing you know like how i

talked about lighting and audio convey a

certain message

editing can also do the exact same thing

so like i'll use any movie out there

when they film a scene they film it

about

six to eight times in different angles

and

really it depends on what's on the piece

of paper and

so there's the director there's the

director of photography

they sit there there's the producer

there's all of these people so what we

don't see

picture i'm in a scene right now talking

to somebody over here

behind the camera so where you guys are

sitting there's about 10 to 20 people

sitting there

and they're all making sure everything's

on the page is being done

the director is thinking about a certain

thing the director of photography dean's

director of photography is thinking

about a certain thing

uh producers they're all they're all

working to create some of the best work

that they can possibly do

at that time whether it's budget related

you know all that stuff they think about

it

and then so they're all telling a story

in a certain way now once all all of the

thing has been shot

and you go and edit it um

you can really tell a different story

there

so for an example

um i don't know how many people

sitting here listening to me are

superhero fans

of the superhero movie genre so

for the past 12 15 i don't even know

2008 so is that 13 years

no whatever

i'm pretty sure it's 13 years um so

2008 iron man starts and it creates this

whole big thing that just a couple years

ago the fine

one of the final movies of the whole

marvel cinematic universe happens so in

that time

that the those have been edited a

certain

way and then you go over to the other

side

and you know for a long time we've

always known about superman we always

known about batman

and then recently they just started

doing um the justice league so they

brought in aquaman under

wonder woman and all this kind of thing

and

in 2016 2017 around that time

they started creating the justice league

and originally the

person that was directing it had a

family crisis so he

lost his daughter to suicide and

he said i need to take some time out of

this to

you know for myself to work on myself to

be with family

and you know at the end of the day the

production

company warner brothers said no we're

gonna get somebody else to finish the

movie

um because in this kind of line of work

time is money

and so you know they put so much money

into doing that they needed to get it

out as soon as possible

to get that back and so they got one of

the guys that did one of the

avengers movies one of the marvel movies

so he comes in

and he edits a certain way um like he

films it a certain way he uses some of

the stuff that was previously shot

he does his own reshoots they go to edit

it

and the way that i perceived it when i

watched it i was like

this doesn't even seem like the other

two so there was man of steel

then there was dawn of justice batman vs

superman and those were very dark

movies but then when i watched the

justice league i noticed so much color

so much contrast in the film itself i

was just

like oh this is this is weird this is

off-putting

and so i was like oh well that's

that's what we get and um

so then 2017 to 2021 in those four

years they had um

the original director say oh yeah there

is

a four hour long cut that i originally

shot out there somewhere people heard

that and they were like we want to see

this

so they started petitioning and they

sent it to warner brothers they made

millions of signatures and then

eventually warner brothers was like fine

okay yeah we'll let zack snyder do his

thing so they gave him back the movie

and then he re-edited

edited it to um

what he envisioned and so

you can watch the two-hour it's called

the joss whedon or the original

justice league or you can watch the zack

snyder's justice league

watch them both and you're going to see

the tone completely change

well it's color grading whether it's

you know longer shots all this kind of

stuff like i said

you know like when it was originally you

released

the joss whedon stuff he only shot like

a couple more

scenes you know he didn't reshoot the

entire movie because

warner brothers was like well you have

ninety percent of the movie shot

and so he was like okay okay well i

gotta shoot a few more because i want to

do this in this this this they're like

yeah fine here whatever

and then so with the zack snyder

thing when it got to him you know he

still had that 90

shot and he was like well i still need

like three more scenes so they're like

okay

go ahead here's the money go film it

and so

when joss whedon took it he made a lot

of scenes short

the zack snyder took it he was like i

wanted the scene to be longer it's a guy

walking into a bank

which actually takes 40 seconds

longer and you can watch this on youtube

just look up like justice league

comparisons

and you know all these people talk about

how it conveys a message

you know like it's a build-up you know

we don't see the guy that's walking into

the bank that's

potentially going to rob this bank we

don't see his face

we just see like legs a hand holding a

briefcase

walking in and that's a build up here

like who is this guy who is this

what's gonna happen um but if you look

at the original the joss whedon stuff

you know you see him walk in the hand

for like

a second two seconds three seconds and

then it instantly goes to this guy's

face

like oh here he is so you know like

is there a build up there yeah when you

originally watched it now if you watch

the new one you're gonna be like oh this

is completely different

um same thing with like

all these uh star wars so originally

back in the 70s it was filmed a certain

kind of way

and only on such a small budget because

people didn't believe that star wars was

going to be a big success

so a lot of people have not seen the

original way it was

released unless you were there um

oh and i don't even like i'm looking for

the original you know like

vhs tapes to watch this movie just to

see the differences

but like the director george lucas he

himself knew that he was limited to that

day's technology

and you know in the past 20 30 years

he's actually been

well before he sold it to disney um he

was actually re-editing

and putting new things in because he had

the technology to do so

so like that changes the feel you know

like um

all that kind of stuff you know when it

comes to sound like i'll go back to

sound again and i'll use star wars

you know when i watched um

the movie rogue one darth vader's voice

sound

you know like he's the baddest dude in

the galaxy like we already know that

everybody wanted to be darth vader

for halloween but when i watched rogue

one and i heard his voice

and because he's older and he you know

he talks a bit slower

his actually voice is getting more

deeper than what it is

and i was just like oh my god i'm like

they gotta go reba redo every single

line of darth vader's voice to redo that

because

it would make him even more you know

menacing

and so like re-editing is it a good

thing

i don't know you know like there are

certain kind of things

in movies that the extended editions

or like the directors cuts and stuff

those these things come out all the time

now because

you know let's use lord of the rings

lord of the rings originally

when it first came out was i don't know

let's say

two hours long now you go to netflix or

wherever it is right now amazon prime

those movies are all about three hours

long because peter jackson was like no i

want to throw some more in there

or you know there's this one scene that

they told me to cut i didn't want to

you know we're going to re-release it as

a director's cut and this is what i want

the movie to be

so those kind of things

well you know if you ever sit there when

you're watching a movie that you've

watched before

and you're like was this scene here like

when i originally watched this in the

theaters

most likely it was added in there are

certain things added in

certain things taken out you know like

all these kind of things

um you know so editing

that's also another way of being a

filmmaker to tell

your story you know do you want the

message to be super fast or super slow

let's look at a documentary you know

somebody's talking about

you know i'm i'm a musician and you know

like he has a very high pace

high energy you want the cameras to cut

from here to here to here to here

quicker

compared to let's say you were doing

a piece on mental health

and you know people are talking about

some

some of their stories that like mean a

lot

or that are somber that

have a sad tone you know or when they

start talking they start talking a

little bit lower

slower you know you don't want fast cuts

you may just want to stay on

one shot one long shot

so like editing in itself is also

another way of filmmaking

you know like i said earlier there's all

of these jobs

in filmmaking in in the filmmaking

industry

so who's to say that that

editor isn't a filmmaker who's to say

that

the lighting guy isn't conveying a

message himself too

and what did we talk what did i say

filmmaking was was sharing a message

telling a story i'm you know with just

the light that i have

like even though it's not very well done

you know that's telling a story

like this is me like i could turn it off

right now and it'd be dark here

it wouldn't be that dark but you know

it's the middle of the day right now

guys

um but you get what i'm saying uh

so like editing that's that's another

thing and that itself

is like another beast and

like there are so many other jobs for

editing

um you know there's

it's called color grading so we go back

to justice league

from the first original cut to the

second this one had like i said high

contrast a lot of color a lot of red a

lot of blue

but then if you look at the new one it's

very dark it's very gray

in a lot of things there is color there

but it's like more gray scaled more

like the they took out the saturation

and there's

more contrast in the darks in the whites

in the black and the whites and the

blacks the grays all that kind of stuff

so like

color grading that also tells a story

like oh this is supposed to be happy

this is the justice league so here's all

of these colors

but for you when i watched it i was like

no that doesn't look good and but then

when i watch the new one

i was like wow you know this movie looks

amazing and

eventually you start when you start

getting to that point if you

are an audio guy whether you're the

camera operator whether you're

the editor you start getting your thing

you know you you're like this is how i'm

gonna edit this is how i'm gonna shoot

this is how i'm gonna color grade and

you know like a lot of people

right now especially in like instagram

and all these

kind of photography things you know

there's a lot of

um fads i'll say you know like there's a

lot of

like there's a certain type of way that

people are doing things right now

and which is good you know like a lot of

people like what's

what the look is right now but you know

don't be scared to find your own thing

don't be scared to be like

is this good because i'll tell you right

now from

when i started doing vlogs in high

school to

if i wanted to do it now what i didn't

know then and what i know now

yeah sure my vlogs will look ten times

better i'm not gonna say a hundred times

better because

like there's always more room for

improvement and there's no such thing as

perfect

and um the last time me and kyle spoke

and we were talking about this thing

i talked about perfection and somebody

brought up perfection

and i don't believe in perfect i believe

in better

and with why i say that is because

in indigenous culture what we're taught

is that nobody's perfect

and you know when we do like bead work

when we do crafts and stuff like that

uh we don't do it perfect like right now

i'm wearing

like my medallion and like they're in

between

beads there's like little bits and

pieces like missing or

like it could have been tighter and the

reason we don't do it that way

is because we believe that there's only

one

like person so the creator god you know

whatever however you want to say it

that's the only person that's perfect

because that's the person that created

us

and so when i say practice makes

better it makes more sense because like

i'm gonna look at something i shot last

night

i went and shot a video um for

a company last night and i'm gonna find

a few things wrong with it for me

but once i send it to them they're gonna

look at and be like wow this is an

amazing thing

thank you for doing this you know i'm

gonna be like i don't like that color

on this camera you know i had three

cameras out there

and i'm not gonna like the color on this

one so i'm gonna have to like really

work with it but i can't mess around

with it because the other two

look good and it all comes down to

angles and stuff like that the way that

the

sun was coming into the building the way

that the lights hit the people

and i can only do i can only go up from

here i can learn from my

mistakes so perfection i don't believe

in it

you know but it's okay to say

okay that's perfect for right there you

know because that's

the best that you can do i i'm not

saying i don't believe in the word

perfect i'll be like

all right cool perfect you know like

it's that's kind of thing but when i say

this is perfect is it really

or could it have been better it could

have been why

wasn't it maybe i didn't have the right

gear maybe i didn't have the right lens

maybe i didn't have the right lights you

know maybe i wasn't even in the right

mindset

when i started doing this video you know

so like

all these kinds of things when you start

doing videos and start creating film

you know like you have to be in it to

win it

kind of thing you have to be like okay

i'm doing this video i have to forget

about everything else

this is what i'm doing you know whether

it's you're doing things for free

and you know when you first start off

you're going to be doing things for free

you know once you get to a certain spot

where it's like hey people like what

you're doing

or people want to give you a chance then

yeah eventually you'll start making

money then you'll start getting there

you'll start making something

but to think of it is that why i got

into filmmaking no this is something

that i love this is a passion

i love sharing messages you know i

like to be a storyteller if you haven't

noticed i like to talk

uh so you know um

me being able to share somebody else's

message

through a video sitting down with them

and being like what do you want this

video to be about

i want it to be about

my you know 30th birthday

i wanted to be about my wedding day i

wanted to be

about this i'd be like okay well here's

my suggestions here's this this this

we work on it and then we create what

the message is going to be

and for that person and that's

ultimately what a filmmaker is in a

nutshell

um i'm sure kyle has a few more

questions i can go on all day but

let's let's see let's see what the man

with the plan has i think

uh i think you've covered pretty much

everything that we were hoping to get

into this video we're already

you know about 45 minutes maybe 40 40

minutes

um looking at the notes from our earlier

conversation

um yeah you've touched on everything

the i guess one of the technical

questions um do you have

if you have recommendations for editing

software like are there are there free

source editing softwares that's

that students could access that you

think would be good like i know iphones

have imovie

right like i don't know if there's

android equivalents or anything like

that

in their google accounts they can

they can access different editing

software but i don't know

you know i'd have to do some research to

figure out which ones would be great do

you have any knowledge of those

yeah so like um like you said you know

there was the

imovie uh for apple i'm

not too sure on android i have android

so i should technically know

um but personally like i use adobe

premiere

um that's what we learned in college

and there for free ones out there

there's one called davinci resolve so

you can download that one

uh the free version and it's still a

pretty powerful tool in itself

um until you start getting into like

more detail

but like to start off davinci resolve um

i don't know if if they still have

windows movie maker

if they do um you know shop around

just look look on the internet and be

like you know

top 10 free video editing softwares or

free top 10 video editing apps

you know that kind of stuff like they're

they're out there i think there's one

and i think i've been seeing it a little

bit more lately with like um

tick-tock influencers is in in shot

um so you know like if you do more

film or video on your phones like

in shot was one and i'm sure there's

like a premium

package there that you can get as well

so

um yeah like today's day in age

2020 2021 like there's so many like so

much software out there

that like you just have to pick and

learn them um

you know when it comes down to like

doing more uh

bigger productions and stuff there there

is another one that they called um

uh what is that called avid and that's

usually typically what they use for like

um movies like some people do shoot on

you know do premiere some people do

final cut pro

um imovie um avid

davinci resolve so it comes down to the

editor

um you know the if i was a director and

i came up to you kyle and said hey your

video editor what do you edit on

and you'd be like oh i use davinci

resolve i'd be like okay cool

um and then i look at your work you know

so like that's another thing

like start going out there and shooting

stuff and start shooting a demo reel

you know shoot whatever shoot somebody

walking by in the park shoot your

friends

throwing a football um you know cameras

or phones can now do slow motion start

shooting stuff like that

you know it's the summer somebody's

gonna be jumping into a like

you know go get the best angle that you

possibly can if you're in the water

holding your phone you know

i don't condone that if if you do break

your phone that is not on me that is on

you

because you did decide to do it but like

for me personally

i would do that would i take you know my

4 000

camera in there no would i take uh

my you know my samsung yeah because i

pay for insurance for this and

you know like eventually maybe they'll

give me or i'll have to pay for it to

get fixed but you know it's gonna cost

less than it would for the other camera

um so start shooting stuff like that

use these free softwares and start

editing your demo reel

at the bottom of it just put you know

like shot and edited

by you know nim whammy ones you know

anybody

whatever your name is put that there and

then you know put some decent music to

it cut to the music so you know if

something's like you know like i'm gonna

do very bad rendition of like beatboxing

beatboxing

but you know like every single beat

cut to it you know you get your music

first

put your music you're like i like this

song um so this is what we're going to

use try not to use like very popular

songs because

you know if you start putting that on

youtube saying this is what i do

you could get away with it no you could

get away with it if you save it

and you send it individually to that

person being like this is what i have

can you please not share it

because you use the new justin bieber

song i'm i'm an old dude i don't know if

justin bieber is still relevant

um but that's that's all i'm saying with

that one

so and then you know just

advice for anybody that wants to do it

go out there and do it

you most likely have the tool in your

hand

in your pocket to be able to start

shooting stuff

go on youtube and be like how do i

become a

cell phone cinematographer

you know then they'll start teaching you

how to use the pro version

because every single phone has a pro

video

a pro photo they have all these kind of

things

you know use your slow motion like

understand

how things work and once you start doing

that

you know on your spare time you're

watching youtube you're staying out of

trouble

you're learning how to better yourself

with doing any kind of filmmaking

and eventually you're going to get to

the point where you're like you know

what i'm glad

i spent that time learning how to do

this

i'm glad i was able to tell myself this

is who i want to be

i'm glad that i sat through that summer

course

with the ocdsb and listened to this guy

that talked a lot and told me just go

out there and shoot

start shooting anything photos video

all that kind of fun stuff because

you're going to have a lot of fun doing

it

yeah there will be painful steps here

and there you're going to be like i wish

i had gear

and then eventually you're going to get

to the spot where like hey maybe i can

start buying this stuff

maybe this is something serious because

that's how i started

i i just needed a summer job and

they put a camera in my hands and i was

15 and that was about

14 years ago and

ever since then i haven't really stopped

putting down a camera

i've whether i had this big thing

or i had just had my cell phone i

started learning how to use them both

and yeah like i s like i said if it

wasn't

for getting that job i don't know where

i would be

but that's probably

the advice i'd give you just go out do

it

trademark by nike

nice awesome man yeah i think that's

good

stop the recording