Thursday, July 3, 2014

Wim Wenders - 50 rules of filmmaking with some that apply to photography



Wim Wenders is known for his poetic and emotional film direction, like 1984’s Palme d’Or-winning Paris, Texas and 1987’s Wings of Desire – the latter netting him Best Director at Cannes. Wenders’ films are filled with a lyricism and romance borne of unforgettable cinematography – unsurprisingly, he is also a prolific still photographer and artist as well as moviemaker.

A post on today's edition of Open Culture reveals Wenders' Rules of Cinema Perfection.
Following the link to MovieMaker I discovered that many of the rules also apply to still photography. Here they are, enjoy:

2. If you have nothing to say, don’t feel obliged to pretend you do.

3. If you do have something to say, you’d better stick to it.

11. Rain only shows on the screen when you back-light it.

13. Think twice before you write a scene with babies or infants.

15. Mistakes never get fixed in post.

16. Final cut is overrated. Only fools keep insisting on always having the final word.

17. Other people have great ideas, too.

18. The more money you have the more you can do with it, sure. But the less you can say with it.

24. It’s always good to make up for a lack of (financial) means with an increase in imagination.

25. Having a tight schedule can be difficult. But having too much time is worse.

26. Alright, so you’re shooting with a storyboard. Make sure you’re willing to override it at any given moment.

30. Film can reveal the invisible, but you must be willing to let it show.

31. The more you know about moviemaking, the tougher it gets to leave that knowledge behind. As soon as you do things “because you know how to do them,” you’re fucked.

32. Don’t tell a story that you think somebody else could tell better.

33. A “beautiful image” can very well be the worst thing that can happen to a scene.

37. Be ready to get rid of your favorite shot during editing.

40. You need a good title from the beginning.  

47. There are 10,000 other rules like these 50.

49. There are no rules.

50. None of the above is necessarily correct.



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