Fortunately the filmmakers used an external microphone instead of relying on the camera’s built-in mic – a very big no-no! As a result, most of the dialogue is clear and easy to understand. There is some music as well, which wasn’t too overpowering and matched with the actions on screen pretty well.
There were a couple things I noticed, however. At one point, someone honked the car horn, which was far too loud and harsh. As the sound was far too jarring as shot, the horn could very easily have been added in post-productions.
Also at the end of the movie, there were very obvious wind noise. This can often times be reduced by using a wind screen around the microphone, or even waiting to shoot until the wind dies down. But if all else fails, the sound can always be re-recorded in a studio and added in post-production. (To learn how to build your own ADR studio for recording replacement dialogue, check out our article on this here.) As I’ve already mentioned, this is something else that seriously distracts from a movie and makes it look very sloppy.
Of the $1250 budget, $1000 was used to buy the video camera and microphone, and $250 was used on gas. Although it was probably a good idea to invest in a new camera, the finished movie ended up looking as though the filmmakers really didn’t know how to use it.
Also, the film’s poor structure and lack of character development make it confusing to watch. Although the filmmakers deserve credit for actually getting out and trying to make a movie, this one really should have been better planned, scripted, and practiced for first.
Movie 2004 has some potential for humor. The characters appear interesting and quirky, but their ultimate goal and purpose is not made clear at all. The washed-out scenes have to be re-shot, the shakier scenes need a tripod, and the entire script needs to be re-written to better explain the plot and characters.
Not to mention, the film could perhaps use a better title to make people understand what the movie is about.
There is the potential for a funny movie here, but it’s a long way in coming. The filmmakers could benefit from some further practice and a lot more time spent in pre-production before starting to shoot. My recommendation would be to go through our Tips & Tricks section and looking at a lot of our Pre-Production tutorials before shooting the next film.
