The Troubles with Darkness in Horror
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- Опубліковано 2 бер 2020
- Last time I made a twitter thread I was asked why I didn't do it as a video instead. So here's something that could have been a twitter thread but is now a brief video instead.
- Фільми й анімація
The fact that you've managed to keep up this UA-cam channel and communication to your fans despite moving on up to bigger projects is really inspiring
Agreed
matt cole and the fact that he incorporates humour in his posts is just really extra what an underrated director
@@mikk. yeah, still has the humility, not too proud to point out his own mistakes and lessons learnt, I hope that doesn't change
I love his low-key humor. He should do more comedic stuff.
hey I just got here, what are his bigger projects?
Gotta love David because he makes videos like he was just a young, aspiring filmmaker but then you see him resume and he’s a top bill director.
Also, he admits mistakes he made when they come up, like the reflector here or the crew members in the Shazam-video.
I didn't realized this was David Sandberg until he said he made Lights Out
Hey David, I know pretty much everyone in the comments is saying this, but I figured I might as well just add on to the pile of praise: You have no idea how much it means us (your viewers/aspiring filmmakers) that you're taking the time to still make these videos and take us along with you on your journey. Your story has definitely shown me and many others that you can tun your wildest dreams into reality. Thank you.
Wow, that's a fascinating challenge I didn't know existed. It must be annoying to grade for the darkest screen and then watch on a calibrated one to see all the subtlety being lost :P
Yay, BG, got a big project I have started working on, blender and Blackmagic Fusion are going to be a major part of it, I am a beginner in both, jumping in at the deep end at nearly sixty years young, I hope this old dog can learn new tricks 😂
What you described with lowering the bulb to simulate the varying theater projection we have to do with speakers and headphones in audio mixing to mimic home theaters, car stereos and crappy mono boomboxes
And then you compress it to fuck, don't you? Fucking loudness wars.
Thread Bomb Apple Music, Spotify and I believe other streaming services implemented a set setting of LUFS so this essentially ended loudness war. Check LUFS mastering for iTunes for more information.
1:39 i love those details that stick out to you but go unnoticed by almost everyone
I felt that Goddamn.
I always had a fear of not lightening enough on sets. Learning when to be okay with losing the detail is critical.
I love how you point out some of your mistakes in bts. Thank you for sharing!!
The set doesn't necessarily have to be all dark. Just use very dark areas to suggest total darkness, e.g. what Ridley Scott did with Blade Runner and Alien (not his later Alien movies, where he overlights everything and then uses digital correction to get what he wants - I hate that look).
Thread Bomb for sure. Early on up until recently actually. In my films I tried so hard to get the look I wanted in camera. Even using f stops that opened up wide and camera that have great low light capabilities, in post was too dark. I lost detail. Lost what I was going for. Happy I made these mistake though because the short we are in post production on looks amazing compared to the last and I used the exact same gear for it.
@@Snj_production So what did you do in the end? You over-light to get enough exposure and lower it in post? Or you expose on set to have everything in a normal range? Where do you keep your shadows if you use a false color monitor?
Jack Crouse we over expose on set then drop exposure, up contrast and drop shadows and blacks. I know on set where I want deep shadows, so we light now with that in mind.
@@Snj_production Thanks! That's how I would also do it :)
Darkness is extremely hard to manage if you do any kind of horror filmmaking on UA-cam. I've experienced it first-hand.
A dark image is invariably butchered by UA-cam's compression algorithm. As of now there are no solutions to this, all you can do is mitigate it slightly. Not only this, but if you go for a more realistic look instead of a brighter formalist look, while it adds to the atmosphere for those viewing it on a reasonably calibrated monitor, anybody watching it on a phone without maximum brightness is just gonna see a mostly black screen. So, we couldn't win. If we brightened it, it looked awful on our monitors, but if we darkened it, people complained that it was too dark. So after endless days of tinkering we just had to shrug and go with what looked best for us.
This is 100 percent true and happened on my short The Crying Man. The UA-cam compression killed it.
I love your work and it makes me so happy that you enjoy this king’s work as well.
So true, released a trailer on my film companies UA-cam and although it looked great on legit platforms, once it got to UA-cam there were some problems which made it look a little cheaper than it looked before.
You don't necessarily need to do extreme darkness, just use areas without light to give the effect. Look at what Ridley Scott did in Blade Runner and Alien.
@@ThreadBomb Yeah, but in the end it's all dictated by the tone you're after for your story.
This is my favourite filmmaking channel currently.
Yessss
Sameeee. This is lowkey the best upcoming channel. Everybody going to find this channel soon
Broward Blocks he directed Shazam didn’t he?
Who needs expensive online director masterclasses when you got David F. Sandberg on UA-cam?
Keep this channel active please!! It's a valuable resource for aspiring directors and fascinating for everyone else.
I love the fact that you make great short films, great movies, a great sequel to a movie that was terrible (you remind me of Mike Flanagan with what he did with the Ouija sequel on that one), and yet you still take the time out of your busy life to make UA-cam videos for your fans, and give fantastic advice! Thank you. You're awesome!
Stfu. Annabelle (2014) is amazing just like the other 6 films in the conjuring universe but Annabelle Creation (2017) is the best though.
@@bluebeetle972
Watch how you talk to others. Good, bad, it's all subjective. I'm not telling you to shut the fuck up, because you thought Annabelle was an "amazing movie". Get over yourself, already.
You had me at "The Descent."
The invisible man used the darkness to help building the bulk of its tension and fear effectively imo
the best thing about this movie is that is doesnt even need darkness to be scary
@@he.smile_ this!
100% someone saw that bounce reflection but said “yeah nah, we didn’t bid for that”
I can't wait till Shazam 2 comes out!
Shazam: Fury of the Gods.
Keep the content coming please! Your videos are such a rare look into movie making from a perspective we rarely get to see.
And good luck with Shazam 2! Loved the first one
1:32 Goddammit I love him, protect him at all costs!
I want to be the director like you, David.
Why not try to be the best version of director like 레디액션맨임상훈?
@@ZvilgantisKailis Because of money and job.
@@DirectorSangHoonLim What money and job?
ZetKey I don't have money, and I must take a job.(But I want to be a partner of UA-cam.)
Great insights!
Also, I can't wait to never unsee that whiteboard in Lights Out lmaooo
_In, in, in_ . I love watching your breakdowns despite the fact that I really can’t enjoy horror (weak mind). Unfortunately, I happen to be developing C-41 film at home right now so this creepy music will haunt me once I close the door to load my reels. Thanks a lot! Gives ideas for non-horror clips too.
Lights Out is a modern horror gem, seriously. I don't say so lightly. Very simple, effective scares and smart characters.
Annabelle Creation was easily the most intense of her movies, really well made. I had absolutely no idea you were connected to them!
I like "darkness" in film when you turn off all lights and you still see everything. I love when characters stands out with clear colors and backlight and not fading into background. The great cinematographer Vittorio Storaro said "people want to work faster or show that they can use less light, but they don’t look for the proper light the scene needs. That isn’t cinematography, that’s recording an image. … I was never happy in any set to just see available light Even in very important films that take Academy Awards, you can record an image without location lighting. But that's not necessarily the right light for the character".
You need to do more breakdowns and video essays like these.. I love hearing your take on such things, keep up the amazing work.
I'm so glad you mentioned The Descent. It's one of my favourite horror films but it still seems underrated. It rarely gets talked about when horror films are being discussed.
Dude, you’re the fucking best. You and Lotta are so inspiring to me AND just seem like such good people. Keep it up with everything you’re doing, because you’re doing it right!
I love how open and lighthearted this guy is about mistakes in his movie. He almost seems proud of them
You should've mentioned the Korean Movie The Wailing. They've used darkness in an extra ordinary manner that you can't help but wonder that you could actually make scenes this scary. Especially the last scene.
That movie is a masterpiece in horror movies and also a masterpiece in film making.
Didn't know how much I needed this!
I totally just love all of your videos
You're one of the most down to earth and humble filmakers out there. I'm not a huge fan of your films. But I love your humility and tips you share towards the film community. Thanks for everything David!
1:41, thank you so much for the lantern/flashlight combo. Ingenious idea and something that is going to help me out bigtime when I start filming for my short film.
Been rewatching lots of your videos lately. Thanks for everything.
Watching these videos on your channel has really made me appreciate your movies a lot more. Kudos for the quality content.
I get so excited when I see these uploads. Thank you so much for sharing the creative process that goes into the movies we love!
Love it. Thank you for always being open about how things are made.
So enjoyable, watching these... Also feels fresh when pointing imperfections from your works while giving insight on a subject
such awesome insight. THANK YOU so much for continuing to make these vids. you rock!
I love your stuff! Very informative and funny! Nice to have someone picking apart film who can use examples from their own work, and swearing at your own screwups is always entertaining.
I really love these videos where you share your technical experiences and the things that you learn from directing a big budget films.
I'm so glad i came across these videos. Thank-you so much for making them.
Don’t ever stop making these videos. They’re great.
I adore the Descent. My Dad and I rented it from the New Release rack, and it totally opened my eyes to what horror could be.
These videos are quite inspiring! Thank you for taking the time to make all these informational videos and behind the scenes guides. As an aspiring film making, I cannot thank you enough for all the knowledge you're sharing. From one movie lover to another, thank you ponysmasher :)
As someone who is a film-aholic, grew up on a lot of horror and is a working sfx makeup artist who spends work days on sets I freaking love your channel/vids! I hope they don't stop and wish you continued success!
1:35 "...and i can prove it, because you can see the bounce board in the reflection, right there... GOD DAMMIT!"
I love you man :D
Another excellent video, David. Thank you for taking the time to put this together.
I've been waiting for it! Thank you, David!
I began watching your animations when i was a teen, i loved them as no one in sweden made so fun animations about things that felt so swedish. Anyways im really happy to see your trademark animation-style pop up in things like this. Tack så mycket David, ha det fint!❤️
*So glad you keep giving us advices, tricks and tips for filmmaking on your UA-cam channel, even if you're an Hollywood Star now ^^ ! Thanks so much David! Keep going!*
I really really respect what u do I think your channel is great for aspiring filmmakers, you showing the reflector in the glass in your film made me respect you even more , we need teachers like you ✌🏻
I love how you explain. Hope to see more videos from you. I am always happy when you've uploaded a new video.
I LOVE your videos, it means a lot that you keep doing it, thank you.
Interesting insights. I'm glad you are putting these videos out. Please continue.
Wow, as someone who deals with post process color correction I totally get this. There's nothing more frustrating than going to my clients house, delivering their photos only to be mortified by the screen we are viewing their photos on. I take all this time to process these photos meticulously so that colors and black/white levels are absolutely spotless and then have to explain to my clients that the reason why they look yellow in the photos is because their display settings are wack.
It's an *incredibly* fine balance. I've actually never seen anyone explain this is in a video and I honestly thought I might just be crazy.
This was a great video essay, thanks for keeping this channel alive with excellent content even while you're making movies I've loved. :)
This is an excellent video. I think the same thing can be said about sound. If I want to include a creepy sound in the background that's just barely audible, not everyone may hear it on their speakers.
yesssss! new content! horror king 😩🙌🏼 these tips and tricks are actually really helpful. i’m feeling inspired!
I love your channel, dude. Your videos are so inspiring!
I've learning a lot in this videos.. keep making them please, it's really inspiring.
This is great advice! Filming dark scenes is really difficult especially when for no budget filmmakers. Thank you so much for your genuine kind and humble personality.
Thank you for making this video, it opened my eyes
I've missed your videos David! Thanks a ton!
Love these videos you make!! So fun and informational!
I love your videos. I appreciate that you continue to be active on UA-cam despite breaking big into Hollywood.
Thank you so much for still making these videos and not forgetting about us!
You are the best mate love this channel. This video helped so much!!
Thanks SO much for keeping this channel alive! As usual, really great content. I always struggle a lot with darkness when doing my little short horror movies... doesn't help either the cameras I used aren't the best in low light. (something that would have been cool to on your video - capturing darkness per se is already a tricky thing, even before displaying it).
I wish you also talked about that one scene in Silence of the Lambs, where night vision goggles were used for the POV. It's a pretty great way to overcome the problem with darkness, except for the fact that you can see shadows on Clarice, showing that it actually was a lighted set made green.
I was on my way to type this!
Love your feature films and these short videos! You are such a talented person and what you share with us fans is truly amazing! Always looking forward to your next projects...Shazam 2 and what other videos you have for us!
nice one, david. always really great to see new content from you. as an aspiring filmmaker who wants to specialise in lowlight setups, this was very interesting.
I worked for a good sized theater chain in Los Angeles in the early 2000s. I was projection manager for a time. The bulbs were specifically set to a lower luminance level than optimal in order to prolong their life. Our union projectionist (one guy who never actually ran shows but did maintenance and some training) was on board with this.
I’m glad you mentioned the disparity between different displays and how darkness is the thing that’s most affected by that. This was the problem with the infamous Game of Thrones episode in Season 8 when many people complained they couldn’t see anything. But on a properly calibrated display, the episode looks great. This is one of the reasons a lot of filmmakers prefer theatrical releases, because they know the display will (most likely, at least) be properly calibrated and actually present the image as it’s meant to be displayed. Whereas with everybody’s different televisions, it’s a crap shoot.
I am so glad you're still posting great content like this, thank you! Although I cannot create as much as I need to, watching these behind the scenes tutorials really help me keep my creative muscles in constant motion. Hmm, hiding stuff in the shadows! I'll keep that technique in my back pocket 😉
Man I've been following you since you just had the channel. Ik you probably won't ever read this but I'm super proud of where you started vs where you are today and its incredible that you still update your channele with content like this
Thank you, David for continually blessing us with knowledge
Wow, I'm so happy you made this video and that you explained there was a naked woman in that short. I never knew there was a naked woman in the short. I just thought after Lotta turned the lights on and off a couple of times, the shadow in the dark disappeared and her scared reaction was not knowing where the figure had disappeared to. Also, when I saw Annabelle: Creation in theatres (best Annabelle movie in the series!), the scene where Janice takes the stairlift up to the second floor and then peers into the darkness confused me a bit, because I couldn't see anything in the shadows, and I didn't think I heard any whispering that would warrant her to turn in her chair to look down the corridor. I just figured she got an eery feeling being up there by herself. Later, when I was watching the movie at home, I noticed Bee's figure standing in the background before walking out of the frame and finally understood. Sometimes not being able to see something is scary, but in instances like this, the lighting really does help and makes some scenes less confusing.
Thank you, David. Please never stop making videos!
Thanks man. Your videos are always informative and inspiring. Funny too. Nice bounce board gag.
I don't speak English well and still don't understand everything, but it's probably my favorite channel!
thank you so much
I really love your videos! and the way you explain
GREAT ANALYSIS/EXPLANATION !! As always ! Thank you for that in depth
What a blessing this channel is.
Thank you so much for doing this stuff! I feel like I get to live my dream vicariously through you, while I'm here in college in Bham, AL. It really is a rush seeing your perspective on these aspects. Keep it up Dave :--)
It's incredible to me that you make awesome UA-cam videos and awesome mainstream movies. Btw, Shazam was really cool!! The family had more personality than all of Justice League and I loved the humor as well!!
I love your insight on films. Thank you for your work. :D
What a great video. I havendt seen any other video dealing with this subject. And David does so well and based on real world experience.
Hi David. Thanks for taking the time to do these videos here. Keep making awesome movies 👍
Thank you for being you.
This is another wonderful video. :)
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, Your the source of some of those short horror clips I find randomly. I could never really find the source most of the time. Didnt even know they were actual movies. Very interesting video.
I'm not huge into horror, but I'm always super impressed by the crazy things that go into making them. It's always fascinating to think about just how much detail and care goes into every bit.
I'm still gonna say kudos to you for still making a really good quality youtube videos, hats off to you sir
Love this! Thanks :) I loved The Descent. So good.
I was hoping that you would mention Hereditary as I believe it's one of the best examples of really commiting to true darkness + put it front and center. Great video though!
Your probably busy filming movies and stuff but I appreciate that you still upload here. Thanks for the content!
I swr ur like a cheat sheet for the industry thank you
Actually laughed out loud at you swearing at the Lights Out blooper :D
Thankyou for uploading King
Very informative and entertaining video as always, thanks for sharing your amazing experience!