Writing a script for a short film

September 29, 2019 Brian Notess

Believe it or not, there are different opinions on the internet. I am not alone in the opinion that a script is the single most important piece of equipment in film-making. It is possible to make a terrible film from a good script, but it is almost impossible to make a great film from a terrible script.

I have started writing dozens of narrative scripts. I’ve finished a few. Congolese was the first short-film script where I felt confident that I had adhered to a number of script writing suggestions and had come away with a good script.

Why Make A Short Film?

September 29, 2019 Brian Notess

A few weeks ago I premiered my very first narrative short film. Not many people watch short films, but a lot of them get made. Why is that? Well, mostly because making feature films takes a lot of time and money. Short films allow filmmakers to exercise their creative abilities without sacrificing their financial stability or relationships (at least in theory).

Shooting Large Format on a 4x5 View Camera

April 21, 2017 Brian Notess

I got into film photography because I thought it would make me a better photographer. The idea is when you are exposing an image on film, every click of the shutter has a much greater cost than a digital exposure. Ideally then, each click of the shutter would represent more creative care. In no medium is this more true than large format film. Each sheet of film itself is at least a dollar, and then you add processing.

The question for me was, is it worth it? Does it really make me a better photographer?

Probably not, but I've shot 6 exposures so far (two scenes) and both were worth printing (at least to me). I like that ratio but it sure is a heckuva lot of work.

The Chef's Kitchen

October 10, 2015 Brian Notess

I have, as I mentioned, an obsession with taking pictures of people, purchasing, preparing and eating food.

One sunny morning, my friend Peter told me to follow him to the church kitchen where they would be preparing to feed 260 people. "Kitchen" apparently had a loose definition, but then again, what else does a kitchen need besides a place to prep and cook one's food?

A Market in Kalay

October 8, 2015 Brian Notess

There aren't many things that visually express cultural differences better than food. Every human on the planet needs to eat. The way we purchase and prepare our daily nourishment is unique. It's different for every family and community.

Maybe that's why I love taking pictures of food (well, besides the fact that I love eating). It's a glimpse into an absolutely mundane, but completely fascinating part of everyone's lives.

I imagine the average shopper in the Kalay markets would experience a similar feeling of fascination walking into a Wal-Mart in East Tennessee.

Nashville In Winter (on NeoPan)

July 1, 2014 Brian Notess

At certain points, for me, every trip I take is an opportunity to try to take photos of new and interesting places. A work trip to Nashville (with an hour to kill) turned out some of my favorite street photos yet, as well as some of my favorite B/W work AND my favorite work on my Canonet.

In addition to the typical Nashville flora on Honkey-Tonk row, walked a few extra blocks to the state capital buildings and the less tourist-y side of Nashville down-town. It was my first visit to the capitol of my new home state, but not my last.