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Reviews of

Hot Moves

Focus Magazine Review

Review by Kevin Cook

Read the review at Institute Of Videography / Focus Magazine

On "Hot Moves: The Science of Awesome"

"This tutorial will reveal and explain all the tricks in the parallax box - helping you to create stunning footage with proper depth and dimension."

How many times have you watched a movie trailer only to be somewhat let down with the actual movie itself? Loads - if you are anything like me! But, what you have to ask yourself is, were these poor movies or brilliant trailers? Surely there must be a science to all this... a way to suck the audience in through proven camera techniques and movements? This new DVD would suggest there is!

Way back in August 2005 (Issue 127 - www.iov.com/focus) Quentin Budworth reviewed Hollywood Camera Works’ Master Course 6-DVD set on high-end blocking and staging. Created by director Per Holmes, this study pack was the result of over half a decade of Per developing an allinclusive language of high-end feature camera work for personal use, and he then realised how much others would benefit from these techniques - and he shared his knowledge with us in that comprehensive 6 DVD box set. Well, he’s been at it again!

Hot Moves

I’ve no doubt that Hot Moves is yet again aimed at feature film professionals, but I also reckon just about everyone would gain a much better understanding of what it is about a scene, shot or trailer that’s making them, as a viewer, transfixed and engaged. If you are not deconstructing everything you see on the big and small screen now, then you will be after watching this! This single, 1-hour 47- min DVD has been produced in the same way as Per’s original training set with the use of CG to recreate and deconstruct shots and scenes. Whilst this might seem a bit dull at first it does help you to concentrate entirely on the movement, framing and character positioning in each tutorial chapter.

I’m not sure if Per created the CG this way, but some of the scenes are so familiar it is if he used scenes from real films and simply recreated them in CG. I suspect however that the techniques being demonstrated have been used in so many films that it could be one of many. Again - this is probably more evidence to suggest that there is an exact science to creating jawdropping, trailer-worthy scenes in your films.

Though Per suggests that this is an addition to the original set, it works extremely well as a stand alone tutorial. Not everyone will instantly connect with some of the examples used, such as jet fighters flying through the Grand Canyon, but if you pay attention to how the example is used to explain a principal then there are very few chapters that I would say are exclusively aimed at huge budget Hollywood movies.

Though it's not a word that I like very much, the aim of the tutorial is to help you create ‘Awesome’ single shots and master shots. Whereas the Master Course concentrates on the drama and the shots that tell the story, this DVD focuses on how to make those super, expensive-looking spine-tinglers. You might not think this is achievable without the benefit of large crews, CG and exotic locations, but the tutorials show that with an understanding and practice of a few key techniques you’ll be creating the elements that will allow you to produce trailers that will suck your audience in.

There are 17 chapters in total, each covering a technique, or combination of techniques, including how to use and capitalise on lines, angles and the paths on which subjects move within the frame.

With the growing number of cheap camera rail systems now on the market many more videographers are starting to experiment with parallax. However, this tutorial will reveal and explain all the tricks in the parallax box - helping you to create stunning footage with proper depth and dimension.

Conclusion

To sum this DVD up.... after watching this you’ll understand what ‘Awesome’ is and how its created on screen - and you’ll be itching to put this into practice!

Kevin Cook, F.Inst.V.

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