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Oliver Buchannon
Davide Di Prossimo

Filmmaker and entrepreneur making films and studying cinema.

N.33 | "Metropolis" (humans as machine cogs through blocking, composition and staging) plus more

Mar 30, 2025

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5 min read

N.33 | "Metropolis" (humans as machine cogs through blocking, composition and staging) plus more

Also: an example of the establishing shot from "Game of Thrones", an update on the short film I'm writing and the end of film school is almost here.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.32 | "300" (the eyeline match: motivating the cut and building tension) plus more

Mar 23, 2025

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5 min read

N.32 | "300" (the eyeline match: motivating the cut and building tension) plus more

Also: a high-angle shot (HA) example from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "The Shawshank Redemption", testing my camera codecs to understand the technology.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.31 | "Bridge of Spies" (Spielberg’s 4 simple shots to film dialogue) plus more

Mar 16, 2025

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5 min read

N.31 | "Bridge of Spies" (Spielberg’s 4 simple shots to film dialogue) plus more

Also: a point of view (POV) example "Terminator 2: Judgement Day", the school’s short film is being edited in DaVinci Resolve, keeping busy by practicing more and more.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.30 | "No Country for Old Men" (building tension through stillness - hotel shootout scene) plus more

Mar 9, 2025

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5 min read

N.30 | "No Country for Old Men" (building tension through stillness - hotel shootout scene) plus more

Also: an insert POV shot example from "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", a bunch of lessons on the business of making movies.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.29 | "The Goldfinch" (a very bad opening hook example) plus more

Mar 2, 2025

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6 min read

N.29 | "The Goldfinch" (a very bad opening hook example) plus more

Also: James Cameron on how to choose a lens to tell the story, 2 lessons learned after filming the school's 10-min short.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.28 | "The Terminator" (club scene breakdown: skyrocketing tension and converging storylines) plus more

Feb 23, 2025

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7 min read

N.28 | "The Terminator" (club scene breakdown: skyrocketing tension and converging storylines) plus more

Also: a low-angle example from "2001: A Space Odyssey", shooting a short-film at film school this very moment, watched 2 movies this week

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.27 | "Lucy" (juxtaposition example: creating meaning without dialogue), the “extremely crude” way of learning filmmaking plus more

Feb 16, 2025

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5 min read

N.27 | "Lucy" (juxtaposition example: creating meaning without dialogue), the “extremely crude” way of learning filmmaking plus more

Also: an OTS example from "No Country for Old Men", film school's film project to start next week and a nano film for practice in the pipeline

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.26 | "Seven Samurai" (9 cut to movement examples), 10 rules on working with actors from Jodie Foster plus more

Feb 9, 2025

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5 min read

N.26 | "Seven Samurai" (9 cut to movement examples), 10 rules on working with actors from Jodie Foster plus more

Also: a clean single shot example from "Melancholia", a 10-minute short film started with film school, and I broke my foot...thank you life!

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.25 | "Us" (the split diopter: telling a story that unfolds at different focal points), Rodriguez on film school vs my experience plus more

Feb 2, 2025

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5 min read

N.25 | "Us" (the split diopter: telling a story that unfolds at different focal points), Rodriguez on film school vs my experience plus more

Also: a crowd shot example from "Hot Fuzz", shooting a 10-min film at school, learnt a ton by completing a nano film by myself

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.24 | "The Silence of the Lambs" (Clarice meets Lecter: a masterclass in film storytelling), asking your actors to perform the physical task plus more

Jan 26, 2025

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8 min read

N.24 | "The Silence of the Lambs" (Clarice meets Lecter: a masterclass in film storytelling), asking your actors to perform the physical task plus more

Also: a dirty single shot example from "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark", working on nano, micro and short stories

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.23 | "American Fiction" (establishing primary theme through dialogue, action and humor), Scorsese on the value of a shot plus more

Jan 19, 2025

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4 min read

N.23 | "American Fiction" (establishing primary theme through dialogue, action and humor), Scorsese on the value of a shot plus more

Also: a two-shot example from "At Eternity’s Gate", working on a nano solo film (my 5th) to keep practicing following Robert Rodriguez's approach.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.22 | "The Verdict" (using a red scarf to direct the attention), do not think like the amateur artist plus more

Jan 12, 2025

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5 min read

N.22 | "The Verdict" (using a red scarf to direct the attention), do not think like the amateur artist plus more

Also: a clean single shot example from All Quiet On The Western Front, writing for film school and practicing filmmaking inspired by the masters.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.21 | "Hot Fuzz" (creating clarity and humor through the cut), the dynamic between the moment and the superobjective plus more

Jan 5, 2025

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4 min read

N.21 | "Hot Fuzz" (creating clarity and humor through the cut), the dynamic between the moment and the superobjective plus more

Also: an extreme closeup example from "Little Miss Sunshine", keeping busy with working on several short and longer stories.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.20 | "Fargo" (filming from inside the conversation example), Spike Lee on choosing your director of photography plus more

Dec 29, 2024

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6 min read

N.20 | "Fargo" (filming from inside the conversation example), Spike Lee on choosing your director of photography plus more

Also: a closeup example from "The Grand Budapest Hotel", great lessons in exposure while filming a micro film as a film school assignment.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.19 | "Jaws" (camera movement for character introduction), ask yourself if your script is smashable plus more

Dec 22, 2024

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5 min read

N.19 | "Jaws" (camera movement for character introduction), ask yourself if your script is smashable plus more

Also: an analogous color scheme example from "Ghost in the Shell", working on recreating a scene from "Men" (2022) and writing a script for film school.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.18 | "The Host" (racking focus example), don’t give out more information than needed plus more

Dec 15, 2024

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5 min read

N.18 | "The Host" (racking focus example), don’t give out more information than needed plus more

Also: a medium closeup example from "The Shining", practicing with lights at film school, a lot of writing and a lot of tests and rehearsal coming up.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.17 | "North by Northwest" (open-field airplane scene), rehearse it until your think you’ve got it plus more

Dec 8, 2024

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6 min read

N.17 | "North by Northwest" (open-field airplane scene), rehearse it until your think you’ve got it plus more

Also: a medium shot example from the film "Her", practicing with a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema, writing a new story for film school.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.16 | "Gone Girl" (the tricolon that builds suspense), how to craft a powerful opening scene plus more

Dec 1, 2024

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5 min read

N.16 | "Gone Girl" (the tricolon that builds suspense), how to craft a powerful opening scene plus more

Also: an example of the monochromatic color scheme (A.I. - Artificial Intelligence) and lots of homework from film school.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.15 | Subtext in "Once Upon a Time in the West" (opening scene), connecting with your actors to help the audience connect with your characters

Nov 24, 2024

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5 min read

N.15 | Subtext in "Once Upon a Time in the West" (opening scene), connecting with your actors to help the audience connect with your characters

Also: medium full shot example from The Favourite and a short journal update.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.14 | "The Hateful Eight" (Lincoln letter stagecoach scene), Jason Reitman on shooting in one shot plus more

Nov 16, 2024

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6 min read

N.14 | "The Hateful Eight" (Lincoln letter stagecoach scene), Jason Reitman on shooting in one shot plus more

Also: Eyes Wide Shut (color scheme example), Mamet on starting with chaos and restoring order and a journal update.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.13 | "Goodfellas" (dolly zoom scene), David Mullen on technical knowledge for cinematographers plus more

Nov 10, 2024

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6 min read

N.13 | "Goodfellas" (dolly zoom scene), David Mullen on technical knowledge for cinematographers plus more

Also: two winning genres according to Nolan, Moonrise Kingdom (full shot example), a journal entry with lots of stuff that is happening in my life

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.12 | "Unbreakable" (dinner scene with gun), Ellen Kuras on finding meaning plus more

Nov 3, 2024

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6 min read

N.12 | "Unbreakable" (dinner scene with gun), Ellen Kuras on finding meaning plus more

Also: Robert Rodriguez on watching the movie in your head before shooting, the meaning of the wide shot, my nano solo film is done and dusted.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.11 | "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (the final duel), Roger Deakins on talking a lot plus more

Oct 27, 2024

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5 min read

N.11 | "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (the final duel), Roger Deakins on talking a lot plus more

Also: do things the least interesting way, the master shot, the start of film school is delayed and working on films.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.10 | "Rashomon" (triangular-relationship scene), Coppola on stealing art plus more

Oct 20, 2024

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7 min read

N.10 | "Rashomon" (triangular-relationship scene), Coppola on stealing art plus more

Also: A refresher on how to build a good hook, the establishing shot and an update on my micro film "Lupo - The Cleaner".

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
N.9 | "Split" (juxtaposition through production design), Tarantino's hero-less film plus more

Oct 13, 2024

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8 min read

N.9 | "Split" (juxtaposition through production design), Tarantino's hero-less film plus more

Also: I'm starting making nano films soon, an example of the extreme closeup and a journal entry update.

Davide Di Prossimo
Davide Di Prossimo
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Journal of an ignorant filmmaker

Journal of an ignorant filmmaker

A weekly account on all I'm learning about filmmaking.


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