Filmmaking Exercise: The Boring Room Challenge

I challenged myself to improvise a short film in a boring hotel room in an hour. See the results, go behind the scenes, and try it for yourself. *UPDATE* The situation with the hotel is resolved so I have put this back online. Thanks everyone so much for your support. Learn filmmaking from me! myfilm.school/Boring-Room-Cha...
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[@BrandonLiUnscripted]

Keep posting your Boring Room Challenge videos..I'll do a review video soon once I get time to watch them all.

[@DrSuf]

Awesome idea

[@PatriotPrepper]

Can I borrow you A7 and a couple lens? My dumbphone only shoots standard def.

[@PatriotPrepper]

Were your lens changes in real time? Very fast and smooth. This is actually an excellent little clip and you could turn it into a short.

[@brennen2752]

Why did you shoot in 30fps then switch to 24fps? I'm a beginner, so i was wondering.

[@Rayzombie]

Hey dude, thanks for the idea. Buddy and me decided to take on your challenge. Thanks for giving us a fun afternoon.

[@MistahMofro]

"slam it" *slams it* "ok not that much"

[@AsiatiqueMedia]

I die over this comment every time XD

[@JWS1968]

You know why I like this video. You don't ramble on. This is the kind of video you might want to come back to from time to time and when you do, there's nothing worse than a rambler. There should be more videos like this on 'filmmaking and how I did it'. So sick of those 'who has the best camera and the longest lens' vids. It's really not that important.

[@puza_tube]

"Without breaking any obscenity laws." very important clarification!

[@BrandonLiUnscripted]

Giggity

[@Daffert]

I'm quite amazed how well this camera shoots at low light conditions. I mean, the room was pretty much pitch black, yet the footage was all clear.

[@BrandonLiUnscripted]

a7sii is good in low light

[@MatthewHyatt]

@@mannyzarate It's the A7Sii...master of low light. I have it too and the III can't compare.

[@MickeyHassan]

@@BrandonLiUnscripted Good! its fan-bloody-tastic. That's it. I'm saying goodbye to Canon.

[@xbloodkiss.]

also remember the other footage is filmed on a gopro

[@caducassau]

Gosh! That was a nice step by step video. Short, precise and useful. Always awesome content, legend!

[@renatoduarte8742]

Mas olha quem também curte o Brandon Li ! hahaha Good to see you here, bro :) Quem sabe a gente não se esbarra pelo CBD qualquer dia... =D

[@BrandonLiUnscripted]

It's back online! Thanks everyone, your comments and messages did wonders and the situation is resolved.

[@MarcoPeru]

Brandon Li Power of the Internet :p This is a truly amazing tutorial, a real challenge and some awesome tips, thank you for your work!

[@texomatic]

Right on!!!

[@AntonioCamunas]

Brandon Li did you use on your cameras for this project or just the a 6500?

[@YungR0]

Brandon Li YESSSSS

[@grindline3361]

yes,congrats Brandon ! I love vid.

[@bellacontess6212]

I love the genius idea of filming with a go pro and simultaneously showing us the feed of your camera in the corner. Kobe is absolutely gorgeous, by the way.

[@carl-janslabbert4395]

Kobe died man...

[@creativesymon]

Snappy editing and straight to the point. I love it. Too many YTers make it all about them. Also, you were really efficient in your filming. Very impressive.

[@rwickra]

That was incredible! Can you please post more videos like this. This is EXACTLY what I needed. I love seeing you work and how you conceptualize something and this is by far the best of all the video tutorials you've posted. Bravo Brandon!

[@sonnymontero4494]

The sound of switching lens is just awesome!

[@BrandonLiUnscripted]

Yeah it's a satisfying click for sure

[@cmdigitalmediahawaiii5028]

Like cocking a gun.

[@chiefdenis]

Like loading a magazine ;)

[@TrichbeeT]

locked in and ready to SHOOT!

[@airdailyx]

You'd think something like this would be common sense among amateur film makers and yet this idea never occurred to me. Super terrific idea and it was not cheesy at all. Im still left wondering what she was looking for and how she got herself out of that situation. Just the right amount of time and left us right on the edge. Very well done and thanks for the setup and idea. Subbed!

[@felipeedoardo]

That's how I felt too, I was ready to watch the short just for the technical content but found myself totally caught in the story and curious about what was going on.

[@LoLSlowMotions]

1:12 expanding skyscraper rooms' lights look dope with music

[@whoismatt]

Fantastic! Tight shots + shallow dof, you wouldn't even know you were in a normal hotel room. Shooting at night with those city lights definitely helped too. :)

[@mirrorlessman2712]

Matt WhoisMatt Johnson you should have one of your brides act out this scene. would be fun in the wedding vid I think :)

[@efieli]

awesome! you did not mention the sound fx. #littlesecret

[@ClearAdventure]

Finally. Somebody that shows there is no such thing as a "Boring" environment, just boring minds. Subbed.

[@MyronDavismd]

Brilliant, Brandon. With so much fuss about gear... cameras, lights and modifiers. This is a breath of fresh air. Good stuff.

[@Leemus]

Wow! It doesn't matter where you are. You can still make an amazing short film using the "boring things around you".

[@tmc1473]

I'm hooked, you got me. This is exactly what I've been thinking. And needing hear. I'm sitting in a hotel now, always in hotels, not that I want to do a video or a movie clip of a hotel. I'm a noob, and I've been questioning myself over and over again, does it really matter where you are what you're doing? You can always come up with something. Creativity comes outside the box. I'm leaning. TY. Another thing, how do you not like this video. WOW!

[@TravelLikeWater]

3 years later...still a gem!

[@DanielMatzen]

Every friggin time I watch our videos, I just wish I could subscribe again. What an inspiration.

[@gateCodeKC]

OMG! free workshop! people pay for this shit. Thank you!

[@erikdamonvisuals2596]

Technically he is getting paid.

[@JamiePerkins]

loved this video, great work!

[@enoshimametals]

blown away mate awesome can't wait to watch the rest of your vids cheers just what I needed

[@realmanaesthetics]

It's been exactly 2 years and still the greatest!!!!!

[@GuyBoggan]

Love this, rare you actually get to watch another creators workflow and process!

[@ruudristola5556]

Check out D4Darious. He has a lot of videos where he does the exact same thing as this guy, mounting a GoPro on his head and showing how he works on set. These kind of videos are really helpful!

[@EatAway]

Yes Yes YES!!!! This was so much fun to watch! I was smiling the entire time! Tell Kobe she did an awesome job being intense!!!

[@elmarkjohnmandapat1606]

"Great video" is an understatement. You nailed it in showing how a PRO actually do it. You literally let the audience fit in your shoe. Love the simultaneous POV and camera shots

[@eddievarh3452]

One word! EPIC! Loved this challenge!

[@BeYob]

Just found this and love your style and explanations. Also digging how u show us how u did everything.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Just excellent! Really appreciating your tack on this channel; Your creative focus, in which the technical follows behind, as it should. I esp appreciated your piece on pacing. So important and that's part of what is captivating about your videos, besides your observant and thoughtful videography. I'm home sick right now (nothing major) so have been catching up on what others are doing on out there. Lots of great stuff, but yours is a stand-out. You are demonstrating the process of thinking through a camera. I came to photo/video as a communication tool for passions already in place. Your tack is refreshing, and very much appreciated. Cheers.

Wow! I was really not expecting that kind of minimal lighting setup. The A7SII performed reeaaaaaally good on those shots looking out the window! Loved it!

[@p3atik923]

You are just great i know its hard but you make it looks like so easy those step by step making and color grading you are just awesome THANKS !!!

[@Gunners1886_CH]

I've only watched two of your videos and subscribed immediately. No rambling on about how big of a shit you took last night, just straight to the point, creative and informative. Love it.

[@JJmx19]

So cool! Awesome that you're sharing the behind the scenes!

[@SuperSF100]

This video is absolutely superb. Phenomenal job man. Super helpful and inspiring.

[@odisseyproducciones222]

A pearl to the filmmaking world from Kobe and Brandon! So lucky man that Kobe is so cooperative with you. I know of one (you too) that would have sent me to hell after a couple of takes 😅Cheers guys!

[@ramzziz1990]

One of the most useful videos I ever see ! thank you

[@sethezekielwest]

Man this was so awesome! Super helpful to see the way that you made the whole thing from your point of view!

[@HowardWimshurst]

Wow this was awesome seeing it from the gopro point of view!

[@derrickvision9547]

I'm taking the challenge stay tuned for my boring room quick film!

[@ToddBryantsr]

She's an amazing partner. You guys work wonderfully together. I love how she is patient with you but also how she asks how you want the shot. Thank you!

[@markus8282]

I gave you an up and subscribed just now because I think this short training video could be very valuable for me in videomaking. Thanks a lot, man!

[@AllenRReid]

Thank you for the behind the scenes look into your video. Would love to see more like this with you wearing the GoPro again.

[@RYSEproductions]

So the answer is: BOKEH

[@TomYourmombadil]

RYSE the bokeh okeh or not ok

[@insanejughead]

For me it was all of the shifting FOVs that made me love it.

[@saulwormwood2136]

The answer is if you put an attractive female in any room, it becomes interesting.

[@LarryFournillier]

Brandon, you're top-notch! Awesome video and it's EXACTLY what I needed for inspiration!

[@fredmiu6038]

Brandon, you are amazing....thanks.

[@hkmv1]

4:36 I like what you did with the camera and the direction of the actor here.

[@Divineshot]

Great video man!

[@CrazyAboutLife]

Awesome, love these!

[@tomwlodarczykfilms1217]

Quick simple beautiful... Love it.

[@venuslnd]

Brandon Li is worth much more than 213K subbed by million times. MVP content creator and educator.

[@thomasfoo_byse6878]

Kuro Wanna totally agree with you... he is awesome

[@eddievarh3452]

Dudes content is a gold mine!

[@staybreezy6475]

Editing plays a huge role in these short films 😭

[@rscully5]

Yes, editing is major.

[@tibfox]

really inspirational idea and result man. Thanks!

[@BrianMarcWhittaker]

Excellent challenge! Thanks for sharing the behind the scenes and equipment.

[@gongalike3441]

Bro, Useful tips 100%. Thanks so much, I was qurious about many things when I watch Movies. So now I know the Secret. *#Subscribed*

[@FredYB67]

wow awesome, I can never nail manual focus, I tend to rely on auto too much I think

[@leliatarasova7522]

This is literally so cool. I’m in love with this

[@ViniciusRaphael]

Incredible. The step by step and the final video are bothing amazing. Thank you for sharing

[@vidaproducciones4105]

Great video!, greetings from Argentina. I only film with Webcams C-920 Logitech with Carl Zeiss lens and GoPro Heros 4 Black Edition. Thank you.

[@stazgamer8050]

That was awesome wtf

[@ShrimplyYoco]

this was so catching! thumps up!!!! love it!! i learned so much in such time! thank you!

[@andycahyadi3434]

great video brandon, i love how you showed us behind the scenes with a great perspective, so i know how to get the angle and the shots. Very interesting and helpful !

[@antoyebi]

for me, that room wasnt that boring tho 😐

[@alaa_sami18]

Ebi Febriyanto hhhhh feeling the same

[@vibudhjain]

Exactly bro

[@HarrisZED]

he doesn't see my room, probably wouldn't say that word

[@BoyBlessing]

Na it’s boring

[@TrumptPking]

its just a room lol you could make this exact video with any room and hallway

[@TheHashtagHEROTV]

Dude you are Yoda with the camera. Great challenge!

[@CheeseOnEverything]

This was more informative than any tutorials I've ever watched, and I watch A LOT of tutorials. Awesome stuff thank you.

[@DavidLeBlancHero]

As always , your a true LEGEND Barndan Li 🙌🏼 The knowledge you gave us here on KZbin is priceless 🤓🙏🏼🎬

[@WomanofSubstance]

Can we resurrect this challenge now that we’re all stuck inside? 👣

[@michaelyi5895]

Thank you so much, this was really inspiring! Can you explain why you kept switching between 30p and 24p? Are you talking about FPS?

[@AntonTvHD]

Michael Yi he does it to give the scene a more dramatic feel as you can slow it down to 80% speed in post to give a slow motion effect but still look like real time speed. Very clever use of the camera!

[@michaelyi5895]

AntonTV.HD Ah I see. I was wondering if it had to do with motion blur but hadn't even considered slow motion. Thanks!

[@dawal97]

but why don't film everything in 60fps and export it as you wish?

[@AntonTvHD]

Daniel Walther you can do that but sometimes 60p looks weird when you try to slow it down to anything higher than 50% not all the time but in some motion situations. Also he is a filmmaker so he planned the scene and in his mind so he could shoot for it on set rather than make the edit for it with what you have in post which often helps to tell a story better.

[@pacogomezvega6255]

Daniel Walther i think is because he wanted more of a feel of a Movie at 24p that way he has more control in each scene shot at 30p and keep tje 24p feel.

[@sunnyrose212]

This is too good! never thought you can do this in confined boring room. Pure creative!!!

[@haozhouzeng9254]

Such a great tutorial! Get so much inspiration about film shots and the work process.

[@Skruxe]

Hey Brandon, i had a quesiton: why did you switch between 30p and 24p? what effect does that achieve ? what should i look for to see a difference?

[@DaveTheMedic]

Anyone have an answer for this? That part really interested me. Also, the section shot at 60p too. Why?

[@karlhsu001]

@@DaveTheMedic put 60p footage into a 30p or 24p movie, just for slow motion effect.

[@kartarbhogal]

Shooting at a higher frame rate on a 24/25 FPS timeline makes the footage slow motion. On the opposite end of the scale where you shoot at a lower frame rate than your timeline will make the footage look fast (but not the kind of fast that looks likes it's being fast forwarded)

[@nahueljo]

This also puzzled me. I get using 60fps for the bed touching scene that would be slowed down a bit, but for the other parts? beats me. My only guess is just that slower fps would mean a bit more light for the darker scenes...

[@2fbDJLL]

Why do you switch your frame rate if the end video is constantly 24 or 30????

[@vegita319]

Aeronautist probably for slower motion effect. Similar to shooting at 120fps and then playing it back in 60fps (half speed) or 30(1/4 speed). Edit: looks like comments further down confirm this.

[@DavidKfilmmaker]

I wondered that as well. Then I watched it again and looks like he put everything at 24 frames per second. So a dream effect/slow motion/slower motion.

[@ItsMaeEss]

Why so many question marks?

[@ExploringtheWorld]

Great video, Brandon! Love it!

[@ctrice]

This was a great video! Love the behind the scene commentary and all the insight you offered.

[@Just_Manny305]

Awesome video! What went behind your decisions to switch bw 30p and 24p?

[@TrumptPking]

he has a whole video on frame rates

[@Just_Manny305]

@@TrumptPking uhh thanks? i did watch that video, and my question still stands. The framerate video gives an overview on framerates and when to use them in a general sense. My question was inquiring about the use of framerates in this specific case. I wanted to get a better understanding of how the different frame rates helped him tell this specific story, and what did the framerates help accomplish in the different scenes... i’m not sure if you were trying to help, or be a jerk, but that comment was not helpful at all.

[@Domje]

@@Just_Manny305 If you shoot at 30p then interpret it as 24p it goes 80% speed.

[@TheOPman]

Why shoot at 30 and conform to 24? I tried looking this up in forums and they tell you that you shouldn't do that. Is this a pretty standard thing to do? What is the benefit? I understand shooting in 60 for the slow mo parts, but why 30 to 24? Also, why switch cameras to the 6500 for the hall shot...? Great video btw!!!

[@wreck2]

Conforming 30 to 24 will still create a slowmo effect, but not as slow as 60fps. Both frame rates are a standard thing to do. It depends "how slow" you want it to be. 30 to 24 is not much, but it causes it to be almost a "dreamy" effect, without making the viewer notice it being "slowmo". I think the forums that are saying not to do that is talking about shooting 30fps, then trying to get it to look normal speed at 24fps, aka, throwing away frames, and trying to make 30fps LOOK like 24p footage. Whereas conforming 30 to 24 keeps all of the frames, and slows it down. I'm thinking the switch to the a6500 is purely so he could use the handheld gimble, as the a7sII might be too heavy / large for the gimble he has. Hope that helps!

[@bambakimball]

Agree with you on the frame rate aspect. I believe he switched cameras to use the 1.6 crop factor of the a6500, oppose to the a7sII's full frame. Just helps to add a bit more focal length without having to use a different lens that might not be available to him.

[@sebastianheinrich6430]

Autofocus is much better on the A6500 than on A7SII and therefore better for Gimbal shots.

[@tuttmasterc]

@@sebastianheinrich6430 you'd never use autofocus while shooting a film

[@sebastianheinrich6430]

@@tuttmasterc on regular film shoots with ACs yes. But I shot 3 seasons of a web show with bare bones crew just using gimbal and Sony with AR. Worked well

[@marcelkenenbergmusic]

amazing!!! will do that for sure!

[@lukehero]

Glad this video is back! If anyone wants to see my submission for the challenge it's here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5OnZWl4bLp-aKM I was just a 1 man crew/'actor' so couldn't be as creative with the camera movements as I wanted to be.

[@BernardBertrand]

Well done Luke !

[@lukehero]

Thanks Bernard!

[@samshields1781]

pretty bloody good

[@lukehero]

Thank you Sam!

[@LifeOnMarzMI]

Wow! Great job, this is really inspiring me.

[@MateoToro]

reason you coformed 30p to 24p? this is an awesome challenge going to try it soon!

[@GreigBooth]

Im guessing so he can slow it down to 80% on a 24 frame timeline to make it look more cinematic.

[@JeeterFeeder]

yeah id like to know the reason as well. usually you get some frame stutter when you conform 30 to 24, but i haven't played around with it much...wondering if there is an advantage to shooting that way for a look.

[@GreigBooth]

Read my comment again to understand why.

[@JeeterFeeder]

Thanks, I'll have to give it a shot and see how it looks. I bet it helps with a bit to smooth handheld motion.

[@ardiologi]

30p to 24p gives you 80% slower playback

[@PlaybyRaine]

That was clean. Love the way you break it down step by step. Thanks!

[@creativereindeer]

Awesome idea and then absolutely bossed it! Inspiring stuff!

[@martinputra8884]

Hi Brandon, do you use post stabilization? The footages are so smooth I'm amazed it is handheld

[@EverythingFilmmaking]

he doesn't..the cam he used has IBIS

[@martinputra8884]

Chris Cheek humm I heard IBIS on full frame sensor is not that good...I heard M43 sensor has better IBIS performance compared to FF due to its size

[@laszlo3676]

Martin Putra possibly true, but it still works great

[@EverythingFilmmaking]

The Ibis works great with proper technique ..Which Brandon has..He has mentioned before about not liking to use post stabilization ..

[@ChristopherLin]

I know its late, but I think I made the best boring room challenge video here- kzbin.info/www/bejne/b33YqaRtit-eas0

[@BrandonLiUnscripted]

That was hilarious. Great sound fx editing. Your family is nuts.

[@ChristopherLin]

omg thank you

[@cincyfan987]

Must have skipped over the "Please dont try this at home" warnings before every show...

[@todoguahan2896]

just subscribed, very instructional. trying to come up with a short film idea. this exercise so far the best I've come across. great job.

[@SomkaPitara]

That was one hell of a video! Loved every bit of it!

[@peterhuang1606]

Well, most of the student films are made out of a boring room...

[@billistics]

I bet he broke some obscenity laws with her after they were done filming.

[@corinastagg657]

This is awesome, great Idea! Will definitely try

[@VictorOtto]

You inspire me so much, thank you!

[@ThecrazyJH96]

Yep pretty boring lol

[@tomjens2046]

he meant boring room before the production (as in boring if you do not film anything)

[@KollideMedia]

brilliant quick breakdown. love the idea. thanks

[@JRoroy]

So good man!!! Thanks for the step by step.

[@bchow04]

Stumbled upon your videos! They're great!

[@bigboss9150]

Dude, that was legendary! Thanks for such an educative tutorial video! It really goes to show that no matter where you are, as long as you have vivid imagination, you can create something great.

[@snapperurban]

That was amazing thanks for sharing your amazing gift

[@rifke]

Sweet. Loving your style.

[@cupras2r842]

brilliant mate! you are an inspiration for all of us. congrat!!!!

[@snailondrone]

Hi, This is so awesome!! so helpful!! This is what i need. Thanks for awesome video!

[@RenatoIsidio]

Woa! Great video! Ill try to do that! This is the kind of inspiration I was looking for. Thank you!