The Official List of Student Movie Cliches

Takashi and I are working on a definitive list of all student movie cliches. These are things that all of us young moviemakers have done at some point. Although these tropes are not necessarily bad on their own, they become tainted by their over-use in bad student movies. I am posting my half of the list here, and Takashi will create the other half over at his blog (check it out on my friends list). Then we will edit the list down to create The Official List of Student Movie Cliches

My List:
Drug abuse
Suicide
Cutting random shots to your favorite song
Stabbing
Soft-core porn
Forests as a location
Angst
Excessive Dissolves
Existentialism
Homeless People
Muggings
Absurdity
Copyright infringement
Crediting a production company that is not a real company, but just you and your friend(s)

Comments

[Raf]

Good list; it's so tough to break the tropes, really, but with al imited budget what can you do?

One day we'll be geniuses.

[Shaun Spalding]

1. Fake Blood

2. Zombies
2b. Zombies covered in fake blood

3. Chase scenes
~We don't have a script? Let's fill up time by filming you running through a parking lot.

4. Guns
~How are we going to use all that fake blood without any guns. It makes it more dramatic!
4b. Chase scenes with guns
~"We don't have a script, but we do have all these fake guns..."

5. On the nose dialogue

6. Argument scenes
~We need more drama. Make them yell at each other!
6b. Argument scenes with on-the-nose dialogue

INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

Gideon chases Darius through the abandoned warehouse, waving his gun.

Gideon
"I'm chasing you right now because I hate you, Darius."

Darius
"You just hate me because I started sleeping with your wife of 15 years after you left the country when you were shipped off to Iraq against your will."

(CONTINUED)

7. The movie within the movie (within the movie [within the movie])

~Gideon (director of "GunChase: The Movie)
"I don't know how to end this zombie movie"

Darius (the assistant director)
"Just turn the camera around and lets film ourselves talking and tag it on at the end"

[GOD]

That was excellent Shaun! It will go into the list for sure.

[Danny Djeljosevic]

Good list from all parties thus far, but softcore porn? Personally, I believe more student films should be smutty.

How about "clever," pop culture laden dialogue? Many of us that got into film via Smith and Tarantino are incredibly guilty of it (me included).

[Landin]

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