Film industry has grown as technology advances and market demand. As a filmmaker you should be able to understand it as an attempt to improve the skills. | COLLECTING of RAW MATERIALS The seeker is the person committed to searching for meaning among the many baffling clues, hints, and details in life. When you examine your collection diligently, you will actually see the outlines of the collector, the shadowy Self that is implacably assembling what it needs to represent its own preoccupations, and nowhere more so than in a journal. JOURNAL Keep a journal and note anything that strikes you, no matter what its nature. This means always carrying a notebook and being willing to use it publicly and often. Rereading your journal becomes a journey through your most intense ideas and associations. The more you note what catches your eye, the nearer you move to your current themes and underlying preoccupations. NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES Newspapers are a cornucopia of the human condition at every level, from the trivial to the global. Local papers are particularly useful because the landscape and characters are accessible and reflect local economy, local conditions, and local idiosyncrasies. With every source, you have possible characters, situations, plots, and meanings to be found. Continue reading Developing Story Ideas in Documentary If you are new to filmmaking or are just looking for some more information on filmmaking before you take the leap and join the ranks of millions filmmakers, there are 9 key steps you’ll need to take to make your first film. This article will give you 9 filmmaking tips that are taught in film colleges around the world. Concept You’ll need a basic idea or concept before your movie ever takes production. This will include a plot, a storyline, characters and the location where your movie takes place. The best way to do this is write down your ideas on a piece of paper. Write down all the details, big and small. Then sort them out into topics and main ideas. This piece of paper will become your script and you can build off of that. Script After you have developed your concept, start putting your script together. Keep in mind that a script is not just dialogue. The script includes the location, what’s taking place and basically gives the overall mood of the movie. Script writing is the longest part of filmmaking believe it or not. Don’t get frustrated if your script changes along the way, that’s normal. Even for major filmmakers. Continue reading Filmmaking Tips - Look at real-life moments for inspiration: childhood memories; interesting happenings at work; relationships with family, friends, and love interests. Think of family conflict, you the first job or your freshman year in high school, moving out on your own for the first time, and college experiences. Drawing on personal experiences leads to strong material because you’ve lived and experienced it.
- Read the newspaper, books, magazines, listen to the radio, and watch news stories that may captivate your imagination.
- Keep a journal of interesting things that happen every day; an engaging conversation, a funny moment, an unusual or interesting person you may have encountered in public. These moments can be the seeds of not only good ideas, but also engaging characters, moments, and lines of the dialog in the movie. Continue reading Developing The Idea for Writing a Script
Low budget filmmaking is a good way to start a career in filmmaking. There have been many instances of low budget filmmakers making it big in their own countries and even internationally. So if you believe that you have the potential to make good or even great films then why not prove it by making an effective low budget film. You never know it might just turn out to be your ticket to filmmaking success. But of course it is not a cakewalk and many aspiring filmmakers end up with half done or completely trashy projects and lose confidence in themselves. If you intend to make a low budget film, the following tips are going to help you ensure a satisfying experience. A low budget film does not have the luxury of having great actors, locations and pricey sets. The only thing that can decide its success or failure is the story and how it s told. And that s not all that bad because the story and the script play a central role even in big blockbusters. So as a low budget filmmaker you should focus on telling a great story. Take your time developing a compelling script which would satisfy the viewer emotionally. You can start controlling your budget right from the scripting stage. Take care not to include events that would require complex special effects. Tell your story as simply as possible. Continue reading Low Budget Production for The Beginners Filmmaker A creative mind is a low budget filmmaker’s most valuable tool. It all starts with an original thought; from there it is all about nurturing that thought until it grows to be a brilliant idea. After that it is a matter of getting that idea made into a movie using every ounce of energy and resources you can possibly muster up. Most of the successful films that are showing at film festivals these days are movies that were made at a fraction of the cost that it takes to make a major Hollywood studio film. Advances in technology have made it so that just about anyone can make a movie. Film cameras, video cameras, sound recording equipment, and just about any other kind of equipment that one needs to make a movie can be purchased at very affordable prices these days. The equipment that is available these days can provide a very low budget movie with a production value that looks like James Cameron had something to do with the project. This professional look coupled with a unique story can help any film’s chances at being accepted into film festivals like Houston Worldfest, Cannes, Toronto Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, etc… Continue reading Creativity is King in The World of Independent Filmmaker It is an adaptable form of nonfiction programming that has served various functions throughout the medium’s history: as a symbol of prestige for advertisers and networks, a focal point for national attention on complex issues, a record of the human experience and the natural world, and an instrument of artistic and social expression. Unlike [...] The script is quintessentially the most important piece of no budget filmmaking. It is the blueprint for your film. If the blueprint is not designed properly, your film will crumble like a poorly constructed building. Every good movie is produced around a well-written script, and it doesn’t matter how big the budget is, how good the actors are, how incredible the explosions are, or how dynamic the visual effects are unless the story is moving, engaging, and believable. In embarking on the journey to get the perfect script, there are three directions you can take: - Write the script yourself
- Option a script already written
Continue reading Developing The Script Low budget filmmaking is a process that can at times be arduous, but the pay-off is one of the most creative forms of fulfillment that can be achieved by a modern day storyteller. It is with this concept that we will cover some of the most basic steps of low budget filmmaking. Keeping these rules in mind will prove to be a savvy move. Spend sometime and get to know your camera and its features before your shoot. Practice shooting simplistic scenarios. Familiarize yourself with the instruction manual, take nothing for granted. This could save you hours of critical time during low budget filmmaking projects. Continue reading Low Budget Filmmaking – Getting Down to Basics One – Try a darker background
When buying your material for your Chromakey Background, whether it’s paint or cloth, buy one or two shades darker than a “True Blue” or “True Green”. Since you are usually putting lights on your background, you will find out that the lights wash out your background, and you find it suddenly too light for a good Chromkey. Two – Try Shooting Outdoors
The Sun (especially on an overcast day) is the world’s biggest Soft Light. If you want a nice even background for keying, try to put your ChromKey background outside. Three – Try some Backlighting
In most cases, Chromakeying is done inside. If you are able to place a light source behind your Chromakey Background (sorry, this will only work with a pretty evenly transparent cloth material), you will find a nice even background with no shadows. Four – Light Background and Source Independently
Light your background and your subject individually to avoid shadows Five – Soften your lights
That doesn’t mean to turn them down but rather try to use wax paper in front of your lights or bounce your lights off an umbrella (the special photo kind) or white sheet. A softer light means fewer shadows. Continue reading Chromakey Tips The EIA Video Systems Committee set five measurement parameters that would be evaluated under low light conditions.
1. Luminance level
2. Black level
3. Luminance signal-to-noise ratio
4. Chroma level
5. Resolution
Tests were developed to measure these parameters and minimum limits were set on the measurement results. To be judged acceptable, the camcorder would have to meet the minimum limits on all five parameters. The Actual Tests
Each camera is aimed at a test chart with its zoom lens adjusted between wide angle and half-way zoomed in. This achieves respectable light transmission. The chart is illuminated with 3100 degree Kelvin (3100° K) video lights adjusted to spread the light evenly over the chart. A digital light meter is used to accurately determine the illumination of the test chart. The camcorder circuitry is exposed, if necessary, so that the video signal can be measured directly using a video waveform monitor, video noise meter, and high resolution video monitor.
The camcorder is switched to its full AUTOMATIC mode for exposure and color balance, and its GAIN UP control is set to the “normal” position. (The manufacturer is permitted to perform these tests in the GAIN UP position as long as it indicates in its specifications that this position was used during the test). The camera is manually focused and set to 1/60 second shutter speed. The electronic image stabilization circuits are switched off, the digital zoom is switched off, the on-screen display (OSD) feature is switched off, the RF adapter (TV channel 3/4) bypassed, and of course, any built-in accessory lights are deactivated. Continue reading How New Cameras Are Tested | |
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