Hey everyone, I’m filming my first short film soon. Just looking for any advice from people who’ve been through it before. If you’ve made a short and have tips, let’s connect and chat!
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directing Film Making Advice
- Thread starter SaintFlacko1
- Start date
First short? I would keep it simple. Limit it to just a location or two. Two or three actors would be good. What you will screw up the most is the sound. The viewer needs to be able to clearly understand the characters. That's more important than even the image. Get the mic close to the actors' mouths, and have them speak loud and clear enough.
Use enough light to see your actors' faces. Don't be afraid to get the framing very close. If possible, get someone with filmmaking experience to help you (camera person, lighting, or production manager type).
If you have time, take a buddy and get a couple of test shots at the location, before the actual shoot. Get a wide, medium, and closeup shot of him/her, so you can see what the lighting and background looks like on your computer screen. You might see a problem on the screen that you didn't notice with your naked eyes.
Use enough light to see your actors' faces. Don't be afraid to get the framing very close. If possible, get someone with filmmaking experience to help you (camera person, lighting, or production manager type).
If you have time, take a buddy and get a couple of test shots at the location, before the actual shoot. Get a wide, medium, and closeup shot of him/her, so you can see what the lighting and background looks like on your computer screen. You might see a problem on the screen that you didn't notice with your naked eyes.
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Before I made my first "official" short, I would go out every weekend (we
were still in High School) and film stuff - chases, fight scenes and even
scenes from plays - we there theater kids. We made a lot of mistakes and
learned from each one. And this was all on film - so it was expensive and
we couldn't even see what we had filmed for a few days.
I have nothing to add that Scoopicman didn't cover:
My first short at three actors, my third short had one. Both had one location.
Use a microphone that you can get close to your actors. Sound really is the
thing you will screw up most.
Use lights if your hooting inside. I used those cheap, clip-on worklights for
several years until I could afford a little light kit. There is a big difference
between an exposed image and a well lit image.
Okay, let's chat. What camera do you have? Will you be all alone or do have
a few people to help out?
were still in High School) and film stuff - chases, fight scenes and even
scenes from plays - we there theater kids. We made a lot of mistakes and
learned from each one. And this was all on film - so it was expensive and
we couldn't even see what we had filmed for a few days.
I have nothing to add that Scoopicman didn't cover:
My first short at three actors, my third short had one. Both had one location.
Use a microphone that you can get close to your actors. Sound really is the
thing you will screw up most.
Use lights if your hooting inside. I used those cheap, clip-on worklights for
several years until I could afford a little light kit. There is a big difference
between an exposed image and a well lit image.
Okay, let's chat. What camera do you have? Will you be all alone or do have
a few people to help out?
Yes.
Get someone on board to handle your sound, rather than trying to do it all yourself. I wouldn’t recommend buying a microphone, but rather recruiting a sound mixer who has the tools and the skills to use them. If you have zero budget, you might look at nearby film students (if you have them), or get yourself involved in local filmmakers’ groups, both in-person and online. If you have some budget, even if it’s quite limited, ask around and see who is in your area, and connect with one or more of those folks to discuss an indie rate for production sound.
To highlight what @indietalk said, delegate. What you’ll learn, eventually, is that you want to have a couple of key department heads on your team so that you can focus on directing. Make some friends and try to pull in a gaffer and a sound mixer. HMU (hair and makeup) is also an important role. Hopefully, you can connect with a group of enthusiasts in your area who are willing to pitch in on this project.
I see you’re in Toronto, according to your profile. That’s a city with a pretty notable production community. There’s a large Facebook group for filmmakers in the area. You should connect there.
Thank you so much. I'm just using one location and 2 actors. Keeping it very simple, but I'm beyond excited for it.
I went to the Canadian Film Festival and was able to get one of the DP's to work with me which is great. I'm going to post the logline and see what people think.
Sounds like you're setting up a good first short film experience.