How to start

Intergage

Intergage

Hey all,

Fairly new on here basically live in the screening room to see all the new stuff coming out but I have a question that I need answered.
I have only just started to get into film making at a higher level then lets say, A case of beer, $400 handy came and, Microsoft Movie Maker.

I have made a few little short clips (Effects tests basically) and I have made a short clip for a series I want to make. (http://www.youtube.com/user/intergageqxc)

What I need answered is, how do you start a short clip that is meant to have some kind of story line. I'm a full time IT tech and film making is only a hobby. I have, however, read books, did research, watch what other people are doing and taking notes. (Things like the 180' rule and stuff)

I can't seem to figure out where to start when making a short film?
At the moment I plan out as I go and edit right after we finish filming so it's all still in my head.

Need some help, tips and pointers.


TL: DR - I have no idea how to start a short film that will take more then a day to film, edit and complete. How do I start?
 
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Well first start of with a character that you imagine. give that character a few important traits. Then, make something happen to that person. An event that would change an important part of the character's life. Maybe add in more characters and events, but at the end of the thing, something significant has happened, and then been resolved, leaving the viewer with some kind of a message or in deep thought.

This is very vague and probably not very useful, but it helps me think of plots.
 
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Hi, Intergage

First, start with a story.
"Great, Ray where do I get one-a those?"

The news.
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=186753#post186753

Then:
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=186601#post186601
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=179730#post179730
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=182344#post182344


Looks like you got the rest okay, to begin with.
But I'd knock down your captured sound from your video by about 20% when you're editing.
All those little floor creaks and clothes rustles really don't add much to the story. Some, but not much.

GL & GB

Ray
 
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Thanks heaps Rayw. Helped alot. - First line I read I found a software to help me out :)
That1guyy: yeah, I have 2 characters I am working on at the moment. 2 People to play them and what not.


What do you guys think of only a 2 man team? Me and my mate (Make movies together) do everything, from filming, sound, acting, editing, effects and promoting.
 
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Uhh, you spelled my username wrong, thats "guyy," not "gay." :weird:

Edit: no worries ;)

A two man team is fine for youtube stuff, but a serious production that you would want to market to festivals and distributors would most likely need a few more people to achieve the production quality they would want(director, DP, audio person/people?, boom op, makeup, script supervisor, set builder, PA, AD, and random other jobs I haven't heard of.)
 
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Intergage said:
Is it better to write up a rough story before writing a script?
Click to expand...
Yeah.
Even for little itty bitty shorts I'll just scribble rough out a crude series of events timeline on paper, transpose to screen, rearrange lines for logic and pace, and begin fleshing it out.

It's the same as painting.
You don't just grab a brush and some paint and start slapping down Moaning Lisa.
Gotta rough out your composition.
Then you gotta block in some stuff.
Then you gotta layer in some detail.
Then tinker with lighting.
Wah-lah:
The+Scream+-+Munch.jpg

Oh, wait. SH!T! That's not Moaning Lisa. F@*(%!
215840201067monalisajoint.jpg
 
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Hahaha, thanks mate. Finding it a little bit difficult to write a script.. I have the basic story but I started writing the script.. The only reason I'm finding it hard I think is because I have never done up a script for anything so It's mostly the format it's meant to be written out in.. I'm using celtx at the moment.
 
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Intergage said:
Hahaha, thanks mate. Finding it a little bit difficult to write a script.
Click to expand...
Then you're probably doing it right.
Ha!

Yeah, writing... er, GOOD WRITING goes waaay beyond mind numbing "The creature chases the girl through the cemetery. She trips over a headstone, screams. Creature grabs her by the ankle... "

If it helps, put on your cynical hat and just make fun of BS you despise seeing in film.

GL


EDIT: Right now I'm trying to determine if my light comedy personal drama protagonist should be an Everyman, a beguiling young woman, or a minority.
- Everyman appeals to... every man (wacky, eh?) But that's kinda tired and lame.
- Beguiling young woman brings in the guys and appeals to a broader female audience. But does it make the conflict with society and machinery seem like gender stereotyping?
- Minority allows a broader range of social issues to be worked into the story. But does that also suggest stereotyping, even if it's the EXACT SAME SH!T all us minority oppressing white anglo-saxons deal with?
(I have little faith in people. I'll probably bunt this one for a base hit and go with Whitey Everyman. Grrr.)
 
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Hey Intergage. If you'd like, post some ideas you have in this thread. I'd help you flesh out any story angles and give my 2 cents if you'd like.

If you're cool with the above, let's start with the basics.

You want something that you and your mate can achieve by only using the to of you, correct?

You also want it to be a short, right?

So let's start there....

What genre are you looking at? Action, like you showed us in your link?

Post away and I will follow up!

Best,
 
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Dude, your my long lost twin brother! Your OP is my story.. or close..

Try this..
Grab about 20 3x5 index cards (maybe in AU they are 5X3?) anyway..
Just write a shot or scene that your thinking on each one.. Like this..

  • Fat Guy shot in the head
  • Skinny Guy walks out door with gun
  • Fat Guy with a bottle of booze



already you have a story.. see.. just rearange the cards in a way that starts to make temporal sense..


  • Skinny Guy walks out door with gun
  • Fat Guy with a bottle of booze
  • Fat Guy shot in the head


Ok, now think.. hum what could go in between..



  • Skinny Guy walks out door with gun
  • Fat Guy with a bottle of booze
  • Fat Guy looking an neked picture of little girl
  • Skinny Guy looking at tattered family photo.. with same little girl...
  • Fat Guy shot in the head

Now your getting somewhere.. for a 1 or 2 minute short, with different angles, inserts etch, thats enough right there... from your tests you already have a natural sense for coverage, get a few diff angles on each action, cut aways etc.. all that you can just wing for now..



Keep the cards. Go shoot each image on your cards. Assemble in the edit.


EDIT: FYI: You can use celtx which HAS index card feature for this too.. but I like the real thing to start with.. nothing like laying out 20 cards on the table and rearranging till it Feal right..
 
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Thank you for all the posts back, everyone of them has been very helpful.
wheatgrinder, twins hey? Haha.

I have started my sound script for the short now. I have a max of 8 scenes at the moment.. Some of them are very short though.
I'll give you an example from my script.

scene 1 - Intro

Danya: Sneak into frame

Yurik: Follow behind Danya by causally walking (Do not sneak)

Danya: Gets up and walks away with a sense of embarrassment and disappointment.

Yurik: Stands there as if he does not care.

Fade in / out

I think it's a little bit more difficult to write too because these characters never talk. So I'm trying to give as much detail in the script as I can so when I go to film I know exactly what feeling or emotion I'm trying to portray with body language. Then I can worry about other things like the camera shot.
 
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Just wasting time and riffing on my own idea.. starting with the above..

  • Skinny Guy walks out door with gun
  • Fat Guy with a bottle of booze
  • Fat Guy looking an neked picture of little girl
  • Skinny Guy looking at tattered family photo.. with same little girl...
  • Fat Guy shot in the head

I can rearrange them to get a different type of feel.. for example.

I could do something like this to trick the audience into thinking the guy with the gun is the bad guy...

  • Skinny Guy walks out door with gun
  • Fat Guy shot in the head

(audience thinks, wow a senseless killing, must be an assign or something.. whats up?)

  • Skinny Guy gets in his car and..
  • Skinny Guy looking at an old photo (we cant see what it is)
  • The cops show up
  • Big shoot out

  • as the Skinny Guy lies in a pool of blood.. flash back..
  • Fat Guy with a bottle of booze
  • Fat Guy looking an neked picture of little girl
  • Skinny Guy dies clutching family photo..
 
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Intergage said:
Thank you for all the posts back, everyone of them has been very helpful.
wheatgrinder, twins hey? Haha.

I have started my sound script for the short now. I have a max of 8 scenes at the moment.. Some of them are very short though.
I'll give you an example from my script.

scene 1 - Intro

Danya: Sneak into frame

Yurik: Follow behind Danya by causally walking (Do not sneak)

Danya: Gets up and walks away with a sense of embarrassment and disappointment.

Yurik: Stands there as if he does not care.

Fade in / out

I think it's a little bit more difficult to write too because these characters never talk. So I'm trying to give as much detail in the script as I can so when I go to film I know exactly what feeling or emotion I'm trying to portray with body language. Then I can worry about other things like the camera shot.
Click to expand...


Thats fine stuff... not technically correct script formatting but clear, and when your writing for your self there are no rules.


8 scenes is a lot. My current super short (WIP) is basically one scene.

Hitchcock said something along the lines of..
"When the screen play is finished, and the dialogue added, you start filming..." so don't worry that there's no talking, thats good, not bad.
 
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So Intergage...

What are your two characters doing?

One character is sneaking. The other is casually following (not sneaking).

We still need a story. Where are they going? Why are they going there? etc. etc.

Right now, you're just describing their actions... We need some meat of the story. Where they are coming from. Where they are going. What they are about to do?

Keep the info coming!

And if you don't have any ideas and would like some help with developing your story, I'd be glad to help.
 
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I have a Hitchcock quote I like to look back on sometimes: "If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on."
 
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Opus, to me, as an intro it works.. it sets up some questions, like the ones you asked, as long as they are payed off then its good right?

I figured the guy was being sneaky, but the other guy was so much more a badass that he was sneaky without even trying and the other "not so" sneaky one was shot down.. but maybe Im reading to much into that..

lol.






TheOpusFuller said:
So Intergage...

What are your two characters doing?

One character is sneaking. The other is casually following (not sneaking).

We still need a story. Where are they going? Why are they going there? etc. etc.

Right now, you're just describing their actions... We need some meat of the story. Where they are coming from. Where they are going. What they are about to do?

Keep the info coming!

And if you don't have any ideas and would like some help with developing your story, I'd be glad to help.
Click to expand...
 
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have an idea on how you want your story to go. write out the scenes you want or already know. sit back and come back to them and re-read them and add or take stuff from it you really dont like. write in a notebook. put all the scenes together.
 
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Well, at the moment there isn't really a story..

basically the whole short in a couple of lines:

They walk, they sit down, one falls asleep one walks off all pissed off like. The one that walks off finds some guns, and gestures happyness before hearing a sound from the bushes. Freaks out and starts acting serious again. Finding cover then getting freaked out even more (Don't know by what yet) and runs away.. Then a few cut scenes of him running away and the other guy sleeping and eventually waking up and walking away. Then, the one running climbs a tree and starts scouting the place out. hears another noise above him. It's the other guy a few branches up eating a bag of chips..

I really want to keep using these two characters in a comical sense. Mainly to learn and experiment.
 
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