I thought it would be cool to start a thread where we could post neat tricks and fixes. Perhaps you were having trouble blocking light out of a window or creating a convincing death sequence, or maybe a way to keep focus throughout a scene, etc. etc. etc. Just some neat things that you came up with that might come in handy to other filmmakers around the forum.
Unique Tricks and Fixes
- Thread starter ChimpPhobiaFilms
- Start date
Great idea ^. I doubt any of these are unique to me but they're very useful tips so worth sharing...
Filming a TV
This worked great for me: FPS of 30, shutter speed of 1/30.
Filming a laptop screen
This worked great for me: FPS of 30, shutter speed of 1/60 [but you need to get the screen angle right too - to avoid flicker].
Filming a cell phone screen
Have not managed to get this without flicker. Advice welcome.
Be wary filming with your talent beside a large window
Easy to get blown out shots. Pick a time of day where the sun is going down, golden hour is good.
Audio: get a solid reference audio track too, has saved my bacon a few times
Audio: always have someone constantly checking your recording live with headphones
... have had a few tacks ruined due to interference from cables (eg audio cable near a power cable), cell phones
Audio: have everyone on set switch off their cell phones
... again, a few of my audio recordings have been ruined by cell phone interference
Audio: if you're filming in a location with a fridge/freezer, ask if you can turn it off
... be aware of the food inside and don't leave it off for too long
Audio: most novice film makers concentrate on getting the visuals right; don't make the same mistake - the audio is as important
Visuals: buy a field monitor as soon as you can, they're invaluable
Visuals: get your focus right, always punch in using the camera's zoom to check focus - eye lashes or eye brows are a great check point
Visuals: make sure your scene is level
... I have had a number of shots ruined due to the level being off - even just slightly. The scene sure looked level at the time... In post on a 30" screen, it proved not to be! Advice welcome!
Talent and crew: Treat everyone well and with respect
Talent and crew: Treat them really well and look after them. Make sure they have good food and lots of liquids available. This goes triply so if they're working for free.
Talent and crew: don't get anyone hurt! Doing stunts, fight scenes etc. Don't take risks. Learn how the pros do it and ideally get a pro on set. A film is short term, health is needed for the long term. And no one wants a law suit.
Always keep multiple backups of your work and label each drive
... I have MASTER, BK#1, BK#2 etc
USB 3 is your friend. It's 10x faster than USB 2. Buy USB 3 compatible computers and external drives. What's your card reader? Make sure it's USB 3 too! Lacking enough ports - get a USB 3 hub (I have 2x USB 3 hubs)
Post-production: How's your Premier Pro or Final Cut set-up? You are using multiple drives right? And have them set up in your editor's settings. If you're just using your PC's drive, you're going to pay for it dearly with poor performance. My Premier is set-up with 3 external hard drives: Source, Output and Caches. My PC's drive only has the editor on it.
Story, story, story: if you're making a short or feature don't bore us. Give us something that keeps us riveted. So concentrate on the story - which includes great characters and good dialogue.
... You'll find lots of advice on that topic in the links on my sig.
Filming a TV
This worked great for me: FPS of 30, shutter speed of 1/30.
Filming a laptop screen
This worked great for me: FPS of 30, shutter speed of 1/60 [but you need to get the screen angle right too - to avoid flicker].
Filming a cell phone screen
Have not managed to get this without flicker. Advice welcome.
Be wary filming with your talent beside a large window
Easy to get blown out shots. Pick a time of day where the sun is going down, golden hour is good.
Audio: get a solid reference audio track too, has saved my bacon a few times
Audio: always have someone constantly checking your recording live with headphones
... have had a few tacks ruined due to interference from cables (eg audio cable near a power cable), cell phones
Audio: have everyone on set switch off their cell phones
... again, a few of my audio recordings have been ruined by cell phone interference
Audio: if you're filming in a location with a fridge/freezer, ask if you can turn it off
... be aware of the food inside and don't leave it off for too long
Audio: most novice film makers concentrate on getting the visuals right; don't make the same mistake - the audio is as important
Visuals: buy a field monitor as soon as you can, they're invaluable
Visuals: get your focus right, always punch in using the camera's zoom to check focus - eye lashes or eye brows are a great check point
Visuals: make sure your scene is level
... I have had a number of shots ruined due to the level being off - even just slightly. The scene sure looked level at the time... In post on a 30" screen, it proved not to be! Advice welcome!
Talent and crew: Treat everyone well and with respect
Talent and crew: Treat them really well and look after them. Make sure they have good food and lots of liquids available. This goes triply so if they're working for free.
Talent and crew: don't get anyone hurt! Doing stunts, fight scenes etc. Don't take risks. Learn how the pros do it and ideally get a pro on set. A film is short term, health is needed for the long term. And no one wants a law suit.
Always keep multiple backups of your work and label each drive
... I have MASTER, BK#1, BK#2 etc
USB 3 is your friend. It's 10x faster than USB 2. Buy USB 3 compatible computers and external drives. What's your card reader? Make sure it's USB 3 too! Lacking enough ports - get a USB 3 hub (I have 2x USB 3 hubs)
Post-production: How's your Premier Pro or Final Cut set-up? You are using multiple drives right? And have them set up in your editor's settings. If you're just using your PC's drive, you're going to pay for it dearly with poor performance. My Premier is set-up with 3 external hard drives: Source, Output and Caches. My PC's drive only has the editor on it.
Story, story, story: if you're making a short or feature don't bore us. Give us something that keeps us riveted. So concentrate on the story - which includes great characters and good dialogue.
... You'll find lots of advice on that topic in the links on my sig.
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You can find rolls of tinted window film at most hardware stores, which usually stops some/most of the light coming in and making the shot look blown out.
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When working with a short on a friend, there was a shot that required a bloody victim lying on a carpeted floor. We couldn't get the location bloody, so I went over to Home Depot with pictures of the rug and I was able to find similar fabric.
On the topic of blood, I watched a Film Riot 'critiquing your work' episode when a character had pink blood stains on his shirt. A way to fix that pesky pink blood issue is to single out the color in post and darken it, which could save a potentially unusable shot.
Singling out color is surprisingly effective for a lot of things. Especially day-for-nights. If you single out the bright sky, then add a subtle vignette and add a grade over all the footage, it works great
I like the top comment on the video.
Nice simple tip! You could market them as the Pan Bands and sell them for $50 each!
Huh.
That gives me an idea
I had to shoot a scene inside a house at night, when it was supposed to be daytime. I closed a blind in the background of the scene and had someone go out side the house and shine a light on the window. Inside the house, around the edges of the blind, it looked like it was daylight outside.
Put your car keys in the fridge - that way you won't forget to turn it back on again.
Especially in colder, drier seasons, what may sound like fabric rub in a lav could be static buildup. A small can of Static Guard in the kit can bail you out. I don't recommend spraying the mic, but a quick spritz on the fabric can work wonders.
I used car sun shades for a shoot recently as a reflector. Works just as well.
Unless you're purposely dutching the camera..
My advice to you specifically Paul, since your film is already in the can. Depending on how far out of level it is, punch in a bit and rotate to level in your NLE. You should be able to go at least 10% with negligible image quality loss.
Advice for others, most tripods have a level bubble on them, use it.. If your tripod doesn't have a level bubble, you ought to be able to get one that can be stuck on
