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Archive for the ‘Film Making’ Category

When you’re learning about something new, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.

One thing I have learned from friends who have made independent films is that you have to start promoting your film the minute it is complete… as a matter of fact, don’t wait, as soon as you have a title run with it. This is your baby, your little brain-child so get out there and promote. Large studios have their own publicity departments but the little guy or gal has nothing but their reputation by word of mouth. In order to build that rep you have to work at it and there are various tools that you have available to you.

Previously there were only billboards or newspapers, and later on there was the television to get the word out there about your film. These were actually fairly costly and only the studios could truly afford these avenues. The rise of Internet has impacted marketing of independent film and the entire film industry as whole. There are so many different promotional tools that it offers you, it is hard to choose. The best thing to do is hit them all because you will need them.

When you are at the beginning stages of making your film start a blog. Once you have that going and you are making regular entries turn your attention to making a logo and then a website. The logo will carry though to many other things but for the moment it will help in making your website come together visually. There are services out there that will make a logo for you but, as in all things, it is always better if you do it yourself. The website can be made by you as well. There any number of sites out there that offer domains and website building tools.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

Once you have built yourself a website then you can submit it to a search engine. Make T-shirts and hats with your film logo on them. A friend put her logo on panties and sold them. More girls bought those panties. These items made enough money to help her get through post-production. So, after you have made the regular website go to Myspace and build a Myspace page for your film. After the Myspace page is done, put something up on YouTube. These are all free for the most part so take advantage of them. Music artists have used Myspace to promote their music and it has worked really well so why not use it for the purposes of promoting film.

One of the more simple things you can do is to find someplace small that shows your type of film and will be willing to let you show your film. Make some eye-catching fliers and post them at the local college. There is usually an area for student public postings and fliers are all over these boards. College students love to see new and different material so if you can draw them in to view your film, that is a very effective way to build a following (dare I say cult film) especially if your film is quirky.

This about exhausts all the free or ultra cheap methods of promotion. Once you have your film to the point where you can do a premiere showing, you can consider preparing Media Kits to distribute to the local TV and radio stations. If you have gotten this big with your movie then you might even need a publicist. Now things are on a roll. Next stop, distribution

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his soon to be top ranked Perpetual20 training site: Perpetual 20

Filmmaking is an orchestration of various elements that brings about the desired result, your story literally brought to life. Screenplay, crew, actors, location, camera, lighting, sound, and editing are all working together to bring you the finished product. One literally cannot do without the other. Lighting however is what makes your production look professional and if you are looking to actually market your film you want it to be as professional as possible.

There are many professional lights kits on the market and many of them are quite reasonable, but in many cases they are not necessarily needed. You can make your own light kit with a few things that can be purchased at the local hardware store. There are lights found at the hardware store used in garage repair shops that are metal and that have a high reflectance. These come with clips at the end and can be clipped and moved wherever you might need them. These are great to use and you can use a number of different bulbs that will give different wattage and color.

The next items you must have in great numbers are extension cords. These will be used in every other part of your filmmaking, but you really need them with setting up your lights. Another very useful tool would be old sheet music stands or something similar that has a 3 leg stand that can be raised and lowered. These can either hold the clip-on lights or a light diffusion material of some sort. You will also need white board for white balancing your camera before you shoot, also white boards can be used as bounce cards for bouncing light back on a subject.

The last thing in your light kit will be some sort of diffusing material. That can be any gauzy white material that the light will pass through. You can use your stands with binder clips on them to clip the material too. Shine your light through the material and this in turn will diffuse the light on the subject keeping it from being to bright or “hot” as they say in the business.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Film Making now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

A consideration that most people starting out with lighting don’t consider is that light comes in different colors. Only when you start using a camera do you find this out. If you shoot in a room at night and you have only the interior lights to use, you may find the overall color of the light will be a little yellow. This is because the bulb lights in your house are Tungsten light and these give off a yellowish cast. Fluorescent lights give of a greenish cast that is quite unattractive, so if you film in an office building then that is a consideration as will. Outside light is blue light and while you always want natural light, things may be a little too blue for you, especially when you shoot in the shade.

The absolute best time to shoot, to get that magical quality, is that time right before the sunset. The sun is hanging low and directly on the faces of the subjects and gives everything a Carmel colored warm glow. The only drawback here is that the sun sets quickly so have everything ready in anticipation of shooting the final minutes before the sun set. Look at things at this time of day during late spring or in the summer and you will see what I am talking about.

The first thing to learn is the three-point lighting set up. This is a standard lighting technique used by professional photographers, television taping, and shooting film. This consists of three things: a key light to shine on the subject, a fill light to fill in the shadow created by the key light, and a backlight or kicker to use behind the subject to add dimension the subject. You will use variations of the 3-point lighting set-up in most work you do. I advise strongly that you practice this lighting set-up and shoot it to see how effectively it works. You will have to move the lights a little here and there to get the desired effect but this is the must useful lighting strategy that there is.

It is always good to use natural lighting whenever possible. Always remember that high noon is usually a harsh lighting situation and will cast unflattering shadows under the eyes and nose of the subject making them appear tired. You will have to use a light low down on the ground to counter-act this effect. Also anytime you light a subject from the ground as opposed to above the subject, you will get an eerie spooky effect that can be used in moments of suspense. If you are not looking for this effect though it might be disturbing to viewers.

This is lighting in a nutshell and I would highly recommend that you take some production classes in order to practice and get some tips on lighting.

Now you can be a confident expert on Film Making. OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on Film Making.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his soon to be top ranked Perpetual20 affiliate site: Perpetual 20

When thinking about the film making equipment you will need for your project, you will need to make a list as soon as your budget and schedule have been worked out. This is when you will need to contact film making equipment rental houses to see which ones have the best price on what you need. Some of this equipment is used often and you may need to reserve it much earlier than you will actually need it.

You will need to get a list of vendors that offer the film making equipment rentals that you need. Some rental houses can put together a complete package for you, and others may be a bit more constrained. As long as you have a complete list of equipment needed you will be able to find the right rental house to serve you.

When you contact the vendor, ask if they will have the equipment you are going to need by the time you will need it. Tell them what your project will require in the line of film making equipment. Most of the rental houses are current on the latest equipment, and could help you with information you weren’t aware of.

Most of this information comes straight from the Film Making pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you’ll know what they know.

It is imperative that you reserve the equipment for the dates of your shoot. This should be done in advance, and is called a hold. This does not mean you will need to pay for the equipment before you pick it up. If the film making equipment has already been put on hold for someone else, you may need to accept a hold for a later date. If you know that the date you have given is the date you will be getting the equipment, ask the vendor if you can firm your order. The rental house will contact the people with the hold prior to you and ask them to firm the order or give up the hold. When you firm an order, you will be obligated to pay for the equipment from the day you have the hold, even if you don’t use it then. If your plans change, you will need to contact the vendor as soon as possible so they can make other arrangements with other customers.

Since you are renting equipment that has had several users, it is a good idea to test it out before you are actually ready to shoot the film. The vendor is not liable for anything if you use faulty equipment and waste time and money. Most rental houses will ask you to show proof on insurance, if anything should happen to equipment while you are using it, you are responsible for replacement. If you do not have insurance, the rental company will put you in touch with an insurance company that will cover the production.

Make sure you get a signed agreement on the terms of the film making equipment rental, cost, time of pick up and return, and a list of liability and responsibility terms. Check the equipment when you pick it up to make sure it is all there. It is much better to find a missing element while at the rental house than when you are ready to shoot. Check everything with your list to make sure nothing has been left out, you will avoid wasting time on trips back to the rental house to retrieve missing equipment. Check everything over thoroughly and don’t miss anything, no matter how small. You may want to pick up the equipment a day or two before the day you will be shooting. This will give you plenty of time to test the equipment so there will be no surprises.

It never hurts to be well-informed with the latest on Film Making. Compare what you’ve learned here to future articles so that you can stay alert to changes in the area of Film Making.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

If you’re seriously interested in knowing about Film Making, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about Film Making.

Without the camera there is no film, no movie to make. If you start making film on a regular basis you will learn to capture image with a number of different cameras. You will have your favorite but there will be many different ones that you have to hold. At a certain point using film became all but obsolete and digital took over. The introduction of the digital camera made capturing image infinitely easier.

Film cameras are good to work with in the beginning because they teach you how to use a lens. You learn about depth of field and how so push and pull focus plus a variety of other things that you will use when directing the camera. I like to think of using actual film as more organic. The image is a bit hazy and lacks that artificial crispness that a digital image can have. However there is no denying that digital is immediately gratifying.

In the beginning digital was no match for film, but the technicians tweaked it until they developed cameras that are amazing. Film has been relegated to high art and now we have no second thoughts about shooting in digital over film. The costs of processing are totally absent when you use digital to shoot. Getting your film developed was so expensive that in many cases it was prohibitive, but now there are completely acceptable digital cameras in a variety of cost ranges.

So far, we’ve uncovered some interesting facts about Film Making. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting.

Find a digital video camera and a tripod to work with. You will need a tripod with fairly thick legs for sturdiness and a good fluid head for panning. Also before you buy your tripod, make sure that the camera releases from the tripod easily and quickly. You will want a camera that has a good battery system for remote shooting.

There are, any number of great digital cameras out there. You should be able to find a decent camera to shoot action between $500-$800. If you can manage to scrape together $1,000 a good camera is the Samsung VP X220L camcorder with wired external lens. This camera has a neat compact body and it is very durable. A testament to this fact is that this camera was used in the Jack Ass show.

Do some product research, buy your camera and start shooting. Handle your camera so you know just how to pan and focus with the equipment you will be using. Play it back and see how it handles different lighting levels and shutter speeds. Check out how it focuses automatically and practice a bit of manual focusing.

I suggest that you start carrying a camera and building an image bank. An image bank will give you basic generic images that you will need to use as cutaways and various other functions in your film. Learn to look at things through the lens. Direct and build different scenes in the frame and shoot them in still photography first. Before you start production of the actual film, practice shooting with your new camera. You can shoot your crew and the talent. Shoot anything that moves until you get it down.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

So what is Film Making really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about Film Making–info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.

When you work for free in the film making business, it will not be because you don’t need or want to get paid. It will be because you are trying to gain experience and be able to find work in the film making industry. For one thing, you need experience to be hired in the film making business, and to gain experience you need to have worked in the film making business. It is a vicious cycle and most of the time the only way to break it is to intern or volunteer to work for free on a project.

This can actually lead to paying job on the film maker’s next project if he likes your work. This is a great way for a film maker who is on a tight budget be able to work with a production crew. And whether the film is a success or a flop, the knowledge needed to find gainful employment will be yours when the shoot is done. You will be able to add this experience in your resume to show that now, you have the experience needed to be a paid worker on the crew. If you worked hard as an intern on one production, but the film maker did not hire you for his next project, you should not worry too much. You will be able to show the experience you have gained and have at least a fighting chance to get a paid position.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Film Making now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

If you enroll in a film making school or University, you will see that an internship with a film maker is part of a four year course of study. It certainly isn’t inexpensive to take a four year course at a school. Deciding to work on a film making crew as an intern, will be one of the best choices for you, if you have no experience in the film making industry and want to rub elbows and make contact with people who know the business inside and out, and they may be able to point you in the right direction. You will even find that some production companies will pay their interns minimum wage.

Investing your talent and know how in an internship will build your resume and network so that down the road you will be hired for the position you desire. You may want to intern more than once to really add to the experience on your resume. This is not a free ride for you, you must show the film maker that you are serious about working on the film, and are up for the position. Do network with the crew to aid you in finding a paying job after your internship is through.

If you find the work too grueling, the hours too long, and you just aren’t getting in the swing of things as you should be, maybe it is good that you learned this early. Above all, no matter how new you are to the film making business, always act in a professional manner and you will find you will be on your way to a great career.

So now you know a little bit about Film Making. Even if you don’t know everything, you’ve done something worthwhile: you’ve expanded your knowledge.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you’ll find that the subject of Film Making is certainly no exception.

In this day and age, anyone can become a film maker with a bit of knowledge about the film making industry. Where the new film makers are concerned, the crew with the best equipment is the crew they want. If the man with the camera has a brand the film maker is familiar with he may just get the job. No matter the operators ability or experience, the camera operator’s abilities come up after the fact.

The production sound mixer, also called the video tech, is usually the one who will keep the camera man in line. He is also responsible for capturing the sound and he is expected to be close to perfect at this. The most important aspect of hiring a sound man is whether he has the right radio microphones.

Production companies feel that these two are the only crew they need and the cameraman has to negotiate to get a crew of at least five, they have to negotiate to gain approval in the budget. They are clueless about how many people are needed on the crew.

Once the crew has succeeded in getting a few more people hired on, they find they need to educate others. The crew needs to know what the next shot will be and not what they will be shooting next week. Many new directors do not understand how to just explain the next shot. Without the information the crew does not know what to do next.

When the film maker has made any changes, they need to include the sound mixer in the explanation. The gaffer, assistant cameraman, and the grip can get instruction from the cameraman, but the sound mixer needs to know what direction he is going in to get the best sound. If the sound mixer is not kept in the loop, there will be many delays.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

The crew needs to see a rehearsal of the scene before they actually shoot it. New film makers tend to think that skipping rehearsals will make up for lost time. The crew really needs to see the rehearsal to see how they will shoot the scene. This is very important to make sure the lighting, sound mikes, and focus are right. Some new film makers want to roll the tape anyway, although even the stars don’t understand entirely what they are supposed to do. The crew can see that rolling tape at this particular time is a complete waste.

Good scenes don’t happen by themselves, but many new film makers wait for everything to become clear once the camera is rolling. The foreground and background action needs to be tried and gotten right before the shots will be great ones. Looking at the script will not make it happen, the crew needs direction.

The film maker needs to tell the cameramen and sound mixer when to roll and when to cut. They need to be clear about this, when they are satisfied with the shot. The crew hears action before they hear roll camera, much too often. With video tape, there is a slight delay between the time the cameraman starts the machine and it is ready to record the action. You will need to record several seconds of lead film for the tape to be edited effectively later on.

Cut is the word the cameraman wants to hear when they stop rolling. Some film makers don’t say cut until they have had a long talk with the cameraman. The crew needs to hear the word cut so they will know when the take is over.

There are other peeves that a crew has with novice film makers, but there are too many to continue in this article. The best bet for any novice film maker is to get feedback from their crew so that everyone knows what to expect from each other.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his Perpetual20 affiliate site for great bonuses: Perpetual 20

This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding Film Making. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about Film Making.

There are several choices when it comes to film making schools. At the Los Angeles Film School, you will learn the art of film making by actually making a film. Your first week you will be handling a camera, and by the time you are ready to graduate you will have made many films during the span of a year.

The Los Angeles Film School campus is located in the heart of Hollywood. Where better to learn film making than in the town that made it famous. You will learn film making on the corner of Vine and Sunset where the school is located. You will be only a few steps away from The Kodak Theater, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The LA Film School boasts a faculty of Hollywood professionals who have credits on films like Spider-Man, The Matrix, and Blade Runner. They bring with them their years of experience to help you become the best film maker possible. You will be taught directing, producing, screenwriting, the art of cinematography, production design, everything they believe will be useful in the career of a film maker.

While experience and location are important, the curriculum is of the latest in technological film production. This state-of-the-art curriculum in film making is one of a kind and cannot be found anywhere else. This school is the best place to begin a career in film production.

The members of the faculty are the current film makers, the students, the film makers of the future. It is the mission of the LA Film School to send the next generation of film makers into the industry full of self-confidence in their abilities, a sense of excellence, and a passion for movie making.

Think about what you’ve read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about Film Making? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?

The five biggest reasons to attend the Los Angeles Film School are:

1. The small class size and a hands-on environment.
2. The faculty of professional film makers that are devoted to teaching the craft.
3. The state-of-the-art facilities.
4. You will keep all rights to any films you make.
5. The reasonable cost of your education.

The school is located in the heart of Hollywood, and is surrounded by the major motion picture studios and the film industry business. You will be within walking distance of many of the studios you have, until now, only dreamed about working for.

While no film school will guarantee you a permanent job when you graduate, you will get to know your instructors who ARE the film making business. They will be able to give you instruction on the best way to go about breaking into the film making business. Your instructors want you to succeed by teaching you everything you need to be able to develop a career in the film making industry.

Not only will you be in the thick of things when it comes to the film making business, you will learn how to approach major production agencies. By the time you leave the LA Film School, you will know the business inside and out, not to mention have more than a few films that will show what kind of a film maker you can be.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his Perpetual20 affiliate site for great bonuses: Perpetual 20

This site can put you in touch with a course that will teach you film making without going to school. This DVD course is taught by 15 Emmy, Telly, and Cine award winning Hollywood film maker Jason J. Tomaric. He spent over 2 years developing this ideal film instruction course. He uses his film- “Time and Again” as a case study for the 5.5 hour interactive DVD that will take you through the entire film making process.

He has taught at film schools throughout the nation, including the New York Film Academy, and Ucla, and will take you to the set of his film. Your instructors will be the professional film makers who worked on the film. There is certainly no boring instruction on this DVD set, and you will be shown how to make a Hollywood caliber movie on a very small budget.

The advice and guidance you will glean from this DVD series is easy to follow, and no serious student of film making should be without it. Everything the novice film maker needs to know can be found on this series. These quality production values are available to anyone who has ever wanted to be a film maker.

You will learn everything about directing, casting, writing, cinematography, producing, editing and much more. This set includes a CD-ROM with all of the storyboards, scripts, industry resource guides, and contracts. There is even unabridged footage that you can practice editing at home. You will also receive in-depth interviews with cast, crew and other important people on the film.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

First you will watch the film “Time and Again”, and then move on to Disc 2. This has over 30 chapters in 5 units over 5.5 hours. These cover the film making process from start to finish. Disc 3 contains the actual script with notes from the director himself. You will also receive templates to use for your own projects.

The Producer’s Notebook is a tool that will show you the paper structure you will need to make a great movie on a small budget. This includes:

* Directors notes and Shooting Script.
* Storyboards.
* Contracts with crew, cast and locations.
* Breakdown of the scenes.
* Call Sheets.
* Camera Logs
* Industry resource guides from, Panavision, Apple Computer, Arri, Audio-Technica, Lowel, Matthews Studio Equipment on lighting, editing, camera gear, and more.

You will also receive a 270 page Production Manual, full of tips you need to know, diagrams, resources, tricks, and charts. This manual will tell you everything you need to know about film making, and covers everything from insurance, acting, directing, editing, distribution, fund raising, and budgeting.

If you want to know more about this great DVD on film making, or you would like to order the DVD set you can find it all at: Filmschoolondvd.com. You will learn film making from the best and never need to set foot in a film school. Better yet, you will learn at your own pace how to become a great film maker.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his soon to be top ranked Perpetual20 affiliate site: Perpetual 20

The following article lists some simple, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with Film Making.

Every film maker will reach a crossroad when they must make a decision on whether they want a full-blown career as a film maker, or they prefer to make films as a hobby. This decision usually depends upon the film makers ability to fund or finance their own projects. Most film makers do not think about financing future projects, they usually have all of their attention on the work at hand. Any film maker needs to acquire a knowledge of what it means to be a professional film maker, and how film investment works.

There will be plenty of people who want to give you advice and take advantage of your ignorance on these matters. While there are many legitimate companies, there are also those that will try to rook you out of the money you have earmarked for your film making project. A legitimate organization will not promise you they can get you a list of potential investors. The interest in your project will determine whether it should be presented to investors, not good fortune at running across a group of investors by chance.

The legitimate consultants know that there is no money to be made in the few hundred dollars many producers can afford to pay for their services. Serious financial consultants don’t even want a percentage of the funds earmarked for your project. While they will charge you fees for their services, their goal is to see that your project succeed and find distribution. You will want your consultant to think of accumulated interest on the money borrowed over the course of production, and other aspects of the financial end of the project.

The most difficult thing about this will be to convince a legitimate producer’s financial consultant to become involved with your project. The investor is the key to this, you need to find someone who is willing to invest in a high-risk film making project. You will need to know the investing criteria from the point of view of the investor. Below are a few film investing basics.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

- A film investor will usually put up about 50% of the total film cost. The film producer is responsible for the other 50%.

- 30% to 40% should be enough to get most films made, depending on whether you will be able to convince other end users to buy into the plan.

- The investor will want to keep the budgets for the film project as low as possible. Foreign sales should be enough to cover at least 50%.

- An investment of $5 million should allow an investor to buy into several films.

It can be quite difficult for the independent film maker to gain financing. Another idea on financing your film making project is the idea of grant awards. There are many out there who will give an award to film makers who are excited about, and believe in, their film project. You will find them by doing a search for film making grants. Make sure you become knowledgeable about each grant, as they all have different criteria for the grant giving process.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his Perpetual20 affiliate site for great bonuses: Perpetual 20

Do you ever feel like you know just enough about Film Making to be dangerous? Let’s see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from Film Making experts.

You may want to start out by producing your own film, if you are up to the task. It is a great burden to take on a project, especially when you are new to the business. If you can accomplish this, you will have a film you can show to display your commitment to a film making career.

Once you decide to produce your own film, you will need the resources to make your movie. A film grant is one way to get the funding for your film, but it can be difficult to get this type of grant. You will need to know how the process works when applying for a grant. There are different types of film grants, money, equipment, room and board, film, music, producing, screen writing, directing or a combination of any or all of the above.

Each grant giver has certain guidelines you must meet to qualify for their grant. Quite a few of them want you to produce a documentary of some type. Many of these grant projects have been given awards and are shown on television because they are so inspiring.

The purpose of these grants are designed to help film makers who are unable to get other funding. Others do not have the money to get into a good film school, but they have the talent. These grants create great film makers as well as wonderful films. Some grants allow film makers to get regular funding in the future, after they have shown what an excellent film maker they are.

Most of this information comes straight from the Film Making pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you’ll know what they know.

When a grant funder is considering a project to give to, they look for the passion the film maker has for the project. This is the most important point of consideration when reading a grant application. The film maker will carry this passion and dedication throughout the film making process, no matter how long it takes to finish the film.

The Guerilla Filmmaking Grant was designed to encourage creative, resourceful filmmaking for artists working outside of the “Hollywood industry”. Twice a year they award $1000 to produce, shoot, and edit a feature length film. The film maker has control over the look, feel and content of the film. A DVD release of the movie is included. The film maker keeps all rights to distribution. They also include Marketing Advice to help the film maker distribute and sell the movie. All film rights are retained by the film maker. Anyone in the world that is thinking of producing an English language feature film may apply for this grant.

You need to go to http://www.mediadarlings.org/filmgrant/ to check out the entire grant process of this grantor. You will find all of the information you need, and all of the guidelines you must go by to apply for this Guerilla Filmmaking Grant. If you have any questions you can contact them.

There are many places an independent film maker can apply for. Just type filmmaking grants into your favorite
search engine and you will see what I mean

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO