Extremefilmmaker's 11th Annual 48 Hour Film Festival!

The screening date will be announced soon and will take place at the Hollywood Arclight Cinemas.

The Basics of Filmmaking

By John F.K. Parenteau

The Technology

Own a computer? Know someone who does? Have access to a video camera? Then you're halfway to the tools to make a film. There are two major areas you need to cover to get a film done; shooting and editing. The easiest method in today's technology rich environment is gaining access to a newer Apple Macintosh computer and any type of mini-DV camera. The two are designed to work together well, and from the I-Mac on, Apple has shipped a small yet powerful piece of software, called I-Movie, that will accomplish most editing tasks. With a simple Firewire cable that connects the two together, you're home free. See your Apple computer manual for details, or go to www.Apple.com.

If you don't have access to a Macintosh, or a DV camera, there are still many ways to accomplish the task. First, finding a camera should be fairly simple, depending on what you are looking for. Don't feel like you have to go and buy one, either! Just ask around and you'll be surprised at how many people can loan you one. Make sure you take into account where you'll be editing and what type of system, so that you can definitely get from the camera to the editor with relative ease. There's nothing worse than shooting your project then discovering you can't edit it! Second, once you acquire your footage with a camera, you'll need to digitize it into the computer, using some type of capture card. For example, Pinnacle Systems (www.Pinnaclesys.com) makes a complete capture, fx, titling and editing solution for your PC at around $130. Both less and more expensive systems are available, and many have different features, so shop carefully. The two biggest issues to look out for is ensuring the capture system can capture at a full 640 x 480 image resolution, so that you can fill a standard television set, and that it can capture from YOUR camera. The specifications will outline these items.

Shooting Your Project

Coming up with your idea may be easy, but knowing how to shoot it can be difficult. Though some filmmakers chose to either edit in camera or shoot in a single long take, if you want to do it like the real professionals, there are a few basics to understand. First, make sure you write out your idea. It doesn't have to be in any official script form, but it's good to have a hard copy of your idea to share with any helpers or actors. It's the truest example of getting "everybody on the same page!" Second, sit down for a couple hours, a few days before shooting (the sooner the better), and imagine in your head how your film will look once it's edited. Write down how you see it line by line. For example, your script starts with a big shot of the city, then cuts to a close-up of someone's hands playing with poker chips. Then you want to see their face, etc. Write it down like that so you know what you have to shoot. This gives you a guide for many things, such as what props you might need, who is in each scene and considerations of how you are going to shoot it.

Often, a scene may start with a wide shot of the characters, then you imagine cutting into a close-up of one actor, for a particular line, then going back to the wide shot. Like the pros, you would want to shoot the entire scene from the wide shot, then move the camera for the close-up of one actor, and have him or her re-act the scene once more. In editing, you can then chose WHEN you want to cut to that close-up. If you do it on set, you are committed to that cut! A note to remember: Make sure that you and the actors remember the particulars of their action if you shoot this way. For example, if in the wide shot, they lifted the cards with their left hand, make sure they do that in the close-up, or the cards will look like they jumped from one had to the other!

Cutting Your Project

Once you've shot and digitized your footage, you have to figure out how to put it all together. With your script or outline you did before your shoot, you have a fairly good idea of how it goes together. But remember that there are no rules in filmmaking, and in editing this goes twice! The film has been shot and exists as a series of images. You, as the editor, can put it together anyway you want to achieve your goal. Don't feel like you need to follow your original outline to the letter. You may WANT to, but you don't HAVE to! Feel free to be creative and make some dramatic and creative adjustments. Remember, you are working in the digital environment. Nothing you do is permanent until you put it to tape, so take some chances and see what you end up with, but save often!

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