Taken from (http://www.vcu.edu/arts/playwriting/indietips.html).
If you're up for venturing into the world of independent film making, forget nearly everything you've ever seen from the Hollywood studio mills. If you loved TITANIC and the TERMINATOR epics, this Indie business is probably not your line of work.
But if -- deep in your soul -- you're still fascinated by playwriting and if you find yourself drawn to films coming out of Europe and occasionally Australia, here are a few tips for thinking in Indie terms . . .
* Keep Your Script to 90 Pages
Pages are money in Indie land, real money that you and your director will have to beg, borrow or max out on your credit cards. And 90 minutes is all you need to make it in this world.
* Rely on Character Centered Stories
Indie films are much closer to plays than Hollywood flics.
* Subtext is OK
The Indie world is open to Subtext in the way playwrights use it. These directors respect their audiences and credit them with the ability to understand something more complex that your typical Hollywood film.
* Back Away from What-Happens-Next
This still matters, but keep it at the much lower level of a Suspense Plot in playwriting.
* Use Only A Few Locations
Locations are money. The fewer you have, the less it will cost to produce the film. John Sayles' breakthrough film, RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS 7, used only about six locations. And at least 90% of the action took place inside a farmhouse.
* Be More Generous with Scene Length
Since Indie films tend to be character centered and rely on one primary location for much of the story, scenes can easily run three or four pages without anyone thinking you don't get it.
* Avoid Special Effects
These are death on Indie budgets. No buildings blowing up, no elaborate car chases, no underwater shots, no kids morphing into werewolves.
* Emphasize Interiors for Locations
It's money again. You save a lot by not having to lug all that camera and sound and lighting equipment from one location to another. It takes hours to set it up -- even for a scene of less than a page -- and while you're doing it, time on that clock at the equipment rental joint is flying by.
* Remember You're Writing as Part of a Team
It's you and the director working on this together. And it needs to be a real partnership.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Tips for Low-Budget Film Makers
Tips for Low-Budget Filmmakers
written by Mukesh Vidyasagar on Monday, November 10, 2003
Dov Simens' film courses launched the careers of Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino. Could you be next?
What's the most a high school dropout can accomplish? Not much, according to my high school principal and antagonist, Mr. Morse.
But after Quentin Tarantino dropped out of high school, the director forked over a few hundred dollars for Dov Simens' Audio Film School cassette tutorials. Then he went out and made "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction."
Dropping out of high school still isn't a good idea. However, if you dream of making it in Hollywood regardless of your education history, then you may want to think about attending Dov Simens' 2-Day Film School.
Simens visits "The Screen Savers" tonight to give expert tips for filmmakers working on a tight budget.
Quick tips from Dov Simens
Simens suggests the following rules of thumb for low-budget filmmakers. Visit Simens' 18-minute Film School site for more details and more tips.
* Use all the available resources
Contact your local film commissioner and get a local film directory. The directory includes phone numbers and contact info for local rental shops and film crews. You can find Simens' selection of books about everything from screenwriting to budgeting in Hollywood Film Institute's online bookstore.
* Work your idea into a treatment
Break your movie idea down into "Beginning," "Middle," and "End" segments and write a three-page treatment covering each part. Learn more about how to write a treatment on Simens' 18-minute Film School page.
* Protect your idea
Register your treatment with the Writers Guild of America for $20. It's also a good idea to copyright your treatment for $30 with the Library of Congress.
* Keep your script simple
Make it as close to a stage play as possible. Keep the number of actors, locations, and multimillion-dollar explosions to a minimum.
* Poor sound plagues many first film projects
For cheap films, it's more important to buy a good mic than a top-of-the-line camera. Don't use the external mic that comes with the camera. A dedicated, experienced soundman is a good investment. You can find sound and lighting experts in your local film directory.
* Learn how to buy digital videotape
Don't pay retail prices for DV tape. Do your research and find the best deals.
* Keep it short
Your low-budget script should be 90 pages max, which translates to a 90-minute running time.
* Be realistic with your budget
If you're lucky, you'll have access to $300,000 max for your first film project. The film/video format, shooting schedule, and decisions to rent or buy equipment depend heavily on your budget.
* ProductionHUB will help you find experienced crew members for your project.
* The Writers Store is a great source for screenwriting software, books, and supplies.
* Find tape, equipment, and other supplies at Studio Depot.
written by Mukesh Vidyasagar on Monday, November 10, 2003
Dov Simens' film courses launched the careers of Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino. Could you be next?
What's the most a high school dropout can accomplish? Not much, according to my high school principal and antagonist, Mr. Morse.
But after Quentin Tarantino dropped out of high school, the director forked over a few hundred dollars for Dov Simens' Audio Film School cassette tutorials. Then he went out and made "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction."
Dropping out of high school still isn't a good idea. However, if you dream of making it in Hollywood regardless of your education history, then you may want to think about attending Dov Simens' 2-Day Film School.
Simens visits "The Screen Savers" tonight to give expert tips for filmmakers working on a tight budget.
Quick tips from Dov Simens
Simens suggests the following rules of thumb for low-budget filmmakers. Visit Simens' 18-minute Film School site for more details and more tips.
* Use all the available resources
Contact your local film commissioner and get a local film directory. The directory includes phone numbers and contact info for local rental shops and film crews. You can find Simens' selection of books about everything from screenwriting to budgeting in Hollywood Film Institute's online bookstore.
* Work your idea into a treatment
Break your movie idea down into "Beginning," "Middle," and "End" segments and write a three-page treatment covering each part. Learn more about how to write a treatment on Simens' 18-minute Film School page.
* Protect your idea
Register your treatment with the Writers Guild of America for $20. It's also a good idea to copyright your treatment for $30 with the Library of Congress.
* Keep your script simple
Make it as close to a stage play as possible. Keep the number of actors, locations, and multimillion-dollar explosions to a minimum.
* Poor sound plagues many first film projects
For cheap films, it's more important to buy a good mic than a top-of-the-line camera. Don't use the external mic that comes with the camera. A dedicated, experienced soundman is a good investment. You can find sound and lighting experts in your local film directory.
* Learn how to buy digital videotape
Don't pay retail prices for DV tape. Do your research and find the best deals.
* Keep it short
Your low-budget script should be 90 pages max, which translates to a 90-minute running time.
* Be realistic with your budget
If you're lucky, you'll have access to $300,000 max for your first film project. The film/video format, shooting schedule, and decisions to rent or buy equipment depend heavily on your budget.
* ProductionHUB will help you find experienced crew members for your project.
* The Writers Store is a great source for screenwriting software, books, and supplies.
* Find tape, equipment, and other supplies at Studio Depot.
"The Most Low-Budget Film Ever Made"
This blog is for all the indie film makers. Beginners and people that have been doing this a while and know some "tricks". There is no budget, all that matters is your creativity. Send us some footage if you have some, and we'll post it!
"The Film Look"
Doug Graham
Doug Graham
Panda Productions
This edition © Doug Graham and Creativecow.net. All rights reserved.
Article Focus:
It seems that at least once a week someone asks the question, "How can I make my video look more like film?" In this article, Doug Graham puts forth a few pointers that might make your next job a little easier.
This is another one of those articles that was inspired by laziness. About once a week someone asks the question, “How can I make my video look like film?” on one of the video forums I frequent. I want to be able to point them to an article instead of having to re-write the same information over and over again!
A couple of caveats before we start: First, you CAN’T make your video look like film, not really. They are two different mediums, and they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. You can make your video look “more like” film, but it’s never going to really look the same. If you want a real “film look”, shoot real film. Second, I am not the inventor of most of these suggestions, I am merely their anthologist. These tips come from media experts from all over the Web, and/or trade magazines. Thanks to all of you…and of course, any errors are my own fault, not yours!
In The Beginning, there was light. Light is the start of the whole image-making process, and to get the best possible “film look” you should start here, before a single photon reaches your CCDs. Light your video scene like a film setup…but take into account video’s narrower contrast range. Note how many films are lit “low key”, with a great deal of shadowing in the picture, and only a few highlights. This is different from most video work, which is lit “high key”, with few shadows. Pay attention to making shadows with your lighting setups.
She’s So Shallow. Many film shots have a very shallow depth of field, throwing the background and/or foreground out of focus. This is harder to achieve with a camcorder, but if you use a neutral density filter, open up your lens (go to a low f-stop number), and work at the telephoto end of your zoom range, you can get a shallower depth of field.
Softly…Softly. Video cameras, especially consumer camcorders, add a lot of electronic sharpening to the image, which contributes to the “video look”. Reduce the sharpening done by your camera, if you have an adjustment for it. If not (or in addition), use a softening filter, such as a Tiffen Black Pro Mist. Low strengths are generally more useful, such as _ or 1. Some shooters like to stretch a piece cut from a pair of panty hose between the rear of their lens and the camera body, for the same purpose.
That Warm Glow. Film often has a very “warm” tone to it, as opposed to video, which can look quite “cool”. This is more or less pronounced, depending on which camera you’re using. You can warm up the picture by white balancing through a slightly blue-tinted gel, or using a blue-tinted calibration card such as those made by WarmCards (http://www.warmcards.com)
On The Big Screen. Shooting for widescreen display can make your video look more “theatrical”. Many camcorders do have a “widescreen” mode, but most of these simply mask off part of the imaging area, costing you resolution. Unless your camera is specifically designed to shoot widescreen video, like the Sony DSR-500, get an anamorphic lens adapter to “squish” your image, then “stretch” it out in editing.
Steady As She Goes. One hallmark of film images is the steadiness of the camera. Most films are shot with elaborate camera supports – tripods, cranes, dollies, and Steadycam rigs. The point of all this is to avoid calling attention to the camera itself by its motion. You should strive for the same sort of steady shots. The MTV “hand held shakycam” look is not very “filmic”. While we’re at it, don’t zoom. Film camera lenses don’t generally have a zoom ability, so zooming is a giveaway that the material was shot by a video camera.
Sounds Good To Me. Good audio is half, or even more, of a good video or film. If you don’t think so, try watching your favorite film with the sound turned off. Filmmakers pay a great deal of attention to audio, and the final audio mix has very little to do with what was captured during the shooting of the film. There is dialog re-recording, Foley (sound effects), music, “sweetening”, and mixing.
Video Cameras With a “Film Look” Mode. You can use all of the above tips no matter what camera you’re shooting with. But some cameras can help you get closer to a “film look” via technology. In the prosumer/low end pro arena, the top contenders in this area are the Canon XL1s and GL2, with their 30 frame per second “Frame Movie Mode”, and the Panasonic AG-DVX-100, with its various 24 frame per second progressive (24p) modes. These cameras produce image sequences that are closer to the “look” of 24 fps film than ordinary 60 fields per second, interlaced NTSC video.
We’ll Fix It In Post. If you haven’t done some or all of the things we’ve already talked about to get closer to a “film look”, then tweaking the footage in post production isn’t going to do you a whole lot of good. Think of it as the “final touch” rather than the main event. There are several “film look” software packages available, either stand-alone programs or plugins for After Effects, such as “Grain Surgery”. But all of these are relatively expensive. Here’s a technique developed by Shawn Bockoven, a video engineer and filmmaker in Sacramento, that’ll only cost you a little rendering time. The description below is a short outline of the technique. For a full run-down, check out this link.
First, color correct your footage. If you have Final Cut Pro, you have a handy gamma correction filter that works wonders with one click. Otherwise, use your NLE’s color correction tools to give a warm look, add a bit of saturation, and extend the range of tones in the low end (shadows and blacks). When you’re satisfied, make a copy of this clip. De-interlace the copy. Place the copy directly above the original clip in the timeline, and apply a transparency of between 30-50% or so.
Edit It Like Film. With the increasing use of CGI and digital effects, the world of film is beginning to see a few more transitions, other than the traditional cut and the occasional dissolve. But the cut is still king. You should use it for almost all your edits, if you want to “look like film”.
All right, I’m done. I hope these tips will help you to shoot video that has more of a “film look”. Good luck at the next film festival!
###Doug Graham
Doug Graham
Panda Productions
This edition © Doug Graham and Creativecow.net. All rights reserved.
Article Focus:
It seems that at least once a week someone asks the question, "How can I make my video look more like film?" In this article, Doug Graham puts forth a few pointers that might make your next job a little easier.
This is another one of those articles that was inspired by laziness. About once a week someone asks the question, “How can I make my video look like film?” on one of the video forums I frequent. I want to be able to point them to an article instead of having to re-write the same information over and over again!
A couple of caveats before we start: First, you CAN’T make your video look like film, not really. They are two different mediums, and they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. You can make your video look “more like” film, but it’s never going to really look the same. If you want a real “film look”, shoot real film. Second, I am not the inventor of most of these suggestions, I am merely their anthologist. These tips come from media experts from all over the Web, and/or trade magazines. Thanks to all of you…and of course, any errors are my own fault, not yours!
In The Beginning, there was light. Light is the start of the whole image-making process, and to get the best possible “film look” you should start here, before a single photon reaches your CCDs. Light your video scene like a film setup…but take into account video’s narrower contrast range. Note how many films are lit “low key”, with a great deal of shadowing in the picture, and only a few highlights. This is different from most video work, which is lit “high key”, with few shadows. Pay attention to making shadows with your lighting setups.
She’s So Shallow. Many film shots have a very shallow depth of field, throwing the background and/or foreground out of focus. This is harder to achieve with a camcorder, but if you use a neutral density filter, open up your lens (go to a low f-stop number), and work at the telephoto end of your zoom range, you can get a shallower depth of field.
Softly…Softly. Video cameras, especially consumer camcorders, add a lot of electronic sharpening to the image, which contributes to the “video look”. Reduce the sharpening done by your camera, if you have an adjustment for it. If not (or in addition), use a softening filter, such as a Tiffen Black Pro Mist. Low strengths are generally more useful, such as _ or 1. Some shooters like to stretch a piece cut from a pair of panty hose between the rear of their lens and the camera body, for the same purpose.
That Warm Glow. Film often has a very “warm” tone to it, as opposed to video, which can look quite “cool”. This is more or less pronounced, depending on which camera you’re using. You can warm up the picture by white balancing through a slightly blue-tinted gel, or using a blue-tinted calibration card such as those made by WarmCards (http://www.warmcards.com)
On The Big Screen. Shooting for widescreen display can make your video look more “theatrical”. Many camcorders do have a “widescreen” mode, but most of these simply mask off part of the imaging area, costing you resolution. Unless your camera is specifically designed to shoot widescreen video, like the Sony DSR-500, get an anamorphic lens adapter to “squish” your image, then “stretch” it out in editing.
Steady As She Goes. One hallmark of film images is the steadiness of the camera. Most films are shot with elaborate camera supports – tripods, cranes, dollies, and Steadycam rigs. The point of all this is to avoid calling attention to the camera itself by its motion. You should strive for the same sort of steady shots. The MTV “hand held shakycam” look is not very “filmic”. While we’re at it, don’t zoom. Film camera lenses don’t generally have a zoom ability, so zooming is a giveaway that the material was shot by a video camera.
Sounds Good To Me. Good audio is half, or even more, of a good video or film. If you don’t think so, try watching your favorite film with the sound turned off. Filmmakers pay a great deal of attention to audio, and the final audio mix has very little to do with what was captured during the shooting of the film. There is dialog re-recording, Foley (sound effects), music, “sweetening”, and mixing.
Video Cameras With a “Film Look” Mode. You can use all of the above tips no matter what camera you’re shooting with. But some cameras can help you get closer to a “film look” via technology. In the prosumer/low end pro arena, the top contenders in this area are the Canon XL1s and GL2, with their 30 frame per second “Frame Movie Mode”, and the Panasonic AG-DVX-100, with its various 24 frame per second progressive (24p) modes. These cameras produce image sequences that are closer to the “look” of 24 fps film than ordinary 60 fields per second, interlaced NTSC video.
We’ll Fix It In Post. If you haven’t done some or all of the things we’ve already talked about to get closer to a “film look”, then tweaking the footage in post production isn’t going to do you a whole lot of good. Think of it as the “final touch” rather than the main event. There are several “film look” software packages available, either stand-alone programs or plugins for After Effects, such as “Grain Surgery”. But all of these are relatively expensive. Here’s a technique developed by Shawn Bockoven, a video engineer and filmmaker in Sacramento, that’ll only cost you a little rendering time. The description below is a short outline of the technique. For a full run-down, check out this link.
First, color correct your footage. If you have Final Cut Pro, you have a handy gamma correction filter that works wonders with one click. Otherwise, use your NLE’s color correction tools to give a warm look, add a bit of saturation, and extend the range of tones in the low end (shadows and blacks). When you’re satisfied, make a copy of this clip. De-interlace the copy. Place the copy directly above the original clip in the timeline, and apply a transparency of between 30-50% or so.
Edit It Like Film. With the increasing use of CGI and digital effects, the world of film is beginning to see a few more transitions, other than the traditional cut and the occasional dissolve. But the cut is still king. You should use it for almost all your edits, if you want to “look like film”.
All right, I’m done. I hope these tips will help you to shoot video that has more of a “film look”. Good luck at the next film festival!
###Doug Graham
Sunday, January 18, 2009
"Nurse Life" a Do-It-Yourself Movie
"Nurse Life" is a D.I.Y movie, that was published on YouTube. Many do-it-yourself artists are finding a comforting spot for themselves on the world wide web. YouTube can help to promote your movie. You never know who is watching. I will warn you a head of time, that this movie is in Chinese, but still, if you do not know Chinese, look at all you can learn from the visuals of this D.I.Y film.
Realistic Movie Fog
Wanting fog in your movie? How do you make fog? What are the tools you will need? Is it easy? Hard? In this video, we have a tutorial from Indy Film Mogul, to show us how to make realistic movie fog.
How to Use a "C-Stand"
C-Stands are handy to have around. A C-Stand can be used for rigging a light, holding a boom pole or shot gun mic and positioning show card. This video shows us how to use a C-Stand.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
