Finally, it is time. You have your script ready and approved. You have your camera ready to film and take your first steps into the world of the film industry. And you probably would think this is all you need, but there are still important open ends to begin your journey. With this article, we will try to give you a compact image of the fascinating world of professional film production.
As any filmmaker can tell you, the production crew plays a significant role in the success of your film. This is probably the most important tip of this piece! Once you have your screenplay ready you need to get together a team with experience in film production, familiar with ups and downs of the industry, as well as story-boarding, sound design, casting, location and studio services.
Of course, filmmaking can seem intimidating which is actually an understatement. Once entering the film industry, a professional helping hand is a must. For instance, identifying the best location for your film, finding all the necessary equipment, getting your camera equipment ready, putting a storyboard together: these are only minor parts of the road you are about to take.
If you are a beginner in the field, you will find these tips useful. They might help you focus on the priorities and to stay away from any distraction.
This is going to be great!
Know your Camera and Hire a Professional Cameraperson
If you are your own cameraperson, then you have the responsibility of using the most and the best of your camera. Learn all its possibilities and work with the right settings for the accurate shooting. If you have the benefit of hiring a cameraperson, then do not economize on the pay! Get the best professional you can.
Make Sure Your Lens is the Best You Can Have
Different lenses have different visual characteristics. The short lenses are known to give you more depth of field, meaning, all objects are in focus, from the foreground to the very background. Use a short lens when you want to hold the camera steady. A longer lens, on the other hand, can be effective if you want to have your subject in focus and leave the rest of the image, especially the background, out of focus.
Be Gentle with Zooming and Panning
Once we get a hold of the camera and start shooting, we start zooming and panning whenever we think is necessary, to draw the attention on the subject further away in the shot. That is not pleasant for the eye! Try to think twice before working with that zoom button on your camera. Ask these questions to yourself: do you really need to zoom or pan in this scene? Do you really need a closer shot on that subject? Or are you just playing around with zooming and panning? Remember that some directors such as Alfred Hitchcock have shot entire feature films without zooming or panning. You can stop shooting anytime, move your camera closer to the subject and carry on the recording. Keep in mind that you always have the option to edit by the end of shooting the videos.
Shooting the videos holds an important part in the final result. More than 70% of the impact your film is going to have on the audience, depends on the visual side, naturally! So why destruct everything just because the cameraperson is a beginner and does not have proper knowledge of their camera. Get the best possible camera and work with the most professional cameraperson available for you. Do not make a mistake by economizing.
Basic Lighting Setup
What you see on camera while shooting is actually reflected light. You need to get a lighting kit. The improvement in your video quality is guaranteed, and you feel like you just upgraded your camera. Good lighting brings better quality to your video material, which you will comprehend during the editing process. The least to get is a basic lighting setup which includes a key light placed close to the camera, a fill light, aimed at the subject and set up behind the camera, and a backlight, behind the subject. When shooting outdoors, you would rather shoot in the shade, but use a reflector to add some punch.
Video Editor Completes the Final Result: Shoot Materials for Professional Editing
A professional shooter always has in mind that whatever they are shooting at the moment is to be edited later on. Also, if the video editor is not on the shooting set, then he will need to have a clear image of what the filming crew on the set actually wants to get as a final result! For instance, if you are shooting a dialog about horse riding, you better have extra materials shot for that conversation. But if your camera is just to move forward and backward, zoom-in and zoom-out, then a boring edited material is guaranteed.
Make sure that you take into account that the lighting, coloring, and all video shots are under the same format, before starting the next shooting. You do not want to have a piece of material with each shot different from the others.
A professional video editor is someone who will sit with the scriptwriter, with the director and the cameraperson before the essential filming starts, to know what the filming crew actually wants to get out of all the work done!
A Final but Important Tip
A professional shooter always has in mind that whatever they are shooting at the moment is to be edited later on. Also, if the video editor is not on the shooting set, then he will need to have a clear image of what the filming crew on the set actually wants to get as a final result! For instance, if you are shooting a dialog about horse riding, you better have extra materials shot for that conversation. But if your camera is just to move forward and backward, zoom-in and zoom-out, then a boring edited material is guaranteed.
Make sure that you take into account that the lighting, coloring, and all video shots are under the same format, before starting the next shooting. You do not want to have a piece of material with each shot different from the others.
A professional video editor is someone who will sit with the scriptwriter, with the director and the cameraperson before the essential filming starts, to know what the filming crew actually wants to get out of all the work done!
