Filmmaking Basics

by Bob Gillen

  Film Project Roles

  Your crew will have the opportunity to take on various roles in the production process. You can assign the roles, or call for volunteers. Either way has its pros and cons. Volunteers will often move toward the roles they feel most comfortable with. They will be enthusiastic about doing the job, but they may not challenge themselves adequately.

  You may try both. Call for volunteers initially, then do assignments later for the next project.

  Here are the basic roles involved in production:

  Director: the director literally calls the shots. She has the vision to set up scenes, move actors or talent through those scenes, and coordinate the rest of the crew.

  Cinematographer: this person is responsible for the look of the film. On a small project, cinematographer and camera operator or director may be the same person.

  Writer: the writer puts the words on paper. He is responsible for creating a story and crafting that story step by step from beginning to end.

  Producer: the producer normally pulls together all the financial and team resources necessary to get a project off the ground and move it through to completion. For a beginner’s project, this role can be that of a supervising producer, one who organizes everyone and keeps the project on schedule. This person can, for example, send out call sheets, emails or tweets to the rest of the project reminding them of what is needed for the next day’s shoot.

  Actor/On Air Talent: this role is critical to carrying off a project. The audience sees only those on screen. If they see any less-than-serious acting, they will not respect the project.

  Editor: the editor brings it all together, stays faithful to the vision of the project, and adds pacing, sound effects and music to finish the project.

  Sound Engineer: the sound person captures good sound. Basic but very important. The job must be taken seriously.

  Sound Designer: in a professional film project, this person creates sound elements that accompany screen action, shaping the complexity of dialogue, Foley and sound effects, and overall soundtrack dynamics.

  Camera Operator: this person becomes the eyes of the director. She captures what the director sees.

  Set Designer: the set designer creates a pleasing and appropriate setting for the scene/project. The location should be appropriate to the story, the set attractive, yet not intrusive.

  Make-up Artist: this person works with hair and make-up, helping the actor or talent look good on camera. Neat hair, good skin tone, no shine from oily skin.

  Costumer: the costumer dresses the actor/talent appropriately for the scene. It may be coordinating what actors have in their own closets, or perhaps getting some outfits at a thrift shop. Research will be required if the story or scene involves an historical period.

  Production Assistant/Crew: the crew does everything necessary. This means carrying and setting up equipment, coordinating schedules, arranging lights, moving set pieces, laying out cables and finding electrical outlets or power sources.

  Script Supervisor: this person will keep track of the shots done in a day’s work, make notes on what shots were the best, monitor continuity, make sure the script is adhered to, prompt the actor when needed, and maybe run any prompter device.

  Continuity

  Continuity refers to a consistent look from shot to shot and scene to scene within your project. This job often falls to the script supervisor, who will make notes in the script as the shooting progresses. If your prom princess wears a corsage on her left wrist in scenes on the way to the prom, and then in subsequent scenes has the corsage on her right wrist, continuity has been broken. If there’s a reason, show it or explain it. Otherwise, pay attention to details. Your audience will notice.

  Production Book

  The production book is your way of keeping a film project organized and on schedule. Ask for one or two volunteers to maintain the project’s book.

  Every production book should contain the following:

  Treatment (a written summary of the story)

  Final script

  Photocopies of talent headshots (optional here)

  Production calendar

  Forms for different steps in production

  Release forms

  Copies of role assignments

  Names and contact information for all the cast and crew

  Troubleshooting Tips

  Digital troubleshooting involves fewer cables. Understanding how to use the correct connectors will get your crew through most problems. If you encounter problems, trace the signal path. If you’re not picking up audio, for example, it’s usually a loose connection or a cable inserted in the wrong port.

  Then review camera settings. If your shot is overexposed, did you set white balance properly? Was your subject backlit?

  Using a monitor for digital cameras, whether indoors or in the field, gives your team the advantage of having more than one pair of eyes monitoring each shot.

  A sound person should catch any errors or problems before you finish the shoot, when you can correct the issue. Not afterwards in the edit room, when it’s too late. In fact, the sound person should have enough confidence to say “cut” if the audio is poor.

  Making the Difference -

  Learn Filmmaking by Observation

  Observe a film shoot if you can. Movie shoots occur all over the country. Contact your city or state film commission. They’re the ones who hand out permits for filming. They may be able to direct you to local shoots.

  Productions sometimes accommodate visitors, especially on outdoor locations. Ask for the first or second AD (Assistant Director) when you get to the location. This is usually the person who yells “Rolling” or quiets the set just before the camera rolls. Tell him or her you’re a filmmaker and you’d like to observe.

  Movie set etiquette rules:

  Stay out of the shot (watch where the camera is pointed)

  Be silent when the AD calls “cameras rolling”

  Turn off cell phones

  Don’t take photos or video when the cameras are rolling

  Don’t talk to the crew and actors unless they speak to you first

  And please, if you recognize an actor, do not ask for an autograph. That’s just not cool!

  When we say, observe the shoot, we mean stay long enough to see what’s really going on. Watch the crew set up lights and scrims for each shot. Watch how they work to control the lighting. See how the sound person holds the mic boom pole and works to keep the mic out of the shot. Observe how actor movement is blocked.

  Watch the hair and make-up people. Try to observe what they’re touching up and why. Take note of how the set and prop people arrange the scenes.

  Don’t hesitate to take notes. It will help you later in your own work.

  If you’re quiet enough, and observant enough, you may have a chance to chat with a few of the crew. Ask what they do and why. Tell them about your own work, if they can spare the time.

  DVD and Online Resources

  You can learn a great deal by watching some of the special features that many websites and movie DVDs offer. One excellent resource, Baz Luhrmann’s Set to Screen, can be found on Apple’s iTunes website. Set to Screen is a series of ten free video podcasts featuring behind-the-scenes descriptions of the filming of the movie Australia. The series covers a range of topics: camera, production design, editing, sound design and location.

  We’ll refer to this series frequently throughout this book. You can download the podcasts and show your crew these documentaries periodically through the project.

  The DVD of Pixar’s animated film Finding Nemo features an interview with the movie’s director, Andrew Stanton. He talks about taking many of the film’s animators to the Caribbean to go scuba diving. He wanted them to spend time under water observing how fish moved about in the water. This helped them create more realistic animated movements when they went back to their drawing boards (computers!).

  Watch some popular movies, either in the theater
or later when they come out on DVD or TV. Watch the camera movements. Look for the use of wide shots or close-ups. Why does the director choose the shots? How do they follow the action with the camera? Watch a few episodes of The West Wing, for example, to observe camera movements, scene transitions, and lighting. View a few clips with your team. Share with them what you like about the camera work, the look of the film, the sharp dialogue, the pacing of the edit.

  Go to YouTube and do the same. You should be able to find a few examples of good film work on YouTube. Look for some bad film work, too. Show both to your crew and discuss the differences, if you have the time.

  Applications for Prospective Team

  Some will volunteer for your crew because they love film, or editing, or acting. Others will want to join simply because they feel “it would be fun.” Their participation can spark a previously undiscovered interest. Don’t be too quick to reject a volunteer who initially appears “frivolous.”

  On the other hand, you want your film to be as professional as possible. You may want to request an application from anyone who expresses interest in your project. One of the application criteria can be a basic portfolio of previous work: a video, writing samples, sketches, theater set decoration photos, original composed music, edited video clips.

  Release Forms

  It’s important to obtain written release forms for background actors, extras, anyone whose face can be recognized.

  Take special care when using children in your film. Some parents can be firm about not wanting their children to appear in a movie on the Internet. Be sure to get a signed release form, and don’t abuse the approval. If you said, for example, there would be no violence in the film, don’t add it in later. Keep your word.

  Memory Cards

  Tapeless cameras will record to a memory card, or possibly straight to an internal hard drive. Transferring the memory card from the camera to the computer is simple. A card reader device can be used when your computer lacks a particular card slot.

  External Drives

  Storage of your media is critical. Whether you’re using tapes or memory cards, be sure to lock them up after each project day. Log them in for easy access.

  You’ll almost certainly need an external drive after you’ve completed several projects. Video takes a lot of memory on a computer. Transfer completed projects to an external drive to avoid complicating your current project.

  Camera Log Book

  After your crew has gathered all the footage they need for their project, they will not only have to import the footage into the edit program, they’ll also want to record the taped scenes in a log book.

  The log book will allow the editors to find the footage they need easily. When you’ve taped three or four scenes, each scene with multiple takes, you want to be organized enough to find the right take when you need it.

  Assign one of your more organized crew as script supervisor. This person will keep notes on the scenes and takes recorded each day. This is the information that will ultimately become your log book. A week after you’ve shot a scene, no one will remember which take was the good one unless you’ve written this down in the log book.

  The library of your own stock footage that you’ve gathered over time will be useless if you can’t find a clip when you want it.

  Inventory

  Be sure to maintain a list of all your equipment, no matter how limited it may be, with model names and serial numbers, for insurance purposes. You’ll also need some of this info when you upgrade computers and software, or take equipment in for maintenance.

  Media Database

  Consider building a media database for your current film project. Once you get the database organized to your satisfaction, you can then use it for all of your future projects. The database can be as simple as a written catalog/log book, or a well-designed computer file.

  After you’ve been working at filmmaking for a while, you will collect a mass of data: tapes; log entries; stock footage; shot and scene information; releases; legal forms. Organize it now at the beginning, and you’ll thank yourself. When you’re looking for that shot you need, the database will tell you just where it is.

  Check out the article from Videomaker magazine on database management.

  REMOTE SHOOT CHECKLIST

  Here’s a simple tool to keep you organized when doing a field shoot.

  ____ Camera(s)

  ____ Camera power pack(s)

  ____ Camera batteries

  ____ Tripod(s)

  ____ Monitor

  ____ DV tapes or memory cards

  ____ Marker (clapboard)

  ____ Shotgun mikes

  ____ Mic batteries – usually AAA

  ____ Boom pole

  ____ Mic XLR cables

  ____ A/V cable (RCA) for monitor

  ____ A/V cable (RCA or miniplug) for headphones

  ____ Headphones

  ____ Gaffer’s tape

  ____ Blue painter’s tape

  ____ Extension cords

  ____ Power strips

  ____ Marker, pens and eraser

  ____ Flashlight

  ____ Reflector cards

  ____ Shop light

  Making the Difference -

  College and Film Program Applications

  For those of you who are high school juniors and seniors, your project may be a key opportunity for you to develop one component of a compelling college portfolio. Some of your crew, also, may want to work in film and media as a career. For you to have several films or documentaries to show will help greatly in your application process. You need not have been the director or producer. College admissions will look for someone proficient in collaborative environments, flexible and adaptable in challenging situations, capable of thinking on her feet.

  Some colleges will, at least from time to time, have film and television programs that are “impacted”, meaning they are popular and require a second level of application. A good portfolio will go a long way here in helping you get past the second level of hurdles.

  Even if your team members have no interest in media as a career, working as part of a production team will go far in impressing college admissions staff. They will see that an applicant has experience working in a team environment, has learned to take on multiple roles, and has successfully produced solid projects.

  And for juniors, your work on a media team will prove very useful when you want to apply for summer film programs. Several excellent courses are Northwestern University’s National High School Institute and New York University’s Summer High School.

  Camera Orientation

  Today’s technology offers almost anyone access to a good HD camera. What will set you apart is what you do with it.

  Get familiar with the camera you’ll be using. Learn it well enough that you don’t have to stop in mid-shoot to figure out how to do something. Know your camera the way a soldier knows his weapon. You should be able to do all of the operations in the dark: power switch, battery placement, record button, lens and viewfinder. And all of the major controls: white balance, menu, focus, neutral density, zoom, cable connecting ports.

  If you plan to have someone else operate the camera while you direct, then be sure to encourage your camera operator to practice. If nothing else, this will save time on the set and spare your actors and crew the boredom of down time while you figure out how to work the camera settings.

  Let your camera operator get a feel for the weight and balance of the camera. When you’re doing a shot without a tripod, the camera person should be able to get a reasonably steady shot. That takes practice.

  If you can, connect the camera to an external monitor so that all the team can see each shot. Even on location away from power sources, you should have a portable, battery-operated, DVD player that will function as a monitor.

  As your camera crew moves through the rehearsal, let everyone else observe the shots on the monitor. Is focus clear? Are they using rule of thirds (more on this lat
er)? Is the shot composed in a pleasing manner? How are the color and brightness? Is white balance set correctly? Is something in the shot that doesn’t belong there, such as a microphone?

  Concentrate on these aspects:

  Practice composition.

  Learn to do manual white balance, and use it in different lighting situations.

  Learn manual focus.

  Learn the neutral density filter process (a feature of higher-level cameras).

  Practice getting a stable image.

  Practice the optical zoom. Forget about any digital zoom features. They add too much grain and can cause pixilation.

  ProFile – James Sicignano

  Gear: Investing in a Filmmaking Package

  James Sicignano, Burbank, California-based freelance filmmaker and sales consultant (Band Pro Film and Digital, Inc.), offers advice on how to put together a gear package if you have some budget to allocate for your project. With his filmmaking experience and his product knowledge, Sicignano’s expertise can’t be beat. Here are his equipment recommendations for an emerging filmmaker.