Filmmaking Basics

by Bob Gillen

  The fair use policy of the United States Copyright Law may cover certain classroom or school usage. You, however, will want to have a wider audience see your film. If you want to be treated as a professional, avoid copyrighted material.

  Through a Creative Commons license, you may be able to find picture images, video clips or music you can use. Limitations still apply. Check it carefully.

  Film festivals and contests won’t accept your film unless you have written permission for all of the music in it.

  Sound Edit Software

  Any video-editing application will offer sound-edit capability as well. For a short film, with few inherent audio challenges, these applications will work for you. That said, those applications will lack the strength and the ease of use you’ll need for audio that has to stand up to a film screening. Here’s an article that will help you sort through the software choices available for sound editing.

  ProFile – David Sonnenschein

  Strategies for Sound Design

  Creative sound design will help you position your film above most beginner films. With a decent edit software program and audio software program (ProTools, for example), you can achieve significant results. Even with limited software capability, you can apply some basic sound design concepts.

  Sound designer David Sonnenschein, author of Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema, describes his work in film as “the art and science of coordinating all the sounds (dialogue, music and sound effects) so that the technical and storytelling aspects of the film will be elegantly integrated and transparent.”

  When we sit in a dark theater, he says, watching a film on the screen, “a sense of reality consumes us when sound is added.”

  We know that sense, the power of audio in a movie. Whether it’s the tinkle of champagne glasses or the roar of a hurricane, sound reinforces image to give us a total experience.

  Here are several of the principles Sonnenschein applies to achieve good sound:

  Completeness

  The mind prefers to complete patterns it perceives. If a melody or a voice has paused before completing its intended trajectory, we will feel tension, conflict and drama. Look for places in your story where you can apply this.

  Figure and Ground

  When a voice pops out of the murmur of a restaurant scene, and you recognize an old friend, this voice becomes a figure against the ground of the ambient sound.

  Contrast

  We tend to ignore a persistent or steady sound, such as a computer hum, but if a phone rings, we jump into action. Look for the changes in your acoustic environment and use those to express changes in the emotional environment of the story.

  Character Development and Emotion Arcs

  Study the character development and the emotion arcs in your story line. Look first for dramatic opposites that drive the plot. For character, it will be protagonist vs. antagonist. For theme, it could be old vs. young or male vs. female. Once you have identified these, look for or create bi-polar sonic elements that can be emphasized or highlighted.

  Analyze Your Script for Sound

  No doubt you are thoroughly familiar with the script you’re filming. You’ve spent hours writing or developing it, getting it on film. Go back and look at it from a fresh point of view. Analyze it for sound. Look at character, look at object, look at action. Each of these elements has potential for sound.

  Sonnenschein describes it this way in his book:

  As a screenwriter and director, I’m drawn to the script as my primary inspiration for developing the sound design. Within every character, object and action on screen there can be generated a potential sound that may give further dramatic impact to the scene and story, and this sonic coloring is the challenge to reveal. Imagine this scripted scene:

  The little boy tiptoes along the spiky tops of the rotten picket fence, trying in vain to ignore the menacing bulldog chained just below him. As the mad dog lunges against its restraints, the boy’s hands spastically flap to maintain balance, his sneaker losing grip.

  So here we see two characters, a protagonist and antagonist, the boy and the dog. What kind of sounds would each be eliciting in this circumstance? The boy would try to be as silent and invisible as possible, but he can’t avoid breathing, which might very well be irregular, forced and audible due to his stress in holding everything else so controllably, especially when he slips. It seems that the dog would be growling at the very least, perhaps in a crescendo toward an aggressive bark.

  The objects include a chain, which holds double intent in the scene. The wild clinking forms part of the aural attack against the boy, but as it clangs taut it serves as the only thing protecting him. (Notice how this audio analysis could contribute to the storyboarding and blocking of the action if done before the shoot.) The contact of the boy’s shoes with the untrustworthy fence could surely generate nerve-racking, splintering creaks, and the slip itself may be accentuated with the weakness of a slippery rubber sole.

  Both characters and objects are linked to the action verbs, which create an emotional context to the scene. Find motion, directionality and moments of impact. Sound qualities that might accent each of the verbs in the above scene could be: “tiptoes” -- dainty tap-tap-tapping, “lunges” -- attacking, explosive, growing closer, “spastically flap” – arrhythmic whooshing.

  How Do You Do This?

  How can you use sound design to make your low budget film feel like a high budget studio film? Here are just a few tips Sonnenschein offers:

  Written sounds: listen for sounds in the script.

  Visual map: draw a visual map of the emotional polarities along the time line of the film.

  Contrast elements: use contrast to emphasize dramatic conflict (loud – soft; high - low; fast - slow).

  Less is more: find the fewest, most effective sounds that will allow the audience to participate by letting them fill in the gaps within their minds. Use silence creatively.

  Create space: Increase the size of the space by using more reverb. Layer close sounds louder and with high frequencies, far sounds softer and with lower frequencies.

  Create movement: use change of volume, frequency response and speaker placement to move the sound around.

  And yes, in case you haven’t noticed, all of this calls for collaboration. You, in whatever role you have adopted as the one who will get this film made, need to collaborate with the rest of your creative team – director, cinematographer, editor, music composer. In your own production, some of these roles will reside in a single person. Perhaps your editor is responsible for all of post production. Even if the collaboration falls between only two people, you still need to work together. Don’t be afraid of it.

  With a BA in Neurobiology and Music, and an MFA from USC Cinema/TV,

  David Sonnenschein lived in Brazil for 15 years where he produced and directed six feature hits distributed by Columbia Tri-Star, and a startling documentary about trance surgeons and spiritual healing. He is author of Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice, and Sound Effects in Cinema (best-seller on Amazon.com), synergizing his background as neurobiologist, musician and storyteller. He lectures at film schools (AFI, UCLA, Cal State Northridge) and international conferences, offering sound design consulting and services with his companies Sounddesignforpros (great webinars and other resources), and Sonicstrategies (check out the cool sound creations). For a free initial consultation, please contact 310-455-0750 or sounddesignforpros@gmail.com.

  Tapping into Resources:

  Watch the clip titled “Sound Design” from the Luhrmann series Set to Screen, labeled #3. View also the clip titled “Music”, labeled # 2.

  MARKETING YOUR FILM

  Congratulations! You completed your film. Now it’s time to share it with an audience.

  Regardless of the venue you choose to air your film, you’ll have competition. Don’t assume that everyone will rush to see it. Encourage your team to market their completed
project. Talk it up with friends. Put up posters and fliers. You should create a trailer for the movie, put it on YouTube, and build some early buzz.

  Logline

  Ideally, you would create a logline in the beginning, even before you write your script. Certainly, when you’re ready to talk up your completed film, you’ll need the logline. When someone asks, “What’s your movie about?” you don’t want to stammer, or ramble on, or bore them. Your answer has to be a concise, intriguing one-sentence statement. Your protagonist must do something if she is to conquer all odds and gain what she wants. Leave the statement as a teaser. Don’t give away the ending.

  The protagonist (who) strives for (goal) in the face of (opposition). That’s it. Don’t tell the whole story.

  Here’s a sample. Raiders of the Lost Ark: A dashing archaeologist must reunite with the ex he dumped if he is to beat the Nazis to find the all-powerful lost Ark of the Covenant.

  Practice telling your logline, and encourage your team to do the same. Your results – building interest - will be worth it.

  Advertising Posters

  Trying to pull a frame capture from the completed movie won’t give you a shot with resolution high enough for printing posters. Be sure to have someone on the team take photos of some of the filming while it’s taking place. You’ll then have quality photos with which to create posters.

  If you’re in school, you may approach the photography program and ask one of them to accompany your team on several shoots. They can get class credit for it and your team gets quality photos.

  Target Media

  You’ve got many options on where to showcase your film. Film festivals and contests abound. A Google search will get you results that may be appropriate for your film.

  You can, of course, put it up on YouTube.

  Build a website for your film. Or a website for your own production company, so you can showcase your next films there as well.

  You know the drill. Spread the word on all your social media options.

  Audience

  If you have the opportunity to show your film to a live audience, plan ahead to make it a memorable experience for them. Make the seating as comfortable as possible. Arrange for latecomers to enter from the rear of the room, and try to eliminate any light from open doorways and windows. Your audience will generally be sophisticated moviegoers. Whether in a darkened theater or a home theater or just a cozy living room, they expect a good viewing experience.

  Sound Systems

  If you plan to air your movie for a group of friends, for fellow students, or even for a school assembly, it isn’t enough to connect your computer to a projector. Yes, you’ll get good picture quality for the viewing, but unless you’re in a very small room, the audio coming out of the projector won’t be equal to the task.

  For a non-theater setting, say an auditorium or a meeting room, talk to the house A/V expert before the airing. You want to put the audio up into larger room speakers or even into the house system if you’re in an auditorium. This will give you the volume, the depth of bass, the power of your movie’s sound track. Without it the audience won’t fully appreciate your movie. Good audio will create emotion. If it can’t be heard adequately, your audience won’t feel that emotion.

  You can also burn your movie to a DVD disk to play through a DVD player connected to a projector. This works just as well, but ensure you’ve got two or even three burned disks. Failure happens. Be ready for it with backup disks.

  Tapping into Resources:

  View the clip titled “On Set Photography” (labeled #9) from the Luhrmann series Set to Screen.

  ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT

  Camera

  You may have a camera of your own. Or you may be lucky enough to borrow a better one. Your school may already have cameras in the media program that you could borrow. If so, you can download the user manual online to become familiar with its features. Look in the “support” section of the manufacturer’s website to find the manual.

  You can consult with the media/film department at your local college or community college. They are generally happy to offer recommendations on camera types and models.

  Several of the key features on a quality camera include:

  High Definition (HD)

  Tapeless recording

  3 CCD sensors

  Professional audio inputs

  HD recording is the expected standard for professional video as well as for most semi-professional work. Standard definition (SD) will suffice if budgets are tight, but you should be able to get an HD camera in almost any price range. Buying an SD camera may offer you a higher-level camera at a price lower than its HD equivalent, but consider the camera purchase as an investment. Try to buy a bit high, so you only have to buy once and not replace it within a year or two.

  Tapeless recording, either to a memory card or to an internal drive in the camera, allows for fast camera to computer transfer, easy playback, and easy viewing of the recorded footage. Tape drives on a camera are a mechanical function, and too much wear-and-tear can translate into costly repairs.

  A three CCD imaging system in a camera uses three separate imaging devices to capture separate measurements of red, green and blue light. This results in higher quality resolution and image.

  Many cameras do not have adequate audio capabilities built in. You will need to add external mikes to gather professional-level audio. Make sure your camera choice has adequate audio inputs and outputs, preferably XLR.

  Also ensure that there are proper ports for cabling to a camera monitor.

  The Panasonic DVX100B has long been a favorite of independent filmmakers. It is a robust, easy to use SD tape camera. For HD Panasonic cameras, check out the HVX200A or the HMC-150. Other cameras from Sony, Canon and JVC are also well worth your consideration.

  The Sony HXR-MC50U, often used in classrooms, is an HD camera with a shotgun mic, still-photo capability, and 64Gb of built-in memory.

  Tip: Most camera manufacturers have their camera manuals available online. When you have narrowed your choice to a final few, download the user manuals and read them to get a sense of how the camera operates, how easy (or complicated) the controls and settings are, how the camera menu works, and what array of connectors it has. If the manual proves difficult, chances are the camera will too.

  Camera Maintenance

  Don’t forget to maintain your camera. Tape cameras will need an occasional cleaning. Tapeless cameras don’t have a tape mechanism and may need less maintenance. A professional or prosumer level camera represents an expensive investment and will need careful maintenance to protect that investment. Encouraging your crew to respect the equipment will go a long way to making maintenance less necessary, but the cameras will need it no matter how carefully they’re handled.

  To retain the manufacturer’s warranty, you’ll normally need to take the camera to an authorized service center. If you live in a large city, you may find an authorized service shop not too far away from you. Call ahead to determine how long it would take for routine maintenance. Typically, count on at least three to four business days.

  If you are more remote from authorized centers, you’ll need to ship your camera to them. This can take up to several weeks.

  We don’t recommend going through a local camera shop to do this. They will usually ship it off to the authorized center anyway, and add a markup to the cost of the servicing.

  Budget-wise, plan on spending at least $100 an hour, with routine camera servicing taking maybe two hours.

  Yes, this is expensive, but you’ve spent a hefty part of your project budget on the cameras. Servicing them will have them last years longer. With careful use you’ll probably only need to do maintenance every two or three years.

  If you’re using inexpensive camcorders, the cost of maintenance or repair may exceed the cost of a new camera.

  Tapes

  Quality tapes are essential. Use tapes made by the manufacturer of your camera. And don’t reu
se them, unless it’s just for practice camerawork. Tape quality will degrade with reuse.

  Computers

  Both Mac and PC computers offer a strong platform for video work. If you have the option, get as much hard drive space and RAM as necessary. You’ll need it for video. Ten minutes of DV footage, by some estimates, will require 2.1Gb.

  Check frequently for software updates on your computer. This will help you with bug fixes.

  If possible, use a set of robust external speakers, including a subwoofer. The speakers offer a solid auditory experience for you and your crew as you edit.

  Batteries

  Charge your camera batteries on a regular basis. Purchase an extra battery so you won’t have any downtime if the original battery runs down during a shoot.

  Keep a supply of AA and AAA batteries on hand for your microphones and other equipment.

  Tripods

  A sturdy tripod is essential. The tripod needs to be strong enough to support your particular camera. And it will need a fluid head. The tripod basically has two parts, the legs and the head. A fluid head allows the camera operator to pan and tilt smoothly, yet maintain control and avoid jerky movements. Libec and Manfrotto are two reliable brands.