Stand-Out Shorts
Page 27
Checklist:
•Have you shot some ambient sound tracks for each scene?
•Make sure settings on the camera are left untouched within eachscene, like white balance, aperture and so on.
Whole group Chapter 13
Shooting Chapter 14
Continuity Chapter 16 Lighting Chapter 17
Sound Recording Chapter 18
Health and Safety
10AM-12PM Shooting. Whole group As above
12PM-2PM Take a break for one hour. Send everyone away to relax while you view the footage so far.
Don’t be too harsh on your footage-it’s usual to not like everything you have shot. But just check how it looks compared to what you agreed in the quiet of the meeting last night. it’s looking good.
Note any reshoots you need to do. Check battery power. Resume shooting. Director Chapter 20 Pre-edit Footage Viewing
2PM-4PM Aim to shoot another two to three minutes of finished movie by 6pm. Wholegroup Asabove(Shooting)
Saturday 4PM - 6PM Shoot. Whole group As above(Shooting)
6PM-8PM Take a break and meet. Get feedback on how it’s going.
Ask for views and figure out whether anything needs reshooting.
Check sound carefully. Have any parts been recorded badly?
Eat well. Whole group Chapter 17 Sound Recording
8PM-10PM Everyone else goes home, but you and your editor or close collaborator stay with the footage and start assembling sections as a rough outline.
If anything looks wrong now, this is the time to find out. You can shoot again tomorrow if necessary.
By 10PM you need to have called anyone who needs to be back on set tomorrow morning to carry on shooting or do reshoots. Director, producer Chapter 20 Pre-edit Footage Viewing
10PM-12MIDNIGHT Start logging the tapes to show exactly where the good clips are. If you took lots of versions of a scene, you need to know which were the good ones, using timecode. Chapter 20 Pre-edit Footage Viewing
Sunday 12AM-2AM Sleep the sleep of the righteous.
2AM-4AM And more.
4AM-6AM And more.
6AM-8AM Wake early,eat well and get a clear head to tackle editing. director
8AM-10AM If you are doing more shooting, aim to get together with cast and crew early. Limit how much time you have-set a time when you want to be back at your desk ready to edit.
Sunday 10AM-12PM You’re either editing, or finishing shooting. Editor, director Or whole group if shooting
12PM-2PM Edit: Try simply starting from the beginning and piecing together the rest of the film. Or try assembling a crucial sequence in the middle and working either side of it, editing it in large chunks. Editor, director Chapter 21 Editing Methods: Narrative Continuity Chapter 22 Editing Methods: Montage Chapter 23 Audio Editing
2PM-4PM Edit. Save the project regularly. As above
4PM-6PM Edit. Allow a lot of time to render and copy.
Make a DVD,and create a master on DV tape. As above
6:30pm Screening at your place. Everyone involved Chapter 25 Screening for FeedbackTable
Chapter | Forty-Nine
7-Day Schedule
Table 49.1
Task Who’s Job How Long to Allow Chapter to Get More Help
Day 1
Work on ideas and possible stories, developing them out of people you know, or related to the number of actors you can get.
Director/producer
Three to four hours
Ch 1 Ideas
Start to recruit crew. Producer One hour to email, plus several to discuss and reply Ch 6 Cast and Crew Online
Recruit actors. Use social networking sites to find the right people. Director/producer One hour to post emails; several hours to reply to responses Ch 6 Cast and Crew Online
Budget: Work on lowering costs through using existing props and locations. Producer Two hours Ch 4 Budgets
Day 2
Meet with your actors and crew if possible, or continue to look at replies to your crew and casting call.
Director and cast
Ch 3 Scriptwriting
Locations: find the right places to shoot. Look for places that give you a lot of possibilities for framing - pillars, stairs, big open spaces, corridors and so on.
Send emails or submit permission forms to let you film at locations. Director/producer Look for two or three locations; allow a week or more to get permissions returned Ch 10 Working with Locations Ch 9 Law and the Movies
Perform health and safety assessments Producer Two hours Ch 18 Health and Safety
Schedule the production – who is due where and when. Producer Three hours Ch 8 Script Breakdown and Shot List
Day 3
Storyboard your movie if you need to.
Use your location recce photos to help you.
Director/designer
A few hours
Ch 7 Previz
Check equipment and budget. If you need extra actors, get hold of people now. Producer plus all crew Less than an hour Ch 12 Using a Camcorder Ch 16 Lighting Ch 17 Sound Recording Ch 6 Cast and Crew Online
Check you now have signed or email permissions to shoot at your locations. Producer Allow enough time to send off new requests for permission if necessary Ch 9 Law and the Movies
Look at the script again. Go somewhere quiet and check it’s still what you wanted it to be. Make changes if needed. Writer, director A couple of hours Ch 3 Scriptwriting
Day 4 and day 5
Shooting
Keep to two pages of script as your aim for what you achieve each day.
All crew
A five-minute film might take three to four days to shoot
Ch 13 Shooting Ch 15 Manage your Production
Check sound quality after each take. Make sure you get the right levels each time. Sound/director Five minutes Ch 17 Sound Recording
Record sound effects while on location to get most authentic sounds.
Always record an ambient track after every scene. Sound Up to three hours for a range of effects. Ch 24 Foley Ch 17 Sound recording
Look at what you have shot each evening and look for problems you can avoid, such as poor sound. Director, plus camera and sound About an hour each evening Ch 20 Pre-edit Footage Viewing
Day 6
Finish shooting if you still have stuff to do.
Crew
Limit to morning only
Look through your footage. Make decisions about how you can edit. Plan editing using an EDL once you have ideas you like. Director, producer and editor A few hours to log the footage Ch 20 Pre-edit Footage Viewing
Start work on editing Director/producer For a short film allow two hours to complete one minute of finished movie Ch 21 Editing Methods: Narrative Continuity Ch 22 Editing Methods: Montage
Day 7
Carry on editing and aim to finish by evening.
Editor
Ch 21 Editing Methods: Narrative Continuity Ch 22 Editing Methods: Montage
Screenings: Show a finished draft to friends and crew. Be open about negative feedback - it all helps. Director/producer Screening over one evening Ch 25 Screening for Feedback
Chapter | Fifty
28-Day Schedule
Table 50.1
Task Who’s Job How Long to Allow Chapter to Get More Help
Week 1
Work on ideas and possible stories, developing them out of people you know, or the number of actors you can get. If you base the movie on real-life stories, research more about it to get an inside view of what happened.
Director/producer
Allow a day or so
Ch 1 Ideas
Write a treatment, putting the story into written form to show exactly what happens and when. Writer Allow several days to get it right Ch 3 Scriptwriting
Write the script and test it on friends, enemies and family. Writer/ director A couple of hours Ch 3 Scriptwriting
Find a producer or a close collaborator. You need someone who is a more cre
ative producer rather than just a manager. Director Allow an hour for posting to film networking sites Ch 6 Cast and Crew Online
Ch 15
Manage your Production: Be a Producer
Research into the setting and background of the movie. Writer Allow a week or more
Recruit crew: sound, camera, producer, plus someone to just help out if you can. Producer 1 hour to email, plus several to discuss and reply Ch 6 Cast and Crew Online
Recruit actors. Use social networking sites to find the right people. Director/producer 1 hour to post emails; several hours to reply to responses Ch 6 Cast and Crew Online
Week 2
If you are using actors, work within two sessions: one to create characters and come up with responses to your outline story, and another to develop the detail of the story. They’ll need to rehearse a lot, especially if you have intense scenes between two or three people.
Director and cast
From four weeks right up to the shoot
Ch 3 Scriptwriting
Budget: Work on lowering costs through using existing props and locations. Producer Two hours Ch 4 Budgets
Arrange a meeting for your crew. Read through the script. Agree responsibilities. Director/producer Meet for 90 minutes Ch 15 Manage Your Production
Locations: Find the right places to shoot. Send emails or signed permission forms to let you film. Director/producer Look for two or three locations; allow a week or more to get permissions returned Ch 10 Working with Locations Ch 9 Law and the Movies
Designs: You need to get the look and overall design of the film right. Get inspired by the script to give you the right ideas. Designer/director Allow a day or less Ch 7 Previz
Performe health and safety assessments. Producer Two hours Ch 18 Health and Safety
Schedule the production - who is due where and when. Producer Three hours Section 6: Make It Happen Schedules
Storyboard your movie, if necessary. Use your location recce photos to help you. You could try 3D storyboard software to get a clear idea of what your scenes will look like. Director/designer A few hours Ch 7 Previz
Check equipment and budget. If you need extra actors, get hold of them now. Producer plus all crew Less than an hour Ch 12 Using a Camcorder Ch 16 Lighting Ch 17 Sound Recording Ch 6 Cast and Crew Online
Get a blog or other social networking feed going. Keep people involved with the film before and during production. Director/producer 30 mins to set up blog, less to register for talk feed sites Ch 29 Social Networking
By the end of this week, check you now have signed or email permissions to shoot at your locations. Producer Allow enough time to send off new requests for permission if necessary Ch 9 Law and the Movies
Look at the script again. It has to work even after several readings now. Work with your actors to run through the film from start to finish and get a few people to watch. Writer, director A couple of hours Ch 3 Scriptwriting
Week 3
Aim to shoot one and a half to two minutes of finished movie each day - out of probably two or three hours of footage.
All crew
A five-minute film might take three to four days to shoot
Section 6: Make It Happen Schedules Ch 15 Manage Your Production
Look at what you have shot each evening and look for problems you can avoid, such as poor sound. Director, plus camera and sound About an hour each evening Ch 20 Pre-edit Footage Viewing
Check sound quality after each take. Make sure you get the right levels each time. Sound/director Five minutes Ch 17 Sound Recording
Continuity is crucial in any plotbased film. Check each scene fits the rest of the movie.
Pay close attention to the script and if you have a spare person, ask them to have the script checked against what the actors actually say. Director/editor Throughout filming Ch 14 Continuity
Record sound effects while on location.
Record an ambient track after every scene. Sound Up to three hours for a range of effects Ch 24 Foley Ch 17 Sound Recording
Week 4
Carry on shooting into this week for a day or two if you need to.
Log your footage. Run through some of it to see how it looks. Most people don’t like what they have shot at this stage. Take a break and you’ll see it more objectively. Director, producer and editor A few hours to log the footage Ch 20 Pre-edit Footage Viewing
Look at the footage to think about editing. Director, producer and editor Allow an afternoon to trawl through the footage and discuss what you’ve got Ch 20 Pre-edit Footage Viewing
Editing: Work on the movie for twohour stretches. Director/producer For a short film allow two hours to complete one minute of finished movie Ch 21 Editing Methods: Narrative Continuity Ch 22 Editing Methods: Montage
Screenings: Show a finished draft to friends and crew. Be open about negative feedback – it all helps. Director/producer Screening over one evening Ch 25 Screening for Feedback
Index
Note: Page numbers followed by t indicates tables; f indicates figures; b indicates boxes.
Numerics
2 Hour Parking, 210f
3:10 to Yuma, 268
3D modeling software, previz, 36-37
5 minute films in 48 hours, 278
7-day film schedule, 283
28-day film schedule, 287-290
30 degree rule, 73
48-Hour Film Challenge, 164f
48-hour film schedule, 278, 278b
A
above-the-line costs, 21
accelerated montage, 124, 219
acoustics, 97. See also sound
acting, web movie, 149t
action line (axis) rule, 73
activist sites, 236f
actors
overview, 33-35
posting to get, 34-35
additive editing, 122
Advanced Video Codec High Definition (AVCHD), camcorder, 6t
Age of Stupid, 224f
Aghion, Anne, 222
Alexa web research site, 146-147
Alfredson, Tomas, 209
alienation theme, 218
Alphaville, 206
ambience, recording, 131
ambient sound, 92, 128
Annie Hall, 115
Antranikian, Armen, 24
any-direction-but-home scriptwriting
method, 15
archive.org, 169
Armstrong, Franny, 224f
aspect ratio
continuity, 73t
web movies, 149t
Audacity program, 128
audio. See sound
audio mash-up, 100
audio playback, home editing studio, 107t
auto controls, camcorder, 6t
automatic generators, video sharing, 147-148
AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition), camcorder, 6t
axis (action line) rule, 73
B
babelgum festival, 182
background
sound, 95
sports films, 243
backlight compensation, camcorder, 6t
backstory, character
building dialogue, 19-20
giving them weak spots or hang-ups, 19
opposite elements in, 19
overview, 19
real characters, 19
using details to bring to life, 19
Bad Robot company, 178
“barn doors”, lamp, 85f
Batman: Dead End, 206
bats flying sound effect, 131
batteries, camcorder, 6t
BeachBox, 98
Bell, Jason, 245
below-the-line costs, 21
Berne Convention, 44, 46
Bilsborrow-Koo, Ryan
lighting, 91
webisodes, 175
webisodes schedules, 176
Blade Runner, 206
Blow-Up, 237
Blue Velvet, 3
Blu-ray HD, 11
body shock theme, 206
bo
om from below microphones, 96t
boom microphones, 93f, 94
The Bourne Supremacy, 222-223
Bourne trilogy, 215f
brighter light, 89t
Bristow, Elliot, 260f, 264
Broomfield, Nick
documentaries, 225, 226
screenings, 133
budget kits
lighting, 86
sound recording, 99
budgets, 21-24
freebies, 21, 23
overview, 21b, 54t
spreadsheet program, 24b
tips, 23-24
Burma VJ, 237
business networking sites, 163
business sense, for producers, 77
buying cameras, 10-12
overview, 6b
types of camcorder, 10-11
C
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, 198
cables, 103
camcorders, 58-61, 58b. See also cameras
camera focus
documentary, 225
freecording, 258
horror genre, 199
howcast, 273
music promos
live, 231
non-live, 231
overview, 231
noir/thriller genre
lighting, 219
overview, 216, 218-219
road movie, 263
sci-fi genre, 207
war films, 253
western, 269
camera to PC ports, camcorder, 6t
cameras. See also camera focus
buying, 10-12
overview, 6b
types of camcorder, 10-11
continuity, 73t
finding right person to operate, 29
web movies, 149t
cardioid microphones, 94
Carpenter, John, 199, 206
cast, 33-35
casting sessions, 35
category, YouTube, 142t
CBC Reflections, 187t
CCD chip, camcorder, 59t
Celtx software, 19f, 38f
Cerialized webisode, 173, 174f
CF (compact flash) cards, 9t, 11
CGI (computer-generated image) previz, 36
Chad Vader series, 141f, 171f
challenges, online festivals, 185
Chance, John, 39
Chance, Richard
scriptwriting, 17
storyboards, 39
characters
building backstory