THE ‘HOW TO’ GUIDE TO FILM

MAKING

Contents page

Introduction Things to do Things not to do Good luck

Introduction

This guide is here to help you make the best production possible. I have learnt many things since my preliminary task and my final project. These are a few little hints and tips so you don’t make the same errors that I did which could have been easily avoided.

The points that are red relate to things I learnt from the preliminary task

The points in blue are things which relate to the final product

The points in white are generic points

Enjoy

Things to do Make sure you are fully prepared Have all the equipment you need ready Give yourself plenty of time to film so you can make a good job of it Ensure you have your storyboards in a chronological order so to prevent time wasting Take extra shots which are not storyboarded; they may look better than the shots you

chose previously Make sure if you are filming people that they have been briefed on what they are

doing and know their lines Make a floor plan so you know exactly where to put the camera Stick to the length of the shot that you chose in the storyboard-if in doubt make it

longer, it is easier to edit out than to having to reshoot (trust me) Use good camera equipment, for the best look use a HD camera Have all props ready before the shoot Make a contract with your actors so if they can’t make a shoot and don’t tell you, you

have it in writing that they said they would do it Allow lots of time for editing To get the movie effect, take a shot, duplicate it, put one on top of the other then add

the desired effects on to both shots and voila, you have a moove like effect to your footage!

Things not to do Bring faulty equipment to the shoot Try and film in a small time frame, my motto is a

rushed production is a rubbish production Tell your actors to start before you’ve pressed play (I

have plenty experience in this one) Decide to film without detailed planning Expect it to be easy, if you want it to look good expect

a lot of hard work and determination Tell your actors the day before, tell them well in

advance so that they can schedule around it Go into your project ‘blind’. Be well prepared and fully

researched on what you are trying to produce

By following these simple tips, hopefully your production will turn out a success.

Good Luck!!