ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

6 years, 8 months ago - Norman Hall

Hi Seylan,

You have 3 categories to consider; Camera, Sound and Light

Camera– you have the DSLR and a lens which will suit most shots but you will be shooting with manual focus, so you will need a monitor otherwise you won’t be able to see what you are focusing on, and a follow focus otherwise you won’t be able to pull focus easily.

Also, if you want it to look cinematic you will be shooting 1080p at 24fps with a 1/50 shutter speed and the aperture wide open so you will need an ND filter to cope with overexposure, especially outside. A white balance card or Expodisc is advisable but not crucial. Also, the DSLR will eat batteries so you either need lots of them or a mains adaptor for indoors.

Sound – you may struggle with the Zoom H2 and lapel mike and so it would be better to have a shotgun mike, with windshield and boompole and if the Zoom doesn’t have an XLR jack you will need a recorder that does. Worst of all, you will really struggle to do camera and sound yourself, so you will need another pair of hands.

Lights – You will probably be OK outdoors, but indoors you will need at least two LED lights on stands, and preferably four.

And don’t forget the clapperboard so you know which clip is which!

It adds up but the good news is I already have all this stuff and it is currently redundant so you are welcome to use it, depending on which end of the country you are in.

Good Luck!

6 years, 8 months ago - John Lubran

A fully definitive answer Seylan might only be possible after your project and aspirations can be properly analysed. What does good enough for cinema really mean? Lars von Trier and others have had theatrical success with features shot on standard definition 540 line DV, though conciderable post production was necessary. There's good reason why people use megabucks camera's and equipment but proponents of such who might regard that standard as absolutely essential are evidently wrong. 'Size' is far from everything. A compelling and viable film can be shot on almost any modern 1080 or 4K camera if it's written, performed and produced well. Invest in the best you can afford. Theres little reason or need to drop below EBU or comparable broadcast standard for 4K so that might provide you with a starting point. Whilst some DSLR derived cameras are capable there's also a reason why traditional camcorders with XLR inputs for synched PCM 48K audio, flexible lens facilities and either single full frame or three half inch CMOS chips are better for tight budgets and very small crews. The cheapest of which I can think of off the top of my head is around £2,000 plus. A good fuid head tripod with an independantly leveling head and a detachable spreader is the least grip you need. Probably along the lines of a £400 plus Manfrotto. SADDLECAM type 'beanbag' bag can work well in a tight moving space such as car or camper van. A 4K GoPro for B Reel footage might be appropriate too for as little as £400. Realistically, what's your budget? How do you want to distribute your film? Where do think your audience and market is most likely to be? Theatrical presentation is cool but so is TV and online.

6 years, 8 months ago - Seylan Baxter

Norman and John - thank you so much for your really helpful replies!
Norman - that's such a kind offer!! but I think I'm probably at the other end of the UK. We'll be shooting in the north of Scotland. I looked at the 'about' section of your website though and, yup, that's pretty much what I'm going to try to do! That's all great info - thank you.

John - By good enough for cinema I mean something that won't be rejected from decent film festivals on quality issues. I wouldn't be expecting to win any awards for cinematography or directing, but I'm hoping that the script and the acting will be strong enough to carry the film. I know that it has to look and sound good though. Also, if I use my 70D for the van / outdoor shots with one actor I'll need to be sure that they match the indoor shots done by a small crew.
That's all really useful info - thank you. The £2k plus camera would be out of my budget but I did wonder whether a GoPro would be a good option for some of the moving shots. I definitely need a better/more suitable tripod so thanks for the info on that.

My audience / market? Good question. I'm an actor so I'll be using it as a vehicle for that. I'll be submitting it to certain festivals but I haven't thought much beyond that. It'll depend on how good I can make it.

6 years, 8 months ago - Glyn Carter

Seylan - My advice would be: don't buy kit! Hire it. Unless you're going to be making a lot of films, there's so many better things to spend money on. And if you're going to be making a lot of films, you should still hire it in, because then you can choose what's right for each project.

Also, my fear would be that a crew of one would not produce good quality. His/her/your attention will be split between filming, sound, lights, directing the actor, design & set dressing, continuity, logistics, the weather, catering etc etc. The camera will drop focus at a key moment (sod's law applies), and/or you as an actor will be distracted and undirected and hence not giving your best, which surely defeats the object?

A golden rule is that the sound has to be good - audiences won't forgive incomprensible or muddy sound, while they might (just) accept jerky grainy off-focus visuals as a deliberate style choice. At the very least you need a highly multi-skilled DP/recordist - in which case take his/her advice on equipment.

You're right to be thinking of practicalities before writing the script. I'd suggest trying a dry run with anything you can beg borrow or steal, as soon as possible. My guess is it will be a bracing reality check!

Good luck.

6 years, 8 months ago - Vinca .

Hi Seylan,

My advice is to write a draft of the script first and get someone with solid production knowledge to look at it and help you adapt it to a workable shooting script that you can manage with a reduced crew. For example shooting in a static car is going to be far easier than a moving vehicle. A lavelier mic is going to pick up every sound of clothing etc.., especially when the person moves.

Everything is of course possible but I highly recommend at the very least you find a film student/graduate to help you as logistically you being the director, camera, sound, DOP, runner, gaffer, grip, wardrobe, art director etc.., is just not feasible not to mention exhausting! Practically with help it’s easier for the speed in which you can manage things and for your sanity better to have someone to share the load to allow you to be clear headed enough to manage creative issues/decisions that might occur. Find someone with the production skills you’re missing and collaborate. They might have the kit you need. Any extra kit you need rent it. Watch tutorials on youtube, make some tests and ask around for people to show you how to use the equipment correctly.

A small budget doesn’t always equate to a project being any less attractive or professional. What a small budget does do is push you to be more creative and adapt. Keep the script simple (but strong), not too many locations, the visual clean. These things coupled with a strong actor to carry the narrative will set you in good stead.

… but I repeat start with the script not the kit you might need :-)

If you need any further advice, do feel free to message me direct.

Best of luck.

6 years, 8 months ago - Seylan Baxter

Glyn and Vinca - Thank you so much for your input. I really appreciate it!
Glyn - the reason for buying rather than hiring is twofold. Firstly, this section of the film will need to be shot in dribs and drabs over weekends or weekdays when the weather's good / interesting. That would make hiring expensive. Secondly, if I buy anything I will probably try to sell it afterwards to mitigate cost. Unless of coufre it's something I'll definitely use again. I may also be able to borrow some kit but I need to know what to ask for!
The crew of one - absolutely - it's not ideal. The campervan is tiny though and only sleeps two so even one extra person would vastly increase costs. It may be that I can bring in a couple of extra bodies on the days where we're filming more locally. That could ease the pressure a bit. Technically the crew would be two though, at least in terms of organising / taking responsibility. I'm the actor as well as everything else I'll be doing. Pros and cons, I know. A dry run is a great idea. I'll do that asap. Thank you!

Vinca - Great idea on the draft script. I can think of somebody who'd be ideal and who helped me a lot with a short I did. I agree that it's daunting, to say the least, to take on the filming with just two of us but, as I explained above to Glyn, I think the advantages of being able to go where the light and the beautiful landscape are, at short notice and without time pressure (it'll be me and my partner) will outweigh the disadvantages of being so limited. Or not! But I think I need to try it as logistically it would be very tricky and expensive to travel round the north of Scotland with even a tiny crew and we could be totally scuppered by weather conditions. Youtube tutorials - yes, absolutely. I'm aware of how much I'll need to learn! I have an idea of what's involved though. I did a short and wasn't happy with the shots (done by a film student) and the rough edit was awful. It was too bad to get anybody else to do so I got a copy of Premiere Pro and watched loads of Creative Cow videos and taught myself how to edit. I found I loved the process! I'm hoping I might have a similar experience with some of the other aspects of filmmaking... Let's see! I totally get what you're saying about the script. We've been tossing ideas about (my partner's an author and a photographer so a good person to brainstorm with) and we have come up with something that could be a really nice story. Simple but effective. And cheap. But it will only work within my utterly minimal budget if we can do the filming in the van and walking outdoors ourselves. Hence my concern about extra kit that might involve. And thank you. I may well message you down the line.

6 years, 8 months ago - Marlom Tander

Sound.

I've walked onto quiet country locations and while everyone else has been bouncing around all excited, I've just listened.

To the aircraft going and out of Heathrow. City people simply didn't hear them until I pointed them out. The same thing has happened near a motorway. Being half a mile away from one - the wind direction will determine how loud it is.

People, esp urban people, are very good at NOT HEARING, but your mics will.

Good sound is essential. Be aware of location sound before and during filming.

6 years, 8 months ago - Seylan Baxter

Thanks Marlom. I agree that sound is perhaps the most important thing. I'll definitely look out for that. We'll be a bit off the beaten track but even then... there aren't many locations, even in the north of Scotland, where you genuinely can't hear any traffic or other human noise. And of course animal noises/ wind etc can be a problem too. Fortunately it'll be slightly less crucial for what I'm planning in this section of the film as there will be no or minimal dialogue but I'll make sure that's one of the key things I look out for when picking locations.

6 years, 8 months ago - Yen Rickeard

If you can find a local experienced camera person, with equipment, I would advise talking to them, hopefully enthusing them to agree to join you on your various shoot days for a reasonable fee. If there is no dialogue whilst on location, A sound recording from the camera taken at a time when there are no unwanted sounds (that drat tractor has turned off, the car with the soundbox has moved on etc.) may do. The advice they give you (or show you by doing it) will be more valuable than cost saved. That said, go forth and conquer! That's how you learn.
ps Can you keep some money for the sound design? Music/sound composed directly for the final cut will make a huge difference to the finished film.

6 years, 8 months ago - Seylan Baxter

Yen: thanks! Yes. And my plan is to shoot the slightly more complicated scenes, for which I will have a small crew, first so hopefully I'll get a good idea of whether we can match that or whether I need to get more people involved.

Sound design - definitely. The score should be ok - I'll be composing and performing it (I've composed for other films before) and my partner is also a musician and is a sound engineer with his own studio so we should be ok on the music side. I'll definitely need help with post production though including sound design and colour grading. And thank you!