ASK & DISCUSS
INDEXAdvice for first DSLR short film
10 years, 6 months ago - Kyri Saphiris
Some top tips!
Last year, after seeking advice on a suitable camera to buy to start making some short films, I acquired a DSLR (as advised) and it's been sitting idle in its box for several months!
I've taken it out and now feel ready to tackle my first short filmmaking project. I've been reading info (on here and online in general) but wondered if someone would provide an easy checklist to give this project a chance of being done as well as can reasonably be expected and from which to build on further down the line.
All advice from those more experienced than I welcome.
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10 years, 6 months ago - Simon Thurman
On the tech side of things - Get to know your camera! make sure you test it under different lighting conditions. You don't want to get back the day after shooting to find that all your footage is grainy and out of focus. Believe me, it happens to everyone on their first shoot! and if you've got the cash invest in a decent mic for vocals..built in mics on the majority of DSLR's are meh at best.
10 years, 6 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin
Irritatingly, happened on a recent feature shoot for us - the Red Epic was a lot noisier than what we were used to working with the Alexa. Don't let fashion override robust if dull rigour!
10 years, 6 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin
PS - pro tip - preproduction is the cheapest time you have on a film shoot, don't skimp on proper preparation. The more prepared you are for every eventuality, the less stressful the actual shoot will be, and the better the result you'll get because you can focus.
There's no glamour, lots of grunt, so get as many people to help as you can ;)
10 years, 6 months ago - Kyri Saphiris
Brilliant advice, thanks so much! (and I love the humour!). After several days that's brought me to this point, I've just received confirmation from two actors this evening that they'd like to be involved in this project with me! We will be meeting one day during the coming week. My method of working (on this project at any rate) will be to use improvisation to both devise and to then shoot a short film. So, apart from your notes on the script, everything else still stands. I've got a couple of days to prepare before the shoot! *bites nails nervously*
10 years, 6 months ago - Marlom Tander
Improv as a script dev tool yes, but have it nailed down for shooting. (Run camera during improv sessions, people will say great words off the cuff and promptly forget them).
That said, if time permits, once you have done the "proper" line, if they fancy some improv or have thought up good alternates, shoot those too.
10 years, 6 months ago - Doug Kirby
Paddy is so on it, pre-production and story.
As long as you have a strong story idea and do rehearse before you shoot even if developed on the day, make sure you cover the 3act formulae.
Ideally you still need a script supervisor who can log takes as well as most importantly ensure dialogue matches and story arc followed, by the sounds of it a person who can write short hand!
I know of many projects, that never get finished because the edit is a nightmare.
10 years, 6 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin
Improvised script sounds interesting, just a couple of things to best in mind - it might be tough to edit as you won't have the same dialogue from several angles. Other thing to bear in mind is to still keep it short! Brevity is a noteworthy virtue in a short film :)
10 years, 6 months ago - Kyri Saphiris
Thanks all! I think we'll start off with some rehearsing to develop an initial idea then plan some shots and scenes. I hope to cover various shots for each scene to have some scope for the edit. I like the idea of keep on shooting and not to get too bogged down on perfection. With some good planing on the day, and lots of different takes, hopefully we might end up with something. I need to remember to take a pen and some note paper to try and note things down as you've suggested.
10 years, 6 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin
Phew, that's a tricky one, as the list is 'everything'!
Start with a good story with 1-2 characters in a single location, then a good script. Their that script away and make it shorter, then do the same again. Learn to format a script properly, and go for maybe 3 pages at most. Show the script to actors and see if they want to be in it, shooting for one day. Plan every shot, plan how to light every shot, plan how you're going to record audio (even if it's a smartphone just out of frame), prelight the night before, shoot all morning, get everyone pizza, shoot all afternoon . Let everyone go early if you can. Import all the clips into your NLE, and cry at just how much work there is to do to get it right, wince about the shots you missed, patch it together the best you can, review it, realise it's a mess but think what you'll do differently next time.
Repeat ;-)
10 years, 6 months ago - Mät King
Put a memory card in the camera, turn it on, shoot some material and then edit it. Then do the same again and then again. Keep shooting and don't get bogged down in trying to make the perfect film. But most of all enjoy...
10 years, 6 months ago - Kyri Saphiris
That's a very good point. I think on that basis, I'll need to ensure we keep dialogue to a minimum and also try and repeat the same lines when getting additional shots for coverage.