GH13 Any tips for a first film?!

A

Andor

Active member
I'm finally going to be filming my first short (~20 minutes length) late August. I'm about to send the script in for copyright, I've finalized most of my locations, and have most of the crew lined up. However, I still feel very unprepared.

I think I'll be shooting it with the 100 max latitude patch. Is this what most people think is ideal right now? Or is there some 422 mpeg thing that would be better?

Any other tips, stories, or random advice? I am trying to soak in as much help as I can!
 
Andor said:
I'm finally going to be filming my first short (~20 minutes length) late August.
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Random advice: Personally I think films should either be 10 minutes or 100 minutes. I'm not saying your film should not be 20 minutes because there are always exceptions. If you are interested in the film getting into film festivals/competitions though then 20 minutes is very long. My friend who is a producer and was helping choose short films for the Melbourne International Film Festival said that when she was choosing films she sometimes fast forwarded the longer 20-25 minute films because she didn't have the time. Also if it's 20 minutes it's taking the place of two films so it better be awesome. To me, 8-12 minutes feels like the perfect length for a short film just like 3-4 minutes is for a pop song.
 
i think sound is really important , so make sure that you have an experienced sound guy and a boom operator on set;i dont know about your camera gear but you need good primes to achieve that "film look " simple light kit for interior shots ; nd's for exteriors and if you are planning to shoot some hand held stuff ,you also need a good stabilizer or shoulder rig. if you can ;do some on location rehearsals with your actors so you can also have an opportunity to test your gear during that period.
 
Searcher said:
Random advice: Personally I think films should either be 10 minutes or 100 minutes. I'm not saying your film should not be 20 minutes because there are always exceptions. If you are interested in the film getting into film festivals/competitions though then 20 minutes is very long.
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Agreed.

Story. Is it good? If youre arent sure yourself, then the answer is probably no. Be prepared to kill your children. Theres a lot of time and effort that goes into make even a 5-6 minute short, so that timeframe is a much better start point (in addition to the point above). Then at least if the final outcome is average, you can still learn all your lessons to improve the next one. FWIW, Im not saying that you wont turn out a good short either. But getting an audience to watch a 5 minute short is tough enough.
 
Each and everytime I do a film I learn something new and then It seems so obvious as to why I didn't know that. To this, I'll give you my .02 but just realize that when you are done you'll have such a wealth of info on what you'd do the same, and what you would totally do differently.

1. Don't create inside a vacuum. (ie). Include people in the process of creativity, scheduling, equipment purchase/rental, crew selections, talent, etc. Otherwise when you get to the set you are the only one who knows what's going on.

2. To further extend the first comment, Delegate to people that you know you can trust and know that will come through for you. A film can really go haywire so have people there who have your back, and if they've come along during the pre-production and know what all is involved they can jump in more easily.

3. Have backups for almost everything. Actors, crews, props, equipment, etc.

4. Build in production "snow days". Days to pick up things that you didn't get and that you have to get before you go on. These can also be rest and recovery days so you don't get super burned out.

5. Have a strong First AD and a 2nd AD. Make sure that they get you what you need, keep you on track, and handle the nasty things that you don't want to.

6. Have everyhting ready to go well before your shooting start. This is someting I have a hard time doing and I'm getting better. So if you are going to shoot on Monday have everything taken care of by Friday.... Allow yourself that weekend to bolster yourself up.. to enourage yourself... to get relaxed and ready to shoot. Don't bombard yourself with worry and things to do all the way up to the shoot... Be able to improvise on set and that only happens when you are relaxed and free.

7. When you need 10 extras, ask a 100 or 200 people. Actors flake out and let you down.

8. Shoot two cameras whenever possible. Shooting from wides to closes and shoot in the same direction to speed up lighting and set changes.

9. Do some on set editing to make sure you are matching and getting the shots that you need that are so important. This is especially true for anything that will involved CG, greenscreen and the like.

10. Try to enjoy the process and don't beat yourself up about things.. whether they are things you can control or not. It's a process and we have to be able to get what we want, but also remain human during the process. So also don't go heavily into debt, don't forget your family, don't give everyhting to your film and then have nothing for when it's done. Sure we talk about doing that, but many a filmmaker has gone insane during this process, and certainly gone broke.


Well dont' know why I wrote so much and gave you 10 but I was in the mood I guess. Also realize that NO one ever feels completely prepared and ready... and that they have enough money, the right cast and the right equipment. Just do your best and hope for the rest.


peace,


Justyn
 
Lots of great advice already. The 3 things I read that I would reiterate are:

1. Make your short 10 minutes long. An awesome 10 minute short will do much more for you than a very good 20 minute short.
2. Sound, sound, sound. The biggest give away of an amateur production is poor sound.
3. Back up, back up, back up....
 
Tis true on the sound.. and making sure you have a good soundmix. It doesn't take much but dilligent attention to the environment and the equipment/ talent. A lot can be done these days by putting flash recorders in pockets and a couple of zooms.
 
Ditto to all the above. Also -- put your credits in the close if you can. If you must have opening credits, make them cool and short. We're getting entries in our little fest right now (tylerfilmfest.com) and long, dull credits are making us brain-dead. :-(
 
First: Massive thank you to everyone who has replied. I love all input.

Stephen Best said:
What are your roles on the shoot?
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I'm the writer and director... And a few other things off and on, but mainly just those two. I've had multiple people review the script, and that helped a TON in polishing it. So far everyone has had positive comments on it too.

10 minute thing: I think I can make a 10 minute edit of the film, but its full length in Celtx is 15 pages, and those pages read slower with a lot of visuals.

My producer says he has a good sound guy lined up, but I've never worked with him before. I'll stick be sticking my Zoom on a boom for backup audio, but hopefully I never need it.

I've never been to a film festival before - is there anything else I need to be aware of other than the time and credit length? (I won't have opening credits). Lets say (in theory) that the full length is 15-20 minutes, and it's great. However, a 10 minute version is pretty solid too (in theory):

Is it better to just submit the 10 minute version instead of the full bit? Or should I risk it with sending in the full length? Or play it by ear with each festival (is it bad to have two versions of a short film circling around)?
 
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