Aspiring Short Film Maker - Got the equipment just need to learn and improve.

H

HatlessChimp

New member
Hi,

I'm 30 years old and never worked in the film industry, I'm an engineer actually. I've always loved the art of making films and photography. When I finished high school I was undecided if should I choose a media related university degree or engineering. Well the engineering has been great for me but its boring. I'm a very creative person. I love using my hands and have a pretty good imagination. I love expressing my creative flair. So I thought I might give it a crack and make some short films for a niche demographic that I think is going to become very popular soon. I bought some good pieces equipment and been practicing but its very hard being a one man band. Setting up the shot, making sure sound is recording, Syncing with clap board, running around in front of the camera and acting, then editing etc. Its fun but I've got to improve the composition of the shots and my acting is woeful! I have also been caught out by poor background noise. Sound is defintitly an area I need to improve. I would love to have people act in my films but I cant afford to pay anyone and my friends and relatives are either busy or don't want to. For the moment I wasn't happy with my latest efforts so I'm going back to reading books and seeing how others get such great shots on vimeo and youtube. Also editing can make shots look way better than what that they were and I'm only good at basic editing LOL. I guess you have to start somewhere.

My equipment so far:

Sony A7s + Canon Ef 24-105mm f4 USM
Atomos Shogun
Ronin M
2x Manfrotto Tripods with 502ah fluid heads
7x 572c aputure led lights with stands
Rode NTG3
Rode Lav
Shure sm7b
Zoom H6
Senheisser 122 eng wireless pack

Would love to get a Kessler Crane Second shooter to add some movement.

From Melbourne, Australia.

UPDATE----25th-August-2015------

Hi people,


A mate an I just punched out this video and was wondering if we could get some feedback. Positive and Negative are welcome. We think we are getting better but we know we can certainly improve. Your honest feed back would really be appreciated. Smile


It's an unboxing of a new 4K monitor that we bought to help with video editing. We thought while we are at it "Lets make an unboxing video". Also we have a new channel we are launching soon but it doesn't really involve unboxing's, but there will be some time to time. This video is more just us practising and just seeing if people like us and our techniques. Also we are very new to the filming and editing. It may or may not show but I can honestly say I am and have spent many hours over the last 6 to 8 months studying and researching how to make it all happen.


Also please only critique our latest video that I've posted here. There are others on my channel, but they are older less quality videos that were made for members of various forums that asked me to make them


So please tell us what you think! :-)


Thanks for your time!


Please subscribe if you like us LOL!


 

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Welcome!
This is a great place to learn. You might try some courses as well either online or in person. You don't mention your location so I can't advise on in person courses or other location things. Reach out locally and see if you can intern. Don't lose your passion. Best of luck.
 
You'd figure most US states have either a college with a theater faculty or a local troupe within a drivable distance.

And, naturally, one has to start his directing career by making cat videos. If you can teach them some acting skills, you're going all the way to the top.
 
Im in Melbourne, Australia. Ive been filming my daughter a lot and some random unboxings of items ive purchased. Lol

I found a guy near me that does freelance work, wedding and real estate videos but he wasnt keen to have me do work expierence with him. I told him I can help do anything for free. I guess he thinks he is protecting his job?
 
You're going to have to practice on yourself with your basic "a day in the park" or "sunbathers eaten by sharks" type of clips ... then, after you can put a decent reel together, you could probe around for some paying/assistance gigs ... you got some nice equipment already ... forget the sound at the moment ... just go shoot something, edit, grade, post it on Vimeo and YouTube ... suffer from scathing attacks on your ability ... and learn ...
 
Thanks DLD for the support!!!!

Here's my first video with the gear. Everything produced by me and what I know so far.

 
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So, if someone said, "not too bad", would you consider it a backhanded compliment?

Not too bad!

Just keep on shooting.

PS. If you want a wild suggestion, re-do the already existing Ronin footage as a horror flick, with an appropriate change in grading and music. Then re-do the lighting by opening up a curtain or two. Then two a quick cut edit, etc.
 
I used my wifes iMac with Garageband and a Korg Taktile 25 for the music. First time I've done it. So many things to learn! Grading?? Don't even know how to colour grade. I will try and shoot some better stuff today or tomorrow. I think I can easily improve the footage. I love the low light capabilities of the A7s - Amazing!

Thanks for the help DLD! I take any criticism well especially when its from people supporting me and trying to help! However even if I were producing awesome content I would still not approve of my own work. Its how I am and sadly I see I'm far from where I want to be, but every video is a step closer and I need to punch out more and more.

Cheers!!!
 
Black Magic Design's DaVinci Light is free. Try that as a color correction suit for the various A7s Log footage (more info on that on the A7s threads). Do some flat/LOG settings. Look up some LUT's, etc.

BTW, as a cinematography class, just watch films that were made by the business greats. A few days ago, I stumbled on the original "Ben Hur" (1959) that was shot by Bob Surtees - 16 Oscar nominations with 3 wins in his career - and basically every shot is a masterpiece. Another one of my favorites is the "Road to Perdition" that was lensed (show biz term) by Conrad Hall - also 3 Oscars, off 10 noms - and that's enough inspiration for almost anyone.
 
Cheers for the info. I watched Drive starring Ryan Gosling. Apparently its all shot with a canon DSLR. Obviously not in the same class as the two you mentioned but was good to see how they controlled the focus throughout the film.
 
Chimp,

You might want to check out some good You Tube resources like " Film Riot ". Ryan and his crew are pretty great, and they explain things in a way that is both informative and easy to watch. Also, to echo what DLD said, I'd recommend watching films to study them. You could take it a step further and try to recreate the exact look or feel of the scene as practice. Dissect the lighting. Decipher the lense choice(s) and DOF. Figure out the camera movements (if any). You can learn a lot by carefully watching and emulating great artists.
 
Just an update,


I ended up buying some new gear.


960gb SSD
QNAP tvs671 + 6x 6gb WD Red hdd's
Benq BL3201pt 32" 4k monitor
Metabones Nikon G to E adapter
A second Senheisser 112 wireless mic set
10 Aputure 672 led lights
Rode NTG3
2x 502ah manfrotto fluid heads + two tripods
Kessler Crane Cineslider + Second shooter
And some other non video equipment.


I've been punching out some great videos and now have a friend onboard helping. I built a sound proof green screen room and treated it to stop sound reflections - works well. I'm looking forward to sharing.
 
UPDATE----25th-August-2015------

Hi people,


A mate an I just punched out this video and was wondering if we could get some feedback. Positive and Negative are welcome. We think we are getting better but we know we can certainly improve. Your honest feed back would really be appreciated. Smile


It's an unboxing of a new 4K monitor that we bought to help with video editing. We thought while we are at it "Lets make an unboxing video". Also we have a new channel we are launching soon but it doesn't really involve unboxing's, but there will be some time to time. This video is more just us practising and just seeing if people like us and our techniques. Also we are very new to the filming and editing. It may or may not show but I can honestly say I am and have spent many hours over the last 6 to 8 months studying and researching how to make it all happen.


Also please only critique our latest video that I've posted here. There are others on my channel, but they are older less quality videos that were made for members of various forums that asked me to make them


So please tell us what you think! :-)


Thanks for your time!


Please subscribe if you like us LOL!


 
I assume when you say 'aspiring short film maker', that you want to make story films, rather than just technical 'unboxing' films, right?

If so, then make a film! Tell a story. It doesn't have to be anything long or elaborate. In fact, I have a short (7 pages) film script that has no on-screen actors at all -- only 2 telephone answering machines. It's basically a comedy. Voiceover actors required -- 2 of them. Simple, and yet a bit of a challenge to shoot just 2 answering machines and not have it get boring.

You are welcome to take a stab at shooting 'Phone Tag' if you'd like. Message me with your email address and I will send you the script.
 
Hi David, I'm curious about your script. I run a High School film club and thought this would be a great exercise to start off the year. My only question, Is it age appropriate for High school students? If so, I would love to take a shot at using this piece if your ok with it. Thanks
 
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