Short Film Making

The Short Film
Most film makers begin their film making careers with a short film. The short film can be a great learning experience. You will learn all of the basics that will carry you through a feature film shoot.

The rules that apply to a feature will still apply to your short film.

You will need a script. In the case of a short film this script can be as short as five pages and as long as forty. It should be written in standard screenplay format and the structure should be the same. Meaning it should have a beginning, middle and end. Even if it is a one act conversation between two characters. Also you will want to keep the budget as low as possible. The short film is a learning experience and it should not cost thousands of dollars unless a ton of effects are to be added. To understand all that you will need to consider when crafting a low budget screenplay I would suggest that you read my book on the subject. You can find it by clicking here.

Next you will need to understand basic lighting and sound techniques. The difference between a quality film and one shot by an amateur is the lighting and how well the sound is recorded. There are lighting and sound tutorials to be found at this site. Check them out.

You will need to find a cast. You can use friends or you can go out an call professionals. If you can afford to pay them or convince then to work for credit I would suggest hiring pros. Your film will be better for it and you will learn a ton from being around working actors.

Watch a bunch of short films and as much behind the scene stuff as you can find. Also read interviews done with those who you admire. Digital film making is something that can be learned from studying those who have done it.
A word on cameras. This site is dedicated to iphone filmmaking, but anything goes. You can shoot with a video camcorder. You can record your film with a Dslr if you want to. There are no rules except the ones that you create for yourself. This is going to be your film so anything goes.

Good luck with your project, please take a moment to like this post on Stumbleupon and to share this post with a friend.