Filmmaking workshopGetting your story on the big screen

Workshop outline

• What is REC Ya Shorts Youth Film Festival

• Choosing your story – simple, simple, simple

• Three phases of filmmaking

• The first steps – how to get started

• Writing, shooting, and editing your film

• Getting on the big screen at National Youth Week

Why make a short film?

Getting started

What makes you happy?

What do you find interesting?

What do you think more people should know about?

Word association exercise

Concept

Three phases of filmmaking

Post-productionEverything that happens after you shoot your movie

Production Shooting your movie

Pre-productionEvery that happens before you shoot your movie

Pre-productionPlan everything!

• Crew

• Script

• Actors

• Locations

• Release Forms

• Shot List

• Shooting Schedule

• Call Sheets

• Equipment List

ProductionShooting your movie!

• Be prepared. Be safe.

• Keep to a shooting schedule

• Allocate time for breaks

• First AD runs the set

• Bring food, water, sunscreen, hats etc

• Know your production roles –

• Director, First AD, Producer, Cinematographer, Sound recordist

Post-ProductionEditing and distributing your film

Editing

• Tell the best story from the raw footage

• Be ruthless. Cut away the dead wood.

• Get some fresh eyes on your work

• Allow time

Distribution (Producer’s role)

• What film festivals is your short film eligible to enter?

• Promote your film for FREE on Youtube, Vimeo, and Social Media

• Create a Facebook page for your film

Writing

• What’s something you find interesting? What do you do in your spare time?

• What kind of story do you want to tell? Documentary/drama/comedy/lifestyle?

• What’s going to be that one great moment/idea in your film (the climax)?

• Work backwards to fill in the blanks with the Three Act Structure

• Plan your story using the Three Act Structure

Finding your voice and your story

Writing cont.

• Actions speak louder than words - show it, don’t tell it

• Keep it simple, keep it short, keep it practical

• Locations, actors, props, crew

• Writing organically

• Format your script so that others can tell your story

Tips to writing a better story

Script formatting example

Shooting your story

• Director creates storyboard

• Cinematographer/DOP decides how to shoot storyboard

• Camera type, handheld vs. static shots, lighting

• Nine basic shots

• Wide, Medium Wide, Medium, Medium Close-up, Close-up, Extreme Close-up

• Establishing shot, 2-shot, cut away

Establishing shot

• Places the scene

• Creates a reference point for the audience

• Sets up the next shot

Shooting (cont.)

The two-shot

• Has two people in frame

• Used for dialogue scenes

• Helps the audience follow the scene more easily

• Use walking & talking shots to add energy to scene (see figure 1)

Figure 1

Shooting (cont.)

Cut-away• Be kind to your editor –

get lots of cut away shots

• Can be used to cut two different takes together into one scene

• No actors’ faces

Shooting (cont.)

Video editingLike putting together a jigsaw puzzle, video editing is about piecing

together the raw footage to fit the Director’s story.

Steps to video editing

1. Gather all raw footage

2. Setting up your timeline

3. Importing raw footage

4. Cut together the story

5. Sound and music

6. Effects and colourisation

7. Export final film

Video editing (cont.)

Entry level editing software

• Microsoft Movie Maker (Windows – free!)

• iMovie (Mac - $20)

Professional editing software

• Adobe Premiere Pro (Windows)

• Final Cut Pro (Mac)

Editing software that you can use

Getting stuck with editing?Google and Youtube are your friends!

Example searches:• Introduction to iMovie• How do I import video into Microsoft Movie Maker?• “Which timeline settings should I use?” (Widescreen, 48Khz)• How do I trim a video clip in Adobe Premier Po?• How do I set in and out points? • How do I make the timeline bigger/smaller?• How do I add titles?• How do I slow down a video clip?• How do I add effects on to my video?• How do I export my film?

Video editing (cont.)Troubleshooting

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Make a film about what makes you happy

…and include a banana in your film!

Let’s Make a Short Film (2012)

Fruit Man (2012)

Twisted (2014)

Milk (2014)