Maybe this should have been the first post in our series? Anyway; this week we're going to talk about how to Get Started with filmmaking.
This is a very basic introduction for those out there that are thinking of making a film; or getting into a particular role within the industry.
It's impossible to really know what it truly takes to make a film until you’ve been through the process yourself.
Making a successful short film is incredibly hard, making a successful feature is unbelievably harder but that needn't put you off getting out there and making some films.
Steps for making a film
We're not going to go into incredible detail here, filmmaking is a hugely complex process that you will learn over time. Detailed here is a very basic overview of the steps for making a film so if you're completely new to this; you'll have a much better understanding of what you'll need to consider before starting out on your film project.
You may also find that if you're only interested in a specific role within a filmmaking team that you'll have a better idea of where you'll fit in and what will be expected of you.
Idea
Every movie you’ve ever seen started with an idea in someone’s head. Although things change as a project goes on, the story you come up with in the beginning will serve as the foundation on which everything else will be built. Start thinking about the kind of story you want your film to tell and all the important story elements involved: plot, characters, conflict, etc.
Ideas pop into our heads unexpectedly. Be sure to always carry your phone or a notepad to take down any cool ideas or things that may enhance your story.
It’s also a good idea to create a folder in which you save items of interest; newspaper and magazine articles, snippets of overheard dialogue, notes on characters you see on the street, and even dreams. You may not know what to do with these things now but the day will come when you do.
Script
The script is where you’ll put down the story, setting, and dialogue in linear form. This important tool will be used by the rest of the team to know what’s going to happen in the film. You’ll also be using your own script as reference throughout the process as well since you may need to refresh yourself on certain actions, dialogue lines, and more.
Don’t be afraid to make changes to the script even after you think it’s ready. More often than not, better ideas will come to you well after this stage in the filmmaking process.
And don’t be afraid to let your actors improvise, whether it’s in rehearsal or on the set. You may be surprised at what your actors are able to imagine from their character’s point of view. This is especially true for filmmakers who may not be great with writing dialogue.
Storyboards
A storyboard is a sequence of images (usually drawings) that represent the shots you plan to film. Many filmmakers skip this step but this process is incredibly valuable as it helps you visualize each scene and decide on things like camera angles, shot sizes, etc. You’ll discover your storyboard’s true value when it helps communicate what you’re trying to go for to other people on the set.
And for those of you who think “I can’t draw”, photographing your storyboards can be a quick solution. Your phone's camera works fine for this. Just take a couple of friends to your location and tell them, “You stand here, you stand there,” and take pictures. Take lots of pictures. From lots of different vantage points. Then select the ones you like best and there’s your storyboard. Doing this has the added advantage of showing you what’s really possible.
Cast and crew
Assembling your team can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. You should take as much time as needed to find the right people for your film. For crew members, be sure to consider their past work and experience, and request showreels or any examples if available. You should also hold auditions to find the best actors and actresses for your roles.
Don’t feel obligated to include friends and family in your project. This is your film, which means choosing the best people for the job. Hopefully your acquaintances are professional enough to accept when you don’t think they’re a fit for your project.
Locations
You may need to construct sets for a setting you’d like to have. But for scenes where an actual location will do, you’ll need to do some scouting to find the best spots. Take a camera with you and do as much traveling as possible, snapping shots of places you think will serve as the perfect setting for particular scenes.
Always consider the space required by the cast and crew. Don’t choose a cramped, narrow space where only the actors will fit well and not the cameras, lights, etc.
Also consider where the cast and crew will be when you're not shooting a scene; having a comfortable space or "green room" is important in order for your team to be able to relax and possibly rehearse in between shots. Ensuring this space has refreshments and has a reasonable temperature is also highly recommended.
When finding a location make sure that it's suitable for sound; whilst the location could be perfect for your scene, if there's a lot of noise in the area it may be completely unsuitable for filming. Be sure to visit each location a number of times at the approximate time of day that you plan to shoot there to mitigate the risk of capturing terrible sound.
Filming
It all comes down to this. To prepare, be sure to have a shoot script ready along with an organized schedule of what will be filmed when. Give yourself plenty of time to shoot scenes so that you’re never rushed and can accommodate for changes or problems. It’s common for a scene that will only last one minute in the final cut to require many hours to film.
If time permits, try capturing the same scenes from new angles (for that super valuable B-Roll). Making use of multiple cameras, though with added complexity and greater crew requirement, can give you so much more to work with without sacrificing time on set. This way you’ll have more footage to work with that can keep your viewers engaged.
Post-production
If you thought filming took time, you were wrong. Post-production is when you edit all your footage to create a rough cut of the film. Once done with the rough cut, you’ll begin adding things like sound effects, music, visual effects, and color correction. This process will require the use of editing software and will often need a powerful computer — if you’re not confident find/hire an experienced editor or colourist.
Before you polish up your rough cut, show it to people whose opinions you can trust. It’s better that you find out what isn’t working now rather than after you've spent hours refining a specific scene or worse still; when your audience is watching the final version.
Find your role
As you can see from this very brief overview of what steps there are in making a film; there are a number of areas that need skilled people in order to make the production as success.
You may find that storytelling isn't your thing but you're really comfortable behind the camera or working with sound or lighting, maybe management, post production or set design is your thing. Whatever you can do and want to do; there's always a role on a film set for you.
Film production teams range vastly in number, small production teams can consist of just a handful people who assume various roles each in order to produce a final film; whereas large teams can consist of an incredible amount of people, each fulfilling a very specific role within dedicated teams at all levels of production.
Just as an example; the number of crew receiving credit for working on Iron Man 3 (2013) was 3,310.
Let's take a look at just some of the main roles within a film production team.
Screenwriter
The screenwriter is responsible for writing the script or narration, or sometimes drafting interview questions for the director. This role largely depends on the type of production, whether that be a film, commercial, documentary or digital video, all of which may require the screenwriter to work closely with the producing team and director on elements such as mood, setting, and character descriptions.
While the dialogue in a film may seem natural to the viewer, a writer carefully crafts it; however, the screenwriter does far more than provide dialogue for the actors. He or she also shapes the sequence of events in a film to ensure that one scene transitions to the next so that the story will unfold logically and in an interesting way.
Like the producer, the screenwriter's role is generally overlooked by the movie-going public, yet is essential to the completion of any film. If there is no script, there is no film.
The lines you always repeat from your favorite movies? You have the screenwriter to thank for that.
Producer
This person is essentially the group leader and is responsible for managing the production from start to finish. The producer develops the project from the initial idea, makes sure the script is finalized, arranges the financing and manages the production team that makes the film.
The producer also coordinates the filmmaking process to ensure that everyone involved in the project is working on schedule and on budget. Without a good producer at the helm, films do not get made.
Director
The director is the one responsible for telling the story and bringing it to life on screen. A director’s responsibilities include working with the actors, answering interview questions, setting location and blocking, as well as writing shot lists and deciding on the film’s overall look and composition.
The director is responsible for the look, feel and mood of the film and works with all levels of creative talent and production members. A director works at the center of film production, but is inextricably linked with dozens of other people who get the job done together.
Cinematographer
The DP works with the director on bringing the look, feel and mood of the film to life for your audience. DPs are responsible for all lighting decisions and the quality of the light (such as its shape, intensity, position and color). They provide input on camera angles, lens choice and movement.
DPs will also offer insight into which camera to use during production, depending on several factors. Most DPs will prefer different camera systems depending on the style of work being done, such as a commercial on set or a documentary on location.
This craft is referred to as cinematography.
Actors
Actors and actresses are huge assets to films.
Responsible for portraying the characters in a film, actors work closely with the director and cinematographer.
Production Manager
Production managers are responsible for the physical aspects of production, but are not involved in any of the creative work. They’re imperative to executing certain logistics, such as making sure gear and equipment arrive on time.
Gaffer
The gaffer works with the director of photography to help shape the light. Essentially, gaffers are in charge of lighting and will place flags, nets or diffusion filters on lights to control their color, softness and intensity.
Gaffers traditionally manage the grips and electricians on set and usually work their way up to being DPs.
Grip
The grips are responsible for building and rigging lighting, dolly tracks and other lighting accessories. The key grip is in charge of other grips and reports to the gaffer. On smaller sets, it’s common to have the same person handling the gaffing and gripping during the production.
Electrician
The electrical team handles getting power on set (usually required for the production’s lights) and manages the power draw on the building or generator. Electricians (aka Sparks) will run distribution boxes strategically on set so that they’re both safe and out of the way from other personnel.
DIT
The digital intermediate technician (DIT) is what many people call the most important role on set. The DIT is responsible for transferring the filming data on the camera’s cards to hard drives (note – plural). They usually have a system for this process and back up each card a minimum of two times. They may also use software that performs check sums of the data to make sure all files are there and are not corrupt.
Although corrupt data is rare, when it does happen, there’s nothing that can be done about it. Therefore, DITs must work quickly and perform quality control checks throughout the filming process to ensure nothing is lost.
Camera Operator
On smaller productions, the DP will also operate the camera. However, on larger productions, this task is often given to an operator who can help move the production along smoothly and increase everyone’s speed.
Camera Assistant
Low budget productions will have a camera assistant, or “1st AC,” before having a dedicated camera operator. ACs are responsible for helping the DP get the right lens for the shot, in addition to making sure any batteries, media cards and other accessories needed are ready for the next group of shots or scene. They’re typically tasked with building the camera at the beginning of the day and making sure everything gets put back in its place at the end.
Depending on the size of the production, and the number of cameras being used, you may also see 2nd and 3rd ACs helping the 1st AC. The 2nd AC is the person who is also in charge of the slate (or clapperboard).
Production Designer
Before one inch of film is shot, the production designer is the first artist to translate the script into visual form. He or she creates a series of storyboards that serve as the film's first draft.
A storyboard is a series of sketches on panels that shows the visual progression of the story from one scene to the next. Creating this sketch of the film on storyboards also ensures the visual continuity of the film from start to finish. Storyboards serve as the director's visual guide throughout the production and will be a template to follow during the editing process.
Art Director
The Art Director is works with the Production Designer, Set Designer, Prop Master and others in the Art Department. The Art Director is responsible for realizing the creative vision set by the Director to give the film a unique looks. Often times the Art Director is in charge of bringing a brand’s look and feel to a commercial or entertainment piece.
Costume Designer
Costumes convey a great deal about the film's time period and the characters who wear them, including their economic status, occupation and attitude toward themselves. Be sure to think about how costuming can show something about the character visually.
Editor
Shortly after shooting begins, the editor begins to organize the footage and arranges individual shots into one continuous sequence. Even in a single scene, dozens of different shots have to be chosen and assembled from hundreds of feet of film. The editor's choices about which shots to use, and the order in which to place them, have a profound effect on the appearance of the final film.
Music Supervisor
Music has been an integral part of movies since cinema's earliest days in the 1890s. A piano or organ player accompanied even the simplest silent films. The silent movie palaces of the 1920s were equipped with elaborate organs and orchestra pits to accommodate large groups of live musicians. Selecting the right music for the film will intensify the story for the audience, selecting the wrong track can ruin a great scene.
Boom operator
The boom operator is easily identifiable on set – he’s the one holding the microphone on the pole wearing headphones. The boom operator’s job is to get the microphone as close to the action as possible, without the equipment or its shadows showing up on camera.
This sounds like quite an easy job but it really isn't, capturing the best sound whilst keeping out of shot and not recording the rattle of a shaky boom pole is much trickier than you think.
Production Sound Mixer
Sound mixers take all the audio inputs generated by the filming process and records them to flash media cards. They’ll then place mics on each actor or character and record them on separate channels, giving them the ability to adjust the audio levels of each mic individually.
Good sound mixers will make sure all audio tracks are recording properly, providing much more flexibility in post production. They’ll typically bring their own equipment and microphones, making the sound quality as good as possible.
Location Manager
The Location Manager oversees the locations department and its staff, typically reporting directly to the production manager or assistant director (or even director or executive producer).
Location manager is responsible for final clearing (or guaranteeing permission to use) a location for filming and must often assist production and finance departments in maintaining budget management regarding actual location/permit fees as well as labor costs to production for the locations department at large.
Key Makeup Artist
The key makeup artist is the department head that answers directly to the director and production designer. They are responsible for planning makeup designs for all leading and supporting cast. Their department includes all cosmetic makeup, body makeup and if special effects are involved, the key make-up artist will consult with a special effects makeup team to create all prosthetics and SFX makeup in a production.
It is common that the key makeup artist performs makeup applications on lead cast, with assistance, and allows other crew members to work with supporting and minor roles. The key makeup artist will normally execute especially complicated or important makeup processes that are to be featured on camera.
Other roles
There are numerous other roles within film production teams, we've covered only a few of the more common roles here. Many of these roles have assistants and there are so many more roles open to anyone with little or lots of experience.
No matter what you want to do in the filmmaking world; there are opportunities out there for you.
We will go into some of the various roles in greater detail in some future posts.