Archives for January, 2008
Shoot for the Edit
A tip that I always pass along to my friends/aspiring film makers is to ’shoot for the edit’. What this basically means is that you should film as much footage as you can from as many different angles as you can and then let the magic happen when you edit the movie together.
For example, let’s use a home movie. How many times have you seen a very boring home video where it’s an hour of footage that could easily be edited down to 15 minutes? That person, unknowingly, shot for the edit — except they didn’t edit it. That hour long footage gives that person a ton of footage to choose from to put together a short, tight piece that will impress and interest more people than an hour of boring, two minute shots of a monument.
Also, make sure that one of your shots is a wide shot, that has the entire scene and actors in view. This wide shot will be then cut with mid-shots and closeups. And last but not least, remember to film a few seconds before the scene starts and a few seconds after the scene ends. These extra seconds give the editor extra footage to work with to make cuts better.
But remember, your footage is the most important. If your shots are garbage, no amount of editing will make them better. Garbage in, garbage out.
Got a question? Email me!
If you have a certain question about film making, please feel free to email me and I’ll try my best to answer it. Now keep in mind that I am not a professional. I am currently a film student. But just because I’m a student doesn’t mean I can’t help.
Send emails to filmschooljournal at live.com — I’ll write up a post with your question and my answer. Thanks.
Differences between Spec Scripts, Treatments and Pitches
Here’s a question that every screenwriter will seek the answer to when they first begin to write:
“What’s the diffrence between a spec script, treatment and pitch?”
The answer is really quite simple.
A spec script is a screenplay that a writer has written on his own without getting paid for it. The ultimate goal for the writer would be to sell his completed screenplay. Another reason would be to have something to show potential employers. They want to see a sample of you work.
A treatment is pretty much an outline of the screenplay’s plot. Treatments are usually written in paragraph form and don’t include dialogue. Treatments vary in length. Sometimes a potential employer will ask for a treatment of your screenplay.
A pitch is an oral presentation where the screenwriter pitches his movie to studio execs. If the execs like it, congrats, you’ve got yourself a paid job!
Reality is your greatest inspiration
I find it that the best way to get ideas for a story and characters is to open one’s eyes and look around. The world around you is the best inspiration. You’d be surprised how the people that surround you can easily translate into a character in your screenplay. Your neighborhood can also be a source of inspiration for a location in your screenplay.
I guess the point I am trying to make is that if you’re stuck, take a break and head outside and pay close attention to your surroundings. I would suggest heading to a mall, sitting down at the food court with pen and paper and start writing what you see. Observe the people and how they act, how they walk and talk. This will hopefully spark something in your brain.
Get an honest opinion from your true friends
If you’re working on a screenplay that you want an opinion on, the best people to ask are your friends. And I’m not talking about your friends from work or your classmate friends, I’m talking about your lifelong friends. The friends that you would get into a fist fight for. They’re the ones who will give you their honest opinions because no matter what they say, you’ll still be friends. The “other” friends will try not to hurt your feelings or burn a potential bridge.
Writing Exercise: Create a story with random images
Here’s an exercise for you. Take a bunch of random images that you find online or in a magazine and write a story about them. Give the people in your images names and personalities. Use the items in the images as props that they interact with. Create a conflict.
For example: Say you randomly choose the following 4 images — 1) A lady under an umbrella, waiting for the bus. 2) An image of a candy store. 3) An image of an empty house. 4) An image of a big building.
Save time and money by writing an outline
Chances are your indie films have little to no budget and must be shot in only days, sometimes only one day. The last thing you want to do is show up at the specified location and not know what you’re going to shoot. First of all, it is very unprofessional to show up at a shoot and try to wing it. Second of all, you waste valuable time that could be used to shoot extra scenes or alternate angles. You are also wasting the time of your actors who are either volunteering their time or charging you. In that case, you’re also losing money.
Create an online portfolio
In my opinion, an online portfolio is very important. Nowadays, it is very easy for anyone to start a website and put up their videos, artwork, etc.
It’s quite easy, actually. First you will need to register a domain name. I would suggest using GoDaddy.com and enter the coupon code: diggnation to get a discount. The best thing to do is to register your name. FirstAndLastName.com or FirstName.com if you have a really unique name. Next up, you will need a host. GoDaddy themselves also offer hosting. It’s actually quite cheap too. About $4/month. I personally use DreamHost.com to host all of my sites.
Get great footage by knowing your gear!
“A well-placed cheap microphone will get you better audio than a poorly placed expensive microphone.” - My sound professor at Los Angeles Mission College uttered does words, more or less, during one of his always entertaining and informative lectures. And he’s 100% right. Just because you have the best, most expensive equipment doesn’t mean your film is automatically going to be great.
Improve your writing with practice.
If you want to become a better writer, there’s no better way than to constantly write. You, no doubt, have heard of the old saying, “Practice makes pefect,” and not surprisingly, it’s true! There are many different kinds of writing you can practice. You can practice by writing dailogue, writing good action lines, or by simply writing about your everyday life.
