Saturday, May 19, 2012

Think like A Filmmaker

            Think Like A Filmmaker

    Do I need to learn about filmmaking to be a good writer?

  No. You can be a great writer and never learn anything more than the basic format of a script.

    Is there a but coming?

    Yes.

    But you need to learn something about no budget filmmaking to be good at writing this type of script. You need to understand that it is not like writing any other kind of script. The limitations of your no budget screenplay are fixed. There are certain things that you cannot include in a script because it cannot be done on a budget of under fifty thousand dollars.

    Here are some basics to keep in mind.

    You cannot count on CGI to save you. Computer effects can only do so much. Unless you or the director you are working with is a master at this and can reproduce scenes from the Avengers on his or her Mac you need to keep it realistic. The software required to make it look great will probably cost more than the film’s budget. Final advice on this subject if you are going to write scenes that require seeing a lot of monsters, explosions and space ships just sit back and watch what the sci-fi channel has on any Saturday. This should cure you. There is being cheap and looking cheap and sci-fi channel manages to pull of both.

    Next up is your cast. Do not include more than twenty speaking roles. I would suggest keeping it to around ten or less.

    Why?

    They need to be paid usually. Either up front or down the road.

Secondly you have to feed them. “So what,” you say. So just imagine having to feed fifteen or twenty of your friends sleeping in your living room for a week. They will need bathroom time and they will need food. Lots of food and you (the writer filmmaker)  will have to provide said food at least three times a day. Screenwriters do not usually think about this. The writer producer has too. Food cost money and did I mention coffee cost lots of money and people drink lots of coffee when it is free to them. This is one reason for a small cast of characters. The other reasons are the cost of wardrobe. The cost of transportation for each one of them. The added risk that someone gets hurt on and off the set. An injury to one actor who is in multi scenes shuts down the movie until they are able to work again. Keep your cast small. Here is a clip from a film that kept its cast small and I bet you never noticed.


    One more note on cast. Extras that show up for one day and one scene do not count. You do not usually have to feed them. They are people who just want to be in a movie and are going to be easier to deal with than your real actors.

    I will not talk about location here. I did a post on location. I will mention that one of the best things that you can do is actually see a movie being shot. Watch some behind the scenes tutorials. Visit a set if you can, even as an extra. Get your camcorder out if it shoots 24p and or if you have an iPhone download the filmmaking apps and shoot a scene or two of your script with friends to see how it flows visually. Trust me you will learn a great deal from this process.

    What was that?

    You do not know how to shoot a scene. Fine, I can help you. You can visit my new filmmaking site, (shamless plug coming) it is titled thephonefilmmaker. This site has basic tutorials on how to make a film using the iPhone and digital cameras and camcorders. Also a bunch of short films shoot with each. There will also be advice on where to go and get Apps and or basic equipment to shoot you little test films. To go there you can   click here

    Okay I think the next post will be about writing a short film. Good luck and remember to add this blog to your Google plus and Stumble us on Stumbleupon.  It is a way for me to know if this site is worth continuing. It is a way of knowing that there is someone out there that is getting something from these post. If you have a suggestion for a future post please leave a comment.

    Thank you and see you soon.

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