Film Making | A complete beginner's guide
If you love watching movies and have always wanted to make one yourself, or if you have a story in mind that you would love to put on the screen, you should definitely try your shot at filmmaking.
How do I start?
Filmmaking is a very broad field and usually, a huge number of people work on a single film. Now, as a college student, it will not be possible to find a crew, but that does not mean you cannot make films. These limitations may make it hard to make films, but there are workarounds and you have to get creative to solve any problems that you may encounter.
Note: A film can be anything ranging from a narrative movie to a documentary, or even an advertisement.
To get started making films, you will need the following-
DSLR Camera or a smartphone with a decent camera.
Laptop or P.C
Any video editing software
Tripod (Not required, but highly recommended)
These are the bare minimum hardware/software requirements for making a movie, which most of you must have access to at home.
Cinematography
Cinematography is one of the most important aspects of a film, which makes sense because it is a visual art form. Cinematography is not just about making your footage look good and it definitely has nothing to do with the picture quality of your footage. While these things do help, you should not be worried about them right now.
Cinematography comprises all on-screen visual elements, such as lighting, framing your shots, and camera angles and movement; all these things will help you tell your story better.
Watch these videos to gain a better understanding of cinematography-
1) Cinematography 101: What is Cinematography?
2) How To: Basic Cinematography Tips!
3) Composition + Framing - Storytelling with Cinematography
If you have a DSLR lying around and don’t know how to use it, watch this video.
Editing
Good editing is very important in a film. Different editing techniques and styles are used for different genres; the way a film is edited can evoke different emotions in an audience.
Watch this video to better understand the importance of editing.
Notice how footage from the same movie, Avengers: Endgame, is edited in different ways to fit different genres (horror, drama, etc) and it feels like a completely different movie in each edit!
This is a great example of how editing can make a great difference.
How to become a pro?
Filmmaking is a field which is impossible to get good at without lots of practical experience. This means that the best way to learn filmmaking is to just start making movies.
You should feel free to work on any idea for a movie that you might have, while keeping your limited resources in mind (such as lack of actors and equipment).
Watching this video will be a great help before making your first film.
Now, in the current state of the world, making films will be a bit more difficult since you can’t leave your house. But you must think creatively to find a way around this. Maybe come up with a story which takes place in one room and just has one character, or you could film an advertisement for a product you have at your disposal (example: your smartphone).
Following these channels on YouTube will help you learn a lot and give you some great inspiration-
1) DSLRguide
2) Film Riot
4) Wolfcrow
You can find inspiration for your films by watching short films on YouTube or from the films and shows that you watch every day.
These channels on YouTube have some great short films-
1) Omeleto
2) Alter
3) Dust
If filmmaking seriously interests you, you should try to make your first movie right away after reading this doc and going through the various resources.
Some previous work by me-
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQX6DVcUTXNcd8iFH8EXoymgxKjQSyYZD
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