7 Easy Steps to Shooting Great Videos

Many people are so intimidated by their video camera that they rarely use it! With just a few steps, you too can be a great shooter of your family films.

1. Know Your Camera
While you don't need to know every last feature of your camera, you should know the basics of how to use it. Some cameras now offer an "Easy Button" where everything is automatic. This can be wonderful for many filming situations. For times when you don't want your camera's focus to constantly change during an interview, for example, do a few test runs before using the manual focus button.

2. Know Why You're Filming
Before you turn your camera on, think about what you're about to film. What is it that you want people to take away from your shots? What do you want them to remember? Is it the actions in the shot? Or what someone is thinking or feeling at the time? If it's a long action shot (say a school play), consider investing in a tripod for a steady long shot (and a thankful right arm!) If it's a personal interview, consider investing in a better microphone.

3. Establish Yourself
Once you've figured out your main objective of the shoot, you want to take a hint from the pro's and make sure you get an establishing shot, ideally at the start of filming. An establishing shot simply establishes where the filming is taking place or identifies without words what you are filming. This could mean a wide shot including as much or all of the action in the shot as possible. For the school play example, it could be a shot of the entire stage. Or perhaps a quick shot of the front of the school or a sign naming the play. Once you've established for your audience "where" you are, you can then vary your shots with closer-in shots (called medium and close-up shots.)

4. Let The Action Tell The Story
Too often, people think they have to do more with their camera to make their home movies interesting. This often means that pesky zoom button is in constant use! Not only does this lower your production value, it leaves your audience feeling a bit seasick. Instead, try to use your zoom button only to change shots (from say establishing to close-up) and then let what's happening in the shot play out. Your audience will definitely thank you!

5. It's All About the Lighting
Have you ever noticed how your home movies shot outdoors look beautiful and the ones inside look noisy or grainy? This is because natural light (sunlight) is much stronger than tungsten (indoor light) and most consumer video cameras require a great deal of light to make a beautiful picture. Therefore, when indoors, these cameras will do something called auto gain which creates additional "artificial" light but also adds grain to your picture. So remember--when shooting indoors, use as much available light as possible, and make sure that available sunlight is in the right place--to the front or side of your subject to light up their face--not behind them where they will be in silhouette.

6. Sound Is A Beautiful Thing
Hearing someone's voice is equally as important, and sometimes more so, than seeing their face. So know your camera and its microphone capabilities. If you are sitting in the back row of the school play and are just using an internal microphone on your camera, don't expect to hear your daughter's lines clearly. Do some tests ahead of time to evaluate if your filming situation requires a different or additional kind of microphone.

7. Be Prepared
The most important thing you can do is make sure you have lots of blank tape (or drive space) and several charged batteries! Without them, all of the above is meaningless. So take the time to be prepared for your shoot.

DMB Pictures is a boutique video production company specializing in producing broadcast-quality personal stories for families, non-profits and small businesses. The company opened its doors in January 2006 led by Debbie Mintz Brodsky, a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer with more than 20 years of experience.

Visit us at http://www.dmbpictures.com/

Original article

Documentary Budgeting Basics: Three Easy Steps For Creating Your Documentary Budget

Creating a documentary budget is great way to think through every aspect of your film. Even though you may be eager to get started shooting your documentary right away, creating a budget can often be an enlightening experience, revealing factors that may otherwise slip under the radar. A budget forces you to think through every detail and can save you the agony of an unexpected surprise down the road.

In addition to being a great tool for the filmmaker, a documentary budget is essential if you hope to raise money for your film. A budget is usually a must-have item along with your documentary proposal when pitching your documentary idea to potential funders or supporters. A documentary budget provides an important snapshot of how you plan to shoot your film, the locations where filming will take place, how many people are involved in the project, what kind of equipment you're using and your distribution plan among other things.

Whereas your documentary proposal describes the story and vision for how your documentary will look on screen, the budget is your nuts and bolts plan behind the scenes.

Here are the three primary steps in creating a documentary budget:

Research - This is THE most important aspect of creating your budget. Without research, you have a blank slate. This is where you need to make phone calls, search the internet and ask for advice. You'll need to decide such things as what kind of insurance (if any) you need, how much a van rental will cost in the city you'll be shooting, how much your cameraman charges for three days of work, what's the cost of renting a lighting kit, what does the animation guy charge, will you need to pay copyright fees for stock footage, etc.
Build Your Budget - It's highly recommended that you use a spreadsheet program such as Excel or get your hands on a documentary budgeting template. You can certainly jot down your budget items using a plain text document, but this is not a professional (or efficient) way to do a budget. Having a spreadsheet with formulas allows you to make changes to individual items and it automatically updates the totals for the whole budget. As you conduct your research, begin inputting the various budget items including crew salaries, production equipment rental, stock footage fees, administrative costs, etc. Input everything you can think of!
Refine Your Budget - Once you've created your budget, you will surely be shocked by the final total cost. At this point, you will need to refine your budget to come up with a realistic final cost. Ask yourself the amount of money you realistically believe you can raise for your project? If you think you can raise $10,000 and your budget came out to $250,000, then you will need to make some hard decisions. Is there anything in your budget that is not an absolutely necessity? Or is there a way to get some items donated?

Creating your documentary budget is not a one-time event. The budget will need to be constantly updated and modified as you go.

One item you'll want to include in your budget is a contingency (usually 8-10% of your total budget). This is especially helpful if you're new to budgeting. A contingency provides a buffer in case items in your budget end up costing more than you expected.

In summary, if you are pitching your documentary idea to potential funders and trying to raise money for your film, you will more than likely need a detailed budget. It's absolutely critical that you create a budget that is as realistic and accurate as possible. Since many of your funders will be business-minded individuals, they will know if you fudged on your numbers. So do your research and put together the best possible budget that you can. As the filmmaker, you are probably eager to start shooting and making your film, but taking the time to think through every detail of your budget will pay off in the end.

Faith Fuller is an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and founder of Desktop-Documentaries.com, an online resource guide for documentary filmmakers. To learn more about putting together Documentary Budgets and Documentary Proposals, visit http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/documentary-budget-template.html.

Original article

How to Choose a Film School in 5 Easy Steps

1. What Kind of Filmmaker Are You?

Filmmaking is a uniquely individual career. Some directors isolate themselves on set and communicate with the crew only through their assistant director. Others may walk through the set each morning and shake the hands of crewmembers while asking about their personal lives. Some cinematographers work with the same camera crew for their entire career and others love to mix it up.

The point is, that your vision for your film career needs to play an important role in your choice of film school. No one else can tell you where to get your film education; no one else understands what you want.

2. What Do You Want to Learn?

Make a list of your top 10 favorite films. Now take that list and write down what, specifically, you liked about each film. Was it the lighting, the cinematography, the writing, the directing, the variety of locations, the special effects, the editing? Once you have that list look over the list and see if there are any trends. If you notice that you have a wide range of interests in film you will be most happy in a school that has a broad-based curriculum which allows you to experience a variety of filmmaking roles. If you find your interestes are very narrow and include only one discipline, such as writing, you may want to consider a school that asks you to choose a specific focus for educational experience.

3. Where Do You Want to Be?

Sometimes the lure of a particular school clouds your judgment. If you love the outdoors and need to clear your head with an occasional hike through nature, you will most definitely not be happy in a big city film school program. It may sound exciting to move to New York or California and ply your craft in the hustle and bustle of the urban environment, but if solitude and time in nature feed your soul you will quickly become disenchanted.

Think about what you do to relax. Think about the last time you felt happy and satisfied. Now I realize that most creative-types rarely feel satisfied...but just try to picture yourself learning in an environment that matches your personality.

If you enjoy large groups of people, corridors flooded with bodies racing to and fro and hours of theory--then you know you want to be in a large university setting. In this kind of environment you will spend two to three years studying the history and theory of filmmaking and then, if your project is chosen, you will get to make your movie during you final year.

If you feel at home in smaller groups and want to get to know all of your classmates by name as you help each other create truly amazing films--you may want to consider a smaller film school that focuses on hands on collaboration and low student to instructor ratios. This type of program will put gear in your hands immediately and you will be making movies your first month.

4. What Can You (or Your Parents) Afford?

If you are a trust fund baby you can skip this section. No matter how much money you have saved or how much money your parents can contribute--ALWAYS apply for scholarships and financial aid.

If you come from a low-income family or are supporting yourself on a near-poverty level income you may qualify for some wonderful grants. The advantage of grants is that the money does not have to be re-paid.

If you qualify for student loans be sure to accept only the bare minimum of funds needed to pay for your education, housing and books. It is very easy to take all the loan money offered and buy things you really don't need...after you graduate you will be kicking yourself when the grace period ends and your monthly payments start up. That awesome flat screen TV won't seem so great as you pay that loan interest over the next 20 years.

If you can comfortably afford a "big" university education, running in the $50,000 to $200,000 dollar range--and you can repay those hefty student loans--then you may want to consider the four-year (or more) option.

If you are like most Americans, you would much rather pay pennies on the dollar for an education that prepares you for the film industry workforce in one to two years. If this sounds more palatable to you and your wallet then you want to consider the many wonderful certificate and AA film programs available.

5. Where Do Your See Yourself in Five Years?

If you see yourself wiping rehearsed tears from your eyes while you quip about how heavy the Oscar statuette feels...don't go to film school! Successful filmmakers make movies because they love the craft-not because they seek fame and fortune. The reality is that hard work, dedication and a spirit of collaboration are the only tools that create success in the film industry. No one makes a film alone...not even Michael Moore. Someone has to hold the camera while he eviscerates his interview subjects.

If you see yourself working for a traditional Hollywood production company then you need to choose a school that focuses on internship/apprenticeship positions that lead to that career path. If you see yourself wearing a variety of "hats" and having hands-on involvement with every aspect of your film projects then you need to choose a school that prepares you to handle any facet of the filmmaking process.

Smaller film schools with hands-on curriculum and mentorship teaching styles will allow you to experience every part of the filmmaking process. If you want to have a meaningful role in an independent production company then this is the type of school that will prepare you for that journey.

Make Your Choice

In the end you are the "decider." If you commit yourself to following your dream of becoming a filmmaker, you will succeed. The school you choose will help you on your journey, but no school can promise success. So be honest with yourself about your goals, your skills, and your true level of determination. Choose your school and never look back-success includes enjoying the journey, not just the destination.

Rue, filmmaker and Director of the Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking, is dedicated to mentoring the new generation of filmmakers. Leveling the playing field and enabling all future filmmakers to get the information they need to become the award winners of tomorrow is her full-time job. Copyright of the article belongs to Rue. All Rights Reserved.

Original article

Three easy steps to get the actors in your Film

Making a film, it is a unique experience gives us the opportunity to exercise different functions. One is the selection of the actors (casting) for a film. In this step, should take account of conditions of production and creative direction of the film.

In large productions, there is a casting entire Department who will be responsible for the selection of the actors suggested by the Director. In smaller productions, the Director himself, with the producer, selects the actors. In this article, we will see three steps, you can follow to get good players for the production of any size.

1. Announcements of said place on your choice.

The first step is to tell the world what you're doing a film and actors need. Describe the characteristics that you want (gender, age, skin colour). An important trick must not determine an age-specific number, but a range of ages which serves the character you want (between 30 and 40, for example). This announcement clearly what are the benefits of production, if it is paid a salary, food, transportation, give a copy of the film actor portfolio.

If your film is seeking volunteers, are clearly in the advertisement. This will save time and is a way to demonstrate that you are professional. Finally, put the email or the address to which applicants should submit materials (photo / video) of their portfolios so you can analyze. Send this announcement by email to dramatic art schools and agencies of the flow in your area. In addition, you can place your ad on sites frequented by the actors. If you want something more extensive, have also placed advertisements in local newspapers.

2 Organize the documents received and select those you like.

After a few days, you will receive materials from different actors and actresses. The first step is to organize in the computer or physically, each holding a folder containing the curriculum of the person and documents. After doing so, create a folder for each character in the film and the material of players who can play the role inside.

When everything is organized, look how the players perform in video. If the player has not sent a video portfolio, select a part of the script in which his character is and ask if it can save a video making the scene and you send it. Most of the players who will be without any problem. This part is very important because the performance in a film is different from the theatrical performance (the most of your players will come from the Theatre) and you need to see if the player is comfortable acting for the camera.

3 Meet of the person and sign contracts.

After the first two phases and the initial contact with the players, you know which of them are excited about the film. This is important because, beyond the jurisdiction of a player, he must believe in the project. So, call the players that you have selected for a personal contact. Schedule a day and sit down for a coffee, to explain the project, deliver the script and sign contract and release forms.

Even if your actors of the film are volunteers, it is important for everyone to sign a contract agreeing to this type of work. This contract must be specific to the subject that will be paid by the production and what are the responsibilities of the actor and production. In addition, the actor must sign image and forms of sound broadcasting at this time to avoid any future problems.

What are the three steps to run a successful and organized flow. Now just repeat and prepare for filming. Good luck!

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