These tips will guide you through the essential techniques for filmmaking. Although some of these tips may appear more advanced, they are all important to both beginners and those with experience. The techniques below will help filmmakers avoid common pitfalls.
1. Visual storytelling is a great way to tell a story.
Be sure to have a story that is compelling and has a beginning, a middle, and an end before you start focusing on techniques. Filmmakers often make the mistake of not having a clearly structured and clear story.
To create a compelling story, you need to put in some thought and effort. It is not a good story to show your girlfriend or boyfriend walking on the beach. Instead, you are sending a visual letter. The main character must want to achieve something in order to create a story. Drama comes from the obstacles they face in achieving their goal.
The audience wants to experience an emotional journey. Keep it simple and make sure that the character’s “goal” is clear.
Focus on the actions and not the dialogue when creating a story. This is not to suggest that dialogue isn’t important. It is. Dialogue provides exposition about characters and story. It is better to show rather than tell. A character might say they want to visit the Taj Mahal, but it’s more interesting to show them. It is more interesting to show the audience the character’s face as they see it for the first time.
2. Cast & crew with experience.
It is a mistake to hire people who are good actors but only look the part. People who have proven themselves as actors are the best to use. If your dentist can’t act, the illusion will be gone. You can hold an audition for every role in a public place. Rehearsals are a great way to ensure that the actors work together to achieve the director’s vision.
Do not hire just anyone. Use experienced crew. If a cameraperson does not understand lighting or if a sound person holds the mic too far away from the actors, they will not be able to produce adequate images or sound. You should hire a crew member if you are familiar with their work and if it is relevant to your production. Ask to hear and see examples of the crew member’s work if you don’t know them.
3. Create a production design.
It is a common mistake to ignore the “look” of film. The look of a film will help sell the truth behind the film. Locations, sets, furniture, vehicles, clothing, and makeup are all part of a complementary design. Colors and styles are used to convey information about characters and stories. A “look book” with images and sketches of each scene’s look and feel is one way to create a production design. The crew is given the book so they can better understand the director’s vision.
The production design is often overlooked in filmmaking. Design is important to tell a good story, portray realistic settings, or provide information about characters. The audience will immediately assume that a character is trustworthy if they wear all black clothing and dark sunglasses, or hunch over when walking. Audiences will be able to tell if a house is expensive based on its large entrance with marble flooring and chandelier. Production design is as important as characters in a story.
4. Film the story.
Many directors make the same mistake, whether they’re just starting out or have a long career. They get too focused on cinematography. The focus is on the lighting and camera, and not the story or the actors. Focus on the storyline and acting, and let the crew take care of the technical stuff. Storyboards will help reduce technical questions for crew members and give them a plan for each scene. Although the technical aspects of filmmaking is important, they are not as important as the acting and telling of the story.
5. Camera techniques in film.
Shoot each scene with classic camera angles and shot framing so that you can cover the scene in post-production. You can also shoot more creative shots if you have the time. But the basic ones should be covered.
When it makes sense, use a tripod to get the basics and pan and tilt to follow the action. Use camera movements such as gimbals and dolly shots to tell your story better. Make sure that the lighting and composition of your shot will draw the viewer’s attention to the most important part of the picture. The camera’s ability to show or not show a scene and the way it is lit are all factors that create meaning in film techniques. When deciding where to position the camera, ask yourself, “What am I looking for?” Chances are, the audience is also interested in what you’re trying to show them. Don’t forget the basics. Follow your gut, but don’t ignore it.
6. Lighting techniques.
Lighting techniques help to focus the viewers attention. Lighting can be used to show the mood or perspective of a character. Dark minimal lighting and deep shadows can tell an audience that a character is hiding or withdrawn. The other end of this spectrum is flat lighting, which is often used in comedic films. Flat lighting produces very subtle shadows. The contrast between dark and light areas is minimal.
A common mistake is to light the wide shot one way, and then shoot the closeups or other angles with a completely different lighting style. This can distract the viewer. Lighting the establishing shot is the best way to go. Then, use the same lighting setup for all coverage shots.
7. Editing techniques.
Post-production is often neglected when filming. This is a common mistake. All of these elements will require time for editing. Be sure to allow enough time for the images and sounds to flow smoothly. To ensure smooth editing, it is best to cover the film in sufficient detail so that there are a variety of shots from which to choose. Close-ups and cutaways can help to cover continuity mistakes. Use fades and dissolves to effectively show the passage of time. Other transitions can also be created in production. In the 1968 movie A Space Odyssey there is a famous hard cut from a primate throwing a bone in the air to a station in space. It is important to plan this type of transition during preproduction so that you can have the shots needed in postproduction.
Use short crossfades to make the background change less noticeable. Use alternate takes for lines that were poorly recorded or remove unwanted production noises if you have the time. Sound effects can add realism to a scene if used appropriately. Foley is the sound of footsteps, body noises and prop handling that adds to the reality. Foley is not used in many lower budget films, and as a result the soundtracks are thinner. Backgrounds are environmental sounds which add to the sense of place in a scene. They are the non-sync sound effects like wind, rain and traffic.
8. Use appropriate music.
Some films use music non-stop from the beginning to the end. The majority of films require some breathing space between music cues. It might work to add music throughout the whole film, but the sound could be like a music clip. Some scenes do not require music. When it counts, use it. Overuse of music can diminish its effect. Make sure the music chosen fits the scene and is appropriate for the actors.
If you don’t need singing, use music without voices or vocals. Music that sings can compete with an actor’s dialog. Popular songs can be used for montages and credit sequences, but are not often used for the score. The filmmaker must also have the rights to use popular songs in the film.
The majority of scored music does not come from the radio. The music is often called underscore, as it usually plays behind the dialogue. Film score music is best because it’s created in sync with the film. Auditioning music from similar films can help you determine what music is best for your film. You can insert the music of a film like Save Private Ryan at appropriate points in your war film to see if it works. Then you can find similar music and acquire the rights to edit it into your film. You can make your own soundtrack if you’re musically inclined.
9. Sound over visuals.
It is common to ignore sound until the film has been shown to an audience. Audiences will overlook a shot that’s not well lit, is slightly out of focus, or is shaken, but will not accept a bad sound. The dialogue is the most crucial sound. It must be loud enough to hear the actors’ words. Music and sound effects are secondary to the dialogue. Sound effects can sometimes overshadow or dominate music. What is happening in the scene will determine what you do. The music and sound effects should never drown out the dialogue. To make dialogue stand out, you can use EQ to reduce or eliminate the same frequencies from the music and sound effects. Compression can also be used to elevate the dialogue above the music or sound effects.
10. Special effects and advanced filmmaking technologies.
It is a common mistake that filmmakers who are just learning the basics of filmmaking make when they try to use CGI or green screen. Telling a realistic story is more important than spending a lot of money on special effects. You can move into special effects once you’ve mastered production. It may seem simple to shoot the scene with a greenscreen and then add the backdrop in post-production. However, if the screen is poorly lit or there is too much green light reflecting back on the character, it can be very difficult to create a clean chromakey and the composited picture may not look as good as you would like.