1. Where do you find the resources? (camera, editing, talent)
Quite often when I shoot a film, I do A LOT of borrowing. My school owns a Panasonic VHS Broadcast camera that is usually used for shooting school performances, etc. It’s the same for the editing equipment. My school just has some VERY simple Avid editing stations that they bought on a whim, so I use those. As for talent, it really boils down to whoever I can find. Friends, teachers, etc. The problem here is that these people usually have busy schedule’s, so you end up working on their time. When it comes to things like this, never get discouraged if something doesn’t work out in the way of equipment, talent, etc. If you don’t have the money to buy the equipment, find someone who has what you need and see if their willing to loan or rent it to you. Get it anyway you can, (legally of course..
2. How do you pick locations?
When it comes to locations and sets for films, the same technique as above applies. BORROW, BORROW, BORROW. First check if your living area is good for a shoot, or you or your family owns something that will work. That is the easiest. If you don’t have a location that will work, ask your neighbors, friends, etc. If they don’t, drive around and look for the right place. If you end up finding it, and you don’t know the people who own it, ask them for permission to use the area. More than likely they will with little or no money value attached. If you need a soundstage, you may want to ask the local music venue or performing arts theatre. These places are great, as they come with equipment too. The only problem is that they USUALLY won’t let you use it unless you rent it. And the costs for renting stages is not cheap. But it may be your only choice.
3. How to divide up the crew? (director, cameraman, AD.
This is an easy area for one main reason; you as the film artist will end up doing most or all of everything. On a shoot, you may only have two or three people who actually know what’s going on. The other people are actors, etc. This means that you need to be aware of what’s going on at all times. YOU need to be the lighting engineer, YOU need to be the cameraman, YOU need to be the director. Build up your skills in every aspect of the art.
4. Where do you find actors?
As stated before, use people you know. At this point, don’t worry about acting abilities. Teach your actors on the spot, show them what you know. Just keep going over and over the script if they can’t act out a certain part. They should get it eventually.
5. How much does it cost to produce a 5 or 10 minute video?
Cost all depends on what you want to do. First, check out what you have, and then look at what you need. My philosophy is that if you’re shooting a 5-10 minute video, your expenses should NOT go over $50. Use what you have. If you don’t have it, get creative. Remember, it just needs to look good on camera, it doesn’t matter what it looks like in real life. This applies to everything from wardrobe to props. BORROW, BORROW, BORROW!!
6. Where do you get the money to make your videos?
All the money you use should be out of pocket. Don’t take out a bank loan or anything like that. Like before, GET CREATIVE! Every so often, you may want to find a sponsor if you’re doing a BIG film. Somebody who will pay YOU for displaying or using their product. This may come in very handy, but sponsor contracts often have a lot strings attached. Just don’t spend more money than what you have to.
7. Where can you show your film/video?
Once you are done with your film/video, you want people to see it! This can be done in a few ways. The first and easiest idea is to show a bunch of your friends, and have them spread the word about it. Before you know it, more and more people will be wanting to see your piece of art. Another way to have it shown to the world is to enter it in a traditional media art exhibit, (like paintings, drawings, etc.. You may need to pull a few strings to get it in, but people love to see non-traditional media art mixed in with traditional. And this way, your art get exposed to a whole new range of people.
Another way to get your name out there is the internet. Capture your film on a computer and hand it out all over. Atomfilms.com is a great place to start. They are very stringent on their choices for films, but if you can get in there, you’re going to be exposed twice as fast. If your short film is REALLY good, you may want to look into getting the film on the Sci-Fi channel’s show, Exposure, (http://www.scifi.com/exposure/.. This is VERY hard to get into, but if you do, your phone will be ringing off the hook with new contacts.
Remember, NEVER turn off that camera!
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