# How to make a short film?



## Dr. House (Aug 6, 2014)

Hello! digitians I want to make short films with my college friends. I have a DSLR camera with 35mm fixed lens, I know many films are made by this lens. But besides that, what essential things will be required like microphone, lights and effects. How to write scrpit, screenplay and manage everything?


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## Anorion (Aug 6, 2014)

first get a story, or a concept. this can be a one line statement, or a picture that tells the whole story

then write a short synopsis of the story, so you can go location hunting and fix the actors

next you need to write screenplay. writing this including known locations and actors is better than the other way around (writing the screenplay first then finding the actors and locations to suit)

the script should include for each scene 
-timecode of what happens when
-camera angles and movement
-action and dialogue 

at this stage, you can also do a storyboard, which are sketches of the frames you want. indicate direction of actor's movement, and camera using arrows in the storyboard. focus on the most intense visuals. 

then you need to shoot
rehearsing is good and saves time, good makeup makes a lot more difference than lighting 

if using mics, you can either record live during shoot or dub over later. unidirectional mikes (not omni) are better. Cell phones can also be used as mics.  

during shoot, someone should keep track of the good takes, and keep them numbered, this makes editing easier. It is a good idea to organise files during shooting itself, by transferring the data for each scene from mic and camera after the shot is done then and there. Doing it later at edit is time consuming, and you have to figure out good takes and which audio clips go with which takes, just organizing all the rushes (raw footage) for editing, can be a pain if not done immediately after shoot.  Also, it is a good idea to import only the good takes to the editing software, instead of all of them. 

then go for editing, cut the footage according to the screenplay. don't use too many filters, transitions are only for changing between scenes not within a scene. These are common mistakes nubs make. After that dubbing can begin if needed


anything in particular you need help with?


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## nac (Aug 6, 2014)

I have no idea. Try google and youtube. 
Post us the link to your short film after you're done filming...


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## Dr. House (Aug 6, 2014)

Thanks a ton Anorion 
I want to ask what movie editing software you will recommend, right now I have Pinnacle Studio 17 on my computer. Since I will be much more difficult to dub later and sync with lips I have to purchase a good microphone. There is a mono inbuilt microphone in D5100. Please recommend me a good microphone in cheap price. 
I bought a cheap 600 bucks tripod that is way much pathetic and light so also recommend me a good tall tripod.


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## axelzdly1 (Aug 6, 2014)

[MENTION=56202]Anorion[/MENTION] has covered almost every step in filming. Have you done any short-films?
    [MENTION=145178]Dr. House[/MENTION] Let me cover the technical aspects of editing.



Dr. House said:


> I want to ask what movie editing software you will recommend, right now I have Pinnacle Studio 17 on my computer. Since I will be much more difficult to dub later and sync with lips I have to purchase a good microphone.
> I bought a cheap 600 bucks tripod that is way much pathetic and light so also recommend me a good tall tripod.



I've used Adobe Premiere Pro for editing my film (includes stabilizing the video; video corrections-brightness,shadows etc ; audio corrections-echo,treble; Merging, and video export section has in-built YouTube presets->720p ,360p etc)
Maven recorder - android - for dubbing., it has noise cancellation feature., 
After Effects for effects -  motion tracking, title effects.

Editing solely takes 2/3rd time of the total time. Make sure you choose an editor who can handle such tedious tasks and well versed with all these techniques, otherwise you can do it with the help of YouTube.

Here is the Prologue of my first work - Room 216 - not so good but have a look!


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## abhidev (Aug 6, 2014)

nicely done [MENTION=143631]axelzdly1[/MENTION] little bit camera movements would make it more scary


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## axelzdly1 (Aug 6, 2014)

abhidev said:


> nicely done [MENTION=143631]axelzdly1[/MENTION] little bit camera movements would make it more scary


thank you [MENTION=84261]abhidev[/MENTION]! my idea behind the stable - static scenes was to allow the viewer to observe more in the scene. So that he could absorb the situation quickly. anyways, thanks for the suggestion, wil keep in mind for my next.


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## abhidev (Aug 6, 2014)

[MENTION=143631]axelzdly1[/MENTION] hey I don't have any knowledge in film making...the suggestion was just as a viewer


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## Dr. House (Aug 6, 2014)

Suggest me mic and tripod for film making.


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## Anorion (Aug 6, 2014)

Dr. House said:


> Thanks a ton Anorion
> I want to ask what movie editing software you will recommend, right now I have Pinnacle Studio 17 on my computer. Since I will be much more difficult to dub later and sync with lips I have to purchase a good microphone. There is a mono inbuilt microphone in D5100. Please recommend me a good microphone in cheap price.
> I bought a cheap 600 bucks tripod that is way much pathetic and light so also recommend me a good tall tripod.



I donno enough to recommend particular models. but now you know the requirements. 

about editing, it depends on what kind of movie and what all you want to do at the edit table. 

*HandBrake* is essential for converting between various formats, but keep an eye on quality loss
*Avidemux*is good for only cutting and joining, without loss. This is the one I use most of the time. 
*Adobe Premiere pro* if you need to do something more technical, for ramping, transitions, greenscreening, titles, overlays. 

and dubbing later and syncing is no problem! even with mic you have to sync. (this is what that take 1- take 2 clapper is for, the sound of the clap is synced from both the video and audio feed, then its a breeze). Now for dubbing, it does not have to be sooo accurate also. A little error in timing or sync is not noticeable, and if it is for one or two clips, you can even get by with horribly off-sync dubs (audio-video mismatch is a category of errors in IMDB, so this happens even in released big budget films). In one project, we just shot using one bunch of people, whoever was available, and dubbed using another bunch of people, again whoever was available, and it turned out just fine (though I am sure you can do better with the kind of planning you are doing)

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axelzdly1 said:


> [MENTION=56202]Anorion[/MENTION] has covered almost every step in filming. Have you done any short-films?



yep many. Did in Bachelors of Mass Media, so we were making films left right and center, and for fun. Helped 3 seniors with their showreels and they got into Whislting Woods for acting, editing and cinematography. Worked with a team of different seniors on a short lived corporate movie making company. Then worked with MaM movies on social projects (Mam Movies | She Creates), some episodes of Digit TV, and even now I collaborate with some creative people in making stuff. Our freshest project is over at Humanist Media, we are working on a film right now, anyone interested can easily participate.


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## Dr. House (Aug 6, 2014)

Thanks again man. 
I'll ask later if I want to.


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## Dr. House (Aug 10, 2014)

Which one is the best tripod for shooting films? 
Slik Tripod Compact Series F630: Buy Online @ Rs.1593/- | Snapdeal.com
Benro T600EX DIGITAL TRIPOD KITS: Buy Online @ Rs.1547/- | Snapdeal.com
Simpex 2400 Tripod: Buy Online @ Rs.1179/- | Snapdeal.com


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## Dr. House (Aug 11, 2014)




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## nac (Aug 12, 2014)

Based on the comments I have read for the past few years, the one's you have narrowed down doesn't seems to be good. They may be sufficient for a compact camera, definitely not for a DSLR and that too for filming. I guess NO. You may have come the video from digitalrev about cheapo tripod, if not check that out. You may understand the depth (at least a little, if not all) of the importance of having a good quality tripod than a cheapo one.


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## Dr. House (Aug 13, 2014)

No these are capable of wearing weight upt 2kg so fine for DSLR with 18-55 lens. Also I already own a cheapo tripod of 600 bucks, these are still branded and of mid quality. Confused between Slik and Benro now.


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## nac (Aug 13, 2014)

As I have already said, that was just my observation. I don't know much about tripods. 

I hope you have done your research about this. A quick google gives results of articles/blogs discussing about tripods for DSLR filming. The cheapest I see are around 100 USD i.e., about 6k INR.  They call it "Fluid head" tripods. Only those have some experience in filming could say something... whether the ones you have narrowed down is enough or you have to up your budget.


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## axelzdly1 (Aug 13, 2014)

Dr. House said:


> No these are capable of wearing weight upt 2kg so fine for DSLR with 18-55 lens. Also I already own a cheapo tripod of 600 bucks, these are still branded and of mid quality. Confused between Slik and Benro now.



In my experience, a tripod is used only to hold the camera at a certain height without any shake.Unless you are going for some serious flow motion shots , you can use the tripod at your home.BTW does it have a handle and all the tripod stuff? 
Why not test a few shots and observe the results? If you're not impressed then go for the big one that has fluid head as  [MENTION=125321]nac[/MENTION] stated. and choose the one whose structure can support DIY DSLR rigs that might be useful in your future works.

DIY rigs : 22 DIY DSLR Camera Rigs | FilmmakerIQ.com

why not try this for your first one? *www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr7ODWNcMoY 
ah! the perks of indie filming!


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## Vyom (Aug 13, 2014)

I am surprised and thrilled to know there are budding short film makers in this community. (I am particularly surprised by knowing that Anorion is one of them!) Although I haven't really made any short films, just edited some videos for college and previous company, but those were more of a collage then short films. But I have always wanted to direct and edit short films. And besides the tips already mentioned by guys here, I would just like to put forth my little knowledge in film making.

Usually short films are very difficult to make. You only have a few minutes to showcase your story. And everyone who have created short films and shared it on Youtube knows that a good beginning is a very important part to get the attention of the viewers. To do that is very challenging. In my experience non linear editing really helps in this regard. You start with showing the suspense. And later reveal the story by going back in time. (I would love to edit such story btw).

Another approach might be to show a glimpse of what's to come. So the video might start with some text, "Ajay and Vijay were childhood friends... little did they know that's about to change in few minutes!"

But a good start is just the beginning. You need to retain the attention for the duration of the video too. This is where actual editing skills comes into picture. You don't want to make a scene stretch beyond the attention span of viewers. Viewers have a tendency to try to predict what's about to come, and a great short challenges that tendency. To make a video unpredictable is very hard, and its the actual story which comes into play here. 

The end of the video is equally important. This is where you have a chance to leave a lasting impression on viewers mind. To spell out everything is mostly bad. To let the viewers guessing is important. At the same time you also want to answer some questions so that viewers don't feel they are cheated and not call the story a work of fiction. (Even if fiction was your intent, you still need to make it grounded to reality somewhere). Ambiguous ending is another tool through which viewers keeps on guessing what might have happened, and in the process thereby involving themselves in the video more.

During the whole film, things like camera placements, shooting angles, closeup shots, is very important if you really want viewer's engagement with your video. A viewer enjoys a story more if they can identify with one or more of the characters of the film. And that's why it's important to have people of different personality to be in your film. 

I don't know if everything I suggested makes sense, but that's what I have observed in my experience, without any former education in filmmaking. I will keep on adding suggestions as and when I remember more things. Till then, keep us posted of your efforts.


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## Anorion (Aug 13, 2014)

oh yeah that fluid head tripod thing makes sense


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## Dr. House (Aug 20, 2014)

Anorion said:


> oh yeah that fluid head tripod thing makes sense


what would be the starting range of it?


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