Stand-Out Shorts: Shooting and Sharing Your Films Online
Product DescriptionQuickly learn the basics of DV filmmaking without the need for any training with the short cuts found in this book. Featuring blueprints to help you structure and complete certain types of films, key cards that help explain the essential knowledge in a way that is readily accessible during shooting, and 200 easy-to-read tables packed with information, Russell Evans breaks down the art of digital video creation in a concise and fun format that makes it easy to pick up and start shooting. You'll learn how to do everything from script writing to sound recording, and before you know it, you'll be creating your own short films, music videos, school projects, or web videos.An accessible guide to getting started shooting shorts, promos, documentaries, web video, or any type of digital video project that you want to create* Perfect for beginners--get the information you need now without long courses or stacks of textbooks* Written in a down-to-Earth, jargon-free style that anyone can understand including direction on budgets, crews, sound, scripts, location shooting, lighting, and everything else that a new filmmaker would need to learnAmazon Exclusive: A Letter from Russell Evans, Author ofStand-Out Shorts: Shooting and Sharing Your Films OnlineDear Amazon Readers,Writing this book has been fun. I really want to show that making movies can be as immediate and simple as making music in your garage, or DJ-ing, or creating a show. Making films is so much less complicated than it used to be and we are at the same point that music arrived at when recording, mixing, sampling and producing suddenly became possible in everyone's back room.The sort of films that really inspire me are those that really get under your skin, for better or worse, like David Lynch'sEraserhead, or Spike Jonze's Praise Me video, examples of a totally unique mind at work. And when I look at the films made by students I've worked with I often get the same feeling of raw talent up there on the screen. It's great to see, and I've noticed that a first movie often lays out all the ideas that are going to appear in later films. New filmmakers make their first film like it's going to be their last--got to cram everything into the movie and say it loud. So I wrote this book to paint a big fat message on the wall saying 'go ahead and make your film. No practice needed, no prior experience necessary.'I never believed that you can only make interesting films once you've mastered the craft and learnt all the ropes. All the film students I've ever worked with have proved that to me. I set about to write this book to offer the most pared down, super-slim way to say exactly what you need to get making films, and no more. Another aim I had in mind writing this book was to show that there's not just one way to do a job but many ways. It's your choice which method suits you. I also tried to make it the product of more than one person, so it has tips and comments from a lot of different people, from name directors to film students. I hope this book shows that you don't have to be a techno-genius to make a film, that it's there for everyone, and everyone's ideas count.Russell EvansAmazon Exclusive: Russell Evans' Top 10 Tips for Making Your Own Film1. Your camera is an actorTreat the camera as if it has lines to learn and is going to interpret the scene in its own way. Imagine if the camera is going to react to the scene, or to other actors, or to events. That doesn't mean shooting lots of point-of-view shots, though, but about being aware that the camera can add emotional impact to a scene if you treat it as a participant rather than a passive observer. Remember, the camera isn't just recording what's going on--it's interpreting it.2. Your movie changes while making itLet it go--your movie needs to change as you shoot, and even more so as you edit. Movies, like any work of art, need to be allowed to evolve and grow, changing from the original idea you had. You'll surprise yourself by what you end up with.3. Work at your paceTake your time, sleep on it, think about it, get to know everything about your movie from all angles.4. Watch the zeitgeistKeep your finger on the pulse of the world--it is the biggest source of movie ideas for most people. Check out a few websites regularly to find out what makes people scared, what is just around the corner, what this age is all about. Google Zeitgeist gives you the latest trends each day to see what people are hung up or raving about, and it can be location specific so you know where the most traffic on a certain topic is coming from.5. Be yourselfAsking other people what they think of your movie is useful but be careful how much you hear them. Your vision needs to be undiluted and raw from the start, so your movies look like no-one else could have made them. You don't need a style, don't need a certain method, in fact stay away from anything that keeps you fenced in to one method or way of making movies. Each movie can be the first one.6. Make mistakes; make more mistakesA bad film is a good film. The films that don't work, that don't fit into what you see around you, that don't seem right in some way, are sometimes a big leap forward. They are so unfamiliar to you that they are unrecognizable and so you reject them. But in most mistakes there is a small part of it that is revealing or enables something new to arise.7. Mess it upFilms are too perfect sometimes and so they get tied up in neatness. When you have finished a movie, try splicing in new shots, doing something opposite to what you thought was needed. Some movies cut out whole reels and suddenly make more sense as a result.8. Why the old school worksHold fire, those old hands had it right after all. You'll have the advantage over everyone if you go back to the roots of movies, looking at the classics and getting into the groove for real moving pictures. They cut to the chase, they weren’t afraid to be controversial, they were funny, they invented new stuff all the time, they took no prisoners in the pursuit of their artistic vision, and they knew that the hard knocks made you stronger. Become a true visionary: love the classic movies. The great thrillers of the 70s, the pure invention of the 60s, the skill and sharpness of the 50s, the brutality of the 40s, and the fun of the 30s.9. Surround yourself with people that have the same passion as youNetwork with other filmmakers. It is one of the few totally sociable art forms--with most cities having a good network of groups, screenings, and support. Most people want to help each other and learn from each other.10. Ignore adviceEveryone wants to give it--including this book. But treat everything as if you are buying into timeshare real estate. In your own time, look at whether advice from friends, filmmakers or instructors is useful to you personally--if yes then go ahead and use it. If no, reject it, but keep listening. Sometimes you need to focus on that inner vision you first saw playing in your head when you imagined your movie.