Problem: Article: These days, it's pretty easy to find cameras to shoot movies. You can use a smartphone, a tablet, a digital camera, or, if you have one around, a better quality film camera. It should be able to record audio, as well. Make sure you know the camera really well before you begin shooting. Play around with it first or look at tutorials online if you don't know how to use it. Just remember movies take up a lot of memory. You may need to download your videos to a computer with more memory from time to time so that you have enough space to keep shooting. Always ask before you borrow a camera or smartphone! Also, be very careful with borrowed equipment. Props are things that you use in your movie, like swords, cups, books, or anything object that moves the story along. Costumes are what the people in the story wear. You can use everyday clothes or pull out old Halloween costumes. Try to make them fit the story and your characters. For instance, a 12-year-old girl who likes adventure might wear sturdy but fun boots, a long pair of shorts, a colorful t-shirt, and her hair up. Look around your house for props you can use. Remember to ask before borrowing them. If you need something extra, try asking your parents if they have what you need, borrowing from a neighbor, or asking your parents to take you to a thrift store. Props don't have to be "real." For instance, if you need a sword, you can make one out of cardboard and foil. When you first go in to shoot a scene, look around. Is the lighting good? You should be able to see your characters pretty well. Is everything in the room that you need for the scene? If you need a coffee mug for the scene, make sure it's there. Think about how the room or area will look on screen and adjust the room. It can help to hold up your hands in a square (to show you how much you'd see) or simply look through your camera without recording. If the lighting is bad, adjust as needed. Turn on lights or open curtains. Try not to blind your actors, though! For instance, if you have 2 characters talking to each other, you may want to be able to see them in one shot. That means you may need to move chairs around so they're closer together. After each person has memorized their lines for a scene, you can start filming. You say "Action" to start the scene, and then it begins. Your characters should move around like you've written in the script and say their lines to each other. You can change things if the scene isn't working. Try to help people out if they seem a little lost. For instance, if someone doesn't know how to act in a scene, try to give them motivation. You could say, "How would you feel if you just found a treasure map? Wouldn't you be a little curious first and then get more and more excited? How would that make you act?" Repeat the action of setting up each scene. Look at each one carefully to make sure you've got it set properly. Then, shoot each scene as you set it up. Acting involves more than just saying the lines. Your actors need to react to each other like they would in real life. If someone says something mean, the person they're saying it to will look angry or hurt, for instance. So if you notice an actor is smiling after another character says something mean, stop and talk to them. You could say, "When that person says something mean, react like they're saying it to your personally. Wouldn't you frown or look upset?" Kids and adults can have short attention spans, and they may not want to act for hours on end. Try shooting a single scene in a day, for instance, so you don't overwhelm your actors. If they want to do more, that's great. Just make sure you're listening to what they're saying. If they're bored with it for today, stop and do something else! When you cut down your movie, you'll need more footage than you think. It takes lots and lots of footage to get the shots that you want. Then you can pick and choose to create your perfect movie. For instance, try shooting the same scene at least a couple of times. That way, you can pick the best shots if something goes wrong in the scene at some point. It can help to shoot the scene from different spots in the room. That way, you can cut between different shots. For instance, if you shoot from the perspective of the stairs, then from the kitchen, you can move between those two perspectives as your characters are talking. Plus, if you need to use footage from different videos, you can do it without making the movie look like it's jumping by switching to a different angle.
Summary: Find a camera to use. Drag out props and costumes. Set up a scene by moving things around in your location. Shoot that scene. Set up and shoot the remaining scenes. Encourage your actors to make gestures and facial expressions. Give your actors lots of breaks. Take more video than you think you need.

Problem: Article: Garden rocks and stones don't only add a great feature to your stream they help to weigh down your liner so don't be afraid to use heavy ones.
Summary:
Once the liner is in place, secure and bed down the edges with soil, be sure to choose soil conducive to plant growth. If you have added steps to your stream you can build out the steps with garden slate allowing the edge of the slate to overhang creating a waterfall effect, the slate also hides the liner underneath. Use good size rocks. You can cover the excess liner and soil with small stones (we used bags of 'gold light') and decorate the area with driftwood, logs, slate, granite and beach stones.