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Tips for Filmmakers

So you’ve chosen to make a film for the Connecting Through Film 2008 Schools Film Festival. Good on you! We thought we’d give you some tips that will help you on the road to success. If you follow this guide you’ll be in for a rewarding experience. The best advice is to have fun!

General tips

Plan very carefully. Each hour spent in planning will save you at least 3 hours (and then some more…) in post-production.
Remember, as the Pixar writers, say, “Story is king.” if you are developing a narrative based project, draft and then redraft your story so your script is the best it can be before you pick up a camera.
To produce a 5-minute piece will take many, many hours of work. Shooting for a 5-minute production generally takes 4 days and editing around 30 hours – so be prepared for the time it will take.

Production tips

DON’T leave your production until the last minute. Get on to it early, and even set your own deadlines two weeks before the deadlines you have to meet.
Shooting video often uses many other people. Don’t lose sight of the fact that they are giving you their time. If you want the best results, treat them carefully. It’s the right thing to do anyway. Remember your crisis is not necessarily going to be anyone else’s.
Doughnuts are good!! On a major film set there are people called Crafties who bring around food for the cast and crew every couple of hours! It’s very important to look after your cast and crew and their stomachs. (Disclaimer: at DEET the only doughnuts we recommend are the no-sugar, low-fat, super-healthy school type doughnuts you buy at health food stores.)
If possible do all of your shooting over as short a time as you can, for example over one weekend. You can then reshoot scenes the following weekend if you need to. This is important for other people’s organisation and for continuity when you are using actors who may, for example, decide to cut or dye their hair.
If you need to record spoken lines when filming, use a boom microphone plugged into the camera or a radio microphone if you have access to one. Alternatively, if using the camera microphone, carefully position your camera so that you get the best audio and shot possible. Always use headphones to monitor your audio for audio continuity.
Pay attention to your lighting. Analyse how lights are used to create effects on your favourite show. Be creative – try to copy these effects with the lights you have available. Slide projectors and overhead projectors can come in handy if you have no other lighting available.
Read as much as you can to discover techniques relevant to the style of video you are attempting to produce. Watch TV programs in the same style of production you are producing and analyse how the producers achieve the results you are trying to emulate. Watch the making-of DVDs for any films you enjoy and always listen to the director’s commentary – they are a wealth of information.
It’s not a good idea to use ‘in camera’ special effects when shooting video. It is much better to shoot your scene raw and add effects in edit. This way you can choose to use effects or not.
When you shoot you need to have continuous time code throughout your tape. Most importantly, do not leave any blank tape between takes. Editing software doesn’t work too well if there are blank sections between takes or if the time code reverts back to zero half-way through your tape. Resist the urge to look at each take after it is shot.
It is a good idea to start recording 10 seconds before your ‘action’ starts, and keep rolling 10 seconds after the action stops. This will give you space for the editing process.
If you do need to look at a take after shooting it, park the camera on the extra footage after the action stops before you resume shooting.
Some cameras will reset time code each time you change batteries. Using long life batteries helps with this problem. If you change tapes when you change batteries, this will take care of the time code issue.

Editing tips

Make sure you have access to the best computer editing system possible. Minimum requirements are 80 gig drive, a 1 gig clock and 512 ram.
Log your tapes after shooting and digitise ONLY what you need. Remember most of the editing process takes place in your mind.
Don’t fill your drive to more than two-thirds full!
Final Cut Express, Final Cut Pro or Abobe Premier are the programs we recommend for more experienced students and Movie Maker or imovie for less experienced editors.
The trick to editing is to condense real time! Most students take too long to develop a part of their story in their final production. The trick is, when you’ve completed your rough edit, ask yourself the question; ‘Could I leave any part out and still carry the same meaning?’ If the answer is yes, re-edit.
Have a truthful, intelligent (perhaps brutal) person look at your production and advise you on whether or not your story is working. Better still, do a test screening just like the pros and see what your audience thinks.
Editing takes on average 4 times longer that you think. Be prepared for this. The experts generally take 1 hour per minute on air, so you are likely to take 10 times this!
Save your work often!
When you have finished your editing, make several copies of the final product (just in case).

Final advice

Another great source of tips is the School Torque website, www.thecrew.net.au, put together by the people behind The Crew TV show. The Crew is a half-hour youth variety program for young Aussies produced by senior school students from classrooms Australia-wide. It screens on SBS every Monday at 5pm.

If you need some specific advice you can always send us an email at schoolsfilmfestival@nt.gov.au. Special thanks to Al Ellis, Producer, School Torque for SBS Television, for helping us to develop these tips.