Ten Steps For Making A Movie (As A Student!)
I’ve been writing for Trill Mag for a few months now, and I’ve loved doing it, but I have a secret. I’m actually a film major, not a journalist or a writer. I make movies. You can hold your gasps till the end.
It’s getting a lot easier these days to make a movie. Pretty much anyone with a phone can throw something together. But it’s a little harder to make sure your movie turns out well. Anyway, here are ten things I learned while directing my last short film, “The Main Character” (using some photos from production, too!) Hopefully, this list can be a good starting point for you if making a movie is in your future!
1. Plan Ahead
The worst thing you can do when making a movie is not planning ahead. Nail your cast and locations down as early as you can (we’ll talk about that later). Make sure you have a script ready to go. Work with your director of photography (camera person) to get a shot list made. You can also make a storyboard to help plan shots, using this article to help.
Even if you end up straying from your original ideas, there’s no reason not to get a groundwork laid out ahead of time. Trust me, it will save you so many gray hairs.
2. Backup Plans Galore
Most things in that last section have a little asterisk next to them. Yes, you should have a script done, but you should be prepared to make some little changes as you get closer to production. Yes, you should get the cast and crew ready a while before shooting, but you might need to be able to think on your feet to get last second replacements in the event of scheduling conflicts, or someone getting sick, etc.
It’s always good practice to have backup plans when working on a film. You don’t want to have to scrap the whole movie just because something didn’t end up panning out the right way!
3. Fundraising!
Great, you have your cast and crew, and a script. Awesome, good for you! But if I can ask you a quick question… how are you going to feed them? If you have to rent equipment or locations, where are you getting that money from? Odds are, you won’t want to shell out hundreds of dollars all by yourself.
This is where fundraising comes in. Using sites like Seed and Spark, Indiegogo, or Kickstarter, you can pitch your movie to friends, family, and random strangers.
For my shoot, we set the budget at $1000, not expecting to get the full amount. The budget of your movie is another thing that really depends on what you want to shoot- if you’re paying for equipment, locations, or costumes, you’ll have to factor more into your budget. Once you know how much you need, it’s time to plug away!
Alright, you’ve got your budget, but now…
4. Make Sure You Feed Your People
It seems silly that you would just forget to feed people you’re working with, right? Yeah, it should be common sense, but it’s something you absolutely need to plan ahead for.
Typical film practices have meal breaks every six hours of work, so if you decide to shoot for twelve hours in a single day, you need to buy two meals for everyone. What do you do?
Well, this is really up to both budget and your own imagination- you really can feed people whatever meals you want! But make sure you break them up… you don’t want your actors eating pizza twice a day three days in a row. Make sure you have variety.
Some other food related tips; absolutely make sure you find out any allergies or other dietary restrictions from cast- can’t have anyone having health problems on set. You also want to make sure you have a table of snacks for people to munch on during lulls in filming.
5. Work With Friends
Everyone is going to roll their eyes with this one, but I wholeheartedly believe it. You will have a much better experience if you work with people you know. Especially as a student, you don’t want your film shoot dragged down by not liking the people you work with. That’s why I loved the experience of my film shoot so much- it was all friends hanging out, on top of everyone doing a great job.
6. Getting Your Crew
Yes, work with friends, but how many? What people do you need on hand to make a movie, and to make a movie good?
Well, obviously you need to get actors, however many you need to tell your story. Work with people you know can take direction well, people that suit your vision for the characters, people that will be fun to be around- you’ll all be sharing space all weekend, after all.
As for the crew, you definitely need a director of photography to figure out the shots, a sound mixer and boom operator to record sound, and a gaffer to figure out lighting. You should also consider getting an assistant director to make sure you stay on schedule, a producer to make sure you don’t go over budget, an assistant camera operator to help move the camera, grips to move gear about, a script supervisor to take notes on what takes were good. It’s a lot, but the more people you get, the less stressed you will be.
7. Go Big Or Go Home
You probably will be tempted to make your movie small scale. Trying to tackle something ambitious will definitely seem daunting, especially to a first time director. But believe me when I tell you this- you will figure out a way to get done whatever you want.
For my movie, the script called for a cast of around 40 people, which everyone told me was nuts. But we made it work with good scheduling, and a reliable cast and crew. Everything is possible, you just have to be crazy enough to reach for it.
8. Prepare For Post
You thought you were done now that the movie’s shot? Oh no. Now, you have to put it together in editing.
How much time editing takes depends on a lot of things. At the very least, you’ll have to decide what takes, or versions, of each shot you want to use. Color correcting can make sure your movie looks consistent, but how much time this takes depends on the lighting and type of camera you use.
Overall, post production is where the movie will really take shape. Make sure not to rush the editing, since the final edited version is what people will actually be watching.
9. Take Constructive Feedback
Everyone’s a critic, that’s the sad truth. Everyone you show your finished movie to is going to have some feedback for you, no matter how qualified they are.
With that in mind, one of the best qualities a filmmaker can have is being open minded and receptive to criticism. Hearing from other film people can give you ideas for future projects. Meanwhile, hearing from friends and family can give you an idea of what general audiences might enjoy seeing.
10. Have Fun!
Easily the most important thing when making a movie is to have fun with it. This is such a cliche that I don’t know where to start, but it’s absolutely true. If you aren’t enjoying creating, and you don’t like creating, then why are you?
I hope this list helps you get started on your movie making journey! You can also check out this article to find out more about the current state of the film industry! (And, if you want to keep updated with my film for some reason, you can check it out on Instagram @maincharactershortfilm).
