How to make a film? How to make a documentary?

If you suddenly set out to create your own cinema, you need to learn not only how to make a film, but how to make it successful. First of all, you will need to decide what genre your work will be. World practice demonstrates that it is much easier to create a horror film on your own, because it does not take much time and effort. Still other genres will require a quality script, which takes a lot of time.

The basis of the film

The first thing you should start with is the script of the film. This is the most difficult and most responsible part of the picture. Even in documentary films there are scenarios according to which the shooting process is moving. Each scenario is driven by an idea, so first you need to come up with the main plot of the film. It is necessary to answer the question about why a movie is needed at all.

At each studio there are specially selected people who read the scripts and try to identify among their large numbers the most worthwhile ones. Try to create a story that would be interesting not only to you, but also to other people, especially those who are involved in the film industry.

The film script should also take into account the overall budget of the picture. You can achieve a sufficiently low budget, for this it is necessary that history be submitted with restraint, and its basis is made up of dialogues. Meet other scenarios, read the work of members of the writers' guilds, perhaps they will push you to create an unusual story.

The following stages

Next, you need to look for a producer. It's unlikely that you have enough funds to pay for all the shooting, the work of the actors, the director and the crew. However, if you have such money, and you know how to make a film, then the producer might not need you in this case.

Exclusive rights to the script, the title of the film and the creative process in general - all this you get as a producer. However, you have to spend time every day to work with the film, it can not afford all, so it is recommended to still find someone who will be interested in working on your idea.

It is from the producer will depend on the administrative composition of the picture, because he recruited all those people who usually appear in the credits after the tape. The quality of films produced by him will also depend on the selected actors, assistant operators, editors and many others.

The film crew is the key to success

If we are talking about a film in the style of "we shoot the film ourselves," and the quality of the role is not significant, we can do without the participation of the film crew. However, if you want to get a good picture, you still need to recruit a team of professionals who can create an unusual and original film.

In addition, before the start of the filming process, it is necessary to hire other personnel who will be engaged in less significant things. In particular, we are talking about assistants to directors, costumers, administrators and managers who will monitor the budget, work schedule, etc.

It will also be necessary to hire a person who will deal with the distribution of places for filming, specify where exactly those or other scenes will be shot. Supervise the work of all these employees must the producer, and if he does his job correctly, then the whole filming process should go like clockwork.

We find a director

If you do not know how to make a good film, find a director. The success of a particular movie can directly depend on the quality work of this particular person. The easiest way is to find such a person in special organizations and communities, for example, a guild or an association of filmmakers.

All filmmakers have their own portfolio, which is a brief presentation of the best works. Proceeding from this collection, one can form an idea of the director's vision of the world around him, his values and abilities. Only viewing such a portfolio will allow you to decide on a candidate who can create a really high-quality film.

Remember that the director does not have the right to decide what changes to make. This is decided only by producers and screenwriters, the director only has the right to make any suggestions with the help of which, in his opinion, it is possible to change the film for the better and present it from the other side.

Choosing an actor's company

The choice of actors should be dealt with by a specially selected assistant director. It is he who sends requests to magazines, studios, acting guilds, to web portals and newspapers. After that, he must select all the most suitable actors from the existing contenders. This is one of the most difficult stages, since a huge number of candidates come to the office.

How is the casting performed? Each of them will be issued several test pages with the script, after which it is necessary to play the necessary scene before the selection committee (producer, director, assistant director for the selection of cast members). Based on the demonstrated abilities, the commission draws a conclusion about the abilities of this or that actor.

As soon as all the actors are selected, the staff of the crew begin to calculate the payment of their work and work schedule. Most often, negotiations are conducted with the involvement of managers and agents, but the average wage level is rather low, especially when it comes to actors who are engaged in secondary roles and in extras.

Equipment and props

Further it is necessary to be engaged in preparation of props and all necessary equipment. It's about video equipment, tripods, batteries, etc. Props should be selected only after all the needs of the crew have been determined. Otherwise, you will be forced to face a situation in which you will constantly need to acquire something extra.

It is desirable that the composition of the crew was a specialist who would be engaged in the compilation of estimates. He must take into account absolutely all the expenses of the crew, which can only arise during the filming. It can be payment of expenses for travel and accommodation of actors, food of a film crew, purchase of a props, etc.

First film days

At this stage, you take part in the filming process at a minimum. You should already know how to make a film, see the picture and understand what it will be. Now it is necessary that all the money invested in the film be worked out by the film crew.

All subsequent steps will have to be performed daily: create scenery, lead rehearsals and actively work with actors. Operators will have to constantly display material that was filmed over the past day. In the event that the survey is carried out using digital equipment, you will not need to exercise anything.

Amateur, professional or documentary?

If you shoot an amateur film, then it will take no more than one shooting day. In the event that you are planning to create a chronicle, you still need to find out how to make a documentary film, its features and what additional options can be used to make the picture worthwhile. It will be nice if you remove an additional video about where the film was shot.

Documentary is characterized by the operation of facts. This means that the artistic novelties are not the place. Fiction can be tolerated, but only within the framework that was established by the accomplished events reflected in the documentary. It is very important when shooting such a picture to be constantly in contact with historically savvy people who have an idea of the events that are described.

If you do not know how to shoot a documentary, you will need to consult with specialists in the field of film dramaturgy. They can always be found in theaters, at film studios, in film crews and other organizations. If necessary, you can draw them to work on the film as consultants.

During filming

Even if you know how to make a film, which features you need to take into account, you need to monitor the process. It's about the camera and the actors. The sound should be properly aligned, no extraneous noise, and even more so people in the shot should not be. It is very important that the correct sound of the actor's speech be performed, you can do it with the help of special equipment.

The director must get the actors to understand what they need to do in the frame. It all depends on how long he works in this field and whether he can be a subtle psychologist. The main thing - actors should not look into the camera, this is allowed only if you are interested in films made based on romance novels.

Final stages

After the completion of the shooting, it will be necessary to perform the installation, and the quality of the films or the film should not suffer at the same time. It is desirable for this to hire a specially trained person. If this is not possible, you can do it yourself, but first you need to study the special literature on this issue.

After the completion of the installation it will be necessary to view the film completely, to reveal its strengths and weaknesses. At this stage, some directors and producers make the decision to shoot additional scenes, or, on the contrary, to remove unnecessary ones. Only after the final version of the film is formed, you can think about the advertising campaign and publication.

After the film is shown, its authors will have to endure another test - criticism. It is necessary to calmly react to negative reviews, after all, even the venerable masters of cinematography were repeatedly subjected to devastating reviews.