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myMovie: Introduction

myMovie is a column about going through the process of making a short film (or should they be called "digitals" now?). From the initial idea to the final burn, we will journal our work: the discoveries, the successes and the failures. We'll provide examples of the work we do, and, in the end, hopefully we will have both completed a film by which we're not terribly embarrassed, and we will have helped you along the way.

What we're not going to do is provide a course on the way professional films are made. We're not professional filmmakers. Bill's training is in theatre, which gives him a working knowledge on the structure of drama, but he also realizes that film is a completely different beastie, one with its own rules. Kirk's training is in creative writing, which has taught him much about how to develop and tell a story, but hasn't done much to help him transfer that story to the screen. Some of what we've learned is helpful to the creative process. Some is not, and has simply popped up, as it does in any art form or business. If you're going to try to get your screenplay bought, for example, there are rigid rules as to the formatting it must follow. We'll talk about both formats, and leave the path up to you.

We will be attacking our films from two different hardware perspectives. We will both be using a Canon GL2 digital camcorder; Bill will do his editing on a 17" Aluminum PowerBook, while Kirk will be sitting at his 2GHz G5 iMac. But we firmly believe that the quality of a film is not in the equipment, but in the idea. And so...

1. First of all, get a general idea of how much you want to spend on this. Although we'll detail the hardware equipment below, we're hoping you already have most of this ready to go. We're not in the business of recommending film equipment, but here's some advice that generally holds well for all such ventures: Use a Mac, and the more you spend on the equipment, generally, the better it's going to be.
2. You're going to want a camera. We're sorry, but we just can't think of a way to get around this step. Having said that, you do have some options in terms of cost. You can get small, handheld digital cameras with QuickTime capabilities for around $200 at stores like Target. This technology will limit your capabilities, but it can be compensated for with the right software and directorial "vision." You also have the option of shooting on a VHS camcorder and using a product such as the Pyro A/V Link to transfer it to digital. Seeing that we both have the Canon GL2, we'll be focusing on digital, but we may offer some tips from time to time for those still using analog camcorders.
3. If you're at Applelinks, you either have a Macintosh, want a Macintosh, or are a glutton for punishment. Assuming it's not the latter, you've got a great system for editing movies. Obviously, the faster the system, the better, but if your computer shipped with iMovie, it should be good enough for editing a short film. Likewise, you're better off with a larger hard drive as these digital video and audio files can be very, very large. An hour of raw digital video can take around 13GB of space, and that's for the rough footage, before you edit it down and add transitions and effects. You're also going to add to that the music and audio effects files. Then, you have to have enough space to export it as an iDVD project and burn that. Keep your space expectations in mind. You don't want to get halfway through your project and then realize you don't have enough room for the ending.
4. If you plan on burning this to a DVD, you're going to want to have a Superdrive or at least a standard DVD burner, but don't forget the other options you have: exporting it back to the camera (which may have video playback connections for a television) or a VCR using a third-party video transfer device, using Toast to burn the movie to a VCD (if you have a CD burner), or simply watching the movie on your computer or placing it on the web.
5. Sound is the biggest part of filmmaking that first-timers can overlook. If your camera doesn't have decent sound capabilities (and very few do), you might have to spend a lot of time trying to fix this in editing. Audiences are more likely to deal with crummy video and good sound than vice versa. If possible, get an external microphone for your camera. This will allow for long range shots and even audio levels when switching angles on your actors. Also, most external microphones are better at filtering out ambient noises that can cloud your audio. Your other option is to record the audio separately and combine it with the video in iMovie, as Bill will be doing in his first venture.

That's basically it for computer/camera hardware. Obviously, there are a bunch of other materials you should have handy: a tripod (of course), a clipboard for taking production notes and documenting items for continuity, extra camera batteries and tapes, etc. There are bigger, more expensive items, too, such as equipment to provide your key light, fill light and back light sources. You can spend thousands of dollars on this, or you can do what we'll do and use the lights already available to you, purchase some workshop lights at the local hardware store, or simply not worry about it. After all, what's bad lighting to some is directorial genius to others.

In the next edition of myMovie, we'll take a look at the non-computer related items you'll need to get organized to make your movie (such as...you know...a cast). After that, Bill's shocking tale of terror!
  

Edition 2: Cast Crew, Sets and Props