Hi everyone,
I recently decided that I want to get into filmmaking as a hobby. I've never had any experience in filmmaking, so I really need some suggestions on where to start.
At my school, I've seen a couple shorts that people have made for projects. The camera is shaking, there are quick movements, and the sound quality isn't that great - the voices sound distant and muffled. I guess that I could take that approach, but I want to make something of a higher quality than that.
I don't know if anyone is familiar with The Myspace Movie, but I want to eventually achieve something of that quality. The guy who directed it was Dave Lehre; he's got tons of other great shorts also.
This is probably a much more mammoth task than I had originally thought, but it still seems like it'd be a lot of fun.
Thanks
Welcome!
The path to making a high quality movie isn't a short one. The reason many of the shorts you see have shaky camera movement is because the operator didn't take the time to learn how to hold and use the camera properly. There's no trick to it - you just have to use the camera and use it often, trying different things until you get the look you want.
Sound is very important and few movie makers spend as much time (and money) on sound as they do on camera and picture. The reason the voices sound distant is because the actors are a long way from the microphone. A good shotgun mic on a boom pole will help. But a good sound recordist and boom operator is what really makes the difference.
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d. I guess that I could take that approach, but I want to make something of a higher quality than that.
You are going to have to take that approach. Until you try and learn you won't make a high quality movie. Each time you make a movie you will get better. Don't plan on your first one to be terrific. My suggestion is to make three or four short movies before you plan to show one in public.
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I don't know if anyone is familiar with The Myspace Movie, but I want to eventually achieve something of that quality
I'm not familiar with that movie, but I have seen thousands of short films. If you start slow and learn as you go you will eventually achieve something of that quality.
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This is probably a much more mammoth task than I had originally thought, but it still seems like it'd be a lot of fun.
You are right! Making a quality movie is a mammoth task. Few movie makers take the time to learn the craft. That's why you see so many poor projects.
I hope you're checking through the posts here and reading the "internet filmmaker's FAQ" on the main page. There is some great information here.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
Well I'm willing to take time and experiment with everything before I claim the director title.
Now it comes down to purchasing the right camcorder. I have the opportunity to get a free camcorder in the 1k-3k price range. However, it probably wouldn't be best to start out with such an extensive camcorder, right? Maybe I should pick out my free camcorder, buy a less expensive one, and then practice using the less expensive one until the extensive one becomes less overwhelming?
Either way, I'm really excited to start messing around with filming.
If you spend less on a camera, will you get to pocket the money? Because if you aren't, you might as well just try to buy a Canon XL1s or Xl2 on ebay and get that out of the way. Most people learn on smaller cameras (I started on my dads old super8 and then received a high8 cam for christmas when i was 11 or so) simply because they don't have the money. If you are worried about the high cash commitment, just keep your camera in good condition and sell it on ebay used for whatever you bought it for.
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