SHOOTING COST depends on 3 FACTORS

                              Keeping pre and post productions a side, the production work; that means the shooting work of the movie costs more. Well, this is not applicable for the films containing more of animation works. For the normal feature films or short films, if the pre and post production works cost 30% , the remaining 70% cost is kept on production works., that means..., SHOOTING.

      

Over 60% of the films are not getting done within the budget margins. They are exceeding the estimated budget to at least some extent.

Why is this happening?

Not only the short films and documentaries...

This is even happening with big budget feature films which are lead by the most experienced and talented makers.

The only reason behind is..,

LACK OF BUDGET PLANNING

This is the only reason behind this issue.

So, budget planning is very very important for the film making team, especially for the production department to achieve the good result within the planned budget. In order to control the cost, first we have to know the key factors of money wastage.

On what factors the budget is strongly dependent?

Well, the budget of the project is majorly depending upon 3 key factor. They are :

    Number of locations      
    Number of artists                  
    Number of days of shoot                

The above mentioned 3 factors are the major causes for the increase or decrease of the film budget. 
      
                       Shooting is not a work with only few people. The artists, direction and cinematography team and number of other people have to collectively work for a single project. So, whenever a location is confirmed, the entire team consisting of huge number of people have to move to that location. This requires a huge amount of money. And the location costs includes the permission costs, security, equipment etc. So, less number of locations always saves the budget of the film.
                             Less luggage more comfort... The remuneration paid for the artists is one of the main production cost of the film. An artist can be recruited either in day based payment or the project based payment. But, ultimately, the remuneration gets finalized depending upon the length of the role of the person in the film. If the length of the role of that particular artist in the film is high, he demands more and if it is less, his remuneration will also be less. So, while writing the script itself.., it's better to write the script in such a way that it contains less number of artists. More of junior artists for ambient look, heavy star casting in the film leads to the consumption of more money.
                            And last but not the least, the number of days of shoot. Increase in the number of working days always increases the budget cost. So, schedules must me completed in time and maximum care should be taken to complete the shooting in the less number of days.

So, every film maker should keep the above 3 factors in mind in order to save the budget and complete the project in the boundary limits. 

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SHORT FILM with LEAST BUDGET

                              Every person who is interested film making tries to put his views on screen. He colors the pages with his creative thoughts and arranges all the necessities regarding that. And now., he steps into practical. As we know that the maximum number of short films are being made with the pocket money of the individuals, money factor plays a key role in it. 
All the works starts with money...  
And all the works stops for money...
Keeping in factor in mind, one has to bring out the best film...
How...???
Before going to those details.., let us have a question for ourselves.

Why does many short films stops in the middle?
Well, this problem is having many reasons. But, few genuine reasons are

• Money
• Interest
• Lack of proper equipment
• Lack of proper planning and
• Lack of proper knowledge

In the short world of short films, the above mentioned 5 factors plays a very important role in creating disturbances in making.

Maximum number of short films are not done by a production team. As said earlier, they are just done by a group of friends who are passionate about movie making. So, insufficient funds serves as the best cause of obstacles in the production time.

                    The next factor is the interest. Due to some causes like the postponement of the work, climatic conditions, other personal works, lack of coordination etc., makers looses their interest and it ultimately leads to the breakage of the project. So, one needs to be both passionate and patient while making the film. 

                   Due to the shortage of the equipment, many projects will be collapsed in the middle. No long run can happen if all the equipment of making is not in availability.

                  Planning plays a major role. It was observed that over 85% short films are not done according to the shot division. Maximum number of films are being done without planning and being stopped after few days.

                  The next important factor is the lack of proper knowledge. All the films may not be done by the professionals. There will be many starters and half knowledge people in making out the short films. They performs their tasks without appropriate knowledge. This shows a great impact on the films and this may even cause the middle drops of the project. 

And now, let us learn few tips to make the short film with minimum budget

• First fix a budget for the film. Make sure that the film gets started only if all the money which is planned to put is ready in the hands.
• Plan the number of days of shoot very aptly. At any cost, never try to exceed that duration. Increase in the number of days of shoot increases the budget in parallel.
• Always try to prepare the story according to the planned budget. Everything depends upon the ideology of the script writer and the director. In the budget boundaries, try to project the thoughts as rich as possible.
• Team plays the major role here. Try to arrange the team with the reasonable remuneration. But don't get compromised in the arrangement of cast and crew. We can taste the best only if the ingredients are best.
• Try to avoid the useless expenditures while the shooting is going on. Reduce the expenditures for events like food and travelling. If the food and travelling expenses are reduced, you can save a lot.
• Never ever get compromised in the post production work. At the same time, never have a blind step in the post production work. Try to extract the best output with the least budget. First, have a deep survey of the post production work stations like editing and dubbing studios in your locality and go for the best among them. Always watch the demos of the studio in which you are going to proceed.
• The last but not the least. Put one person in the team exclusively for the financial affairs. His role is to manage the flow of production. Note down the expenses at every step. Either the item which you buy costs less or high., note down the cost and at the end of the day, you will know the cost of that particular day and the remaining budget in your hands. This makes you to act accordingly for the next working day.

By following the above few tips, you can surely reduce the cost of making a short film. Always keep a single point in mind. Each and every penny spent by you must be worthy on the screen.

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24 crafts of MOVIE MAKING

In general, everybody knows that the film making team contains 24 departments, each department have their respective tasks. But people think of knowing each one of them very rarely. It is not so important for any others to know about them. But a film maker or a person who is interested in making have to know about these 24 crafts very clearly.

Now, let us first have a clear view on all the film making crafts.

• Direction Department
• Cinematography
• Stunt Direction
• Choreography
• Art Direction
• Music
• Editing
• Cast
• Dubbing Artist
• Photography (Still)
• Script
• Production Executive
• Makeup
• Costume Designing
• Publicity Designing
• Audiography
• Outdoor Lightmen
• Studio Workers
• Production Assistance
• Cinema Drivers
• Junior Artist Agent
• Technical unit 
• Production Women
• Junior Artist

The above mentioned list gives a clear picture of the team which struggles a lot for making out a cinema.

Now, let us have a clear picture about them each.

    Direction Department    

As everybody knows, director is the captain of the ship. The direction department involves a team of assistant directors, associate directors lead by a main director. The direction department is responsible for the whole making of the film. Director must handle all the people of all the other crafts and make them to work and extract what he wants from them.

    Cinematography    

Camera department plays a very crucial role in the making of a film. Without the best quality in the camera work, any movie would be dull to look. Even if the direction part and the script work is too good, if the camera work is not done well, the project may not be perfect to look and the viewer can't enjoy it. Cinematography is next to the direction team.

    Stunt Direction    

Stunt direction involves the fights in the movie. If the fights are properly composed and directed, the action sequences of the movie will add a plus point. Especially in action films, the role of stunt direction will be really high. This department even includes the stunt artists.

    Choreography    

Choreography is nothing but composing dance for the songs. Music plays an important role in the film. Good songs in the films are the best assets for the movie. They really lifts up the expectations of the project. But, if those songs are not choreographed well, it ultimately leads to the audience disappointment. Choreography team includes assistant choreographers and dancers.

    Art Direction    

The glamour of the film is entirely dependent on the work of the Art department. Art direction is responsible for the set designing, the colors of the location etc. This department must have a very close understanding with the director to meet his ideology.

    Music    

Music is the heart of the film. This team includes instrument players lead by a music director composing songs and music for the film according to the taste of the director and the situations of the film.

    Editing    

Editing is the most important task in the post production. All the rushes which were shot will be sent to the editing studio for cutting, joining, color grading and VFX works ( VFX means the visual effects which includes special effects, graphics, wire removing etc). This is the key factor of the movie in technical side. Editing is not done by a 

    Cast    

This is the on screen section. The director or the cast director first chooses the cast/actors for all the characters of the movie. Cast includes all the main starring of the film like hero, heroine and character artists.

    Dubbing Artists    

All the artists may not say their own dubbing. So, dubbing artists give their voice in substitute with the character's voice in the film.

    Photography (stills)     

Still photography is another important factor. For the film promotion, different types of promotional items like posters, images will be used. Still photography performs this task.

    Script    

Script is the real hero of the film. This is the initiative step for the entire project. All the departments will work according to the requirements of the script. If the script is not written properly, all the cost and hard work of the entire team may be in vein. 

    Production Executive    

This is the capital section. Producer puts the money for the film and he also supervises the making at each and every step. He is the soul responsible for the loss or gain of the revenue for the film.

    Makeup    

Makeup men works their level best in designing and modulating the appearance of the cast and crew in such a way that they suits best for their character in front of camera.

    Costume Designing    

They designs and prepares clothing for the cast. Generally, an efficient film production uses the best designers who are particularly trained in this fashion designing field for designing the dresses for the cast.

    Publicity Designing    

Publicity plays a very peak role in the bringing the movie before the audience. This field in turn have number of peoples like poster designers, publishers, online promoters etc.

     Audiography    

Audiography involves 3 sections. They are dubbing, re recording and sound effects. The music director and the sound engineer works together for this task in order to get the best output which carries the involvement of audience from starting to the end.

    Outdoor Lightmen    

This outdoor unit involves number of men for the arrangement of lights and their equipment. This involves a lot of men and machinery work.

    Studio Workers    

Studio works are the people who work manually under the guidance of the art director. This wing involves the moulders, painters, carpenters, electricians etc.

    Production Assistants    

These involves the set boys who work as the helpers in various wings. They does all the tiny works which is helpful for the set. They are also called as set assistants.

    Cinema Drivers    

They are the vehicle operators who also looks after the generators and the other equipment in the shooting van.

    Junior Artists Agents    

They are also known as coordinators. They contains the contacts of junior artists. If a production requires any number of artists, these coordinators will arrange those many number of artists to that production.

    Outdoor Unit Technicians    

These involves all the other people who works for outdoor shooting like electricians, camera assistants, security etc.

    Production Women    

They are also known as cleaners. They perform all the cleaning tasks in the sets.

    Junior Artists    

Apart from the main cast of the film, all the other artists who appear on the screen are the junior artists. They don't have much weight in the film. They appears for  hardly few scenes of the film and that too without any specific importance with the story.

How to prepare SCRIPT for SHORT FILMS

Script preparation of feature films involves several processes. But a short film can be made without all that stuff. A basic knowledge on some aspects are enough to achieve a good script.
The scripting part of the story consists of 3 major categories.

• Story
• Screenplay
• Dialogues

But, there is one more thing to prepare before going into these works. That is "Single line Order" preparation. Single line order or one line order is the short form of writing content of the film. To say more accurately, the story of the film will be written in a rough manner in a very short size which can be explained in 5 to 10 minutes to anyone.

The single line order helps to get a clear base for the writer to prepare the entire script and it also helps him to narrate the story in a short time to his team or any others without any difficulty and without making them to feel bored.

[ Few people first goes with the story and then they prepares a one line order for easy narration. This process can be done according to the writer's comfort. But preparing the one line order primarily is suggestible advice as it would be easy to compose the story with this as a base line. ]

The next step is the STORY.

With this one line order as the base, the story gets elaborated. The entire story of the film will be written in few pages as we read a story in a book. The story may also be considered as the blue print of the movie.

Next, we'll step into SCREENPLAY

In this section, the written story will be written in the form of number of scenes. The presentation of the film completely depends on the screenplay itself. More number of scenes may increase the time duration which may not be apt for a short film and the less number of scenes may not put the exact content which we want to project. So, a lot of care must be taken while writing the screenplay.

Now, the scenes are ready for the DIALOGUES

Dialogue writing is the most important task. The conversations among the characters must be interesting and apt. A viewer gets connected to the movie with complete attention if the dialogues are properly written.

They must be prepared by keeping few parameters like artist's dialogue delivery, their character, mood of the scene and the intensity required. Anything higher or lower than the required feel in the dialogue may look awkward.

These are the basic things to know for the script preparation.

[There is a separate format of script writing used officially which will be explained in the further posts. As it is not so easy for a starter to understand it, i din't explained that format here.]

[There are number of theories, precautions, rules and regulations for the preparation of script which will be discussed in the further posts. But this basic information is enough for making a short film. The entire subject of the script writing is a deep subject. i'll surely give my best to let u know about them in the further posts.]

TYPES OF SHOTS IN FILM MAKING

                          Film making is the combination of number of sectors. Each sector involves number of activities. Shot division is one of the main task in film making which is highly responsible in presenting the film accurately. 

Before learning about the types of shots, first let us see a slight introduction about the shot.

In film making, we'll come across few terms which are the combination of one another.

They are as follows:

Movie                - Combination of number of sequences
Sequence           - Combination of number of scenes
Scene                 - Combination of number of shots

So, Shot is the smallest unit of the movie.

While preparing a scene, shots will be prepared by keeping the content of the scene and the duration of the film in view. Less number of shots may not convey all the content of the scene more perfectly and more number of shots may increase the time duration of the film. So, maintenance of the shots must be made accurately while writing the screenplay.

Now, let us learn about the types of shots in film making.

    Establishing Shot    

This is the introduction shot of the film. While beginning the scene, 3 elements should be kept in mind. They are the location, mood of the scene and the cast. All these 3 will be initiated in a single shot.

Below displayed image and videos collection gives us a brief idea about the establishment shot.

Collection of Establishing Shots  :

Courtesy : Youtube

    Long Shot    

In this shot, the location and the subject will be highlighted from a long distance as shown here.

Referring this video gives us a brief information about the types of long shots.

Courtesy : Youtube

    Full Shot    

This shot covers the object from head to foot as shown below.

Here are few full shot videos

    Mid Shot    

This covers half portion of the body as shown here.

Courtesy : YouTube

    Closeup Shot    

This shot covers from top of the head to the shoulder part or much more closer. It's actual motto is to cover a particular area of the subject closely.

Courtesy : You Tube

    Extreme Close Up    

This shot gives a detailed view of a particular area. It is even more deeper than the close up shot. 

Here are the examples of the extreme closeup shot.

Courtesy:You Tube

These are the different shots used in film making. Though there are number of theories regarding the proper usage of shots in particular methods, the presentation of the film completely depends on the vision of the film maker.

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How to choose the BEST CAMERA for SHORT FILMS

                            It's a known fact that we can never expect the best output without the best ingredients. Similarly, even in film making, the features of the camera used plays an important role in achieving the best. In order to the best, one have to invest the best which is not generally possible in case of SHORT FILMS. So, it is a wise step to choose the best camera which gives the best quality at the reasonable price.

First of all, before going to the list of the cameras, first we'll try to know a bit about the 2 popular terms which we come across and they are, SLR and D SLR.
what are they???

SLR camera :   This is the short form of "Single-Lens Reflex camera." Here, a mirror and a prism system is used which facilitates the photographer to view the image which he wants to capture through the lens which is not happened in the viewfinder cameras. So, here the photographer will be more accurate on what he is shooting and how the output would be. where as in the other pathfinder cameras, this can't be achieved and so, there will be a bit of difference between the photo and the reality.

D SLR Camera : This is the short form of " Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera." In this digital camera, both the optics and the mechanisms of SLR camera are combined with the digital image sensor. Primarily, there will be a difference in the reflex design scheme of the D SLR cameras when compared to the other digital cameras. In recent 2000s, there is a wide replacement of SLR cameras with D SLR. As per the survey of 2014, D SLR remained as the most common interchangeable lens camera in use.

    BEST SHORT FILM CAMERAS                                                                                                    

Generally, for feature and high budget films, the cameras which are presently in use are RED and ARRI.

But, while coming to the short films, the capital is low and the use of a costly camera is not suggested. So, according to the survey done by interviewing number of short film makers, it was known that
SLR and D SLR cameras are used according to the effort they can make.

Here are the few best cameras which are the best for making low budget films.


  CANON EOS 70D                                  

FEATURES

Brand                                   : Canon

Model                                   : 70D

Model Name                           : EOS

Item Weight                           : 1.9 Kg

Product Dimensions                 :13.9 x 7.9 x 10.4 cm

Item model number                   : 70D

Memory Storage Capacity        :4 GB

Resolution                           : 20.2 megapixels

Screen Size                           :3 Inches

Optical Zoom                           :5 X

Digital Zoom                           :10

Max Resolution                   :20.20 Megapixels

Optical Sensor Resolution        :20.2 Megapixels

Min Focal Length                   :35 Millimeters

Batteries Required                   :Yes

Flash Modes Description   : E-TTL II autoflash

Click Here for complete details    

DEMO VIDEO OF CANON EOS 70D

  Nikon D810                                                   

FEATURES

Brand                                 : Nikon

Model                                 :1542

Item Weight                         : 980 g

Product Dimensions         :14.6 x 8.2 x 12.3 cm

Batteries                                 : 1 Lithium ion batteries required.

Hardware Interface                 : AV

Resolution                         : 36.3 megapixels

Screen Size                         :3.2 Inches

Has Image Stabilization          :No

Optical Zoom                         :1 X

Digital Zoom                         :46 X

Max Resolution                 :36.3 Megapixels

Optical Sensor Resolution      :36.3 Megapixels

Max Vertical Resolution         : 4912 Pixels

Max Shutter Speed                 :1/8000 Seconds

Min Shutter Speed                 :30 seconds

Min Focal Length                 :28 Millimeters

Batteries Required                 :Yes

Continuous Shooting Speed   :5

Viewfinder Type                 :Optical (tunnel)

Has Audio Recording         :Yes

Has Auto Focus                 :Yes

Has Self Timer                        :Yes

Click Here for Official Explanation

DEMO VIDEO OF NIKON D810

   Canon EOS 5D    

This is a bit costlier than the before mentioned cameras and more professional too. It has a series which is termed in the form of marks; Mark 1, 2,3 & 4 which are nothing but the upgrading forms of the versions.

FEATURE

Brand                              : Canon
Model                              : EOS 5D Mark III Kit (EF 24-105 IS)
Model Name                      : EOS Digital
Item Weight                      : 948 g
Product Dimensions      : 15.2 x 7.6 x 11.6 cm
Removable Memory      : CompactFlash, SDHC
Resolution                      : 17 megapixels
Screen Size                      : 3.2 Inches
Display Type                      : TFT colour, liquid-crystal monitor
Has Image Stabilization      : Yes
Optical Zoom                      : 5 X
Aspect Ratio                      : 1.55:1
Max Resolution              : 17 Megapixels
Horizontal Resolution      : 5760 Pixels
Optical Sensor Resolution   : 17 Megapixels
Max Vertical Resolution      : 3840 Pixels
Min Shutter Speed              : 1/8000sec. to 30secs.,
Min Focal Length              : 24 Millimeters
Batteries Required              : Yes
Metering Description      : Evaluating metering with the image sensor (still photos) / Center-                                                           weighted average metering (movies)
Has Auto Focus              : Yes
Has Builtin Light                 : No

Has Self Timer              : Yes

Click Here for complete details 


DEMO VIDEO OF CANON EOS 5D MARK III

Note :  It may be dramatic to say. But it is true that, an efficient "eye" of a human being is much more talented than an efficient camera. The output always depends upon the vision of the photographer primarily which can bring the best with a little. So, it is important for a film makers and the photographers to know the techniques and the methods of using the cameras as creative as they can.

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How to make a SHORT FILM?

                      Now-a-days, number of people are showing a vast interest in watching and making short films.. people are interested in exhibiting their creative talent to the public through social networking channels and by many other means. working hard for many days on a short film is not the only thing which is required. Any work without having any theoretical and practical knowledge cannot fetch us a desirable result. So, it is very important for the person to know the basic rules and regulations while stepping into practicality. 

Film making is a very vast subject. But, in order to make a short, few basic tips and steps are enough.

 3 steps of FILM MAKING  

The process of making any film involves 3 steps.

1. Pre Production
2. Production
3. Post Production

A best result can be achieved if all the 3 steps are performed properly. And now, let us know something about those.

 Pre Production 

Pre production is the theoretical process about the films. All the work done before entering into the field work (shooting of the film) is said to be the pre production work.

In this session, tasks like Story Writing, Screenplay, Dialogues, story board preparation, Cast and Crew recruitment etc. This is the blue print of the movie which has to be shot.

 Production 

This is the practical step of the film making process. All the pre production will be pictured as best as the team can do. There are number of works involved even in this process like directing, acting, cinematography, choreography and many other things. When coming to the short films, Cast, Direction and camera departments are almost sufficient as the additional assets like dance, fights etc. are rarely used. 

 Post Production 

This is the final and most important step. Once when the shooting part gets completed, the rushes(clips which were shot) will be sent for the post production team. Here, works like Editing, Titling, Animation, Color Correction, Music, Dubbing etc.

(Note: This is just the overview of the basic film making.)

       Key points to be kept in mind while making a short film       

   

• Film length should be less than 40 mins according to the academy of motion pictures and sciences.
• Feature films and high budget films will first think of a story and then estimate a budget for that. But, in the case of short films, it is suggested to first think of a budget according to one's capability and then prepare a subject according to that.
• It is really difficult for the makers to express the entire content in a narrow time duration. But that's the challenge to do it. So, the screenplay must be sharp and accurate. Any unwanted junk or lag in the film may finally gives a bad result.
• If the capital invested here is low, we can't expect the best technical values. But we must carefully use them to get as best as we can.
• Better to avoid the copy contents such as music and videos from other sources because it may lead to copyright issues. Powerful social networking sites like      YOU TUBE will sense the pirated content and that may cause some issues which shows a bad impact on the project.
• More care should be taken in both pre and post production works to get the best output.
• Care should be taken to avoid any shot duration to go beyond 14 seconds each. i.e; no shot must exceed the duration of 14 seconds. There is a scientific reason behind this. Human eye will blink for every 12 seconds on an average. So, if a shot last for more than that (14 secs. approx.), it causes monotony. Monotony means, a viewer will feel a bit bored by seeing a shot of same angle without any movement.

What is a SHORT FILM??? (Before making.., learn a bit...)

Short films... Short films... Short films...

It's one of the common passion in number of youngsters all over the world. Every camera holder is dreaming of making out a short film and showcase his vision to this world. Every person with basic sense of creativity is thinking of developing a short film and exhibit it in social networks.

BUT....,

Only few of them are worthable but the rest are not...

WHY???

That's not because of the lack of talent..

It's just because of the lack of knowledge...

YES... Just because of the lack of some basic idea of FILM MAKING.

First of all, what's the definition of a short film???

As indicated by the meaning of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a short film is a unique movie that has a running time of less than or equivalent to 40 minutes, including all credits. The credits, here means the titles. It might likewise termed as SHORT SUBJECT or  FEATURETTE, which  are the terms utilized as a part of the American film industry to assign a film whose length is generally three film reels, or around 24–40 minutes in running time.

At the same time, as per the CBFC of India (Central Board of Film Certification),  any film of length more than 2000 meters ( 35 mm ), i.e., over 70 minutes is long or Feature film and  movies which are not as much as that are Short Films.

In celluloid form, film is measured in length (meters or mm).

In Video form, film is measured in length of time (minutes).