No shopping guide, no links to buy anything, just the raw truth:. So this wisdom is from experience, one that hurt! You need a camera, just as you need pants. In fact, of all the critical things you need to make a movie, the camera is last on the list. And money is definitely the most important thing, regardless of budget. I have an article on Wolfcrow that goes into detail about how to make money, check it out. The difference between a filmmaking guide and a shopping guide is, in the shopping guide they just want to sell you products.

The most important thing you need is time. To get the same quality as what money can provide, you need time.

How to Learn Filmmaking Without Film School

Back in I was an assistant director in the world of commercials. It is a high-pressure world, where deadlines are always yesterday, clients change things all the time, expectations are nothing short of world class. The number one technique for solving problems in that pressure cooker situation was to throw money at it.

What do you do?


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Pay someone whatever they ask so you have it. Want a huge star for your commercial? Want the best DP?


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The answer is always pay pay pay. In the world of low budget filmmaking, the last thing you want to do, or can do, is pay. To attract the best people, you need to talk to a lot of people. Then give yourself a few weeks to find a yellow bus. How many days would it take you to find a yellow bus? Think of all the elements in your movie, the actors, the props, that stunt, the special costume, the full moon, editing, color grading, everything.

And they will just pile up to the point it will drown your movie. Please allow yourself lots of time.

The Most Important and Least Important thing necessary

A major film studio with a production team, art direction team and prop team can locate a few yellow buses in a couple of hours, so the director can pick and choose the best one. Screenwriters are taught to avoid things that cannot be practically accomplished. Even before you start meeting people make the list and honestly figure out what you can really achieve — no wishful thinking, no assumptions. Be hard on yourself.

Make the list and honestly figure out what you can really achieve — no wishful thinking, no assumptions. This was back in My grandmother had given me permission to shoot in our family home so I was banking on that. That just never occurred to me. Not only did it take a long time to find a replacement house but it was nothing like our home, and it created problems I was never able to solve. It was too late. One great way to solve this problem is let an experienced production manager or art director or producer look at your script.

No Film School

You can buy them lunch, or pay them for a day. If they see you are sincere and you respect their time, they will tell you like it is, and all you have to do is put your preconceived bullshit aside. I consider casting to be more important than the script. But only if you are on a properly produced film with a decent budget. How to be a Filmmaker Part Three. How to Finance a Film Part One: How to Finance a Film Part Two: How to Finance a Film Part Three: The Ideal Viewfinder for Directors. Understanding Style in Cinema Part One: Understanding Style in Cinema Part Two: Understanding Style in Cinema Part Three: Which is the Greatest Art Form?

Filmmaking For Beginners

How to Find the Best Camera Angles. How to Deal with Bad Actors. The 5 Best Web Resources for Screenwriters.


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The 3 Best Books on Screenplay Writing. What is Post Production? What are the Stages of Post Production for Cinema? How to conduct an Interview Part One. How to conduct an Interview Part Two. You must learn to crawl before you can walk. Get what you want in three simple steps: Understand Concepts and Terminology: Filmmaking Basics Dive into filmmaking and be on your way! The best directors usually know individual jobs better than their crew This is especially true on the indie level with directors like Gareth Edwards. The guy knew arguably more than any VFX artist, cinematographer, and editor he could find for anywhere even close to his budget on his film "Monsters".

Filmmaking is an elite craft and working directors really are genius-level people. I totally get where you're coming from, and I wouldn't argue with the notion that I probably shouldn't have been directing yet. That being said, I learned way more about filmmaking by jumping into the deep end than I ever would have if I had just waited to reach a point where I felt like an expert on every facet of production.

Filmmaking For Beginners

My cast, producer, DP, and various other crew members were also involved in that world, so I do feel that everybody was pretty amazing at leaving egos at the door, trusting one another, and working together to make this movie as a team rather than as an assembly line being lorded over by one under-qualified idiot me. One thing I learned also is to slow down when in production. Don't rush and put a lot of scenes into a day's shoot.

This may add additional filming days but your content wouldn't suffer. Give some breathing room and consider setup times at each location. For me I enjoy filmmaking process and always make films that would challenge us. Our next project is a martial arts comedy musical: Skip to main content.