Film Maker's Tips
Do's
1. Use storyboards - Creating storyboards helps you to plan the opening title sequence. This allows you to have a structured story, and believable characters. It also helps the crew to use the right camera angles, shots and movements as well as helping the director to visualise the sequence in which they will produce.
1. Use storyboards - Creating storyboards helps you to plan the opening title sequence. This allows you to have a structured story, and believable characters. It also helps the crew to use the right camera angles, shots and movements as well as helping the director to visualise the sequence in which they will produce.
2. Frame shot carefully - This covers you cutting out important objects and parts of the actors. If a particular character was the main focus and their feet, for example, were out of shot, it would immediately take away the importance of the character and how the audience see them. We learnt not to cut out heads in our first task creating a short horror movie, because accidentally cropping out a head can make a vital error to the overall effectiveness of the film and take away the audience's attention, also making the horror less intense and gripping.
3. Use close up shots - Filming a close-up or extreme close-up will make the audience focus on a particular object or person. This will add to the tension or suspense of the film because of the importance and focus on the certain object or person. Using a close-up shot in horror is especially effective because the audience can see the fear in the victim's eyes and will feel their distress, or in contrast, a close-up on the victim's killer can be equally effective in scaring the audience and keeping them glued to the screen.
4. Use appropriate props and location - Suitable props and locations need to be used to ensure that filming is safe and not disturbed. If unsafe or unsuited props and locations are used, the filming will not be the best standard or look professional. for horror, dark and empty locations are best to make each scene as effective and realistic as possible.
Suitable props also need to be used in order to make horror as gruesome and nail-biting as possible. This means guns should never be used as they are more suited for action films. Props such as knifes, hammers, Ouija boards and scary dolls are much more appropriate for an intense horror movie.
5. Stick to the brief - If the film does not stay to the description of the brief, it will not be suitable for the target audience or match what you were asked to do. Not following the brief will make you fail the task. We were given the theme of horror in our first short movie task. By keeping to the brief, it was much easier to create a storyline and film each scene, whereas if we changed our ideas, the movie wouldn't have made sense and been as easy to create and edit.
Horror movie production companies such as Friday the 13th and Saw would have had to ensured they kept strictly to their briefs in order to produce the movie they were asked to create. If they failed to do this, the movie would haven't matched the brief of horror.
6. Always make a risk assessment - Making a risk assessment will ensure filming is safe and that you will be covered for anything that goes wrong. If someone was hurt or something got damaged, a risk assessment will back you up and ensure you don't lose money or the right to produce the movie. For example, in horror, if you were at the location of a lake, everyone involved in the project would have to ensure they stay away from the water and use common sense at all time. Below is an example of a risk assessment that includes possible hazards, the level of risk and how they will control each situation to minimise the risks identified.
7. Think carefully about camera angles and lighting - A range of camera angles will keep the movie from being boring and unprofessional. by having a variety, the audience will be able to see characters and objects from many different views and angles, making them feel different emotions, such as suspense and fear. Certain types of lighting will also be needed for different scenes in horror. For example, dark lighting in an haunted house will make the audience feel tension and see the house in a much more negative way than they would if there was daylight shining through the windows.
8. Keep the storyline simple - By keeping the storyline simple, the audience will be able to follow the story and understand why certain things are happening. They will then be able to feel the suspense much more effectively and clearer because the storyline is understandable. In the case of a horror movie, less can be more, because a simple storyline can make the audience feel much more panicky and scared rather than if there were too many things happening in the movie, making it less easy for them to follow it and become engaged.
Dont's
1. No Talking- If you want your film to look professional and of a high quality, the crew on site must not disrupt any of the scene that is being filmed as this will make the audience confused and distracted from the real plot/storyline. The location of filming also needs to be in a place where there will be little background noise and disturbances.
2. Don't be unprepared for filming - Ensure that you arrive for filming with the correct equipment and charged cameras prior to filming. Being unprepared can make vital errors and setbacks, so book out equipment and make sure you have a tripod in advance.
3. Don't delete scenes that you think are bad - Film plenty of footage. You may need to use something that you originally thought was bad or unneeded footage. When you come to edit your film, you may find footage is useful that you originally thought should be deleted.
4. Don't act dangerously - Be sensible and careful at all times on set. You can get arrested for carrying knives around! This is why having a risk assessment and acting appropriately is important. Also, when using fake blood, be especially careful not to get it in people's eyes and clean it up after filming is finished. By acting dangerously, filming can be interrupted and ruined.