Filmmaking For Dummies 2E

now Updated—the Step-by-step Secrets To Capturing Great Moments On Film With All The Recent Advancements In Filmmaking Technology, More People Than Ever Are Trying Their Hand At Filmmaking. Keeping Up With The Newest Information In This Booming Field, This Updated Edition Of filmmaking For Dummies Features Up-to-the-minute Coverage Of The Latest And Greatest Hardware, Software, Accessories, And Trends—including High-definition Technology And New Outlets For Films Such As Youtube And Myspace. It Demystifies The Nuts-and-bolts Of Filmmaking, From Developing A Project And Securing Financing To Hiring A Cast And Crew, Editing, And Getting Distribution. This New Edition Also Provides New Movie Examples And Updated Contacts And Resources. Whether People Want To Become Professional Filmmakers Or Simply Shoot Quality Home Movies, This Practical Guide Has All The Advice And Tips Needed To Succeed. Filmmaking For Dummies, 2nd Edition About the Author Dedication Author’s Acknowledgments Contents at a Glance Table of Contents Foreword Introduction About This Book Conventions Used in This Book What You’re Not to Read Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here Part I: Filmmaking and Storytelling Chapter 1: So You Want to Be a Filmmaker Independents Day versus the Hollywood Way Filmmaking: Traditional or Digital? Developing Your Sense of Story Financing Your Film: Where’s the Money? On a Budget: Scheduling Your Shoot Planning Your Shoot, Shooting Your Plan Hiring Your Cast and Crewing Up Shooting in the Right Direction Cut It Out! Editing Your Film Distributing Your Film and Finding an Audience Chapter 2: Genres in General Exploring Film Genres Categorizing Your Genres Chapter 3: Penning and Pitching a Great Story Screening for the Perfect Screenplay Writing Your Own Original Screenplay Selling Your Screenplay to a Production Studio, Distributor, or Investor Part II: Gearing Up to Make Your Film Chapter 4: Scheduling and Budgeting Your Film The Art of Scheduling a Film Balancing Your Film Budget Insurance Is Your Best Policy Chapter 5: Financing Your Film Creating an Enticing Prospectus Investigating Investors Starting a Film Company Going Escrow Contracting Your Investor Tapping into Alternative Sources Chapter 6: Location, Location, Location Locating Locations Sounding Off about Soundstages Shooting in the United States or Crossing the Border? Locating Stock Footage Virtual Locations: Creating New Worlds on a Computer Securing Your Locations Shooting Second-Unit Locations Chapter 7: Crewing Up: Hiring Your Crew Something to Crew About Finding and Interviewing Your Crew Creative Ways to Pay Your Crew Putting a Contract Out on Your Crew Chapter 8: Assembling Your Cast of Characters Hooking Your Cast and Reeling Them In Screening an Actor’s Information Auditioning Your Potential Cast Making the Cut: Picking Your Cast Agreeing with Actors’ Agreements Chapter 9: Storyboarding Your Film Understanding the Basics and Benefits of Storyboarding Setting Up to Storyboard Deciding What to Include in Each Panel: Putting Pencil to Paper I Can’t Draw, Even If My Life Depended on It Part III: Ready to Roll: Starting Production on Your Film Chapter 10: Shooting through the Looking Glass Choosing the Right Camera Do You Need Glasses? Types of Lenses and What They Do Clearing the Air about Filters Exposing Yourself to Exposures Focusing a Sharper Image: Depth of Field Chapter 11: Let There Be Lighting! Lighting Up Your Life Shedding Some Light on Lighting Jargon Painting with Light Spotlight on Lighting Equipment Blowing a Fuse: Taking Safety Precautions Chapter 12: Sound Advice: Production Sound Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 Assembling a Sound Team Choosing Analog or Digital Sound Recording with Microphones Using Your Headphones Walking and Talking: Walkie-Talkies on Set Listening for Quiet Getting Up to Speed Safe and Sound Capturing On-Set Ambience Reporting Your Sound Chapter 13: Directing Your Actors: . . . And Action! Getting Your Actors Familiar with the Material — and Each Other Being a Parent and Mentor to Your Actors — with No Allowance Preparing Your Actors before the Shoot Directing Actors during the Shoot Chapter 14: A Sense of Direction: Directing Your Film Focusing on Directing Translating Script to Screen Mapping Out Your Plans for the Camera Continuing Continuity with Your Script Supervisor Taking Your Best Shot Picture This: Deciding When to Move the Camera and Why Part IV: Finishing Your Film in Post Chapter 15: Cut to: Editing Your Film Frame by Frame Editing Your Film: Putting One Frame in Front of the Other Linear versus Non-Linear Editing Editing on Your Computer Developing a Relationship with Your Film Lab Cloning, Not Copying; Cloning, Not Copying Chapter 16: Posting Your Film’s Soundtrack: Adding Music & Effects to the Mix Finishing Sound in Postproduction Creating Sound Effects with a Bang Scoring Big with Music Outputting Your Final Mix Chapter 17: Conjuring Up Special Effects Creating Effects: In or Out of Camera? Dropping in Backgrounds Downsizing Miniatures Creating Effects Right in the Camera Exploding Effects on Fire Making Up Your Mind about Make-Up Effects Chapter 18: Giving Credit and Titles Titling Your Film Writing a Running List of Names and Positions Designing Your Titles and Credits Rolling Your Title and Credits Covering Your Eyes: Stripping Titles for Foreign Textless Part V: Finding a Distributor for Your Film Chapter 19: Distributing Your Film Understanding How Distribution Works Presenting Your Film to Distributors Distributing Your Film Domestically Distributing Your Film around the World Finding a Reliable Distributor or Sales Agent Demystifying Distribution Contracts Chapter 20: Exploring and Entering Film Festivals Demystifying Film Festivals Entering and Winning Secrets Part VI: The Part of Tens Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Discovering New Talent Viewing Independent Films Watching Local Theater Attending Actors’ Showcases Visiting Acting Schools Talking to Agents and Managers Searching the Academy Players Directory Schmoozing at Film Festivals and Markets Walking Down the Street Holding Talent Contests Starring Your Family Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Get Publicity for Your Film Submitting a Press Release Doing a TV or Radio Interview Getting a Review from Movie Critics Mailing Out DVD Screeners Attending Film Festivals E-Mailing and Setting Up a Web Site Designing T-Shirts and Other Premiums Planning a Publicity Stunt Organizing a Screening Party or Charity Event Placing an Ad Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Avoid Murphy’s Law Testing the Camera Scouting Locations for Noise Watching the Weather Channel Backing Up Locations and Actors Using a Stunt Double Standing by with First-Aid Kit or Medic on Set Anticipating that Cellphones and Internet Don’t Work Everywhere Mapping Out Directions Providing Plenty of Parking Securing Security Overnight Powering Up Ahead of Time Chapter 24: Ten Best Filmmaking Periodicals The Hollywood Reporter Daily Variety Backstage Videomaker Entertainment Weekly People Magazine American Cinematographer DV Magazine MovieMaker Magazine StudentFilmmakers Magazine Index Synopsis: Now updated the step by step secrets to capturing great moments on film. With all the recent advancements in filmmaking technology, more people than ever are trying their hand at filmmaking. Keeping up with the newest information in this booming field, this updated edition of Filmmaking For Dummies features up-to-the-minute coverage of the latest and greatest hardware, software, accessories, and trends including high-definition technology and new outlets for films such as YouTube and MySpace. It demystifies the nuts-and-bolts of filmmaking, from developing a project and securing financing to hiring a cast and crew, editing, and getting distribution. This new edition also provides new movie examples and updated contacts and resources. Whether people want to become professional filmmakers or simply shoot quality home movies, this practical guide has all the advice and tips needed to succeed