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 5 About the Author 7 Dedication 9 Author’s Acknowledgments 9 Contents at a Glance 11 Table of Contents 13 Foreword 25 Introduction 27 About This Book 27 Conventions Used in This Book 28 What You’re Not to Read 29 Foolish Assumptions 29 How This Book Is Organized 30 Icons Used in This Book 32 Where to Go from Here 32 Part I: Filmmaking and Storytelling 33 Chapter 1: So You Want to Be a Filmmaker 35 Independents Day versus the Hollywood Way 35 Filmmaking: Traditional or Digital? 36 Developing Your Sense of Story 38 Financing Your Film: Where’s the Money? 38 On a Budget: Scheduling Your Shoot 39 Planning Your Shoot, Shooting Your Plan 39 Hiring Your Cast and Crewing Up 41 Shooting in the Right Direction 41 Cut It Out! Editing Your Film 43 Distributing Your Film and Finding an Audience 44 Chapter 2: Genres in General 45 Exploring Film Genres 45 Categorizing Your Genres 54 Chapter 3: Penning and Pitching a Great Story 59 Screening for the Perfect Screenplay 59 Writing Your Own Original Screenplay 62 Selling Your Screenplay to a Production Studio, Distributor, or Investor 70 Part II: Gearing Up to Make Your Film 73 Chapter 4: Scheduling and Budgeting Your Film 75 The Art of Scheduling a Film 76 Balancing Your Film Budget 85 Insurance Is Your Best Policy 91 Chapter 5: Financing Your Film 95 Creating an Enticing Prospectus 95 Investigating Investors 97 Starting a Film Company 101 Going Escrow 104 Contracting Your Investor 105 Tapping into Alternative Sources 106 Chapter 6: Location, Location, Location 109 Locating Locations 109 Sounding Off about Soundstages 112 Shooting in the United States or Crossing the Border? 115 Locating Stock Footage 117 Virtual Locations: Creating New Worlds on a Computer 118 Securing Your Locations 119 Shooting Second-Unit Locations 121 Chapter 7: Crewing Up: Hiring Your Crew 123 Something to Crew About 123 Finding and Interviewing Your Crew 136 Creative Ways to Pay Your Crew 137 Putting a Contract Out on Your Crew 139 Chapter 8: Assembling Your Cast of Characters 141 Hooking Your Cast and Reeling Them In 141 Screening an Actor’s Information 145 Auditioning Your Potential Cast 148 Making the Cut: Picking Your Cast 150 Agreeing with Actors’ Agreements 152 Chapter 9: Storyboarding Your Film 155 Understanding the Basics and Benefits of Storyboarding 155 Setting Up to Storyboard 157 Deciding What to Include in Each Panel: Putting Pencil to Paper 160 I Can’t Draw, Even If My Life Depended on It 164 Part III: Ready to Roll: Starting Production on Your Film 171 Chapter 10: Shooting through the Looking Glass 173 Choosing the Right Camera 173 Do You Need Glasses? Types of Lenses and What They Do 181 Clearing the Air about Filters 185 Exposing Yourself to Exposures 189 Focusing a Sharper Image: Depth of Field 190 Chapter 11: Let There Be Lighting! 193 Lighting Up Your Life 193 Shedding Some Light on Lighting Jargon 194 Painting with Light 198 Spotlight on Lighting Equipment 200 Blowing a Fuse: Taking Safety Precautions 208 Chapter 12: Sound Advice: Production Sound 209 Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 209 Assembling a Sound Team 210 Choosing Analog or Digital Sound 212 Recording with Microphones 214 Using Your Headphones 218 Walking and Talking: Walkie-Talkies on Set 218 Listening for Quiet 219 Getting Up to Speed Safe and Sound 220 Capturing On-Set Ambience 221 Reporting Your Sound 222 Chapter 13: Directing Your Actors: . . . And Action! 223 Getting Your Actors Familiar with the Material — and Each Other 223 Being a Parent and Mentor to Your Actors — with No Allowance 225 Preparing Your Actors before the Shoot 226 Directing Actors during the Shoot 232 Chapter 14: A Sense of Direction: Directing Your Film 237 Focusing on Directing 237 Translating Script to Screen 240 Mapping Out Your Plans for the Camera 242 Continuing Continuity with Your Script Supervisor 245 Taking Your Best Shot 248 Picture This: Deciding When to Move the Camera and Why 254 Part IV: Finishing Your Film in Post 257 Chapter 15: Cut to: Editing Your Film Frame by Frame 259 Editing Your Film: Putting One Frame in Front of the Other 259 Linear versus Non-Linear Editing 264 Editing on Your Computer 266 Developing a Relationship with Your Film Lab 271 Cloning, Not Copying; Cloning, Not Copying 274 Chapter 16: Posting Your Film’s Soundtrack: Adding Music & Effects to the Mix 277 Finishing Sound in Postproduction 277 Creating Sound Effects with a Bang 281 Scoring Big with Music 284 Outputting Your Final Mix 289 Chapter 17: Conjuring Up Special Effects 291 Creating Effects: In or Out of Camera? 291 Dropping in Backgrounds 292 Downsizing Miniatures 298 Creating Effects Right in the Camera 301 Exploding Effects on Fire 305 Making Up Your Mind about Make-Up Effects 305 Chapter 18: Giving Credit and Titles 311 Titling Your Film 311 Writing a Running List of Names and Positions 312 Designing Your Titles and Credits 313 Rolling Your Title and Credits 316 Covering Your Eyes: Stripping Titles for Foreign Textless 319 Part V: Finding a Distributor for Your Film 321 Chapter 19: Distributing Your Film 323 Understanding How Distribution Works 323 Presenting Your Film to Distributors 325 Distributing Your Film Domestically 328 Distributing Your Film around the World 331 Finding a Reliable Distributor or Sales Agent 335 Demystifying Distribution Contracts 338 Chapter 20: Exploring and Entering Film Festivals 343 Demystifying Film Festivals 343 Entering and Winning Secrets 346 Part VI: The Part of Tens 353 Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Discovering New Talent 355 Viewing Independent Films 355 Watching Local Theater 356 Attending Actors’ Showcases 356 Visiting Acting Schools 356 Talking to Agents and Managers 357 Searching the Academy Players Directory 357 Schmoozing at Film Festivals and Markets 357 Walking Down the Street 358 Holding Talent Contests 358 Starring Your Family 358 Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Get Publicity for Your Film 359 Submitting a Press Release 359 Doing a TV or Radio Interview 360 Getting a Review from Movie Critics 360 Mailing Out DVD Screeners 360 Attending Film Festivals 360 E-Mailing and Setting Up a Web Site 361 Designing T-Shirts and Other Premiums 361 Planning a Publicity Stunt 361 Organizing a Screening Party or Charity Event 362 Placing an Ad 362 Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Avoid Murphy’s Law 363 Testing the Camera 363 Scouting Locations for Noise 364 Watching the Weather Channel 364 Backing Up Locations and Actors 364 Using a Stunt Double 365 Standing by with First-Aid Kit or Medic on Set 365 Anticipating that Cellphones and Internet Don’t Work Everywhere 365 Mapping Out Directions 365 Providing Plenty of Parking 366 Securing Security Overnight 366 Powering Up Ahead of Time 366 Chapter 24: Ten Best Filmmaking Periodicals 367 The Hollywood Reporter 367 Daily Variety 368 Backstage 368 Videomaker 368 Entertainment Weekly 368 People Magazine 369 American Cinematographer 369 DV Magazine 369 MovieMaker Magazine 370 StudentFilmmakers Magazine 370 Index 371 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