Creating a Short Film 101: Pre-Production

Once you finish your script and you've had it looked at by other people, you start getting into pre-production. Pre-production is a pretty big topic, you are, to put it simply, preparing for production, the shoot. As a film maker, especially in the beginning, with short films, in a project of your own, its your job to get all the elements together and organise them.

There isn't any real order that this should be done, a lot of the time you'll have a bunch of things going at once. which is good. The trick is to get everything together for the shoot date.

What you become in the pre-production process is a producer, you manage people and spend a lot of time emailing and calling. If your budget is low, which is most of the time, you're also looking for like minded people. Get those involved that can see that your project will benefit them. Work with enthusiastic actors, proactive editors and cinematographers. People who you know want to be in the game just as much as you do.

If you don't have these types of people your project will suffer and it's only frustrating for everyone involved. Many of the types of people you'll need are:

Actors. Some of the time it's tempting to just get your friend or someone you know who did drama class in high school, or even yourself to play your roles. This can work, and sometimes is fine, but there people out there who have done acting classes for years and who have probably spent a great deal of time, effort and, not to mention, money doing those classes. Actors can make or brake your film, I'm sure you've seen it in other films. There are plenty of sites that will help you source actors, find them and use them. And most important of all, before you shoot rehearse with them!

Editor. Often a film maker can edit, you learn to cut video at high school, at home and then again at uni if that's the path you chose. But consider what a fresh eye will bring to the final cut. Also consider that as it's your 'baby' you'll want every scene, almost every take left in. An external editor will see a project completely different and possibly, if they know what they're doing, (of course they do, other wise you wouldn't have asked them) will give your scene continuity and depth, they'll really link it together without wanting that obscure shot that you love but, just doesn't work.

Cinematographer: Again, you can do this yourself, but film is about collaborating. A DOP will be able to talk about shots, framing and the right equipment to use. They could possibly think of something or a way of shooting something that you haven't thought of. Also if you don't have to be behind the camera, making sure the camera is recording, you can focus on performance and directing.

Director: Of course, you may not be a director, directing is a skill in itself, just like the other roles. If you want to just write and produce a good director will have good vision and scope for your project. They will be able to connect with the actors and understand where they need to come from to get into the role you've written. They'll also know what the cinematographer is talking about when they role off a bunch of equipment that they have or need.

Writer: As has been mentioned in the previous posts, you may have an idea but no way of writing or any idea about how to get it into the proper format. Writers are around and they can cost money or they can just be interested in getting involved. It's about finding someone proactive, someone, hopefully with a sample to show you, that will deliver, on time.

Producer. Another producer on your side is an enormous help, if you can divide your job and get someone else to organise things it makes your life easier. Even if its just organising rehearsal times, then you're able to focus on getting the right location. Location it almost a person in itself. The right location can give your film another character that most people won't even realise is playing a part. A producer can help in many ways and sometimes this person can be the director or cinematographer. Whoever it is treat them well.

VFX and Make-up. Depending on your story you may not need VFX on set, on location, but make-up is a good idea, someone to do the makeup and be onset to fix make-up or redo the make-up properly. If you do have VFX in script get someone who knows what they're doing. You can try and do the research yourself, but really, with everything else you're doing, unless of course, it's a hobby or interest, this is better left to someone to do for you.

Sound. An extremely important part of all films, including silent ones, is the sound. If it sounds bad, it looks bad. If you can get a dedicated sound guy to do your sound, get them! If they can do post as well, even better! Production sound and post production sound are very important, this can't be stressed enough.

It's a long post this time, a lot to cover. Yet the surface on this topic has really only been skimmed. Pre-production is sometimes longer than Post production, as you rely on other people to get back to you or to let you know somethings available on the right dates, you can be waiting a while and then you keep others waiting and it goes back and forth. But remember to keep everybody in the loop, let everyone know about any changes or updates. And of course have fun in the process.

Creating a Short Film 101: The Script

The idea is good the idea is solid. Now, lets write a script, a screen play. Hmmm... Well film is a visual medium, right. So, start with a good visual, then what?

To outline or not to outline, that, is the question. I've heard a lot of great writers say they always outline and I've heard a lot of great writers say the complete opposite, "I ever outline". Really, in the end, as a film maker you should have some idea about how your own head works. If you can't articulate this then at least there should be some inner sense of it.

Outlining can be great for one project, horrible for another. It may be that with an out line you reach your points to quickly and you've written the whole story in three pages. Or the outline restricts your creative flow.

Whatever it is the outline is never the rule, its just a guide. you may even find that the out line can be done in your head and that works much better. Having said/written that, don't be lazy about it. Everyone wants to get to writing the script, but often if you put the scripted page off and focus on your plot and characters even in a short film you'll have better material to work with.

For a short film you need to know where your characters are going, what they want to achieve. Is it the girl? Is it the boy? Is it the donkey? or gold or treasure of some sort, immortality? then you put obstacles in the way and raise the stakes with each step.

And you're done, all.. however many, short few pages of story. It's perfect, you can't find anything wrong with it. It's a master piece! You've even re-read it a bunch of times and fixed everything you think is wrong with it. No need for a rewrite, what is that anyway? I'll never need to rewrite this, BRILLIANCE!!

I'm pretty sure I've had these fleeting thoughts of ego from time to time, maybe every time. One really good trick to kill this bloated vision of your script is to read it out loud to someone. This, in itself, is harder than it sounds, who wants to sit there listening to you drone on, right? Whoever it is, make sure their not just going to tell you its brilliant and give you a false sense of security.

The truth is, no matter how good you think your script is the first time around, it will only get better the more you work on it. Unless, of course, you do some thing weird like change the characters names half way through for no reason. (Who does that?)

Writing is a fun process, so have fun when your doing it, it's never going to be perfect the first time. That's what makes it fun, your trying to make the best story you can.