Filmmaking Basics Read online

  Read more about Ellin Stein on her Solid Script Services site.

  Making the Difference -

  Storytelling Devices

  Here are examples of a few movie and television storytelling devices you may find helpful as you brainstorm for creative ideas:

  Principal character as narrator: Grey’s Anatomy; Twilight; How I Met Your Mother

  Childhood flashbacks: Psych; How I Met Your Mother

  Documentary style: The Office, where characters talk to the camera at times

  Unseen characters: Charlie on Charlie's Angels; the anonymous blogger girl on Gossip Girl; the nanny on Muppet Babies

  Computer or handwritten journal: the two main characters in You’ve Got Mail; journaling in early episodes of The Vampire Diaries

  Flashbacks, voice-overs, dream sequences: Smallville; Lost

  ProFile – Screenwriter Christopher Keane

  The Expanded Scene Breakdown

  Screenwriting pro Christopher Keane recommends the “expanded scene breakdown” to anyone trying to put a screenplay together. “The expanded scene breakdown,” says Keane, “is a 20 to 40+ page point by point, step by step, scene by scene outline of the entire screenplay in prose form using dialogue, character development, action, etc.”

  Many screenwriters dive into writing the script immediately, according to Keane. The result can often be both frustration and mediocrity.

  Keane proposes five steps to getting a great script. Document the main idea in one to two pages. Next write a mini-treatment. Follow with a scene breakdown. Then develop the expanded scene breakdown. Finally, write the script.

  Writing a good expanded scene breakdown can take up to six months, Keane says, but then the script can often be written in just a couple of weeks.

  Most likely your first script will not be feature-length. Keane’s advice still holds. Write a compelling story first, then put it in script format.

  Keane’s article on the expanded scene breakdown appeared in the “Expert Series” in the online newsletter published by The Writers Store in Los Angeles. The newsletter is an invaluable resource.

  Christopher Keane is a member of the Writers Guild of America West, the Author’s Guild, and PEN. He has written screenplays for feature films and for television, as well as 14 novels and writers guides. He has taught at colleges and universities all over the U.S. and abroad. Students he has instructed work in every creative capacity in the movie business, at every major studio, agency, and production company.

  You Have Your Story

  Success! You’ve developed a strong story idea and you’re ready to film. Now what? Pre-production!

  Storyboarding

  Storyboarding can save you many hours of time behind the camera or at the edit table because you’ve thought through what shots you need and what they should look like.

  Practice with a technique some call reverse storyboarding. Find a DVD movie that may have some similarity to your project. Select a five-minute segment from the movie and view it several times. Then begin to take notes on the segment. Identify the scenes and shots used. Now create a storyboard for that segment. This will help you and your crew understand how to create effective storyboards.

  The storyboard should include directions for camera movement and camera angles, as well as for actor movement. For example, a simple arrow indicating an actor is moving forward in the shot.

  Storyboarding doesn’t require a talented sketch artist. Even simple stick figures will do. There are free blank storyboard forms you can copy for your use. Sketch in your shots, or sketch to Post-it notes and put one in each box on the form as you go along. The Post-its allow you a greater degree of flexibility, since you can move the shots around till you have a strong shot sequence.

  There are apps that will help you with storyboarding. Apple makes one.

  You can also use a simple edit program to put your storyboard together. Make the sketches, then scan them into your laptop computer or photograph the sketches and import them. Put them all in the edit timeline of your edit software. Move them around till you’ve got a solid shooting sequence. With this method you can also add a demo soundtrack or dub in a bit of dialogue to get a solid feel for how your movie should go.

  Another method for visualizing your shoot uses artist’s wood figures as scene “stand-ins”. Pose the figures to lay out each scene, and then photograph or tape each one. You can then import the photos/clips into a photo slideshow program or a simple movie edit program. This gives you the opportunity to rearrange shots as you plan out your shoot. Put it all on a laptop when complete. The laptop can then be your guide on location.

  Check out the DVD for Shrek, where extra features include storyboard sketches for the film.

  Storyboard Key:

  XCU: Extreme Close-up

  CU: Close-up

  MCU: Medium Close-up

  MS: Medium Shot

  WS: Wide shot

  XWS: Extreme Wide Shot

  Shot List

  Following on the storyboard, the shot list is the writing that describes the sketched action on the storyboard. Draw a picture of your main character looking in a store window. Determine that you want an over the shoulder shot, with his reflection showing in the glass, angled enough to keep the camera out of the reflection. The shot list will simply describe this when you’re on location, ensuring you get the right angle and framing for the shot.

  Shot lists can help you tell your story in the clearest, most complete way. Begin with your script and your storyboards. Mark the script up as you think through what you want to shoot for each scene. When you’ve gone through this step, transfer it to your shot list.

  Your list should include: scene number, shot number, location, shot description, framing, actors, dialogue, action, props.

  Here’s a sample shot list. And here’s a shot list app you may find helpful.

  When you’ve completed the shot list, share it with the rest of the production team, such as the cinematographer, the prop manager, the wardrobe person.

  TELLING YOUR STORY IN FILM

  The Production Process

  You don’t want to waste time, money or manpower by jumping into your filmmaking without a plan. You’ll need to develop production skills that will, with practice, become basic instinct as you become a filmmaker.

  The Filmmaker and Technology

  Some technology writers categorize all of us as either digitally naive or digitally native. As a young person you are no doubt digitally native - more fluent in using computers, video games and smart phones for entertainment, texting, tweeting, sharing pictures and video. You will probably not, however, be practiced in using the production process for filmmaking. You may need some coaching in working as a team to produce a common project. And you may want to increase your appreciation of the beauty of filmmaking as an art. That’s where we can help you.

  As a director you do not have to be more digitally adept at everything. Your role is to set up the project/situation, rely on and guide the crew, and watch as they learn to create by actively participating in a team project. A large part of the process we present here is the opportunity to learn and gain experience by doing.

  We’ll take you through all this as you move deeper into the book.

  Time is Money

  In any filmmaking situation, time is money. Sure, you may be doing this project with no budget. And your initial film may be a ten-minute story. Only ten pages to shoot. I’m not doing a feature length film yet. No problem, you say to yourself.

  But your time, and the time of your actors and crew, is valuable. And so is the effort of support volunteers. Your parents or friends may be contributing food for each shooting day. That costs money. Maybe you rented or borrowed the camera. The one who loaned you the camera expects it back in a reasonable time, not three weeks after it was first borrowed.

  Respect your crew and supporters.

  Financing

  A word on financing your film project. Other than you
r own money, loans from family and friends, or bank financing, look into the online crowd-funding site kickstarter.com. This is a “new way to fund and follow creativity.”

  Teamwork

  One of your most difficult challenges as a media producer is guiding your crew to work as a team. Good teamwork does not come easily. You will always have the outspoken members and the quiet ones. You’ll have creative and not so creative crew. Some will be technically adept, some will not. Some team members will be a bundle of energy, some will be more laid back, even lazy.

  But this is more than the usual group dynamic. Video and film production is a process. Your production team must learn to trust one another, to depend on one another, to respect another’s instincts and creativity. This process involves a team working closely together in a creative environment, with the producer guiding the entire process.

  Managing Your Crew

  In the initial orientation meetings, make it clear to your team that you expect their best work. It’s likely that you’re working with a minimal crew. A few actors, a small production crew. Each person is essential in this environment. One unexpected absence or one uncooperative member can derail your shoot easily. Treat all your actors and crew with respect. Tell them how important they are to the film. And if one member is consistently slacking off, deal with it quickly. Encourage him to step up, or fire him. It isn’t fair to your film, or to the other crew, to overlook a slacker.

  If people are grumbling about anything, get them to complain directly to you. Then deal with it immediately.

  Yes, we know you’re thinking - I just want to make my movie. Well, this is real world. This is how you make a movie - with other people. Learn to deal with this early.

  Prepare for the unexpected. Always have a plan B in your head. You’ll need it.

  Supporting Your Team

  Praise and thank your team members. Often. Take note of the small things that individuals do right, and mention them to the team. No one suffers from praise.

  Keep it real. False praise is no help. Look for moments when you can offer a word of support or encouragement to a crew member. Watch for the ones who hang back from what they find uncomfortable. Ask them to take on different roles. Maybe ask another team member who is already good at the role to coach him. Both will benefit from the experience.

  Safety

  It’s important to instill a sense of respect and safety in your project. Crews are working around equipment, electrical cables, lights, heavy stands. They may be moving furniture around to decorate a set.

  A pair of leather work gloves is essential for handling spotlights. If you’re using inexpensive shop lights, those lights get very hot, and stay hot long after you turn them off. Crews should wear gloves, and take care not to let any clothing, fabric or paper touch the lights.

  Open-toed shoes should be avoided when moving furniture or heavy objects.

  Teach the crew how to lift a heavy object by using their legs to lift, not their backs.

  Ladder safety is essential. Sometimes you can get an interesting shot by putting the camera operator up on a 6’ folding ladder looking down on the subject. One or two people should be holding the ladder for the operator.

  In some locations a fire extinguisher is a good bit of insurance. Especially if the fabrics and scrims you’re using are not flame-retardant. Be sure that several crew know its location and operation.

  Feed Your Crew

  When you’re in the field on a shoot, make plans to feed your crew. Ensure that arrangements have been made for snacks and water. A shoot can last longer than anticipated, and you don’t want your cast and crew running out of steam for lack of nourishment. You’ll want more food if it’s an all-day shoot, of course. Family and friends can be a valuable resource in this regard if you ask politely and thank them for their support.

  ProFile - Mark Haapala

  Working with Actors

  Director Mark Haapala states that “90 percent of your problems, obstacles, and frustrations as a director can be solved by excellent casting.”

  In my experience, the most important aspect of directing lies in the casting. A novice director can put together an award winning production if you cast the project right. A great cast means less takes when it comes to shooting. Less takes means you can shoot more pages... or at the very least, shoot the pages that are scheduled for the day. Time is money... and the faster you can work while putting out a quality product, the more employable you are as a director. It all comes down to "making your day". More so in the TV world, where production moves at break neck speed. I've worked on hit TV shows that shoot up to 9 1/2 pages a day. Those same 9 1/2 pages, in the film world, could easily take 10 days to shoot.

  Haapala says it’s ultimately up to the director to cast a project, but having others present certainly helps. “I always try to have the writer present when I cast a project. After all, they first imagined what you are trying to piece together in their heads, so they have a good idea of what they are looking for...and probably what you should be looking for.”

  Before the shoot, and on the set, the more the director and writer are on the same page usually translates into far less ‘note passing’ which results in far less takes. This ultimately translates into a faster shooting day. A faster shooting day means less money spent. And the bottom line of any film shoot is always budget. I cannot reiterate enough, it really always comes down to money. How much is this going to cost to make? How much are we going to get back? Especially in TV. If you have aspirations of being a working director in TV, you have to make your days. Period. Sometimes that means sacrificing creative elements to meet practical ones...but that is a whole other can or worms.

  Again, casting is, for Haapala, one of the most important things you can do as a director.

  I always go with my gut when it comes to casting. It usually only takes a few lines at an audition before you know if the actor or actress is right for the part. If someone seems right for the part, I always try to give them a slight adjustment once they complete their audition. ‘I really liked what you did, but what if you tried it like this...’ I do this regardless if the actor nailed the scene or not. I want to see if the person can take direction. Also, I want to make sure the thespian is a team player. If you can't take a note, or at least try to adjust, how am I going to work with you on the day? How are you going to work with the other actors in the film? Actors have very fragile egos. Often times these egos manifest themselves as fake confidence. ‘Why would I make an adjustment like that? My character wouldn't do that. Let's move on.’

  If you can catch that type of personality in the audition process, you are going to save yourself a heap of trouble when it comes to actual production. Like I said before, it's about 'making your day.’ The easiest way to make your day is by working with people who are team players. Nobody can make or break your day more so than the actor. If you have an easy-going, friendly cast, you may not have won the war, but you've certainly won the battle.

  Here’s what Haapala says about working with editors. “Editors can really make or break a project. Which is why the second most important thing you do as a director is sit in on the editing sessions with the editor when they cut your piece. That is why it is called ‘The Director's Cut’.”

  Establish a strong working relationship with your editor. Even if you cast your project poorly, the editor can save you almost every time. Bad acting is more common than good acting, Haapala says, even at the professional level.

  Sometimes, he says, you get an actor or actress who kills the audition, but when it comes time to shoot, for whatever reason (nerves or forgotten lines), they cannot perform. Or sometimes, you as the director are "handed" an actor or actress. It may be your own girlfriend who insists on being in the film. Or the son of the person who is loaning you money. On large-budget projects it may be the executive producer’s girlfriend.

  Whatever the reason, all is not lost. You might have to do more takes than you wanted to. A
s long as you get pieces of what you need on every take, a competent editor will be able to string together an award-worthy performance.

  Initially a casting director is assigned to help decide the best actors for your project and to weed out the not so good actors. This can be invaluable when you have hundreds upon hundreds of people auditioning for a piece. It is not uncommon for student films to receive hundreds of headshots of actors willing to work for copy, credit, and meals if you are in LA or NY. If you do not have the luxury of having a casting director, then you obviously need to be there for all phases of casting. In some cases, you might want to be there regardless. The casting director might think somebody is lousy, when you see an eccentricity that would be perfect for the character.

  Mark Haapala was fortunate enough to be one of 14 candidates selected out of over a thousand to join the Director's Guild of America Trainee Program. While in the program, Mark learned a great deal as an Assistant Director Trainee on such shows as Shameless and NCIS: LA. After a year, Mark chose to leave the program to work as a freelance Director. He recently finished writing and shooting the webisode series Crafty.