So you want to make a Movie - Forward

Producing a video or film work is really a mixed bag. There are those who simply do not care, grab a consumer camcorder, and shoot choppy crap that gets watched once by family members and greatfully forgotten. Then there are those who spend hours putting their kids in makeup, rigginng lights, and screaming at the top of their lungs at people as if they were on a real film set in hollyweird. Both of these types of people are wasting their time and money.

Producing Amateur Video or Film should be a recreation. It should not be a stressful, tedious experience. (That's what the pros get paid for). One should focus on their finished project, always, and not get discouraged if things do not go as planned. No one turns into Spielberg moments after picking up a camera at Best Buy. That said, the best Directors and Producers in the world had to start somewhere-- almost exactly where you will be. The difference is, you will have a huge range of technology that only very recently became affordable to the average joe.

One should not expect to produce a feature film their first time out, complete with perfect shots and a DTS soundtrack. It's simply not going to happen for various reasons, among them a lack of resources and experience. However, one should also not become frustrated when a scene does not turn out, or a finished project looks like crap. Learn from your mistakes, but do not dwell on them.

Try to think out of the box, always. Throughout the history of motion picture production, the leaders of their respective industry always thought out of the box. For example, Garrett Brown noticed something missing from the industry in the early 1970's. The result was a revolution in the way film was shot. First used in Rocky, the Steadicam came to be the de-facto standard in which hard to get moving shots are filmed.

Most of all, have fun. If a scene isn't working, shoot another. If an edit isn't working, edit something else. If a lighting setup isn't working, try it in a few hours or another day when conditions are more favorable.

And with that, on with the show...

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