Filmmaking, Self-Development

I’ve rounded up some of the best content in every category.

We’ve all spent hours sifting through dozens of tutorial videos on YouTube (don’t deny it).

But when you are first getting started, it can be a bit overwhelming. Some videos might delve too deeply into a topic or miss key elements, causing confusion, not providing clarity.

As someone who’s been through those stages, I thought I’d do a roundup of some of the best videos out there covering what I believe to be the fundamentals for those getting into filmmaking.

First off, Moviola

I’ve talked about Moviola before. It’s one of many great educational resources for filmmakers, and I’m surprised more people don’t know about it.

It’s chock-full of totally free video courses on every topic of filmmaking, from cinematography, to sound, to visual effects, and covers a range from beginner to moderately advanced skills.

These videos that are great for beginners but also wonderful recaps for those looking to brush up on a skill they haven’t used for a while.

I highly recommend checking out the free Moviola video courses.

Film set safety

First thing’s first!

It’s important that you do everything you can to keep your cast and crew safe while they work for you.

Filmmaking can be a fulfilling activity, but no movie or short film is worth getting someone hurt over.

Your conscience – and your wallet – probably can’t afford someone getting badly hurt on your set, so take care of your team. This means providing adequate hydration, food, shade, avoidance of overly risky filming practices, and protection from environmental hazards of all kinds.

Writing and formatting a script

The screenplay/script is the canvas on which you paint your film. It’s the blueprint for what goes on screen, and the way in which it is formatted has a long history – and specific purpose.

Don’t be fooled – proper script formatting will be important later on.

Learn about the origins and history of the screenplay.

And, more practically, here’s how to format your script.

I recommend using CeltX script software. It’s cloud-based and there’s a free version.

Breaking down the script

In order to properly schedule, budget, and plan out the details of your film shoot, you need to understand the basics of breaking down a script.

Essentially, this involves figuring out how long each scene is as well as the who, what, when, where, and why of each scene, in order to figure out what you will need to shoot each scene.

Here’s a great video about breaking down a script by RocketJump film school. (I’ll be sharing more of their videos because they’ve done a great job explaining a number of topics.)

Scheduling your film shoot

After you’ve written your script and broken it down into its elements, a natural next step is creating a schedule for your film.

You can do this even if you don’t have everything figured out yet.

The schedule is a living and changing document and you can adjust as needed, but doing an initial schedule will tell you how much time you need to make your film.

There are a lot of tricks that go into creating an efficient schedule – I might have to create a video about that process myself (no promises, though)!

However, what it really comes down to, and is explained great in the below video, is this question – ‘how much can you film in a day without killing people [your cast and crew]’.

How much filming can you pack into a day while still getting good results and without wasting too much time?

Another important tool in the filmmaker’s toolkit is the call sheet. It’s one of the most common film scheduling tools and used by all professional productions to tell their cast and crew where to be, when to be there, and other important details.

I think that staying on schedule is very important to maintaining good long-term relationships with your cast and crew and making a good reputation for yourself.

Budgeting your film

Whether you have a lot of money, or very, very little money to make your film, this is still an important step. Even on a ‘no-budget’ film, it’s good to not be struck with any surprise expenses.

So, by thinking through what may cost you some of your hard-earned cash, you can anticipate and plan for/avoid expenses.

Even the smallest shoots usually cost the little amount needed to provide water and food or snacks for the cast and crew.

That said, $0 or $200 million, you should understand film budgeting.

Finding cast and crew (collaborators)

Without cast and crew, you are going to have a hard time. Not to say you can’t use friends or family to fill these roles. (That said, getting volunteer cast and crew to show up is another issue.)

But I’ve tried running sound and camera at the same time – and also being in front of the camera. Good luck!

Finding competent, reliable crew is no joke. But having good crew makes a world of difference in quality for both your finished film and the experience you have while making it.

Even better than finding a crew one time is learning how to develop a team of collaborators that you can work with again and again – your rockstar filmmaking team.

This video covers some of the casting process and where you can find cast. Personally, I get in touch with local acting agencies, post in Facebook groups catered to the local filmmaking community, and anywhere else I can find.

It’s important to present yourself professionally, and then treat your cast and crew like professionals. You’ll build a good reputation for yourself in the community and people will want to work with you again.

If you don’t, well… people may stop working with you. Word travels.

Finding locations

As a low-budget/no-budget filmmaker, the rule of thumb is to write your script keeping in mind the resources you have available. This usually means you shouldn’t make your story take place in a military space station on Mars, in zero gravity… if you don’t have the resources to do that.

It’s good to stretch yourself, but be realistic.

Personally, my filmmaker brain never shuts off. I’m constantly on the lookout for great locations.

Camera and cinematography essentials

In the beginning, it’s likely you will have to pick up the camera yourself in order to make films. Usually, this is because it is tough to find someone who is willing to fill that role for you.

However, it’s a valuable learning experience (especially for aspiring directors) as you will learn the fundamentals of filmmaking technology and visual storytelling–which is a lot of what a filmmaker does.

In order to get the result you want, you will need to learn basic camera functions such as frame-rate, progressive versus interlaced footage, shutter angle/shutter speed (same thing, different ways of measuring it), aperture and exposure, and ISO (digital sensitivity).

Peter McKinnon covers the most essential elements in this video.

This video explains the basic shot sizes and types. Learning industry lingo will help you understand more advanced techniques as you move forward.

Lighting for film

Lighting is hugely important to getting a ‘cinematic’ look. Since films simulate a 3D world in 2 dimensions, good film lighting enhances or exaggerates 3-dimensional space within a scene.

It draws attention to certain things and away from others. It’s critical to a good film.

Editing, or ‘assembly’ (as Alfred Hitchcock called it)

Basically, editing is the connection of multiple images in a sequence that communicates information – your story.

There are a ton of techniques to accomplish this, and people spend their whole lives perfecting their editing craft.

There are also different theories behind why editing works on our subconscious mind, and these are useful to understand for creative purposes.

However, it’s important for any filmmaker (especially aspiring directors) to understand the fundamentals of editing for practical reasons: understanding editing will help you decide what to shoot and what you really need to make your film work, versus what is a waste of shooting time.

Drawing storyboards

Not everyone likes to or has skill sketching. That’s okay. Basic storyboards are important because you can use them to communicate your vision to cast and crew.

In addition, when you draw storyboards, you are going through the mental exercise of picking your shots, which will force you to make more intentional storytelling choices.

I covered in depth why storyboards are a vital part of the visual planning process for directors. I also explained in more detail how I approach storyboarding.

Getting good on-set audio

When you get started, you’ll likely only have a boom microphone and a cheap boom pole. It might be connected right into your camera, but more likely, you’ll record into a cheap recorder such as a Zoom H4N.

Whatever equipment you have, it’s important to know how to record correctly with a boom mic.

Seems like it’d be really easy, right? Wrong. It’s deceptively simple – and very important.

This video provides a good overview of different systems of recording audio.

Here are some good tutorials on how to use a boom mic setup properly.

How to ‘slate’, or use the clapboard

I’m always surprised how many people don’t understand etiquette and the purpose behind using the slate. But then again – I didn’t understand at first either.

It’s an iconic piece of film equipment – and it has two very important jobs – syncing your audio with your footage, and helping you keep track of your takes.

This is by far the best video I’ve found on how to slate.

I’m repeating myself… which means it’s important

I’ve said this many times. I feel like a broken record (but I’m also talking to myself) when I say this:

Education is great. Reading, watching, and learning theory is important.

But at some point, STOP! Don’t watch hours of videos, read dozens of articles or books, without actually getting out there and making films. You’ll never become a good filmmaker that way. 

Try writing something. Make your own film. Network and meet other people. Work on someone else’s film. That’s how you will learn in leaps and bounds.

At some point, you’ve got to put your foot down and decide to make something – and finish what you start.

Take that as a call to action. Go out and film!