How to make a short movie.

Good day everyone.
Now to get started on my explanations. Before we begin I have a few things to say, one I have made 4 different short movies, also a short documentary on Las Vegas.
Today however I will be discussing only one of my short movies (Wrong Boy).
It is a Science Fiction Horror, And was made with a very limited budget, and with me doing everything but acting. I will also be sharing different tips I learned, and advice on how to direct a short movie.

And now we will begin with Wrong Boy.

I made it when I was 15 and staying in The United States of America, California to be exact.
I was staying with my dad and brother's and a team of missionary’s who were all taking a vacation in the sunny climate of the West Coast.
So one day I decided to make a short movie. Around that time I had been watching a lot of Sci-Fi movies namely Classics such as Alien, Aliens, Predator Ext.....
So first thing to do was come up with an idea.
I sat around for awhile racking my brains waiting for a light bulb to turn on, and I nearly had given up when it hit me, a short movie about an alien which comes down and terrorizes a kid and his father. Not a very original idea but it was one I was familiar with and knew I could make. I also knew I could use my younger brother for the part, and as for the father their was a missionary who fit the description perfectly.


Now for you beginner’s here's a few tips when you’re trying to come up with an idea about a screenplay.
1. It is said that the first movie you ever make will be like a window into your soul, showing everything you've ever wanted to see in a movie, And even what you see in life. So my advice is chose a subject your familiar with or an idea that comes naturally. If you like horrors and love scaring people well then make your movie scary. Or if you like romance and love story’s, then make it a Romeo and Juliet. It’s really what you like and what comes naturally. I know some people try to make a video that they don’t have the feel for and it’s a flop. I myself have tried many a time to write a good Christian story, or perhaps a fast moving thriller. But it never worked and it would usually ends up ones sided and boring. So remember you have to have a feel for the thing you do.



Well now that I knew the storyline I had to get down to the task of writing the script. Easier said then done.
For me it's always been easy to dream up a story, and to know what the plot is and how I want it to begin and end. My problem was always the middle. It’s easy to be very exited about a new script you’re going to write. And you start off with enthusiasm and gumption. But then slowly that fire dies down. Or you get lost in the story and after awhile you give up or forget to keep writing. When that happens I sit down and re-read what I’ve already written and I try to rekindle the flame. Of course it also takes a lot of perseverance and determination to see it through, but trust me it will be worth it when done. Short movie's are easier of course. There’s a lot less to write and I can usually finish a short movie script that would be about ten minutes in an hour. That's if I already know more or less what the plot is going to be and who the characters are Ext....


But there are a few things to keep in mind about writing a screenplay.
1. Always start off with a first draft. And then redo that one a few times to make it shining and perfect. There’s nothing worse than a bad screenplay or one that has potential but was never perfected. I know it's easy after finishing the first draft, to lay back and think its okay and you don’t have to do anything more, but that’s not true there's always more that can be done. Whether it’s polishing off the talking, or deleting and adding new scene's or characters there's always more to be done.

2. Know your characters. Whenever I write a script I like to get to know my characters not just what I write about them on paper, but actually knowing them in my head, Creating their entire lives and knowing who they are and how they react in different situations. I tend to make each one a little like me. Giving them different characteristics that I have, making them come to life and being able to feel with them in the situations they face. It's a very important part in writing scripts.

3. Remember it's a movie not a book. That means that where books describe things with talking and detailed descriptions. Movies rely on capturing the moment in images. Say for instance in a book the main character could think thoughts and could say what he's feeling. But in a movie he can’t he has to rely on actions. (Remember the saying "Actions Speak Louder than Words") that means you can’t have the main character running around explaining how he feels in different situations. No instead he has to act them out with facial expressions with mimes. I mean look at old silent movies. They don’t have talking and yet the actors get across their messages just the same. I honestly believe some of the best actors that ever lived were from that time. So remember it’s a movie not a book, don't explain what the character’s feeling, have the actors express them through actions.


So now that I have finished the script I thought life was going be a walk in the park from their on in. wow was I in for a big surprise.
I knew I had to get a costume for the alien, but when I opened my pocket book, I saw only a few little greenbacks. So I decided I would make a costume myself, first for the mask, a friend of mine suggested papier-mâché. So I went out bought some flour and salt and whipped up the paste then got a newspaper started to shred it to pieces and then dip them in the paste. Then I blew up a balloon and started to lay the gooey strips of paper all over the balloon. Then after the first layer I stopped and let it dry then did another layer and so on so forth, till it was good and thick. I then popped the balloon and made spiky ears and a pig shaped nose which was also the mouth. Then using the glass from sunglasses and putting a sort of netting over it I had made eyes. When I had finished it looked like some weird shaped pig alien, not the best but cheap and effective. The rest of the costume was easy enough, and I even made a finger out of papier-mâché.
Then I was ready for filming and in case you were wondering what I used to film with, it was a 
Canon MVX250i, 18x optical zoom and 1.3 mega pixels.
And a Rode NTG-2 boom mike and tripod, I also had a few different light reflectors and one big key light, and a small little light which could be used for a number of things and with that I started shooting.


Now here are a few things to remember before you start shooting.
1. The quality of lighting. Now say you’re like me not very rich and having only the bear minimum of equipment. Say you have a small Dv camcorder and the footage it take’s is not the best. Well that’s where lighting comes in. lighting is almost everything with filming it makes the difference between professional and beginner. You could take one shot where the person Is indoors and looking gray and lifeless. And then brighten it up with a few well placed lights and have a masterpiece in living color. It really is the best and the light’s don’t even cost that much. Just go down to your friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart. And pick up some basic lights for as little as 20 bucks a piece. Take my word for it, it will make a world of difference in your movie. And could be the difference between a phone call from Spielberg saying he wants you, or having your own father disliking it.

2. Sound quality. It is also a very important factor in making a good movie. My Canon for instance has a very basic built in microphone which while good for stupid tourists does not work for my movies. So I very politely asked my dad to buy me a boom mike. Now I know not all of you have parents who would buy these things for you, in which case I suggest you take up a summer job to get the money. Anyway my dad went out and bought me one. Cost about 200 dollars and increased the sound quality tremendously. So remember video quality matters but what the audience hates most is not being able to hear the movie.

3. Planning ahead. It’s very important before you start shooting to know exactly where your shots will be filmed and have everything set up and ready to go. Not planning ahead is one of the worst mistakes you can make. Some people just go out on a limb and go to location and start filming before they’ve ever even been there before. Big mistake, you should always go around before site hunting, looking for the best locations and making sure everything is worked out. You don’t want to go to a mall and be told off for trying to film there, I learned that from experience. You should always get permission before you film in privately owned places. Also you should try to visualize what you want out of your scene. That’s what I do and it works. Of course its not always going to be exactly how you wanted it but if you try hard enough it just might be.

4. Always rehearse. You should always remember to rehearse a scene before you start shooting. You want the actors in tip top shape. And not to be stuttering on their lines or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. So remember practice makes perfect.


Then I want on location, my whole movie was centered around the house. With some of it out in the forest. So I started filming the house scenes. First I had to pay my younger brother 20 dollars to act in the movie, but It was worth it. Then I started shooting different shots I tried to do at least 3 scenes a week. Some took awhile and others took very short. It took me under two months to film the whole thing, mainly cause I didn’t film so often. I kept the hardest scene’s for last and once while shooting an action scene in the woods I was kept filming till three in the morning.
And occasionally accidents would happen, once my younger brother knocked over the tripod with my camera on it and the cord to the mike attached. The fall bent the part of the cord that went into the camera and from then on I had to wriggle it around for it to work.
I also tried to keep things lively and exciting. There’s nothing worse than having a bunch of depressed actors to work with, so we would make jokes fool around on set and try to have a good old time. Of course I would also make sure things didn’t get out of hand, and that we would always put work first. Finally after two months of shooting it was done.

Here are some other tips on filming that I learned.
1. Always shoot a few takes of each scene. I know sometimes it’s easy to shoot one take and then think its enough. But trust me you do not want to end up in the editing process and find out that shot had some noise in the middle or that the actor was actually doing something wrong. So always shoot a few takes

2. It’s a good idea to always think ahead and know how your scene should look. Whether you want one long shot of the whole scene, or a bunch of different angles cut together. It’s always best to know what you want that way when you get out their your already prepared. When shooting a bunch of different angles try to make sure the actors are in the same positions and doing the same things. You don’t want one angle where he’s standing in front of the window and the next scene he’s a few feet away. Now perhaps not all of you can visualize how you want your movie to look before you film it, but it’s a good thing to always know what angle your shot’s are going to be filmed from.

3. You always want continuity. Something that you don’t want to happen when you shoot a scene is in continuity, in other words say perhaps the character is in the house about to go out. And then you end that scene and then perhaps in few days time you film the next scene which is at a mall, and you forget to have the actor wearing the same clothes. Or perhaps he has a complete different hair style. You always have to make sure he’s looking the same as he did in the last scene if those scenes are supposed to be taking place on the same day. Unless of course your script calls for a change.

4. Lastly be good director. Actors hate when the director bosses them around and leaves no room for change. Always be open to knew ideas and helpful comments. Of course the actor is not directing and ultimately its your movie, but you should still be open for change. You want your actor to be creative and really immerse himself in the role, and to do that he might need to change some of the characters actions or the way he talks. So be open to it. Also don’t be a tyrant. The best thing when working with actors or crew, is to win their respect. You don’t want to boss them around and force them to do the things you say. Because then they wont want to do their best for you, and your movie will end up a bomb. So always remember be open to change, and to win someone’s respect you must respect them.


Then I was ready for the editing process, some people say it’s the hardest. I say it takes hard work. I used my father’s Mac book, and I would advise that to anyone who can use one. All you need is a program called final cut pro, which is very user friendly and easy to work with, while at the same time giving you quality performance. So I got the computer, hooked up my camcorder, and uploaded the video content. Then I sat down and for one week, worked non stop on editing and at the end of the week I had my movie.


Following are different tips and some advise on editing your movie.
1. The rough edit. What you want to do when you first start editing, once you’ve gotten your footage onto the computer, you should chose one scene and work on that first. What you do is go through the different shots of the scene, and take the best one from each angle, then decide which order you want them to go in and how to cut them together so they run smoothly and work. You should do this to each of the scenes and then patch them together, that’s called the rough edit.

2. Touch up’s. After you complete the rough edit you should go through your scene’s and add sound effects where need be. You could download them off the internet or make them your self. I’ve made quite a few good punch effects from punching a green pepper or anything else you want, you just have to be creative. After that you’ll want to smooth up the transitions between shots and scene’s. You can do this a number of ways using fade out’s for the end of a scene or if you want a dramatic ending cut it right at a good time. You should also make sure that in a scene the different shot’s always complement each other and make sure that the actor is doing the same thing in each different angle. Also make sure that the sound quality is good in each shot and that it doesn’t rise or fall with changing of shots.


3. The Music. They say music doesn’t make a movie, but it sure as hell compliments one. Especially with short movies where the story may begin to get boring or so. I know with my Wrong Boy, that over half the movie had music in the background. It doesn’t have to be to loud but loud enough so that the person knows its their. Music determines the mood, a horror movie is only scary if it has the right music. Add a light comedic song to a scary scene and you get a romantic drama. So remember music is important. It either uplifts you or saddens you, It either scares you or make’s you laugh. Be sure to have the right music at the right time.


Finally I was done with editing and I thought I had finished everything. Tell one day it dawned on me I want someone to watch it. Now being a missionary it was easy for me to show people since I travel all around the globe and meet a lot of people. I was able to show it to hundreds of people, mainly missionary’s all with mixed reviews. Some people loved it and asked if they could act in my next one, Other people said it was really scary, and still other people said it was a waste of time and that horror was a stupid genre. But you know what I was pleased with myself for making it and next time around I tried to do one better, but we can talk about that later. For know let me leave you with a few tips on getting your movie watched.


Tips on publicizing your movie.
1. If it is a short movie. My advice if your film is a short is to put it on the internet. It is the fastest growing form of communication and over millions of people use it. Of course knowing where to put it counts for a lot. I would advise you tube, as that is free and probably the biggest video site around. You can get a free account there and then put a video up that is under to 100 megabyte’s and under 10 minutes. There are also many different web sites out there that you could find. For getting your movie publicized on you tube it’s really just got to do with word of mouth, there’s a lot of geeks out there and if they like your movie they’ll tell there friends and they’re friends will tell they’re friend and so on so forth.

2. if it is a feature length. Well for those of you who have made feature lengths. My advice is film festival’s get them shown there or try to get them into your locale cinema. Or onto TV. The possibilities are endless, It all depends on how hard you try.



So finally I come to the end of my how to, hope you’ve learned a lot and good luck on your film. Last word of advice is never give up, no matter how hard it may seem or how you just feel like quitting, don’t do it. Movie making is not for everyone but if you believe you can do it you can.

And “Remember whatever you hand findeth to do, do it with all your might”.