The Preparation Needed for Creating a Short Film for the First Time

The Preparation Needed for Creating a Short Film for the First Time

Most people may not know this, but films are probably one of the most difficult things to create from the start. Full-length films take about 6 months of shooting and almost 2 years for both the pre-production preparation and post-production preparation. The same could be said for shooting a short film; sometimes even more difficult considering the limited amount of time. But if you have the proper plan to execute everything to meet the deadlines, then the production should have a great result. If it is your first time shooting a short film, there is not much need for you to worry if you follow the right preparation before going into production.

Pay a Lot of Importance in Pre-Production

The most common error that people think when creating a short film is that it is only primarily centered on the days of shooting. What goes on behind the preparation before going into the shooting is also extremely important and would determine what your finished product would look like. Pre-production is crucial; this is where ideas are birthed. This is how your story will move forward, and it would overall define the smoothness of your film and your shooting days. In a short film, pre-production takes more time than the actual shooting dates sometimes because everything would be created from scratch.

This is also the stage where you would look for shooting locations and do an ocular visit before the shooting begins. You would need to consult with your team most of the time during this stage, so setting up a meeting space for you to gather around and discuss ideas would be helpful. You may also rent meeting space in Seattle, WA if you’re shooting there. Remember to take your time on conceptualizing your story, your location, your actors, and so much more in pre-production.

Get Quality Equipment – Or Rent Them

When you create a short film, expect to spend on different things like production design, actors’ talent fee, but most importantly, on film equipment. It is no secret that production equipment is extremely expensive. Luckily, there are a few services that offer video equipment rentals at a reasonable price, especially for aspiring filmmakers who are just getting started.

Don’t worry if you think you might break some of the equipment or you have no idea of how to use them. There are also some services that include hiring professional videographers to help you operate the equipment. This also does not mean hampering on you and your team’s creative vision, because all they would do is operate the equipment. In the end, you still call the shots. All of this would now boil down to closing a great deal.

During the Shoot – Remain Calm

film production

Short films are fun to watch but to make one is extremely exhausting. Once the shooting begins, you would fight off several problems that would arise, such as honking cars, people passing by, actors forgetting lines, while also be under the scorching heat of the sun. The key here is to just remain calm. Yelling at your team would do no good. What you would need are patience and teamwork. If a problem arises unexpectedly (which is bound to happen) during shoots, look for immediate solutions with your team and do not let your anger get the best of you.

Post-production – Work with What You Have

After the dreadful shooting days, it is time to piece all of your work together. This is also the stage where you could enhance your film’s aesthetics through color grading and editing. The musical scoring is also essential in a short film, so make sure you find the right scenes to make them work. The director and editor should always be together during post-production so that the vision of the short film would still be one. There will be times in which there would be clashes of visions when it comes to which scenes to remove and keep, or what type of transition to use. But it is important for your team to learn to compromise.

Shooting a short film for the first time may be scary and stressful, but when you finally see your hard work put together, it all pays off.

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