Low-budget filmmaking tip #201
Setting up and “balancing” a multicamera shoot is a lot of work at the beginning, but the results in the editing room can be miraculous — all the continuity and action matches perfectly. And if you organize it right, you shoot in half or less the time!
Low-budget filmmaking tip #200
Keep an eye out for “shooting gifts.” Yes, you’ve got to shoot what you plan, but you might see a perfect “spooky” tree, or a row of birds on a rooftop, or one of the extras doing a really great bit practicing in the corner. It’s okay to grab a camera and nail those little things, as long as you keep flowing in the right general direction. Some of this stuff can be gold in editing.
Low-budget filmmaking tip #188
Filming an outdoor scene in bright sunlight’s not all it’s cracked up to be — shadows are harsh and sharp, and everybody bakes. If you film in hazy overcast, shadows are softer, sometimes gone, and everybody’s cooler. You can always color-correct the footage, but you can’t fix shadows.
Well, you can fill ‘em a bit with reflectors, so you’re not totally helpless.
Low-budget filmmaking tip #178
Some people like to show rushes to the crew, thinking it can be inspiring. Some don’t, because it can be demoralizing. However you decide to do it, at least be consistent, be clear about why you’re doing it, and keep an eye on what effect it may be having.
Me, I’m not convinced it’s a good idea unless I want the actor to see something specific. I’d rather they worry about their job and I worry about mine.
Low-budget filmmaking tip #164
Try to avoid making a movie that takes place in a cramped location, such as a bathroom stall. If you must, then build a bathroom stall in your garage, with removable walls. You’ll be a lot happier if you do it this way, as will be your crew and your cast. Don’t be seduced by the idea that it’s easy to write.
(thank you Ryan K. Johnson for this tip!)
One of the shorts we’re planning to do for our upcoming web series all takes place in a tiny little coffin-like box. We definitely plan to build removable walls. Trying to shoot inside such a tiny thing would be stupid!
(not that we don’t do stupid stuff on occasion…)
Low-budget filmmaking tip #159
Know what part of the set is Hot Set. Hot Set is what can be seen by the cameras. If there’s a lot of camera motion, the Hot Set is a lot bigger than you would expect. Always keep that in mind. You don’t want to be the person who moves something or leaves a coffee cup, or — holy smokes — steps into a shot.
Low-budget filmmaking tip #134
For certain types of shots, recognize when more is better and communicate that to your crew. For example, more gore, more blood, more vomit, more air coming out of the wind machine. Sometimes subtlety is the right trick, and other times, you need to use the big extra-puffy hammer.
Low-budget filmmaking tip #130
Don’t spend all your time getting the master shot. A master shot is important, true, but you need to get coverage, other angles, lots of things for your editor to use.
(thanks to Brad Mays)
In this respect, our workshops kinda miss the mark — we usually get one angle, and one or maybe two takes.
But that’s very unusual and we’re only doing it that way because we only have two hours to shoot everything.
Low-budget filmmaking tip #128
If it’s not a small set or a closed set (well, why isn’t it?), make sure that the people who are supposed to be there (cast & crew) have badges or some other clear and obvious identifier. Everybody should keep their eyes out for people who don’t have this identifier.
Low-budget filmmaking tip #124
Continuity’s even more important: Dinner scenes are really, really challenging because you have to make sure chicken legs don’t magically heal from one scene to the next. Pay close attention to who is eating what — or just plan to shoot around the plates.
An alternate trick is to only film from approximately the level of the table, so you never see the food except in the master shot.
You can show the actual eating in cutaways.