These hi-tech gadgets make filming a whole lot easier and within reach for all kinds of people, even for those who don’t have the experience.

Filming is a wonderful skill to develop. You can make it as simple or as complex as you want depending on your skill and desire. Most of the famous Hollywood directors actually started on their own. Think Steven Spielberg, Orson Welles, George Lucas and so many others. Of course being alone has its disadvantages but the good news is if you can do it alone, filming with a number of crews will be a cinch for you.

If you make a film on your own, you will have the luxury of time too. You can choose to finish the film as quickly as a few days or if you want the film to be on a grander scale you can film for a year or two. You can be as ambitious as you want with your own film. Nobody can tell you what to do. The decision rests solely on your shoulders. The beauty with having no boss is there is no deadline you have to comply to. No bosses to please. It is just you limited only by how far your imagination can soar.

Since your film will be made on a limited budget, you cannot rely on special effects and fancy action scenes such as blowing up an entire building. You have to learn to make do with what you’ve got. Now this takes a lot of talent and determination on your side but it will be all worth it in the end.

Being on your own also allows you to experiment on what works and what doesn’t. Expect to commit mistakes before making it perfect. Learning doesn’t happen in an instant. It is a long sometimes painful process.

So what are the steps to follow for first time film maker? How does one go about making his/her own film and turning it into a movie? According to Filmmaking.com, these are the steps to follow:

• Observe. Keep an eye to your surroundings. Listen to how people talk. Note down these observations for later use.
• Simplicity is the key. For your first film making venture, keep the idea simple. It could be a simple love story or a funny anecdote.
• Use stills camera. Ask yourself questions such as “What do I love?” then take pictures of it.
• Make a scrapbook. Compile your photos and ideas into a scrapbook for reference purposes.
• Write down locations, characters and events that you want to use for your film
• Assemble then reassemble these notes until you come up with a wonderful idea
• Focus on the story – beginning, middle and end part. According to Lucas, one of the themes in all of his films is man’s relationship to machines and technology – either controlling them, or being controlled by them.
• Decide the form of the film. Will you use it for internet? MTV? Drama? Animation?
• Decide on the style of the film. Will it be a documentary? Video Diary? Film Noir?
• Research by watching other films similar to yours. Then learn from their mistakes. Steven Spielberg once said in an interview that “before I go off and direct a movie I always look at 4 films. They tend to be: The Seven Samurai, Lawrence of Arabia, It’s A Wonderful Life, and The Searchers.”
• Commit to your ideas. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.

Shooting the Film

If you have cast and crews, assign roles to them so there will be no overlapping. Make your instructions perfectly clear. If you don’t have crews, then you can do it on your own.

First, make a “Shooting Schedule” to determine which shots are to be taken. You can shoot “out of sequence” such as shoot the last scene first whichever is convenient to you.

If you need to be in location, ask for permission. Also, determine if the place is conducive to filming particularly if it’s noisy or not at certain times. What are the possible deterrents to your film making activities?

If you are making an animation, then you require a lot of concentration. Inform the people living with you to avoid unnecessary interruptions. Disney himself started making animations at home.

Equipment

For the first film, you can use DV or Hi8 camcorders because they can play your rushes back. You can also connect them to your TV at home. They also allow you to control focus and exposure and use in-camera effects such as “strobing”. You should read the manual for technical advice.

Accessories like a tripod, a stopwatch to determine how much film you’ve used and extra batteries for the camera would come in handy.

You may need an extra mike attached to a pole and plugged into the camcorder (also called a boom mike).

Editing and Post Production

You may need help during editing. If you use a camcorder, use a computer editing software. You can use Firewire or I-Link. These enable you to transfer your rushes and edit film electronically. Software like Premiere and Razor combine music, pictures and text to produce a very professional film.

If you’re not into computer technology or you don’t have techy friends, you can use your camera as a play machine and your home VHS or another camera as a recorder. Link them using SCART cables. Use the record and pause buttons to build up the story. Some recorders have an audio dub feature that allows you to add music or voice.

If you use Cine film, you’ll need a viewer and tape splicer or a projector to edit and show your film. These can be bought at a cheaper price as secondhand or borrow them from friends, family or film societies.

Promote the Film You Made

• Show your film to as many people as you can
• Schedule a screening for your friends and family
• Join film competitions. Make copies on VHS or CD ROM and send your film out.
• Show your film to teachers, local filmmakers and broadcasters. Ask advice for your next movie.
• You can use your film to apply for college that is if you’d like to study film.
• Find a mentor, show them your film and ask for advice. Bring a friend with you when you are meeting with the mentor for safety reasons.

There are also a number of film websites that allows you to upload your films. You need to make save your film into a Quicktime or Mpeg and send it to them as a File Attachment. This could provide huge exposure to your film considering websites cater to larger, global audiences. Who knows? A talent scout could have watched your film, liked it and you could be on your way to success.

Making a film requires hard work and sacrifices on your part. If you keep doing it and developing your film making desires, skills and talent, the rewards that you reap later could be enormous and totally gratifying, not only financially but also socially and emotionally. Film making could be your ticket to fame and fortune if you do it better than others.

In a speech given in Harvard University, Cecil DeMille once said, “….a director has gray hairs, because he is the fellow who dreams, and he has to make his dreams come true. That is the advantage he has over most dreamers. He has no choice. If he does not make them come true he is like the general who does not take his objective, and you know what happens to generals who don’t.” Steven Spielberg seconded this by saying “I dream for a living.”

That is the secret to successful film making in a nutshell. Utter commitment and love of the craft. All you have to do is to take the first step and commit. Success could be just within reach. So what are you waiting for?