Film Equipment

Hey guys,

Sorry about the long delay, but here is the first of several posts about equipment. This one is about film equipment. This will include cameras, microphones, and some tips for homemade steady cams, and tracks.

Let's start off with camera's. The camera i happen to have is a JVC Everio Hard Disk Drive camera, and it has 16:9 capability, but it can also film in 4:3. This comes in handy, when you need to make something easily and quickly into 16:9. This camera also has 4 video quality settings, and even on the best quality setting, you can get 7 hours of film, and on the lowest setting, you can an absurd 36 hours! That would be a day and a half of filming. Now the battery when fully charged gives you about 3 hours, but its very easy to charge. Now this is just the camera i have. There are plenty more options out there. If you are looking for a great camera for a good price, than the camera i have is absolutely the best one. Its in the 300-500 dollar price range. If you are looking to spend less, there are many options from the Samsungs to the Panasonics, all for under 200. The aipteks may look cool, but i would stay away from them especially if you want to make short films. If you are willing to spend more money, and possibly go over 1000 dollars, the best option there is, is basically any high end Canon. Their best camera is a minidv camera that is actually a couple grand. But if you are still looking at good cameras, the top 3 camera companies would definitely be 1. High End Canons, 2. Panasonics, 3. JVC, with Sony a close fourth, than samsung rounding out the top 5. I would stay away from any other cameras.




Now microphones are an option but they always help. Microphones come in all different styles and shapes and qualities. If you are looking for one to just use to record things onto your computer then the Blue Snowball USB Microphone is a great option for a money conscious buyer. Otherwise go for almost any other midrange option. If you are willing to spend over 1000 or close to 1000 than go for a Royer or Neuman microphone. They are the most expensive, but they are the best quality. Now for recording with a camera, try to get whats called a shotgun microphone. If you just need to record a voice over, or music, use a condenser microphone.




You may have seen in some behind the scenes footage of tv shows/movies, that they use a funky looking camera holder/tripod. Well most likely it was whats called a steady cam. A steady cam is a tripod that uses weights to balance out the camera, and it makes the camera still, that way when you run with it, or move the camera quickly, the film will still be steady. The weight normally can come from normal gym free weights, or even a lead block. The most important part besides the weight, is the movable handle. The handle plus the weights equals a steady shot. If you need any help or more advice on a steady cam, comment down below with your e-mail and I'll give you more advanced tips!



If you need to make tracks for a moving shot. First create some sort of trolly, if you have a camera tripod with wheels, than you can use that. If not, make a small platform with 2x4's and a 3/4 inch piece of plywood, and drill some holes where the tripod legs would be, then put the tripod in the wholes. The wholes are to keep the tripod from moving anywhere. Then if you need a track, I would use small pieces of angle iron and outline your track on the ground. Use one piece of it for one side, than use another piece a wheel's width away from it. There is your track!



Stay tuned for Software Tips next week!

Coming Soon

Coming Soon will be a post about film equipment, lighting equipment, and different software. These articles will go indepth about different equipment, and what's best for a beginner or a professional.

The Complete Filmmaking Process

Ok, so i'm back after a break. This post is about preparing to create a film. Creating a film is not an easy task by any mean, and there are many things that can contribute to creating a film. First off, you are going to need to come up with a plot/idea that you can then write a script about. This can be anything you want as your imagination is limitless. Once you have an idea/plot, go ahead and create your script. If you need help either creating a plot/idea or writing a script consult my older posts on those two topics. So you now have a script. Now what you should do, is create something that is called a storyboard. A storyboard is something that shows what your vision for each scene will look like. Normally you would pick a few shots per scene, and draw them. Using the angles/lighting/color that you would want it to look like. After you have created a storyboard most directors/filmmakers will create costume designs and scenic designs for every character/scene. Sometimes the director will hire another person to do this because it is his/her specialty. These will help in the creation of the set/scene and the costumes. Another thing that the director will do is create a master prop list for the film. Than they themselves or someone else will go scavanging for props, or they will make them out of materials or junk. This is probably the most fun job because you literally get to play with toys. After this the director will then either hold auditions or choose actors to portray the characters he invisioned.


Everything before this was the pre-production process. The audition process is the most challenging because you not always can take everyone who you liked and it might altogether be impossible to find that spot on actor who can portray the character exactly to what you invisioned. With this process you normally have to stretch and skew your perception of a character to fit the actor.


So you have a script, you have the costumes, you have a set, and you got the actors. Now you need to make sure you have the proper camera and equipment to shoot this film. Just so i can go more in depth on equipment, i am going to skip over that for now. And I will definitely post an in depth review of a lot of different types of equipment and what is and is not necessary. So lets just say that you have a camera, and every other type of equipment that you will need. So now its time to shoot your film. Shooting your film is the easiest and hardest thing to do at the same time. Its the easiest because it only involves pressing a button on your camera, and moving it around occasionally. But it's the hardest thing to do because you have to get the right angle, and you have to make sure the lighting looks the way you want it to, and you have to make sure that there is no background noise, etc. This is the reason it is the easiest and the hardest thing at the same time.


So you now have shot your film, and your ready to edit the film. If you are planning on releasing this film to either your school or another group, but you want to release a trailer, I will put out an article on how to create a trailer. But otherwise just go ahead and start editing your film. There is something called continuity. Continuity in the film world relates to how smooth your film is. Also if you have one shot where the actor is wearing a bright green shirt, and in the next shot he is wearing a blue shirt, and the shots are one right after another, and it is supposed to be in the same scene, that isn't good because you can't change the color of your shirt in a split second. So make sure everything is the same. Don't be OCD about it, but make sure all of the obvious things aren't obvious. Chances are that the average audience won't look hard enough to detect the small little details. After you have the rough cut done of the film, now its time to add your special effects, music, titles, etc. These are all things that go in the final process of editing. Once this is done, if this is possible for you, you want to try and use a DVD menu creating program and create a DVD menu. I use iDVD which came with my iMac. This program works fine, as it does have pre programmed themes, but it also allows you to customize pretty much everything about the theme. In the few times that I have used iDVD, the reaction was amazing. I will talk more about these type of programs in my software post.


Now you have your film shot, edited, and burned to a DVD. Now all that's left is popping the popcorn and getting out the drinks, and now its time to sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Headshot/Resume

An actor's headshot/resume, is their most important possession. That is what casting directors look at when they are casting. They look to see how much experience you have, and if your look is the right one for the role. Agents also will look at that, along with polaroids they take of you, to see if your look is marketable. A head shot is something that captures your look, without making you look uncomfortable. Actors headshots can be many different styles/looks. Some actors choose to do a color headshot from the chest up, some actors that want to do some modeling will take one of more of their body in color. Most actors though, will use a black and white, chest up photo. This is the most common.

The most important with your headshot and resume, is to not lie. Lying is the worst thing anyone can do on a headshot/resume. If a director catches you lying on a resume, you will get blackmailed, and in the theatre world, blackmailing is the worst thing that can happen. The director will send your headshot/resume to every director he knows, with a note saying he is a liar, don't cast him. Now, you are screwed. So the biggest advice i have is don't lie. With your headshot, make sure its not completely photoshopped. Everyone wants to make themselves look better. Small touchups are ok. But don't change the color of your hair in photoshop. And also, with changing your hair color, if you do change it, you will have to get a new headshot. Your headshot has to be up to date. So every time you change your look, you will need a new headshot. Or if you have facial hair, you will want to take two shots. One with the facial hair, one without. See which one looks better. You should also have a couple outfits with you when you go to get the picture taken.

On your resume, you are going to want to list as much information about your experience as you can. On the top is your name. Than underneath you put your union affiliation (if applicable, otherwise leave blank). Than underneath, put your measurments and contact information. NEVER NEVER NEVER put your own information. If you have a manager or an agent, put their telephone number. If you have a management company/agency and they give you an e-mail, put that down. If you have neither, create a yahoo/g-mail/hotmail account and make it solely for your acting. For the telephone number, there are answering services where you can call, and they will give you a number that people can call to leave you voicemalls. You can find them in the phonebook. Then after you've listed that, you want to put the shows/films you've been in. Start with theatre, than go to film, than tv, than commercials. You want to list the show, the director, and the part. You can put the year, but that isn't as important as the other three things. Same thing with the other 3 categories. After that, you want to put your training. What classes you've taken, the teacher, where you've taken them. Any information you have. Put it down. Once you have that down, the next category is your special skills. If you can play baseball, football, any instrument, if you can juggle. Whatever it may be, you never know what directors could impose of you to do on stage or on film. So its always a good idea to list as much as you can under that category. This category is the only one where you should just do a basic list. List everything and just separate it with a comma. No need to put each one on a separate line.

Your headshot/resume as an actor should be 8x10. But some actors will do a 4x6. Most of the time models will use a 4x6. Either one is fine. Directors won't criticize you for the size of your resume as long as it is one of those two, or close to it. Dont waste time making sure it is exact. As i stated earlier, your headshot resume is your most valuable possesion, and you should always carry a couple around with you. So go out there and get your headshot taken!

The Audition Process

Auditioning in theatre is probably the most nerve racking part of the entire process. Theatre and film auditions require a lot of a person, and although you may not make it that time, it at least puts your face, and your name, out there so if your perfect for another role, they could always contact you. In the few professional auditions i have been to/heard about, the thing that causes people to not get picked/liked is their conduct and/or look. Some people think it would be better to show the casting director that they are quirky and funny. Most people who do that take it too far. Yes, its a good thing to be quirky and funny, but you have to make sure you are professional and respectful. Those are the key aspects of a casting director remembering you. If you aren't professional and respectful, they won't even consider you, even if you are one of the most talented kids. The other thing i said before is the look. One girl i know went to an audition for Hairspray on Broadway. The first time she went to an audition she looked like her normal self, but a little bit nicer. When she got there, she looked around, and she was one of the only people that looked normal. All of the others were in period/character clothing, and basic makeup. So she auditioned, they said thank you, and that was it. The next time she auditioned, she got into period/character clothing, and got a call back. You never want to over do it, with period/character clothing, but you want to at least look the part. Same thing with makeup. You never want to look like a freak. You want to look natural. So the most important things about auditioning, are looking natural and being professional.

How to Block a Show/Film

Blocking is one of the hardest things a director has to do when it comes to theatre or film. Directors have to block the scene as the writer originally portrayed. As a director, what i like to do is create a visual of it in my head, than block it on stage/set and see if it works. If it turns out the way that i like it, than we keep it. If not, i will always ask the actors for their ideas, because they are the ones performing it, and it needs to be comfortable for them. Sometimes when performing a well known show, you can't change much of the blocking because it is so well known. But otherwise create a model of the stage,/set this isn't necessary but it helps. Once you have either a model of the stage/set or layout, draw a diagram of where you want the actors to move. Use a marker as the actor, and move it around and see if it looks good. That is just one way. Other directors like to watch other performances and copy from it. The only way that you would find me copying someone is if i can't think of any ideas. But as a director you should always have an idea as to what you want the scene/shot to look like.

Performing an EPIC Monologue

When auditioning/performing with a monologue, you never want to spill all of your feelings at once. The smartest thing to do, is take people on a journey. For instance, in this monlogue:

Come and live with us--in the villa. You can set your swans swimming in the brook ... we can talk of old times ... you can open all that is locked up in me--as you did in our days of creation. I beg of you, Irene--give me this one chance to live my life over again. Help me undo my greatest mistake. When you left, Irene ... when you disappeared ... I cannot express to you ... I was filled with such regret. I became painfully aware of all that I had left unsaid ... all the moments I had allowed to pass ... without ... without grasping them ... without ... I had come to think of you as something sacred, you see ... something holy ... a gift from God ... a creature of innocence not to be touched save in adoring thoughts. A superstition took hold of me that if I touched you ... if I desired you with my senses ... my soul would be desecrated, and I would not be able to finish my work. I was a fool! An idealistic young fool! I should have taken you in my arms right then and there--on the floor of my studio, I should have taken you! With the clay still on my fingers! It would only have added to the beauty of the child--to the depth and complexity of her meaning--of her mystery. [Pause.] I can't lose you again, Irene--I don't think I could survive it.

Where you see the word pause at the end, is where you would change. Throughout the entire thing, you would get more and more emotional, than at the end (where pause is) you would calm down, and say that line powerfully. Otherwise, you run out of emotion and it gets boring before it ends. This way, you make the listener want to continue listening because you haven't reached the climax yet. The climax at this would be right before the pause at the end. Than the downfall would be the last line. But you always want to find a place like that. If there is no climax in the middle of the text, than have it be at the end. So that way you leave them hanging with emotion. If you need help with an audition monologue, just leave a comment. P.S. I Do not own that monologue, it came from Monologuearchive.com. From a play called When We Dead Awaken by Henrik Ibsen.