: The 10 Commandments of shooting a film by j.oddball

10: Tips to make shooting with your camera easier
Remember to take enough batteries for the camera . No, really, I'm being serious. .If your out on location always have someone who looks after the batteries for the camera if you find somewhere to charge them do it but as 1st ,There is nothing like getting a battery out of the bag when you have everyone on location to find out it has no juice to turn the camera on ,It looks really bad and pisses everyone off !The other thing is tape stock remember to have to many tapes and make sure they are brand new and not some old ones from a kid birthday party (its been done)
Always record 5 seconds before and after the shot you want.This is the editor can have something to cut into and out to each time ,There is nothing like having a wonderful shot to then find that the actor started talking before the camera started to roll! as the actors to count to three take a deep breath and then say their line ,It helps the editor edit the shots better without having to lose anything the actor says or doe's
Never use auto focus unless your actors don't move!manual focus all the time if possible. The best way to find focus is to zoom right into the actor and then focus with manual then zoom out for wide angle this keeps the shot in focus but keep checking it on a monitor if you have one on through the lens ,On some dv cameras the color's look ok but when you play it back on the computer it looks crap (Try some shots and go look at them on a tv or a computer and adjust the camera monitor ,Some stuff can be sorted in after effects or in post but be careful COs re shoots cost money and time so get it right the 1st time if you can (better to be 100% than 70% and think you can fix it in post!

Sound-This is the most important thing in a film if you have great visual and crap sound put your camera away now and don't bother ,It so important it really makes a film ,The best way to sort this out is for you the film makers use ear phones and hear the sound yourself or just get a good sound man who's job it is to really sort the sound out for you ,He is as if not more important than your camera man ,If you see a sound man with his eyes closed keep him on every film you ever make ,Use to class directional mics radio mic's & Clip on mic's ,Clip on mic's are great but unless it the person is moving around or running as it rubs on the clothing and makes a bad noise,I love to use a boom pole and a directional mic as much as possible ,They can be expensive ,But you can always hire them and it is so important

1) Interviewing Tec

The best way to interview some one is with two cameras one on either side of the person you are interviewing ,This way the person doesn't have to repeat himself again and again ,Over the shoulder of the interviewer to cut always of the interviewer nodding off camera to the interviewed,use clip on mic's make sure you cant see them had them behind a button if possible ! job done just light it well and make sure the sound is perfect try a sound check before the arrive !

2) Script :1st go by a copy of final draft 6 mac or pc for £138 screenwriters store

Have a look at other people's scripts from major movie's the best way is to by them from (the cinema store) in wc2 london or download them from the Internet ? If you know the film that the script is from you learn so much more ,I found buying a script from a movie i knew then sit down and watch the film reading the script as you watch the movie ,It helps you find out how a script works ,From ext: to int: shots to camera angles to positioning the actress on a bed ?

Use a tripod whenever you can -Try to get one from vinten.com they do cost about 200 quid but its a tripod for life for dv cameras ,There are loads of these steady shot crap steady camera gadgets on offer now for dv film makers and most are crap and cost over 300 quid! I saw some at the production show and they all looked shit the best one is the stadycam and steady glide from VMI ,which you can hire for day shoots at a good price ask for (Richie he is really helpful)

The best thing I've found is a mono tripod with some weights gaffa taped to the bottom of the mono pod ,which makes it less like a killer camera shot ,And more like the steady cam kit you can buy ,The one's that fits on your shoulder are OK but limits your use of the camera when you walk ,The old wheelchair still works for me and a home made dolly an track home made from old skateboard wheels and two scaffold poles ,

Shoot wide-angle to minimize shake. If you can, USE THE MONITOR ON THE CAMERA I know it uses loads of battery but look at that and don't look away at all ,This way you see just what the audience see in your film ,
Check your white balance, especially if you are in mixed lighted rooms. (White Balance? Mixed lighting? Eh?) White balance is essentially what color your camera thinks is white. Use a white piece of paper with the light your using for your shot to gain the right white balance ,Try not to use the auto white balance menu in the camera ,Go by eye and then fix it into memory on the camera if possible ,But check it on every shot as editors find if two shots are lit different they cant edit them together !
This all matters with color. Lights have different colour temperatures. Sunlight is kinder bluey, artificial light (like lightbulbs and stuff) is orangey and fluorescent strip lights are greeny. try to keep a log of white balance settings and colour setting to keep your editor sweet and the crew as you don't want to drag them back to shoot it again !!!

remember :
Sunlight

Bluey
Artificial Light

indoor

Orangey
Fluorescents

outdoor

GreenyAvoid Backlighting -

from windows ,and watch the sunlight as the day goes on remember the sun moves !!

So your actor is standing at the window and the light is behind him ,we will lose his face completely at 1st ,But it looks great in the view finder and on the TV monitor ,but it's later when you lose he's face in post production them.

It better to overnight than under light !When you try to lighten the image in post the picture looks grainy if its too light you can darken it with less grainy effects

Lighting the easy way

You are filming your actor whos silhouette is on the wall behind him with two shadows and you see the boom pole shadow

Solution - turn the lights at each other so they kill both shadows and put the boom under him (if the shot is close and not wide , and use the light from the wall/window to light your subject Turn all the auto fiction's off from your camera and go on manual again

- Avoid fingers near the lens or long hair draping into cameras lens or hairs in the lens . Equally be careful when shooting through glass, Shooting cars is really hard unless you have a white car as it doent reflect as much as a black new shinny cars ,Also mirrors or shiny objects not to catch a view of the cameraman . Use a polarizing filter on the camera to cut down out reflection.

FILTERS ON DV CAMERAS

The thing is they didn't make fixing kits standard for dv camera ,But ive had to improvise to get filters on my dv cameras without blue tack and spending loads of money ,But now Cokin make filters for 35mm stills cameras which fit dv cameras now and have done for years, I bought loads at www.camerafilters.co.uk they were perfect from colours to effects and not loads of money they also sell a fixing kit for most dv camera in the usa www.centuryoptics.com sell lens tools and filters for all dv cameras email idxeurope@idextek.com for a price list

Microphone gags -

No not the jokes on set they are the teddy bear style gray covers for your mic ,If you're going to be shooting in a windy place a wind gag is there for your mike. (in the wild they can live up to 10 years if fed every day like a sound man!), that cut down on the roar you will hear if filming in wind.
Protect your equipment - You've got to keep it safe as it cost's money -

The environment and from . Keep your gear clear from dust and sand water (use a cover to protect it) a skylight filter to protect the lens from fingers and crap cleaners . Clean the lens/filter and viewfinder using blowerbrushes

Security! Keep your camera close to you all the time as they do go off on their own , make sure its insured and know its serial number write it down when you by the camera somewhere you can find it or put it in your mobile phone .

Tapes- Always use new tapes you can afford Stanley's do deals for large amounts of tape sales But search the web get a brand you know not some yin yang cheap crap its your camera feed it well!. only capture on to a mini dv camera once and don't use LP it looks crap and is hell when in the edit suite as some editing software doesn't read them properly. NEVER BREAK THE TIME CODE ON THE TAPE(i.e. don't remove the tape from the camera ,Use until finished as the time code helps the computer capture you footage in sequence and also helps the editor find the footage you he need to edit ,Making notes saves so much time in the edit suite and can help you produce a better film quicker ,

Batteries -

Always fully-charged extra batteries,run them till they turn the camera off as well to get a full charge and give long life to the batteries don't charge the batteries half charged unless you really need to use it quickly

Try to by a battery belt for your camera pd170 cannon xl1s vx2000 and many more have 8 hour battery belt available on the web dvwarehouse vmi and many others halfway

Bear in mind that batteries have a shorter lifespan in the cold.and when you use the monitor on your dv camera as it runs it down really quick use the view finder if you want to save your batteries life but I use the monitor and just make sure I've got more than enough full charged batteries before hand priority one batteries fully charged do it your self don't trust someone else to do it !!
Shoot small amounts and log every shot in a book timecode the shots to save even more time in the edit suite the editor will love you and do a better job ,iim an editor and I've been there when someone walks into my edit suit with 55 mini dv tapes and says dude! make me a film from this! make the editors life real easy and log every shot if it means shooting the movie in sequence do it ,There is nothing worse than fast forwarding through 55 tapes to make a movie out of ! - Tape are cheap but editors and edit suites are not . Time is everything run your film like a military operation your film can and will be better COs all the scenes in your head when you shot the film will all come back to you watching the footage,

-last words j.oddball

the best education in film making is to just get off your arse and make a film its the only way to learn ,I started out as an editor and learned loads from that directed and produced my 1st dv movie ,I saw How to set up shot's so they worked ,Making sense to you is fine making sense to the audience is hard work ,In film making you are always learning something new ,If you say you know it all then your only fooling yourself, Top directors writes producers cameramen actors editors sound men lighting tec's are always learning something new in film making everytime they go behind a camera and make a movie they learn something new, Its the thing that keeps the art of movie making such a buzz to me and as they say life is not a rehearsal ,

Go out there and enjoy film making even if its -3 and you cold as fu*k ,Its being around other like minded film makers which makes it worth all the effort with all the up's and downs of running events to producing dv movies i hope i have inspired at least one of you to go out there and just do it you have nothing to lose and so much to gain from trying ,Its the most rewarding thing to making kids in life

Being part of something you have created is worth all the effort