Manual How to make a short film

How to make a short film?

2018-2019

Geel, January 2019 Belgium team

1 Table of contents 1

Table of contents ............................................................................................................................ 2

2

Intro ................................................................................................................................................ 4

3

Topic and story ............................................................................................................................... 5

4

Characters ....................................................................................................................................... 6

5

6

7

4.1

Importance of creating a character ......................................................................................... 6

4.2

Building your character, throughout the story ....................................................................... 6

4.3

The objective of your character .............................................................................................. 6

4.4

Tips for creating your character .............................................................................................. 6

Scenario .......................................................................................................................................... 7 5.1

Building blocks of a scenario ................................................................................................... 7

5.2

Setting up a scenario ............................................................................................................... 7

5.3

The form of the scenario ......................................................................................................... 8

5.4

System cards ............................................................................................................................ 8

Preproduction ................................................................................................................................. 9 6.1

Storyboard ............................................................................................................................... 9

6.2

Camera .................................................................................................................................. 10

6.3

Location ................................................................................................................................. 11

6.4

Scene ..................................................................................................................................... 11

6.5

Props ...................................................................................................................................... 11

Production .................................................................................................................................... 12 7.1

Filming ................................................................................................................................... 12

8

Postproduction: editing ................................................................................................................ 13

9

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 14

10

Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 16

How to make short film?

Manual

2

10.1

Weblinks ................................................................................................................................ 16

10.2

Books ..................................................................................................................................... 16

10.3

Images ................................................................................................................................... 16

How to make short film?

Manual

3

2 Intro This document is a short guide on how to create a short film. It can be used by pupils and teachers to plan and prepare a short film. The manual is based on workshops in Malaga en Alytus (2018).

How to make short film?

Manual

4

3 Topic and story According to “handboek Digitale video” creating a short film starts with the topic. Tip: choose a topic that interests you, choose a topic with which you aim to sway the viewer or a topic that you want to make the viewer aware of.

According to the website “Vakkenweb.nl” s story has to have a very rigid structure. The first thing you need is a matching theme. Without a theme there is not a lot you can do and it has to relate to your topic. When selecting a theme you have to ask yourself some questions like: 

What is the message we want to deliver with the story?



What does the writer want to convey about the topic?



What are the issues / problems the main character has?

In order to deliver the message and convey the theme you have to use a number of motives (words, notions, quotes) that refer to the theme of the story directly or indirectly. Next to the theme, you have to select a genre. A genre can be: horror, comedy, tragedy, action, …. A genre in itself says a lot about the theme, e.g. horror automatically invokes themes such as revenge, murder, …

How to make short film?

Manual

5

4 Characters 4.1 Importance of creating a character In Malaga we learned that characters are very important for your film. You have to try and get to know them as if they were your best friends. Only then can you accurately assess how a character reacts to a certain situation. Only by knowing the characters very well can you accurately apply the changes in personality a character goes through in the story.

4.2 Building your character, throughout the story We stress the importance of knowing your characters. You have to be able to assess how your characters will cope with events in the story. In this should be in line with what you try to achieve with the story and the character itself.

4.3 The objective of your character Next, the disposition (character) of your character should evolve in your story. E.g. A character can be shy in the beginning of the story and, because of events the character goes through, very outgoing (extrovert) at the end of the story. The events can give the character more insight into their own disposition.

4.4 Tips for creating your character In a workshop in Malaga they have taught us a few practical tips on how to write a character as well as possible: 

Make a list on your character: how do you think he/she looks like? Moreover, describe how you see that character.



Do not only give your character positive traits, adding bad traits makes it more credible and more lifelike & real.



Assign a goal/an objective to your character > make sure he/she can aspire to something/someone.



After having made the list with good and bad traits, indicate which traits will be subject to change by the end of the story.



Your first choice is not always the best choice. Take your time and rewrite as much as you can/need to. Make sure you’re satisfied with the result.

How to make short film?

Manual

6

5 Scenario This part is written on the basis of a book “How to write a scenario?” by Syd Field (1988). We will try to teach you how to create and write a scenario. According to the Oxford Dictionary a scenario is: “A written outline of a film, novel, or stage work giving details of the plot and individual scenes.”

(English Oxford Dictionary, 2019)

5.1 Building blocks of a scenario According to Field (Field,1988) a scenario is built around five important things: 1. The foundation a. Main character is introduced. b. Starting point of the story is made clear.

2. First turning point a. Something happens that gives the story another turn.

3. The confrontation a. The main character searches for his/her goal (objective) but encounters different obstacles.

4. Second turning point a. Something happens that leads to the denouement.

5. The showdown, the denouement or the end Only a few questions remain: 1. How does the story end?

2. How does your character evolve on his/her path whilst encountering numerous obstacles?

3. Do you want an open or a closed ending?

5.2 Setting up a scenario According to Field, every scene has two important elements: time and place. The place; where the scene takes place is called the location. In your scenario you indicate the location with int. (for interior) and ext. (for exterior) followed by the actual location.

The time indicates at what time of day (or night) the scene takes place (morning, afternoon, evening night). This gives the following example: How to make short film?

Manual

7

INT. LIVING ROOM – NIGHT Or: EXT. STREET – DAY Whenever you change the place or location you go over to a new scene. A scene is composed of a beginning, a middle and an end, just like the scenario itself. Of course, you can cut scenes into pieces.

Field suggests that there are two types of scenes: action scenes and dialogue scenes. But, most scenes are a combination of both.

Finally Field suggests that you first pin down the context and only then pin down the contents.

1. What happens in the scene?

2. What is the goal of what happens in relation tot he story?

3. How do the events in the scene set the course in the story?

5.3 The form of the scenario 1. Provide the location and the time: where does the scene take place? (EXT/INT. + TIME) 2. Provide a description of what happens in the scene.

3. Provide the dialogue and the actions the characters have to do during the scene.

4. As a final step, add “TRANSITION TO” to indicate that you go to a new scene of FADE OUT if the image goes to black. (e.g. at the end of the film) 5.4 System cards According to Field (1988) system cards are an easy and excellent way of building your scenario. It works like this: 

Write down the idea for each scene on a single card and put only a few describing elements on it that can help you in writing the scene.



This allows you to easily organize/arrange (or reorganize/rearrange) the cards (scenes) in your own manner and it allows you to delete or add scenes.



It is a simple, easy and goal oriented method that offers maximum maneuverability in setting up your scenario.

How to make short film?

Manual

8

6 Preproduction Preproduction is all the things that need to happen prior to processing your scenario into images.

This part of the document provides explanation about the storyboard, camera directions, location, scene and props.

6.1 Storyboard A storyboard is overkill for a short film, but can be useful anyway. An example of a storyboard:

Figure 1 An example of a storyboard (source: https://www.videoeditingsage.com/video-production-storyboard.html)

If you do want to write a storyboard, here are some useful tools: CeltX, Storyboard Tools and Trimble SketchUp. The advantage of creating a storyboard is that it helps when editing the film and the images are a good help in indicating the point of view of the camera.

How to make short film?

Manual

9

6.2

Camera

This part is based on the workshops in Malaga (2018).

Change the point of view of the camera regularly to prevent boring images. There are a number of shots a director can choose from: 1. Close up a. Camera is zoomed in on an object or on the face of a character to highlight the emotions.

2. Medium close up a. The character is shown from the chest to the face.

3. Extreme close up a. You zoom in on a character (e.g. from the eyebrows to bottom of the nose. The emotions or the actions of the character are highlighted even more.)

4. Extreme wide a. Filmed from a long distance, mainly to show the location where the character is.

5. Wide shot a. You see the character from head to toes.

6. Medium shot a. You only see the upper body of the character.

Figure 2: Different viewpoints of a camera (source: (http://www.thewildclassroom.com/wildfilmschool/gettingstarted/camerashots.html)

How to make short film?

Manual

10

6.3 Location The Digital Video Manual indicates that the environment of the set should be given an authentic character using decors. There is a lot of preparation in a well-decorated decor with the right background, in which all props are carefully highlighted and in the right place. The set is then designed by a decor designer, but can also be rented thanks to rental companies. This can range from wintry background cloths to life-size canal houses. For a short film you obviously limit the ambitions and especially for schools without a budget this work has to be done by the filmmakers themselves.

Wikipedia states that a location of a film set is a location that is needed for filming for a short or longer period of time. The description: where the story takes place, is even more specific. Finally, the Digital Video Handbook indicates that you usually need permission to film at a location. You must reserve at indoor locations. The location manager (or film makers in our case) ensures during the recordings that the location is used neatly and correctly according to the agreements with the owner of the location.

6.4 Scene Ensie explains that in the film industry a scene is a combination of different shots. These shots group one action or events at the same time and location. The professional name of a grouped scene is called "sequencer". According to the Digital Video Manual, the scenes must be rehearsed well before the real shots may take place.

6.5

Props

Props are attributes that are used on stage. With a short film you need objects to complete one, objects such as computers, tables, chairs, cabinets, etc.

How to make short film?

Manual

11

7 Production This chapter explains the practical process. The process consists of filming and editing.

7.1

Filming

According to Career Tiger and the Digital Video Manual, making a feature film is a separate story. You will have to deal with multiple topics that are necessary for the production of a feature film. Among other things, preparing the process with the whole crew takes a lot of time and energy. Making a short film is however one of the most complicated processes!

The Digital Video Handbook indicates that the director relies on the written script and transfers this to images. In order to make an attractive short film, there must also be a well-written scenario. The director has the last word in the process of filming. He or she also determines where the cameras are, which scenes are played again and when a special effect (such as a school bell, rain or an explosion) is played. The special effects are usually added by the editors when editing.

The editors are the people who put the film in the right order and update the images with different computer programs. Possibly a director or a helper who specializes in IT could take over this task.

How to make short film?

Manual

12

8 Postproduction: editing According to Wikipedia, editing in film technology is the arrangement of image and sound in a film.

The order can be fast and varied or slow. For example, by smoothly connecting the images to each other or by contrasting them excessively, the final feeling of the viewer will be determined once the film is finished. Finally, we will assemble the images into a film. Assembling is cutting and packing.

Extremely long scenes are boring. Everything that raises questions must provide answers based on film images.

There are films that only consist of a single continuous image from the beginning to the end. The fact that there is always something else to see, is because the camera moves or because something else happens to the camera. This does not fall under assembly, but under camera operation and direction, the name for this is a long take.

How to make short film?

Manual

13

9 Conclusion Making a short film can be chaotic. There are so many things you need to pay attention to in order to make your project as good as possible. Making a story is not as easy as it seems and processing it into a movie afterwards is not that simple. The theoretical part of this project was very interesting because we did not know that there were so many things to discuss about film, that it is more than just a camera and text.

In film, a lot is done to amuse the viewer. In order to write on a certain topic and to write a story about it, it is essential to think carefully about it. You do not just write a story, it takes time to develop into a well written whole. A story is actually an idea, but rewritten many times, because there are always ideas that come up later and that fit better than the original idea. Only that way you can form a good story.

The practical part was the most fun part of this project, because in that part we tried to apply the theory we have learned (in both literature and in the workshops in Malaga (2018)) into practice. It is a difficult process but it is nice to see how our ideas were translated into a story, idea by idea and sentence by sentence. It was not only very rewarding to see our short film materialize, it is very hectic as well. Everything had to be planned in advance and had to be thought of, actors needed to know their lines, etc. and even then, a lot of things can (and did) go wrong.

An important thing we have learned in doing this project is that we have to take into account a lot of things. Moreover, in Malaga we learned that the best short films start from a very clear message. You have to ask yourself before writing the script: what message do I want to convey (and stick to just one message!). But, perhaps the most important thing: we found out it was very interesting and a lot of fun to do and although it was sometimes hectic, we enjoyed it immensely and are very proud of the end result.

Finally, we want to give you some tips. What we have learned from this project are mainly these things: 

Think carefully about what message you want to tell your audience and look at it critically.



Plan very carefully and stick to the plan. If you stick to the plan you will not get into trouble later and you will also stress less.

How to make short film?

Manual

14



If you have a script with lots of text, make sure the text is known by both actors and director.

You will be able to film much more efficiently and you will be able to make better use of this time.

How to make short film?

Manual

15

10 Bibliography 10.1 Weblinks 

https://www.ensie.nl/betekenis/storyboard?q=storyboard



http://filmboard.nl/storyboard-shotlist-film-video-productie/



http://filmboard.nl/hoe-maak-je-zelf-een-korte-film-of-video/



http://www.carrieretijger.nl/beroep/taalcommunicatie/media/beeld/regisseur



https://www.startpagina.nl/v/kunst-cultuur/vraag/289541/scene-schrijfscenes



https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sc%C3%A8ne



http://www.encyclo.nl/begrip/sc%C3%A8ne



http://www.vakkenweb.nl/vak/ne/html/opdr_ne_v4uitlegfictie.htm#_Toc1 82835964



https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montage_(film)



http://www.encyclo.nl/begrip/rekwisieten



https://www.google.be/search?hl=nl&biw=1600&bih=794&tbm=isch&sa= 1&ei=vZKmWpKlFND8kwW6ZqQCQ&q=types+of+shots+film&oq=shots+film+&gs_l=psyab.3.1.0i30k1j0i5i30k1l8j0i8i30k1.44105.48471.0.50622.6.6.0.0.0.0.98.3 75.6.6.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.6.374...0j0i67k1j0i10k1.0.Ctlr2sYsxU#imgrc=0hQDjpm2D9FG_M:



https://www.google.be/search?hl=nl&biw=1600&bih=794&tbm=isch&sa= 1&ei=IZamWuX2LZCbkwWOhLngDg&q=atributten+bij+een+kortfilm&oq= atributten+bij+een+kortfilm&gs_l=psyab.3...29944.32311.0.32574.15.13.0.0.0.0.189.1365.2j8.10.0....0...1c.1.

64.psy-ab..6.0.0....0.gHyCZdOLyjs#imgrc=QaDmxTSQ8mxgmM:

10.2 Books 

Field, S. (1988). Hoe schrijf ik een scenario? Houten: Het Wereldvenster.



Venema, B. (2016). Handboek Digitale Video. Culemborg, Nederland: Van Duuren Media B.V.



Lievaart, R. (1997) Films Maken. Amsterdam, Nederland: Dramaprodukties.

10.3 Images 

http://gihsfilm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/4/5/31458585/9698791_orig.png

How to make short film?

Manual

16



http://www.thewildclassroom.com/wildfilmschool/gettingstarted/images/Camera-Shots.jpg

How to make short film?

Manual

17