Tips for Zero Budget Short Filmmaking Nobody Will Tell You

If you are reading this, you must be someone who wants to make his first short film; however, an expensive budget stops you from making one. Yes, this is a common problem which first-time filmmakers face. Even when I started making short films, I had this problem. I have made five short films. All of them had zero budget.

In this article, I will share tips to make a short film without incurring any expenses. So, let's start.

Color Correction Vs Color Grading

I have noticed a lot of people getting confused by the difference between color correction and color grading. This includes myself when I first started getting more and more involved in films and filmmaking. Once I understood the difference, I started really paying attention to a films color scheme and variations in the color as the film progressed.

3 Best Video Editing Software Used By Professional Video Editors

Digital technology has advanced significantly over the years and this has made it easy for people to access quality video editing software. It is now possible to turn any video into a masterpiece using one of the software options available. The best video editing software offer import/capture, exporting, and editing options. These are basic features that software should have to allow effective editing. But the best software offers more than these basic functions. Here are some of the three main options you should consider.

Getting Over That Writer's Block

Writing is a wonderful way of life. However, it can also be one of the most frustrating things out there. This is because of a little thing called Writer's Block. Every writer has suffered from it at one time or another. My most recent case of the block comes from my desire to write a screenplay.

Time Lapse - How to Compress Time

As a videographer, I am always trying to effectively tell a story. I have discovered that one of the most effective storytelling tools in video production is the time lapse.

With a time lapse you can compress a long and static event into a short engaging clip. An effective use of a time lapse is a party like the clip below where people mingle around but don't do anything too interesting to capture as video clip. As a single video shot this would be as interesting as watching grass grow. However, when compressed into about 3-5 seconds the clip is engaging, and it tells a story without boring the viewer.

Characteristics of Camera Lens

-Focal length: Light rays which are parallel to the axis of the lens, after passing through a convex lens meet at a point on the other side of the lens. This point is called as a focus of the lens. The distance between focus and the optical centre (or node) of the lens is called as focal length of that lens. Focal length of a camera lens may also be defined as the minimum practicable distance between film/image sensor and (the optical centre of) the lens. Focal length of a camera lens is usually marked in mm on the front of the lens. Focal length remains fixed for a given lens (other than zoom lens). SLR camera may take lenses having different focal lengths.

3-Point Lighting

Key Light - Fill Light - Back Light
The best lighting technique is 3-point lighting. In 3-point lighting 3 lights are used. A key light, a fill light, and a back light. A key light is the main light that is placed at a thirty to forty-five degree angle in front of the subject and to the side of the camera.

Film Budgeting

Budgeting is an important aspect of film production. During script development, filmmakers produce a rough budget to convince film producers and film studios to give them a greenlight for production. When and if financing is secured, a more concise film budget is produced. This document varies in length and depends largely on the scope of size of the project.
A budget is typically divided into four sections: above-the-line (creative talent), below-the-line (direct production costs), post-production (editing, visual effects, etc), and other (insurance, completion bond, etc).

Creative Use of Back Lighting

- Be Careful With Backlight:- Backlight is, so to speak, the icing on the cake. It’s one of the most useful “tools” we have, but its excessive, inappropriate, or unmotivated use can look very hoaky. In other words, don’t be afraid of backlight, but don’t use it automatically.

Essence of Lighting & Light Characteristics

Essence of Lighting
The most basic function of lighting is to reveal the subject. But it can do so in various ways: subtly, dramatically, frighteningly, voluptuously, humorously and more. An important part of revealing the subject has to do with separation of the planes. Photography involves “translating” the three-dimensional world into two-dimensional images, with the inevitable loss of real depth, and often, separation of objects. A major purpose of lighting is to provide the illusion of depth, volume and roundness of objects. In other words, the illusion of a third dimension.


Light Characteristics:-

Every source has six basic characteristics:-
1) Intensity
2) Quality (such as
hard or soft source)
3) Size of source (at the front where the light is emitted)
4) Color of light
emitted
5) Direction (in relation to subject and camera)
6) Distance (from subject, not camera)
These characteristics are all interrelated. For example, size and distance will influence both intensity and quality.

Role of Sound in Films

Let's do a fast wrap on the role of sound in film:

1. It can play a narrative or direct storytelling role.

2. Or a Subliminal narrative role, inviting our willing suspension of disbelief.

3. It can be manipulated to produce emotional involvement in the material--Hitchcock, for example, was a master of manipulating sound to tell his tales in the most compelling way possible.

4. The function of music in a movie is to tell the audience how to feel from moment to moment....there is a set of unwritten emotional sound equations, where, for example, low frequencies represent a threat etc.

5. Think about the shark in Jaws, introduced by four low notes, implying this sense of foreboding or doom...if you take a perfectly pleasant sunny scene and punctuate it with distant thunderclaps, you're sending a very clear message to the audience.

Production Terms

- Jibbing: - In cinematography, a jib is a boom device with a camera on one end, and a counterweight and camera controls on the other. It operates like a see-saw, but with the balance point located close to the counterweight, so that the camera end of the arm can move through an extended arc. A jib permits the camera to be moved vertically, horizontally, or a combination of the two. A jib is often mounted on a tripod or similar support.


- Storyboards :- Storyboards are graphic organizers such as a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of previsualizing a motion graphic or interactive media sequence, including website interactivity.
A film storyboard is essentially a large comic of the film or some section of the film produced beforehand to help film directors, cinematographers and television commercial advertising clients visualize the scenes and find potential problems before they occur. Often storyboards include arrows or instructions that indicate movement.
In creating a motion picture with any degree of fidelity to a script, a storyboard provides a visual layout of events as they are to be seen through the camera lens. And in the case of interactive media, it is the layout and sequence in which the user or viewer sees the content or information. In the storyboarding process, most technical details involved in crafting a film or interactive media project can be efficiently described either in picture, or in additional text.


- Screenplay: - A screenplay or script is a written plan, authored by a screenwriter, for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing works such as novels. The major components of a screenplay are action and dialogue, with the "action" being "what we see happening" and "dialogue" being "what we hear" (i.e., what the characters utter). The characters, when first introduced in the screenplay, may also be described visually. Screenplays differ from traditional literature conventions in ways described below; however, screenplays may not involve emotion-related descriptions and other aspects of the story that are, in fact, visual within the end-product.


- Film Budgeting:- Budgeting is a very important part in filmmaking. Film producers often receive a rough estimate on the budget that will be needed during scriptwriting and an exact amount on the budget will be determined during pre-production. Afterwards, the movie budget will be documented to secure the film expenses. Honestly, film budgeting alone is a hard thing to do aside from making the actual movie.

- Film budgeting is usually divided into four sections and these are the following:
• Above the line (Creative talents)
• Below the line (Production expenses)
• Post-production (Special visual effects and editing)
• Insurance

Types of Camera Filter

There are many types of camera filters, each with their own set of purposes.
1. Ultraviolet (UV) filters absorb ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet is invisible light, and film cameras are more sensitive to it than digital cameras. At elevated locations, ultraviolet light is particularly dense; this density is due to the thin atmospheric layer.UV light produces haze that can cause photo details to regress as the subject moves farther away. The viewing and focusing of images can also be difficult.

2. Infrared filters reduce visible light. When capturing aerial haze penetration and heat effects, infrared filters are helpful. This kind of filter absorbs visible light and transmits only the infrared light to the lens of the camera.

3. Natural density (ND) filters can be used to obtain proper exposure in high intensity lighted surroundings. It is also used to produce a specific opening of the lens for image sharpness and absorbs light evenly from the visible range. In effect, ND filters alter light exposure, even without changing the lens opening.

4. Polarized filters enhance contrast, reflection, and color control. Compared to other filters, they are built on different optical principles. In just one vibratory direction, a polarized filter allows light to pass through. This kind of filter can be aligned in many ways, giving the image more interesting effects. Polarized filters are normally used for taking pictures outdoors because they enhance color saturation and contrast. They also create different colors. For example, a yellow bright light can be produced using a yellow polar filter.

Different Kinds of Camera Lenses

Normal:- A normal lens shows most accurately what a normal human eye will see. 50mm is a typical normal focal length. The 50mm is the most popular and versatile lens. The quality is excellent while also being inexpensive. It is smaller and lighter, and the aperture allows photographs to be taken in low-light situations.

Telephoto:- A telephone lens brings the background closer. Longer-than-normal focal lengths such as 70mm and 300mm are typical for a telephoto lens. Since a telephoto lens will bring the subject up close, it is popular for sports photography.

Wide Angle:- A wide lens captures a wider expanse of the background than what the human eye will see. Shorter-than-normal focal lengths such as 24mm and 35 mm are typical for a wide lens. Wide lenses are popular for landscape photography and large group shots.

Other special lenses to consider include the following:-
Macro:- A macro lens's focus is closer to the subject and is used for close-up photography.

Fish-eye:- A fisheye lens uses an angle of view up to 180 degrees. The angle distorts the photograph so the four sides appear to be farther away.

Teleconverter:- A teleconverter attaches between the camera and another lens. It increases the focal length of your lens. Although teleconverters will bring the subject closer, they do not allow as much light through the lens. Thus, they need slower shutter speeds and/or a fast ISO.