What is Film?

Prepared by: Ruel Joseph Tabada

What is Film?
It is also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture or
photoplay – is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and
otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty,
or atmosphere through the use of moving images.
These images are generally accompanied by sound and, more rarely,
other sensory stimulations.
The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to
filmmaking and the film industry, and to the art form that is the result
of it.
1. The Idea

2. Documentary vs. Narrative

3. The Script

4. The Storyboard

5. Storyboard Examples
No film can survive without a good idea at its
core.
Some writers and filmmakers would argue that you
need more than just a good idea: you need a hook!
The basis for any film idea or hook is this: Subject
+ Deep Desire + Obstacle(s)
Another way of looking at this is by asking the
simple question: Who is this about and what do they
want extremely badly?
A film doesn’t work if you don’t have an interesting
and sympathetic subject with a deep desire who’s
got obstacles in their way.
So w hat kind of mov ie do you w ant to make?
Documentary v s. Narrativ e
There are two main choices: documentaries or narratives. A documentary is supposed to be an
expression of “real” life. But even in a documentary, you can do a lot of directing, and it isn’t
necessarily just a matter of standing back and filming whatever happens in front of you. Sure, you
can do that. But you can also direct the action, set up scenes, and hold staged interviews. You
can put yourself in the documentary as many well-known directors do.
Documentary v s. Narrativ e
Honestly, there aren’t any rules that you have to follow aside from the fact that if you have actors
it ain’t a documentary anymore.
NAR R ATIVE FILMMAKING USES ACTORS
You’ve got a script or a story that you’ll improvise, a director, costumes, sets and the whole
shebang. Many filmmakers start out with documentary filmmaking because it’s much less
expensive and great subjects and stories are everywhere.
If you want to make an online documentary, you don’t need an investor or a producer. You just
need a camera, your sound gear, a subject, and the ability to edit and tell a story.
THE SCR IP T
Most animated films have their
scripts locked down long before
production starts. That’s because
it’s insanely expensive, so there’s
no such thing as multiple re-
shoots if you’re creating a CGI
epic.
But with narrative filmmaking you
might be doing re-writes on your
script all the way up to and
including the days of the shoots.
You might also be doing an
improvised movie, which requires
only a storyline and characters
and no traditional script.
The storyboard is the part of filmmaking a lot of beginners get tripped up on.
You might think you need something elaborate. You’ll need to pull out those felt pens from grade
school and learn how to draw realistic humans. WRONG!!!
You might not even need much more than a stick-person scrawl in the margins of your script. For big-
budget animation films, storyboarding is essential.
Every shot is designed multiple times until perfect.
The same goes for big-budget action films.
If you’re making something on a smaller budget, it’s common to have very simple storyboards.
Shot Sequences
Shot Angles
Shot Sizes
see two examples of blank templates, and one
example of a storyboard that’s been filled out. To be
sure, you don’t need a storyboard that’s so artfully
drawn. A stick drawing will be more than sufficient.
One way to create a storyboard is to actually just do
rough photographs of the shots.
Camera & Shot Angles
• Low – shooting from below (can be a “hero shot” if extreme)
• Eye-level (exactly as it sounds – considered a non-manipulative angle)
• High (shooting from above)
• Worm’s Eye (shooting from extremely low)
• Canted/Dutch (shooting on an angle—very unsettling angle)
• Bird’s Eye View (shooting from directly above)
• POV (shooting as though you are in the shoes of the subject)
Low –
Shooting
from below
Eye-lev el
High
Worm’s Eye
Canted/Dutch
Angle
Bird’s Eye View
P OV
One general note is that the different shot angles you use w ill
affect how your v iew er feels about the characters on
screen. For example, a low shot, looking up at a character makes
them come off as powerful. A shot looking down at a character
makes them seem vulnerable. So just changing your shot angles
willy nilly is not going to create an edit that works even though the
shots might be “cuttable.”
Change the camera angles intentionally to help tell the story.
SHOT SIZES
SHOT SIZES
When you’re creating a shot
list, you w ant a v ariety of shot
sizes.
Unless you’re making a
wonderfully weird art film, it’s
unlikely every shot will be the
exact same size.
IN YOUR AR SENAL AS A
FILMMAKER YOU’VE GOT THE
FOLLOWING:

Extreme Full Shot also called Establishing

or Wide Shot or Long Shot
Full Shot
Medium Full Shot
Cow boy Shot (pretty sure nobody says
this anymore…but here it is)
Medium Shot
Medium Closeup
Closeup
Choker (a subset of the closeup that cuts
right at the neck)
Big Head (a subset of the close up that
show s just the head)
Extreme Closeup
SHOT SIZES EX AMP LES
 P R E - P R ODUCTION
Pre-Production is the detail-oriented w orld of high-energy humans.
It’s also the reason most people never make films despite big dreams. While most people
say it’s the money that’s preventing them from making a film. The reality is that the pre-
production process is what’s usually stopping people, not the lack of funds. What you lack
in money, you can make up for in meticulous pre-production.
 P R E - P R ODUCTION
Pre-production includes ev ery single basic decision that must be made
before anyone presses the record button on their cinema cameras.
Pre-production for a big narrative feature film will be different than pre-
production for a run-and-gun documentary, which will be different than pre-
pro for a solo micro-documentary. While the choices are the same, the
number of people and time involved is much different.
 P R E - P R ODUCTION
Here’s a non-exhaustiv e list of some decisions and actions you need to take
during Pre-production:
Lens Choice
Creating a Shot List
Choosing Your Aspect Ratio
Choosing the Right Camera
Going Solo or with a Crew
Putting Together a Film Crew
Casting or Finding a Subject
Finding a Location
Production Design
Costume Design or Wardrobe Suggestions
Planning Your Lighting
Renting Gear vs Buying Gear
Where’s It Going to Screen?
 Lens Choices
This is a critical yet typically ov erlooked choice.
While everyone freaks out about what camera they’re going to use when making a short
film, it’s less usual to hear about this much more important decision. Unless of course,
you make a habit of reading cinematography blogs and magazines.
While your choice of camera will have an effect on the overall quality of the image and
how nimble you’re able to be, the lens choices will be what help tell your story. Knowing
the best lens for your project is critical.
 Lens Choices
The first decision you need to make is w hether to use prime lenses (fixed focal
length lenses) or zoom lenses.
For narrative feature filmmaking, the decision is easy. Use primes. They provide much
higher quality. The quality of a lens is usually determined by how sharp the images it
captures are, how little the lens distorts the image, how colours are rendered, and how
nice the bokeh (background blur and shape of bokeh balls) is.
Super Simple Shot List
 Choosing the R ight
Camera
This is w here most indie filmmakers start pulling their hair out.
It doesn’t have to be such a complex decision, however. If you have no money, use the
camera your director of photography has access to or the one they want to rent.
If you’re aiming to become a solo filmmaker and you need to buy a camera, then it’s time
to start listing out all the ways you want to shoot. There are no perfect cameras that work
perfectly for every single type of shoot. You need to know what rigors your work will be
putting you through, and from there you choose a camera that will help the work get done
most efficiently.
If you’re planning on directing and film, and you’re not interested in becoming a solo
filmmaker, then don’t spend money buying a camera.
 Going Solo or With a
Crew
At a minimum, you’ll need a Director of P hotography (DP ),
Sound Recordist/Mixer (usually they like to w ork w ith a
Boom Operator w ho is the person w ho expertly handles
the microphone on the boom pole), Line Producer, and it
helps to have an Assistant Director (AD) otherwise your
Producer is going to be doing double duty. I’m assuming, you’d
be the Director in this case.
 Casting or Finding a
Subject
If you’re making a documentary, then your subjects will be based entirely
around what story you’re trying to tell.
If this is your first micro doc, then I’d recommend creating a piece about
someone you know. Don’t aim for the stars on your first go at it. Keep your
goals reasonable.
For a narrative piece, casting means finding actors that will fulfill the needs
of the story and the tone of the piece. Aside from bad audio, the biggest
thing that kills most short and indie feature films is bad acting.
 Casting or Finding a
Subject
What is bad acting, anyw ay?
It’s acting that doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel natural. It’s
awkward. It sounds canned. It feels like a line reading. There’s
no element of surprise. It’s dry. It’s dull. It’s lifeless.
Casting is your most important job as a director. Don’t take
this lightly.
 Finding a Location
Location is just as important for filmmaking as it is for real estate.
Not only do you need a location that looks authentic and helps tell your
story, but it can’t be full of crazy loud noises, it can’t be run over with people,
and it has to be available at the right time-based on the lighting that you
need.
The key to figuring out if a location is going to work is going there in person
and photographing it during the time of day you think you need.
 Production Design
Production Design is what creates the physical look of the film.
It’s like interior decorating at 1000x speed.
Except in the case of documentaries that are shot in a run-and-
gun style, you’ll always need to have some element of design
go into the look of the physical space.
 Production Design
At it’s most basic, this could just be mov ing some potted plants around
so your interv iew shot looks more aliv e.
On a narrative feature film, this means employing a Production Designer
and an entire team of people to create a world that doesn’t exist in reality.
For solo filmmakers, doing a super simple version of production design can
make a huge difference to the final quality of your film. You have to think
that you’re capturing an image that will last potentially 20+ years. That
image needs to help tell the story. It needs to evoke a feeling.
 Production Design
Something as little as noticing that a lamp has an ugly
sticker on it, and remov ing it w ill make a difference.
Noticing that you’ve got an electrical outlet in your shot, and
shifting a plant to hide it will make a difference.
As a solo filmmaker, you want to tend to your set and view it
critically, changing whatever you can to help best tell the story.
 Costume Design or
Wardrobe Suggestions
Costume design is largely ov erlooked by amateur productions,
but I know you w on’t make that mistake.
In some cases, you can get away with actors wearing their own
wardrobe items. But you have to make sure that it works with the
storyline.
How many short films have you seen with people wearing ill-fitting
suits? Well, I’ve seen quite a few. In real life, you probably shouldn’t
judge someone by how they’re dressed.
 Costume Design or
Wardrobe Suggestions
In film life, your audience immediately judges a character
by how they ’re dressed.
When it comes to documentary work, you can (and must) make
wardrobe suggestions to your subject. These are for both
technical reasons and to help enhance the story.
 Costume Design or
Wardrobe Suggestions
Examples of suggestions include:
Don’t wear stripes or small patterns (this can create moire)
Wear fitted items that won’t move excessively during filming
Wear a color that matches your eyes (this prevents people from wearing colors that make
their skin look sallow)
Wear a color that contrasts against the wall color
Don’t wear anything synthetic if you’re using lavalier mics (this rustles and creates noise in
your audio that is unpleasant and cannot be removed in the edit)
P R EPAR E, SHOOT, EDIT,
SHOW/P R ESENT
These are the things that put filmmaking in a nutshell. With all
those information (more info on the internet) you can now
make your own movie.

ENJOY AND GOOD LUCK!