How To Make Your First Movie

You can't make a movie without a good story. That's the special ingredient that makes it movie a movie otherwise what do you have? For some, coming up with a story is easy but for other's it's a chore. For this lesson I'll give you some tips and tricks for getting started and teach you the methods I use for coming up with my stories. We each will find what works for us but perhaps my techniques will inspire you to either go my direction or create your own way.

Now that you have your story it's time to move onto the next step; the screenplay! In this lesson we will go over the proper structure of a script, formatting, and I'll show you real screenplay samples to help you get started.

Although in the art world rules are made to be broken there are still a few things you should do and not do. We will go over all of it to help you write a better screenplay.

Blake Snyder was a Hollywood screenwriter who discovered a technique of writing that naturally appeared in most Hollywood films from the start of cinema. With this discovery he created "The Beat Sheet" which has become a standard for laying out your story. Although this is not necessary for all screenplays it can certainly help and if you find yourself stuck this could save your screenplay.

It can be easy to just write dialogue with basic characters but then you have a really boring screenplay and movie that will be equally as boring. Good dialogue is super important as well as developing your characters. Each character needs to have their own personality. It can be easy for new screenwriters to have every character they write seem like it's the same person. In this lesson I give you some tips to avoid that and have great characters with interesting dialogue.

Micro budget and low budget filmmakers may not have a lot of time for rewrites but Hollywood is known for it and could spend years in rewrites before production begins. All writers should take some away from their first draft and then go back after a month or longer. By then you will have fresh eyes and can go over your script to make changes, etc.

This is a cut throat business and if you don't protect your finished work you could end up in deep water. In this lesson I will tell you all about copyrighting your script and registering with the Writers Guild of America for extra protection. After this lesson you won't think twice about not getting your screenplay protected!

This course is all about making your first film but if you ever decided to write a screenplay and then seek out buyers for it then this lesson is for you. Here I will give you tips about "shopping" your script and tell you what you need to be aware of before you move forward.

Every filmmaker has their way of organizing their materials for budgeting. I like lists. Simple lists that I can add to a spreadsheet and also check off as I complete tasks. For this lesson I will tell you exactly how I do it and show samples of my lists from my actual screenplays. These lists include props, special effects, cast, etc.

There is no doubt that this is most tedious task and the least fun when making a movie. For some it's overwhelming and seems impossible to reach your goals. In this lesson we will go over different ways that you can budget your first film and discuss ways to save money by slashing it down without hurting your film.

There are many places for you to film your movie. Some free, some require a fee, some require insurance and some don't. I have never paid for a location, needed a permit, or had insurance. In this video lesson I will tell you what I do and how I do it. I have been able to get free locations just by asking and you can do it too!

Casting can be very stressful but also exciting and fun. You get to meet new people, make new connections, and sometimes make new friends. It is also a thrill when you see the faces of those who will bring your characters to life. Some new filmmakers face the difficulty of not knowing any actors, having little to no connections, and no clear way to find them. There are actually a lot of great ways and solutions to finding your cast and I will teach you all about it. There is a right way to cast and a wrong way. I will discuss this as well. By the time this lesson is over you will have the knowledge to go out there and find your cast!

Depending on your budget and resources you may or may not be able to have a full crew. This is doable as long as a few tasks are covered. I have shot films with one or two crew members. In this lesson I will guide you through the process of building your team and show you ways to make your film with just a few people and sometimes just yourself. This is where you will learn to think out of the box and, like with any job, having the right tools will go a long way.

Today, there are talented filmmakers, including Hollywood film directors, who are shooting films on an iPhone! The technology is so good now that getting a beautiful film is right in your pocket, literally! In this lesson we will talk about the various equipment you will need from a basic shoot to more advanced. We will talk microphones, lighting, stability, and more.

Props can be real or fake replicas. As long as they look real on screen it doesn't matter. I saved a lot of money in my budget by building props myself and making toy objects look real. As a creative person this can be a fun process. If you can get help even better. There are also websites that sell super cheap stuff that can be perfect as props. Even 3D printers can be a life saver for making props. We will go over the many things you can do and perhaps this lesson will open your mind to possibilities that even I didn't think of.

There are many ways to fund your film. The first is self funded with your own money. Second is crowd funding websites, and third is investors. I will teach you all about every option and some ways to raise money. I will also go over some pros and cons of using investors. After this lesson you should be ready to go out there and get what you need to pay for your movie.

Before I became a filmmaker I was an actor. I believe that every director should have some acting experience. This is comparable to an owner of a mechanic shop who have never worked on a car. Now he is going to tell his mechanic how to fix cars? You need that hands on experience. You need to know what it feels like to act. This will make you a better director. As an actor I have grown over time and learned so many great tips and I'm happy to share them in this lesson.

What is the role of a film director and should you do it or get someone? We go over all the things a director is responsible for, tips for being a good director, and why you should be the one to direct your first film.

When deciding how your movie will be made you may choose to not produce it yourself. Many independent filmmakers, and especially those who write their own films, choose to produce. Some do it on their own and some have multiple producers. Hollywood films always have a handful where independent films may have one or two. I highly recommend that you produce your own film. It will teach you so much that will be valuable to your career. In this lesson I'll explain what a producer does, how a producer's role differs from Hollywood films to Independent films and what you will need to do as a producer of your first film.

Before you even shoot one second of film with your actors you must have them sign a release. It could backfire on you in the future. These release forms will serve as a legal document. It is the written consent of the actor to use their image, voice, and likeness in your film and allows you to distribute a film, with their image, as you see fit. I'll explain more in the lesson and will have PDF release forms you can download and use.

If your first movie is low budget you may need to risk it and not have insurance but if you can do it then you should. Sometimes a location may require to carry insurance. We will discuss this and options available in this lesson.

As mentioned in an earlier lesson, good sound is vitally important. I made some big mistakes early on. Thankfully years later, due to better technology, I was able to fix it with software. Your goal is to not have to do that. I have some great tips to share that will make sure your sound is always good and put you above the rest. These tips will save you a ton of headaches and give you a wonderful soundtrack in post.

You can literally paint with light on your set! Lighting can give your movie a certain look and feel. Each scene can be made that much better with how you light it. We will go over different solutions and creative options to help you light your fist movie in awesome ways.

As you get ready to start filming it can get overwhelming. There is so much to do that your mind may want to shut down. I've been there. For this lesson I will help prepare you for the shoot and give you tips to help make it an easier process.

This is one of the oldest and cheapest techniques in the business. You can create all sorts of illusions without any special effects or CGI. The movie ELF made Will Ferrell look like a giant among the Elves simply sing the technique of Force Perspective. In this lesson I will show how and give you ideas on how you can use this technique for your film.

Each shot helps tell your story. Each filmmaker develops their own techniques and looks to make their films special. JJ Abrams is known for his lens flairs. It's his signature on his work. In the early days of Stephen Spielberg he used real people, non-actors, for a more realistic scene. There is no wrong answer to how you make each shot look and what your style is. Rules in the movie business are made to be broken. For this lesson we will go through this and I'll give some tips and tricks to help your stylize your film like a pro!

The time has finally come to start making your movie. Before you grab your camera and start rolling you need make sure everyone is on board. Scheduling is done even with the lowest of budgets. You have to work things out with your locations, actors, and crews and decide on the best times and dates to shoot on. I go over all of this in this lesson and lead you to some resources to help you schedule like a pro.

Not every effect needs to CGI or done in After Effects. There are some great things you can live on set. Some examples are lighting tricks, fog machine, and even creating creatures with nothing but a blanket and two flashlights! This lesson is designed to get you to think out of the box when creating effects live on camera.

Each filmmaker learns new tricks and develops techniques to make movies. In this lesson I will share some cool things you can do and how to do them. We will talk about day for night, and more! These little tricks can go a long way to making your movie even better!

This is where the real magic begins. Your footage is shot and your actor have moved onto to their other projects. Now it's time to put it all together. I will give you the basics of video editing and what programs I suggest you use. I'll also show you how to organize everything before you start to help you be more efficient and less stressed.

Color correction has become a must for filmmakers who want their films to stand out as professional. Thanks to DaVinci Resolve this has become a very easy and creative task. I will show you exactly how to color correct with this wonderful free program. When this lesson is over you will be able to get right in and color correct your movie.

Sound editing is part of the process. This includes fixing audio problems, adding voice overs, dubbing, fixing sync problems, and adding sound effects. This can actually be a fun process. You can choose to buy sound effects or record them yourself. This lesson will go over all that with some great resources you can use as well.

I have heard over and over again about how great my musical soundtracks are. I love music and I believe music is as important as the actor performances. Choosing the wrong music can destroy your movie. Music helps create a feeling with your audience. There are different ways to get music such as buying royalty-free music tracks, creating it yourself if you have musical abilities, or finding a musical artist to create a custom musical soundtrack for you. I have lots to share in this lesson and creating my musical soundtrack is always one of my favorite aspects of the editing process.

Twenty years ago CGI and special effects were time consuming and expensive. Most independent filmmakers either used cheap effects that ruined their movies or skipped it all together. That is no longer an issue and thanks to amazing software on the market you can make effects that are as good or better than Hollywood. What we are able to do on a home computer is mind blowing when you think about what it use to take and cost Hollywood productions. The secret is to not abuse effects and use it when needed. I am excited to share with you the possibilities and after this lesson you won't be able to control your excitement about what you can create! This is going to be a eye opening lesson!

Most streaming services require that you have subtitles/closes captioning for your film. Amazon Prime Direct won't even allow you to upload without a subtitle file. Adding subtitles is tedious but worth it in the end. It opens doors to a bigger audience and more distribution options. It's part of the process and I will show what I did to add subtitles to every film I made. We will break down this lesson into three parts as they are all related to each other.

Before we can do something with our completed film we must output it to a file format that matches what we plan on doing with it. Will you send your film to film festivals? Release on DVD and Blu-Ray? How about make available for digital download. In this lesson we go over the process and what you need to be aware of. We will also go over all the preparation work needed in order to author a DVD and Blu Ray. After this lesson you will making DVD's and Blu-Ray's like a pro!

In part 3 of subtitles and outputting your film we go through the entire process of authoring a DVD and Blu-Ray. There are many steps needed and we will cover all of it. In today's world there is less and less support for these formats however as a filmmaker DVD and especially Blu-Ray are viable for our business and we shouldn't count them out.

Now that your film is edited and complete it's ready for the public. This is where you have big choices to make. Each route is very different. We will go over all them such as film festivals, streaming services, You Tube, DVD release, and maybe even a theatrical release. Anything is possible and every so often a film comes along that proves that.

Just as we protect our screenplay we must also protect our motion picture. The process of getting a copyright is the same but you may also need a trademark. In this lesson I will share with you some horror stories, including my own, about what happens when someone steals someone else's protected work. After this lesson you will move as fast as you can to protect your movie!

Once your film is released to the public you receive the honor of being listed on the Internet Movie Date Base. It is up to you to get listed. For your actors, if they are not listed, you can list them as well which is great for their career. To get listed you have to start with your film and then add your cast and yourself. I'll show you how this process is done directly on the IMDB website.

As the filmmaker of your first film you need to think abut every single little detail and that includes the film poster, the stills, and the movie trailer. It needs to be compelling enough to draw people to your movie. They are forms of advertising. Have you noticed how many times the poster looks better than the movie? It can help bring in viewers so it's important to get it right. You can create it yourself or work with a graphic designer. We will go over all of this in the lesson and tips to create a compelling movie trailer.

Just because your actors and crew are done with the movie doesn't mean you should forget them. They are important and keeping the lines of communication open with them can be great for both of you. I have lots of recommendations on what you should do and not do. You may even develop long lasting friendships and collaborations as well. What you learn here will make you a better and more respected filmmaker.

As we near the end of this course I have some other things to go over. In the lesson we will talk about all sorts of little things that didn't quite fit into all previous lessons. These are the little things you need to know as you grow and move forward as a filmmaker.

In our final lesson I have some words of encouragement for you as you begin your mission to making your dreams become real. Having a dream is tough and full of ups and downs but making the effort to make it reality is huge accomplishment and something to be proud of. Congratulations on completing the coarse! Now go out there and make a great movie!!