Film Making-Guide to a Beautiful Journey

Film Making-Guide to a Beautiful Journey – Have you ever sat back after watching a movie, how much effort goes behind the scenes? Very few people will ever sit back and think about how much work it took to make. However, we may check out how much the actors were paid or what kind of budget the film worked with, but it’s impossible to know what it truly takes to make a film until you’ve been through the process yourself.

Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker or just want to get an idea of the film-making process, here’s a very simple process of how a film is made. Take it as the beginner’s guide to the filmmaking process:

The Concept

All the movies you’ve ever seen first started as a thought/concept in someone’s mind. Multiple improvisations are done during the course of the project however the initial concept/story is very important. It serves as the foundation of everything that takes place in the future in your project.

The story /concept will always pop up in your brain unexpectedly. Most Importantly, it is always advisable for aspiring filmmakers to have their notepads ready to write it down as soon as it pops up. Look around with thoughtfulness. Simple situations can sometimes give you a great story.

You should collate all such incidents, magazine cuttings, newspaper cuttings and store them somewhere. Interact with as many people as possible. You never know, which person can become the role model for your plot.

As you interact with people, you sometimes come across phrases which are really new and can become a popular dialogue if used in your movie. Collate all such phrases as well. (Film Making-Guide to a Beautiful Journey)

The Script

‘Script’ in literal terms means the written text of a play, film, or broadcast. The script is where you’ll put down the story, setting, and dialogue in an orderly manner. The script is the most important tool. It will be used by all involved in the project to know what will happen in the film. In fact, this will be the most important tool for yourself as well as it will guide you throughout.

The script can be improvised as and when you get a better idea. Invite idea from your team members as well.

The Storyboards

‘Storyboard’ helps you organize the sequences of your project through drawings. It is rightly said that drawings have a significant impact on our minds. The storyboard is a sequence of drawings that represent the shots you plan to film. Few filmmakers can take this as an optional step, however, I would recommend this process as it helps you visualize each scene and decide on things like camera, location, objects in your project. In fact, storyboard will be really helpful in explaining things to your team.

A simple tip for those who cannot draw well – Use your mobile phone with few people, location and objects. Click as many photographs as possible from various angles as per your imagination. This can be a resource in building your storyboard.

The Team

Finding the correct team can be a real tough situation. As I always say ‘Meet as many people as possible’. Exchange ideas. This is how you can gather a team of people. Since you are a beginner in the field, you won’t find people real quick, here involve your family and friends. Discuss your ideas with them and take a suggestion. Your initial team could be your family.

Visit Film festivals, theatres, screenings and find people who share the same interest as you do.

The perfect locations

For this you need to travel a lot. Just keep your story in mind and identify locations. You need not to hire costly locations. Travel and capture various places which could be hired for free and this might reduce the cost of production.

In my personal experience, outdoor locations benefit you more. We have filmed a project in beautiful locations in India where we did not pay anything.

Again, take suggestions from your team. Share your ideas with them and they might suggest you a location which was not there in your mind

The Film

All the steps mentioned above results in below. Be organized and stick to timelines. This will minimize your cost. Do not be afraid to shoot a scene from multiple angles as you do not know which will fit in the best.

My suggestion would be in addition to having a bound script, do use sound recorder while shooting. This will help you while dubbing the film.

The Post-Production

If you thought shooting the film was enough, you are wrong. Now comes the most time-consuming part. Now you need to edit the scenes first to bring the movie in its timelines. You need to add sound effects, complete dubbing, music/mixing, visual effects, and color corrections.

Here you need to be careful and take suggestions from people who have correct knowledge so that the output is really good.

The ultimate mantra is, ‘Keep Smiling’. I wish you all the best for your upcoming film! Post your questions in the comments section below.

Film making-Guide to a Beautiful Journey!