How To Make A Movie

Crew Casting

This part can be tricky because it can take an unnecessarily long time to get the perfect crew. Although there are ways to reduce the time spent looking for an excellent cast, it can still be quite stressful. Before the cast, though, there is some vital personnel that should be sorted. They are:

1. Director: This individual is in charge of the creative aspect of making the movie. The director should have a concise idea of what the film should look like and how to implement it accordingly. Sometimes, directors get to choose who they work with or who fits a character perfectly.
2. Director of Photography: This individual works in conjunction with the director to shoot the different scenes. This person is in charge of lighting, photography, the people that handle the instruments used for these actions, and decides how each frame should be lit or shot.
3. Set Designer: This individual is in charge of the set and looks to fit the director’s idea. This person uses good props for each shot, and sometimes their jobs extend to costume design. For industrial-grade movie production, costume designers are set apart, but a costume designer’s job can be combined with a set designer’s position for a low-budget movie.    
4. Sound Engineer: This job is as important as any job on set. The sound engineer is in charge of capturing the sound and rectifying faults with the sound system. In addition, this individual sometimes has to pick the adequate backup track or music for each scene and the intensity of the sound because it goes a long way in movie productions. 

With these four personnel in place, casting the crew becomes a tad easier. Again, the director can be in charge of this, or auditions can be organized to get the best possible person for each role.

Choose A Location

There is always a preferred location for any movie, but the truth is there might not be accessible to the preferred site and hence the need to build a set. It is easier, though, to use a natural location for Filming. It’s always good to check the availability of a site before production starts. It saves a lot of time and unforeseen changes. In some cases, green screens are used as backgrounds when real locations are unavailable, while movie editors bring the green background to life.

Story/Plot

This goes without saying, but every movie should have a story or plot. While everyone gets ideas about what the ideal film should look like, there is an extensive documentation process between that movie idea and the presented final story. While ideas are a rough sketch, moviemakers must develop the plot around streamlined ideas to avoid stories that can’t be quickly resolved.

When developing an idea, it is pertinent to define the protagonist and other characters explicitly. Another thing to note when creating a plot is the development and resolution of conflict. Conflicts are essential for creating climax, which is necessary for any good story.

Screenplay

Imagine a scene from a favorite movie and all the dialogue or monologue that took place in it. Now imagine details such as body movement and position, camera angle, facial expressions, time of the day, and any other detail. 

All the elements of the scene are in the screenplay. As daunting as creating a story from an idea can be, the screenplay is the real deal as far as the core production is concerned.

A screenplay is the breakdown of every moment into individual scenes. It includes details such as monologue or dialogue, some physical directions, movement of the camera, and exposition. 

Screenplays start with a brief description of the scene to be acted. Then, the script is what is given to actors to read during auditions. It is always better to hire a professional to write the screenplay because of the intricacies it requires.

Storyboarding makes the use of cartoon characters to depict the crucial scenes, but the dialogue is absent. It’s not compulsory, but it helps directors stay on track and helps share the moviemaker’s vision with the crew and cast.

Software

The software to be used for video editing should be carefully chosen because of the different unique qualities of the video editing software. The common ones are Adobe premiere pro, avid Media composers, but searches can always find the ones that will suit a video editing need.

Production Stage

The primary production involves the actual filming of the movie. Here, every personnel hired has a common goal of making video footage with the equipment provided. The actors are also tasked with bringing the character to life in the best possible way. Producing a movie can take a while depending on different factors, but since the goal is to make a memorable movie, time should not be much of a constraint as long expenditures are still within the budget.

The central element of the production stage is filming the actor’s work and using sets, costumes, props, and the rest. The elements of production are:

Costumes/style/colors/lighting/sound

• Costumes: They are an essential part of making a movie. While movie editing software can do beautiful things to the footage, live costumes remain a vital part of filming. The imagination of the costume designer is the only limitation to the effect costumes can have on a movie. With the screenplay, a befitting outfit is acquired, and sometimes the costume artists still have to work on the set or location to create the right picture for the audience.
• Filming Style: A filming style is a technique adopted when shooting a movie. A famous example of a filming style is the mumblecore(1). The style of filming being used can dictate the intensity of emotions to be gotten from the audience. Therefore, every movie must adopt at least one filming style.

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It’s good to watch lots of movies with the eyes of someone intending to create one. This means critical analysis of the details since what to look out for is known.

• Colors: Movies always come with a color theme. It sets the tone for the movie, and scenarios have been attributed to some colors or particular hues. The director knows how to play on the audience’s emotion by choosing a color to be dominant when the movie is being shot. Colors are also crucial concerning the set or location.
• Lighting: Lighting is also an integral part of filming. Even though there are cameras with powerful lenses now, lighting is used in almost all the shots in movie production. The proper lighting (sometimes with reflectors) also sets the tone in movie production(2). For example, a happy scene will be lit differently from a scene where the character is moody.
• Sound: Sounds are crucial to movie production. Many people won’t enjoy watching movies without sounds and sound effects. The voices of the characters must be clear and audible. Also, there shouldn’t be fluctuations in the sound when recording, except it’s intended for an effect. Sometimes, voices are pre-recorded and then synced with the video during editing.