The Guardian - How to Make Films.

Scriptwriting.

When you have an idea for a film you need to write a treatment, otherwise known as a synopsis; this is a brief summary of all the major and key events that occur, the characters involved and details on the settings and actions however you do not mention any dialogue as this comes in the script.
-The first 3/4 lines of the treatment needs to state the who, where, what and why of the story plot.
-Another use of a treatment is that it can be sent to possible producers and act as a sale tool.

• A feature film often contains 12 pages of duration whereas a short film varies from 2-5 pages in length.

Screenplay

Screenplay (or script) is a document which contains details of the film, characters details, actions, settings and dialogue.  The script needs to create vivid imagery so the reader can get a clear view of what it's about. One crucial part of the writing process is the redrafting stage - it allows changes to all areas (characters, setting, dialogue etc).

Narrative Structures

Narrative: "a story told in a specific way".

The three act structure states that the narrative needs to be sectioned into 3 areas. Act 1 is obviously the beginning and identifies where the story begins and the characters get introduced. Act 2 is the middle section where the story develops. Act 3 is known as the 'resolution' where the story ties up and comes to an end.

Producing.

Planning

Producers have to stick to a plan which was created in pre production stage. The main responsabilities that the producers have is the budget and shooting schedule. Private and public are both ways you could fund films. Public funding often comes from government grants and tax breaks. Private funding often comes from the company or an individual who is in the production business (this usually allows them to have a percentage of the profits). People often fund themselves if the film is running on a low to no budget. Self funding results to a small budget.

Budgeting

To work out avaliable funds a budget is often created in pre production. In order to obtain this a check list of all costs. A blue print is created and "this budget is fundamental to the end product". The budget then has to be split in to different departments.

Schedules

Due to the different lengths and detail of films, the amount of time making it could range from a day to months. A contingency (back up plan) is needed during the process in case on a day of shooting something doesn't go to plan e.g. weather, ill actors. Schedules help break down the script so shooting will all take place in one location as it saves time and doesn't cost as much money.

Locations

The two main locations where film it shot is in a studio and real life setting. With these there are both pros and cons and when shooting outside 'recce' testers need to be done.

Equipment

When making a film a range of expensive equipment is needed to produce quality. Most equipment is hired from facilities houses where they provide cameras + accessories, lighting, tracks and cranes.

Directing.

The main job of the director is deciding the 'look and feel' to the film and are responsible for the actors and the position to the cameras.

Shot Sizes

Long and close up shots are the main camera styles which are determined by the distance between the camera and action. When the shot size is a close up a lot of specific detail is shown while the long shot adds more context to the shot. Big close up, mid shot, close up, close shot, medium long shot, medium close up and long shot are all types of shot sizes.

Camera Movements

The speed of the camera can also be crucial as the director needs to decide the speed it goes for the effects. The faster the camera goes, the more dynamtic and dramatic affects while the slower the camera can create emotion.
Pan, Tilt, Zoom in or out, Track in or out and Dolly, Crane, Hand-held, Steadicam are all kinds of camera movements.

Creating a Sequence

When it comes to the film, the scenes can be reordered which allows the director to get the perfect film sequence.

"Shooting scripts is a document that puts all the shot sequences together"

"Storyboards are drawings of the scripts"

Working with Actors

Besides directing the film and content, the director also need s to direct the crew and cast to make sure they are working to the best of their ability and making the film good quality.

Cinematography.

DOP=director of photography.

The DOP creates all of the directors wishes and is able to create the correct mood and feelings to the film.

Format

Digital and film are two different kinds of format. Digital is with a tape and recorder whereas film is with a film spool which gets transfered to a film magazine (this is sensititve to light exposure).

Picture Composition and Framing

When each scene is composed the DOP has to plan how to make the scene effective; this is done by the distance, lens and angle of the the camera.

Lighting

The positioning and direction of the lighting help to create different moods and effects and the DOP would make the decision of this when making the film. To measure the light a light meter is needed which controls the exposure and aperture settings. There are several other techniques when it comes to lighting such as shadows, contrast, illumination (single candle), quality and intensity levels.

Lenses

The DOP will know when to use different lens when shooting. These can range from length to width. Depending whether to want a lot of background behind the action you would need to change the focal lens. The zoom, aperture, the field, frame and the angle also depend on the lens to get the achieved look.

Sound.

Audio Field Production

These are the main sounds which are recorded during the production of the film. After all sounds are edited together to make a soundtrack. When the film is being shot, the music and sound is done separately.
Synchronised- dialogue and action sounds
Non-sychronised- background sounds (also known as a wild track)

Microphones

Seeing as microphones have different pick up patterns it's important that the right one is chosen for a particular scene. There are three different kinds of microphone patterns: Omnidirectional, Bidirectional and Cardioid.

Post-Production Sound

This is where the final soundtrack is recorded where everything is mixed together. A dubbing sheet is needed which states where each sound is placed in the film and whether or not sounds overlap (also known as track laying). Overlapping helps to make things more effective.

Music

Music is a key feature in a film as it has to create emotion for the audience. Some of the sources music can come from are: commercial band's recording repertoire, copyright-free library audio material or commissioned work. Music uses melody, rhythm, tempo, different tones to help create a mood for the audience.

Sound Effects

Sound effects are not verbal and can be made in a studio or sound library. Other effects can be added on sound tracks to heighten emotions and feelings. Many of the sound effects are recorded during post-production.

Editing.

The editor has to put all the scenes in a correct narrative sequence in order for it to make sense. The sequence in which the scenes are placed can help create emphasis, shock, excitement or horror. This can also the reinforce by the speed of the scenes which the editor deals with. Most editing is done on digital systems such as Avid or Final Cut Pro, however when using film you need to begin with a work print.

Continuity

This focuses on the positioning of the shots depending on the narrative time. In the continuity section involves the kind of shots and the camera positions used and combining them into a sequence.
Some of the continuity editing techniques are 180 degree rule, parallel editing, matching eyelines, match on action, shot reverse shot and 30 degree rule.

Manipulating Time

Considering the making of film and progressed it allows events on camera to either speed up or slow down to get the desired effect. Parallel action creates the idea that events happen simultaneously in the film and the transition is the way in which to 'cuts' can be joined together. A cut is a when two shots change.