How to make movies at home: recommendations, description and features

Each of us has something to show the world. Someone opens their thoughts in literature, some prefer drawing, the third is a dance. And the fourth choose cinema as a combination of all possible ways of self-expression. Of course, before large-scale Hollywood blockbusters in this case, far away, but "home" movies sometimes are no worse than famous paintings. How to make a movie, and can you even do it without special skills and professional equipment? Let's try to find out.

Where to begin?

The only thing you need right at the beginning is an idea. Do you want to make a documentary film by sharing your knowledge or thoughts with the whole world, or is it something light, which can be laughed at from the heart? Or maybe you have a thriller idea? In any case, before shooting a film, it is necessary to specifically define the genre, because for each direction of the cinema there are certain specific features and unspoken rules (for example, no one will show bloody murders in a romantic comedy). Ideally, you need to have a certain idea, at least approximate, in order to know what will be possible to push off at the next stage.

The beginning began: a sketch of the script

How do they make movies in Hollywood? They prepare for a long time, write multi-page scripts, fight for funding, then for actors, they prepare scenery, sew costumes - the process is very, very time consuming. And it's a very big mistake to think that when shooting a home movie, you can avoid all this. Of course, the scale of the work is several times smaller, but nobody canceled the planning, the script and other aspects, from which any film forms.

When the main idea is already there, when the genre was decided, it's time to begin writing the script. First you can in the form of a small story - just sketch a general concept, which then will develop into a full-fledged action. It will also be naive to believe that this variant, the original, will remain so until the end. The corrections will be so much that it is scary to imagine. Remember: how professionals make films, so we shoot movies and we!

Continuation of work on the scenario

When the initial script is finally ready and even slightly ordered (in general, it is created for the most part so as not to obscure excess), it is necessary to supplement it with smaller details. For example, to designate when titles will appear, where the survey plan will change and so on. Although, of course, everything depends for the most part on what you will shoot. In large-scale films, it's better to paint both character movements, and dialogs, and the location of the locations - absolutely everything that gets into the frame. You need to take into account any detail, especially before you shoot a movie at home, where the actors are not professionals who can work with the camera and do not need additional advice and tips.

Actors

So, our script is ready, every detail is thought through, including the color of the curtains in the room, where one of the episodes will be shot. How to shoot a movie next?

We need actors, right? The number of them depends solely on your imagination, but still the fewer people are involved, the easier it will be to work. And the order of support will be easier. Here, by the way, it is quite likely that one of the main problems of "home" cinema will arise: friends who are eager to become movie stars, but are not at all suited to the role that you have imagined. And it's hard to say, it's right in this case to succumb to relatives, rewriting roles for them, or to deny a friend, provoking, perhaps, a serious conflict.

Attributes

But the process of selecting actors does not begin shooting. It is necessary to think over the costumes - the initial ones may simply not be suitable for specific people both in size (such a problem is solved by a couple of hours of work at the sewing machine), and simply by fashion. And it's best to fit all the outfits in advance, so that you do not have to waste time on that later. Unlike how specially trained people make films, we do not have so much human resources at our disposal to simultaneously engage in the creation of the film and work on costumes.

Shooting. Double times - camera setup

And now we take in the hands of the camera and try on the role of the operator. Of course, the quality of the final picture will depend on the properties of the camera, but a real masterpiece can be removed on a soap camera, whereas a professional action camera can spoil any story. But let's get into the process of shooting deeper.

To begin with, you need to remember that before you shoot a movie, you need to practice working with the camera. And it's not just a matter of studying the many modes-settings. It is important to understand what actions the device will respond to, and which ones will not. Professional equipment will be easily removed in any conditions, while low-end cameras and cameras will respond to the slightest trembling of hands. It is best, if there is such an opportunity, to use any supports under the elbows, on which you can lean, so that your hands (especially after an hour or two of shooting) do not tremble noticeably.

Shooting. Take two - down monotony!

We go further to point number two. No persistence! And this is one of the main tips on how to make a short film. A short film, but this format is most often chosen by young directors, and a full-length long film should not be filled with long filming of the same object from the same angle. It is better to show it from different angles, in different situations, with different lighting and so on. Dynamic is our everything.

Shooting. Take three - eyes on the back of the head

Rule three - we observe what is happening around. Of course, the main interest for the operator is represented by actors, but he must also ensure that something superfluous is not included in the shot. No matter how good the interior is, there can always be something that will spoil the overall picture (for example, for a certain angle, the hunting trophy - horns - hanging peacefully on the wall can turn into the horns of one of the actors). Yes, in this situation, it will not be too difficult to reshoot, but why create extra work for yourself?

Shooting. Take four - the point of shooting and light

In general, the selection of camera angle and lighting is one of the main difficulties encountered by practically all beginning operators. One is enough to read articles on the Internet about the distortions that occur with the change of the survey point (for example, what we take from the bottom seems to be more massive, and the recorded from above, on the contrary, is felt tiny), while others prefer to try everything on their own - This in advance, so as not to create delays in the process of filming later.

As for lighting, you can also find a huge amount of information. Everyone knows that it plays a very important role in the filming process. With the help of correctly selected light, the old woman can be made a charming woman in the prime of life, and turn a young girl into a panda. Here again, either the preliminary preparation and reading of the theory, or the method of trial and error - decide for yourself.

Shooting. Take five - stop, please ...

Even before shooting a film, it is better to read at least some theory on this issue. From there, by the way, you can find out that it's better to finish a movie or some one episode with a static, still shot - it is perceived by a person as a point after which, it is likely, a new chapter will begin. From a constant video series, the human brain will simply get tired - this is our nature, so let's pause.

Shooting. Take six - where were we?

Here, by the way, is another underwater rock, a big one and dangerous. It is necessary to remember what ended the previous video series. The final scene, especially if it's a retort, can then be very funny to combine with the next one (for example, the couple stretches to each other for a kiss, and in the next frame the young man talks about how dirty around them - well, that does not blend in, right?) . In order to avoid such embarrassments, watch for the sequence of scenes.

Finishing line - mounting video

Are we finished with the process of filming? If all the material is already filmed, then it's time to fix the film. After all, how to make a movie without final work with the material?

There is a huge number of special programs for working with video sequences, allowing not only to combine a lot of disparate video into one, but also impose special effects. You can use the primitive MovieMaker, but the tools here are very limited, so it's better to download something more advanced on the Internet, for example, Movavi.

And then everything is simple. Tracks of video are lined up into one, music is superimposed, transitions are made-detailed instructions for each of these actions can be found on the net or can be sorted out manually, if not a pity for free time.

When the series is configured, you can view it, make some changes, then revisit it again to make sure that everything is done in the best possible way. And after that already save to disk.

You can already see the final flags - adding effects

Add various effects can be in an interesting program After Effect from the producers known to all "Photoshop". Well, how to shoot a short film without at least minimal effects? Adding multicolored lines, interestingly designed inserts, applying filters to frames - all this can be done in this program. It definitely helps to make the final video more quality and memorable.

Completely finished

Now that the video is ready, it remains only to save it in a suitable format. It all depends on the computer on which you are working - it may simply not support any file formats. So we choose the most convenient for us and enjoy our movie!

We generalize and repeat

How to make a good documentary or a good comedy, how to create a memorable thriller or just a short film on a burning topic? We will repeat everything again: we come up with the idea, we develop the concept, then we write the outline of the script, we supplement it with all the necessary details, then we start working on the actors, costumes, scenery and other parts of the visual component. We pass all the hellish shootings, then we proceed to the direct editing of the film, adding music, titles, effects and other amenities, the main task of which is to attract the viewer's attention. And only after all this is done, you can think about showing your work to the audience.

All novice filmmakers important thing to remember: faith in yourself and hard work will help create a real masterpiece, even with the minimum available resources. Good luck!