Anyone can make a short film in today’s modern and digital age. Young people who want to work in the film industry, for example, can hone their skills by shooting home movies. New entrepreneurs can generate buzz for their startup business by creating promotional videos; and environmental, political and socioeconomic advocates can raise awareness about the causes they support by making informative clips.
But, if you’re planning to create a short film, don’t just jump in blindly with both feet. To come up with a unique video that will grab the attention of your target audience, you need to take these steps:
Take time to think of a concept
It can be tempting to grab your camera and film everything that moves, but don’t give in to the temptation. Instead, sit down and think about how you’ll approach your project.
You can start by asking yourself these questions: Why do you want to make the film? What is its purpose? What do you aim to achieve when you finish it and show it to your target audience? Through these questions, you can come up with ideas that will let you convey your message in an effective way and ultimately achieve your goal (e.g. promote your new business or highlight a certain socioeconomic problem).
Once you have a concept, start writing the script. You can do this by yourself, or you can get the help of someone who’s had experience in scriptwriting. Don’t forget to create a storyboard of your film. This can take up a lot of your time, but the effort is worth it since a storyboard helps you visualise scenes, calculate how much you’ll spend on the project and even spot any potential problems.
Decide on your budget
Creating a short film requires a substantial amount of money. So, before getting started, you need to come up with a reasonable budget. This way, you can complete your project without drilling a hole in your wallet and spending more than what you can afford.
If you’ve tallied up your expenses and found out that your cash on hand isn’t enough to cover everything, you’ll need to find ways to raise additional money. Joining filmmaker funding competitions, creating funding campaigns through crowdsourcing platforms (like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Seed&Spark and Slated), even selling any personal items you no longer need — these are just some of the things you can do to raise cash for your project.
Work with the right people
You have to admit it: no matter how talented you are, you’ll still need the help of others to put your film together. So, as early as possible, look for skilful and experienced people who can assist you and be a valuable part of your filmmaking team. These include a director, a producer, a sound recorder a cinematographer (who’ll take care of the lights and camera) and a post-production editor.
Of course, you don’t have to do everything on your own. If you find that you don’t have enough time to handle a certain task or don’t have the skills for it, don’t hesitate to outsource it to the experts. If you need false façades and paint finishes for a certain scene, for instance, make sure to hire Craftwork Projects. They specialise in providing set design services in Brighton and have a team of designers, artists and craftsmen who can create almost any type of scenery and backdrop. Just tell them about what your requirements are, and they’ll work closely with you (whether in a set or on location) to come up with high-quality and thoroughly realistic environments for your film.
Take these steps now and be closer to creating the short film you’ve been dreaming of!
