Post-Production

We have finally reached our final step in the film making process: post-production.

Pre-production was all about laying the ground work for our film, production was about executing those plans and post-production is about taking what you have and creating your final finished film.

What is Post-Production?

“Pre-production is everything that takes place after filming stops,” say Professor Tom Campbell. “It’s about taking the footage that you have gathered and assembling it in a way that ultimately gives the best presentation.”

This stage of the film making process is where the young film maker is able to really take control and make the kind of film they have envisioned. It’s about piecing together all of the footage that they have gathered: compiling, fixing, and tweaking it to make sure that it is perfect. All of this is what guarantees a flawless final film.

Intricacies of Post-Production:

There are a lot of aspects that go into the post-production process.

In most instances, when we film we use cassette tapes to record our footage. You may be asking yourself, well how do I get my footage from the tape to the computer? This is an excellence question.

In post-production, we do something called, digitizing. What that simply means is that you are taking the footage that you shot and converting it to a format that will allow you to edit and view it on your computer. You insert your cassette tape into something called a deck. The deck is connected to your computer and allows you to choose what footage you want converted and sent to your computer.

For more information about decks and digitizing check out The Online Community for Filmmaking Forum.

How Do I Edit My Footage?

Once your footage has successfully been converted and is on your computer screen is when the real fun begins.

Generally, most student film makers choose to use Final Cut Pro as their choice editing software program. This is also what I use and speaking from firsthand experience, it is extremely user friendly and easy to operate.

Using Final Cut Pro you are able to make any adjustments you feel are necessary to your footage. You are able to cut clips, add music, adjust sound volumes and lighting as well as add text and effects.

For more information on Final Cut Pro check out their official website!

Post-Production is the last phase before your film is completed. Once you are happy with all of your edited and pieced together footage, the post production stage is completed and you have successfully created a student film!

Production

As a film maker, your main objective in the pre-production phase is to plan and resolve all issues that have and may arise during filming.

Now that we have mastered the essentials of pre-production, it’s crucial that we take all that we have learned and apply it to our next step in the film making process: Production.

What is Production?

Production is everything that occurs once the cameras begin rolling. All of the details and plans that were so delicately handled and executed in pre-production are now ready to be brought to life in front of the camera.

Production takes place on a variety of different sets and locations and requires an open and amicable relationship between both the director and his cast and crew.

 What Does Production Consist Of?

Ultimately, the director is the person who is in control of the production of a film. It is the directors’ vision that is trying to be captured, but it is the cast and crew that bring those visions to life.

 “Once those cameras start rolling, it’s a whole new ballgame,” says aspiring director Brian Friedman. “As a director, you have such a short amount of time to get the shot. It’s crucial that everybody, both cast and crew, be on the same page. As the director that is your job.”

Production is an extremely expensive phase of the film making process because it’s where the majority of the piece is created. You are dealing with locations, sets, actors and crew; all of which cost money. As the director it is your job to not only make sure you got your shots but that you are staying on schedule as well as on budget.

Remember time is money in this business. It’s important to get things done in the timeliest fashion.

What We Take Away From Production

 Granted, production may seem like an extremely stressful and time consuming aspect of the film making process but it is also one of the most rewarding.

As the director, you are in charge. You call the shots and make the decisions. The payoff is extremely rewarding because the finished product is a piece that you not only envisioned but directed and brought to life for countless others to enjoy.

There is always room for improvement and as a film maker it’s important to recognize that. We are constantly learning and adapting our techniques and we do so by watching other films. One of the best learning tools is watching and taking aspects from films you watch and applying them to your own technique.

Here are some great scenes from, General Hospital, that not only inspire my creativity but that I really enjoy as well:

 

(Video) Pre-Production in a Nutshell

I came across this video on youtube that really illustrates, in a nutshell, what pre-production is all about. I felt it coincided nicely with my "how to" post. Enjoy! 

Pre-Production

In my last blog post, The Power of Three, we discussed the three basic concepts that are elemental to film making; the shot, the scene, and the sequence.

Having knowledge of these key concepts and how they relate to film readies us for our first official step in the making of our student film, pre-production.

What is Pre-Production?

Pre-production is the first of three essential elements of film making. “Pre-production is everything that happens before you begin to film,” says Professor Thomas Campbell. “What you’re really doing is laying out the groundwork…so that when it comes time for production all issues have been dealt with.”

As Professor Campbell highlighted, pre-production is known as the “planning stage.” Your key goal, as the film maker, during pre-production is to find the most efficient way to get this film made.

What Does Pre-Production Consist Of?

There are a great number of tasks that fall under the pre-production category. All of which are designed to make your life much easier when it comes time for filming.

One of the most essential elements of pre-production is having a written script. Once the script is finalized you can begin making important decisions and plans for the project.

Such plans include the casting of your actors, setting your allotted budget, floor planning and location availability, scheduling and story boarding. Each require the utmost attention and if dealt with in advance eliminate any issues on set.

Other things that are important to keep in mind while planning for your shoot are what kind of equipment you want to use and have access to, the sets you plan on using for your film, as well as any props or wardrobe that maybe need to enhance the scene and make it more realistic.

All of these concerns, issues and decisions fall under pre-production.

What is Story Boarding?

Most of the components of pre-production are self explanatory however, you may find yourself asking, what is story boarding?

Story boarding is very simple. It’s basically taking your written script and converting it to images using various slides to depict your scenes The purpose of story boarding is to help the director visualize the concept and layout how he/she wants things to look.

Pre-production is all about decision making and planning. It’s important to be very organized and efficient throughout this stage of film making because the decisions made during this stage heavily impact both production and post-production.

For more information about pre-production check out one of my favorite sites Videomaker.

The Power of Three

The prospect of creating a student film may seem overly ambitious and very difficult to achieve. You may be saying to yourself, I wouldn’t even know where or how to begin such a complex project.

Well, you would be half right. Although film making is a very arduous, complicated and time consuming art, it’s not as unachievable as one may believe. As with everything, there’s a systematic process and steps that break down each part of the creative process for you. If followed correctly, your end result will be your vision being brought to life through your film.

Before we get into the more technical stages of film making, let’s first start with a few basic definitions and concepts.

“The purpose of filmmaking is to tell a story,” says my Video I professor Tom Campbell. “In film making we work with the concept of threes. Ever film must contain [and be comprised of] shots, scenes and sequences.” These three components are what give life to a film.

Now the question is; what do these terms mean to you in terms of filming making?

SHOT:

Let’s start with a shot. Basically, a shot is anything that occurs between the time of you hitting record to stopping recording. This is known as single shot shooting. When you take those single shots and begin piecing them together you begin to develop a scene.

SCENE:

A scene is what unravels the story you’re trying to tell. In creating a scene, you take the collection of shots you’ve taken and begin piecing them together in order to create a story.

Transitions are helpful tools that help make the shots being pieced together flow in a more natural appearance. When filming a scene there is usually only one location. When you change the location, you change the scene.

SEQUENCE:

The last component is sequence. Sequence is taking one action to another. What you are trying to do here is create a sense of flow between your scenes. You want to make them look as natural and smooth as possible.

Now that you have these three components down, you’re in pretty good shape to start brainstorming your film concept. When creating your script think in terms of what shots, scenes and sequencing you want to use. That will come in handy when you move on to pre- production. We discuss pre-production in the next blog.

If you’re interested in connecting with fellow students and exchanging tips and stories check out this Student Filmmakers Forum

(VIDEO) How to Use The Sony HDR-FX1000 Camera

In regards to my previous post about the Sony HDR-FX1000 camera , I found this instructional video on you tube that takes you through the process of unboxing the camera,setting up and using all the manual controls and options. It's a how to that gets you fully prepared for filming in just under 15 minutes! It illustrates not only how great of a camera it is but also just  how user friendly it really is. Enjoy!

Thanks to leodee for posting! You can also view the video here

I'm Ready For My Close-Up!

Having the best equipped camera, is one of the most integral parts of creating a successful student film. The process of creating a film is both exhausting and overwhelming.

As a filmmaker and artist we want everything to be as perfect as we envision it in our minds. Unfortunately, attaining that level of perfection is close to impossible. Thankfully, we have advanced technology to help us reach our desired result. 
  
If you’re a student, like me, the best option for you is the Handycam HDR-FX1000 Camcorder, by Sony. Especially in these economic hardships, we want something that is relatively inexpensive and that will successfully get the job done. This camera is affordably priced anywhere between $2,999.00 - $3,586.24 and is fully equipped with several features that will greatly enhance your filming experience. 


You may be asking yourself, why this camera? Well, I’ll tell you.


Picture quality is probably the most important thing we look for when deciding which camera to purchase. Not only does the HDR-FX1000 have a full HD resolution option but it also is light in weight and unparallel in terms of its low light shooting ability. What that means is, in addition to being portable the camera also delivers back crisp clear video footage.


“The picture quality is simply amazing,” says my fellow Adelphi classmate Emily Frisbie. “It really is the best and easiest camera to use and maneuver. It gave me the freedom to film the piece I wanted to make, the way I wanted to make it."

The HDR-FX1000  is also equipped with several manual controls which allow you, the director, to take even more liberties in your filming options. A few of these options are  exposure, color temperature, depth of field, zoom and wide angle/telephoto perspectives.

Another feature the HDR-FX1000 comes with is an impressive 20x optical zoom. This “allows the camcorder to fill the frame with far-away objects at the touch of a button.” The camcorder also comes with at least two formats: the hard-disk drive and the flash memory.

As artists, we have a vision that we want to get across to our audience. Having the right equipment is essential for us to be successful.

For more information about the Handycam HDR-FX1000 Camcorder, visit Sony’s official site: