Now, when you’re shooting for editing, you can do so to various degrees. A prime example that’s often brought up when shooting for editing is mentioned, is Robert Rodriguez’ El Mariachi. Hear the director explain how he planned his shots with the final edit in mind.

This is obviously taking it to the extremes. With digital cameras, laptop workstations and powerful editing software, your options are plentiful, even on a budget. So let’s take a look at how director and co-writer of The Storyteller, Joe Crump, approached the shoot – knowing that he would also be editing the footage. Here’s our conversation.

Why did you decide to edit the film yourself? Pros and cons to this approach?

 

In filmmaking, the story is told three times, 1. by the screenwriters, 2. by the director and 3. by the editors. I wanted to be involved in all three parts of this process. I also love to edit and my co-editor was my daughter, Katie Crump – who sat by my side and helped me craft the story.

 

So the pros of doing it myself is that it’s a hell of a lot of fun and I got to spend a lot of time with Katie. I also had help syncing the dailies from Nick Andrews, Saxony Wynecoop and Emelie Flower… which made our job a lot easier since they had to be done manually.

 

The cons – I couldn’t blame anyone else for my mistakes as a director or not getting coverage. I was told by several people that I should let someone else edit it – that I was too close to it – and I suppose that may turn out to be the case, but I don’t think it has. In fact, I think being close to it might have helped.

 

Knowing you would be editing yourself, how did you plan ahead? Did you organize the footage in a certain way?

 

We had a wonderful script supervisor, Michael Blomquist. He kept amazing notes and handed us a very detailed log when all was said and done. We also had a sound log that was very helpful from our sound mixer Bud Osborne. We kept all the camera file names so it was easy to cross reference.

 

After that, we kept track of everything by the day we shot it. We then created sequences that were about 5 minutes in length – we’d break them up by shot.

 

We then nested each of these sequences into one long master sequence. Using nested sequences speeds everything up and makes it much easier to find the shots you are looking for on your timeline.

 

We used an Alexa Mini and our camera original files were ProRes 4444, which won’t play on a PC – so we ended up making proxies to edit picture. While we were editing, (we used Premiere Pro CC), Adobe upgraded Premiere and now we can play the camera original on the PC – we still can’t open those files on a PC in Quicktime without hacking the metadata – and that caused the software to crash… you gotta love Apple and their proprietary codec.

Did the fact that you knew how you would be editing the film inspire any of your choices while shooting? Shot compositions? Long takes vs short takes? Blocking and actions?

 

Yes, absolutely. I spent a lot of time creating a shot list before I started directing. This is my first narrative feature film, so I had a good deal of fear and trepidation going into it – thinking that somehow, when I got on the set, everything would go to hell and I’d forget all the important things I needed to include or watch out for in the film. My shot list was 100 pages of notes, 100 pages of location pictures and diagrams and 90 pages of script. I broke up my shotlist into binders that we broke up by location. That way I wouldn’t have to carry all 300 pages, just the pages I needed for that particular location. Yes, this was probably overkill, but it makes things a lot more relaxing when you are prepared and it made it possible for me to work with my Director of Photography, Dan Clarke to come up with some additional shots that were better than I had planned on my own. As the shoot went on, my expectations of what our shots should look like and do got higher and higher. I didn’t just want to tell the story, I wanted to do it elegantly – and sometimes, you have to be there on the set to see something, an angle, a space, a camera move, the right angle of daylight… and take advantage of it when it appears. This takes a calm set and an fully engaged crew.

 

I was expecting to have a lot more emergencies than we ended up having. I was fortunate to have a great production team keeping things moving, headed up by our Producer, Rachel Noll.

 

We have a lot of live music in the movie, but we don’t just stay on people singing, we tell the story while the music is being played – so Rachel Noll (co-writer) and I designed a lot of the montage sequences around these songs. We freely played with time, location, memory – all that stuff during the songs. We also had to estimate how long it would take for certain images and sequences to play – how much screen time they would take – and I designed the shots so that we only had to shoot the parts of the song that we would actually show. I would like to have had more time to shoot more coverage, but it all ended up working pretty well when we got into the cut.

 

How did the intended use of visual effects in certain scenes affect how they were shot – and how does this play into how you are now editing those scenes?

 

We tried to use practical effects whenever we could. Dan put an LED light on the end of a wand and we floated it into the scene for the fairy effect. Some of the shots we don’t have that effect and you can tell because the light being cast from the LED gives a wonderful look on any object or person near the fairy – when we didn’t use it (usually because of time constraints), we had to fake the glow on their faces in After Effects. That worked too, but it was time consuming in post and never looked quite as nice.

 

We also shot a lot of Day for Night. Our main actor was a 10 year old girl (Brooklyn Rae Silzer) and because we shot under SAG Ultra Low Budget rules, we had to limit the times and hours we could use her. Most of the work we did in the woods was day for night – same with the work we did outside on the Fairy Bridge. Dan Clarke, our DP, also did most of the VFX work on the film… some of the effects have 35 or 40 layers in 3D space.

35-40 layers of effects in 3D space is a far cry from the simplicity of the shots described by Robert Rodriguez in the video at the top, but both approaches share a common goal: Making the best film you can with the means available to you.

For more on shooting day-for-night, check out our article on the subject here. And if you would like to take a peek behind the scenes of The Storyteller and see how some of the VFX shots were created, here’s a video of an early visual FX test.

No. 1 – There’s always an excuse to not do something. So stop tip-toeing in circles around your dreams and get to work. Even if your first few attempts aren’t gonna get you where you ultimately want to go, they will set you down the right path.

No. 2 – Build a body of work. Whaddayaknow, look how nicely this one ties into No. 1. Your body of work will be your calling card, your resume and your boost of confidence. You may have the best script in the world, but there’s a fat chance anyone will fork over hundreds of thousands of dollars (not to mention millions) to a newbie without a solid body of work. But how do you build a body of work, if no one wants to take a chance on you. Well, my friend, YOU take a chance on you. Short films are a great way of doing this. They can be shot for cheap, you can edit them yourselves, you can tailor the writing to whatever locations/props/cast/crew you have available to you, and even more importantly they give you a chance to explore and define your own visual style. With a handful of short films (or whatever other projects you can dream up – be creative) under your belt and a visual style to show for it, you now have a body of work that will help you move on to …

No. 3 – Create a visual business plan. Numbers are good and important when seeking investments, whether it’s privately, online or at the bank, but they are also unlikely to really impress anybody, so don’t rely solely on the digits. Write a detailed business plan, then make it visual. People will invest in a clear vision, not a spreadsheet, and a clear vision is much easier to convey, well, visually. Storyboarding, pictures of your desired locations, the style of your previous works – these will all help sell you and your vision.

No. 4 – Don’t get hung up on budgets. All of the above rings true whether you’re making a $500 film or an $85,000 film. Sure, a bigger budget can buy you nicer things, but in the end your visual style and your vision will come from something much more cerebral than that; a good story and a passion to bring it to life.

No. 5 – Repeat No. 1. There’s always an excuse to not do something.

h/t Film Courage

Image from On The Horizon short film by Pascal Payant

If you want to tackle this DIY project, be sure to download the handy PDF templates to aid in your endeavors.

Since 2012 Simon Cade has been learning about filmmaking in one of the best ways possible – by teaching others. His DSLRGuide Youtube channel has amassed almost 150.000 subscribers and about 5 million views spread out over a treasure trove of tutorial videos on anything from lighting to storytelling to camera movement to DIY tricks to color grading and so on and so forth. His output frequency (a new video every week) and quality is really quite remarkable. His guide for shooting beautiful, cinematic video with a DLSR camera and low-to-no budget should be the first place you start your research, if you’re looking to do just that.

One of my favorite things about Simon’s videos is how directly relatable they are to my own trials and errors as an amateur filmmaker. Having trouble getting the right look for your film using whatever natural light you have available? Simon has an answer for you. Unsure about how to get started with color grading? Simon will walk you through it. Wondering why your shots feel flat? Simon’s got some suggestions on where to make changes.

All that and he seems like a nice bloke.

Here is but a small selection of his many videos. Be sure to check out his many videos here and to subscribe to his channel. For more in-depth information about the gear he uses and where he gets it, visit his website.

#1 Every Frame A Painting

My personal favorite. Every Frame A Painting is like the class you wish you had in film school. It’s a triumphantly unpredictable  bastard of a film analysis class and the rantings of your favorite, passionate teacher. By analyzing certain scenes, director trademarks, genre-specific filmmaking tools or something else you would have never thought to analyze, host Tony Zhou and his expertly edited videos will leave you not only smarter, but inspired and amazed.

#2 Film Riot

Fast-talking host, independent filmmaker and DIY handy-man Ryan Connolly and his rag-tag team of film aficionados deliver tutorials, DIY builds, real-life examples and How-To’s on just about everything you could ever think of related to filmmaking. The beauty of this channel is not so much the hyper-active presentation (though that’ll certainly keep you focused), as it is the way in which these guys manage to take the mystery out of Hollywood filmmaking, while preserving all the magic. Specifically targeting independent, DIY or super low-budget filmmakers, the channel abounds with videos on how to make your film look and sound like a million $ without breaking the bank.

#3 Filmmaker IQ

With a somewhat more technical and perhaps film school-like approach, Filmmaker IQ is an immensely valuable resource. Think of it as a ‘How Stuff Works’ for filmmakers; some topics are highly technical, borderline scientific, while other topics are pure entertainment. Wanna know how a camera sensor works? No problem. Wanna brush up on the origins of auteur theory? Why not. Wanna learn how to light a film noir? You should. And all of that can be done in the same place. Filmmaker IQ.

#4 Indy Mogul

With roughly 1250 videos on their channel, Indy Mogul is almost like a Discovery Channel of the Internet. Before Discovery Channel became all about reality TV, of course. Indy Mogul is an impressive library of engaging video tutorials, hands-on reviews of cameras and equipment, Q&A’s with filmmakers and a whole lot of tips and tricks to up your indy filmmaking game. Now, Indy Mogul hasn’t been active in years, so don’t expect new videos about the latest in gear or software. But do expect to get lost in a massive library of goodies that are equally helpful today as they were 6 years ago.

#5 Now You See It

Similar in style to Every Frame A Painting, Now You See It is sort of a hybrid between film analysis and geeky musings on what makes movies great. Though not always entirely on point, mostly the videos from Now You See It will give you lots of a ha! moments and insightful takes on movies, scenes or techniques you already thought you knew everything about.

Filmmaker meet Vimeo. Vimeo meet filmmaker. Oh, you already know each other? Of course you do. Vimeo is the go-to for high quality video hosting and has long been home to the most beautiful videos on the Internet – with a lot less distractions (oh look, KITTENS!) than on big brother YouTube. You’ve almost certainly also seen their Vimeo Staff Picks; a collection of short films and documentaries highlighting the best and the brightest among new filmmaking talent.

But do you know the Vimeo Video School?

Video School is a curated archive of videos on Vimeo that will help you learn about filmmaking through tutorials, lessons, advice, case studies and interviews with industry pros and creatives. All for the collective betterment of the visual medium and all of us who are trying to master it.

Need the scoop on how to compress video like a pro? Not a problem.

Just getting started with Final Cut Pro X? Check out the complete 17-episode tutorial.

Not sure how to go about shooting on your smartphone? There’s a lesson series for that, too.

And lots and lots of inspiration. Just dig deep.

Nicole Duport recently completed her own series, BURNS, which went through many rewrites and months of pre-production, before the cameras started rolling. Here she shares her thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages to using the webseries medium versus, for example, a short or even feature film.

We talked to Nicole about how BURNS became her creative outlet, even though she had never written her own material before, and how she set about getting it made. This is a two-parter. Please enjoy.

That seems to be the mantra that led actress Nicole Duport to sit down and take a stab at writing. The result, the series BURNS, is a hilarious look at a trainwreck of a girl who just wants to be her own goddamn awesome self.

BURNS is not yet available for your viewing pleasure, but instead Nicole was kind enough to talk with us about the process of creating her own show and what she’s learned.

Check out Nicole’s credits and be sure to check back for more videos soon. May we suggest subscribing to our newsletter?

Well, Rachel Noll is here to tell you that learning by doing is an art form, and one of the most important lessons you can force yourself to learn if you want to produce your own film. Sure, you want everything to be done right, but if you’re working on a low-to-no budget, chances are that you’re often better off simply getting things done, than worrying about getting things done right. Because if you won’t settle for anything less than perfection, you’ll be stopping production before you even get started.

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