Modern Movie Making

The Video Camera as a Tool in Modern Movie Making:  The Most Basic Things You Need to Know Before You Shoot Your First Film

If movie making is your passion and you have the skills, you're probably halfway there as a filmmaker.  These days, modern movie making is no longer a full-scale production requiring a lot of crews, extras and a mile-long script.  It can be a scaled-down effort, requiring only a cameraman, his video camera and his subject. 

The joys of modern movie making

These days, you no longer need to be a film student or a music video director to make your own movie.  As video cameras became more sophisticated, so did their ease of use.  Even a 7-year-old kid with steady hands can shoot a decent short film, send it to YouTube and watch his work become an overnight sensation.

But if you want to go a step further, your first step is to pick a good, reliable video camera.  Here are some important points to consider before you begin using your video cam for modern movie making.  These are just the basics, but these steps are a good start.

Ready for your close up?

Light is the video camera's friend and foe, depending on how you use it.  The film industry is a business built on lighting and if you must succeed in modern movie making, you must be able to understand how to use and manipulate light, especially if you'll be using your spanking new video camera.

One thing to remember about lighting is that regardless of how expensive or high-end your video camera is, its built-in lamp probably won't always perform excellently in every shoot.  But of course, that all depends on what movie you're making.  'The Blair Witch Project', for example, did pretty well using handheld cameras with built-in lamps and night vision. 

But before you go and buy those big lights only cinematographers know what to call, look at your video camera first.  Many of today's new video cam models have what it takes to make a good movie.  Check the wattage of the lamp in your camera.  The higher the figure, the stronger the light.

Some video cameras can also automatically adjust light exposure so you get the optimum view possible.  Video cams are also equipped with built-in zoom lenses and adjustable settings so you can manipulate white balance, exposure and even irregular movements.  Some models also offer great features such as black-and-white, sepia, letterboxing and slow motion.

Keeping a steady hand

Modern movie making usually means allowing cameras in on the action.  This is demonstrated by TV shows such as NYPD Blue and Law and Order, where you get real camera movement.  If you want similar effects, make sure your video cam has image-stabilization capability, which minimizes blurring when cameras are moved quickly to follow the action.

However, for other shots that require a steady hand, invest in a good quality tripod.  With a tripod, you no longer need to put your video cam on a kitchen table, bookcase or on top of the fence just to get a good, steady shot.

When sound is crucial

Unless you're shooting a movie with no spoken dialogue or intend to dub the lines later, using the built-in microphone in your camcorder may not always do the job.  Most of the consumer lines of camcorders (including high-end portable video cameras) have rather small microphones that have little receiving power. 

You'll achieve better sound if you use a separate external microphone.  Since most modern video cameras have built-in audio input, you just need to hook this mic to your camera and you're good to go.  Depending on your needs and the distance of your video cam to your subject, you can use different types of microphones like the lapel mic, which attaches to your actor's or subject's lapel, the shotgun mic which mounts on a boom to be held over an actor's head during shooting and an external mic that you can attach to your camcorder to pick up sound.

Also, there's the background noise you might have to deal with.  If it's crucial to your movie and if you have the facilities with which to tweak sound later, you probably won't need the extra mic.

Don't forget:

No matter how great the video cam is, no modern movie making ever succeeded without a good editing tool.  You might want to invest in good movie editing software if you're serious about making movies.  This software will give you a lot of options to spruce up your movie, splice scenes, delete unwanted portions, mix shots, play with continuity and, if your movie becomes a hit, provide a DVD version with the requisite outtakes.