The three phases of making a film
- Pre-production (planning): idea, research, script, storyboard, choosing actors (casting), finding places to shoot (locations), costumes and props, budget and a shooting schedule. Good planning saves time and money later.
- Production (shooting): the crew records the shots and the sound. Each shot may be filmed several times; each try is a take. A clapperboard marks the scene and take numbers so the editor can find them.
- Post-production (finishing): editing the pictures, cleaning and mixing the sound, adding music and sound effects, colour grading, visual effects, titles and credits. Then the film is exported and shown (distribution).
Script and storyboard
A screenplay (script) tells the story in words. It has scene headings (INSIDE or OUTSIDE, place, DAY or NIGHT), short action lines that say what we see, and dialogue under each character's name. One page of script is roughly one minute on screen.
A short film still needs a clear structure: a beginning (who and where), a problem, and an ending that changes something.
A technical script (shot list) breaks each scene into numbered shots with shot size, angle, movement, sound and duration.
A storyboard is a comic-strip version of the film: one frame per shot, with arrows for camera or actor movement and notes about sound. Stick figures are fine. It lets everyone see the film before shooting starts.
Camera language: shots, angles and movement
Shot sizes
- Extreme wide / establishing shot: shows the whole place, sets the scene.
- Wide (long) shot: the full body in its surroundings.
- Medium shot: from the waist up; good for conversation and action.
- Close-up: the face; shows feelings.
- Extreme close-up: one detail, such as eyes or a ticking clock.
Angles
High angle (camera looks down) makes a person look small or weak. Eye level feels neutral. Low angle (camera looks up) makes a person look strong or scary.
Movement
Pan (turn left–right), tilt (turn up–down), tracking/dolly (camera moves along), zoom (lens changes, camera stays), and handheld (shaky, feels real).
Composition
The rule of thirds: imagine a 3 × 3 grid and put important things on the lines. Leave space in the direction a person looks. Keep the 180° rule: in a conversation, keep the camera on one side of the line between two actors so they do not seem to swap places.
Who does what: the crew
- Producer: finds money, manages budget and schedule.
- Director: has the creative vision; guides actors and crew.
- Screenwriter: writes the script.
- Director of photography / camera operator: chooses shots, lenses and lighting look.
- Gaffer and lighting crew: set up lights. Basic setup: key light (main), fill light (softens shadows), back light (separates the person from the background).
- Sound recordist and boom operator: record clean dialogue with a microphone held just out of the frame.
- Production designer, costume and make-up: create the look of the world.
- Actors play the characters; the editor builds the final film.
On a school film, one person often does several jobs, but naming the jobs helps nothing get forgotten.
Editing, sound and post-production
The editor places clips on a timeline, chooses the best takes, trims the start and end of each clip and puts them in order. Types of joins:
- Cut: instant change; the most common.
- Fade / dissolve: slow change, often shows time passing.
- Match cut: two shots with similar shapes or movement joined together.
- Cross-cutting: switching between two places to show events at the same time.
Continuity editing keeps time and space clear, so viewers do not notice the cuts. Montage joins many short shots to show a lot of time quickly.
Sound is half of a film: dialogue, sound effects, ambience (background noise) and music. Diegetic sound comes from the story world (a door slam); non-diegetic sound is added for the audience (background music). Finally colour grading sets the mood, and titles and credits are added.
Basic animation techniques
Animation tricks the eye: many still pictures shown quickly look like movement. Films usually show 24 frames per second (fps); simple animation can use 12 fps, with each drawing held for two frames.
- Flipbook: a small drawing on each page that changes a little; flick the pages.
- Stop motion: move a clay figure or toy a tiny bit, take a photo, repeat. 12 photos make one second at 12 fps.
- Cut-out animation: paper shapes moved on a table.
- 2D digital animation: drawings made on a computer, often using key frames and in-betweens.
- 3D computer animation: models built and moved in software.
Rules of good animation: small, regular moves; keep the camera fixed; light should not change between photos.
Try it: a one-minute phone film
Write a story in three lines: someone wants something, there is a problem, it ends with a change. Draw a 6-panel storyboard. Shoot each panel with your phone: at least one wide shot, one medium shot and one close-up. Light the face from a window. Edit the clips in order, cut any extra seconds, add one sound effect and music. Show it to your family and ask: did they understand the story without you explaining?
Key formulas and definitions
- Key term: pre-production → production → post-production
- Key term: shot size = wide (where) · medium (what) · close-up (feeling)
- Key term: angle = high (looks weak) · eye level (neutral) · low (looks strong)
- Key term: frames per second (fps): film 24 fps; frames needed = seconds × fps
- Key term: 1 page of script ≈ 1 minute on screen
Worked examples
1. You want the audience to feel that a giant robot is powerful. Which angle should you use?
A low angle: put the camera low and look up at the robot. It makes the subject look big and strong.
2. A stop-motion clip must last 8 seconds at 12 frames per second. How many photos do you need?
Frames = seconds × fps = 8 × 12 = 96 photos.
3. Your script is 5 pages long. About how long will the film be?
About 1 minute per page, so roughly 5 minutes.
4. Plan three shots for 'A girl finds a lost puppy in a park'.
1) Wide shot of the park (where are we?). 2) Medium shot of the girl hearing a sound and turning (what is happening?). 3) Close-up of her smiling face as the puppy runs to her (how does she feel?).
Common mistakes
- Starting to shoot without a storyboard or shot list, then forgetting shots and wasting time.
- Recording sound with the phone far away. Bad sound ruins a film faster than bad pictures; keep the mic close.
- Using only medium shots. Mix wide, medium and close-up shots to show place, action and feeling.
- Thinking zoom and tracking are the same. A zoom changes the lens; tracking moves the whole camera.