7 Top Tips for Any Budding Filmmakers
My name is James Leggott, and this right here is the best advice I can give anyone when it comes to film-making.
I have made multiple short films and am currently in the process of making my first proper feature film. Along my journey, I have come across numerous obstacles that I have had to overcome, so with my firsthand experience, I can help you try and navigate all the pitfalls!
1: Get reliable people: Getting people who are reliable is essential to getting a film made. People can promise you the world, and let you down when it comes down to it. You would think it wouldn’t be so hard for someone to show up when and where they agreed they would, but that is life in a nutshell I guess.
2: Don’t be too ambitious: An issue all film-makers have to deal with is budget (or more accurately, lack there of). I consistently have little to no budget because it is very hard to get funding, as you need a full cast and crew ready with a full budget breakdown, along with other things, so it is best to try and keep things small (at least to begin with). Film in locations you can access for free (for example, your home) and try to make something that doesn’t require special effects.
3: Work with people you can get along with: If your film is going to take multiple days of filming, it is important that you work with people that you know you can work well with. If you work with people you do not work well with and you have to do it for an extended period of time, then you will not have a good time and it could lead to you or the people you don’t work well with quitting the film before it is finished, which then leads to a complete nightmare about what to do next!
4: Casting is important: If your film has next to no budget, then try to get your friends and family involved with making it. Why? Well you know you will get along with them, so you can make the shoot light-hearted and fun. It will also help that if they are acting in the film, you know what they are like and so you can make their characters fit them, leading to good onscreen chemistry and convincing acting (even if they have never acted before. Sure, they might be playing themselves, but if it is convincing, then you won’t have anything to worry about).
5: Expect film festival disappointment: Let’s say that you decide to submit your work to a film festival in order to grow your audience, let me give you a warning now...expect disappointment. I was really proud of my final year university film (Greediness of the Americans) and I submitted it to ten film festivals to see if I could win any awards. It only got into four film festivals and the best it got was a runner-up place (even if I did get a trophy from it).It is also worth mentioning that you have to pay to submit to film festivals, so factor in the cost of that too!
6: Write what you know: And I don’t just mean ‘write about your life experiences’ (although that can be a good source of inspiration. I think we’ve all had unique experiences at some point that could make for a good story to be told onscreen). If you're having issues writing something original, try practicing making a fan film based off of a movie or TV series you like (for example, I’ve made a few Doctor Who fan films). Sure, it means that you can never profit off of it (and you have to make it clear that you don’t own the rights or anything and this is just a fan-made production), but it can be good practice over what to do and what not to do for your future productions. And you have a higher chance of getting more viewers if you make a fan film, rather than something original.
7: Be a jack of all trades: In order to cut down on crew you will need to rely on, try to do as much work as possible yourself. For example, I have been a writer, producer, director, actor, cameraman, editor and music composer for multiple of my films. Maybe you shouldn’t do quite so many, but try to do at least some of these so you can save time and money.
And those are some tips and advice about film-making that I hope can help you make your films. There are still many things for me to learn (like how to make a living from it), but I think this guide is a good starting point and I hope you all find it useful.
If you want to check out my films, you can find them on Youtube at my channel: James Leggott Productions. Thank you for reading and I wish you all the best of luck with your films.
Written by James Leggott
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