Advice sought

Raging Bob

Hi, first post here and all that.

Having absolutely no experience in the world of film making, I've suddenly got this desire to make something of my own, a short film would be nice. Now, I've got all these ideas in my head as to what to film etc but I've absolutely no experience in camera work, editing, sound etc. Nada! Currently, the only thing I seem to excel at is sitting down to watch films.

So, with all that in mind, what should be my first port of call? Also, in we're talking about a budget here, I suppose I could stretch it to 400-500 if needs be.


Looking forward to your responses, thanks.

BlitzKrieg

Guess Filmbase would be a good enough port of call to start with. There are a few courses there and if you are a member you can rent equipment, also meet other filmmakers of different skills. With a budget of 400-500, filmbase would be a good idea if you have no equipment and want to rent, its 50 to join and then you can rent equipment such as cameras and sound and lights etc from them and the prices are decent enough.

Though spend a good bit of time in pre production working out how much time you need and the costs before you sign up and start renting stuff, cause it could easily spiral out of control.

If you have an idea you want to run with, put together a treatment of it and send it around to filmmakers online or at filmbase (online you have here and the irishfilmmakers network, you can find people who fill specific nieches easily, for example galvesean works sound, myself primarily editing, but I do have camera equipment and have worked with other boardsies before in the role of camera.)

any more questions just ask and I'll try my best to answer them.

johnfunk

I suggest that you start with the most important step, write a script! Without a script you wont get far and may end up wasting your time/cash.

Filmbase courses should be avoided as they serve only as a function to make a quick buck for the organisation, a better investment would be a library card go read some books on the various crafts involved in moving image production and if you are still keen try a course in a third level college, there are plenty of them about.

DWCommuter

Read first. Make second. Watch third. Then read, make and watch repeatedly.

Raging Bob

Thanks for the advice guys, taken all on board.

If you were to go for a camera, what would be the best option? If I was to get something like a Super 8 camera I'd imagine it'd be slightly messy when it comes to the editing process etc. Would you even get something decent for 1k?

DWCommuter

Raging Bob wrote: »

Thanks for the advice guys, taken all on board.

If you were to go for a camera, what would be the best option? If I was to get something like a Super 8 camera I'd imagine it'd be slightly messy when it comes to the editing process etc. Would you even get something decent for 1k?

Basic things to look out for on any camera you buy are manual controls and preferably xlr audio inputs. 1K on the second hand market should get you something decent. Super 8mmm film is best avoided in your case. Its not a conventional shooting format (never was). Nowadays its used for more "artistic" purposes.

Harpic

A film called Colin was made for £40.I think it was a success but not as successful as Blair Witch.
I bought the DVD for 'Colin' but havent watched it

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278322/trivia

Good luck with your endeavor

johnfunk

Raging Bob wrote: »

Thanks for the advice guys, taken all on board.

If you were to go for a camera, what would be the best option? If I was to get something like a Super 8 camera I'd imagine it'd be slightly messy when it comes to the editing process etc. Would you even get something decent for 1k?

You can get the super8 film transfered to tape after its been processed which can then be uploaded to a computer for editing. The problem with the modern video camera is that the technology changes very quickly so it can be expensive to keep up to date.

Id buy the super 8 and have some fun if I was you

grifter09

You can learn a lot online these days without ever putting your hand in your pocket.
Start here. www.dvxuser.com

Have a look at what can be done with the Nikon d90 (in the right hands) and take it from there.