7 Tips For Making Your Own Film

Camera rolling, sound is speeding, and ACTION! This is what I’ve been hearing for the past few days as I edit a short film I shot in Miami last year. And it occurred to me that since this is a blog for you, dear readers, you who want to see the world and make your own films, I thought I’d pass along a few tips for any of you who want to make your own films. And especially if you want to make it on your own.

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First of all, please get out there and film your stories! Especially in today’s world, you can literally film a movie on your iPhone! (I’m looking at you Tangerine – a film that really crawled into my heart and made me both laugh and cry). As a side note, Tangerine was shot on the iPhone 5S and used the app FiLMic Pro (great app!) as well as Moondog Labs anamorphic adapter.

The most important thing for your film is YOUR story. What message can you bring to the world. What story do YOU want to tell. This will be unique to you – which is how you gain your audience. Even if you just want to get out there and practice, I’m here to support you and to tell you can do this.

TIP #1: WRITE YOUR STORY

Sit down and think about what you want to film. Get your story on paper. Flush it out. This doesn’t have to be the greatest film you’re ever going to do in your life, it just needs to be something you want to tell. One afternoon in London, some friends and I decided to shoot a movie that night at my friend’s acting class. And it turned out so well! We even got into some festivals where I was nominated for Best Cinematographer. Take a look at our film, Myrtle, to see what we did on short notice for some ideas of your own. I did shoot this with the Canon 5D Mark II (I LOVE THIS CAMERA). But again your iPhone works great!

A BONUS TIP FOR WRITING YOUR SCRIPT: Free yourself from distractions. Don’t check your phone until you’re on a break. Stay focused. It helps me to sometimes lay on my bed, listening to music, and really visualize my story. Find what works for you. Walks are great too for me personally.

TIP #2: PLAN OUT HOW YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE THIS FILM A REALITY

Take a few moments and go over what you will need. Or better yet, use what you have. When I decided to make my film, Obsession, in my Rio hotel room, I used what I had in my room. You can read more about how I made that film here.

Make a shot list. You can easily do this on your phone even. Just break down your scenes and figure out your shots. Now for my feature films I go way more in depth with this. I had a wonderful cinematographer for my film, The Scapegoat, and I came up with storyboards and a shot list for him. I raised a $10,000 budget for that film so I had a bit more resources. I’ll write a post in the future about how I made that film and how I got the filming permits to shoot in Venice, Italy (it was much easier than you might think thankfully)!

Think about what you have in your own back pocket. Do you have a really amazing backyard? One you’d see a drug cartel owning in a film? Do you have a beautiful garden that could be used for an adventure film? Maybe you know of some really good actors. Definitely pull from your own toolbox.

TIP #3 GET INSPIRED:

Go out and watch the movies that people made on their own. For Lovers Only really inspired me to shoot, A Venetian Dream, with my friends in Venice, Italy. For Lovers Only, was shot with a $0 budget. It was a three person team and was shot in just 12 days.

Tangerine helped me to realize I could shoot a film with my iPhone. Get inspired. And get inspired by films you can reasonably do. Sure watching Bad Boys II is fun and can give you some great shot and story ideas, but unless you physically own a helicopter (which if you do, awesome!), it might be hard to make a film like that. Although drones are great now for awesome overhead shots. Side note, I had a great friend in film school actually want to hire a helicopter for one of our student films. I was so onboard for the experience, but I wouldn’t have been able afford that on my own. Living in London was expensive enough… although I do miss it so!

TIP #4: GET OUT THERE AND SHOOT IT:

Now that you’re inspired, have your team, script, and shot lists, get out there and film your vision! Be prepared for things to go wrong. They do. But rise up and overcome them. You’ll learn a heck of lot and you’ll be out there doing what you love.

Film as much as you want. Be creative. Use that skateboard as a dolly. Use your suitcase to hold up your camera (like I did for my film, Obsession). Just get out there and make it!

TIP #5: IF YOU WANT TO RAISE A FILM BUDGET YOU CAN

For my film, The Scapegoat, I raised my money with Kickstarter. It was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever done though. It’s not easy, and you’ll definitely need a plan going in. I had some amazing friends who helped me put on live telethons basically begging for money. And one night I stayed up all night asking for money. It was hard. I really had to prove myself. But I got it. And I made my film.

You can also go the film investor route. Get a business plan together and a line budget. Never give up and never lose hope.

That’s the one thing about filmmaking, there’s no right way to get into it. It’s different for so many. So just get yourself out there!

TIP #6: SAVE SOME MONEY FOR POST PRODUCTION AND FILM FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS

Put some money aside for entering into film festivals and for getting music from either a composer or a service such as Pond5. I love the composer route, and have a dear friend who I use when I can pay. But if I’m working on an extra tight budget, I use Pond5. I wish I’d known about this site when I was making my first few films.

Film Festivals can get expensive. There are some free or low cost ones out there, and I definitely recommend checking out the early bird pricing on the ones you do want to enter. Definitely check out Film Freeway. If it’s a passion project you’re working on, definitely make a game plan for what festivals you want to enter first. Do your top choices first and then so on and so on. And if you don’t get into a festival, please don’t lose hope. I’ve been rejected from hundreds. Hey, even Christopher Nolan didn’t get into Sundance with his first film, The Following. But he did get into Slamdance the following year after being rejected once. So please never lose hope.

Another of my favorite films, Swingers, was also rejected from Sundance, so you just never know. Don’t lose heart and keep going!

TIP #7: NOT EVERYONE IS GOING TO LOVE YOUR FILM:

And that’s okay. This was actually a very strong pill for me to swallow. We all don’t have the same taste. And this again is actually comforting in a way. Because anytime you feel a rejection, you can look at it like, ‘hey, maybe it just wasn’t for them.’ Someone will love your film. And you will find your audience.

So please get out there and start filming today! If it’s your passion, you can make it your reality!

SOME GREAT PURCHASES TO MAKE YOUR OWN FILM:

Zoom H1 – Seriously buy this. It’s great for your sound and very easy to use. When I’m my own crew I usually set this up on a tripod and let it record.

Zoom H1n Portable Recorder, Onboard Stereo Microphones, Camera Mountable, Records to SD Card, Compact, USB Microphone, Overdubbing, Dictation, For Recording Music, Audio for Video, and Interviews

Get a nice tripod. For my iPhone I use this one:

Acuvar 50″ Inch Aluminum Camera Tripod with Quick Release + Universal Smartphone Mount for iPhone 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, Xs, SE 2, Xr, X, 8, 8+, Pixel 3, XL, Android Note 10, S10, S20 & More Smartphones

For when I rent cameras I use this one:

PHOPIK 77 Inches Tripod, Lightweight Aluminum Camera Tripod for DSLR, Photography Tripod with 360 Degree Ball Head 1/4″ Quick Release Plate Professional Tripod Load up to 17.6 Pounds

Get a stabilizer.

3-Axis Gimbal Stabilizer for Smartphone – 0.5 lbs Lightweight Foldbale Gimbal for iPhone 11 Pro Max/11/Xs Max/XS/XR/X, w/Auto Inception Dolly Zoom, Pocket Gimbal for Video Vlog Youtuber Hohem iSteady

Also if you want to rent a camera, I have on occasion, this is a great site! So easy to use and much more affordable than buying a camera. Especially with how fast cameras upgrade these days.

Get a really good editing program… or find someone who knows how to edit. I use to edit only on Final Cut, but now I really love Adobe Premiere Pro. The great thing about Adobe is that you can pay a monthly fee if maybe you only need it for a month or two. It’s very easy to learn. There are lots of tutorials online. I learned editing in school on Final Cut and had no problems switching to Adobe Premiere Pro. Now Avid on the other hand… that program is a beast to me. Kudos to all of you who edit with Avid! You all are the real MVP!

Get a computer that can handle your editing. I have a Mac Desktop but I do love my new MacBook Pro 16″ 2019 laptop I just bought. It’s fast enough to edit my 4K files on the go. It’s really the only MacBook Pro that will work for your high end editing needs. You could look at gaming laptops which offer better graphics cards. Definitely do your research. There are a lot of great tech articles out there for this.

Being a filmmaker is all about perseverance. It’s a very tough career. You will be faced with more rejection than you ever thought possible. But to see your film up on the big screen one day will make it all worth it. So please keep trying, and keep telling your stories. I’m here to support you. And I can’t wait to see what films you make. Please share them with me when you do!

Happy Filming loves!

And if you’d like to see what my production company, GlobeTrotting Productions, is currently working on, feel free to check us out here.

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