For amateur movie-makers: Part 3
When you are the producer, director, camera person and editor
I have written this as a film student and an appreciator of good movie-making -
Steps to shooting -
Decide what you want to shoot. Have a story.
Write the story in detail dividing it into shots. This is called Storyboarding.
Each shot must be decided upon as a WS, MS, CU, ECU or an Over the shoulder Shot. The angle of these shots should be decided as aerial, worm's eye or eye-level. These decisions should be relevant. For example use WS to show the context of the scene, use ECU only when you want to emphasize on the details. Avoid another WS immediately after a WS. If you must, change the angle of the WS.
Write down all your MS together. Put CU on another sheet or paper and so on.
All MS are probably going to be from the same position of the camera. If not, ascertain each position.
Write down all shots from the same position of the camera on 1 sheet of paper.
So if you have 5 camera positions/setups you will have 5 sheets of paper at the end of this.
Now you dont have to shoot the video in chronological order. Shoot all the shots from camera position 1 first. Then shoot all from camera position 2. And so on. The shots can be arranged in chronological order on the editing table.
Before you shoot any scene,
1 Zoom in and focus
2 Check white balance
3 Adjust iris/aperture, especially when light conditions change