Elements of Making Digital Short Films
Produce Quality Videos using User-Friendly Editing Software
In days gone by, producing home movies of high quality was an expensive undertaking. Today we live in a world full of audio visual information that may be produced easily using advanced multimedia technologies. People interested in the video creation craft will find a mixture of text, still images, sound and video.
However, the novice must be well prepared with good information before taking the big plunge. There are roughly four stages to go through, from preliminary learning, to equipment and software gathering, to production and video editing, and to the creation of a video quality product.
Preliminaries
Before rushing into buying, one must decide what type of movie to create: a family movie, an animation, or a well acted story. Then, obtain the correct information to make a start and plan for success. Therefore, there is a little research to be done. The internet has plenty of information: the stuff you need (Ref FM010), technical items, and performing ideas. There are also plenty of how-tos: story telling, acting or performing, using a video camera (camcorder), and learning video editing.
Once the information is at hand, one can start getting setup with the equipment needed with the right specifications for compatibility between the components – digital camera, computer hardware and software, microphone, etc.
The focus should be on simplicity and may include freely available software. From here on, making digital short films can be divided into three stages of production:
Pre-Production
Pre-production involves one's artistic side of creating a video. A good story needs to be developed and can be aided by using specific software. Activities include:
- Getting ideas for stories(Ref FM001)
- Deciding on the video story type (animation, real characters, abstract)
- Working out the setting
This stage involves becoming a scriptwriter and sharpening up on good English writing skills, such as correct spelling, good use of grammar, and above all, telling a good story. Fortunately, for bad spellers, most word editing software have the tools needed to improve English fluency and accuracy: spell check, thesaurus, and grammar check. In addition, one can use online dictionaries, for example answers.com and thefreedictionary.com.
To help with getting ideas, a number of tools can be used. Storyboarding is employed for story development. It involves making stick characters on hardcopy (or even using special software) in different frames to tell the story.
Production
The production stage involves a combination of artistic and technical skills. There is performing and acting, setting up the set, costumes to wear, and physical effects such as lighting and sound.
On the technical side, there is shooting the film to produce a number video clips that are to be assembled later on. Consideration must be given at this stage as to correct labelling of the clips and making backups to ensure the precious work is saved during the busy production period.
Post-Production
Post-production is mostly technical. It involves editing the video clips using editing software. Two types of video editing software are used:
- Linear editing. All editing is done in chronological order from start to finish.
- Non-linear editing. Editing is done in any order. Use software such as such as the free Microsoft MovieMaker 2 or Adobe Premiere Pro. Transitions and visual effects can be added to video clips.
The final DVD product can be achieved using special software such as Adobe Encore, or the free DVD maker that comes bundled with Microsoft Vista. A DVD cover can be designed using any graphics software.
Conclusion
Digital short films can be created by almost everyone these days, using a digital camera and user-friendly editing software. Once the digital short film is created, why not display it on the internet. There are also short film festivals and competitions, and some websites will buy your work.
