Film Production

You've written a script or you have a great TV show idea--now you need the producer to make your dream a reality. A producer is the person who shepherds a movie or TV show from idea to finished...

A script supervisor is a film technician who works beside the director on the movie set. General qualities needed for the job are excellent organizational skills and an unerring eye for detail....

You think you've written the next Star Wars saga or the Matrix Trilogy and are ready to have your script bring you all the fame and fortune that some screen writers are renown for. Well lets begin...

Just out in theaters is the motion picture Paranormal Activity. The special thing about this movie is that it is a ridiculously low budget film that uses one, relatively cheap, camera. No sets...

Making a superhero movie, much like making any movie, requires a lot of time, research, and preparation. Fortunately, a superhero movie gives you the liberty to use your imagination, working...

Do you dream of having your own web show? Do you have a creative spirit? Are you an actor? Do you have a lot of fun with your friends? You may have the makings of a popular web show. If you’ve...

Making a film requires a great deal of work, which is typically broken down into five stages---development, preproduction, production, postproduction and distribution. Of the five stages, it is in...

A movie is only as good as its screen play. The screen play has to give the reader an accurate representation of what will eventually be going on during the finished film. A screen play must also...

Many people assume that to make a film, you need to get a major movie studio to back your production and provide you with money. This is not true. Anybody who donates money to you to help make a...

Starting your own film company is an expensive and challenging undertaking. Even a mildly successful film can make it possible for your film company to survive, but you need more than a good...

Essentials in creating a TV commercial

So, you want to be an actor! You have your audition appointment and you're ready to read... now, give the casting directors what they want!

An independent film production takes a lot of work and time, especially if you do not have the resources found within a major studio production. Organization is the key to creating a smooth and...

Without thorough planning before beginning to shoot a movie, even the best ideas can become difficult to portray on screen. If you need to rent equipment, improper planning can cause your budget...

Humor is appropriate for any situation. Just ask students in a public speaking class. Teachers often recommend that they open up their speeches with a joke to ease the nerves. Comedy can relieve...

A movie prop is an object a character uses in a scene. Objects like books, pencils, cups and the like are typical props. Props generally usually don't need to be made, but theycan easily be taken...

If you've ever seen any feature film, then you've probably seen the "co-producer" at the beginning. Want your own name in that spot? It's not so daunting a task as it might at first...

A movie producer is an individual responsible for organizing all aspects of a film's production, from raising funds to finding a distributor. They are important people to know for those looking to...

If you ever watch early Sci-Fi flicks, especially from the 1950's, many of the special effects look hokey and homemade compared to what can be done with movies today. Interestingly, a lot of those...

Writing a TV spec script must involve quickly moving scenes, compelling characters and sharp, snappy dialog. Set up a television script with potential for character development and future...

Selling a screenplay requires having a good script to start with, an agent and ownership rights. Get a movie company to purchase a film script, but get it registered with the Writers Guild of...

Writing a movie script can be a simple as opening up a blank document, pouring out ideas on a page and sifting through them later for the best one. Prepare a movie script by doing any necessary...

Finding a screenplay agent is difficult and involves writing a great script that starts a bidding war, or getting an agent to notice one done by a smaller production company. Utilize smaller...

When making a horror movie, get a uniquely frightening script, hire a creative crew and good actors, create a truly scary villain and then shoot the script. Put together a horror movie in editing...

To make a movie, find or write a unique script, hire a reliable crew, cast actors, shoot the film and edit the story together. Keep the shooting schedule for a movie as tight as possible to keep...

So you want to be the next Robert Holmes and write a script for a short film? First you need a good idea, a computer, and some script software to get yourself set up and ready to start writing.

Adapting a book into a script requires a great deal of familiarity with the book's plot, characters and general theme, and being able to translate that into a live-action film is a subtle art. Use...

Writing a television script begins by creating the entire story arch for the span of the season, writing each episode as a chapter within the main storyline and using a text editing program to...

Writing a script for a how-to video involves summarizing what the video will cover, walking through each step of the process and wrapping up the video with another summary and conclusion. Write a...

This article covers how to direct a short film.

Experiments in filmmaking began in 1878, primarily as a novelty. By the end of the first decade of experimentation, especially with the invention of the movie projector, motion pictures were...

The tools are available for anyone to make a short film today, but there's more to making a movie than just pointing a camera and pressing "record".

Formatting the screenplay is not hard, but writing a selling screenplay is the achievement of a lifetime. The two types of scripts are the shooting script and the submission script. The submission...

If you have seen "The Truman Show," then you know exactly what product placement refers to. Product placement is a tactic seen in film production that works as an advertising tool. Companies will...

Have you ever watched a film and thought to yourself, "I can do that"? Believe it or not, it's not just dusting off your camcorder and pressing record. However, with the advancement of digital...

When writing movie scripts, the first rule of thumb is that it shouldn't be any more than 120 pages. Discover where to place major plot points in a movie script with filmmaking tips from a...

The budgets for short films tend to be small, so it's important to keep locations, characters and visual effects to a minimum. Make a film that is 40 minutes or less with filmmaking tips from a...

When submitting a story or a script to a movie studio, the studio will most likely ask for the submission to come with a release form. Make sure that a script lands on the right person's desk with...

In order to write dialogue for a film, a writer needs to know their characters and what drives them. Find out how to adjust a script over several drafts with filmmaking tips from a director and...

The following is everything you need to understand and have at your fingertips to start making your first short film.

So you wanna make a movie? This guide will give you a basic idea of what you need to become rich & famous or at least have fun trying. The reason these are called "B" movies is...

One of the biggest money makers is movie making. Every year over a 100 Hollywood movies are released to the public and many more are created by amateurs. Movie making is an involved process that...

Making a movie is a tough process, especially for an independent filmmaker on a limited budget. One aspect of filmmaking that is frequently overlooked is pre-production, and a script breakdown is...

Making movies is no longer a pipe dream for the masses. A decent computer and a creative script can put most filmmakers on the paths to their dreams. Financial limitations often hinder aspiring...

A movie will go through three stages in order to get from a movie script to a finished movie. These stages are pre-production, production and post-production. Once a producer options a script, a...

There are few things more elusive to amateur writers than the movie script. While novels are generally freer in their format and easy to pick up, the screenplay's specific nuances can be very...

Planning a movie shoot takes a lot of effort, but it is the most important part of the filmmaking process. A successful and well-structured plan sets the stage for a good movie. Scheduling a film...

Cinematography---the art of visually constructing a shot for a motion picture---follows the same basic principle as constructing a still photograph, although it is more complex because the image...

Before actors receive an audition notice, they are submitted on film, television and/or theater productions by their agent or themselves for roles that fit their appearance. When an actor gets...

Film and television studios and producers need to see comprehensive budgets and shooting schedules before they can commit to or raise money to shoot. Before a script can be budgeted and scheduled,...