How to Shoot Static Film Titles

If you're on a shoestring budget and shooting 16mm or 8mm film titles for your student short film, going to a professional company can break your finances. With a little sweat, dedication and attention to detail, you can shoot your titles for next to nothing.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 24 x 24 X 12 inch (approximatly) wooden box or crate with solid sides
• 24 X 24 inch piece of cardboard
• Utility knife or scissors
• Black Gaffer tape
• 250W light and clamp
• Your title cards (section one will help you build these if you don't have them)

How to Build Your Title Cards

1. Using any standard image creation software, like Photoshop, Paint, Illustrator, or even Word, type your title in white text on a black background screen. Each title image that you create should be 11 inches by 8 1/2 inches in size.

2. Create a new file for each title, and save the files separately. Jpeg or Bitmap files are fine, though Photoshop or Illustrator files (.psd, .pdf or .ai) will be higher quality.

3. When you are satisfied with your titles, print them out on clear acetate sheets, or have a local copy shop do it for you.

How to Build a Light Box and Shoot

4. Take your crate and remove two of the sides: the lid, and the bottom.

5. Take your piece of cardboard and, with the scissors or knife, cut a 8 inch by 10 inch rectangle in the center of the cardboard, creating a frame.

6. Tape the frame securely across one of the open ends of the wooden crate--this is now the "front" of the light box.

7. Clamp your 250W lamp to the bottom of the other open end of the crate--the "back."

8. Tape your first title card across the front frame of the light box, taking care to center it. Mark the corners of the title card on the frame with a pencil or pen.

9. Turn on the lamp in the back--the light will illuminate the clear parts of your title card (your text).

10. Take a reflective light reading off of the illuminated parts of your title card, and film your title card.

11. Repeat steps 5-7 for each title you want to shoot--take care to line each title card up with the corner marks you made in step 5; this will keep your titles from "jumping around" on screen when you run them in sequence.

12. Develop and edit your titles...

Tips & Warnings

• When shooting, read each title aloud three times quickly--this is how long you'll need each title to remain on screen for a standard audience to comfortably read it. Shoot each title several seconds longer than that, so you'll have plenty of footage to trim or use for dissolves in the editing room.
• Your lamp can get very hot and your light box is flammable. Be sure to keep the wooden edges clear of the metal and glass of the lamp.