Introduce me to the basics

Decemberwyatt said:

What sound equipment should I buy? How would I use it upon acquiring it? (Like I said, very new to this)

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Sound is a very complex subject, just like cinematography. Your best option is not to buy equipment, learn how to use it, learn the proper techniques and skills, and then hand to over to someone without any knowledge at all, but to retain someone who has the equipment (probably much better than what you would buy) and who has the skills and experience. Then you need to think about audio post, an even more complex topic.

If you really want to purchase you must first establish a budget for sound gear. A decent prosumer kit will set you back between $1k and $2k.

There are many, many posts by myself (Alcove Audio) and AudioPostExpert on the subject of sound-for-picture. Use the search function and go through them, and you will have some idea of the questions that you will need to ask.

A few books on the subject that will be quite helpful:

The Location Sound Bible - Ric Viers.
The Sound Effects Bible - Ric Viers
Audio Postproduction for Film and Video - Jay Rose
The Foley Grail - Vanessa Theme Ament
Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures - John Purcell

First, consider WHERE your short film will be seen and by WHOM?
Youtube?
Film Festival?

Second, write your screenplay for the resources you have and not for the resources you can imagine.
Consider the equipment you already do have, even if it's just a camera of any quality and MS MovieMaker.
Locations you don't have to pay for or get permits for.
Family & Friends you have and their personalities for roles, not just their looks.
Costumes & props you already have.
Budget of as little as possible seriously bordering on $0.

Shakespeare's pen and Spielberg's camera are not going to save you.
You can't spend your way out of a cr@p film.

Third, just start thinking of simple stories <5mins long, throw them up on YT, tear 'em apart yourself, invite us to tear them apart with you.

GL!

Celtx version 2.9.1 is the last FREE hassle-free version of screenplay writing software: http://download.cnet.com/Celtx/3000-13631_4-10850080.html

Then learn what to do with it: http://www.scribd.com/doc/12721428/Professional-Screenplay-Formatting-Guide


This thread may be useful to you: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=28645

Decemberwyatt said:

What legal paperwork should I be expected to fill out? Where would I obtain these?

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Since nobody has addressed this one yet, I'll tackle it.

The Complete Film Production Handbook by Eve Light Honthaner, has every legal document you should ever really need for a film production of any size.

For a short, likely the only ones you'll need to worry about will be release forms for you actors, locations, and possibly any extras. While available for kindle, don't bother to get it for kindle though.. One of the main reasons to buy this book is for the forms which probably won't be terribly useful on a kindle.

Hey Wyatt, good to see you are getting into the field.

First things first - you have to make sure all your ducks are in a row. Don't concern yourself with finding equipment or crew until your script is actually done. It doesn't have to be a final draft, but you don't want to be making drastic changes right up to and through the first day of shooting.

The next thing you need to consider is whether or not you want this to be non-profit. Investors are not at all likely to throw in money on a project when you have nothing to show for yourself, so you will likely need to stick to making contacts in the industry and pooling resources with them, or you can try kickstarting fundraisers. If you are wanting to build your own personal set of equipment, always start with asking for donations. It's not likely that you will get many response that way, but you never know, and sometimes all it takes is one donation to really make the project.

Once you have a script that is ready to be greenlit and go into production, some of the first things you will need will be a producer, and a director. Everyone handles their pre-production a little bit differently depending on the project but you can get all the textbook info on that from The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Complete Guide for the Digital Age.

For a smaller indie film, usually you will find one or more producers and a director for the project. This is usually about the time you start working on shot lists, storyboards, location scouting, shooting schedules; all the administrative and pre-visualization stuff. You will also need to start filling departments like makeup, sound, lighting, cinematography, etc. Again, in indie film, multiple departments are usually covered by the same person. Once you have all of that in place, you can start holding casting calls for actors, and finally getting crewhands to basically do on-set manual labor.

As I said, everyone does pre-production a little differently. Some filmmakers swear by shot lists while others hate them. I advise getting that book I mentioned, or a similar one, and learning all the different aspects to the industry. Try them all and see what works for you. Get a feel for your own filmmaking style.

As far as your question about equipment/software goes, you'll really want to collaborate with your cinematographer, editors, and sound leads about that. If you're going to be doing it all yourself, Adobe Premiere is always a popular program. You can download 30-day trials of it for free. The legal and copyright issues come into play during post-production, so either consult a lawyer about that or familiarize yourself with copyright infringement laws for your state.

Other than that, the most important thing is to just get out there and do something. Even if it is a screaming failure, at least you will learn something from it and hopefully make a connection or two. If you are wanting to get started right away, you might also look into machinima. It involves making films using in game footage of video games, such as Rooster Teeth's Red Vs. Blue series on youtube. The advantages here is that it effectively eliminates all of your equipment and crew needs down to just you and a capture card, but you are also restricted to working within the confines of that video game and it's world.

Keep poking around and learning what you can and I look forward to seeing what you put out!

So my question to you is, what should my first order of business be for prepping for a film?

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There are 5 steps in filmmaking:
1: Development
2: Pre-Production
3: Production
4: Post Production
5: Distribution

Most people concentrate on the 3rd and 4th step of filmmaking.

You'll need to start at the development stage: Determining your goals, optioning/securing rights to your story, Completing your script, attaching appropriate main talent, financing, and budgeting. On larger projects there are other things you'd include here.

Good luck.

Thanks for all the information guys,
I appreciate any/all help provided.

So, once I get a storyboard, script, and outline finished, where do I go from there?
What would be a good place to look for people already involved in this field to help on my project?
EG: Producers, promoters, "The Money?" (I like being prepared ahead of time)
I would have to check for my area but is there any nationwide/international organizations/businesses where I can begin making connections?
I know of a couple local film festivals but other then that, not much.
Thanks again,
-W

So, once I get a storyboard, script, and outline finished, where do I go from there?

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That's all above. Storyboard is usually done in pre production. There are other things to do before you do a storyboard. I gave you a list already, what's wrong with it?

What would be a good place to look for people already involved in this field to help on my project?

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starnow.com, craigslist, even facebook can be a decent tool.

EG: Producers, promoters, "The Money?" (I like being prepared ahead of time)

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It's likely you'll need money, but for your first production, be prepared that you'll often fund your first production yourself, most of which will be feeding your cast and crew. Keep your first simple and cheap.

There is at least one 48 Hour Filmmaking contest thingie in most regions of the country every year. Looks like Seattle in July and Portland in August. Check out http://48hourfilm.com/en/seattle/

They have meetups and events beforehand and you can often join a team if you don't want to start one on your own.

You can learn a great deal about how movies are made in a short amount of time by participating in this contest (and others like it; many regional film festivals have similar contests).

Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the most used editing programs. (I use it). It is good for beginners, but you can also learn the hidden tips and tricks with it when you get more experience.
You can do everything you want to do with it as a non-professional.
I'm pretty sure you can use it for PC and for mac.
Final cut pro is also one of the most used editing programs, but it is only for Mac. (I never used it..)

I advise you to first make and edit some little, nice and/or funny video's and put them on youtube all by yourself before you start working with other people..

So much great advice here already from the folks who really know what they're talking about, so I'll just add my little nugget that I got from my really limited experience.

If you're struggling with where to find talent that will work with a beginning filmmaker, perhaps take an acting class if any are available around you. I just recently began taking acting classes, with the intent to make myself a better director, but then I quickly realized that several of my new friends were eager to act. I just filmed a short aimed at being put out on the internet, and the two actors I worked with were excited to do it.

Again, just my two cents, best of luck.

I agree and disagree with what Muzikath said. There is definitely something to be said for doing small things on your own to 'hone your craft' as it were.. but you will learn much more, much more quickly by getting involved in other peoples productions. Offer to be a PA on a bunch of other peoples projects, and work your butt off -- but at the same time pay attention to everything going on.

You'll learn a lot from a smoothly functioning set, and potentially learn even more from a poorly run set. Those are things that are significantly more difficult to learn on your own.