The Making of a Short Film - Part 1

The first couple of installments of The Making of a Short Film will actually be events that have already occurred. The process that started this whole thing began at least three or four years ago. I have always had a love for movies and the art of storytelling. But, sometime ago that evolved from simply enjoying watching, to an obsession with learning about them and how they are made and wanting to tell my own stories through film. Let me start with a rough list of what is required to make a film and what I have done to tackle each of these. You need:

-a good story
-knowledge about the entire filmmaking process
-equipment
-actors
-locations
-time
-money (no matter how low budget your film is, some cash is required)

Again this is just a rough list as equipment alone could have 10 or 15 items listed below it. When I began this process I didn’t have a story yet (though I had ideas, which is not the same as having a story), equipment or the money to buy it. So, I had no need for actors or locations. But I did have a little time and so I started to devour all the information I could get my hands on about filmmaking. I subscribed to magazines, bought books (and when I couldn’t afford the books I would just sit in the bookstore and read them), and surfed the internet like crazy for information about the subject. I now have a small library of articles I have printed off (thanks to my employer’s donation of ink and paper) and books I have purchased about all the different facets of moviemaking, from screenwriting to post-production to distributing. I even took an online screenwriting course to learn the correct screenwriting format and help my storytelling skills. I still continue to read and discuss with others the various different aspects of filmmaking such as lighting, sound, and editing. Now, all I needed was a story to tell so I could start to apply all this knowledge.