Big Arts Week 24 hour Film Challenge in association with Digital Guerrilla Filmmakers

Tips and Guidance

We are offering your school the chance to take part in the Big Arts Week 24 hour Film Challenge and   to make a short 3 minute film during Big Arts Week as your project..    

How did it all start?

Johnnie Oddball of Digital Guerrilla Filmmakers founded the 48hour film challenge and the first event took place in London in 2002 and resulted in 55 short films being made over one weekend.

One year later in summer 2003, the National 48hour film challenge was launched simultaneously in London, Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol.

In two days 600 films were made - the most short films ever produced in the UK over one weekend! This year 48hour film challenge went on tour, going to Berlin in May, and will be arriving in London and New York in September.

The premise

The challenge is for a random selection of interested pupils (at least 6) from the school to make a short film of 3 minutes .   All creativity, writing, shooting, editing* and musical soundtracking should occur within a 24 hour period beginning on the Monday morning of the 21 st of June and ending the Friday afternoon of the 25 th of June at the latest. The 24 hours can be split over the week however the teachers/students feel is best suited to their shooting schedule. (*Due to some schools being unfamiliar with the edit software we are willing to allow up to the end of June to complete the final post production. However, filming and all major editing must be completed within the 24 hours)

There may even be the option of having a film director from the Director’s Guild come and support your efforts.

What are the films about?

That is up to the filmmakers. However, each team must select the title for their movie from the list that will be emailed to each school.

We will be providing every school that participates in the challenge some free editing software, courtesy of ULEAD, as we realise that this may be the hardest item to source.

This initiative is being supported by Digital Guerilla Filmmakers, ULEAD, The Directors Guild of Great Britain and Becta.   Through this partnership we can offer a wealth of prizes for a selection of the films which will be judged by the partnership, which include:

•  editing software

•  regional screenings of short listed films

•  entry to the prestigious BECTA Creativity in Digital Media Awards 2005  

On the morning of the 21 st of June the school will receive the themes/titles list from Big Arts Week. These can form the story of the film, or the title can even be a line of dialogue used in the movie. It is up to each school how they develop and use the theme.

How To Make Your Film

Once you have decided on your film crew and you have received the themes via email you will need to set about creating your three minute epic. The best way to start is with a script and storyboard.

Script

Have a look at other people's scripts from a major movie. You might be able to download them from the Internet. If you know the film that the script is from you can learn so much more and it helps you find out how a script works by comparing the notes to the screen images.

Layout

Scripts are best typed on only one side of the paper in 12 point courier font.

Double spacing between the lines allows you to read the script easier.

Leave good borders around the script (for scribbles and notes).

Keep to the above tips and you will have a well laid out script. This can help you time your script as now one page of screenplay will be approximately one minute of screen time

Slug Lines

For example:- INT. A BICYCLE REPAIR SHOP- DAY

The scene heading (slug line) consists of the location (eg. CITY STREET. NEW YORK), either INT. (Interior - eg. in a room, car, etc.) or EXT. (Exterior eg. on the street, in a park, etc.), followed by either DAY or NIGHT. The time of day isn’t important and, unless you’re Truffaut, you don’t shoot day scenes at night.

The Business

This tells the reader what is going on in the form of directions. It should be clear, concise and always showing rather than telling. E.G. Don't write:

CONSTANCE is suffering inner torment because of her work.

...show it!

CONSTANCE runs her hands through her hair. Picks up a mug of coffee, tastes it and winces. She throws the cup across the room, hitting the window, which SHATTERS.

Write in the present tense. It gives events and action much more immediacy, like they are really happening, which is what you want.

Dialogue

This should appear in a column down the centre of the page indented from the business. Its in the form:

NAME

(Direction)

Hey, this is my line!

The direction isn't always given. The only occasion you might put some in would be if dialogue was directed specifically at another character (To Andrew) or if it has to be said in a particular style (Whispering).

Finally the dialogue itself. Try to keep it simple and to a minimum, no long speeches. That way there is less for the actors to remember and less for them to muck up. Good actors will always make the best of what is written for them and can provide so much more with their intonation and body language. Avoid exposition (that's when you character explains something in detail) - try and show rather than tell.

Character Names

Try to avoid giving minor characters names like THUG 4 as its pretty demeaning to have to play such a lowly character. You needn't go to extremes and give them a full name (unless the character is named by another character), just spice it up, so that when you offer the part to someone, rather then being the fourth thug they could be a MEAN THUG or a TATTOOED THUG and hope they don't take the description too personally.

Sound You can put important sounds in CAPITALS, so that monsters SHRIEK and cars EXPLODE, but this is up to you. Knowing where a sound is (or might be added later) will help the actor know what they are reacting to.

Camera Directions

You can add camera and actor directions to the script, again this might help get the desired reaction from the actors as well as the crew.

There are several abbreviations to speed the writing and reading along.

C/U - Close-up

MS - Medium Shot

LS - Long Shot

Two-Shot - Shot of two characters in the same picture

V.O. - voiceover

O.S. - off screen

P.O.V. - Point of view (eg. one of those wobbly cameras they use when someone is breaking into an apartment in a horror movie).

M.O.S. - without sound. Apparently comes from "Mit out sound" which some German director used to shout (or something). Great for when your characters are staking out somewhere, watching the bad guys pull off some plan and they can't hear what they are saying.

Camera Movements

CRAB - camera moves completely to the left/right

PAN - camera pivots left or right

TILT - camera pivots up or down

BOOM - camera moves up or down.

DOLLY - camera moves in/out from subject

ZOOM - camera zooms in/out from subject (not strictly a camera movement as its the lens that's moving not the camera)

You might be able to improvise camera shots using such things as skateboards to move the camera/cameraman along with to make the motion smoother when performing tracking shots.

Transitions

These are how you change from one scene to another. They always sit over to the right of your script and on the whole you will find yourself using

CUT TO: which is a straight change of picture from one scene to the next.

DISSOLVE TO:

The final shot of the previous scenes fades into the first shot of the next scene. This can be used to suggest the passing of time. It can be hard to achieve, especially if the shots are very different.

FADE IN:

Usually used at the start of films, with FADE OUT used to end the movie. You can also use CUT TO BLACK and CUT FROM BLACK/CUT IN. You can use these transitions together to alter the mood and pace.

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is the process of producing sketches of the shots of your script. The end result looks like comic book of your film (without the speech bubbles).

Why do it?

It helps you think about how your film is going to look. You can work faster as pictures communicate better than words and it will allow the crew to move their camera and lights, to get the right props in the right scenes and even the actors will get a feel of what they are going to be shooting!

Storyboarding is especially useful for complex visual sequences e.g. elaborate shots or special effects sequences. It is also useful for allowing you to shoot just the sequences you require for editing, saving both time and tape.

There are a few tricks you can use on a storyboard to illustrate movement - whether its movement within the frame (actors walking) or the frame moving itself (camera panning etc.).

Arrows - Suppose the camera is tracking in, following someone. Draw in an arrow pointing into shot to show the camera's movement. For a zoom in draw in arrows pointing to the centre from each corner and then draw in a new smaller frame to show the end of the zoom.

If you can’t draw, then cheat

Maybe the art department has some wooden mannequins that you could arrange and then shoot stills of them.   Or, if there are no mannequins then you could try using an Action Man and Barbie or you can always try Lego men

You can also scribble down short notes about what's happening in shots, e.g.   what characters are saying or sound effects.

Drawing storyboards is an excellent way to keep motivated, to show you're organised and to let everyone know what's going on.

Storyboards aren't there to constrain you. Just like the script they are there to back you up during shooting. If everything starts flowing on set let it happen. In the real situation you may see a new angle - go ahead, shoot it. Get the shots you need by checking your storyboard and give yourself the time and freedom to experiment

Some Handycam Tips

Digital video quality is far superior to the classic 8mm or VHS-C cameras of old (it’s not what you have got its what you can do with it what counts), but digital recordings are sharper due to higher video resolution in the new Mini DV cameras and stereo sound is captured in CD quality. Another advantage is the option to edit movies onto master tapes without any loss in quality. There is also a lot of editing software available out there now to help you produce a complete edited film to then transfer to your very own DVD and even design and print labels and covers.

STARTING UP

TAPES

Always use new tapes where possible. Only capture on to a mini dv camera once and don't use long play as it doesn’t look as good and some editing software doesn't read it properly.

NEVER BREAK THE TIME CODE ON THE TAPE i.e. don't remove the tape from the camera, use it until finished as the time code helps the computer capture you footage in sequence and also helps the editor find the footage they need to edit.  

Making notes saves so much time in the edit process and can help you produce a better film faster.

It might be wise to log each shot in a book as this will save even more time when editing.   You could also try shooting the movie in sequence to speed up the edit as you will not have to fast forward and rewind the tapes to get to the right shot.

BATTERIES

Rechargeable batteries are best for a Digicam as it will save you money. Always fully-charge extra batteries. Run them until they turn the camera off as well to get a full discharge before charging as this will give a longer life to the batteries don't charge the batteries half way unless you really need to use them quickly.

LCD VIEWSCREEN

The separate LCD screen, found generally on the side of the camera, gives the user the option to see the scene in front of the camera at the same time as viewing the recording. A popular operation is to twist the screen through 180 degrees, allowing the user to view the action while recording themselves if they wish to. The LCD screen usually incorporates a built in speaker, which allows for a small group of people to sit around and hear what’s going on for the ones who can't see the screen!

VIEWFINDER

The viewfinder provides an alternative to using the LCD monitor, but it does save your battery time if used. In the past most have been in black and white but now some have colour. Nowadays some of the viewfinders are displaying full menu information such as time code & remaining battery time.

Whatever you choose to view through, watch the action at all times and avoid fingers or long hair draping into the camera lens or hairs on the lens. Equally be careful of reflections when shooting through glass. Shooting cars is really hard unless you have a white car as it doesn’t reflect as much as a new black shiny car. Also mirrors or shiny objects can catch a view of the cameraman.

LIGHTING

Watch the sunlight as the day goes on, remember the sun moves and clouds appear, so the light might change not only from day to day, but also minute by minute.

If your actor is standing at the window and the light is behind him we will lose his face completely at first, but it looks great in the view finder, it's later when you find out he’s missing his face and then it might be too late. It is better to over-light than under light. When you try to lighten the image in post production the picture looks grainy if it’s too light. You can always darken it with less grainy effects.

Also, look for shadows! If you are filming your actor and the silhouette is on the wall behind him, look out for other shadows from people or objects away from the set. You might want to use a polarizing filter on the camera to cut down out reflection

ZOOM LENS

All digital cameras have built in zoom lenses almost always described in a ratio term for example 10x or 20x in simplistic terms this means a camera offering a 10x zoom will give you ten times more magnification than a wide angle setting. The optical zoom is the true magnification of the cameras zoom lens, which will give you the sharpest images before the zoom is enhanced with digital trickery. Keep this in mind when you are buying a camera to be used in a situation where you use a lot of zoom.

IMAGE STABILIZER

Whenever you zoom into a subject always remember the camera exaggerates shakes. Unless you want a film like a killer cameraman style or just to make the people watching the film feel rather sick, then it’s wise to use a tripod. This also happens when the camera is in motion, so don't start running down the road with the camera rolling. Camcorder manufacture's have tired to over come this by incorporating an image stabilizer, which is great for small movements and jerks but they never expected people to be running while filming, so they won’t overcome large movements. Shoot wide-angle to minimize shake if possible.

MICROPHONE

Most of the Mini DV camera's nowadays have their own built in Microphones they can pick up surrounding sounds like cars birds etc in a CD stereo sound quality, giving you the ability to re-create the atmosphere at home. Many modern cameras have simultaneously increased the sensitivity of the microphone as you zoom into a subject, cutting down the excess ambient sounds. It is still good to get a directional microphone or a radio mic or even a hand held mic but you can still get away with using the built in camera one. It is a good idea for you to use ear phones to hear the sound properly when recording. If you're going to be shooting in a windy place a wind gag might be a good idea, they are the fuzzy things you see on when a microphone is seen in shot on news reports. These cut down on the roar you will hear if filming in wind.

EDITING

Editing is a very creative aspect of filmmaking, connecting various shots to create scenes and sequences. The way shots are combined set the mood, develop the action, create the rhythm, establish the film's time and space, and guide the viewers' attention. Here are some of the types of edits and these may help you piece together the shots into the finished film. They may also aid the filming itself.

CROSS-CUTTING: Moving between two or more events quickly. This can be used to build suspense or to show how different pieces of the action are related.

JUMP CUT: Where two spliced shots do not match in terms of time or place.

CUTAWAYS: Moving from the subject to something that is equally or more relevant at that time. Often cutaways consist of shots showing the reaction of one character to another.

REVERSE CUTTING: A technique alternating over-the-shoulder shots showing different characters speaking. This is generally used in conversation scenes.

FREEZE FRAME: A frame or image is held, given the effect of halting or "freezing" the action.
 

Last words from J. Oddball

“The best education in film making is to just get up off your chair and make a film, it’s the only way to learn. I started out as an editor and learned loads from that, then directed and produced my 1st dv movie. I saw how to set up shot's so they worked, making sense to you is fine making sense to the audience is hard work. In filmmaking you are always learning something new, if you say you know it all then you are only fooling yourself. Top directors, writers, producers, cameramen, actors, editors, sound men and lighting technicians are always learning something new in film making every time they go behind a camera and make a movie. It’s the thing that keeps the art of moviemaking such a buzz to me and, as they say, life is not a rehearsal.

Go out there and enjoy filmmaking even if its raining and you get soaked and cold. It’s being around other like minded film makers which makes it worth all the effort with all the ups and downs of running events to producing dv movies. I hope I have inspired at least one of you to go out there and just do it, you have nothing to lose and so much to gain from trying.

Being part of something you have created is worth all the effort”

For more information about ULEAD in Education visit http://www.ulead.co.uk/edu/runme.htm