Welcome to Film Project! This course is intended for you to get some hands-on experience actually producing short films. If you haven’t taken the Film Making course, it is recommended that you complete it first.
Materials You Will Need:
- A computer (not a chromebook) on which you can download and install files
- A camera of some sort (may be a cell phone camera)
Day 1
1. To begin, install the free video editor OpenShot. You will be using this program to edit your films.
2. Your introductory project will be made using stock video. Stock video is pre-recorded footage that can be included in other projects. There are a lot of places online to get stock footage, but it’s important to be aware of copyright restrictions when choosing your footage. Most stock video will be published under a license that outlines the terms under which the footage can be used. There are a few common licenses that you should be aware of. (Often, online works are published under a Creative Commons license. This is a standardized way to grant license permissions.)
- Public domain or CC0: no restrictions of any kind. You can use this footage in any way for any purpose.
- Attribution aka CC BY: You can use this footage in any way for any purpose as long as you credit the creator.
- CC BY-SA aka ‘Share Alike’: Same terms as CC BY but you are also required to license the remixed materials under the same terms.
- CC BY-NC: Same terms as CC BY, but you are not permitted to used the footage for commercial purposes.
- CC BY-NC-SA: Combines terms of BY, SA, and NC licenses.
- CC BY-ND: You can copy, share and distribute the material as long as you attribute the creator, but you are not allowed to change or adapt it.
- CC BY-NC-ND: You can share the material as long as you attribute the creator, but you can’t use it commercially or change it in any way.
- All rights reserved or ©: You can’t use this.
3. As you can see, some licenses are more useful than others for a filmmaker. Learning what the different licenses mean and remembering to check the license for each piece of footage you want to use will save you a lot of headaches down the road.
4. Here is a list of some places you can find stock video. Some are paid (marked with an asterisk), some are free. There are many other places to find video, but here are some to get started.
5. Today, look through some stock video clips. Find some clips that interest you.
Day 2
1. You are going to be making a short ‘silent’ (meaning no dialogue, music and sound effects are fine) film using stock video. This project only needs to be a minute or two long.
2. Browse the stock video again and see what clips interest you. What kind of story can you tell using almost exclusively visuals?
3. Today choose your video clips. Then, based on the clips you choose, begin creating a screenplay.
Day 3
1. Continue working on your screenplay.
2. The video editor you’re going to use has a bit of a learning curve. Watch a tutorial on how to use OpenShot.
3. If you want, you can begin putting your video project together in the editor today.
Day 4
1. Begin putting together your video project.
2. Have you thought about using music or sound effects? Let’s look at some places to find sounds you can use. (Don’t forget to check licenses!)
Day 5
1. Finish putting together your video project. Make sure you have a credits section. Don’t forget to credit yourself as the writer and editor!
2. Have someone watch your film.
