Hot Directing & Producing How-Tos

How To: Slate a film, read a line script and keep a shot log

If you have ever wondered about the functionality of slating during a film shoot, what a shooting script or line script is and how to keep a shot log, then this may be the perfect video tutorial for you, in two parts.

How To: Write Your First Script

Hello! My latest interest is screenwriting. I would like to share a few hints I find quite useful. I am a newbie, so the following post will not be taken from the treasury of many years of experience. Just plain facts,.. Thanks for reading! Step 1: In the Beginning

How To: Make a Video Blog

Want to know how to start your own vlog? Starting a video blog is simple... Get a camera!

How To: Set up an efficient workflow system for processing your digital footage

This tutorial shows you how to improve your digital asset management. Once you have recorded your digital audio and video footage, you'll want to import it and edit it as efficiently and quickly as possible. This video shows you the most efficient workflow set up to use.

How To: Make an effective treatment for your documentary film

An effective treatment is your first step to getting a job and funding for your documentary. This is a written document used to describe your film and why you want to make it. This video gives you some good tips on how to make an effective treatment for your project.

How To: Get started making awesome and brilliant films

This tutorial gives you five useful tips that will ensure your next film is utterly brilliant. Use what you've got, have a single message, entertain your audience no matter what, write a good script and storyboard, and make sure your sound and light are calibrated properly.

How To: Pick up a few good tips for using your Sanyo Xacti equipment

This tutorial shows you a few tips you can use to get the most out of your Sany Xacti microphone and other audio equipment. It is a professional grade piece of equipment, so it's pricey, but well worth the investment.

How To: View Golden Globe Nominee Inception Via Code

Inception may not be the lead contender for the 68th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best movies and television from 2010, but Christopher Nolan's film still collected four nominations— Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score.

How To: Storyboard, make a shot list, line your script, and schedule a film production

Measure twice cut once applies to filmmaking as well as construction or any other complex process really, and that's why preproduction is they key to actually finishing your film on time and budget. This video will help you with several preproduction tasks, including storyboarding, making a shot list, lining / timing your script, and scheduling the actual production of the film.

How To: Light your movie with inexpensive lighting alternatives

If you're trying to film on a budget, this tutorial is perfect for you. Instead of spending money on expensive professional lighting equipment, you can use these inexpensive alternatives (like using tin foil as a reflector or a shower curtain as a diffuser).

How To: Incorporate Google SketchUp into your indie movie planning

Google SketchUp is a free 3-D drafting program that can be quite useful for film makers. Use Google SketchUp to create models of your sets so you can pick the absolute best angles when shooting the scenes for your next film.

How To: Direct actors to their best performances as a director

Directing an actor in such a way that they can deliver the best performance possible is the most important work of the stage and screen director. If you're just getting started and need some tips, watch this video for some basic rules to follow on coaching actors.

How To: Write a professional television script

Whether you're writing your first television script for a pitch or you're a novice writer who's writing scrips on a daily basis for an ongoing television show, creating a professional and interesting television script is no walk in the park.

How To: Pitch a television show through networking

With the economy as terrible as it is these days, obtaining any sort of job, from receptionist to screen writer, requires thorough networking.

How To: Create an entertaining television show with a Pitch Bible

Creating a successful new television show isn't as easy as brainstorming a great idea and calling up a producer to tell him all about it, hoping for the go-head. Creating a show, as well as submitting it to agents and producers, is a complex job that requires a lot of paperwork.

How To: Create a memorable birth video

In this video, we learn how to create a memorable birth video. You will first need to buy a video camera or use a digital camera that takes movies as well. Make sure it has a microphone so you capture all the action. Make sure you have a large memory card to capture everything as well. Also, purchase a triPod that will allow you to take photos of the family and you will get steady pictures. Make the movie into different acts, but make sure to be with your wife during the process. Take lots of...

How To: Start drawing storyboards for film, animation & stories in Springboard for PC

Springboard from Six Mile Creek Systems is a program for creative writers and artists using Windows PCs, to help storyboard their ideas into visual means. Nowadays, storyboards are what people want to see, because it's less time in their hands (reading takes forever!). So, if you have Springboard, this video gives you a quick stepping stone to using it to sketch and animate your storyboards— for films, videos, animations or any other media.

How To: Make your own cheap camera dolly

In this video we learn how to make your own cheap camera dolly. First, place down two PVC pipes and place a board on top of that. Then, you can place the tripod on top of that. You can use this to take shots where the camera is sliding from one position to the next but you want to avoid shake from someone handling the camera. Make sure to glue wheels and a track to the board that you place on top of the pipe and it will travel along them more easily. Enjoy using this and have fun making diffe...

How To: Make a film in the Western genre with stylization and shooting tips

The Western film, once the end all be all of great American filmmaking, is now rare to behold at all at the movie theaters. Whereas in the old days directors made the films about true American gung-ho spirit and handsome, stoic John Wayne cowboys championing the greater good, these days the genre gets ruined by CGI and other absurd additions.

How To: Make a science fiction film by looking at framing and match lighting

Is it your life goal to direct and produce a science fiction saga so tremendous and fantastic that people will be saying, "George Lucas who?" after they witness it? Then you need to begin your journey to geek stardom by learning the basics.

How To: Use the screenwriting index cards pyramid trick to outline a screenplay

Screenwriting isn't as easy as it seems, and many screenwriters can't make it past the second act of the screenplay. It's called writer's block, and one reason many writers fall victim to this is because of a poorly outlines idea. The only way to make sure you get a completed first draft of your script is to properly outline the whole storyline.

How To: Shoot deceptive & multiple camera angles

This video tutorial is in the Film & Theater category which will show you how to shoot deceptive and multiple camera angles. Camera and shooting techniques can add to the magic of your videos along with some simple special effects. One of the techniques is called the Zolly. It adds drama by creating a disorienting visual effect to the viewer. By zooming out a camera while using a dolly to move in, the subject stands out as separated from the background and appears to be floating towards the c...

How To: Pitch a Reality Show Idea to a Network Executive

This how-to is aimed at the uncynical, bright-eyed outsider who wants to become a television producer…the talented person who believes he or she has the ‘it’ to crack Hollywood. The ‘Sammy’ who just arrived in 90210.

How To: Make a documentary film step-by-step

In this Film & Theater video tutorial you will learn how to make a documentary film step-by-step. The various steps involved in making a documentary are defining the documentary, stylizing the genre, shooting and finally editing. A documentary is a movie that documents reality. It is based on real life situations or people. The three most sub genres are the observational documentary, the expository documentary and the participatory documentary. The different styles can be sit-down interviews ...

How To: Make a great travel video with TripFilms

One of the coolest jobs on Earth is probably a travel filmmaker, right? You get to go around the world and video tape it for all to see! In this video, learn the best tips for making a professional level video that you can show to all your friends. Never bore your family with a vacation video again with this helpful advice.

How To: Create a storyboard in preproduction

Starting a film? A storyboard is a great way to visualize a motion picture or animation through a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence. Learn how to go about creating a storyboard in pre-production with help from this free video from EOS Lighting.

How To: Pick a theme for your web show

In this how-to video, you will learn how to pick a theme in order to make your own web show. You must decide what your web show is about. It can be about anything. For example, if you liked dogs, you could do a web show about dogs. If you like eating healthy foods, you could do your web show about healthy foods. Clothes can also be a great theme for a web show. Cool and lame music, cats, lunch meats, cooking, sports, and monkeys are also great themes you can try out for your web show. Your sh...

How To: Plan for post in a film production workflow

Eric Escobar, acclaimed independent film and commercial director, delves into the ways in which you can create a quality material in post by having done the necessary leg work in prep. Never again should you hear: "We'll fix it in post." Plan for post in a film production workflow.

How To: Do a unique film flash time lapse

Nick from Greyscale Gorilla explains how he did a certain timelapse technique in conjunction with certin in-camera effects for the "Every Photo Shot for the Conan O'Brien Title Sequence" video.

How To: Create storyboards

In this video we learn to make a storyboard for a movie. To start all you need is a finished script of the movie or video that you want to do and some storyboard sheets. These are easy to find online to print out. Although being some kind of artist may be nice, you don't need to have a lot of artistic ability to do storyboards. You just need to be able to decode your own drawings. Storyboard sheets consist of a drawing space to draw your frames and some lines underneath for notes. In these no...

How To: Make a dramatic film

This tutorial covers some of the basics of dramatic filmmaking. A drama is a film that is character-driven, using the characters' emotional responses to situations to move the story along. Epic and historical dramas put their characters in historical events. Crime dramas are set within the rules and boundaries of reality, but do not have to be linked with any historical event. These films utilize suspense and action to push the characters through the story. Biopics are motion picture biograph...

How To: Do a shot reverse shot setup

This film technique is one that is not only used on movie sets, but with journalists as well. This is a great way to shoot a discussion that is going on between two people. In movies, it's a great way to help add some emotion to a dialogue that both characters are having with one another. In broadcast journalism, the same technique is used in order to portray a relationship between the interviewer and interviewee. It's a great way for them to communicate and is really easy to use. So sit back...

How To: Make your video transfer faster with solid state media

In this video from lunawebs they show you how to transfer video from your camera to your computer as quickly as possible. If you're using a camera with a mini DV tape there's not much you can do to speed it up. If you're on a memory card it can be done. Take your memory card and plug it directly into your computer if it has a slot. If it doesn't, you can buy a USB card reader and plug in your memory card into that, and then plug into your USB port. There's no time loss here and a USB reader i...

How To: Make a good basic Youtube video

Rick teaches the secrets of making a good basic YouTube video in easy steps. Some tips are given below. When creating a YouTube video first assume that your audience has a 10 second attention time. If your introduction takes more than 10 second cut out the part while editing, keep it to 10 seconds only. The second tip is to go for a good lighting, always shoot indoors using your indoor lights itself. If you are using a microphone in the camera to record, always stay very close to the camera. ...

How To: Record live video direct from camcorder to computer

Bill Myers shows us how to record live video direct to your computer from your camcorder. You will need: long firewire cable, camcorder with firewire output, computer. Procedure: Connect one end of the firewire cable to your camcorder, then connect the other end to your computer. Start your video editing program. Turn the audio down on your speakers to avoid feedback. Turn your camcorder on then check the capture option in your screen. Record the video then hit the stop button when you're fin...

How To: Avoid the "5 Deadly Sins of Amateur Video"

Tom Skowronski teaches us how to shoot a good video. Look before shooting so you have a more controlled movement. Hold camera steady at all times. Move the subject in front of the camera and turn the camera mans back to the sun to illuminate the subject. . Give nose room for a more professional look. Have a full frame and no dead space to have a natural looking video. Cut off at head to have a full frame. Following Tom Showronski's video-making advice can lead to a professional-looking video....

How To: Shoot good handheld video

This tutorial shows you how to make a professional looking video. Specifically: panning, tilting, zolly effect, dynamic dutch angle, and proper handheld technique.

How To: Use a tripod to stabilize your shots

Tom Skowronski, an editor for VideoMaker, teaches us how to use a tripod to capture video and take photographs. The great thing about this video series is that it covers everything you need to know.

How To: Shoot a fight scene

Tells you how to make a fighting scene by using three steps which are -continuity

How To: Sell a screenplay

Attention aspiring screenwriters! In this tutorial, learn how to sell that script. You may have written the next Hollywood blockbuster – but unless you can finance the film yourself, you’ll need to sell the screenplay to a producer who can make it come to life.