Beginners Guide: Checklist Before Planning Your Next Short

Beginners Guide: Checklist Before Planning Your Next Short!!

The most important part of writing a blog is the fact, where do you start from in order to engage your audiences & certainly is supposedly the most difficult parts. This was the thought process before I decided writing upon this one.

By now I am sure you would have realized that this ain’t going to be one highly professional blog with those strong pungent adjectives, those beautifully crafted words (You see, it’s always good to be honest ;). However, have tried to cover whatever is best to my knowledge.

So now the BIG QUESTION?? Why am I here for? Well if you stayed this long, it certainly signifies that you are expecting more & hopefully you won’t be disappointed.

Ohh..I forgot to introduce myself (do you really need one) Nevertheless, My name is Saif Hyder & I started this film club called ‘CineShorts Film Appreciation Club’ now ‘CineShorts Premiere’  which works as an offline platform for screening Independent (Indie) Shorts & have recently ventured into Film Distribution as well. Besides running the show, I even liked to be called as an ‘Actor/Writer’ (Don’t search- the showreeel is still to be made 😉)

Since this month we celebrate our First Anniversary thought why not share the experiences for aspiring filmmakers or maybe Pro as well (Kyunki galti toh sabse hoti hai 😉). The journey that started off 12 months back when we felt a strong need for creating a platform for Independent Filmmakers where they get a larger experience for their films, since the life of a short is indeed very short (except for some who manage to get it produced & maybe sell it as well), Honestly I can proudly say somewhere we managed achieving it. Hope this article provides them the answers which they seek & help them plan their next efficiently.

Disclaimer: If you’re a person allergic to criticism, then please don’t stay coz coming below are some of your weaknesses you wouldn’t wish to see.

START⇛

Filmmaking, in my mind is one of the most creative processes in the current scenario. Telling a story requires a lot of courage, patience, preservance & most importantly a slightly heavier pocket. As per my understanding its one of the most beautiful professions as there is no limit to your imagination & art for the way you wish to tell your story. Stories tend to inspire, instigate people & their thoughts, hence as filmmakers you have an important role to play (so embrace & enjoy it).

Firstly, as a Filmmaker ask yourself this question always before making a film..WHY?? It’s a million dollar question!! There might be several strong reasons to make it, figure out what’s your reason. Please don’t make a film coz you want to put it across festivals which would be the most stupid things to do unless you're aiming for the top ones. In India itself we have about 500+ film festivals happening every year (International Festivals – Forget the count), so even if you make a SHITTY Film, trust me someone somewhere would award you or worst case select your film…AND..I am quite sure that wouldn’t be something that would excite anyone or maybe...does it... If festival is the place you want your films to delve upon then figure out the Top 10 Festivals in India & Maybe abroad (Please don’t expect spoon feed, Google it). Best way is to study the pattern & kind of films they look forward to, the scale at which you need to make it etc etc. That’s a much better deal rather than just making something for an unknown territory.

It’s better to make ONE good short rather than making plenty. I meet filmmakers who make their films purely for the love of the art or story & leave the rest of the journey upon the film itself. ‘A good film decides its own journey’. Well it holds true! Make something which you can cherish it all your life & always feel good watching it.

Now Enough of Gyaanbaazi, will come straight to the point & quickly share with you a checklist below to help you plan your next (For first time filmmakers pls J).

1. Believe In Your Story:

This might look philosophical, but trust me is the core of your very creation hence think thrice before finally pursuing on a subject. Filmmakers!! As storytellers it’s your job to make sure what you intend to make is what you truly believe. Even if it’s one of the stupidest ideas on this planet, but you have the belief then make it. Share your scripts with your near & dear ones who could give you an opinion, ideal would be a general spectator. One request please don’t plan your film thinking of budget first, you won’t be able to make a good film & trust me I can vouch for that. Keep the budgeting part very last in your list, if you have a compelling story, you would have the film on floors sooner or later.

Plan your resources well in advance, figure out a road map on the execution, below are few pointers for the same:

2. Figure Out the Right Camera:

It may sound very casual, but this forms the very crux of your filming journey. Which camera are you going to use, there are different cameras that give a different feel to a particular film. It looks a convenient option but trust me Good Filmmakers know which camera to shoot their films.

3. Professional Script Approach:

Someone once told me, your script is good, but it needs to be professionally written on a writing software so that the actions, screenplay & dialogues are clearly understood (Softwares such as Final Draft / Writers-duet works well). It all the more works when you intend to pitch your film to a production house/studio.

 4. Hire a Cinematographer/DOP:

You might be a great story teller but it’s of no use if the same doesn’t get translated in a delightful visual. Having a Cinematographer/DOP adds value to the film. They’re the ones who bring your scenes to life, hence make sure to have one who loves to play with camera. Avoid Multi-tasking!

5. Locations:

These can be pretty challenging as it serves an essential part of your story & sometimes becomes the most time consuming, especially when it comes to filming a short on a shoe string budget. Do not compromise on location, plan it accordingly even if it takes time.

6. Set Up Your Lights:

Though it looks great shooting in natural light but you won’t be shooting just an hour in a day, hence make sure to keep the right set of lights. In case you don’t want to spend more, you can get few small LED lights specially when you're shooting indoors, this should help without burning a hole in your pockets.

7. Audio Output:

One of the most under rated aspects in film making. Imagine a film without the right audio output. Ensure that you have the right device to record proper audio for your film whether they’re Lapels, Boom mics or whatever necessary, figure out what best works for your film. A lot of films I get have a very interesting story but there is a very bad audio output which just pulls you out from even the best of the stories. Avoid dubbing as much as you can, it just adds to the cost & the scene too loses its intensity.

8. Hire Professional Actors:

A lot of filmmakers feel pride in specifically mentioning ‘The Film had no actors’ Honestly it’s not something to boast about, unless your scripting a real life story / documentary for the character involved.  You need not have some of the prominent faces to make a good film but your actors are certainly the ones who transform your stories from paper to screen. We produce so many actors each day, it’s time to give the deserving ones a fair chance. Henceforth, when you plan your next try to keep an audition (if you have some budget) else you can definitely post your requirements across Film groups/Social media pages to let people know about your casting so that they can apply for the same or maybe shortlist actors & ask them to self tape.

9. Right Editing:

The word ‘Edit’ sounds simple; thanks to apps & social media but honestly its much deeper when it comes to having it done for your film. It’s one such area that can make a beautiful film look bad or a bad film look good. Please don’t go with the guy in the yellow hat saying, "Ah I can do it, have been doing it for my Insta or FB pages", had that been the case we would have had more than half of India’s population as Editors. A good editor knows the hack for making your film work, hence hire a professional one or irrespective check their showreel, that would give you a fair idea on the kind of work they have done.

10. Stay Connected with your Team:

It so happens that the process before filming till shooting it everyone stays connected. This applies more in case when you don’t have big budgets for promotion, that’s where your team can be of help. Make sure to stay in contact with every member who is involved in the project. This would help you spread the word of your film across their various social handles & reach out to larger base of audiences.

11. Plan Your Distribution:

I always fail to understand why a short filmmaker holds on his/her film for years, it’s not a theatrical release, right? Then what’s stopping you from making it go public. When I started screening films, I realized some films were about 3-5 years old & are still being shared on a private link. Honestly I really feel bad coz such beautiful stories instead of being out there in public viewing ends up as a showreel for directors in order to pursue bigger projects, but believe me, that would never work. Think of it this way, what if your film was available for a general public viewing on any distribution platform & would have got lacs & millions of views, loved by people, also by default your work as filmmaker comes in limelight, wouldn’t that have helped you. Think of it!! Ideally 95% film festivals (National & International) accept films even if it’s out there in public, so WHO ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Go ahead & make your work seen by people, believe that’s why you made, RIGHT?  Irrespective if you still wish to hold, then I suggest 6 months is the maximum time you should wait post which, figure out any good distribution platform & give them (one being our recent channel as well if you wish to J – CineShorts Premiere on YouTube) Worst case create your own YouTube channel & upload your film over there, I am sure you would still get more people watch it than put together all the ones who watched it at Film Festivals.

Well, that’s about it. Thank you for sparing these 10 minutes from your valuable time, really appreciate it J. Like no one is perfect, so is this article & I am sure to have missed some point, well you’re free to share your inputs or some point which I may have missed. It’s always good helping! Healthy Criticisms Accepted ;)

Lastly if you have found this blog helpful, then do spread  the word by sharing it, liking  /  following / subscribing @CineShortsPremiere on YouTube / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter.

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