How to Use False Colour

False Colour: What is it, how do you use it, and why is it useful?

Today we are running you through the basics. Welcome to the film look!

So what is false colour? To put it plain and simple, it’s a feature usually found on field monitors which helps you read the exposure value of an image, very similar to Zebras or a histogram.

So every pixel on a screen will have an exposure value from 0-100. 0 being black, 100 being white, and everything in between being shades of grey.

The field monitor will read the exposure values in every pixel and transform them into distinct bands of colour. So how do you use it?

False colour will give you a chart of the colour bands, usually on the side of the monitor, providing you with chunks of different exposure values which are easy to distinguish from each other.

So just like how Zebras is commonly used to indicate when you’ve over-exposed to 100, or completely white, false colour gives you a whole range of indicators.

You can use this information when setting exposure during a shot. For instance! You’ve setup a scene, brought in your talent, and have started setting up lights.

The first thing you might want to do is make sure the subject has enough light on their face. It’s common to set the exposure value of people with light skin to 70 IRE. On the false colour feature we can see the 70 range shows as this light grey colour. So we can adjust the light and the settings on the camera until the majority of the subject’s face is in this colour band.

But it doesn’t end there! Once we’ve adjusted and are happy with the exposure on skin, we can now adjust and customise the rest of the lighting in the scene.

We might want to make the rim light on the subject a highlighted spot, say around 80 IRE, so we can adjust the brightness of the rim light until it touches on yellow. 

You can also do this with the background. In this case, false colour is telling us that the background is sitting very close to zero, so we’ve actually lost almost all the information in the background. We can fix that by lifting the brightness of the background using a light until it appears in the desired colour band. In this case, we want it to hit the 20-30 range, which is blue to grey.

This technique is great for keeping the lighting in the scene consistent.

Once you have one shot setup, you can make a note of the colour band values for each element in the scene; skin tone at 70, highlight at 80, background light at 30, and make sure each shot in the scene uses these values.

This also means you can create different looks just by how you exposure the elements in the scene.

If you wanted something super contrasty, like an interrogation scene, you might want to bring up the exposure on skin to the 90 range with a close hard light, drop the rim light to 30, and widen the background light.

The interrogation scene in The Dark Knight, for example, actually over-exposes the skin on the joker, giving off this overwhelmingly blinding top light just as Batman smashes the Joker’s head against the table.

We used a false colour plugin to read the exposure values from the scene in The Dark Knight and tried to re-create it ourselves.

So next time you want to replicate the tone of a film; get a screenshot, throw it into your editor, pop on this plugin, and match the values. 

https://timeinpixels.com/false-color-plugin/

We’ve been using false colour for a year or two now, and we wouldn’t purchase a monitor if it didn’t have it. It’s so useful and easy to use once you wrap your head around the colour band system. 

The monitor we used in this episode, the FeelWorldMA7, is a great budget monitor with False Colour included. 

We did a review on it:

Just a quick note. Because false color uses IRE to read the exposure values, it does mean that a dark t-shirt and a light t-shirt lit with the same light will read differently. False Color is not measuring the amount of light hitting an object, it measures how bright it is on screen. So if you are matching exposure of two different subjects, make sure to read something similar such as skin tone and not a dark t-shirt against a light t-shirt.

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This video will teach you the basics of using the false color feature found on field monitors for filmmakers. By the end of this video, you will have an understanding of how to apply false color to your images and videos in order to correctly expose each element in the scene.

📺 How to support the channel

🚀 bit.ly/artlistfilmlook - The music you heard in this episode is from Artlist. Click the link to receive 2 extra free months on when you purchase an Artlist subscription!

🎵 https://www.joelfamularo.com/colour - Use discount code "TFL" at checkout to get 20% off your LUTs purchase!

🎬 In case you missed it

False Color Plugin: https://timeinpixels.com/false-color-plugin/

FeelWorld MA7 Review: https://youtu.be/TEjwlnNKE4U

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Learn to Light like the Pros: Short Side Lighting

Today I want to share with you ONE absolutely class lighting trick that will give you the film look by simply moving your lights around. Welcome to The Film Look.

We’ve shot a lot of sit down interviews for client jobs in the past. The basic setup for a video production client interview looks like this:

• sit them down with some distance from the background so you can get it nice and blurry

• Place in a key light to brighten up their face

• Place in a fill light on the other side to reduce the shadows

• While we are at it, we will pop in a hair light to make them pop off the background

• And a final background bounce light to brighten UP the background

This looks great for bright, positive messages in videos from a business point of view. But it doesn’t look like a film!

So take all of your video production lighting knowledge and throw it out of the window! We’re starting from scratch and this time we are going to make it look like a movie!

So before we start changing the lighting, we will bring in some set dressing, props, and Rob is going to dress as Bobby Carrot, a criminal accountant from the victorian era.

Now let's set up the lights again!

• Sit your subject down with some distance from the background

• Frame up your shot

• ...and place in a key light to brighten up their face…

This is the first thing we can change!

It feels natural to place the light so it points in the same direction that the camera is pointing. This means the light will never end up in the shot. This is a habit grown from videography shoots, but it doesn’t look very film-like.

Instead of lighting the broadside (the side where you see most of their face), we are going to move the light 180 degrees around the subject and light up the short side.

So instead of the light sitting at the 8 o’clock position to the subject, we will move it to the 2 o’clock position.

This small lighting change transforms the shot into something a lot more dark and sophisticated.

It’s called short side lighting because the key light is pointing to the short side of the subject (the side where you can see less of the face).

As well as getting something which looks instantly more film-like, you also have the benefit of very little light hitting the background because the key light is facing the opposite direction. So the background stays nice and dark.

Now you know about short side lighting, you’ll notice pretty much every film or TV drama will use this type of lighting in most of their scenes.

You can achieve short side lighting with window light as well. The window doesn’t have to be in the frame, you can always frame it out, but you still achieve something with great contrast and shadows.

Let’s carry on with our setup!

• So they are framed up

• Lit on the short side this time

• ...and now we can place in a fill light to reduce those shadows...

Except we aren’t going to do that!

If you asked Roger Deakins about fill light he’d probably say “Phil who!?”.

Instead, we are going to embrace these deep shadows in the shot. Filling in those shadows can spoil the film look and make it look more like a rom-com.

If you need to create more shadow, you can add some negative fill by placing something like a blackout curtain or 5-in-1 reflector on the subject’s broadside.

We have an episode talking about blackout curtains if you want to find out all the different uses for them!

And if you want to add more light to the broadside of the subject, you can always position the light down the clock: so instead of 1 or 2 o’clock, put it at 3 or 4 o’clock. This will let more light cast on their broadside but will still produce a dramatic, contrasty shot without having to resort to fill lighting.

Lastly, we ARE going to add an edge light in order to bring the shape of the subject back into the shot and give them some contrast from the background.

Basically, we want to create an outline using light. Otherwise, the back of the head will meld into the background because they are both very dark.

Alternatively, you can light up the background, so it's brighter than the back of their head and then you can forget about the hair light. We are just looking to retain the shape of the subject.

“But now we have lights in front of the camera, won’t they get in the shot when the camera moves around?” Well, this is where you can employ some movie magic.

Start with a practical light, like a desk lamp, to act as a physical light source which is in the shot. Then you can add in a sneaky key light out of frame to boost up the lamp, also known as motivating the light. This will work just as long as the colour temperature and quality of light is the same as the practical.

In this case, we have a tungsten bulb and it’s diffused so we matched it with our production light by matching the colour temp and diffusing with a show curtain.

We have an episode of DIY diffusion:

On wider shots, the production lights can sit further back, out of frame. It’s wider, so we won’t need perfect detail on faces because we are shooting the bigger picture. In close-ups, you can bring them closer and get perfect exposure on the subject’s face.

This is something which I wish my University taught me. Sadly, I had to learn this through my own trial and error. Next time you watch a film or TV show, have a look at which side the lighting is positioned. You might be surprised how often short side lighting is used!

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📺 How to support the channel

🚀 bit.ly/artlistfilmlook - The music you heard in this episode is from Artlist. Click the link to receive 2 extra free months on when you purchase an Artlist subscription!

🎵 https://www.joelfamularo.com/colour - Use discount code "TFL" at checkout to get 20% off your LUTs purchase!

🎬 In case you missed it

10 Ways to use Blackout Curtains for Filmmaking - https://youtu.be/nf2Cxz8H4CU

DIY Light Diffusion: https://youtu.be/zFqAo7Ic538

How to Shoot an Interview: https://youtu.be/8TRdmj0Ao4k

🎧 Listen to our Podcast!

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📞 The Socials

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Centre Frame Your Shot for MORE Impact

A few videos back we spoke about the things you need to know when you are making your first short film.

If you haven’t seen it you can find it here.

For that video, we had to look through some of our past films and took clips from them. I watched them back to back, which is something I’ve never done before, and it made me realise something...

In every film, we have a shot which is centre framed which always happens at a dramatic or key moment.

The masters of centred framing are directors like Wes Anderson and Stanley Kubrick.

So if you want to see some great examples of centre framing go watch and analysis their films instead of this YouTube video, but we are going to talk about it.

Welcome to The Film Look.

For our short film Road, we filmed this shot.

The inspiration for this shot was taken from the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Which is really strange because I don’t really like that film. Hate mail in the comments below.

In our short film Road, our character wakes up in the middle of the road and throughout the film, he finds a pair of shoes, a key, and a telephone. The final thing he finds is a door which stands in the middle of the Road.

Since the road was long and straight when we see the door in the wide shot for the first time, all of the lines of the road lead to a single point, which is the door. Our character has nowhere else to go but through the door.

Cut to the next scene and all of the leading lines are gone and it is a wide open space. Now our character has no path.

I think this is where centre framing works best when you have lines in your set design that lead to a single point. The Shining from Stanley Kubrick, which I do like by the way, is all centre framed. It gives the audience a sense that something isn’t right and to make them feel uneasy.

For Road, I was hoping the audience would feel the same way because a door in the middle of a Road shouldn't be there. The tension in the film is at one of its highest peaks and centering the door right in the middle means the audience has no other distractions.

Next, for our shot film Corpse we filmed this shot.

When we were shooting the scene our actor Dan jumped off a wall, into the sea, which we weren't ready for and had to run to keep up. Since it was an action scene, we just went with it to keep the pace high, and we captured this shot.

This is the opening shot of the film, and it definitely helps to set the tone right away. I don’t think you would get if it wasn’t framed in the centre.

For the last few shots in our short film the Asylum Groove we filmed this.

At this point in the film, we wanted to bring back some order as our character had just been dancing around the room. Centring our character in the frame contributed to bringing back that order, along with the music, and the fact he is now strapped to an electric chair.

The centred frame also allowed us to cut on action and keep the audience's eyes on our character. They have nowhere else to look but at him.

In Mad Max Fury Road, DOP John Seale said “whatever was the centre point of that shot”, in terms of the action happening in the frame, “had to be in the centre of the frame.”

This allowed them to cut faster between each shot because the audience’s eyes don't have to shift around to follow what is happening in each frame.

I would definitely like to film an action scene in this way to see how fast you can cut between the action. So if you want to see us try and experiment doing this hit that like button.

In every film we’ve made there is always a shot or two which is centre framed. I think a few stand out shots is just enough. Centre framing at a significant moment in your film can show a character has more power than before, it can create order with leading lines, helps with fast action cutting, it can deliver impact and most of all, it tells the audience it's the most important thing in the frame by simply placing it dead centre.

There’s loads more resources online about centre framing. In the comments below I’ve added a list of other videos and articles I’ve been looking at.

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📺 How to support the channel

🚀 bit.ly/artlistfilmlook - The music you heard in this episode is from Artlist. Click the link to receive 2 extra free months on when you purchase an Artlist subscription!

🎵 https://www.joelfamularo.com/colour - Use discount code "TFL" at checkout to get 20% off your LUTs purchase!

🎬 In case you missed it

Aputure Mini-20 Light Review - https://youtu.be/Pa58MhaeLlo

Power Junkie Review - https://youtu.be/UZZ-UA4r3js

How to Light an Exterior Night Scene - https://youtu.be/foEV4YGXqGU

Get the FILM LOOK with the Aputure 300d - https://youtu.be/FWThzBtyvsA

🎥 This episode's kit/gear/equipment:

🇺🇸 US links:

Ikea Jansjo USB Light - http://bit.ly/2YG2NRB

Amazon Ikea Jansjo USB Light - https://amzn.to/2YOw5hh

Blind Spot Power Junkie - https://amzn.to/2UdIVre

Sony a7s Dummy Battery - https://amzn.to/2UdwEmN

Canon 5D Dummy Battery - https://amzn.to/2HWI0oP

GH4/GH5 Dummy Battery - https://amzn.to/2uHQeZh

BMPCC4K Dummy Battery - https://amzn.to/2HWI0oP

15mm Rode Cheese Plate - https://amzn.to/2uPZQkt

🇬🇧 UK links:

Ikea Jansjo USB Light - http://bit.ly/2wf4JVe

Amazon Ikea Jansjo USB Light - https://amzn.to/2QjKQWi

Blind Spot Power Junkie - https://bit.ly/2G1uBti

Sony a7s Dummy Battery - https://bit.ly/2CTqwW4

Canon 5D Dummy Battery - https://bit.ly/2UfT0Ec

GH4/GH5 Dummy Battery - https://bit.ly/2UlX2uY

BMPCC4K Dummy Battery - https://bit.ly/2UfT0Ec

15mm Rode Cheese Plate - https://amzn.to/2CVEyqn

🎧 Listen to our Podcast!

iTunes: https://goo.gl/hikhGF

Android: https://goo.gl/fmsp4s

📞 The Socials

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheFilmLook

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFilmLook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefilmlook

(#filmmaking #tutorials #lighting #Ikeahack)

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Can You Use This $6 Light For Filmmaking

We’ve been busy working on our new YouTube studio space recently, so I do apologise that this episode is a bit simple. We were at IKEA the other day looking for furniture and I spotted this: they call it the Jansjo. It’s a USB powered LED light on a gooseneck and it’s only £2! So I thought I would see just how many ways we can use this for filmmaking.

These types of lights are meant for lighting up a laptop keyboard if you are typing away at night. Can we class this as filmmaking? Writing, maybe? There’s use number one!

POWER JUNKIE

The Power Junkie is a battery solution we use for powering the Sony a7s because the standard battery only lasts 40 minutes at best. The Power Junkie converts your battery into an NPF solution, giving you more battery life for a longer shoot.

We did a review of the Power Junkie here if you want to know more!

The Power Junkie includes USB ports as well, which means you can plug in the Jansjo light at the same time the NPF battery is powering the camera, and use it to light up hard to find microphone and headphone ports as well as rigging up a follow focus when you are working in the dark. It saves another person having to hold a light or ✔ jamming one in your mouth.

USB POWER BANK

If you don’t have a power junkie, you can always use something like a USB power bank and secure it to your camera, preferably onto a cage. It will do a similar job in terms of instant plug-in power for a work light.

But is it useful as an actual production light?

KEY LIGHT

It’s a bit of a ridiculously test, but we thought we may as well try to see if you can use this as any sort of key light on a subject.

The Jansjo light is 10 lumens at 0.3 watts so it’s not very bright.

But we tested it in a very dark room and it didn’t do too bad! Obviously we are shooting on the Sony a7s which is known for being a beasty low light camera, but the settings were certainly not out of the realm of shooting.

Surprisingly, it could work as a key.

EYE LIGHT

Next, we tested to see if you could use this as a makeshift eye light when the subject’s eyes have no natural eye light. From these results, it didn’t work very well!

The Jansjo is only 10 lumens so it just doesn’t pump out enough light to catch an eye...at least, not from the length of the gooseneck.

BACKGROUND BOKEH

We’ve had projects in the past when we just need a tiny little light source in the background to generate some bokeh balls. Really, just to give the background some life. With USB power like the Power Junkie, we were able to pop the light in the background and give it a bit more energy.

With some coloured gels, it's easy enough to change the colour of the background bokeh.

If you wanted to do something like this, it’s probably worth looking into the Jansjo light which comes with a clamp. It’s a lot brighter, and it much easier to rig up into a shot!

PROP

It could come in handy as a bomb defusal light or a bank heist pock picking light. Get imaginative!

BACK OF PC

What it’s actually perfect for is plugging into the back of your PC when you are swapping out ports and plugging things in. As it’s only £2, I would plug this into a spare USB socket and just leave it there.

The biggest let down of this light is the lack of on/off switch. I’d have it on a camera rig all the time if you could switch it off while keeping it plugged in. So while we carry on renovating the new Film Look studio, there’s some food for thought on a bargain product. Let us know how you’d use something like this for filmmaking, or if you think it’s an absolute waste of time!

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📺 How to support the channel

🚀 bit.ly/artlistfilmlook - The music you heard in this episode is from Artlist. Click the link to receive 2 extra free months on when you purchase an Artlist subscription!

🎵 https://www.joelfamularo.com/colour - Use discount code "TFL" at checkout to get 20% off your LUTs purchase!

🎬 In case you missed it

Aputure Mini-20 Light Review - https://youtu.be/Pa58MhaeLlo

Power Junkie Review - https://youtu.be/UZZ-UA4r3js

How to Light an Exterior Night Scene - https://youtu.be/foEV4YGXqGU

Get the FILM LOOK with the Aputure 300d - https://youtu.be/FWThzBtyvsA

🎥 This episode's kit/gear/equipment:

🇺🇸 US links:

Ikea Jansjo USB Light - http://bit.ly/2YG2NRB

Amazon Ikea Jansjo USB Light - https://amzn.to/2YOw5hh

Blind Spot Power Junkie - https://amzn.to/2UdIVre

Sony a7s Dummy Battery - https://amzn.to/2UdwEmN

Canon 5D Dummy Battery - https://amzn.to/2HWI0oP

GH4/GH5 Dummy Battery - https://amzn.to/2uHQeZh

BMPCC4K Dummy Battery - https://amzn.to/2HWI0oP

15mm Rode Cheese Plate - https://amzn.to/2uPZQkt

🇬🇧 UK links:

Ikea Jansjo USB Light - http://bit.ly/2wf4JVe

Amazon Ikea Jansjo USB Light - https://amzn.to/2QjKQWi

Blind Spot Power Junkie - https://bit.ly/2G1uBti

Sony a7s Dummy Battery - https://bit.ly/2CTqwW4

Canon 5D Dummy Battery - https://bit.ly/2UfT0Ec

GH4/GH5 Dummy Battery - https://bit.ly/2UlX2uY

BMPCC4K Dummy Battery - https://bit.ly/2UfT0Ec

15mm Rode Cheese Plate - https://amzn.to/2CVEyqn

🎧 Listen to our Podcast!

iTunes: https://goo.gl/hikhGF

Android: https://goo.gl/fmsp4s

📞 The Socials

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheFilmLook

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFilmLook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefilmlook

(#filmmaking #tutorials #lighting #Ikeahack)

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Are small LED panels good for filmmaking? | NiceFoto SL-120A Review

LED video lights have come a long way in the past five or so years. We’ve been looking for a replacement to our old 160 LED lights for a while. They aren’t very bright, they are made out of flimsy plastic, and they lack color accuracy.

Thankfully guys over at NiceFoto sent us their SL-120A just in time to try out. Let me show you some of the features of this bad boy and how we’ve been using it so far! Welcome to The Film Look.

These LED video lights from NiceFoto are going for about $90. Let me show you what you get in the box.

Firstly, a bi-colour LED light panel, ranging from 3200K to 6500K in 100K steps. It has a CRI rating of 96+ so it's got a clean looking white light. You can change the power 5% at a time so it has lots of room to dial in brightness. And it emits 1300 lumens of light.

It features a backlit screen on the rear so you can see your settings, buttons on the side for adjusting up and down, a button for switching between power and colour temp, and a power button which also puts the light to sleep at a click which is really handy if you want to do a quick on/off check on a monitor. Holding the power button down will switch it off altogether.

It has three ports on the bottom; two for charging, a micro USB and a USB type-C, and a mini USB to plug in the provided output cable if you want to use it as a USB power bank.

Unfortunately, you can’t use it as a power bank and a light at the same time. And the power bank can only charge 1000mAh. For context, my Samsung s8 has a battery of 3000mAh, so it won’t fully charge a phone...so really this feature is useless.

It’s got two ¼ 20 threads on the back and bottom to attach it to light stands or the provided ball head mount. In all honesty, the ballhead it comes with is very flimsy. This...is probably go in the bin.

It's charged via USB. It takes about 4 hours to fully charge and lasts for 1.5 hours on full power.

We’ve been using it mostly in dark scenes so we haven’t felt like it's running out of juice really quickly. Sadly, the charge cable provided doesn’t turn the light into a wired device. It will continue to lose power from the battery.

It does come with 2 modifiers; a diffuser plate and a grid, both of which don’t do their job well enough to use, to be honest. I would just chuck these straight in the bin.

Finally, you get a neoprene pouch so you can carry your light with you on a shoot and look cool doing it. With most budget LED lights, you don’t get a carry case, so this is a good addition for the price.

So what is this light good for? Well, because its so small, it’s ideal for placing in low profile spots, such as:

Hanging from a ceiling as a hair light or top light. It only weighs 525g so you CAN hold it up with some tape!

Using it to motivate a small practical light in a scene

Or using it as an emergency light in your camera bag if you are trying to find something in the dark!

There are many different versions of a light like this on the market right now. We’ve also been testing out the Moman LED video light, which is a limited bi-colour light that’s a bit smaller.

What i’d say is, buy the light based on the size you are after. If you need something really small to use for placing in difficult spots, you might want to go for something super small.

Personally, I really like the NiceFoto light. Without the useless modifiers, it does the job you’d expect. I won’t be using it as a key light any time soon, but it is a good addition to our lighting kit and we will continue to use it on YouTube stuff as well as films in the future.

---

📺 How to support the channel

🚀 bit.ly/artlistfilmlook - The music you heard in this episode is from Artlist. Click the link to receive 2 extra free months on when you purchase an Artlist subscription!

🎵 https://www.joelfamularo.com/colour - Use discount code "TFL" at checkout to get 20% off your LUTs purchase!

🎬 In case you missed it

Aputure Mini-20 Light Review: https://youtu.be/Pa58MhaeLlo

LEDGO G260 Light Review: https://youtu.be/_ML9dFIoKEU

AL-360RGB Light Review: https://youtu.be/iUBJc4qeI98

Pre-Lighting and Test Shooting: https://youtu.be/ExnH2KJSJoo

🎥 This episode's kit/gear/equipment:

🇺🇸 US links:

NiceFoto SL-120A: https://amzn.to/2HcSlLt

Moman LED: https://amzn.to/30alcHY

🇬🇧 UK links:

NiceFoto SL-120A: https://amzn.to/2Jfwtlc

Moman LED: https://amzn.to/2JdFN9a

🎧 Listen to our Podcast!

iTunes: https://goo.gl/hikhGF

Android: https://goo.gl/fmsp4s

📞 The Socials

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheFilmLook

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFilmLook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefilmlook

(#filmmaking #tutorials #lighting #NiceFoto)

---

DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

How to Shoot a Moody Computer Scene at Night

Today I’ll show you how we setup a scene like this: a moody, high contrast night time scene in front of a computer screen with two subjects. I’ll show you the coverage, composition, lighting setup, and the tools and techniques we used to get each shot consistent in the scene.

Welcome to The Film Look.

We shot this short scene for an ad spot recently and you guys seemed to like the look of it, so we thought we would show you our approach to creating it, breaking down every step along the way.

Let’s re-create the scene!

Location

The first thing you need is a location. We will be using our studio.

There are two subjects in the scene, and each of them will be sitting at their computer desks for the majority with a short movement from each subject.

180

Because the computers desks are against the wall, we are limited to shooting on just one side, so the 180 degree line is drawn between each character, using the open space of the room as our shooting space.

Coverage

The script for this scene has the following beats:

• Subject A on their computer, frustrated by a problem they can’t solve.

• Subject B offers a suggestion, so subject A turns around and listens for a moment.

• Subject A then turns back to their computer as subject B runs them through the solution.

• Subject B approaches the computer and the scene ends when they execute that solution

This is bread and butter stuff. This scene can be applied to a lot of scenarios for your films, so just take what you need and adjust it to suit your movie. Next, let’s cover the shots.

First, we have a Wide Shot in Profile of the whole scene. We need enough room for the subjects to stand without cutting their heads off so we can position the camera quite low angled slightly up. This shot will establish the location and the distance between the two characters.

Next we have a Medium Close Up of Subject A, lacking nose room, fitting subject B in the space behind. This shot will put Subject A in a tight box around the frame, emphasising his frustrated situation.

This shot also doubles as a 2-shot at the end of the scene as they both look into the same screen. This shot will finish the scene, so shooting a 2-shot means we can receive both of their reactions to the success or failure at the same time without having to cut between single close ups. It also puts both characters on par with each other.

Then we have a Close Up of Subject A when they turn around to face subject B. This shot also includes a short camera pan to compliment the chair spin, giving it a overly-dramatic/comic feel.

We have Close Ups of each subject at their computers. These are your standard rule of thirds close ups with plenty of nose room in front of the characters.

And to finish it off we have an overhead angle of typing on the keyboard.

Overall, this gives us 7 different shots from 5 main angles, so the lighting setup alters only slightly between each angle, which we’re going to cover now!

Lighting

We are shooting this night time scene during the day, so we blocked out the sunlight by fixing a blackout curtain against the window.

We have a video about all the many different uses of blackout curtains here:

Key Light

Next is the key light on each subject. We are going for a dark and dramatic look so we lit only the short side of the subjects to add dark shadows to their faces. We used the available light from the computer monitors and loaded up a blank word doc to make it as white as possible. The white balance of the camera is set to daylight to make the light from the monitors appear more blue.

With the monitors that are in shot, we pulled up a Photoshop window, which is dark grey, to prevent overexposure. We didn’t want a big block of white in the shots. This is something we couldn’t avoid in the wide but we fixed in the close ups.

Hair Light

To add some colour contrast to the scene we added a warm hairlight using an Aputure Mini 20 set to 3200K shared by both subjects as they are facing the same direction for the majority of the scene.

The only time we moved the hair light was for this shot here when Subject A turns around. We simply positioned it on the opposite side, behind subject A.

We closed the barn doors to create a long, sharp stream of light to cut the light from spilling onto the wall.

Background Light

To prevent the background from looking like a black void we clamped a small LED light to the lighting fixture, this one is from NiceFoto; its called the SL-120A. It was set to 3200K to match the hair light and bring up the background. The light it provides in the background also serves as physical motivation for the hairlight on the subjects, so it doesn’t seem like a random light coming from nowhere.

Exposure

To set exposure and keep it consistent between the shots, we firstly matched the exposure of the skintones for each subject. We used the false color function on our FeelWorld Master MA7 [we did a review here] to place the subject’s faces at approximately 70 IRE, which is a good exposure level for skin on pale faces. Using false colour, we were able to adjust the exposure settings until the subject’s skin showed this grey colour, representing 70 on the scale.

Using the same method, we could make sure the highlight from the hairlight wasn’t too hot, sitting at around 20.

And the exposure of the background light was so low it didn’t even read on the false colour function. So we just eyeballed it, lighting it just enough to make a difference to the background.

Inserts

To light the inserts, we angled the computer monitor down towards the keyboard, and lit it from one side only, giving us some contrast and preventing it from looking completely flat.

Camera & Lenses

We shot this scene on the Sony a7s with a standard picture profile. We used a couple of vintage prime photo lenses; the Helios 44-2 which is a 58mm, a Takumar 35mm, as well as a Canon 24-105mm for the wide establishing shot.

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https://www.storyblocks.com/TheFilmLook - In this video, we show how to use a computer screen as a key light to help light a nighttime bedroom or studio scene. We talk through the process of setting up each shot, how we established the 180-degree line, and show all of the other lighting equipment we used to light the scene. We used an Aputure Mini 20c, Aputure Mini 20d, and also a small USB LED light from NiceFoto.

🎥 This episode's kit/gear/equipment:

🇺🇸 US links:

Aputure LS-mini Kit - https://amzn.to/2XCcujw

Aputure LS-mini 20D - https://amzn.to/2UJkjCo

NiceFoto SL-120A LED - https://amzn.to/2GxDwBK

FEELWORLD Master MA7 Monitor - https://amzn.to/2GxebIi

🇬🇧 UK links:

Aputure LS-mini Kit - https://amzn.to/2UGbIAe

Aputure LS-mini 20D - https://amzn.to/2UJkjCo

NiceFoto SL-120A LED - https://amzn.to/2IWk7gw

FEELWORLD Master MA7 Monitor - https://amzn.to/2XIGWZo

🎬 In case you missed it

5 Tips for Nailing the 180° Degree Rule! - https://youtu.be/Fs24DBoT-C8

Pre-Lighting & Test Shooting - https://youtu.be/ExnH2KJSJoo

10 Ways to use Blackout Curtains for Filmmaking - https://youtu.be/nf2Cxz8H4CU

Our YouTube Presenting Setup - https://youtu.be/hEjDyw_aimw

🎧 Listen to our Podcast!

iTunes: https://goo.gl/hikhGF

Android: https://goo.gl/fmsp4s

📞 The Socials

Website: http://thefilmlook.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheFilmLook

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFilmLook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefilmlook

(#filmmaking #tutorials #lighting)

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

What You NEED to Know When Making Your First Short Film

When you first start making films they may look like this and you might be 10 years old and look like this.

Or you might start a little later, when you’re 21, and realise filmmaking is something you want to do.

Whatever age you start making films you’re going to have no experience, equipment, or money. None of this matters though, the only thing that does is going out there and shooting something cool with your friends.

These clips are from some of the first films we made when we had no experience, very little equipment and money.

These films were the building blocks and the testing ground to see if filmmaking was for us.

Without them, we would not have the experience we do now, filmmaking equipment, or money.

Well we still don’t make a lot of money, but we know making films is the only thing that we want to do.

So your first short films are going to suck, don’t worry about it, everyone's does. They will most likely not turn out how you imagined them in your head, but again everyone feels the same way.

For example, my short film Road, which isn’t technically my first short film, but a film which I class as my first proper short film, where I had a script and a clear goal.

Only 50% of it came out how I imagined it in my head, but I am proud of that 50%.

The poster still hangs on the wall and I see it every day.

Which is a little tip, make a poster for each one of your films, print it off, and stick it on your wall. It will remind you of what you have achieved.

If you want to watch the short film Road, you can find it here.

You will worry if the project is going to be any good, and have self-doubt. Can you do it? What happens if you fail? Well, you will fail, but so what.

Learn from that experience, the good and the bad.

Workout what you could have done better and build on that, but also work out what you did right  and build on that.

With your first short films, you don’t need to worry about getting everything right, 50% of a 7-minute  film isn't bad when you are making your first short films.

With every film you make, you will improve and learn from the experience, and this goes for whatever you shoot. Filmmaking or filmmaker is a broad term, and making films will allow you to work out what type of filmmaker you are.

Do you want to be a traditional filmmaker? Where you work from a script, have actors, a set, props. You might find you hate camera gear and like the producing side more than the technical side.

Or you might find out that you want to be a content creator, a vlogger, filming interesting stories about your life. They can cross over but there is a difference between the two.

You might find you like one more than the other, but the only way you are going to find this out is by making something and getting it finished.

Having a film finished so other people can watch it is the most important part of filmmaking. Even if you think it’s not perfect, finished is better than perfect.

Once people can watch it, you can receive feedback from the audience, good and the bad.

The good helps to encourage you, and the bad helps you to learn. You will get nasty comments, but no one likes those people, so don’t worry about it.

On the topic of other people, work with others to make to help make your films. Friends, Family, whoever is interested. They don’t need to be filmmakers, but having people to work with is a lot more fun. Plus you can’t make a lightsaber fight film by yourself.

When you make your first films you will be the writer, director, DOP, 1st AC/AD, sound Recordist, costume and props department, and do every other role. This is a good thing, it will allow you to learn the basics about each role, and work out which one you like the most.

Doing everything will also mean you will have to compromise when making your film because you will have to concentrate on so many things at the same time.

When I made my final year film for University, I didn’t get anyone to read over a draft of the script, help me shoot it, or look over an edit before I screened it.

At the time I didn’t want people seeing what I was making because didn’t think it was going to be very good.

This was a mistake I made. Working with other people will make your films better and you’ll have a lot more fun doing it.

Even though I might not like watching this film back, it’s finished, exported, people have seen it. Finishing this film allowed me to make the next film, the film after that, and the film after that.

If you are out there and you need some advice about your film idea, script, or short film, put it in the comments below or send it to us at thefilmlook@gmail.com with the subject line of Feedback.

If you send something the feedback might not be instant, but we will get back to everyone.

If I am giving advice on making your first short films, I have to talk about filmmaking equipment. The general advice on YouTube is to not worry about filmmaking equipment.

Well I can’t give that advice because it’s easy to say that when you have a good camera, lenses and microphones, like most other people who are giving this advice.

Over the space of about 5 years we’ve built up our camera equipment, but when we had very little equipment, we wanted to get a slider, a gimble, better lights. You will learn that the right equipment can improve the quality of your film and there is nothing wrong with wanting it.

What is wrong is not going out and shooting your first short films, because you don’t have the right equipment. We shot one of our short films, Corpse on a Canon 600D, 24-105mm lens, a tripod and a 5 in 1 reflector. Equipment which we still use.

Links to Corpse can be found here.

Not having a slider, gimbal, or better lights, actually made shooting Corpse easier, because we didn’t have to worry about setting up lots of equipment and making sure it was perfect.

Not having the right equipment allows you to learn about what equipment you could have used to make your film better.

For example if you’re shooting a walk and talk but you don’t have a shoulder rig or gimbal and you just have to use your hands. The footage is going to be shaky and distracting to the audience, but don’t worry about it It’s not wrong or a mistake, put it in your film and get the film finished.

Now you have the experience of shooting a walk and talk you now know something like a gimbal will help stabilise your camera. You will learn that the right piece of filmmaking equipment can make your film that 10% better, so get the right equipment when and if you can.

And if you just want to, don’t get into debt for it and have a good reason to buy it first, but buy filmmaking equipment if you want. Filmmaking equipment is super cool and there is no such thing as a minimalist filmmaker, you kind of need a lot of camera bits.

So remember when you are making your first short films they are going to suck but everyone’s does. Make shooting your short films fun and get it done, work with others, and filmmaking equipment doesn’t matter but it also kind of does.

If you have just started making films or you’ve made 50, comment below with some advice you would give to other filmmakers about starting out.

And if you want to see me watch my student film for the first time in 7 years let us know, Even though I really don’t want to.

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🎬 In case you missed it

Road Short Film: https://youtu.be/f2FUmXcpoDE

Corpse Short Film: https://youtu.be/leZmhn6KWvE

The Key to Editing Suspense: https://youtu.be/NQOdd4kWSAo

Get CINEMATIC by Connecting YOUR Shots!: https://youtu.be/5Tkg2hwB3n0

🎧 Listen to our Podcast!

iTunes: https://goo.gl/hikhGF

Android: https://goo.gl/fmsp4s

📞 The Socials

Website: http://thefilmlook.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheFilmLook

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFilmLook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefilmlook

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Do you NEED to shoot Log?

Today we’ll find out if shooting a flat image like Log is worth the extra effort or just a waste of time. Welcome to The Film Look.

For those who are new to flat picture profiles such as log, let me give you a quick rundown.

Dynamic range is the name given to the number of steps between black and white. More dynamic range means more shades of grey between black and white, which in photography equates to an image which retains more detail in the shadows and the highlights at the same time.

For a colour image, you have red, green, and blue channels, and they all have a range between black and white, so it works for colour too.

A “flat image” retains more information in the highlights and shadows - the shadows are lighter and the highlights are darker, giving you an image which lacks contrast, it looks “flat”.

So if you are shooting an image with harsh sunlight and dark shadows in the same frame, a flat picture profile will help the image retain information on both ends of the spectrum, giving you more room to expose both the shadows and highlights correctly.

On most cameras, zebras will tell you when you’ve gone too far. If you are seeing stripes on your monitor, you’re capturing nothing but a block of white - no information - no detail - that is something which can’t be fixed in post.

For our short film The Asylum Groove, we shot in Cine4, which is a flat profile.

We were having trouble battling the overblown windows whilst also trying to expose for the subject, so we switched to a flat profile in order to protect the highlight information, and we brought in some large soft lights to correctly expose the subject.

Out of the camera, a flat image looks milky; it lacks contrast and colour and doesn’t look very cinematic. This is where grading comes in. Because you’ve shot the image “flat”, you need to give it some contrast in order to make it pop.

But this begs the question: “why bother shooting flat if you are just going to put contrast back into the image later on?”

Well, this is because of the extra information you get. The final image may not present ALL of that information in the end (like if it’s been heavily graded), but it's still there if you need it in post-production.

Think of it like bonus information at the back of a book: you might not even read it, but it's there if you desperately need it.

Shooting a flat picture comes with extra work and you may even need extra equipment to handle the workflow.

Log is a VERY flat picture profile which retains a hell of a lot of contrast information in the image.

Log is so flat it can become difficult to properly judge a shot because you are looking at something which looks so milky and lacking in colour.

In this instance, an external monitor will help.

With an external monitor, you can adjust the settings to simulate a graded contrast-heavy image and use it as a shooting reference while capturing flat footage on the card.

On higher-end monitors, you can install LUTs, which are fancy image filters that give you a range of cool and colourful styles. Pick something which you think suits your film and use it as a guide when capturing a flat image.

Image Courtesy of Joshua Martin Studios: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChrlpVf3YqafEkYBtbWDN-Q

You may also find that log profiles will increase the minimum available ISO so in order to expose correctly in bright light, you need an ND filter if you want to keep a 1/50 shutter and a fairly shallow depth of field.

Alternatively, you may want to choose a different flat profile which doesn’t affect the ISO so drastically, such as Cine4 which is on the Sony a7s. It’s not as flat as Log but only pushes the minimum ISO from 100 to 200.

There are LUT packs found online which are designed for specific picture profiles. These LUTs can be applied to your LUT-capable monitor and used in post-production. They do a good job bringing your flat footage back to reality, reducing the milky colourless image, and getting it ready for applying a funky colour grade.

So if you need the dynamic range when shooting, LUTs are the best starting point if you don’t have a lot of experience with grading.

If you shoot in S-Log on the Sony, check out these Phantom LUTs by Joel Famularo.

Phantom LUTs: https://www.joelfamularo.com/colour

Use discount code “TFL” for 20% off at checkout!

He’s got LUTs for a bunch of Alexa Looks and a Film Looks on his website, and all of the graded S-Log footage in this episode has one of his phantom LUTs applied. Joel has also supplied us with a 6-month limited discount code if you want to buy them.

But this doesn’t mean to say you NEED to shoot a flat picture profile in order to get wicked-looking footage.

You may find it easier to capture a good-looking contrasty image straight out of the camera, or your camera may not have the option at all. Shooting without a flat profile is actually what we do with our YouTube videos. We usually shoot under controlled lighting, so we so we very rarely have to battle blown out highlights or shadows.

The standard picture profile on the Sony is actually a little bit flat. It’s mostly just adding contrast and balancing the images in the sequence, which takes about 5 minutes per episode.

So, shooting flat is not a hard and fast rule - it's a technical choice. If you need the safety of capturing more dynamic range or love the look you get from colour grading flat footage, go ahead and shoot it flat.

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🚀 https://artlist.io/artlist-70446/?artlist_aid=TheFilmLook_370&utm_source=affiliate_p&utm_medium=TheFilmLook_370&utm_campaign=TheFilmLook_370 - Click this to receive 2 extra free months on when you purchase an Artlist subscription!

🎵 https://www.joelfamularo.com/colour - Use discount code "TFL" at checkout to get 20% off your LUTs purchase!

🎬 In case you missed it

Joshua Martin's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChrlpVf3YqafEkYBtbWDN-Q

Feelworld Master MA7 Review: https://youtu.be/TEjwlnNKE4U

Get the Film Look with the Aputure 300D: https://youtu.be/FWThzBtyvsA

Upgrade Your Camera Battery with the Power Junkie: https://youtu.be/UZZ-UA4r3js

🎧 Listen to our Podcast!

iTunes: https://goo.gl/hikhGF

Android: https://goo.gl/fmsp4s

📞 The Socials

Website: http://thefilmlook.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheFilmLook

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFilmLook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefilmlook

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Editing and Feedback | Episode 7: Video Production Guide

You’ve finished shooting your client’s video - now you need to edited it. 

Welcome to The Film Look and episode 7 of the Video Production Guide.

So you have finished shooting your client’s video. You have a bunch of cards you need to unload onto the computer which contain the picture and sound elements to piece together the video.

Before you begin editing, you’ll want to create a clear folder structure. To do this we use a program called Post Haste which is free.

Post Haste - https://www.digitalrebellion.com/posthaste/

Post Haste comes with a few folder structured templates for different creative workflows. You can also create a custom project folder structure which suits your workflow. This is the one we have created that works the best for us as each type of media for your project has it’s own folder. You could just create the folders the normal way you do on windows or mac, but Post Haste saves time and everything is always structured correctly and consistently.

We keep the bin structure in our editing software the same as the Post Haste folder structure as it helps to keep everything organised. To save more time when setting up your project, create a project template that has only this bin structure and save it on your hard drive. When you create the project folder structure with Post Haste you can set it to import this template into your project, again saving more as you only have to create it once.

Make sure you have all of the main files in your editor and you can start to edit.

Interviews

The way I edit interviews is to first get the full interview in a sequence, bring in the B camera shot if I have one and the audio. Then I sync everything up. Lets call this sequence INTERVIEW_1_SEQV1.

Then I duplicate this sequence calling the new sequence INTERVIEW_1_SEQV2 and I lock and close sequence 1. I do this just encase I make a mistake or need to go back and check something I have cut out. In sequence 2 I cut out all of the dead space in between the person's interview, you can do this quickly by just looking at the wave form as you can clearly see where they are speaking. I also cut out anything they have spoke about which I know will not be used in the final video.

When you have edited about 100 interviews you learn what you can just cut straight out.

I duplicate the sequence once more, then i start to assemble the interview, moving and cutting out parts until I have something that tells the right story.

The length and structure of your interview will all depend on the subject, for the video we made for Sian Jordan Designs the interviews was very linear. We started of with an introduction, how she got started in watercolour, and then talking about the type of work she creates.

The video we made for Pamplemousse Recording Studio was very structured as they were talking about the services they sell, and was a lot more direct.

B-Roll

Once you have cut down your interview and it has a structure, you can start add your B-Roll. Go through the B-Roll you have shoot and pick the section you think you might use. You can subclip these into subfolders or just simply but them onto your timeline is a rough order. Go through and place shots that compliment what your interviewee is talking about. Your B-Roll is also used to place over and hide the cutting points on the timeline.

Logos

Most client videos will require you to add their company logo and contact details to the edit. My advice would be to send your client a draft edit which have placeholder slides for where this information will go. I say this because companies have many different logo version, phones numbers and email address. Save time and let them send you the correct information.

Music

We spoke about how to choose the right music for your projects in the last video, so if you missed it, go check it out.

Send to client

Once you have a good first draft it’s time to send it to your client to see what they think. We use a website called Screen Light were you upload the video file and your client can leave feedback which is linked to the time code. You get a 1GB of storage for free as well which is more than enough, as you don’t need to upload the highest resolution video since this is only a draft.

Screen Light - https://screenlight.tv/ 

The Feedback/Changes

When you get the feedback from your client take on board what they say and make the changes, but remember they are paying you not just because you have a camera, they are paying you for your creative knowledge so if there is a change that you know will not work, advice them.

If they still want the change, do it and let them decide if it works.

Have a limit to how many changes your client can have, we normally say when they have seen the 3rd draft this is when everything should be 100% complete.

Delivery

Once the video is complete it is time to export and deliver it. The quick and easy way is to just send the high resolution version via WeTransfer, but if you can take it to them in person this might get talking about the next video they want making.

Over Deliver

When we deliver the final video we always try to over deliver when possible. Normally this is done by giving them many different version of the video for different social media platforms. If the final video is 2 minutes long give them a 20 second version they can use as a preview, or for Instagram. You can also give them any stills you took during the shoot.

Your client may not be paying for these extra videos or even use them, but it just shows that you have gone above the original brief. It should only take you about 30 minutes to create them, and it might help you get the next job.  

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The Video Production Guide is a step by step series teaching you the basics of shooting videos for clients.

Episodes released Weekly:

Want to make videos for a client: https://youtu.be/bBkQpobfAjU

How to get the job: https://youtu.be/A1-09ESSZew

How much to charge: https://youtu.be/3Djuh-xTL6Y

Preparing for a client shoot: https://youtu.be/sDbbKaaPjc4

How to shoot an interview: https://youtu.be/8TRdmj0Ao4k

Shooting b-roll: https://youtu.be/RYc2y_dsexI

Editing and Feedback: https://youtu.be/ipMmMp-241o

The Client Video: https://youtu.be/X9VZTuxvT9w

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This video was Sponsored By

http://bit.ly/synergy-pack - Get professional assets for your video from RocketStock.com. Their "Synergy" video pack is perfect for video editors and animators looking for versatile elements for any type of project.

http://bit.ly/track-hot-fusion - Click here to download this episode's track. Check out Premiumbeat.com to discover a huge range of exclusive royalty free music!

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Choosing the right Music | Episode 6: Video Production Guide

In this video we are going to talk about some things you need to take into consideration when choosing music for your next short film or client project.

Welcome to The Film Look and episode 6 of the Video Production Guide.

Adding music to your film is another way to tell your story and the wrong music can change the mood and tone very easily and tell a different story than you intended.

With each scene in your film you need to think about a few things; what do you want the audience to feel? Will the music drive the scene?

For this scene in our short film Keep The Change, our main character is at his highest level of stress as his car has just broken down and if he does not deliver the pizza on time he is going to get fired.

In this scene we want our audience to feel the same tension our delivery delivery is feeling. 

Another question you need to ask when picking music for your film is ‘Will the music work with the other audio in the scene?’. 

The other audio in your scene could be your character's dialogue and the foley sound effects which also help you tell the story. If you add music into your scene and it is taking away from the story because the other sounds are being drowned, think about having no music, not every scene needs it.

Client video

Just like a short film a client video has a theme and a mood.

There are lots of different places you can get music for your productions. Places like the YouTube music library is a good place to start and it is free, but after a while you will find it a little limited.

We have been using a website called premiumbeat to get all of our music for client videos and short films for over 2 years now. They have a wide range of genres and subgenres, and all of the music you have heard in this video is from premiumbeat.

Finding the right song can be time consuming. Sometimes you will find the perfect track right away and other times it will take hours. 

One of the main reasons we use premiumbeat is because they allow you to download a range of different lengths of the preview track. This allows you to add the track to your edit and see if it fits the tone of your film. On other sites you have to play the track in your web browser, then click play in your editor which can be pain.

Just remember to tell your client that music is a preview track, so they aren’t confused when they hear a voice saying ‘premiumbeat.com’ in the background.

For the videos we made for this guide we edited the videos to a suitable track we found on premiumbeat, then sent a draft version of the videos to our client. If they did not like the track for whatever reason we can change it without paying for the music. When the video has been signed off by your client, that is when you can purchase the track as you know they are 100% happy with it. 

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The Video Production Guide is a step by step series teaching you the basics of shooting videos for clients.

Episodes released Weekly:

Want to make videos for a client: https://youtu.be/bBkQpobfAjU

How to get the job: https://youtu.be/A1-09ESSZew

How much to charge: https://youtu.be/3Djuh-xTL6Y

Preparing for a client shoot: https://youtu.be/sDbbKaaPjc4

How to shoot an interview: https://youtu.be/8TRdmj0Ao4k

Shooting b-roll: https://youtu.be/RYc2y_dsexI

Editing and Feedback: https://youtu.be/ipMmMp-241o

The Client Video: https://youtu.be/X9VZTuxvT9w

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This video was Sponsored By

🎵 Click here to download this episode's track. Check out Premiumbeat.com to discover a huge range of exclusive royalty free music!

http://bit.ly/track-easy-does-it2

http://bit.ly/track-storytelling-piano

http://bit.ly/track-keep-fighting

http://bit.ly/track-modern-corporation

http://bit.ly/track-elemental-glow

http://bit.ly/track-raiders

http://bit.ly/track-march-of-desire

---

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Shooting B-Roll | Episode 5: Video Production Guide

In the last episode we spoke about how to shoot an interview. Most videos will need some form of B-Roll to layer over the interview and that is what we are going to talk about in this video.

Welcome to The Film Look and episode 5 of the Video Production Guide.

Capturing B-Roll can be done in many different ways, but it will also depend on the type of kit you can afford, and don’t worry if you can not afford the best equipment now. Concentrate on the equipment you do own and make as much money with it as you can.

But if you have a slider, use a slider, if your client needs a drone shot price for a drone shot, but remember if you only have a camera and a tripod, a well composed shot always trumps the fancy ones.

B-Roll doesn’t just help you shape the interview or voice over into a story, it also helps you hide the cuts you’ve made to the footage. B roll will hide the unnecessary answers, pauses, ums and errs. 

By using some audio transitions you can blend the audio cuts together and prevent the sound from popping. 

There are loads of different techniques when it comes to capturing B-Roll, but each shot needs to represent what your client is trying to sell, offer, or promote.

Slider

Clients love slider shots as the clean movement turns a boring conference room into something more interesting. With some distance between the background and subject, you can create a parallax sliding effect, which can really enhance the shot of a product or piece of art. We have a video all about how to use a slider on our channel.

Drone

In the last couple of years drone shots have become the new slider shots. Just like slider shots, they can be overused and 95% of jobs usually don’t need them. Unless you have a passion for flying drones, budget in for a professional who already has their wings. It will save you time and money, as getting a drone pilot's licence is expensive and time consuming. If the client is asking for a drone simply because it looks cool, let them know a solid story is always the better option. It’s not all about the fancy shots.

Handheld

Handheld shots can help you move quickly, and create dynamic shots. The cliche video production handheld shot is to follow your subject walking. [Shots from Projects]

When shooting a busy event there is never really a safe space to setup a tripod, so handheld is definitely the way to go. Using a shoulder rig will allow you to move around freely, and combining that with a monopod will give you the chance to also capture static shots. [Shots from Projects and equipment set up shot]

Slowmo

Slow motion is great to shoot in if the subject in the frame is moving. Clients love it and it’s really easy to do. Just adjust your settings from 24 fps to, for example 60, and double your shutter speed from 1/50 to 1/100. Then you can half the speed of the footage in your editor.

In episode 2 of this guide we spoke about preparing a shot list and storyboards before the shooting day. 

Use this on the day and tick off everything you wrote down as you don’t want to miss something your client asked you to capture.

Take your time when capturing the B-Roll. At first it may seem like it’s less important than any other footage, but the quality of your b roll will make or break the final video. Be patient, and do multiple takes if necessary. 

Don’t Over shoot

When you start to shoot videos you will have the tendency to overshoot, it’s not a bad thing but you will start to realise the more you shoot, the more time you’ll be sorting through the footage, and the more storage space you will need.

If the final video length needs to be 2 minutes you don’t need to shoot an hours worth of B-Roll shots.

Whatever tools and techniques you use to capture your b-roll shots, remember that every shot needs to help you tell a story. Practice makes perfect, and eventually you will be able to turn up at a location and know exactly what will look good because you’ve likely shot somewhere like this before. 

And remember to enjoy it! It might feel stressful to begin with, but just remember to take your time and enjoy yourself.

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The Video Production Guide is a step by step series teaching you the basics of shooting videos for clients.

Episodes released Weekly:

Want to make videos for a client: https://youtu.be/bBkQpobfAjU

How to get the job: https://youtu.be/A1-09ESSZew

How much to charge: https://youtu.be/3Djuh-xTL6Y

Preparing for a client shoot: https://youtu.be/sDbbKaaPjc4

How to shoot an interview: https://youtu.be/8TRdmj0Ao4k

Shooting b-roll: https://youtu.be/RYc2y_dsexI

Editing and Feedback: https://youtu.be/ipMmMp-241o

The Client Video: https://youtu.be/X9VZTuxvT9w

---

This video was Sponsored By

🎵 http://bit.ly/stanza-pack - If you're looking for stylish transitions for your video, then check out "Stanza" by RocketStock. You’ll be cutting from scene to scene like a pro with this bold pack of 200 plus video transitions.

http://bit.ly/track-under-the-spotlight - Click here to download this episode's track. Check out Premiumbeat.com to discover a huge range of exclusive royalty free music!

---

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

How to shoot an interview | Episode 4: Video Production Guide

Knowing how to shoot an interview is an essential part of making documentaries and videos for clients, but how do you shoot one?

Welcome to The Film Look and episode 4 of the Video Production Guide.

There are two different parts to shooting an interview, one is the interview setup and the other is the actual conducting of the interview. Let's talk about the setup first. 

Framing

Every location will be different but before you set up your camera, look at the room and see where might be best for the interviewee to sit, then where the camera, lights and microphones can go.

Your subject’s eyes should be positioned in one of the thirds of the screen, this can be on the left or the right depending on what is in your background. Having your subject placed like this is little more applying to the eye rather than placing your subject right in the middle of the frame.

You can do this but it’s normally when your subject is talking directly to the camera like I am right now.

Your interviewee’s eyeline should be always looking into the space and not away from it when being interviewed. The interviewer should be sat next to the camera looking across the space towards the subject's eyeline.

Second Camera Angle

If you have a second camera and tripod, capturing a second angle will give you more cutting room as you can cut between the different angles.

One setup could to be position your B camera right next to your A camera and having them set at two different focal lengths.

A very popular B camera setup is a profile shot of the interviewee.

If you have a second shooter they can operate the B camera on a shoulder rig or a slider and change the framing between each question, achieving many different angles. Just make sure you give them enough time to move before you ask the next question.

Lighting the Interview

The interview in a client video is there to tell the viewer certain information. This could be about a product or service the company is offering, or someone talking about their experiences.

The way the interview looks needs to represent the subject matter. 

For the example client video we shot for Pamplemousse Recording Studio we wanted to match the mood of the studio, so we used turned on the practical lights in the studio. Then we added an Apture H267c LED panel 2 meters away from the subject, set the brightness to 100%, and the colour temperature to 5500 kelvin.

Then we added a 160 LED right of frame with gave Jordan a edge light, which also separated him from the background by lighting up the guitars behind him.

There are lots of different types of interview setups, sometimes you will only add one light and sometimes you will need to add three. 

Here is a basic lighting kit which will work for most situation.

Key Light

We use an Aputure HR672C. You can change the colour temperature, but it’s not the brightest of lights so sometimes you need to get it very close to your subject. The good thing is, it’s a LED light so it doesn’t get very hot.

Fill Light

Our fill light is usually a reflector which is used to fill in the hard shadows on our subject’s face.

Edge Light

For an edge light we normally use one of these 160 LED panels. Its colour accuracy isn’t going to win any awards, but they are small and for £30 you can’t really go wrong.

There are loads of lights and modifiers you can use, but this kit will get you started.

Sound

There are several different types of microphones you can use when recording an interview. We’ve used on-board video mics, shotgun mics, and clip mics, and they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

A Rode videomic pro is a good place to start. They are reasonably priced and have a solid sound. When recording an interview, it’s best to get the microphone off the camera and bring it closer to your subject in order to capture something cleaner and louder. You can extend the length of the cable by using a 3.5mm extension cable like this one. Then throw it on a microphone stand to boom it without an operator.

We use a larger shotgun mic for the majority of our setups. This one here is a Rode NTG2. It gets a really nice sound and has very low noise, but it does require an XLR input so if your camera only has a 3.5mm socket, you can pick up something like this Saramonic Smart Rig which will adapt and connect the foreign inputs.

Clip Mics are great to use if your subject is moving a lot, or is far away. For a wedding it’s a great way to capture people's vows, or if you’re shooting a conference talk.

We recommend to start with a Rode Video Microphone, then upgrade to a shotgun mic when you can. We think a shotgun microphone is a lot more versatile than a set of clip mics as you can record interviews, voice overs, sound effects and Foley with it.

Conducting an interview

Setting up your camera, lights, and sound equipment is not the only thing you will need to do if you’re shooting an interview. You’ll most likely have to conduct the interview as well.

If you’ve never done this before, like when we started, there are a lot of little things to learn that comes with experience.  

Questions

For an interview you will need to ask the interviewee some questions. It’s best to ask the client what questions to ask they know more about the subject matter than you do, but do a little research into the person or subject beforehand. 

If a person is nervous about being interviewed, just sit and chat to them. Go over the questions and answers, ask them questions that are not about the interview, like if they are going on holiday - just get them talking. 

At times the interviewee might ramble. If this happens, ask them the question again. The rambling was just them figuring out what they wanted to say, and since they now know, the second take will likely be better.

When they are talking, try not to speak until you are sure they have finished and leave at least 3 seconds before you say anything. You’ll be picked up on the microphone, and hearing your hums and arrrs in the edit is the worst. Just listen until it is your turn to ask another question. 

Question in the Answer

When you ask a question, ask the interviewee to present the question at the start of their answer. This will help them lead into their answer and allow the audience to know what the interviewee is talking about.

Here are two examples, one without the question in the answer and one with.

Example 1

I had porridge and a coffee

Example 2

For breakfast this morning I had porridge and a coffee.

The question was ‘What did you have for breakfast this morning?’ which, by the way, is a good question to ask when your are checking your sound levels. 

That’s the basics of shooting an interview. Take what we have said and put it into practice.

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The Video Production Guide is a step by step series teaching you the basics of shooting videos for clients.

Episodes released Weekly:

Want to make videos for a client: https://youtu.be/bBkQpobfAjU

How to get the job: https://youtu.be/A1-09ESSZew

How much to charge: https://youtu.be/3Djuh-xTL6Y

Preparing for a client shoot: https://youtu.be/sDbbKaaPjc4

How to shoot an interview: https://youtu.be/8TRdmj0Ao4k

Shooting b-roll: https://youtu.be/RYc2y_dsexI

Editing and Feedback: https://youtu.be/ipMmMp-241o

The Client Video: https://youtu.be/X9VZTuxvT9w

---

This video was Sponsored By

http://bit.ly/illuminate-pack - RocketStock’s light leak pack, "Illuminate", is sure to impress your viewers. Shot using digital cinema cameras in 4K, it’s an unbeatable way to lift your video to new, cinematic heights.

http://bit.ly/pb-brooklyn-bridge - Click here to download this episode's track. Check out Premiumbeat.com to discover a huge range of exclusive royalty free music!

---

Equipment Links

🎥 This episode's kit/gear/equipment:

US links

Rode Video Microphone - http://amzn.to/2zDp4mS

Rode NGT 2 - http://amzn.to/2yK4dkR

Rode Link Clip Mic - http://amzn.to/2zBSK3G

Aputure LED HR672C - http://amzn.to/2y2U9Uv

UK links

Rode Video Microphone - http://amzn.to/2lcKOmU

Rode NGT 2 - http://amzn.to/2i3xOeN

Rode Link Clip Mic - http://amzn.to/2yKjUso

Aputure LED HR672C - http://amzn.to/2i35qt7

---

DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Preparing for a client shoot | Episode 3: Video Production Guide

In the last few videos we have spoke about how to set up your video production company, get a video job, and work out what to charge.

In this video we are going to talk about preparing for the shoot. Welcome to The Film Look and episode 3 of the Video Production Guide.

Preparing for the shoot is just as important as the shoot itself. The more you prepare, the easier your shoot will be.

After you get the job there are a lot of questions you should ask your client before the shoot, such as:

When are you available to shoot the video?

Where is the location?

How many people will be interviewed?

What questions need to be asked?

What time does the event finish?

When do you need the final video delivered?

What do you want the video to achieve?

Some of these questions might seem very simple, but if your client needs the video turned around within a couple of days you need to know that before you shoot.

Ask as many questions as you can and it will reassure your client that you know what you are doing, even if you’re just making up as you go along.

If your client is struggling to express what they want, ask them to send over some examples of other videos they have seen that they like. Taking inspiration from others is perfectly fine, you’re not trying to remake radius of the lost ark.

Next you want to write up an agreement contract. This is basically an outline, or some bullet points, of everything you are going to do to make the video, and everything the client will do in order to help you deliver it.

No matter the scope of the project, a written contract is there protect you from any legal outcomes if they should arise, such as a client refusing to pay. It’s uncommon, but it does happen from time to time.

In the description below we have provided a simple contract we use.

Now you have outlined the idea with your client, use this to make a shot list for the shoot. Forgetting to shoot something on the shooting day and having to go back doesn’t look very professional and it is technically reducing your hourly rate. This is your mistake, and you can’t charge extra for something like this.

Client videos that consist of sit down interviews, b-roll, or event footage won’t require a script or storyboards.

The jobs that do are generally the most fun as there is a clear vision put in place and you can treat it like a short film.

We needed storyboards and a script for a shoot with an actor who was interacting with a prop in a particular order. Having a script allowed the actor to know what was required from them and it allowed us to clearly know what we needed to shoot before we got there.

Kit

Now you have all of the paper work out the way, prepare your kit the day before the shoot. Everyone will have a different camera equipment setup,

and you don’t need a lot of expensive camera equipment, a DSLR, Lens, tripod, and microphone is a good starting point to shoot most things.

What ever equipment you have, make sure all of your batteries are fully charged, and remember to bring a few extra spares. If you are going to use lights that need mains power, take a 10 meter extension lead; you never know how far the nearest socket will be.

Before you leave, make sure you have all of the production documents and kit. Dress smart/casual; you want to be comfortable whilst working, but don’t want to look like a slob. And remember, don’t be late!

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The Video Production Guide is a step by step series teaching you the basics of shooting videos for clients.

Episodes released Weekly:

Want to make videos for a client: https://youtu.be/bBkQpobfAjU

How to get the job: https://youtu.be/A1-09ESSZew

How much to charge: https://youtu.be/3Djuh-xTL6Y

Preparing for a client shoot: https://youtu.be/sDbbKaaPjc4

How to shoot an interview: https://youtu.be/8TRdmj0Ao4k

Shooting b-roll: https://youtu.be/RYc2y_dsexI

Editing and Feedback: https://youtu.be/ipMmMp-241o

The Client Video: https://youtu.be/X9VZTuxvT9w

---

This video was Sponsored By

http://bit.ly/track-winner-takes-it-all - Thanks to PremiumBeat for providing the music for this week's episode. Check out Premiumbeat.com to discover a huge range of exclusive royalty free music!

---

Equipment Links

🎥 This episode's kit/gear/equipment:

US links

Rode Video Microphone - http://amzn.to/2zDp4mS

Rode NGT 2 - http://amzn.to/2yK4dkR

Rode Link Clip Mic - http://amzn.to/2zBSK3G

Aputure LED HR672C - http://amzn.to/2y2U9Uv

UK links

Rode Video Microphone - http://amzn.to/2lcKOmU

Rode NGT 2 - http://amzn.to/2i3xOeN

Rode Link Clip Mic - http://amzn.to/2yKjUso

Aputure LED HR672C - http://amzn.to/2i35qt7

---

DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

The Client Video | Video Production Guide

For the video production guide we created a client video for Pamplemousse Recording Studio. We did this to show the types of videos you can create for small business.

The Video Production Guide is a step by step series teaching you the basics of shooting videos for clients.

Episodes released Weekly:

Want to make videos for a client: https://youtu.be/bBkQpobfAjU

How to get the job: https://youtu.be/A1-09ESSZew

How much to charge: https://youtu.be/3Djuh-xTL6Y

Preparing for a client shoot: https://youtu.be/sDbbKaaPjc4

How to shoot an interview: https://youtu.be/8TRdmj0Ao4k

Shooting b-roll: https://youtu.be/RYc2y_dsexI

Editing and Feedback: https://youtu.be/ipMmMp-241o

The Client Video: https://youtu.be/X9VZTuxvT9w

---

This video was Sponsored By

http://bit.ly/track-march-of-desire & http://bit.ly/track-fulton-and-grand - Click here to download this episode's track. Check out Premiumbeat.com to discover a huge range of exclusive royalty free music!

---

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

How much to charge | Episode 2: Video Production Guide

If someone comes along and asks you to make a video for them, knowing what to charge can be tricky to work out.

In this video we are going to give you some tips on how to work this out.

Welcome to The Film Look and Episode 2 of the Video Production Guide.

First I want to talk about working for free. This is something we all have to do to gain experience, and get footage for our showreels.

We have a video where we talk all about working for no pay on our channel if you want check it out.

If the first videos you make for someone are for free, it’s a great time to learn the process and work out how long it takes to make a video for someone.

Even if you are getting paid for the work this is a good practice as you’ll start to work out what to charge for different jobs, as some will take longer to shoot or edit then others.

When you price for the job, tell your client how many days you are charging for pre production, production and post production. It’s good to do this is because your client might look at the price and assume it’s simply for the shooting day. Your client may only see you for the time when you are shooting, but remember this is not just the only time you have worked. You might have spent 1 day planning the shoot, and it’s going to take you 2 days to edit the video.

If you’re struggling to work out what price to charge, don’t be afraid to ask what their budget is as it might be a lot more than you were expecting.

It also might be a lot less than what you were going to offer; yes your hourly rate will be low but you're still getting paid for making videos, and at the start any pay is good pay. [Timelapse of the shoot]

Now you have this information, what is your time worth? That’s what this video is all about after all. I can’t tell you what you should charge as there are many different factors to consider.

First there is your level of experience, the more experience you have the bigger and better jobs you can get which you can charge more.

Who is your client? With some clients you can charge more for your services. Don’t expect every client to be able to pay you the same hourly/daily rate.

A locally run coffee shop does not have the same marketing budget as starbucks.

Your location is important as well. In some city’s like London or New York you can charge more simply because everything has inflated pricing, but if you live in a small city or town there will be a price cap for video production.

Finally, every project will be different in terms of how long it will take to plan, shoot and edit. 

A little piece of advice; in the film industry there is no such thing as a half days pay, so if the shoot is only 2 or 3 hours, you need to charge for a full day as you can’t really do anything else during that day when you are waiting to go to the shoot.

Whatever you charge make sure you are always delivering the highest quality of video and service you can. It doesn’t matter if they are offering pennies, give them a video you think is worth hundreds if not thousands. You never know when they may need more work in the future, or when someone asks them if they know any good video people.

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The Video Production Guide is a step by step series teaching you the basics of shooting videos for clients.

Episodes released Weekly:

Want to make videos for a client: https://youtu.be/bBkQpobfAjU

How to get the job: https://youtu.be/A1-09ESSZew

How much to charge: https://youtu.be/3Djuh-xTL6Y

Preparing for a client shoot: https://youtu.be/sDbbKaaPjc4

How to shoot an interview: https://youtu.be/8TRdmj0Ao4k

Shooting b-roll: https://youtu.be/RYc2y_dsexI

Editing and Feedback: https://youtu.be/ipMmMp-241o

The Client Video: https://youtu.be/X9VZTuxvT9w

---

This video was Sponsored By

http://bit.ly/synergy-pack - Get professional assets for your video from RocketStock.com. Their "Synergy" video pack is perfect for video editors and animators looking for versatile elements for any type of project.

http://bit.ly/track-the-funk - Click here to download this episode's track. Check out Premiumbeat.com to discover a huge range of exclusive royalty free music!

---

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

How to get the job | Episode 1: Video Production Guide

Living in the digital age; a multitude of businesses, companies, and individuals are looking for videos for a range of different needs. They are also willing to pay for them!

That’s where a filmmaker comes in. But, how do you find the work, and how do you secure a video production job?

Welcome to The Film Look and episode 1 of the Video Production Guide.

So you’re an aspiring filmmaker, you have a DSLR, a microphone, some lights, and you want to earn some cash by using your skills and equipment to make videos for clients. How do you start?

At first you may have to work for free to gain experience before people will pay you. We had to do this at the start and we would advise to treat this time as a testing ground to see if making videos for other people is a career path you want to go down.

Everyone needs videos making, so contact local museums, artists, events, people getting married, vets, dentists, hairdressers, even make a video about your Gran’s sewing group if you have to!

Showreel

Once you have a few projects under your belt you can create a showreel to showcase your work. Trea t your showreel the same way you would a CV or resume; show the best shots and don’t make it longer than 1 minute. You want it to be entertaining and it’s better to have a snappy 1 minute video than a boring 3 minute one.

Your Business

I’m not going to go into the specifics of setting up a business, that's a whole guide in itself. Instead we are going to talk about some of the specifics of setting up a production company.

First you need to pick a name that you will trade under. Our production company is called RGR Film Productions.

Choose a title which is self explanatory. RGR Film Productions is pretty clear that we produce films, RGR Visual Design could be any sort of creative design business; it’s a bit wishy-washy and vague, so pick something with video or film in the title so a client will know exactly what you do.

And spend some time choosing your name too - it’s going to be with you for a long time.

Once you have a name chosen, you should create a Facebook page for the business and eventually a website. This will help people find you and it’s a place to showcase your work. Get Instagram and twitter aswell, but only if you are going to use them.

Seeing dormant twitter feeds that have not been used in 6 months is a lot worse than not having one.

There are lots of inexpensive ways to build your website so don’t stress about it. Wordpress and Squarespace will allow you to create something visual really easy, which is what you should be aiming for. And some advice don’t have a lot of text on your website - your work is visual so show it off.

We are not sponsored by Squarespace, but there are loads of other channels that are and they offer discount codes for the site.

Keep your branding consistent on your website, social media pages and even your business cards. If you have no experience in graphic design there are lots of people out there that can help, some just starting out like you. Trade services if you can.

Business cards are a dime a dozen.  A great way to stand out is to have something that’s different from the norm. These were my first set of business cards and they worked, but after a few years I changed them to these. They are a lot more visual and they give a good first impression of what you do.

How to approach businesses

Whilst you are setting up your business you need to be out there finding work, as no one will come to you especially at the start.

Emailing people can work, but you need to make sure you are emailing the right person. Don’t use the first email address that you find on a company's website, info@company.com, you need to be speaking to someone who works in the marketing or advertising departments, these are the people who deal with the people just like you. An easy search on Google like this - Company.com Marketing department will give you the names of the people who work in that department. Karen@company.com

This is a little different for people and businesses who are just one or two man teams. A great way to contact them directly is by messaging them via their Facebook business pages - write this message in the same professional manner you would an email.

Don’t be disheartened if you send 100 emails and only get 10 back, 10 is good. But if you only get 1 email back of someone who is interested, the next step is to meet with them and see how you can work with each other.

Even if this is an unpaid job treat this as a job interview; go  smart, be prepared, and listen to what they want.

And most of all, be honest! Don’t pretend to know something you don’t, nobody becomes David Fincher overnight, and you shouldn’t pretend to be.

Other than that, it is all up to you to turn that into a sale.

The more people you speak to, the more work you will get, so get to know people! Referrals are how you are going to get 50% if not more of your work. This means networking, and telling people them what you do.

I hate networking, but it’s necessary. The trick is to really listen to people; who they are and what they do. Don’t try to sell your business yet as they might not need your services, but they might know someone that does.

Last piece of advice will depend on where you live; if there are a lot of art groups, community meeting and talks, go to them and introduce yourself. You will meet people who are very like minded, creative, and someone there will be organising some form of event or workshop...and this is when you can offer to film it for them...it’s a start!

Who needs videos making?

So who needs videos making? Well the short answer is everyone. For this guide we have made two different types of client videos to use as examples.

One was for Sian Jordan Designs, a watercolour artist, and we made a video that explains who she is and what her business does. We call these type of videos ‘Business Stories’.

The second video we made was for Pamplemousse Recording Studio that advertised the services they sell. This is a classic promotional video.

The two videos were created for Pamplemousse Recording Studios. The first one was a 20 second advertisement about the services they offer. The second video was 2 minutes long, and goes into more detail about Jordan the owner of Pamplemousse Recording Studios, we call this type of videos Business Stories.

Recording Studios are just one example of the type of companies you could contact, but there are loads more so let’s talk about them.

These are just two examples of the type of companies you could contact who need videos. There are loads of others so let's talk about them.

Museums

Our first client job was working for a museum filming artists creating art out of glass then interviewing them about their work. These jobs taught us how to work with a client, finding out what they need, how to shoot interviews with many different types of people, and turn videos around quickly.

Corporate Videos

Corporate videos come in many different shapes and sizes. We have already spoken about Business Stories and service based promotional videos, but you also have fundraising videos, factory tours, and high concept videos which have a short film structure and tone to them.

Music Videos

From my experience if you want to make music videos, just advertise that you only make music videos. It’s easier for local bands to find you as they don't have to look through all of the other work you have created. Music videos are a great way to just concentrate on the visual story as the sound has already been recorded for you.

Events

Event videos come under many different categories like locally organised events, music festivals, night clubs videos, and corporate conference events that are not the most interesting but can be turned around quickly.

Weddings

Filming weddings can pay well and it’s a good way to get used working fast and thinking on your feet (which will hurt as the shooting days will be long and the editing days will be even longer). Just music videos, if you’re going to shoot weddings it might be best to separate your main production company from the wedding side. A bride doesn't need to see how well you can shoot a corporate video, they need to see how well you can capture their special day.

Proposals and Pitching

If a business comes along and says ‘yes they would like a video making’ even if it is for free, or you find out there is an opportunity to apply for a video contract, you will have to write something called a proposal.

A proposal is a formal document that outlines the approach of how you will make the video for them. In the document you will outline about the concept, visual style of the video, the schedule, and cost of the project. In the description below you can find a word template we use to write our proposals, with some examples of what might be written in each section.

After you have spent about a day writing the video production proposal, they may short list you and ask you to go in and pitch the idea. Pitching is like a job interview (which no one likes doing), but my advice is learn your pitch back to front, and be passionate about why you want to use your skills to make them a video.

You will win some jobs and you will lose some, and it sounds daft to say but if you don’t get the job don’t worry about it. Failing to get a job is a learning experience, so send them an email and just be honest about getting feedback to help you learn. They might give you some advice which helps you get the next job.

If you did get the job... congratulations! In the next video we are going to talk about how to prepare for the shoot. 

The last piece of advice I would like to give you is this: most people get into making client videos to help fund their short films. There are a lot of people who lose sight of their original goal and turn more into business people than filmmakers. The money can be good, but never lose sight of why you picked up a camera in the first place, and tell the stories you want to tell with the money you have made telling other people's.

The Video Production Guide is a step by step series teaching you the basics of shooting videos for clients.

Episodes released Weekly:

Want to make videos for a client: https://youtu.be/bBkQpobfAjU

How to get the job: https://youtu.be/A1-09ESSZew

How much to charge: https://youtu.be/3Djuh-xTL6Y

Preparing for a client shoot: https://youtu.be/sDbbKaaPjc4

How to shoot an interview: https://youtu.be/8TRdmj0Ao4k

Shooting b-roll: https://youtu.be/RYc2y_dsexI

Editing and Feedback: https://youtu.be/ipMmMp-241o

The Client Video: https://youtu.be/X9VZTuxvT9w

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http://bit.ly/stanza-pack - If you're looking for stylish transitions for your video, then check out "Stanza" by RocketStock. You’ll be cutting from scene to scene like a pro with this bold pack of 200 plus video transitions.

http://bit.ly/track-phenomenal - Click here to download this episode's track. Check out Premiumbeat.com to discover a huge range of exclusive royalty free music!

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Want to make videos for a client? | Episode 0: Video Production Guide

A great way for you to fund your short films is to make client, corporate, and promotional videos for others. If you have a camera, tripod, microphone and some lights, you have the basic equipment you need to make these videos.

We have been doing this for about 5 years now, but making a video for a client is something they don’t teach you in film school and there is a lot that goes into making them than just  shooting good looking video.

Yes a lot of filmmaking techniques are transferable when making these videos, but how do you get a video production job in the first place? How much do you charge? And what are the main steps to deliver a video to your client?

To help you work all of this out we have create two different types of client videos one for a watercolor artist and the other for a recording studio.

To help work all of this out we have create two different types of videos for Pamplemousse Recording Studios.

Then we have broken the process down into a 7 part video guide that talks about how to get a job making a video for a client to delivering that video.

We’ll start of by talking about how working for free will help you gain experience, and help you turn unpaid work into paid work by creating a showreel with the footage you have filmed.

Once you have a showreel you need a place to put it so people can find you, but you also need to be approaching business to offer your services.

We are going to talk about the types of people you can contact who need videos making. Spoiler Alert, it’s everyone.

A difficult question to answer is “how much do you charge a client for a video”? We have broken this down to help you work that out.

Once you have agreed on the price and the type of video your client needs, you need to prepare for the shoot with a script, shot list, and getting your kit ready.

Shooting interviews is a big part of making client videos. There is a lot to learn, and that doesn’t just mean shooting them, but conducting the interview as well.

Once you have shot everything you will need to edit the videos and deliver them to the client. We are going to talk about our editing workflow that we use to help turn videos around faster.

We have spent the last 5 years making videos for others, and we want to help guide you through the process.

Welcome to the Video Production Guide

The Video Production Guide is a step by step series teaching you the basics of shooting videos for clients.

Episodes released Weekly:

Want to make videos for a client: https://youtu.be/bBkQpobfAjU

How to get the job: https://youtu.be/A1-09ESSZew

How much to charge: https://youtu.be/3Djuh-xTL6Y

Preparing for a client shoot: https://youtu.be/sDbbKaaPjc4

How to shoot an interview: https://youtu.be/8TRdmj0Ao4k

Shooting b-roll: https://youtu.be/RYc2y_dsexI

Editing and Feedback: https://youtu.be/ipMmMp-241o

The Client Video: https://youtu.be/X9VZTuxvT9w

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This video was Sponsored By

http://bit.ly/track-fulton-and-grand - Click here to download this episode's track. Check out Premiumbeat.com to discover a huge range of exclusive royalty free music!

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DISCLAIMERS:

Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase gear via these links The Film Look will receive a small commission, but there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you!