Get inspired and take a look at some of today’s biggest movie blockbusters to see how they were made.
Hollywood is a well-oiled machine and thanks to the rise of the entertainment conglomerate, many films now come with a movie making formula built in. Studios make tons of money off these formulas so you too can become a Hollywood insider and write your own movie script! Let’s take a look at how you can do exactly that, courtesy of 21-day filmmaking tutorial by Wendell Pierce.
Day 1: Setup
The very first step of any Hollywood movie magic is to set up your camera. This can be either a full camera with an interactive screen or a traditional viewing mode camera with a built-in monitor. It’s up to you! For the purpose of this tutorial, we will be using the traditional viewing mode camera which comes with a built-in monitor and an interactive screen.
The first thing you need to do is make sure the camera is plugged in and turned on. We will now need to configure a few settings on your camera. First, we need to select the “picture mode” (usually located at the top of the camera), and then we need to select the “awb” (automatic white balance) in case the lighting in your room is not perfectly balanced.
Day 2: Lighting
As we mentioned above, lighting is a huge factor in making a film look realistic and life-like. Different lighting will give different colors to your film so it’s important to choose the right one. There are a few basic rules you need to follow to get perfect lighting in your room.
Firstly, make sure that the light you’re using is well-adjusted and has a proper source. You don’t want to choose a too-bright light or a too-dim light because then your film will look too one-sided (over- or under-exposed).
Secondly, if you’re using multiple lights, make sure they are evenly distributed so there’s no dark areas on your film. This will make your shots look more realistic.
Day 3: Sound
In case you’re not familiar, sound is one of the most important aspects of any Hollywood movie. Whether you’re watching a film at home or in the theater, you will always hear background noises such as cars driving, birds singing, wind blowing, etc.
These are all part of the soundtrack to the film and if it’s not done right, it will dramatically reduce the effectiveness of your film. So, it’s important to get the sound right from the beginning.
The best way to do this is by hiring a professional recording studio to do the sound for you. However, if you can’t afford this luxury, there are a few tips you can follow to get perfect sound at home.
Day 4: Action!
If you’re writing a Hollywood movie, chances are you’ll be forming several dramatic scenes. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will need to set up several camera angles and various jump cuts which are done by using the hold button on your control stick while recording.
With all of this in mind, let’s get started.
Day 5: First Cut
After you’ve set up your camera and prepared your lighting, now it’s time for the first cut. This is usually the most dramatic section of your film and it’s usually the part where everything sounds and looks the most realistic. So, this is where you can test out your setup and make any necessary adjustments.
The first thing you need to do is to exit the picture mode on your camera and then select “record”. Now that you’re live and the camera is operating, it’s time to start cutting!
Day 6: Second Cut
After you’ve completed the first cut, it’s time to do it all over again. This is where you’ve learned the most and where you can start shopping for the action to start working on. The second cut is where everything is re-shot from a different angle.
So, for example, if you’re shooting a scene with a static camera angle and then you decide to shoot the same scene from a higher angle, you’ll have to reset your camera and start all over again because the video will be upside down. It’s not a problem, just a fact of life that you’ll have to learn to live with .
Day 7: Final Cut
When you reach the final cut, it’s time to do it all over again for the last time. This is where you’ll finish shopping for the best action, adding some special effects, and blending all of the different cuts together into one composite (often times this is the funniest part of the film).
In short, a film is a collection of shots arranged in a sequence to tell a story. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of today’s biggest film blockbusters to see how they were made.
Titanic
One of the most iconic Hollywood films is Titanic. It’s the combination of a passenger ship versus an oceanographic disaster. The story follows Rose de Witt Bostrom (Greta Garbo) and her journey across the ocean on a voyage that will change her life forever.
Garbo stars as a smart, ambitious woman who falls in love with Leon Roethke’s (Fredric Meyerhoofer) son, who is about to marry a rich girl named Bridget Barrett (Florence Chase). To fulfill her heart’s desire, Rose devises a plucky plot that will get her to the US on the RMS Titanic despite the odds against her. It is a story of love and betrayal which has become an ocean of its own.
The film’s visual style is believed to have been inspired by the work of Argentine born photographer Victor Hugo. He devised a novel photographic technique called the “Huge Cameo Head” which was used for the Pablo Picasso portrait on the cover of Time magazine in 1929. The image sparked a global pop iconic movement and became one of the most recognizable images of the 20th century.