



Teenagers today, have a vast selection of entertainment. And most of them binge to music while playing a videogame in their parents’ car and taking pictures at the same time. Over 150 years of cinema, we have gone from theaters, to television, and now YouTube. “Chances are you have a camera in your pocket, that is good enough for the big screen, but you don’t need the big screen”, says director Casey Neistat in his short film “Filmmaking is a Sport”. The fact of the matter is, you already know that we live in a digital age, because you (as in millennials and baby boomers) also use the internet (though you complain about it more than we do).

In Troy Lanier’ and Clay Nichols’ new book “Filmmaking for Teens”, they discuss the tricks teenagers use to make films. “Finish the film. That’s it. Our main idea. Nothing is more important than actually getting a movie done”, “Filmmaking for Teens” explains. The truth of the matter is said, everyone has equipment (for the most part everyone has a phone and could get iMovie and use Trelby) the only thing needed here is perseverance and good will.

So, why don’t more people make movies? It is difficult. You get trapped in a whirlwind of wanting the “best camera” the “best lens” the “best video editing software” not to mention “scripting software”, “storyboarding software”, “3d animating software” and “2d animating software”, all things that you need to make the next Hollywood blockbuster or a social media sensation.

The quality of films on YouTube is often the same as the effort put into Hollywood blockbusters. Long gone are the days of silly cat videos, try not to cringe challenges, and the “Reply Girls” that film on a potato. Today, even Hollywood actors’ transition to YouTube with Zac Efron and Will Smith putting out their own family adventures on the website.

Teenagers can theoretically film, edit, and distribute their own films, as stated by “Save the Cat” and “Filmmaking for Teens”.

In a recent report by African News, two Nigerian teens are doing just that. “In a compound in Nigeria’s north-western state of Kaduna, Godwin Josiah and his cousins hang green fabric on a gate as they get ready to shoot a movie scene. Using a smartphone and a tripod made from a broken microphone stand, they start. A blower generates air and buffets the actor who, in the film, will be flying through the air. These days, sci-fi films are made using sophisticated software. But the films created by these boys use everyday, recycled items and their works have catapulted them into social media darlings.”

The boys proved that the thing you really need to make films is hard work and creativity. YouTube star PewDiePie agrees saying how he started filmmaking with the “cheapest equipment”.

Teens have plenty of free options for writing, directing and editing. Trelby and Celtx both release free screenwriting software, though, the industry standard is Final Draft. Celtx has a full on suite, that is expensive (but has a free version). Celtx is used by screenwriters alike and is often used to find members for a film crew with producers posting job applications regularly.

Though, Trelby is nicknamed the “cheap beginner” and “hardly a software” it is good for the cheap beginner. Personally, me as a young screenwriter I’ve written four short film scripts and a whole feature on the program. I moved on to the Celtx Suite because of its unbeatable variety of formatting and planning options.

At a conference at the New York Film Academy, we discussed how software doesn’t matter in Hollywood. The academy teaches its students with “Google Docs” on their second week of classes. The academy even showed students how to make special-effects on their smartphones. “Remember special effects are made for a movie, not, a movie for its special effects”, the professors teach. Even an alternative for mobile exists, which hasn’t gotten enough attention in Hollywood the past years called Jotterpad. A number of these “alternatives” or “Final Draft knock-offs” have popped up over the years. I just named a few.

One of my favorite film websites, No Film School, recently published an article about director Rian Johnson shooting a short about Paris on his iPhone. “No word yet on if Johnson’s stand-alone Star Wars movies will be shot on the iPhone or not. We're sure fans would LOVE that. In any case, it's exciting to see what people can do with this phone and its many lenses”, the website says as Johnson falls in love with his new gadget.

“In high school, Herzog worked nights as a welder in a steel factory in order to fund his own film projects. The lesson here: don't just up and quit your day job once you want to be a serious filmmaker. Your best benefactor is your own paycheck; very rarely is someone going to step up and fund your films in the beginning, so having a steady income from a 9-to5 could mean the difference between making a film and not” No Film School says in an article advising young directors.

An important benefactor of success in movie-making is your own hard work. Hugh Jackman taught P.E to schoolchildren before he became famous, Johnny Depp sold pens and Kanye West worked as a check-assistant at Gap. Working in the film and music industry means being diligent about time and being money savvy is certainly one of the best factors of a successful filmmaker (or musician).

Now popular film YouTuber Darious Britt, says, “I maxed out all my credit cards and went thirty thousand dollars in debt on my first feature”, he says in his documentary “Making Unsound”. “Filmmaking for Teens” recommends renting cameras over buying them, since, your camera will be out-of-date soon anyway.

Cheap cameras or used cameras are nowadays easy to get access to. The cheapest one of which is a smartphone or a webcam. In this case, the newer the model the better. Samsung cameras tend to have the most up-to-date features. If you have a bad smartphone camera, you could try installing a number of DSLR mimic apps. There are paid choices, though, if filming on my phone I tend to use Camera Mx to enhance the quality of video coming off the camera. There are of course smartphone adaptable lenses, but, personally I have not tried them, therefore, can’t recommend any.

For any action video the GoPro is the best camera. It is relatively cheap compared to the DSLR and is on the next level from a smartphone. It can even go underwater. Canon is the industry standard for DSLR camera, but most models are very expensive. Sony is used too, among some filmmakers, though, the Canon is used by most operators.

“Filmmaking for Teens” recommends filming on a three-day weekend like Memorial Day. In this case, you will have three days to film your short. Personally, I agree with this model, since, you then have a whole week to edit your film and put out on the next Saturday or Sunday.

The New York Film Academy, recommends, if it is not possible to use a green-screen to use a fabric or a green wall nearby. The lighting has to be even, and you need an editing software compatible with a green screen like Hitfilm or Adobe Premiere Pro.

I know a director who’s won at Sundance while editing on iMovie. It happens, it is not recommended. I started with iMovie. It has its limitations. As far as editing software goes, you have a vast variety of options.

From cheap Instagram tweak editors, to robust Hollywood level Adobe Premiere, there is as much software as there are editors. Movavi is my personal favorite. It is by far the best Adobe alternative. You could find Hitfilm Express to be the best free alternative. Videopad by NCH software is outdated, iMovie and Kinemaster are very basic.

Qualities of a great software is a comfortable interface. A variety of cuts, color correction tools and transitions. Beat detection and stabilization are more advanced but very necessary.

Filmmaking is like Casey Neistat said a sport. And to get better at it, it will take tears, pain, and a strong will to not give up. However, it is worth it. Like Spike Lee said, “If you’re able to spend your life doing what you love, you already won, most people spend their whole life at a job they hate.”

Hollywood movies use expensive cameras, expensive software, expensive lights, props, designs and costumes while teenage filmmakers use their raw talent to tell stories. In the end, all that matters is what is seen through the “eyes” of the camera.