FREE Film School – To Teach Yourself Pro Skills With Your Smartphone

It’s difficult to argue there’s ever been a better time to teach yourself filmmaking. But filmmaking can often seem to involve so many factors, it’s difficult to know how or where to get started. So let me give you some tips so you can get started teaching yourself pro filmmaking skills.

Don’t buy a camera…

…if you have a smartphone. Because these days smartphones shoot pretty high quality video. And if you have a native or 3rd party app which gives you manual control, then you can start learning right away. Sure, you can spend $500, $1000 or $2000 on an entry level camera, but compare that to FiLMiC Pro which costs you about $15.

If you ask a professional what are the most important elements of cinematography, they will usually say camera movement, lighting and framing. And all these elements can be mastered with just about any camera.

You Can Do It

I taught myself filmmaking, so you can too. While established film schools are great places to learn to be a filmmaker, it’s not always possible for many of us. Either we can’t afford film school or our life situation prevents us attending.

I learned filmmaking by making a feature length film with a camcorder. The film cost me £4000 in cash to make and took me 3 years. So, about as long as a standard filmmaking degree course, but at a greatly reduced cost. Plus I had a completed feature film at the end as a nice bonus.

There are advantages to paying for film school, such as growing your network. You get to pick the brains of a number of teachers and you can also learn from other students. Essentially, you’ll be amongst a like-minded crowd, moving forward together – after all, filmmaking almost always involves working with others.

Advantages of DIY Film School

On the other hand, there are also advantages to teaching yourself. The most obvious advantage is it won’t cost you anything, so your funds can be focused where it matters: making films. Another advantage is saving time. Whereas film schools tend to give you a wide range of knowledge (which you need to know to pass the course at the end), teaching yourself means you can focus on essential specifics.

There are other benefits too. With film school, you’ll need to dedicate a considerable amount of time per week. But you can fit your DIY lessons around your other life activities. In addition, even if you are intending to go to film school at some point, why not get started now? Having a good grounding in film knowledge certainly won’t hurt your chances of getting into a film school, either.

My self-teaching lessons are designed for people who are starting from a position of very little knowledge. I pretty much avoid using industry jargon or baffling technical terms. Look, I am a self-taught filmmaker who never went to film school. Much of filmmaking is about understanding film language and then having a go at it yourself.

The idea is to complete 1 task per week. But you can follow your own schedule – that’s the beauty of teaching yourself! Below is a list of all the lessons and articles I have posted so far:

Week 1: Learning to Think Like a Filmmaker – I

There’s a difference between film-watchers and film-makers. Usually, we want to be a filmmaker because we were at some point inspired by watching films. To become a filmmaker we need to think like one. This lesson gives you some tips on how to make that transition.

Week 2: Learning to Think Like a Filmmaker – II

Reading professionally written screenplays is a great way to think more like a filmmaker. Screenplays are not like novels, they are more like an architect’s blueprint for a building. Therefore, reading one (or more) will reveal information to which general film-watchers are not exposed. In fact, while reading a screenplay you can’t help but think like a filmmaker.

Week 3: What’s the difference between being HOT and merely talented?

They don’t really teach you this at film school. But it’s surely the most important thing for any aspiring actor, writer and/or director, producer to know. If you think it’s all about talent, think again.

Week 4: How to Get Out of a Rut and Start

We often procrastinate and put off doing things which take us out of our comfort zone. Here’s some tips on how to get going. Meet other filmmakers, take on a challenge with a deadline, then shoot your first film.

Week 5: Teach Yourself Screenwriting – I

Learn how to writing moving screenplays by finding an emotional connection between you and your story.

Week 6: Is ‘Story’ Really The Most Important Element?

It’s common knowledge that ‘story is king’ when it comes to filmmaking. But is it really? Or are all central elements of a film equally important? Is it rather a case that acting, cinematography, script, editing and so on must work together as a whole to create something ‘cinematic’?

Week 7: 3 Point Lighting

One of the most common lighting setups uses 3 light sources. This is known as 3 point lighting. In this lesson, I talk about how this works in practice.

Week 8: Twists & Turns – Teach Yourself Screenwriting – II

Every filmmaker needs to understand screenwriting, to a certain level. In this lesson you will learn a simple method to prevent your story becoming episodic.

Week 9: Why the Hero’s Journey is No Joke-r

The Hero’s Journey is Hollywood’s most popular story structure. But, in many ways, structure defines character. What if the character you want to depict in your film doesn’t fit? In this lesson you will learn how to use character to define the structure, rather than letting structure dictate to your main character.

Week 10: The 3 Pillars of Filmmaking

Learn about the 3 pillars of filmmaking: story, acting & image. These 3 pillars must work in harmony to create memorable cinema.

Week 11: How To Make A Storyboard

The storyboard is used for planning your shoot, and as a tool for communicating your vision to other crew members. By sketching out how you see your movie playing, shot by shot, you can save a lot of time when filming. In this lesson you will learn how to create one.

Week 12: Constructing the Illusion of Reality

The business of filmmaking is essentially creating an illusion. Writing, acting, editing, lighting, set design and so on all come together in the hope the watching audience will “suspend their disbelief”. Remember, film school is a journey from film-watcher to filmmaker. While film-watching = enjoying the illusion, filmmaking = creating the illusion.

Week 13: What do we actually need to make a film?

In this lesson you will learn the most important item to include in your kit list. Can you guess what it is?

Week 14: What is a “Logline” and why do you need one?

A logline isn’t just a 2 sentence pitch, it can save your movie. In this lesson I talk about how to use the logline as a tool for developing a story.

Week 15: Low Budget Short Case Study – Gareth Edward’s “Factory Farmed”

In this lesson we look at how images, sound and music come together to create a mood. Because cinematic stories are about conveying a story by feeling rather than words.

Week 16: The 180 Degree Rule

What is the 180 degree rule? In this lesson you will learn how to use this rule when choosing shots. You will also learn how some famous filmmakers have broken the rule and the consequences of doing so.

Week 17: Using Close Up Shots

A close up is generally thought of as a type of camera shot size in film and television that tightly frames an actor’s face. But close ups can also be framed on important objects in the story, too. Find out more…

Week 18: the Shot List

What is a shot list? In this lesson you will learn why you need one and how to make one.

Week 19: Cinematic Locations

Creating cinematic shots isn’t all about cameras, lenses and lights. A lot of value is added from the location you film in. Learn more in the lesson from week 19…

Week 20: The History of the Long Take

How do we even define a long take? It’s a bit like asking “how long is a piece of string” isn’t it? In this lesson we look at how different genres are paced differently and therefore use longer or shorter takes.

Week 21: Why You Should Make A Film With Your Smartphone

They say the best camera is the one you have to hand. Nowadays, most of us have smartphones in our pockets with 4K capable video cameras. Why not use it to learn how to shoot a movie?

Week 22: Know the Shots – I

In the following series of lessons, I go through each commonly used framing style explaining why and how they are used. Here I look at “extreme long”, “long” and “full” shots.

Week 23: Know the Shots – II

Here I look at “medium long”, “medium” and “medium close up” shots.

Week 24: Know the Shots – III

Here I look at “close up”, “choker” and “extreme close up” shots.

Week 25: Camera Angles

Any shot – be it extreme wide, medium or close-up – also needs an accompanying angle. Essentially, there are 3 main angles: eye level, looking up and looking down. In this lesson we look at how a different angle changes the feeling of the shot.

Week 26: How to use a Dutch Angle

Following on from the previous lesson on how to use angles, this week I look specifically at the Dutch Angle.

Week 27: How To Use An Establishing Shot

An establishing shot sets the scene. But there’s more to it than that. In this lesson I look at how famous films have used establishing shots in creative ways.

Week 28: Using the Over the Shoulder Shot

The over the shoulder shot is one of the most commonly used framing styles. It’s how most dialogue scenes are filmed and edited. Find out how to use it effectively in this lesson…

Week 29 – Assignment 1: Photo Story

One of the first assignments in many film school courses is the use photos to tell a story exercise. This is the perfect task to follow up on recent lessons as it’s all about composition and shot selection.

Week 30 – Assignment 2: Completed Action

Another assignment commonly used in film schools around the world. Teach yourself how to shoot and edit match cuts using completed action exercises.

Week 31 – Storycraft: the Setup & Payoff

A setup and payoff is a crucial part of storytelling. Learn how to use them effectively and become a better storyteller yourself.

Week 32 – Assignment 3: Process Documentary

The next in our film school assignments is the “process documentary”. Teach yourself how to film and edit action in a real world situation.

Week 33 – Assignment 4: Two Person Conversation

The 4th film school assignment is the “two person conversation”. Teach yourself how to film basic dialogue scenes, capturing and editing dialogue and actors reactions.

Week 34 – Understanding Story Structure

An introduction to narrative structures. Since people first started telling stories, those stories have been constructed around various structures. For example, Shakespeare used 5 Acts, while Hollywood writers usually use 3 Acts.

Week 35 – How to Shoot a Short Film on your Smartphone

A comprehensive start to finish guide taking you from coming up with a story idea to shooting and editing. All using the camera you have in your pocket.

Week 36 – The Hero’s Journey, Story Structure

When it comes to writing commercial screenplays, the Hero’s Journey is an essential tool for building a story which depicts universal human themes.

Week 37 – The Big Lebowski… If It Was Written to the ‘Hero’s Journey’ Formula

If the Coen Brother’s cult movie The Big Lebowski were rewritten using the Hollywood Hero’s Journey formula, how would it turn out?

Week 38 – Passage of Time Assignment

In this week’s FREE Film School we set the show the passage of time assignment. But how do you show the passage of time in a film effectively?

To be continued…

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