By the end of this post you will have a stronger idea of how to shoot a film on your own as a one man video production.

You may be shooting a film on your own due to the specifications of a project or find it easier to be a one man film crew. Being a one man crew has its difficulties - filmmaking is a very cooperative art and working within a crew will only help get you ready for more professional work.

However shooting on your own could save you the stress and complications that come with relying on people in low budget filmmaking.

The One man film crew:

STEP 1. The Script

In filmmaking one page of a screenplay equals to approx one minute of screen time. E.G For a 5 minute film you will need 5 pages of screenplay.

How long will your film be?

You may wish to watch some short films for examples on YouTube or Vimeo that are the same length as your film.

Will your film be a Vlog or a Narrative film?

Some basic story writing advice is to focus on your chosen genre and consider the conventions of that typical genre. Will the genre be a Documentary, Horror or Rom-com?

Will you be using actors in your film or will you be a solo filmmaker? If you don't wish to use actors you could use a POV (Point of View) or Vlog style. Here are some examples of films all shot by one person.

1. POV style with Go Pro - Our2ndlife

2. Solo Vlog Style - Casey Neistat.

3. Narrative Film - Quincy Kane Morris.

Keep a journal or virtual document to jot down ideas when you have them. Consider what locations you have to use, what props and equipment you already have access too.

You might like my My blog post (One person short film ideas) – Read Here - A List of Short Film Ideas

STEP 2. The Equipment

What equipment do you have access to?

On the cheapest side your mobile phone is good enough to record a film on to or a basic digital camera.

Most YouTubers use a DSLR such as the Canon 80D or a digital camera such as this Canon G7X.

For audio a Rode Mic such as this one will fit on top of your DSLR and is perfect for interviews or close to camera audio.

For further away audio you may need a Lavalier Microphone and a recorder such as the Zoom H4N.

For a handheld tripod you can use Gorilla tripods. For a good solid Tripod try the company Manfrotto

Will you be using natural light?

For one man band filmmaking you could use a simple battery powered LCD light for on top of your camera . Box lights such as these Photography Lights are used on most online videos as they are cheap and can fill a room with clear white light.

STEP 3. Pre-Production

To start planning your film shoot complete a script break down. What locations do you need to find? What costumes or props do you need to get ready? Create a list of every scene and bullet point what you need.

This is also a good time to storyboard your film. You don’t need to storyboard everything but a few sketches could help make you more confident on the film day.

You might like my post - How to storyboard a short film

How to Find actors?

I found the easiest way is to go to your local drama centre or college drama class and ask. The sites Star Now and Mandy allow you to put up online ads for actors.

For auditioning book out a room (I found that pubs / bars / community centres often have rooms you can hire out for free). Block off half an hour per actor to audition, discuss the project with them, perhaps have them read a scene from the script.

Click to Tweet - Recording your actors audition allows you to see how they look and behave on camera