I am currently shooting an amateur movie on a Canon camera. Does anyone have any suggestions as to ways to get the highest quality image?

Hi, good light makes greta video quality.

So lighting is the prime factor?

Joshua,

Lighting is right up there, but there are too many factors to list. A few: good writing, good acting, good locations, good wardrobe.

What type of film is this? Maybe we can offer some more targeted advice depending on what you are trying to accomplish. Amatuer movie is pretty vague. For starters, calling it an "independent film" might just inspire people to greater achievement than "amatuer movie." :)

Josh

As mentioned, lighting is important, combined with good exposure. Burned-out highlights -- especially on the skin -- is a common problem.

Also add:

-- Good composition. A major part of the "feel" of a shot.
-- Clean audio. Selecting the right mics and placing them properly.
-- Good camera technique. Nothing loses an audience faster than a shaky camera.

Put the camera on a tripod. Rock-steady pictures will give your film an authority that hand-held material just can't provide.

Robin

Here's some info to go a little more in depth.

I am 16, and I want to go to college for filmmaking. The project I am currently working on is called "Undercurrent". It is a drama based on my English teacher's currently unfinished novel . I am currently putting finishing touches on the screen play. Because of it's length (likely to finish at 45-60 minutes), I assume that it's not something schools will take a look at, but I want to do this especially for the experience.

Here's a place that's near me that has equiptment to rent very cheap. Do you have any suggestions?

http://www.squeaky.org/equipment.html

bumppppppp

My suggestion is to not rent anything until you know what you need.

I like computers a great deal. The faster the better. Regardless, I wouldn't rent a Cray supercomputer for the weekend and blow a bunch of money using something that I don't need and don't really know how to use. You should visit cinematography.com for lighting suggestions and read the posts that interest you on this forum's "photon management" section. Do a lot of lighting and shooting tests before you involve many other people in your production. If it turns out to be a bad experience for them because it wasn't planned well, they may not work for you again.

When you KNOW what you need, rent what you need. Figure out how to light things the way you want, and you will know the equipment required.

And AUDIO. People will forgive a bad image faster than they will forgive bad audio.

What you are trying to do is learn something with a couple of tips that can take YEARS of intensive study. Just start somewhere and learn as you go. My advise is to start with a 3-5 minute short before attempting your mini-feature. By the time you are thru your first project you will be 1000 times as smart as you are now.

Listen very good to Bob, what he says is very, very true.
Don't immediately begin with a mini feature, if it's your first time. Intentions may be good, but you learn trough short films.

And indeed, Audio is very, VERY important. And Lightening. Bad lightening can make 35mm look like a home video, and good lightening can make dv look like film.

You ask how to get the highest quality image Joshua.
It's easy really - use a good solid tripod. I've just done some tests using the VX2000 hand held with Steadyshot both on and off, on top of the Manfrotto and hand held.

With the hand held shots I do what I always do - I brace myself, take a breath, let out half of it, pull my elbows into my sides, use the side-screen with the camera at waist height and concentrate hard.

Firstly the Steadyshot off scenes. The results on screen are pretty good I think, and I'm pleased with what I see. As soon as I turn Steadyshot on the tiny irregular 'blips' are effectively smoothed out and the footage looks better. But once on the tripod the picture is rock-solid. All camera movement has been eliminated and you find you're watching the subject with much more single-minded concentration - the distraction of even tiny camera
movement having been eliminated.

Now to telephoto. The footage is almost unwatchable at 72 mm with Steadyshot turned off. However hard I concentrate, my pulse is visible on screen, there's no getting away from it. With the OIS turned on the tiny amounts of camera shake takes on a sine wave fluidity - and it is much more watchable. But I can only keep this sort of steadyness up for as long as I
can hold my breath, so that's somewhat limiting. So I put the VX on the Manfrotto and it's laughably easy to get exactly what you've paid for - and you get to see that you've bought yourself a most excellent lens of quite incredible sharpness. You can play with the depth of field because with the shakes removed all the apertures are at your disposal.

I'm using a tripod more and more for my event filming. The extra hassle is more than offset by the fact that I have a real and very useable 12x zoom at my disposal, and the solidity of the 'picture frame' view of the world lets you see what I want you to see, and you don't suddenly start noticing that the edges of the frame move gently left, right, up and down. I'm telling you all what you've known for years, of course. But I thought it worth dredging up again.

Next thing is: avoid small apertures, and especially so with cancorders with tiny 1/4" chips. Stay well clear of f/8 anf f/11 and you'll be fine. Wide apertures (the two widest at any focal length you care to choose) will give you vignetting, more flare and less contrast.

And get the exposure spot on. Post production colour correction and exposure correction are very damaging to image quality.

tom.

Josh,

I have to echo the advice to get started making something much shorter. Perhaps pull a scene or two out of the screenplay and focus on getting experience with all the aspects of filmmaking that have been talked about. A little lighting, a little sound, composition, directing. Just focus on the one scene as a test for all of these things.

Otherwise, if you jump in to a 45 minute project right off the bat, you might be able to master just one of those aspects since you'll be pushing, pushing, pushing to shoot everything.

After my first short, I got 100 times better. After my next short, 100 times better. After my tenth short, 100 times better. On and on, and I barely have any skill, just a lot more than when I started.

Josh

You might consider joining us for a DVChallenge. DVC4 is going on right now. I have seen a major improvement in everyones skills that has been involved in more than one DVChallenge. The second DVC was interesting but the 3rd DVC was amazing in the quality leap on the entries.

Learn by doing but do shorts first.

Thinking about it, reading about it, chatting about it are all great ways to learn but, and I hate to sound like a real nerd here but, "Do or do not. There is no try." - some little green/grey critter said that.

Lighting and pixel count.

Sean McHenry

OK, I'm going to heed your advice and do a few shorts before taking on my bigger project. I'd like to do at LEAST two, but I'd also like to start my mini-feature by mid-January at the latest. It takes place exclusively in the winter, I don't want to wait till next winter.

I will start to do some serious experimenting with lighting and sound! I'm also gonna start checking out the DV Challenges.

Hello Joshua,

Very good decision to first try at least two shorts, you'll not regret it.
And I know what you think about not wanting to wait another year, and I understand that, but remember: all that time in a year can go in more practice, more writing, better writing, better results!
Good luck!
Best regards,

Josh,

These are all great pointers for you to begin in making a project "look" it's best. If you are wanting to get more into the narrative film aspect of video production then I would suggest learning everything you can from books, magazines, internet info sites like this one, etc... With that said I suggest you look at people. Everyone around you are in situations than can help you tell a story. Which brings up my next point. If you can tell a great story you are golden. "Filmmakers" often make the mistake of thinking that if their video is clean and steady, audio is crisp and clear, and actors nail their lines they have a good movie. You will NEVER go anywhere in the facet of video production unless you know the art of storytelling. Study that and go with your heart. Take chances while you still can. And heck, there are plenty of great films out there that are shot without a tripod ever being on set. If the story calls for it and this is a style that you like then go with your gut. Look at "Sidewalks of New York" or "Saving Private Ryan" or so on. Sure some of these budgets allow for steady cam shots. Look at it this way, if you want to shoot advertising or corporate video you "usually" will see proper angles, steady shots, perfect lighting, etc... If you want to make a piece of art you have to get a little messy.

BTW I think it's awesome that you are getting started so early in life.

GOOD LUCK!

Hello Joshua,

Very good decision to first try at least two shorts, you'll not regret it.
And I know what you think about not wanting to wait another year, and I understand that, but remember: all that time in a year can go in more practice, more writing, better writing, better results!
Good luck!
Best regards,
I've given thought to that as well, but another reason I want to do it this year is that when I apply to colleges next fall, I want them to see I have the experience of the mini-feature. I'm willing to sacrifice a little in the ways of video picture quality for the experience.

And James, I completely agree with you. I should clarify that my number one overall concern is the writing and acting, no doubt. I have been working on the screenplay since last May, and am putting finishing touches now. As much as I want it to "look" professional, I want the performances and writing to be more so.

I'm going to a meeting at the place where they rent equiptment. I just became a member, and new members are required to go to a meeting. I'm going check out the cameras and lighting they have. Will the Sony DSR PD150 Mini DV/Cam give me good results (both picture and sound wise), especially if I'm shooting outside?

Again, thanks for help, and I'm all ears for more advice.

Joshua,

If the colleges care about your existing work at all, short films will be more than enough. One or two great short films will be far more valuable than a longer work of lesser quality.

Josh

I agree, it would actually be better to have a few different shorts rather than a feature. This would show diversity and that you can direct more than one genre of film. Make 2 or three different genre shorts that will impress. One thing I've found is professors have an attention span of a 2 year old. No offense professors. But even they teach to grab attention fast and to not expect the audience just to hang in there with you hoping for something good to happen.

I agree, I plan on doing lots of shorts before college application time, but I also would like to do this one larger project.

Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions!