More things Learned after Making a bunch of Shorts

1. Sound quality is paramount.
-That's why Post No Bills plays so well: all sound done in post-production.

2. Black and White reduces concerns about lighting, and makes most things look good.
-I Used to Be Somebody would have not been pretty. Even with Chad in it.

3. iMovie does not have slow motion, and is hard to layer sound.
-Otherwise, I can't really complain.

4. Photos / screen shots add a lot, and are a good way to mix things up.
-Another lesson learned from I Used to Be Somebody.

5. Acting is hard.
-See my performance in Dude

...More to come!

Shorts by Quarters

The first thirteen shorts were mostly comedies. I think they were all comedies. Or they were supposed to be.

These next 13 will be different. We're thinking suspense, thriller, or horror.

And then the following 13, drama.

And the final 13? Who knows.

And who knows if we will follow these guidelines. Sounds good though, doesn't it? A little bit?

iMovie Demonstration at the Apple Store

Lawrence thought it might be a good idea for us to learn EVEN MORE about iMovie, the program we edit all our short films on. And so I met him on the Third Street Promenade today and we got the demonstration.

The guy giving the demonstration wasn't bad, but he had trouble finding some of the short-cut keys. At one point, after our leader had been searching for a minute, I leaned over to Lawrence and said, "The shortcut is Command-Shift."

"You should tell him."

"I think you're looking for Command-Shift!" I shouted to the presenter.

He looked a little rattled when I shouted, but the shortcut worked and the presentation could continue. I suppose it wasn't so nice to shout, but hey, we don't have all day - this is the Short-a-Week Project.

We now have learned how to edit each individual sound clip; as well as cutting pieces of audio in Garage Band and putting them in iMovie. Ah, the benefits of the in-store demonstration. Seriously.

Bike - A Short Film

Not sure if it will be called "Bike," but the short we filmed today certainly has a bike in it.

Vote on Our Best Short

Please vote for your favorite short on the right bar there. (if you found this post via Google, the poll is likely closed).

You don't have to register, login, or anything.

It's totally anonymous.

You don't even have to watch all the shorts.

Just click your favorite.

And please be honest.

For us.

:)

(:

That's us.

Thanks!

It's Tuesday and We've got Nothin'

We should probably start planning the short this week, since it will be posted on Friday.

How to prevent these last minute shoots in the future:

1. Don't go out of town over the weekend.
2. Write something in advance.
3. Or better yet, have a contest where people submit a bunch of shorts...
4. Schedule a time to meet and shoot at least a week in advance.
5. Eat right
6. Exercise
7. Use the force

Or something like that.

How to Make Short Films

If you landed here searching "how to make short films," you've come to the right place. Unfortunately, it's hard to answer that question in one posting (this whole blog can be seen as an explanation on how to (or how NOT to) make short films.) But, I'll give it a shot.

First, read Mike Figgis's Digital Filmmaking and/or Robert Rodriguez's Rebel Without a Crew. Both those books will make you say, "Hell, if I want to make a movie, I need to just do it!" That's the spirit. Keep that energy. You'll need it.

After you've got the motivation, write a short script. Use MS Word if you don't have screenwriting software. You might want to set your short in places you know you can film, don't have any stunts or blood or anything that might be complicated. Limitations spawn creativity. Seriously. (Proof: Write a short about life. Then write one about your favorite cup. Which was easier to write?)

Next, get the actors. Hopefully they'll be good, and hopefully you'll get along with them.

And finally, shoot the damn thing. I know what you're thinking, what about sound, lighting, camera angles, and everything else? Who do I get to cater?

This is your first short, right? Got a camera? Just start shooting. It ain't gonna be pretty the first few times, so just get them under your belt. You can be creative in the editing room.

Which reminds me: edit your short well. Do it yourself. Take your time. Put in music, sounds, etc. Use iMovie or Final Cut Pro (any version). It all happens in the editing room.

Hope that helps! We've made thirteen short films so far. Thirty-nine to go. This advice might all change by the time this project is over.

But until then...write, rehearse, shoot. And send us your youtube link. We like to watch them too.

Week 13 - Free Massages

It's the Fourth of July and we're 1/4th of the way there! (Goal: 1 year of shorts...that's 52. 52 divided by 4 is 13. Who knew?)

Here is number 13, "Free Massages."

Enjoy!

shortaweekproject.com vs. shortaweek.com

Please redirect all your links and browsers and bookmarks (or create some!):

Old Domain: www.shortaweekproject.com

New Domain: www.shortaweek.com

Shorter and sweeter.

iMovie Ain't so Bad

Now that I've discovered a few more features of iMovie, I have to say it's really not that bad. Highly recommend buying a new MacBook and using it for all your short-a-week projects.