Everyone’s had it. That idea that won’t go away. That vivid scene playing on loop in your head. So this is your sign from the heavens. Make that short film you’ve been dreaming of!
For the sake of this article, I’m assuming you already have a really brilliant (but modest) script. All you sci-fi writers… keep the galaxy-spanning space operas for your tenth film. If you don’t have a script, I’ll cover that in another post. But this post is for the people who have the idea, have put pen to paper, and now want to make it a reality, but don’t know where to start.
What if I told you that I didn’t know how to hold a camera, had never held a boom mic, and had never written a call sheet in my life... but my very first film made it into more than 20 film festivals worldwide and won multiple awards?
Skip the film school tuition - all you need is a good idea and a little guidance. Here is the exact survival guide I wish someone had given me before day one.
1. Build the Right Team
Here’s the thing: I made a film without knowing anything about cameras. Naive? Some of you might say yes. You’d be correct. But making a film isn’t about knowing how to pull focus - it’s about pulling the right people together.
I started by asking a friend who worked in the industry for advice. They told me to get a cinematographer. I reached out to one, and she wanted to bring on her own team - which instantly got us a 2nd camera operator (essentially someone that helps the cinematographer work the camera). Plus, she had contacts for a Producer and a Sound Recordist. Within a week, I had a crew.
In my personal opinion, this is your bare-minimum crew on-set to make a good film:
Cinematographer (and a gaffer (someone who does the lighting) if they want one)
Sound Person
Actor/s
Yourself of course! (Director/Producer/Swiss-Army Man)
Everybody else is a lovely addition, but you don’t need them to get started. My one caveat: you probably want a Producer/1st AD - or just someone on set whose sole job is tracking time and making sure you’re getting the shots you need.
2. Work with Actors You Know
My two main actors were a friend and my cousin. As a first-time director, it was incredibly nice knowing I could boss them about without worrying too much about hurt feelings. More importantly, I felt that the existing personal connection meant I could get the absolute best, most authentic performances out of them. Also - hire actors that are like your characters. My cousin was loud, my character was loud. My friend was quiet, his character was quiet. If their personalities are like the characters, you’re half way there to a natural award-winning performance.
3. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse
Have you ever heard of a table read? Well, go one better. Get your actors to act out the scene again and again… before you even set foot on set.
When it comes to the day of the shoot, you want them to have everything down to a tee. You need your brainpower free to direct their small movements and tweaks in the performance (and loads of other things if you don’t have a Producer etc).
Pro Tip: Rehearse in the actual space or location you’re going to film if you can. It changes everything. Additional tip…try not to have tones of locations for your first film. Every time you move location, that’s time wasted. For first-time filmmakers, I would say try to locate your story to one location. Get the most out of the actors…not the scenery.
4. Lean on Storyboards
I pride myself on being a good communicator, yet I still found it incredibly hard to get my cinematographer to see my vision. It wasn’t because she didn’t get it…I was just so bad at explaining. It was so clear in my head, that I thought it must be clear to her.
Work closely with your cinematographer ahead of time so they deeply understand each scene. They’re the one bringing the visuals to life while you work with the actors, so trust them. They will bring amazing ideas to the table - like blocking and visual motifs - but you have to give them time. It’s not their fault they can’t read your mind, and they definitely won’t be able to do it on a stressful shoot. Do the prep. It’s worth it.
5. For the Love of God, Have a Call Sheet
You’ve put so much planning into your film. Make sure you actually have a plan for the day. If you don’t know what a call sheet is, do a quick Google search. There are tons of free templates online and they’re all good. At its core, it’s just a strict schedule of exactly what order you are going to shoot in the day. Make sure you know what shots you need to make the film work and then make sure you get them on the day. Simples!
6. Create a Budget (Even for a “Free” Film)
Even if you’re spending zero pennies and everyone is giving you their precious time for free, make a budget anyway. Do it just to see how much an actual film would cost.
Inadvertently, you will end up racking up expenses - whether it’s buying someone a coffee, paying for petrol, or printing off scripts. Document all of your spending.
7. Have an Editor Lined Up Early
So much of a director’s job (especially on a low-budget film) is focused on pre-production and planning that it’s easy to completely forget about post-production. Just make it through the shoot, just make it throgh the shoot. I didn’t have an editor lined up, and it slowed my entire process down significantly (I spent about four months just looking for one).
If you can edit it yourself, great. But if you can find someone else with a good eye, even better. They bring a refreshing, objective perspective to the footage and take a massive amount of stress off your shoulders.
8. Don’t Film in RAW
Oh my lord. If I could give you one little gift, it is this: do not film in RAW. If you aren’t a tech person, “RAW” just means the camera records completely uncompressed, unprocessed data straight from the lens. Think of it like a digital negative - it preserves every bit of colour and shadow data so a professional colourist can manipulate it later.
The catch? The files are absolutely monumental. A 10 second clip can be 5 gigabytes.
We shot in RAW and it was my biggest mistake. The shots looked spectacular, but the files became an absolute nightmare to work with. Because the data size was so massive, normal computers couldn’t process it smoothly, and I really struggled to find an editor willing to touch it (especially since I was out of money and looking for pro-bono help).
Then again... the film did look spectacular, so maybe it was the right decision. But save yourself the headache: skip RAW for your first project and shoot in a standard compressed format like ProRes or MP4.
9. Prioritise Good Sound
You don’t have to know the ins and outs of audio engineering, but make sure your sound person does.
The Golden Rule of Film: Audiences will forgive mediocre footage. They will never forgive bad sound.
It is devastating to sit down to level your film and realise the audio is all over the place. Find a dedicated sound person and get them on set.
10. Enjoy the Ride
Gosh, I was so stressed about money, budgets, and equipment that I think I brought some bad energy to the set. I thought I was pretty good at covering up my emotions, but people can sense what you’re feeling. As the Director, how you feel completely impacts everyone else.
It’s going to be stressful. You’ll feel like you haven’t got all the shots you wanted. But try to step back and enjoy it. You’re making a movie!
Note: I haven’t even talked about marketing your film yet, which is a massive piece of the puzzle. I’ll be breaking that down entirely in another post.
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Would love to hear more about the marketing side of things