We are not telling you how to make your film, but these tips will help you make it more watchable! It's amazing how a few simple technical considerations will help turn a good story into a great film. Content is the most important thing, so don't let these tips stop you, but it might help to keep them in mind.
Shooting Basics
If you can, try to use a good camera, most importantly one that shoots on DV tapes.
Use a tripod. Even a cheap one will help. If you're thinking "but even blockbusters go hand held," you're only partially right. Many of those films are shot on heavy cameras, which make for smoother movement, or use other technology to get a handheld look. If you can't get your hands on a tripod, try holding the camera by your waist, tilting the LCD screen up so you can see what you're shooting, or placing the camera on a table, chair, or stack of books.
Working with Lights
Even video looks better with proper lighting. Local media centers often rent lights and lighting kits. Usually these are used in what's called a 3 light setup, which means they're arranged something like this. If you don't have any lights, a good trick is to use a large white sheet or wrap some tin foil on a large baking tray or large piece of cardboard. If you're outside, you can bounce sunlight off of these on to your actor's face, usually on the side that is in shadow.
Audio
Many modern cameras give you the option to plug in an extra microphone, in addition to the one that comes mounted on the camera. Look for an extra jack on your camera or look in your manual. This allows you to get the microphone much closer to your subject, which can make an enormous difference to your audio, especially if you're shooting outside. If you're shooting digital audio, try to keep your audio levels from going into the red and hitting 0 (clipping). Ideally, your audio should hit its highest point at -6 and stay between -20 and -12. There's a good chance your camera has an audio limiter, which will cushion your levels so they don't get too high, so don't stress about it, just keep an eye on it.
Editing
Try to steer clear of dissolves and pans - these don't encode well for the Internet.
Encoding
This is the step where you export your film from your editing program as a small enough file that it will not take forever to upload to the Internet. We accept many file formats, but our recommendation is that you create a QuickTime Mpeg4 or H.264 file with a frame size of either 400x300 or 640x480 at around 1mbps. If you can, select 2-pass Variable Bit Rate (VBR) with an average of around 1mbps. Some programs allow you to select iPod settings, and these are also recommended.
Release Forms
All productions, even those that only use friends and are shot in someone's backyard, should fill out these legal forms for actors, interviewees, locations and music. We assume that you have done all the legal footwork you're required to do when you upload your video. These forms are here for you to download, fill out, and keep in your records. If your film is a finalist, we will need these completed forms before airing on Link TV.
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