How to Make a Short Film: Making that Passion Project Become a Reality

Believe us when we say we love gear just as much as the next filmmaker (and we’ll have a few episodes dedicated to just that) but without a story, gear is just a bunch of fluff.

Last year (2020), when we set out to begin Your Story Matters, it was all about story—specifically, your stories. We wanted to give a voice to a story that might not otherwise have been told. 

We kicked off the campaign by asking you to be vulnerable and share a story that is significant to you. We received dozens of entries from all over the world, which made the selection process very difficult. Luckily, we had great help along the way from several industry experts.

When it comes to story, Hussain Pirani is a master. He gave us some great tips on how to find and develop a story:

1. Stew on ideas for a long time. Time will help you to develop the key ideas and themes you're trying to convey.
2. Distill ideas down to a universal truth. Once you have your theme nailed down, break it down to its most simple universal truth and use this truth to guide your narrative.

Ryan Connolly also helped us better understand how to be truthful and honest in our approach to storytelling:

"Write what you know." This doesn't mean you need to be narrowly limited but write your story and ideas from the perspective that you actually have experience with. Then, tell the honest truth about that idea. This will help you stories to be more genuine and believable.

This will make the story you're telling highly personal, as it should be. It’s about putting yourself, your emotions—even your beliefs—on the line. Story isn’t just about what you say, but how you say it—visually or otherwise. We call this voice. Hussain and Ryan both talked about voice and why it’s so important. They also assured us that we all have one, sometimes we just have to find it. There are a lot of great resources and exercises that you can do to help find and develop your voice.

For our story, Ian Lauer provided us with a great theme, that is almost universally relatable -  the idea of home, humanity and connecting through a universal truth— our fascination with space. With that as a springboard, we pulled together ideas from two other entries about enduring family relationships and overcoming obstacles.

Ian’s entry was full of heart and excitement and like any good story, his excitement quickly became our own.  

At the heart of every good story, lies conflict and our protagonist, had no shortage of conflict; his father has recently passed and as the next of kin, he was left to shoulder the brunt of that burden.

Overloaded with medical bills, we are introduced to Owen, just as he finds out he’s lost his job. At that low moment, we want the audience to feel the weight that’s on Owen’s shoulders. Like Hussain taught us, we’ll be using our central theme of connectivity, enduring relationships, and overcoming challenges by finding new perspectives.

One of the biggest lessons we learned about story development on this shoot was the need to be flexible. For example, when one of the primary locations was different than originally envisioned, we didn’t have the budget to hire as much talent as we wanted, and events happened on the fly that caused necessary—but positive—story changes.

After shooting the road trip portion of Grounded, we were minutes away from our sunset scene where Owen was supposed to meet up with a group of hikers. But there was an accident and our lead talent ended up getting his head split open. It didn’t need stitches or anything but it was a noticeable cut that would have to be introduced into the storyline.

With the sun quickly setting, and a fresh cut on Owen’s forehead, the entire team brainstormed a solution on the way to the scene. Check out what we came up with—

Luckily, the change in many ways was more organic and we actually leaned into it. It got the chemistry going right away for our two lead characters.

So if a need arises that causes your story to pivot, it’s not the end of the world. See it as an opportunity to get creative and find solutions. After all, even films with the largest budgets are crafted upon a series of compromises.

Pre-production is a critical part of preparation for any project. How do you know if you’ve prepared enough for a production? In some ways, you won’t know until you’ve actually completed the production, but with the right amount of prep, you’ll be as ready as possible and even have a few plan B’s in place. 

Pre production can be simplified into two basic categories: Budget and Story.

Why is it so important to start pre production with budgeting? The old adage of “time is money” is unfortunately true. Even in situations where talent and crew elect to join your passion project for free, or at a discounted rate, there are almost always costs involved and it’s important to understand and prepare for as many of them as possible.

As up-and-coming filmmakers, it’s easy to think that having a bigger budget will solve all of your problems, but even the most expensive productions have to make compromises. A tight budget doesn't have to be restrictive, but it will require some creativity.

For our film, Grounded, we set a modest budget of $5,000. Now that may seem like a lot, but it’s amazing how fast that goes! Here’s a breakdown of how that money was allocated:

As you can see, 75% of the budget was spent on people and that number just seems right to us. We were able to allocate the majority of the budget to the people that would help the best story be told—the cast and crew.

Whenever possible, we recommend hiring professional talent; they’re experienced, professional and accountable. Plus, because the cast and crew were so efficient, it also saved us money on having to pay for multiple days at locations.

There are several ways to approach location scouting for your passion project—or any project for that matter. Location scouting can take a long time, so it's great to lean on your network. Once you've decided the key looks you want within your location, put feelers out on social and post a handful of reference images. You'd be surprised how many friends of a friend have the perfect location for you.

During our pre-production, we had a chance to catch up with Devin Graham and dive deep into location scouting. Devin is a pro at location scouting for film. In many ways, his locations become characters in his stories.

In order to capture the essence of a great location—like our outdoor location in Bryce Canyon, UT for capturing the Milky Way—Devin had a few great tips:

1. Use wide angle lenses. If you have a great location—show it off! Help your audience feel like they’re right with you. Typically a 16-35mm lens is best to give you versatility while remaining wide.
2. Don't forget about sound. Sometimes you may find the perfect location... expect it's next to a noisy street. If possible, go to the location at the same time of day you plan on shooting and listen to what you should be prepared for.
3. Think about the sun. Competing with the sun is almost impossible, but working with the sun will elevate your production immensely. Best of all it can be done on a budget using a simple bounce board or diffusion filter.

Devin was also real about the fact that since the perfect location isn’t always possible, set dressing and art direction will go a long way. See if you have a local prop house or theater that rents out props or wardrobe. Second-hand stores are also great for finding deals. You can also go the most budget friendly route of all and "shop your home" or go DIY and create the items you need.

We recently caught up with Dru Williams, the DP (Director of Photography) for Grounded, to discuss how he prepped for production by building out a thorough shot list:

“Detailed shot list is everything. I won’t work on a film without a shot list. It’s my cheat sheet. By applying that brain power to the script prior to production you have the ability to use it elsewhere on set. Even though a lot of the shots change (ie. using a different lens than planned) it’s important to come to set prepared. A shot list helps keep you on time, it answers questions you’ve already thought about, and gives you an order of operations for the production.”

Want a head start on building out your shot list and other key elements of production? Check out our free templates here.

There is so much to consider during pre production for any project, but especially narrative work. Be sure to get your budget on lock early so that you know what you’re working with. Then, put all of your focus on wisely stretching that budget to tell the best story: talent, locations, transportation, craft, and of course gear. 

As I worked with our DP, Dru Williams, we knew camera movement was going to be a key part of our approach to telling the story. We started the film by using a series of static shots to help establish the protagonist’s home. We wanted it to feel like his life was static, like he was stuck. Then as we’re first introduced to Owen, we pushed in using a series of underslung slides on the 42” rails with Arc II. Kitted out, our Komodo rig weighed ~6 lb which is well within Arc II’s 15 lb weight limit. These shots combined with the framing, helped to further the idea of isolation that Owen was experiencing.

At the end of the film we did the inverse, pull out to reveal a new perspective which helped to illustrate Owen's sense of relief, like a wight had been lifted from his shoulders. In the next shot we step out of the room altogether and show Owen walking out of the place that seemed to initially be his prison. 

In the middle of the film we used a mixture of handheld and tripod-based pans and tilts. These shots were used to show the vastness of the landscape and to be more organic and personal, as Owen begins the relationship with his new friend.

For the money shot of the Milky Way against the silhouette of Bryce Canyon, we of course used the Time-lapse bundle.

When selecting both your camera and your rigging options, it’s important to consider:

• How you're going to use the camera
• What type of movements you want
• The amount of time you’ll have between setups

As our production schedule had almost no wiggle room, we needed to focus on speed and efficiency. All of our gear used the Manfrotto 501 plate which made switching between tripod, slider, gimbal, and handheld, easy and fast. We also had all of our lenses in one case and had a system for efficiently swapping glass. Lastly, we leaned on our shot list to make sure we were prepared for upcoming shots.

We’re often asked, “what’s the best camera to use?” and while it’s easy to get lost in specs, the answer can be rather simple—the best camera you have access to. It’s also good to consider your weakest links, such as your other hardware—monitors, media, cases, computer, storage, lenses, rigging—in addition to your software and overall budget. With these considerations in mind, the camera self-selects quickly.

For our production, it led us to the RED Komodo, and while it is an incredible camera, no camera can make up for bad lighting or audio. In our next episode we’ll talk all about our lighting and audio selections.

• The closer, the better. Both light waves and audio signals fall off exponentially the further you get from the source. Keep your mics as close to the source as possible, for the cleanest signal. If you need more light, but have limited output, move the light closer and adjust camera framing.
• Less is more. Unless it’s a stylistic choice, let your lighting be practically motivated—such as sun through a window. The same is true for sound design—going over the top can become distracting.
• Get creative. Don’t have a good mic or lights? Gaff tape your phone to the end of a boom pole and use the built-in voice recorder for a mic. Need a light? Pull up a fully white screen on your computer and turn up your brightness. You’ll have to shoot tight, but this may be just enough light to provide that catch light you’re looking for.

• Time period
• Mood
• Genre
• Visual Style