Discover what it takes to be a movie maker!
Do you have a smartphone and a bit of spare time? Feel like making a movie? Movie Making For Kids For Dummies, by experienced director and filmmaking teacher Nick Willoughby, walks you through the basics of creating a movie. Explore the process from start to finish, from pulling together the necessary equipment (which is cheaper and more available than ever!) to shooting and editing.
Willoughby shows you how to film with just your smartphone or your tablet and how to use app-based tools for both filming and editing. You'll learn how to capture sound, light your scenes, and stabilize your shots with widely available accessories. You'll also discover:
- How to share your movie with family and friends
- Step-by-step guides at the end of each chapter to create your own content
- Complimentary access to interactive content and downloadable resources
Great for kids at filmmaking camps, classes, and courses, Movie Making For Kids For Dummies is also a fantastic book for parents and teachers of kids who want to get into filmmaking.
Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 4
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 5
Mission 1: Understanding the Basic Movie Making Process 7
Project 0: Getting Started Making Movies 9
The Movie Making Process 10
Lights, Camera, What? 13
What Every Movie Maker Needs 17
Life as a Filmmaker 18
Project 1: Getting to Know Your Camera 21
How Does Your Camera Work? 22
Deciding on a Camera to Use 24
Choosing a Video Camera App 34
Recording and Importing Footage 44
Try It Out Yourself 51
Project 2: Framing a Great Shot 53
Learning the Rule of Thirds 54
Choosing the Right Shot 56
Choosing between a Fixed-Camera Position and a Moving Camera 63
Try It Out Yourself 69
Project 3: Making Your Movie Sound Good 71
Using the Built-In Microphone 72
Recording with External Microphones 74
Recording Sound Separately 80
Try It Out Yourself 82
Project 4: Getting the Best Lighting 83
Using Natural Light 84
Using Extra Lights 88
Lighting Your Movie 90
Try It Out Yourself 95
Project 5: Adding Magic by Editing 97
Choosing an Editing Tool 98
Creating a New Project 101
Importing Your Footage 102
Creating a New Timeline 105
Adding Selected Footage to a Timeline 107
Adding Transitions 112
Exporting Your Video 115
Mission 2: Making a 60-Second Movie Trailer 119
Project 6: Planning Your Movie Trailer 121
Coming Up with an Idea 122
Structuring Your Trailer 126
Listing the Shots You Want to Shoot 129
Try It Yourself 130
Project 7: Shooting Your Trailer 131
Essentials before Shooting 132
Directing Your Movie 132
Shooting Tips 136
Checking Your Shots 139
Try It Out Yourself 140
Project 8: Setting the Pace and Mood with Editing 141
Arranging Your Footage on the Timeline 142
Adding Music 145
Adjusting Brightness and Contrast 152
Adding Titles 155
Mission 3: Making a Documentary 161
Project 9: What Makes a Good Documentary? 163
What Is a Documentary? 164
Considering Documentary Film Styles 164
Picking a Topic for Your Documentary 166
Structuring Your Documentary 167
Try It Out Yourself 171
Project 10: Shooting Your Documentary 173
Creating a Short Summary to Introduce Your Topic 174
Trying Some Interviewing Techniques 175
Recording Clean Sound 177
Filming Cutaways 178
Creating the Perfect Ending 179
Try It Out Yourself 180
Project 11: Overlaying and Underlaying in Editing 181
Preparing Your Documentary in the Timeline 182
Recording a Voiceover 183
Adding a Voiceover Under Your Footage 188
Adding Footage Over Your Interviews 190
Adding Credits 193
Mission 4: Creating Your First Short Narrative Movie 203
Project 12: Assembling Your Movie Crew 205
Who Can Help? 206
Roles in a Team 207
Understanding Your Role 209
Building a Team 211
Try It Out Yourself 211
Project 13: Telling Your Story 213
What Makes a Good Story? 214
Creating Your Characters 217
Writing Your Story on One Page 218
Creating a Scene Selection 219
Writing the Script 220
Writing Dialogue 221
Project 14: Location Hunting and Props 223
Finding the Right Locations for Your Movie 224
Do You Have Permission? 226
Choosing Props and Costumes 227
Try It Out Yourself 229
Project 15: Choosing Actors for Your Movie 231
Running Auditions 232
Rehearsing Your Scenes 236
Getting the Best from Your Actors 236
Try It Out Yourself 237
Project 16: Planning Your Shots with a Storyboard 239
Creating a Storyboard 240
What to Include in Your Storyboard 242
Try It Out Yourself 244
Project 17: Enhancing Your Shots 245
Viewing the Same Scene from Different Angles 246
Adding Levels to Your Movie 248
Crossing the Line 253
Try It Out Yourself 256
Project 18: Making It Sound Even Better 257
Adopting Microphone Techniques for Dialogue 258
Dealing with Wind 260
Checking Sound Levels as You Record 261
Try It Out Yourself 264
Project 19: Adding Mood with Lighting 265
Using Shadows and Lighting Effects 266
Using Colored Gels and Filters 269
Getting the Best from Daylight 272
Try It Out Yourself 273
Project 20: Time to Film 275
Directing Your Movie 276
Logging Your Shots 277
Checking Your Shots 281
Try It Out Yourself 282
Mission 5: Making Magic After Filming 283
Project 21: Getting the Movie Look with Editing 285
Editing Angles and Shots Together 286
Editing Dialogue and Inserting Reaction Shots 290
Creating the Movie Look with Color and Effects 295
Enhancing the Sound 304
Try It Out Yourself 308
Project 22: Getting a Movie Review 309
Reviewing Your Work 310
Getting Feedback from Others 313
Try It Out Yourself 314
Index 317
Nick Willoughby is the founder of 7 Stream Media, a production company based in the UK. He also set up Filmmaking for Kids and Film Future programs, teaching kids aged 7-16 how to shoot, edit and produce movies.
