Even if you are the producer, the shooter, the editor, the distributor and marketing director, taking the time to generate a video treatment will help you present a clearer idea to others and help you stay on track when the time comes to make your production happen. Focus! Focus! That ring on the ca

You can shoot video at many locations without needing pricey permits and going through long application processes but how do you know if you are able to film on private or public properties? What rights must you obtain before doing so? Which offices can you turn to in order to get permits for public

We've all seen documentaries and informational videos in which the interview material carries much of the information and much of the story. Interviews are the backbone of most non-fiction video presentations. Interviews are powerful message carriers that you can easily intercut with other prod

Every director should have the capacity for spontaneity, the ability to deal with the unexpected during a shoot. On-the-spot ingenuity, however, is not enough. You’ll greatly improve your chance of success – and save time, money and energy to boot – if you use the pre-production ph

Part Two: Funding, Financing and Budgeting Part Three: Shooting and Editing Part Four: Distribution DocuCraze: This last decade found us in a documentary craze – Super Size Me (2004), Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), March of the Penguins (2005), An Inconvenient Truth (2006) and E

If you’re working with even one other person on your video project, you need to have a basic understanding of the lingo so you can communicate your needs. The first job a camera department trainee typically lands is as a grip. Grips are the crew technicians who hustle between “the truck&

Part One: Story Development Part Three: Shooting and Editing Part Four: Distribution Why are you making a documentary? In other words, who do you want to see it? As with every step of filmmaking, you have to ask yourself, “Who is my audience? How do I reach them? How do I

Similar to a plot map used by archeologists, a storyboard is the best way to illustrate staging positions and camera angles for talent and crew. Remember the days when you would sit back and enjoy a good comic book? Or maybe now you cruise through the graphic novel section of the local bookstore a

Was The Thinker thinking about the effects of free trade or wondering how to enrich his next project with amazing storytelling and killer graphics? Finding inspiration for our creations can be difficult at times; most of us have good days and bad ones. So how is it that some always seem to have a co

Lights. Camera. Action. You hope. Directing professional talent isn’t always easy, but they usually know their jobs. Directing non-actors requires a different set of skills. Directing non-professionals can be both rewarding and a real challenge. Whether it is the producer’s daughter or

Getting the Most Out of Your Actors or Subjects Telling a powerful story with video does not require professional actors or people experiencing extraordinary events. But it does hinge on making your characters interesting and believable. So how do you do this? Remember those five Ws from fourth-grad

A guide to starting a wedding video business. So you want to capture weddings on video? With the growing popularity of wedding videography and the affordability of professional video equipment, running a wedding video production business is very attainable and can be very lucrative. For years, the

Dashing out the door with camera in hand, but no plan, can cost you. Time is money. In video production, this is perhaps more true than in any other profession. If you are working as a professional video director, you are probably very aware of the cost involved in renting equipment, hiring the crew

Someday, you may have to hire, beg, borrow or coerce some people to join you on your video adventure. Keep it friendly, stick with a plan and you – and they – will enjoy the trek. Summertime is a great time to shoot that special video. Load up your equipment, gather your crew and away

As a solo artist, what happens when you land a gig with a budget for crew? Your most important relationship will be with your Director of Photography. Most film historians consider Citizen Kane the best film of all time. Why? The incredible relationship between filmmaker Orson Wells and his cinemat

Scrutinize the wardrobes on TV and in the movies, and you’ll see most of the clothing worn by the actors will blend well with each other. This isn’t an accident. So you are getting ready to shoot your big interview or scene, and your on-camera talent looks you straight in the eye and ask

Shoot the plan. We’ve all said those words. We set up our shot schedules, have our prop lists handy and make sure our talent is well briefed. But none of these tools – essential as they may be – has the visceral impact of a single storyboard panel. Thanks to the ubiquitous DVD ext

If you go out into the field or studio without a plan for your shoot, you will end up wasting a great deal of time deciding what you want to do. In this industry, as in others, time is money. It is much more cost-effective to make your shooting decisions sitting at home alone or with a small pre-pro

Free Love Story It’s not too often we cover products that are free. Mostly, we cover gear that you’ll have to plop down some cash for in return for a glossy product with a certain level of customer support. While Celtx doesn’t have that pro-look or a 24-hour 1-800 number, it does o

If there was ever an empty slate in the field of video production, it is making a music video. In the last 25 years, the invigorating art form of making a music video has grown to be one of the most influential and individually stylistic modes of production in the industry. From the first frame to t