Digital SLR Video and Filmmaking For Dummies

19

Managing the Day of the Shoot and Beyond

In This Chapter

Maintaining composure

Getting and staying organized

Preparing for the shoot

Realizing that the clapperboard is more than a prop

If you’re ready to shoot, congratulations for doing all the pre-shoot work. And if you haven’t, shame on you for your lack of preparation. The process goes much smoother when you do your homework. That’s because making a movie goes beyond taking your camera out one day and shooting everything that appears in front of you. If the skill were an iceberg, the day’s shoot is what’s sticking out of the water. As you know, the majority of that breakaway glacier sits below the surface.

Ironically, so does the structure of your movie. There’s a lot of preparation when it comes to making a movie, from writing the screenplay to casting the actors and finding locations. But up until now, it’s all been theory. It’s time to put it all to work. Whatever the situation, you’ve gotten this far, so you can’t blow ...