STORY LINE - BEHIND THE SCREEN BY WILLIAMSJI MAVELI

At first my passion in life was to become a film director. But, destiny has made me to go for writing Reports, Criticisms on literature, movies, scripts, poems, stories and anything to which I get hooked up .This series of write-ups, starting with the initial planning for a short film until its completion may be used as a study material for those who are intending to shoot a short film.

WILLIAMSJI MAVELI

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• Behind the Screen - Scene 1
• Take 1 The beginning of making of a short film

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Welcome to my write-up titled "Behind the Screen" on short Film-Making. If you are a regular person with no formal training in the movie production, and science and art of creativity of film-making, but want to either make a film, or participate in any activities related to films in an open and wide frame, then, you have come to the right place. I will highlight everything you need to know in order to be ready to start thinking seriously about making a short film, using the digital medium. This write-up is only partially complete, and will continue to be updated as I gain further experience and get more time to continue writing on this subject in this columns. Later, I intend to publish these short writings into a book with a title "Behind the Screen". Happy reading and moreover a happy filming your stories or ideas. Viewers are welcome with their comments

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• Behind the Screen - Scene 1
• Take 2 : The Technology.

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Though technological changes has already revolutionized the production side of the movie, Computer accessories, meth faster films, videotape and CD Disc recording, more effective and easily transportable lights and shades, and computerized editing equipments have improved the quality and standard of movie productions recently. Meanwhile, multimillion production budgets still grab the media headlines, the fact is that the new and improved technology has made it possible to put short films on the screen more easily and at very lower cost.During these days, anyone can make a short film. But, if you want to make a good short film, with a good story thread it will take time, preparation, and some expense. But, if making a short film is something you really want to do, putting time in now will make all the difference later.

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• Behind the Screen - Scene 1
• Take 3 The Draft Story.

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Read as many of your favorite movie scripts as you possibly can. Then, watch the movie, keeping the scrip in front of your table and note the points on the visualizations of each takes one by one. Write down the notes, differences in the script and the film. Once you know all the theory, the treatment of the story, actions of the artistes structure and situation, you simply sit down and scribble your script. Once you have a first draft, continue to rework and redraft the film until you feel you have something that could be successfully made into a film. This is one of the hardest parts of filmmaking, because it involves being honest with yourself and learning to take criticism from the people you show your script to. Even if you have to throw the entire first draft away and start again, do it !

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• Behind the Screen - Scene 1
• Take 4 The final Story.

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Let's make a guess. The movies you loved most featured characters that swept you up, who enthralled your emotions, got you involved. The audience viewing a movie not only wants to be interested in and care about the people they see on the screen, they want to be passionate about them, whether they like them or not. Great heroes and heroines inspire us; great villains make us want to jump into the screen!. Hence, visualize the story, rewrite the story with slicing each and every scenes making into a first rough script with additional notes.

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Behind the Screen - Scene 1

Take 5 The Shoot Script.

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This step involves a little more work, as you'll have to write the final script, and then go through all the pre-production, casting, shooting and post-production yourself. Still for crewing and casting your film, take people from the industry itself who want to get paid work on daily basis or as a contract work and find out the locations or places for shooting. These details should also be mentioned in the shooting script. This will help the film director to carry out his work very smoothly, which will surely save in the expenditure of the finance as well. You'll even get to meet top actors and actresses, who are most suitable to change into the characters of the story.

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Behind the Screen - Scene 1 ends here

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ABOUT THIS WRITE-UP: BEHIND THE SCREEN

Behind the Screen is a series of write up based on theoretical and practical knowledge of the author on short movie making. Each step will be explained with brief instructions on various aspects of the short film making. This cannot be considered as a reference material, but surely this will be a guideline on short film making, and this will help those beginners, who are fascinated to go for short film making. The write-up will continue Scene by Scene divided into at least 5 takes in one scene, totaling approximately one FIFTY scenes..

BY
WILLIAMSJI MAVELI

EDITOR, The Filmmagazine, PO BOX 3, Angamaly, Ernakulam, Kerala, India.