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Im sure there are many ways to do this... I guess its preference. How would you guys and gals shoot a walky talky scene? Example, If only the main character is seen talking. The person he is talking to is never shown on camera. Would you record a high quality voiceover separately from the unseen person and edit the audio in post for the effect? Or would you actually have them talk through it during the scene? Thanks in advance. (Note) Im shooting this soon.

So I am filming a SciFi short film called "Bandwidth Creek"on the 15th and I'm having one issue. There is a female playing two characters and I still can't figure out how to fool the audience with this. For instance, she's playing the mom of the main male character in his flashback. The same woman is also playing his room mate whom he is having conflict with. Both characters are important so I can't cut either out. Since the mom in the flashback does not have any lines (just flashback visuals) I thought about just shooting behind her or with her hair over her face. We thought about a wig and sunglasses but come on lol. Attached are some stills of the woman I exported from the rehearsal (playing roommate). Anybody have any ideas?

Hey there! I'm sorry if this is too many questions at once, but I figured it would be better to just lay my initial questions all out at once instead of peppering them throughout the thread over time. I graduated from college this May with an English degree and a minor in Communications, and I want to go to film school as a graduate student. In order to do this, I need a short film (I'd really like to go to USC). However, my university didn't/doesn't exactly have a cutting-edge film program, so I'm a little flustered. Here's a bit of background about my short film project. It concerns a young woman going to a bar in the early hours of her 21st birthday (it's like 12:08 AM) and ordering her first-ever drink. It's going to be shot without dialog--it will be all body language and sound effects, like a Pixar short, if that makes sense. I want the look of the film to be "objective" (I know that's not a real thing in film) except for a couple of wide-angle shots and a deep focus shot which pulls back over the bar to establish that she's in a bar (if there's a way to do this without deep focus, let me know). I'd also like to do something like this shot from The Music Man (https://youtu.be/CC33O52pGUg?t=2m43s). I don't know how they did it, but I suppose you can cheat it in post if you're a good/patient enough rotoscoper. Anyway, I was looking into what kind of camera I should use to film this project. I've saved up a bit of money and I want to get the best camera possible for the job without requiring me to learn a textbook-worth of information or have tons of hands-on time with the camera before I use it. Since I'll be filming in a real bar (sadly, I haven't saved up enough money to build one from scratch on a soundstage) at night, there will be low light and the possibility of competing color temperatures (since I can't exactly tear out any lights). I'd also prefer to go for as filmic a look as possible. I would shoot the project on film if I could, but I super-don't know enough about film to do that. For this reason, I was looking at either the RED camera or the ARRI Alexa XT. After reading about the RED, I came away with the impression that it was a very particular camera that had kind of a steep learning curve, and that the ARRI Alexa XT would be much easier to shoot with, although I don't know if it's easy enough. My experience has mainly been with that one miniDV Canon SD prosumer camera that everyone had. I also would like to shoot Open Gate ARRIRAW for the project to maximize the pixel count for upscaling to 4K. Since I live near Atlanta, I'm looking at renting from here: http://pce-atlanta.com/. Here is their list of cameras and lenses (PDF): http://www.pce-atlanta.com/pdf/Camera%20Catalog_4_8_2013.pdf. I'm going to be renting the camera and lenses for a weekend. So my first question is: how feasible is this? Especially as I've never used the Alexa before and I'm not an experienced color corrector. Can you just drop ARRIRAW footage into the free version of Da Vinci Resolve or Adobe SpeedGrade and get good results just by messing with a few presets, or is it going to be a month of tedious work? Because I don't have the time to devote every day to it, especially as I'll also be doing foley work. My second question is this: ARRIRAW is flat footage, correct? So how do you know how the colors are going to look when using the monitor? My third question is: how much is that Codex docking station that plugs into the USB 3.0 connection on a MacBook Pro? I've been unable to get a straight answer from their website. And do I need to buy a software license to transfer the ARRIRAW files to a hard drive using it? My fourth question is this: what kinds of lenses should I use? I was thinking of just getting a zoom lens, since that would be cheaper, but would I be able to pull off that deep-focus shot with it? And ARRI's website tells me that shooting in Open Gate ARRIRAW can be a problem because a lot of lenses don't fully cover the sensor area. Do any of the lenses on that list qualify? I'd rather not abandon the Open Gate part of my plan, but I'd sooner abandon it than abandon the Alexa XT (although if I weren't shooting in Open Gate ARRIRAW I guess I could switch to an Alexa with the XT module), so if I have to, I will. My fifth question is: do I need to get a new tripod? I mainly have the kind which you can use for still camera work or for that relatively light Canon prosumer camera I mentioned. Is the Alexa XT a heavy camera? My sixth question is: lighting. I don't understand it. I have a lot of questions about it. I'm considering just using the available light for this reason. For instance, I understand the three-point lighting method (or I think I do, anyway) and I understand how it's easy to do in close-up, but what happens when you cut to a long shot from a different angle, exposing where the lighting rigs would be? My seventh question is: how do I keep it from looking like TV? Let me elaborate on that. I initially thought that aspect ratio played a part in making TV look like TV, but Better Call Saul looks like a movie to me, and Witness for the Prosecution, mistakenly presented in 16:9, looked like a movie as well--not like TV. So my theory is that it has something to do with coverage and composition (and maybe editing and lighting, too). I want my short film to look like a film. What are some common pitfalls I should avoid if I don't want my film to be mundane? I think that's it for now. If you guys could do me a favor and keep checking this thread, I'm sure I'll have more questions. Thank you so much for your time. Also, please let me know if in the future I should make separate topics for questions with separate subject matter. I just didn't want to clutter up your forums.

I intend to make an inspirational short film. I want to get an idea about costs of different types of short films. Is there any place where I can see the film type and its detailed cost list? Or just see the major costs? I live in Pakistan, we don't have much latest tools here. So I need to make my own cost estimate after checking costs for other films. Also, give your view: what do you think I can make a professional inspirational short film by collecting volunteers only? Not paying anyone? Thank You

I'd like to introduce you to The Nostalgist, my latest sci-fi short film that featured on the American Cinematographer (Short Takes section - December 2014) and it is now available online for free on Youtube via WIRED. The cinematography is by Gareth Munden (Lotus Eaters) and the camera operator is Peter Taylor (Jungle Book, Gravity, Kick-Ass, Gladiator). Here’s the link to the film: https://youtu.be/ZzCQtoQ8ypk The film was shot in London over seven days in 2013 with a mixed crew of newcomers and highly skilled professionals and a cast led by French star Lambert Wilson (Suite Francaise, Of Gods and Men, The Matrix Reloaded) and British child actor Samuel Joslin (Paddington, The Impossible). It was shot in 5K with Anamorphic Lenses (Xtal Express) using Red Epic Cameras. The RAW footage was converted in EXR files for the VFX and then re-exported in DPX for the Color Grading. The film was graded at Company 3 (London) by Greg Fisher. The Nostalgist received its worldwide festival premiere at the Palm Springs Short Fest in June 2014, where it was awarded the runner-up prize for live-action short over 15 minutes, and it received its European premiere at the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy in July 2014, where it was awarded the first prize as Best Short Film in its Generator 18+ (fiction) section. The short also was also selected for the LA Shorts Fest and FantasticFest in Austin, and its UK premiere was at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2014 in the CULT section. I hope you will enjoy it and of course if you have any question please do not hesitate to contact me.

Hi everyone, I will start by saying that I have always had a passion about Filmmaking. I have always wanted to go to Film-school but due to lack of funds that dream may never become a reality. On the other hand I believe that anyone can learn Filmmaking but practicing, researching and trial and error. Nowadays anyone can pick up a camera and start shooting. The problem is that it is really hard to find people willing to sit down and teach (mentor) you on some aspects of Filmmaking that are hard to grasp on your own and will make the learning curve and time longer and harder. That's why I had an idea about a Kickstarter campaign that will help me and others learn from people that work in the industry and see the whole process from start to finish, on how a Short Film is constructed. The idea: A kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a Short Film that will also teach and document the steps involved in creating a Short Film: Directing Producing Cinematography etc Part of the funds will be used to pay a Cinematographer who would be willing to sit down and teach his art to a team of 15-20 people in creating a short film (they will also be the crew for the Short Film). This will be done through short workshops and through the actual shooting of the short film. This process will be documented (DVD & Digital Downloads, PDFs or On-Set Pass) and given to potential kickstarter backers as a training series so that they can also learn the process of Filmmaking. Recordings will include: Short Workshops, Discussions on set about Lighting decisions, camera movement, behind the scenes footage, etc). Potential Perks for Backers can also include being part of the crew. I am trying to sort out the cost of the whole process and I would love to hear from potential Cinematographers from here that would be interested in undertaking the teaching of this project. He/She would have to relocate to Cyprus for the duration of the Project. The Cinematographer/Instructor will of course be paid and all Living Costs, Plane Tickets and Accommodation will be included. If I receive msg`s from interested people I will have further discussions with them on how this Project will be constructed, figure out his/her pay, and also figure out a rough budget for the whole Process. Thats is also how the Kickstarter campaign comes into play, how much to ask for the campaign. I will also use personal funds from my own pocket that I have saved. I would like your thoughts on this, any input is helpful, even if it is to say that this is a crappy idea :P Thanks for reading, Best, Alex B.

Dear Cinematographers, For a silent short film on which I am working, I desire a grainy and dark texture. I am using Tri-X super 8 black and white film. I thought perhaps that, to my unguided reflection, it would be best achieved by underexposing two stops and then using a one-stop push in processing. Would any untoward complications arise in doing so? Would there be any superior alternative? Thank you in advance. Sincerely, K. Cassidy-Gabhart

Hi everyone, I just wanted to get some feedback on a new short film that we released for a zombie webseries we created. My buddies and I are dedicating our YouTube channel to short zombie and horror films and we want to create good stuff that people like (so we need to know what people think). This was shot with a Canon 5D MIII and a Canon Rebel T4i + 18-135mm STM lens. We messed up huge on the shots at the end and they came out too noisy. Would like to know what other cinematographers think of our other scenes and how we might improve.

Hey guys, any feedback would back amazing! The short's won several awards nationally and internationally, while being nominated for several more. Shot S-LOG, graded in DaVinci. Shot on: Sony FS700 (the opening 'dream') Sony F3 (everything else) The F3 I feel performed well, but the FS700 left a lot to be desired. Link:

Hello, This is my first post. I just finished my second short film. My first short has gained some attention because of the cinematography so I decided to let the director's chair for someone else and concentrate to work as a DoP. Please, tell me how it feels to you. It's a zero budget short. And please excuse my English...it's not my native. thank you!

Short Films Wanted! The Edinburgh Short Film Festival has opened it's call for entries for the 2016 edition. The best submissions for 2016 will be included in our short film programming for other festivals across the UK and Internationally during 2016 as well as being screened at the Edinburgh Short Film Festival in October-November 2016. We will also be working closely with our partner festivals and are planning on programming some of our best films from 2015 for the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival in September 2016 and the Sardinia Film Festival in June 2016. We're also programming short film for Edinburgh's remarkable arts festival Hidden Door in May. In addition, we can confirm we'll be curating for Japan's biggest short film festival,Short Shorts in Tokyo and we are delighted to play host to a hand-picked selection of Japanese short film for our 2016 edition later this year. We're also now offering the Rising Star Award for the most promising film-maker with a cash prize, tickets to film festivals, offers of work and the Rising Star Trophy sponsored by the Matthew Martino Benevolent Fund. And if that's not enough, we're also planning lively networking events, Q & A sessions, meet the film-makers, panel discussions and even some live music! Submissions are now open for films under 20 mins (any genre) so get your skates on! EDINBURGH SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

Hey Everyone! I am trying to buy a Super 8 camera for a short film I want to make. I have found a Canon 1014 AZE within my price range, and I would love/need advice on this camera. Is this a good camera for a beginner and what film would I need to buy for it? I want to be able to transfer my film into my editor, how and where can I get this done? Anyone who has operated or owns the Canon 1014 AZE, please let me know what you think of this camera overall. Would really appreciate the help and advice on the Canon 1014 AZE the most. Thanks!

If you got a couple of minutes to spare, check out our new short horror film: "Death in C Minor" This is one of our first attempts at a short film horror film. Shot with the Sony A7s and the Rokinon Cine 35mm and 50mm Lenses. We weren't too satisfied with some of our lighting and camera work (among other things). We want to improve our craft, so let us know what you think -- good, bad, and ugly. Thanks, Jason R

"As Day Turns to Night" was made for my production class. The film is my analysis of the psychological effects of loss and what it can drive a person to believe. Any criticism is welcomed and very much appreciated! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad6QHJAYgLw

Hey everybody, I’m shooting a short on Super-16 film at the end of October in Los Angeles and I’m looking for a DP. I’m hoping to shoot on an Arri 416. (The last time I made a Super-16 short I used the Aaton A-minima, which I loved, but apparently that is now defunct.) So... I would love to talk with anybody who has extensive experience with the 416 -- loading, etc. Also, if any anybody HAS the 416, that would of course be a double bonus. Or if anybody KNOWS a DP with his own 416, please pass this along. We are low budget, but THIS IS PAID. Please contact me privately and I can tell you more about the project. Tone wise, it’s (hopefully) a mix of “Willy Wonka” and “Jackass”. You can see a link to some of my previous shorts below. Thanks so much! Bo Price Www.boprice.com Boprice@gmail.com

Hello all, So I film on the Blackmagic Pocket Cam, which is infamous for how fast it heats up. Now I've never had a problem with it overheating, I have generally been filming in A/C cooled indoor areas. However, I'm beginning production for an upcoming film, and most of the filming will be done outside... oh, and lest I forget, I happen to live in the great state of Texas where the average Summer temp. is around 96 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm a little worried about it overheating in the outdoor temperatures. So my question is: how do you keep a camera cooled down without damaging it with ice/water?

Hey Guys, I have been recently hired to shoot a short feature and have been asked for my preference in lens selection. The director wants to shoot on Arri/Zeiss Master Primes (T1.3) on a Sony F5 camera system. Would you have any recommendations on focal lengths? In regard to the production, there will be mostly interiors with a few exterior moments, the story is very personal among the few characters involved, and the director is using Emmanel Lubezki as a primary visual influence. I was personally thinking of just a 35, 50 and 85mm set... Thanks! Sam

Hello all, So I'm messing around with shots for a film of mine, and I have a scene where a lot is revealed, emotionally (to be simple: a man shoots his brother for the crime this brother has committed). Anyways, my question is: what functions do a pull-back have in a scene? I have it storyboarded to where we have a push-in on the dead body of the brother and then we cut to a pull-back from the shooter (both are iso shots). Any suggestions/comments for this function?

Hello all, As I've been expanding my crew and becoming more involved with just directing actors, I've been looking to buy an external monitor for my BMPCC so I won't have to work back and forth to check shots. My question is, do any of you guys have a suggestion for an external monitor for the Blackmagic that is under the price of $200? Thanks! John

The Deadline for submissions to the 2015 Edinburgh Short Film Festival is fast approaching! Last call for entries will be on June 29th 2015! The ESFF will be programming short films for festivals and arts events across the world from Tobermory to the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival and from the Sardinia Film Festival to Stornoway in the Scottish Western Isles! And of course, we’ll be screening the best films submitted at venues across Scotland's beautiful capital city during the Edinburgh Short Film Festival in November! As well as taking short film on tour across the world, we’re also delighted to announce that we have teamed up with International Charity Organisation Matthew Martino Benevolent Fund to award the Rising Star Award for the best film made by a Director aged 16-25 or a first-time director! With a cash prize as well as on set work experience and tickets to film festivals! Deadline for submissions is Monday June 29th, Time is running out so don’t delay…submit today!! Edinburgh Short Film Festival Submissions

I just watched a short film on Vimeo, and really liked the natural lighting, so natural I almost questioned whether artificial lighting was used at all. I was wondering what your thoughts where on how you think the shots are lit? My thoughts for the bedroom scene are that they gelled the windows with CTO or CTS to cheat the appearance of 'warm' light shining into the room, whilst keeping the interior lighting very cold. Potentially using HMIs or daylight corrected tungsten lights for the interior? I can't seem to share the screenshots as the image sizes are too big. The film can however been seen here on vimeo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPgZVTFzG3I --This's the link to a short 16mm film I did back in 2005, shot on bolex. I think it turned out pretty good, despite the choppy editing and a few -out-of-focus shots. Let me know what you think :)

We're delighted to unveil the new website for the Edinburgh Short Film Festival, we've been the best in contemporary International short form cinema since 2011 This year we'll be exhibiting short films in Scotland's beautiful capital city from 11th November 2015 to 22nd November 2015! For more details see our new-look, revamped website: http://www.edinburghshortfilmfestival.com This year's full touring programme has now been finalised and we're excited to announce that we will be curating short film programmes from some of this year's best short film submissons for: Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival Sardinia Film Festival Screenplay Film Festival (curated by Mark Kermode) Hidden Door Art Festival the maximum duration is 20 minutes. The deadline for applications is Monday 29th June 2015. @EdinburghShorts

Hello all, I have recently bought an Angenieux 12-120mm type 10x12 B lens for the Blackmagic Pocket Camera. Upon buying this lens, I believed it to be a C mount; to my surprise, it is not. Could someone help me identify what type of mount this lens has exactly? Thanks, John W. King

Thought I'd post a short film I finished a short while back. I wanted to text a batch of 64D I had in the fridge while working with a new DP and lab. (Video and Film Solutions, Rockville, MD). Rather than film a roll,of my hometown I adapted a dream my friend had into a quick micro short film about the end of the world. Really pleased with the outcome and don't know why more shorts aren't filed inSuper 16. Tech info: Aaton XTR ZEISS Super Speed MKI FUJI 64D Lab and transfer: Video and a Film Solutions Thank you for watching