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Without the camera there is no film, no movie to make.  If you start making film on a regular basis you will learn to capture image with a number of different cameras.  You will have your favorite but there will be many different ones that you have to hold.  At a certain point using film became all but obsolete and digital took over.  The introduction of the digital camera made capturing image infinitely easier.

Film cameras are good to work with in the beginning because they teach you how to use a lens.  You learn about depth of field and how so push and pull focus plus a variety of other things that you will use when directing the camera.  I like to think of using actual film as more organic.  The image is a bit hazy and lacks that artificial crispness that a digital image can have.  However there is no denying that digital is immediately gratifying.

In the beginning digital was no match for film, but the technicians tweaked it until they developed cameras that are amazing.  Film has been relegated to high art and now we have no second thoughts about shooting in digital over film.  The costs of processing are totally absent when you use digital to shoot.  Getting your film developed was so expensive that in many cases it was prohibitive, but now there are completely acceptable digital cameras in a variety of cost ranges.

Find a digital video camera and a tripod to work with. You will need a tripod with fairly thick legs for sturdiness and a good fluid head for panning.   Also before you buy your tripod, make sure that the camera releases from the tripod easily and quickly.  You will want a camera that has a good battery system for remote shooting.

There are, any number of great digital cameras out there.  You should be able to find a decent camera to shoot action between $500-$800.  If you can manage to scrape together $1,000 a good camera is the Samsung VP X220L camcorder with wired external lens.  This camera has a neat compact body and it is very durable.  A testament to this fact is that this camera was used in the Jack Ass show.

Do some product research, buy your camera and start shooting.  Handle your camera so you know just how to pan and focus with the equipment you will be using.  Play it back and see how it handles different lighting levels and shutter speeds.  Check out how it focuses automatically and practice a bit of manual focusing.

I suggest that you start carrying a camera and building an image bank. An image bank will give you basic generic images that you will need to use as cutaways and various other functions in your film.   Learn to look at things through the lens.  Direct and build different scenes in the frame and shoot them in still photography first.  Before you start production of the actual film, practice shooting with your new camera.  You can shoot your crew and the talent.  Shoot anything that moves until you get it down.

One thing I have learned from friends who have made independent films is that you have to start promoting your film the minute it is complete… as a matter of fact, don’t wait, as soon as you have a title run with it.  This is your baby, your little brain-child so get out there and promote.  Large studios have their own publicity departments but the little guy or gal has nothing but their reputation by word of mouth.  In order to build that rep you have to work at it and there are various tools that you have available to you.

Previously there were only billboards or newspapers, and later on there was the television to get the word out there about your film.  These were actually fairly costly and only the studios could truly afford these avenues.  The rise of Internet has impacted marketing of independent film and the entire film industry as whole.  There are so many different promotional tools that it offers you, it is hard to choose.  The best thing to do is hit them all because you will need them.

When you are at the beginning stages of making your film start a blog.  Once you have that going and you are making regular entries turn your attention to making a logo and then a website.  The logo will carry though to many other things but for the moment it will help in making your website come together visually.  There are services out there that will make a logo for you but, as in all things, it is always better if you do it yourself.  The website can be made by you as well.  There any number of sites out there that offer domains and website building tools.

Once you have built yourself a website then you can submit it to a search engine.  Make T-shirts and hats with your film logo on them.  A friend put her logo on panties and sold them.  More girls bought those panties.  These items made enough money to help her get through post-production.  So, after you have made the regular website go to Myspace and build a Myspace page for your film.  After the Myspace page is done, put something up on YouTube.  These are all free for the most part so take advantage of them. Music artists have used Myspace to promote their music and it has worked really well so why not use it for the purposes of promoting film.

One of the more simple things you can do is to find someplace small that shows your type of film and will be willing to let you show your film.  Make some eye-catching fliers and post them at the local college. There is usually an area for student public postings and fliers are all over these boards.  College students love to see new and different material so if you can draw them in to view your film, that is a very effective way to build a following (dare I say cult film) especially if your film is quirky.

This about exhausts all the free or ultra cheap methods of promotion.  Once you have your film to the point where you can do a premiere showing, you can consider preparing Media Kits to distribute to the local TV and radio stations.  If you have gotten this big with your movie then you might even need a publicist.  Now things are on a roll.  Next stop, distribution

Filmmaking is an orchestration of various elements that brings about the desired result, your story literally brought to life.  Screenplay, crew, actors, location, camera, lighting, sound, and editing are all working together to bring you the finished product.  One literally cannot do without the other.  Lighting however is what makes your production look professional and if you are looking to actually market your film you want it to be as professional as possible.

There are many professional lights kits on the market and many of them are quite reasonable, but in many cases they are not necessarily needed.  You can make your own light kit with a few things that can be purchased at the local hardware store.  There are lights found at the hardware store used in garage repair shops that are metal and that have a high reflectance.  These come with clips at the end and can be clipped and moved wherever you might need them.  These are great to use and you can use a number of different bulbs that will give different wattage and color.

The next items you must have in great numbers are extension cords.  These will be used in every other part of your filmmaking, but you really need them with setting up your lights.  Another very useful tool would be old sheet music stands or something similar that has a 3 leg stand that can be raised and lowered.  These can either hold the clip-on lights or a light diffusion material of some sort.  You will also need white board for white balancing your camera before you shoot, also white boards can be used as bounce cards for bouncing light back on a subject.

The last thing in your light kit will be some sort of diffusing material.  That can be any gauzy white material that the light will pass through.  You can use your stands with binder clips on them to clip the material too.  Shine your light through the material and this in turn will diffuse the light on the subject keeping it from being to bright or “hot” as they say in the business.

A consideration that most people starting out with lighting don’t consider is that light comes in different colors.  Only when you start using a camera do you find this out.  If you shoot in a room at night and you have only the interior lights to use, you may find the overall color of the light will be a little yellow.  This is because the bulb lights in your house are Tungsten light and these give off a yellowish cast.  Fluorescent lights give of a greenish cast that is quite unattractive, so if you film in an office building then that is a consideration as will.  Outside light is blue light and while you always want natural light, things may be a little too blue for you, especially when you shoot in the shade.

The absolute best time to shoot, to get that magical quality, is that time right before the sunset.  The sun is hanging low and directly on the faces of the subjects and gives everything a Carmel colored warm glow.  The only drawback here is that the sun sets quickly so have everything ready in anticipation of shooting the final minutes before the sun set.  Look at things at this time of day during late spring or in the summer and you will see what I am talking about.

The first thing to learn is the three-point lighting set up.  This is a standard lighting technique used by professional photographers, television taping, and shooting film.  This consists of three things: a key light to shine on the subject, a fill light to fill in the shadow created by the key light, and a backlight or kicker to use behind the subject to add dimension the subject.  You will use variations of the 3-point lighting set-up in most work you do.  I advise strongly that you practice this lighting set-up and shoot it to see how effectively it works.  You will have to move the lights a little here and there to get the desired effect but this is the must useful lighting strategy that there is.

It is always good to use natural lighting whenever possible.  Always remember that high noon is usually a harsh lighting situation and will cast unflattering shadows under the eyes and nose of the subject making them appear tired.  You will have to use a light low down on the ground to counter-act this effect.  Also anytime you light a subject from the ground as opposed to above the subject, you will get an eerie spooky effect that can be used in moments of suspense.  If you are not looking for this effect though it might be disturbing to viewers.

This is lighting in a nutshell and I would highly recommend that you take some production classes in order to practice and get some tips on lighting.

You may want to start out by producing your own film, if you are up to the task. It is a great burden to take on a project, especially when you are new to the business. If you can accomplish this, you will have a film you can show to display your commitment to a film making career.

Once you decide to produce your own film, you will need the resources to make your movie. A film grant is one way to get the funding for your film, but it can be difficult to get this type of grant. You will need to know how the process works when applying for a grant. There are different types of film grants, money, equipment, room and board, film, music, producing, screen writing, directing or a combination of any or all of the above.

Each grant giver has certain guidelines you must meet to qualify for their grant. Quite a few of them want you to produce a documentary of some type. Many of these grant projects have been given awards and are shown on television because they are so inspiring.

The purpose of these grants are designed to help film makers who are unable to get other funding. Others do not have the money to get into a good film school, but they have the talent. These grants create great film makers as well as wonderful films. Some grants allow film makers to get regular funding in the future, after they have shown what an excellent film maker they are.

When a grant funder is considering a project to give to, they look for the passion the film maker has for the project. This is the most important point of consideration when reading a grant application. The film maker will carry this passion and dedication throughout the film making process, no matter how long it takes to finish the film.

The Guerilla Filmmaking Grant was designed to encourage creative, resourceful filmmaking for artists working outside of the “Hollywood industry”. Twice a year they award $1000 to produce, shoot, and edit a feature length film. The film maker has control over the look, feel and content of the film. A DVD release of the movie is included. The film maker keeps all rights to distribution. They also include Marketing Advice to help the film maker distribute and sell the movie. All film rights are retained by the film maker. Anyone in the world that is thinking of producing an English language feature film may apply for this grant.

There are many places an independent film maker can apply for. Just type filmmaking grants into your favorite
search engine and you will see what I mean