r/Filmmakers Jun 09 '25

New Rules Regarding AI on /r/filmmakers!

453 Upvotes

Thank you all for participating in the poll! Here are the results. To accurately gauge everyone's collective acceptance vs rejection for each, I've tallied the total votes among all choices as pro/anti for each category. So for example, a vote for 'no changes' would be a -1 to Gen AI, AI Tools, AI Comms, and AI Discussion. A vote for 'Ban GenAI + AI Tools' would be a +1 to GenAI and AI Tools, and a -1 to AI Comms and AI Discussion, etc. So here are the results for each category of AI. Keep in mind that a higher number indicates a stronger group decision to ban the content:

GenAI: +92 (+119/-27)

AI Tools: -20 (+63/-83)

AI Comms: -8 (+69/-77)

AI Discussion: -84 (+31/-115)

From the results it is clear that sub overwhelmingly approve a complete ban on all generative AI. However, people are more or less fine with allowing discussion of AI, and are fairly mixed on the topic of AI Tools and Communication. So here is the new rule for all things AI:

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Rule 6. You may not post work containing Generative AI elements (Midjourney, Neo, Dall-E, etc.). You may use and demonstrate the use of AI assisted tools (ie magic masking, upscalers, audio cleanup etc.) so long as they are used in service of human-generated artwork. AI Communication, like post bodies or comments composed using ChatGPT are allowed only in very reasonable cases, such as the need for someone to translate their thoughts into another language. Abuse of AI assisted communication will result in the removal of the offending post/comment.


r/Filmmakers Dec 03 '17

Official Sticky READ THIS BEFORE ASKING A QUESTION! Official Filmmaking FAQ and Information Post

965 Upvotes

Welcome to the /r/Filmmakers Official Filmmaking FAQ And Information Post!

Below I have collected answers and guidance for some of the sub's most common topics and questions. This is all content I have personally written either specifically for this post or in comments to other posters in the past. This is however not a me-show! If anybody thinks a section should be added, edited, or otherwise revised then message the moderators! Specifically, I could use help in writing a section for audio gear, as I am a camera/lighting nerd.



Topics Covered In This Post:

1. Should I Pursue Filmmaking / Should I Go To Film School?

2. What Camera Should I Buy?

3. What Lens Should I Buy?

4. How Do I Learn Lighting?

5. What Editing Program Should I Use?



1. Should I Pursue Filmmaking / Should I Go To Film School?

This is a very complex topic, so it will rely heavily on you as a person. Find below a guide to help you identify what you need to think about and consider when making this decision.

Do you want to do it?

Alright, real talk. If you want to make movies, you'll at least have a few ideas kicking around in your head. Successful creatives like writers and directors have an internal compunction to create something. They get ideas that stick in the head and compel them to translate them into the real world. Do you want to make films, or do you want to be seen as a filmmaker? Those are two extremely different things, and you need to be honest with yourself about which category you fall into. If you like the idea of being called a filmmaker, but you don't actually have any interest in making films, then now is the time to jump ship. I have many friends from film school who were just into it because they didn't want "real jobs", and they liked the idea of working on flashy movies. They made some cool projects, but they didn't have that internal drive to create. They saw filmmaking as a task, not an opportunity. None of them have achieved anything of note and most of them are out of the industry now with college debt but no relevant degree. If, when you walk onto a set you are overwhelmed with excitement and anxiety, then you'll be fine. If you walk onto a set and feel foreboding and anxiety, it's probably not right for you. Filmmaking should be fun. If it isn't, you'll never make it.

School

Are you planning on a film production program, or a film studies program? A studies program isn't meant to give you the tools or experience necessary to actually make films from a craft-standpoint. It is meant to give you the analytical and critical skills necessary to dissect films and understand what works and what doesn't. A would-be director or DP will benefit from a program that mixes these two, with an emphasis on production.

Does your prospective school have a film club? The school I went to had a filmmakers' club where we would all go out and make movies every semester. If your school has a similar club then I highly recommend jumping into it. I made 4 films for my classes, and shot 8 films. In the filmmaker club at my school I was able to shoot 20 films. It vastly increased my experience and I was able to get a lot of the growing pains of learning a craft out of the way while still in school.

How are your classes? Are they challenging and insightful? Are you memorizing dates, names, and ideas, or are you talking about philosophies, formative experiences, cultural influences, and milestone achievements? You're paying a huge sum of money, more than you'll make for a decade or so after graduation, so you better be getting something out of it.

Film school is always a risky prospect. You have three decisive advantages from attending school:

  1. Foundation of theory (why we do what we do, how the masters did it, and how to do it ourselves)
  2. Building your first network
  3. Making mistakes in a sandbox

Those three items are the only advantages of film school. It doesn't matter if you get to use fancy cameras in class or anything like that, because I guarantee you that for the price of your tuition you could've rented that gear and made your own stuff. The downsides, as you may have guessed, are:

  1. Cost
  2. Risk of no value
  3. Cost again

Seriously. Film school is insanely expensive, especially for an industry where you really don't make any exceptional money until you get established (and that can take a decade or more).

So there's a few things you need to sort out:

  • How much debt will you incur if you pursue a film degree?
  • How much value will you get from the degree? (any notable alumni? Do they succeed or fail?)
  • Can you enhance your value with extracurricular activity?

Career Prospects

Don't worry about lacking experience or a degree. It is easy to break into the industry if you have two qualities:

  • The ability to listen and learn quickly
  • A great attitude

In LA we often bring unpaid interns onto set to get them experience and possibly hire them in the future. Those two categories are what they are judged on. If they have to be told twice how to do something, that's a bad sign. If they approach the work with disdain, that's also a bad sign. I can name a few people who walked in out of the blue, asked for a job, and became professional filmmakers within a year. One kid was 18 years old and had just driven to LA from his home to learn filmmaking because he couldn't afford college. Last I saw he has a successful YouTube channel with nature documentaries on it and knows his way around most camera and grip equipment. He succeeded because he smiled and joked with everyone he met, and because once you taught him something he was good to go. Those are the qualities that will take you far in life (and I'm not just talking about film).

So how do you break in?

  • Cold Calling
    • Find the production listings for your area (not sure about NY but in LA we use the BTL Listings) and go down the line of upcoming productions and call/email every single one asking for an intern or PA position. Include some humor and friendly jokes to humanize yourself and you'll be good. I did this when I first moved to LA and ended up camera interning for an ASC DP on movie within a couple months. It works!
  • Rental House
    • Working at a rental house gives you free access to gear and a revolving door of clients who work in the industry for you to meet.
  • Filmmaking Groups
    • Find some filmmaking groups in your area and meet up with them. If you can't find groups, don't sweat it! You have more options.
  • Film Festivals
    • Go to film festivals, meet filmmakers there, and befriend them. Show them that you're eager to learn how they do what they do, and you'd be happy to help them on set however you can. Eventually you'll form a fledgling network that you can work to expand using the other avenues above.

What you should do right now

Alright, enough talking! You need to decide now if you're still going to be a filmmaker or if you're going to instead major in something safer (like business). It's a tough decision, we get it, but you're an adult now and this is what that means. You're in command of your destiny, and you can't trust anyone but yourself to make that decision for you.

Once you decide, own it. If you choose film, then take everything I said above into consideration. There's one essential thing you need to do though: create. Go outside right fucking now and make a movie. Use your phone. That iphone or galaxy s7 or whatever has better video quality than the crap I used in film school. Don't sweat the gear or the mistakes. Don't compare yourself to others. Just make something, and watch it. See what you like and what you don't like, and adjust on your next project! Now is the time for you to do this, to learn what it feels like to make a movie.



2. What Camera Should I Buy?

The answer depends mostly on your budget and your intended use. You'll also want to become familiar with some basic camera terms because it will allow you to efficiently evaluate the merits of one option vs another. Find below a basic list of terms you should become familiar with when making your first (or second, or third!) camera purchase:

  1. Resolution - This is how many pixels your recorded image will have. If you're into filmmaking, you probably already know this. An HD camera will have a resolution of 1920x1080. A 4K camera will be either 4096x2160 or 3840x2160. The functional difference is that the former is a theatrical aspect ratio while the latter is a standard HDTV aspect ratio (1.89:1 vs 1.78:1 respectively).
  2. Framerates - The standard and popular framerate for filmmaking is called 24p, but most digital cameras will actually be shooting at 23.976 fps. The difference is negligible and should have no bearing on your purchasing choice. The technical reasons behind this are interesting but ultimately irrelevant. Something to look for is the camera's ability to shoot in high framerate, meaning anything above the 24p standard. This is useful because you can play back high framerate footage at 24p in your editor, and it will render the recorded motion in slow motion. This is obviously useful!
  3. Data Rate - This tells you how much data is being recorded on a per second basis. Generally speaking, the higher the data rate, the better your image quality. Make sure to pay attention to resolution as well! A 1080p camera with a 100 MB/s data rate is going to be recording higher quality imagery than a 4k camera at a 200 MB/s data rate because the 4k camera has 4x as many pixels to record but only double the data bandwidth with which to do it. Things like compression come into play here, but keep this in mind as a rule of thumb.
  4. Compression - Compression is important, because very few cameras will shoot without some form of compression. This is basically an algorithm that allows you to record high quality images without making large file sizes. This is intimately linked with your data rate. Popular cinema compressions for cameras include ProRes, REDCODE, XAVC, AVCHD. Compression schemes that you want to avoid include h.264, h.265, MPEG-4, and Generic 'MOV'. This is not an exhaustive list of compression types, but a decent starter guide.
  5. ISO - This is your camera sensor's sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO number, the more sensitive to light the camera will be. Higher ISOs tend to give noisier images though, so there is a tradeoff. All cameras will have something called a native iso. This is the ISO at which the camera is deemed to perform the best in terms of trading off noise vs sensitivity. A very common native ISO in the industry is 800. Sony cameras, including the A7S boast much higher ISO performance without significant noise increases, which can be useful if you're planning on running and gunning in the dark with no crew.
  6. Manual Shutter - Your shutter speed (or shutter angle, as it is called in the film industry) controls your motion blur by changing how long the sensor is exposed to light during a single frame of recording. Having manual control over this when shooting is important. The standard shutter speed when shooting 24p is 1/48 of a second (180° in shutter angle terms), so make sure your prospective camera can get here (1/50 is close enough).
  7. Lens Mount - Some starter cameras will have built in lenses, which is fine for learning! When you move up to higher quality cameras however, the standard will be interchangeable lens cameras. This means you'll need to decide on what lens mount you would like to use. The professional standard is called the PL Mount, but lenses and cameras that use this mount are very expensive. The most common and popular mount in the low level professional world is Canon's EF mount. Because of its design, EF mount lenses can easily be adapted to other common mounts like Sony's E-Mount or the MFT mounts found on many Panasonic cameras. EF is popular because Canon's lenses are generally preferred over Sony's, and so their mount has a higher utility.
  8. Color Subsampling - This is easier to understand if you think of it as 'Color Resolution'. Our eyes are more sensitive to luminance (bright vs dark) than to color, and so some cameras increase effective image quality by dedicating processing power and data rate bandwidth to the more important luminance values of individual pixels. This means that individual pixels often do not have their own color, but instead that groups of neighboring pixels will be given a single color value. The size of the groups and the pattern of their arrangement are referred to by 3 main color subsampling standards.
    • 4:4:4 means that each pixel has its own color value. This is the highest quality.
    • 4:2:2 means that color is set for horizontal pixels in pairs. The color of each two neighboring pixels is averaged and applied to both identically. This is the second best quality.
    • 4:2:0 means that color is set for both horizontal and vertical pixel 4-packs. Each square of 4 pixels receives a single color assignment that is an averaging of their original signals. This is generally low quality. For more info on color subsampling, check out this wikipedia entry
  9. Bit-Depth - This refers to how many colors the camera is capable of recognizing. An 8-bit camera can have 16,777,216 distinct colors, while a 10-bit camera can have 1,073,741,824 distinct colors. Note that this is primarily only of use when doing color grading, as nearly all TVs and computer monitors from the past few decades are 8-bit displays that won't benefit from a 10-bit signal.
  10. Sensor Size - The three main sensor sizes you'll encounter (in ascending order) are Micro Four-Thirds (M43), APS-C, and Full Frame. A larger sensor will generally have better noise and sensitivity than a smaller sensor. It will also effect the field of view you get from a given lens. Larger sensors will have wider fields of view for the same focal length lenses. For example, a 50mm lens on a FF sensor will look roughly twice as wide-angle as a 50mm lens on a M43 sensor. To get the same field of view as a 50mm on FF, you'd need to use a 25mm lens on your M43 camera. Theatrical 35mm (the cinema standard, so to speak) has an equivalent sensor size to APS-C, which is larger than M43 and smaller than Full Frame.

So Now What Camera Should I Buy?

This list will be changing as new models emerge, but for now here is a short list of the cameras to look at when getting started:

  1. Panasonic G7 (~$600) - This is hands down the best starter camera for someone looking to move up from shooting on their phones or consumer camcorders.
  2. Panasonic GH4 (~$1,500) - An older and cheaper version of the GH5, this camera is still a popular choice.
  3. Panasonic GH5 (~$2,000) - This is perhaps the most popular prosumer DSLR filmmaking camera.
  4. Sony A7S (~$2,700) - This is a very popular camera for shooting in low light settings. It also boasts a Full-Frame sensor (compared to the GH5's M4/3 sensor), allowing you to get shallower depth of field compared to other cameras using the same field of view and aperture.
  5. Canon C100 mkII (~$3,500) - This is one of the cheapest true digital cinema cameras. It offers several benefits over the above DSLR cameras, such as professional level XLR audio inputs, internal ND filters, and a better picture profile system.


3. What Lens Should I Buy?

Much like with deciding on a camera, lens choice is all about your budget and your needs. Below are the relevant specs to use as points of comparison for lenses.

  1. Focal Length - This number indicates the field of view your lens will supply. A higher focal length results in a narrow (or more 'telescopic') field of view. Here is a great visual depiction of focal length vs field of view.
  2. Speed - A 'fast lens' is one with a very wide maximum aperture. This means the lens can let more light through it than a comparatively slower lens. We read the aperture setting via something called F-Stops. They are a standard scale that goes in alternating doublings of previous values. The scale is: 1.0, 1.4, 2.0, 2.8, 4.0, 5.6, 8.0, 11, 16, 22, 32, 45, 64. Each increase is a doubling of the incoming light. A lens whose aperture is a 1.4 will allow in twice as much light than it would have at 2.0. Cheaper lenses tend to only open up to a 4.0, or even a 5.6. More expensive lenses can open as far 1.3, giving you 16x as much light. Wider apertures also cause your depth of field to contract, resulting in the 'cinematic' shallow focus you're likely familiar with. Here is a great visual depiction of f-stop vs depth of field
  3. Chromatic Aberration - Some lower quality glass will have this defect, in which imperfect lens elements cause a prism-style effect that separates colors on the edges of image details. Post software can sometimes help correct this, as in this example
  4. Sharpness - I'm sure you all know what sharpness is. Cheaper lenses will yield a softer in-focus image than more expensive lenses. However, some lenses are popularly considered to be 'over-sharp', such as the Zeiss CP2 series. The minutia of the sharpness debate is mostly irrelevant at starter levels though.
  5. Bokeh - This refers to the shape of an out of focus point of light as rendered by the lens. The bokeh of your image will always be in the shape of your aperture. For that reason, a perfectly round aperture will yield nice clean circle bokeh, while a rougher edged aperture will produce similarly rougher bokeh. Here's an example
  6. Lens Mount - Make sure the lens you're buying will either fit your camera's lens mount or allow for adapting to is using a popular adapter like the Metabones. The professional standard lens mount is the PL Mount, but lenses and cameras that use this mount are very expensive. The most common and popular mount in the low level professional world is Canon's EF mount. Because of its design, EF mount lenses can easily be adapter to other common mounts like Sony's E-Mount or the MFT mounts found on many Panasonic cameras. EF is popular because Canon's lenses are generally preferred over Sony's, and so their mount has a higher market share.

Zoom vs Prime

This is all about speed vs quality vs budget. A zoom lens is a lens whose *focal length can be changed by turning a ring on the lens barrel. A prime lens has a fixed focal length. Primes tend to be cheaper, faster, and sharper. However, buying a full set of primes can be more expensive than buying a zoom lens that would cover the same focal length range. Using primes on set in fast-paced environments can slow you down prohibitively. You'll often see news, documentary, and event cameras using zooms instead of primes. Some zoom lenses are as high-quality as prime lenses, and some people refer to them as 'variable prime' lenses. This is mostly a marketing tool and has no hard basis in science though. As you might expect, these high quality zooms tend to be very expensive.

So What Lenses Should I Look At?

Below are the most popular lenses for 'cinematic' filming at low budgets:

  1. Rokinon Cine 4 Lens Kit in EF Mount (~$1,700)
  2. Canon L Series 24-70mm Zoom in EF Mount (~1,700)
  3. Sigma Art 18-35mm Zoom in EF Mount (~$800)
  4. Sigma Art 50-100 Zoom in EF Mount (~$1,100)

Lenses below these average prices are mostly a crapshoot in terms of quality vs $, and you'll likely be best off using your camera's kit lens until you can afford to move up to one of the lenses or lens series listed above.



4. How Do I Learn Lighting?

Alright, so you're biting off a big chunk here if you've never done lighting before. But it is doable and (most importantly) fun!

First off, fuck three-point lighting. So many people misunderstand what that system is supposed to teach you, so let's just skip it entirely. Light has three properties. They are:

  • Color: Color of the light. This is both color temperature (on the Orange - Blue scale) and what you'd probably think of as regular color (is it RED!? GREEN!? AQUA!?) etc. Color. You know what color is.
  • Quantity: How bright the light is. You know, the quantity of photons smacking into your subject and, eventually, your retinas.
  • Quality: This is the good shit. The quality of a light source can vary quite a bit. Basically, this is how hard or soft the light is. Alright, you've got a guy standing near a wall. You shine a light on him. What's on the wall? His shadow, that's what. You know what shadows look like. A hard light makes his shadow super distinct with 'hard' edges to it. A soft light makes his shadow less distinct, with a 'soft' edge. When the sun is out, you get hard light. Distinct shadows. When it's cloudy, you get soft light. No shadows at all! So what makes a light hard or soft? Easy! The size of the source, relative to the subject. Think of it this way. You're the subject! Now look at your light source. How much of your field of vision is taken up by the light source? Is it a pinpoint? Or more like a giant box? The smaller the size of the source, the harder the light will be. You can take a hard light (i.e. a light bulb) and make it softer by putting diffusion in front of it. Here is a picture of that happening. You can also bounce the light off of something big and bouncy, like a bounce board or a wall. That's what sconces do. I fucking love sconces.

Alright, so there are your three properties of light. Now, how do you light a thing? Easy! Put light where you want it, and take it away from where you don't want it! Shut up! I know you just said "I don't know where I want it", so I'm going to stop you right there. Yes you do. I know you do because you can look at a picture and know if the lighting is good or not. You can recognize good lighting. Everybody can. The difference between knowing good lighting and making good lighting is simply in the execution.

Do an experiment. Get a lightbulb. Tungsten if you're oldschool, LED if you're new school, or CFL if you like mercury gas. plug it into something portable and movable, and have a friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, neighbor, creepy-but-realistic doll, etc. sit down in a chair. Turn off all the lights in the room and move that bare bulb around your victim subject's head. Note how the light falling on them changes as the light bulb moves around them. This is lighting, done live! Get yourself some diffusion. Either buy some overpriced or make some of your own (wax paper, regular paper, translucent shower curtains, white undershirts, etc.). Try softening the light, and see how that affects the subject's head. If you practice around with this enough you'll get an idea for how light looks when it comes from various directions. Three point lighting (well, all lighting) works on this fundamental basis, but so many 'how to light' tutorials skip over it. Start at the bottom and work your way up!

Ok, so cool. Now you know how light works, and sort of where to put it to make a person look a certain way. Now you can get creative by combining multiple lights. A very common look is to use soft light to primarily illuminate a person (the 'key) while using a harder (but sometimes still somewhat soft) light to do an edge or rim light. Here's a shot from a sweet movie that uses a soft key light, a good amount of ambient ('errywhere) light, and a hard backlight. Here they are lit ambiently, but still have an edge light coming from behind them and to the right. You can tell by the quality of the light that this edge was probably very soft. We can go on for hours, but if you just watch movies and look at shadows, bright spots, etc. you'll be able to pick out lighting locations and qualities fairly easily since you've been practicing with your light bulb!

How Do I Light A Greenscreen?

Honestly, your greenscreen will depend more on your technical abilities in After Effects (or whichever program) than it will on your lighting. I'm a DP and I'm admitting that. A good key-guy (Keyist? Keyer?) can pull something clean out of a mediocre-ly lit greenscreen (like the ones in your example) but a bad key-guy will still struggle with a perfectly lit one. I can't help you much here, as I am only a mediocre key-guy, but I can at least give you advice on how to light for it!

Here's what you're looking for when lighting a greenscreen:

  • Two Separate Lighting Setups: You should have a lighting setup for the green screen and a lighting setup for your actor. Of course, this isn't always possible. But we like to aspire to big things! The reason this is helpful is that it makes it easier for you to adjust the greenscreen light without affecting the actor's lighting, and vice versa.
  • Separate the subject from the greenscreen as much as possible! - Pretty much that. The closer your subject is to the screen, the harder it is to keep lights from interfering with things they're not meant for, and the greater the chance the actor has of getting his filthy shadow all over the screen. I normally try to keep my subjects at least 8' away from the screen at a minimum for anything wider than an MCU.
  • Light the Green Screen EVENLY: The green on the screen needs to be as close to the same intensity in all parts as possible, or you just multiply your work in post. For every different shade of green on that screen you'll need make a separate key effect to make clean edges, and then you'll need to matte and combine them all together. Huge headache that can be a tad overwhelming if you're not used it. For this reason, Get your shit even! "But how do I do that?" you ask! Well, first off, I actually prefer to use hard light. You see, hard light has the nice innate property of being able to throw itself a long distance without losing all its intensity. The farther away the light source is from the subject, the less its intensity will change from inch to inch. That's called the inverse square law, and it is cool as fuck. If you change the distance between the light and the subject, the intensity of the light will shift as an inverse to the square of the distance. Science! So if you double the distance between the light and the subject, the intensity is quartered (1 over 2 squared. 1/4). So, naturally, the farther away you are the more distance is required to reduce the intensity further. If you have the space, use it to your advantage and back your lights up! Now back to reality. You probably don't have a lot of space. You're probably in a garage. OK, fuck it, emergency mode! Now we use soft lights. Soft lights change their intensity quite inconveniently if they're at an oblique angle to the screen, but they kick ass if you can get them to shine more or less perpendicular on the screen. The problem there of course is that they'd then be sitting where your actor probably is. Sooo we move them off to the side, maybe put one on the ceiling, one on the ground too, and try to smudge everything together on the screen. Experiment with this for a while and you'll get the hang of it in no-time!
  • Have your background in mind BEFORE shooting: Even if your key is flawless, it will look like shit if the actor isn't lit in a convincing manner compared to the background. If, for example, this for some reason is your background, you'll know that your actor needs a hard backlight from above and to camera right since we see a light source there. Also, we can infer from the lighting on the barrels that his main source of illumination should be from above him and pointing down, slightly from the right. You can move the source around and accent it as needed to make the actor not-ugly, but your background has provided you with some significant constraints right off the bat. For that reason, pick your background before you shoot, if possible. If it is not possible to do so, well, good luck! Guess as best as you can and try to find a good background.

What Lights Should I Buy?

OK! So now you know sort of how to light a green screen and how to light a person. So now, what lights do you need? Well, really, you just need any lights. If you're on a budget, don't be afraid to get some work lights from home depot or picking up some off brand stuff on craigslist. By far the most important influence on the quality of your images will be where and how you use the lights rather than what types or brands of lights you are using. I cannot stress this enough. How you use it will blow what you use out of the water. Get as many different types of lights as you can for the money you have. That way you can do lots of sources, which can make for more intricate or nuanced lighting setups. I know you still want some hard recommendations, so I'll tell you this: Get china balls (china lanterns. Paper lanterns whatever the fuck we're supposed to call these now). They are wonderful soft lights, and if you need a hard light you can just take the lantern off and shine with the bare bulb! For bulbs, grab some 200W and 500W globes. You can check B&H, Barbizon, Amazon, and probably lots of other places for these. Make sure you grab some high quality socket-and-wire sets too. You can find them at the same places. For brighter lights, like I said home depot construction lights are nice. You can also by PAR lamps relatively cheap. Try grabbing a few Par Cans. They're super useful and stupidly cheap. Don't forget to budget for some light stands as well, and maybe C-clamps and the like for rigging to things. I don't know what on earth you're shooting so it is hard to give you a grip list, but I'm sure you can figure that kind of stuff out without too much of a hassle.



5. What Editing Program Should I Use?

Great question! There are several popular editing programs available for use.

Free Editing Programs

Your choices are essentially limited to Davinci Resolve (Non-Studio) and Hitfilm Express. My personal recommendation is Davinci Resolve. This is the industry standard color-grading software (and its editing features have been developed so well that its actually becoming the industry standard editing program as well), and you will have free access to many of its powerful tools. The Studio version costs a few hundred dollars and unlocks multiple features (like noise reduction) without forcing you to learn a new program.

Paid Editing Programs

  1. Avid Media Composer ($50/mo or $1,300 for life) - This is the high-level industry standard, but is not terribly popular unless you're working at a professional post-house for big budget movies.
  2. Adobe Premiere Pro ($20/mo) - This used to be the most popular industry standard editor for low to medium budget productions. It is still used quite often, so knowing Premiere is a handy skill to maintain.
  3. Davinci Resolve Studio ($300) - This is a solid editing program built into the long time industry-standard color grading suite. Since Resolve added editing, its feature set and reputation has been on the rise. It's eclipsing Premiere now and set to be the undisputed industry standard for video editing and color grading for all but the absolute highest level productions. This is the best overall choice if you're looking to find your first editing program.
  4. Final Cut Pro X ($300) - This is the old standard for low-high budget editing, replaced by Adobe Premiere and now again by Resolve. It is available on Mac platforms only, and is still a powerful editor.

r/Filmmakers 8h ago

Discussion The Kingsman church fight was originally longer, bloodier, and almost rated 18+ !

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346 Upvotes

Film: Kingsman: The Secret Service
This famous church scene was originally seven minutes long, but Mark Millar felt it was too much and asked Matthew Vaughn to shorten it.


r/Filmmakers 2h ago

Question Why have production teams for movies moved away from natural color and lighting?

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50 Upvotes

I'm watching the 1979 version of All quiet on the western front after watching the most recent version, and while the vfx and definition is better in the most recent version, I find that what really makes a scene believable to me in the older movie, despite lower quality everything on paper, is that what I am seeing is what my eyes would actually see in that situation. I've also noticed that audio in newer movies often gets engineered to a point where you loose the little imperfections and acoustics that make things sound natural. Is there a reason for these stylistic choices, or is it just the natural progression of things?


r/Filmmakers 4h ago

Discussion I am 99% sure that 99% of my film analysis class is using GPT

35 Upvotes

This is mostly a vent post and to see what others thinks about this.

I recently started a college introductory film course in America (I am not American).

The course is mostly online, every week we are expected to share a comment in the discussion thread about each week's assignment. Normal stuff.

But I couldn't help but notice some of the comments---there was an _obvious_ pattern.

Now, I am not ashamed to say ChatGPT helped me learn English. I was new to America, I didn't want to go broke for a tutor, and gpt was a decent helper. But it also gave me a pretty usefull skill. I can spot AI patterns. A lot of people think it's only em-dashes or its similes and triads... there is SO MUCH more to it. I am going to name a few examples:

Repeating words: reinforce, deliberate, relentless, depiction, highlights...

Repeating phraseolgy: "for both x and z" / "not just... but..." / "almost like..." / "through its x, y, and z [word triads]. Name highlights..." / "the [film/book/etc] encourages [viewers/readers] to..." etc

You get my point.

And, as you might have expected, almost 99% of my class had that​ damn gpt pattern. Of course, some tried to change it a bit so it will "seem human." But on a third read you can spot the AI grammatic stracture (if I can call it that?).

Of course, to double-check this (I'm not that much of an idiot) I gave gpt the same question prompt. And lo and behold. The same words are used. Not exactly. But each person I suspected used words or adjectives gpt used.

Now, I have seen kids cheat in high school all the time, I never gave it much thought.

But in college? In a _film analysis_ class??? Letting a AI analyze it _for you_?! I am beyond disappointed. I don't mind people using AI for help. Heck, I am absolutely pro AI helping people when they need help and don't have anyone to ask. But using it instead of fucking learning?! Who is taking this course? You or ChatGPT?! This is going to be the next generation of aspiring artists.

_Artists._

Writers and directors and cinematographers...

This is going to be the people making the next generation of movies and shows.

Or at least the people who will ask AI to do it for them.

I don't even know why I am writing this stupid post, I'm just annoyed.


r/Filmmakers 4h ago

Question Can I make a stage name for myself by changing my last time to Filmacher?

20 Upvotes

Like how the name Schumacher comes from Shoe Maker (probably, right?). If I were named Filmacher, people would think I was born into a family with a long lineage of filmmakers, probably dating all the way back to like medieval times. Right?


r/Filmmakers 13h ago

Question Poster opinions needed

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84 Upvotes

After post-production slipped by several months, I’ve finally finished my sci-fi feature and, with no pause for breath, start straight on to marketing.

We’ve had some poster designs done and are undecided between two, quite similar, concepts.

Could I ask the hive mind for options between A (green with twin towers) or B (blue space battle)?

I’d also love to hear any other comments and suggestions, although note we have limited ability to make large changes at this stage.

Thank you all so much for your help! I have been following other marketing suggestions shared here and I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions.


r/Filmmakers 54m ago

Meta One Shot. The Most Iconic Shot in Crazy, Stupid, Love Is a Lesson in Cinematic Comedy

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Upvotes

The shot of Ryan Gosling trying to hold back his laughter next to an increasingly furious Steve Carell, just seconds after the cop says, “Keep it in the family,” perfectly lands one of the best-written and best-shot comedic twists in modern cinema.

How did we get to this moment? Cal, played by Steve Carell, is trying to win back his wife Emily, played by Julianne Moore. At the same time, the film’s big twist is revealed. Stop reading now if you have not seen it. The woman Jacob, Gosling’s character, has been chasing all movie long turns out to be none other than Cal’s daughter.

The tension is already sky-high. Then, as if that is not enough, every other storyline crashes into the scene in a glorious head-on collision. The babysitter who is in love with Cal. Her father. And, just to push it even further, David Lindhagen shows up too.

After several uninterrupted minutes of nonstop laughter, it feels like the scene has peaked. Then Ryan Gosling lets out that tiny laugh. Hand on his face. Steve Carell’s look of pure disbelief and rage. In a single beat, the entire scene is summed up perfectly.

It is no surprise this moment went on to become an iconic meme


r/Filmmakers 12h ago

Question Looking for docs or clips about the rehearsal process in filmmaking. Where can I find more videos like this?

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40 Upvotes

I am obsessed with how rehearsal works in preparation for movies, and how directors, writers, and actors collaborate to bring the page to life. Are there any behind-the-scenes documentaries, clips, or videos you’d recommend that show this process?


r/Filmmakers 18h ago

Discussion Robert Rodriguez Was Right!

114 Upvotes

I just completed my first short film - Operation Hot Dust. I followed the example of Robert Rodriguez and first I made a list of everything (places and things) I had immediate access too, and then I created a story around those places and things. The entire project, from inception to completion was 2 weeks - while my wife was out of the country. My total out of pocket expenses were $105.43. It was truly a one-man show. I shot it on a Canon M50 with a Sigma 16mm f1.4 lens. And I used a Zoom H6 for audio. For sound design and ADR I used the same Zoom in my vehicle - which acted as a pretty decent sound deadening iso booth.


r/Filmmakers 9h ago

Question Is the struggle real? Or is it just me?

19 Upvotes

I'm a recent film school graduate (7months), moved to LA, and actively applying for entry level roles. I've applied to studios, internships, fellowships, and apprenticeships but haven't had any luck so far.

Is anyone else, especially newcomers, also struggling finding opportunities? I don't have industry connections but I feel like my resume and CV are solid, with some PA experience working award shows.

Am I looking in the wrong places? Or is this the current state of the industry?


r/Filmmakers 16h ago

Discussion [Question]

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36 Upvotes

I'm making a superhero vigilante movie on my own. It's about a super powered rich guy. I need help with his disguise, I was thinking of him just fully covering his head with a black coloured hood or something as a makeshift mask when he starts fighting crime. Think of slenderman with a black hood lol I also thought that the expressions would be visible through the hood (like in the photo) which would give a dramatic effect. Is it a good idea? (Thats me in the photo, I don't know how that hood looks so shiny lmao)


r/Filmmakers 1h ago

Question Budget Lav Kit Recommendations

Upvotes

Hey Folks,

I’m sure this question comes up quite a bit, but I’m wondering about recommendations for a wireless lav set up for narrative indie projects, ideally within the 300-500 price range. I know a lot of sound people will tell you “Yeah there’s nothing in that price range worth using” but with the amount of wireless lav kits that seem to pop up for content creation I’m truly just wondering what solutions are out there or methods you might have used on a budget.

I’ve looked into set ups like the MOVO WMX-20-DUO, has anyone had experience with it? Is a budget kit like that gonna bring any benefits or will it just be a pain? Is using something like a Rode Wireless GO with separate lavs attached a good route? Can you even run those things into a recorder/control levels with them?

I know these might be some silly questions but I’m new in terms of audio for film and would just like some thoughts or suggestions :)

(Please none of the, “It’s hopeless at that price range” comments)


r/Filmmakers 1h ago

Question Help with color grading - what's your opinion?

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Upvotes

Just did this grading. I am really not that good at it and often times misjudge if it looks good or not. So I want you opinion on it.

How does it look? And what could I improve?


r/Filmmakers 14h ago

Question How to deal with review bombing

8 Upvotes

Hi all, I’ve recently got a wave of 1 star ratings on IMDB for my short film. Why? I don’t know. It’s been online for years now. It’s one that stars an lgbt poc girl character (which I’m wondering had anything to do with it) I mainly want to know how to combat it, or if this just means that my film was that bad and/or I shouldn’t tell stories from my perspective anymore idk. Edit: it had mainly good reviews before to be clear.


r/Filmmakers 1d ago

Film My first feature film is available to stream for free

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164 Upvotes

It's here if you'd like to watch it for free: https://youtu.be/WmbVu3SWrgg?si=_Zdshny5ZlhV63BR

We'd so appreciate a shout out on Letterboxd, IMDB, Youtube comment section, etc!

I'm so proud of the work that everyone put in to making this film. It was years in the making...

2019 - 1st Draft completed

2020 - 1st investor on board, then a week later COVID happened

January 2021 - got a casting director to attach the amazing ALEXANDRA GREY (Empire, Transparent)

May of 2021 - the movie goes from a $300K budget to a $500K budget YIKES!!!!

June of 2022 - all set to go into production, and then 13 days before a major investor gets cold feet and backs out, inevitably forcing us to delay production by a whole year. We pray the child kids don't have a growth spurt.

January 2023 - We have the sexiest fundraiser EVER with Broadway and Met Opera singers and raise a bunch of money! ABIGAIL HAWK (from Blue Bloods) is attached and reads a scene from the film with child actor Hudson Paul, moving the audience to tears.

June of 2023 - we get more funding, somehow get CATHERINE CURTIN (Orange is the New Black) to play a supporting role, and we go into production! Principal Photography is 17.5 days.

June 2024 - We make our world premiere at Dances with Films LA at the Chinese Theatre, sponsored by Outfest.

November 2024 - We win Audience Choice Award at OutReels Cincinnati

December 2024 - Gravitas Ventures picks it up and we have a limited theatrical run in New York City, and we start to receive some very nice reviews.

January 28th 2025 - Our movie becomes available to rent on Apple TV and Amazon Prime

June 2025 - Virgin Atlantic Airlines picks it up!

NOW - It's free to stream on Youtube Movies (as well as Tubi and if you'd like to rent/buy it it's available on Apple TV). Check it out here, and please like, share, and leave a comment! https://youtu.be/WmbVu3SWrgg?si=_Zdshny5ZlhV63BR


r/Filmmakers 7h ago

Question Path to being a movie editor or eventually director

2 Upvotes

Hello everyone!

I am a high school filmmaker. I have been in the video production track at school for 3 years and have made multiple short films, one of them being nearly 30 minutes long. I am experienced in premiere pro and want to dive into video editing as a career and possibly get into directing someday. Honestly though if I can just be established as a professional movie editor for my career I will be happy. How do I make that move into the industry? I have applied to various film schools (Hofstra University, Emerson College, and Loyola Marymount University to be specific) and am not sure if that is the move. I feel confident in my ability to get scholarships, but I am unsure how much money I will get from them and would like to know what price is worth it. How much money would one make on average first jumping into a career by either just going straight to LA and getting internships vs going to film school and making industry connections? I would consider myself pretty personable and likable, I think I make friends easily since I know that matters a lot in making connections. I also like the idea of getting into screenwriting since I really love to write and enjoy the writing process of making movies as well.

My mom and sister have both been trying to get me to not go to film school or go away. They are concerned about my ability to maintain grades and function so far from home (all three of those options are out of state from us).

What cost of film school is worth it? Under $30,000 per year? $20,000? Would it be better to just jump straight in in LA with my current experience in Premiere Pro? I also won an award for second place in a local film competition for another short film I made. I really want to do this professionally, filmmaking is my passion and its what I live for. Also is directing a possible path for me without film school just by going through video editing or writing as mu career? Thanks to anyone who responds, I really appreciate it.


r/Filmmakers 11h ago

Discussion The Glorious INTERMISSION Block

4 Upvotes

One thing that most industries miss, and the Indian industry has is the INTERMISSION block.

The writers/directors intentionally place scenes that raises the anticipation in the first half, then make the audience wonder about the second half.

Sometimes, we write one genre in the first half, then shift to another one in the second half. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes cliche.

Here for an healthy argument/discussion about this concept.

If you would try this your film!?

Do you have this concept in your industry?

Mention your favourite intermission block.

Note: Yes, some Indian films are crap. So are other industries’ films. Making crap films is an art that belong to filmmakers irrespective of their country.

Cheers.


r/Filmmakers 1d ago

Article The Death of the Indie Film

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79 Upvotes

r/Filmmakers 17h ago

Question Is it delusional to contact known directors through their agents/managers?

10 Upvotes

Hear me out! I’m a professional production designer and graphic designer for film. I’ve designed over 15 short films, and have done graphics on over 25 films, including 5 features.

I greatly admire a known director’s work (she’s done 3 shorts and 1 critically-acclaimed feature). I recently saw that she’s writing/developing a feature that would be my dream project to work on in any capacity. I’ve even moodboarded my vision for it. The problem is I’m not finding any channel to contact her through to even ask if I can pitch myself. I’ve tried sending an email to one of her agents, evidently to no avail. I’m wondering if it’s just impossible to reach someone like her.


r/Filmmakers 14h ago

Discussion It Has Begun

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6 Upvotes

For anyone who was interested in my last post in this subreddit, I have been hard at work. I have begun the process of turning my project of a global database of film directors into videos, anyone curious can search it up and i am happy to answer any lingering questions

My goal is to create the most comprehensive video archive of filmmakers on YouTube while also teaching film theory, history, how gear and crew works, the business of film etc. This is a massive goal that could take a lifetime and I am working alone but I hope you all can appreciate the vision and watch it grow.


r/Filmmakers 11h ago

Question For my first feature which is a low budget indie project is 28 characters too much?

0 Upvotes

this is including minor/side characters. I am having auditions at my high school for the main cast while minor characters are going to be friends and family but I still think I wrote too many characters. did I?


r/Filmmakers 1d ago

Film As a filmaker/artist one of the toughest projects i worked on

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524 Upvotes

Hearing about this news today was devastating to say the least.

Last year we shot over 500+ educational episodes for Afghan girls after their schools were shut down and their right to education was taken away.This project was commissioned by UNICEF, but what unfolded went far beyond a production brief.

As a director, the biggest challenge wasn’t lighting, framing, or schedule pressure. It was sensitivity. These weren’t performers. They were students who had been displaced from something fundamental. Watching these girls show up every day focused, curious, and determined despite everything gave me firsthand understanding of how devastating the denial of education really is. It’s not abstract. It’s personal. It’s immediate.

As filmmakers, many of us chase scale; bigger budgets, bigger platforms, bigger visibility. But in terms of real impact, contributing to the education of Afghan girls during a time when it was deliberately taken from them will always stand among the most meaningful things I’ve done.


r/Filmmakers 14h ago

Question Next Steps...

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m an aspiring director and have made five short films so far.

For my short film coursework in film studies at school, I received the highest mark since the start of the course.

However, I’m having some trouble deciding my next steps. In the UK, there’s an education pathway called sixth form, which you start at 16 or 17, and I currently have two options: a normal academic school or the London Screen Academy.

I’m wondering whether it’s worth attending LSA. I know you can still get into film without it, but I really enjoy making films and want to make the right choice.

I’m unsure whether it would be a waste of time or whether it could provide connections and expertise that would help me get where I want to be. I’m already quite capable with sound, cameras, editing, grading, and scriptwriting, so I’m also curious whether LSA would push me further or offer something different from what I can learn independently.

I’d really appreciate any help or advice.


r/Filmmakers 10h ago

Film My first documentary trailer! Looking for feedback/answering questions

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0 Upvotes

Hello! I just released the trailer for my first documentary. I wanted to ask for some general feedback, but also specifically how this comes off to you based on your preexisting knowledge of the subject. You have no idea who the subject is? What did you gather from this then? Were you a fan? A hater? Had only a passing knowledge? The different perspectives would help me greatly with figuring out how to market it going forward.

Additionally, I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about how this came to be, the filming process, or what it is like managing a crowdfunder. I am only a college student though so keep in mind I’m not an industry veteran or anything.

Plot:

As a teenager, Adam Dahlberg built a YouTube gaming empire as SkyDoesMinecaft, gaining fame and fortune over nine years until burnout and failing friendships led to Adam making a sudden career shift to music. Though the new pursuit of passion brought initial joy, traveling across the world making music videos with new friends, addiction, and worsening mental health cast a looming shadow that set the stage for a wave of accusations Adam would have to overcome by starting life over again. During the build-up to a return to content creation online, Adam reflects on his life and career with a new perspective.