Have you ever thought about making a homemade movie with your friends? Or maybe you've tried, but it didn't come out the way you expected?

Here I will share with you some knowledge I have learned over the past few years while making movies with my friends. Please keep in mind though that I am NOT a professional, and the tips and hints these movies are intened for homemade movies only.

There are many things to keep in mind during production. For every single scene that you film, you must keep an eye on lighting, weather, cinematic effect, and other small details that vary depending on your type of movie.

For example, if you shoot a scene without really looking at the view finder, you could end up with a video too dark to see. Also, if you don't keep up to date on the weather report, it could start raining in the middle of your shoot; causing confusion and possibly ruining your equipment.

Another thing that I have trouble with during production is the actor's clothes. We film what ever scene we can at the time, and if we are not careful, we can forget what cloths to wear.

As for cinematic effects, that is something that most people must be born with. Some people can tell what looks nice, and to others it all looks the same. Placement of objects and actors even in the smallest amount can affect the outcome of your movie.

Here is a basic list of things you should check for in every scene before you start filming: [Not in any order]

1. Lighting. Make sure you can even see the subject, and if not, move location or use a light.
2. Clothes. Make sure your actors are wearing what they should be!
3. Legal issues. Make sure you don't film any one's face who doesn't want to be filmed, and keep an eye out for logos and other copyrighted content that may be on your actor's clothes or in the background.
4. Realism of props. I use a BB gun that looks like a real pistol for some of my videos. On the bottom of it's handle is a screw that is used to insert CO2 containers. Make sure small things like this is not shown.
5. Weather. As said above, it would NOT be good if the clouds opened up during your shoot!
6. Camera placement. Make sure your camera is level, or your audience with notice.
7. Repetitive scenes. If you are like me, and only have one camera for multi-camera angle scenes, you must make sure that what the actor[s] do and say are the same from each angle.
   

Once you have all your scenes for your movie, you need to put it all together. Most computer's come with a free editing program that you can use.

However, there are things like sounds, music, and effects that not all editors have. [Although some do]

Something I've noticed from experience is that music is key. Even a silly home movie can look [and feel] awesome if you've got the right music. Make sure your music matches the scene.

Just like music, sounds are very important. It is best not to use the same exact sound over and over, or the audience could get bored.

Special effects can be a little more complicated, but they are the perfect way to amazing your audience. It is hard to get really good free effects, so you may need to save a little bit of money if you want to do this.

[At the bottom of this article I will list some great music, sound, and special FX resources.]

Remember: Only use music and sound you KNOW is free. "Royalty free" is NOT the same as "FREE"

After you movie is all done, you need to show it to people right? Showing to family and friends can be fun, but why not take it a step further?

Before you broadcast you movie, be sure that all the actors are OK with being displayed public, and that your movie contains nothing copyrighted.

Here are some good ways to broadcast your movie: [Not in any order]

1. YouTube - Youtube is one of the most popular video hosting websites, but they only allow videos under 10 minutes. If your movies are under 10 minutes each, then this is the perfect place for you! www.Youtube.com
2. Vimeo - Vimeo has no limit to how long your video is, but has a low MB limit [500 a week] and is not as popular as Youtube. www.Vimeo.com

Lets "Study" one of my videos. We can learn from it, both the bad and the good.

Take a look at the video below.

Lets go through this short video little by little.

PLOT: Obviously, there wasn't really a plot because it was just a short test, but if you think about it, the overall idea of a giant isn't really a good one. [Not unless you explained how the giant became so large.]

CAMERA: The first scene was nice; it followed close with the actors face, then whipped around to show the giant. it's not until around 0:13 that the camera shakes a little too much, and the shake causes it to eventually loose focus. Most of the camera work was CG [Computer generated] Because the effects program used didn't a support moving camera. [More on CG effects later]

The last and final scene would have been better in multiple angles, but due to the giant effect, that could not be achieved.

LIGHTING: Because it was filmed outside, there was not much to be done with the lighting, although the lighting of the giant did not match the rest of the video.

SPECIAL EFFECTS: The green screen job for the giant could have been better, and the blood effect in the final scene should have been live action rather then a simple red overlay.

MUSIC: I thought the music matched well. It was scary and intense, all at the same time. In case you were wondering where I got it, I should probably admit that I made it.

SOUNDS: The same foot stomping sound was a little annoying, but other then that, the sounds were pretty good.

Here are some great resources for movie making. None of the lists are in order.

Sounds:

1. Soundsnap.com - Free high quality sounds, but there is a limit to how many you can download monthly.
2. Findsounds.com - Searches the whole web for sounds. Has both high and low quality sounds, but you must make sure that the sound is not copyrighted.
3. Fxhome.com/sounds - Great sounds; All that is required is that you give credit.
4. Partnersinrhyme.com/pir/PIRsfx.shtml - Not the highest quality possible, but it's free!

Music:

1. Incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free - Free music! What more could you want?
2. Rockstudios.org/Downloads.html - Scroll down to the bottom of the page for music I created. All that is required is that you give credit.
3. Partnersinrhyme.com/pir/free_music_loops.shtml - Not the highest quality possible, but it's free!

This concludes my article. I hope you learned something and remember:

This most important thing is that you have fun.