In this article, we shed some light on the dark art of cinematography, offering advice for beginners and answers to common questions. This resource is part of a series written by the team from Show Me Shorts Film Festival, who are keen to support your filmmaking journey. You can find more useful articles and advice on their website.
In this article, we offer you some tips and tricks to help make the pre-production planning for your short film go more smoothly. This resource is part of a series written by the team from Show Me Shorts Film Festival who are keen to support your filmmaking journey.
The script forms a blueprint for your film, so making sure you have a good story and screenplay is crucial. It forms the foundation and reference point for all the production decisions you’ll make along the path to creating your movie.
Animation is fascinating to me. You’re essentially tricking the brain into believing these are real, living, breathing characters with real emotions. You’re creating the illusion of life, which is why I was so drawn to it as a medium...
Think about key scenes and the mood you want the audience to feel and how you can convey this through lighting. Natural light is harder to change, so you need to adjust your camera settings to capture this well. Artificial lighting can be warm and welcoming (soft light, candles, fireplace) or harsh and striking (industrial lighting, neon, torches, spotlights).
Taika Waititi – ScreenTalk interview
Heinous Crime (48Hours film entry)
Two Cars, One Night
Tama Tū
Eagle Vs Shark
(further interviews with Taika/Loren Taylor, Jemaine Clement, and Making of footage)
Boy
(further interviews with Taika and producer Emanual Michael, plus making of footage and backgrounder by James Rolleston)
Craig Gainsborough – ScreenTalk interview
Thicket
Loading Docs 2017 – Luckie Strike
Rūrangi (Trailer)
Sophia Henderson – ScreenTalk interview
Fantail (Tralier and excerpt)
Baby Done (Trailer)
The Justice of Bunny King (Trailer)
Cliff Curtis – ScreenTalk interview
The Dark Horse (Trailer and excerpt)
The River Queen (Trailer and excerpt)
Muru (Trailer)
Matasila Freshwater – ScreenTalk interview
Shmeat
Teine Sā – The Ancient Ones (excerpts)
Vai (Trailer)
Hweiling Oh– ScreenTalk interview
Ao-Terror-Ao
Snow Country For Cold Elves
AFK – Series One
The Making of Footrot Flats
Sex, Drugs and Soft Toys - The Making of Meet the Feebles
Behind the Scenes of Whale Rider
Wellington Paranormal Bloopers and Behind the Scenes
Dream in the Making - The Making of Sleeping Dogs
Making Utu
Barefoot Cinema – The Life and Art of Cinematographer Alun Bollinger
The Making of Bread and Roses
The Making of Brother
From Len Lye to Gollum – New Zealand Animators
