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When you’re making a video, it’s
a good idea to sit down and think out your concept,
idea
or story. Lay out your ideas with paper and pencil. This
helps you formulate a clear idea of what message
your
video is attempting to communicate. |
Think about these questions:
• Is it possible to turn your idea, investigation
or concept into a short movie?
• What is the purpose of your movie?
• What point(s) or point of view are you trying
to get across?
• Do you have the time and equipment to turn your
idea into a movie?
• Have you selected a genre and style for your movie?
• Who is your intended audience and will they understand
your production |
| Think of your movie as a story. When
creating your story, keep in mind the five W’s:
Who, What, When, Where, Why. This helps you fill in the
main body of your story. |
| Make a decision about genre. Every genre
has its own unique style or conventions that influence
audience expectations about how the story is told and
interpreted. |
Some broad genres or categories with
which we are familiar include…
comedy; adventure; drama; crime; horror; musical; thriller;
historical; romance; science fiction; animation; documentary. |
Some interesting sub-genres or alternative
categories to think about as a starting point for a short
movie production include…
a documentary; a mockumentary; an advertisement or info-mercial;
a training video; a music video; a comedy or sitcom; a
children’s video; a parody; a poem; a melodrama;
a report; a lifestyle video; a soap opera; a biography;
an adaptation; an event; a personal story. |
Decide also on the narrative style of
your movie. ie how the story will be told, and from who’s
point of view will the story be told. Will it be told
in the “first person” or “third person”
style. Some examples include…
confrontational; adversarial; issue based; persuasive;
analytical; reflective; fictional; factual; observational. |
| Be aware some stories require no spoken
narrative at all. Messages and points in short are communicated
through visual images, both static and moving, written
text, sound effects and music. Examples include silent
movies, montages, and postcard style productions. |
| When making a video, it's a good idea
to sit down and think out your concept or idea, and lay
out your ideas with paper and pencil. This will help you
formulate a clear idea of what message your video is attempting
to communicate. |
Next:
The pre-production or planning stage
Back: Stages
of Video Making (view
the site map) |
