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Links
OTHER AUSTRALIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Cinephilia > Comprehensive list of Australian Film Festival links. Specializing in independent, art-house, cult, classic and Australian films
Connecting Through Film > NT Schools film competition
Autralian Film Commission > AFC National and International Film Festivals links
NT FILM ORGANISATIONS
NTFO > Northern Territory Film Office
FATANT > Film and Television Association Northern territory
USEFUL FILM TIPS
The Director in the Classroom > US resource for filmmakeing in the classroom
Stay tuned for more handy film making links. Below is a list of useful tips and hints from past winners.
top tips
Titles and Credits
Use a simple font in white e.g. Helvetica/Arial read well. Steer clear of serif or cursive fonts and fonts below 12pt. Red font on a black background is hard to read. The larger the better - don't scroll the credits too fast because the audience needs time to read. Ditto for subtitles. And remember - check your spelling!.
Sound Levels
If a film is too quiet, too loud, or the sound is distorted, you are marking it hard for the audience and yourself. Use the sound meter in your editing facility to get the best level for your film. Better still, get someone with sound skills to master your levels before you make your final copy for entry.
View on a Large Screen
Once you have completed the final edit, watch your film on a TV or bigger screen. All sorts of flaws show up on the big screen that you can't seen on a computer.
Colour Saturation, Brightness, Contrast
Experiment until you find the right levels. Browse the internet for tips too. Your entry will benefit massively!
DVD Burning
If you are outputting your film to DVD using burning software, choose the lowest speed possible to 'author' your DVD e.g. 1x, 4x, 16x etc. This helps older DVD players to 'read' the digital information on the disc.
Tests
Test the DVD on two DVD players (excluding your home computer) before submission.
Music
You cannot use existing music for public screenings without permission from the holders of the copyright. Instead, why not consider getting a musical friend to write music for your film and give you copyright authorisation. This offers great exposure for the musician too.
Keep it Simple
Often a short film can actually be too long! A high-quality, fast-paced, one-minute film is more enjoyable for an audience than trying to fill up five minutes just to go for the maximum length. Look closely at the story you're telling and to keep it tight, lose scenes that you don't need.
Hints from a Past Winner
K.I.S.S
Kiss your camera person AND your actors. This will give them a rosy glow and make them feel loved. Sorry, I mean, Keep It Simple Stupid. A simple idea, with a twist or a gag at the end is generally what wins a short film competition, expecially if you have a five minute limit. Four minutes of setting up the situation and telling the story, 30 seconds to twist it and 30 seconds more for titles and credits. REMEMBER there are great short films that are less than one minute long.
Story
Filmmaking is about telling stories using audio-visual media. No matter how unconventional the genre or style is, ultimately we want to take the audience on a journey. It is good if you can 'pitch' (tell) the story to someone to see if they 'get it' before you start shooting. It is also good to show your finished film to an unbiased observer that you haven't 'pitched' it at. Ask them if they understood it and use their feedback to change your edit or pick up shots if they didn't.
Storyboard
Creating a visual shot by shot diagram of your film is a really handy way to share the concept with your cast and crew. It is great to have on set to refer to and help you to see if you have got all the shots you need to tell the story.
Shotlist
This is a list of the shots you want and a description of their nature e.g. SCENE 1, SHOT 1-CU (close up) of Mary crying opening to WIDE (wide shot) of room in chaos, PAN RIGHT (camera pivot to rigfht) to the door to see it broken off its hinges.
Actors
Atrocious creatures, avoid them if you can! Thankfully, there are now digital alternatives... but seriously, to act is to do. We all act, everyday. Having studied acting for the camera, the best thing you can do is tell an actor to 'just do'... don't act. A film is created by the juxtaposition of shots of things happening. Truly great performances come from actors just being natural. Doing.
Sound
Whether you are using an on-camera microphone or an elaborate boom mike and mixer, the key is to MONITOR. If you have a sound person, it is their job. Otherwise, camera operator or director should have headphones to listen to the sound as it comes in, to ensure the sound is good for editing.