21 Tips (DIY Filmmaking): What I learned while making Homie the Spy

Part tutorial, part video commentary, all amateur work.




Please read: the devil's always in the details.

Sometimes we learn more by our failures than by our successes. This is just a couple of VERY basic lessons I learned--and continue to learn to this day--about the process of creating a story through the medium of video filmmaking. Someday, I may even put into practice what I have learned!

I think about some of these lessons now as being a foundation to build on. These tips are not new, advanced, earth shattering movie-making revelations, just the initial baby steps in amateur filmmaking from first time filmmakers.

Now to be brutally honest, the movie itself isn't too good and since it comes from a VHS master copy, the video quality has suffered. Today, it serves as more of a nostalgia piece than entertainment for me. I don't take it seriously and neither should anyone else. It is what it is, and what it is raw, unedited video (which is probably more entertaining that any edited version!) made by a couple of ignorant teenagers, with some added tips and commentary about what we were doing and thinking-or not thinking.

If the view takes anything positive away from this, great; otherwise please enjoy it for what it is.

P.S. I can't explain the weird 10 seconds of glitching at the 3:55 mark.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Amateur
• filmmaking
• spy
• movie
• 1990
• tutorial
• tips
• DIY
• VHS
• teenagers
• action
• drama
• fight
• MN
• Minnesota
• humor
• Narration
• comedy
• homemade
• bad guy
• good guy
• punch
• kick
• car
• drive by
• Ford
• Pinto
• gun
• fall
• how to
• techniques
• advice
• editing
• basic
• beginner
• guide
• howto

[dasaadz]

hey guys , thanks for this im an amateur film maker currently working on a script and im looking for advice on external mics. how the hell do you operate external mics with a camera? i have a sony camcorder and its quite a reliable camera. :)

[MHN91]

@dasaadz Well, at the time I made this "masterpiece" video, all I had to work with was the on board mic and a small dictation microphone which plugged into the audio jack-in other words, it wasn't very good. Today, while many good cameras have very good audio capability, I would either go with a separate audio recorder or spend a little for a good "prosumer" grade mic (such as Rode) made to plug into the camera. Those would be my best suggestions. Take them for what they're worth. Good luck!

[dasaadz]

@MHN91 Thanks man, i appreciate it!