The 5 Biggest Mistakes Made by First Time Filmmakers

Is putting the audience to sleep a mistake...or a blessing? Filmmaker Sondra Lowell sets new screenwriters and directors straight.

1. Contrary to current belief, keeping the audience awake is the biggest mistake a first time filmmaker can make. If viewers are asleep, they will never notice your other mistakes.

2. Waiting to get famous till after your movie is made is another error common among those new to the medium. Why do people pay to see and hear Jessica Simpson--this goes double for Ashlee? Because they're already famous. While having people actually see your work is not advisable, you still want them to buy tickets or DVDs, and they are more likely to do that if they feel they already know you. Consider inviting hundreds to your wedding, then escape just before The Big Day and make up a story about being kidnapped.

3. Almost as devastating to your new career as the first two mistakes is not knowing when you're done putting your film together. While having a feature to your credit can be a career maker, don't spend the rest of your life perfecting it. Remember, the audience will not be awake and so will not be as critical as you are.

4. Most new filmmakers try to get their movie seen. Big mistake. Smart new filmmakers try to get their movie heard of. Hollywood big shots who hear of your movie may well sign you to a three picture deal. Hollywood big shots who actually see your movie are more likely pass in favor of an American Idol loser with proof that he had sex with Paula Abdul.

5. Expecting to make your money back on your first film is the least of the five biggest mistakes new filmmakers make because you're not going to max out ten credit cards just because you read that Robert Townsend did it and his movie made millions...are you? I mean...are you?

Unlike advice by filmmaking gurus, which has to be padded to fill 200 pages and make claims that help sell books, this no-nonsense list by award-winning filmmaker and 1,052,569th top Amazon.com contributor Sondra Lowell can be trusted. Sondra's first film, WebcamMurder.com, is the first officially sanctioned digital feature in the Film Sleepy genre, the category that puts the audience to sleep.

How To Make A Home Movie

In this article I will be going over simple steps to creating your own home made movie. First you will need a device you can record with, this can be anything from your webcam on your computer to your families old camcorder basically anything that can record. Now you will want to get familiar with your camera, start out by just playing with the buttons learning each function you have available. There will be a couple tools you may want to invest in, a tripod is a great tool this will make a huge factor in the quality of your film. Also you will need to use video editing software, most computers now come equipped with editing software Macs have iMovie and PCs come with Windows Movie Maker.
There will be three basic shots when filming, close ups are used to show specific things happening. Wide shots will establish your location and your medium shots are typically used to follow action in the scene. Now if you are not using a tripod you will want to avoid zooming in all the way this will cause a lot of accidental shaking and you will want to refrain from little camera movement. You will need to establish where you want to film your movie, whether it is in your house, backyard, front yard, or even your basement. Also get your friends and family involved as you will need parts to fill. Discuss how you want them to play there roles and who will be doing behind the scenes work, keep in mind there are many jobs in making a film. You will need actors, director, editor, and you may need someone to do the make-up for your actors.

While you are filming you will want to have 2-3 takes for each scene, keep in mind you will face all kinds of problems there's no escaping it. Just bear in mind small problems are ok it is the big problems that can ruin your movie. So take the extra time to rehearse and remember it's not hard to go back and change a few words. During your action scenes you will be tempted to zoom in and out but remember you want to avoid the least amount of camera movement. While filming you will want to keep your actors eyes in the top of the screen, leave about an inch or two of space above there heads. Don't make it confusing for your watchers to know what is going on keep in mind your main audience will be your friends and family.
The main rule is to have fun and be creative. Keep your outtakes if there funny it makes for good bloopers, and add some background music to some of your scenes. Try to add some special effects if you can get a fog machine or make someone fly whatever you can do to add extra excitement is always good. Once your movie is complete show it off, publish it on You Tube or put it on a DVD, and if you want to get fancy add some opening and ending credits. Don't get stressed out with this remember it is suppose to be fun!