Denton Distribution

Technical directing precision

• Follow the 180 degrees rule.
• Do not cross the eyeline unless you know what you are doing.
• Make your actors walk in and out of shots.
• Make shot sizes match

For more information on these issues and more general principles on how to direct see http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/movie-making/how-to-direct.html

Your production design designs the potential of your film.

• The world of your film must be thought out, brainstormed and locked in well in advance.
• Do not just put up with whatever is there or what ever you have.
• You must decide in advance the colours, the styles and everything else visual and prepare it all accordingly.
• The appearance of everything in your movie will ultimately be portrayed on the viewer’s perception of it.
• It also tells the world what sort of director you are. You want to make those impressions last!

Read more regarding designing your stage for the world http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/filmmaking/production-design-color-scheme.html

Continuity - make everything flow.

• Static elements (actor’s clothes)
• Dynamic elements (cigarette becoming progressively shorter)
• These elements need to be controlled. This is very important as they need to be kept consistent with the story when the film is edited.
• If the film is not shot in chronological order this could be a major issue.

Continue on continuity on http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/filmmaking/film-continuity.html

Casting needs to be thorough and thought through.

• This is definitely a part of filmmaking you cannot afford to get wrong.
• It can be very frustrating but it is definitely worth the effort. 
• Actors are supposed to breathe life into your characters.
• Miscasting can really compromise your films success.

Find out more about casting films on http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/filmmaking/film-casting-director-actors-cast.html

Sound is an important key

• Poor sound is sometimes the biggest downfall of independent films.
• You’d think the sound doesn’t play major roles in a movie but it does.
• Some professionals claim that if the image is not great, this can be compensated by a great story line.
• However poor sound is intolerable!
• Sound recording should be taken extremely seriously if you want to keep an audience.

Read more about how the sound of a film can affect the way it is portrayed in a way you could never imagine on http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/filmmaking/record-good-production-sound.html

• This is very closely related to the camerawork issue. (Discussed in Tip #3.)
• As well as imaginative camera angles, the movement of the camera should be used a tool to further draw the audience into your story.
• Camera movement should not be motivated by whether the actors are moving or not, it should be motivated by the actions and by the characters.

Simply look through the camera and see the greatness.

• There is brilliant camerawork and there is abysmal camera work. Make sure you are not the latter, it cripples your filmmaking from the get go.
• Never over estimate good framing techniques.
• It is proven that imaginative camerawork increases the connection between your brilliant story line and your engaging audience. However, if the camerawork is amateur, weak and unmotivated, your greatly structured and grafted story line is not portrayed as such.
• Just make sure that your choices are motivated by the characters and the scene.

For more tips on camerawork visit http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/filmmaking/film-video-camerawork-tips.html

See the light in the beginning.

• Lighting your film correctly and effectively automatically affects the way an audience judges your movie.
• For example; Moody lighting and dark shadows and a light hearted comedy would not be suited. The two do not compliment one another and changes the way the audience views it.the way you light your film significantly affects how your audience perceives it. 
• A light hearted comedy would be best suited with bright colours and flat lighting.
• Innovative and imaginative lighting is a deal maker in successful filmmaking.

For more tips on lighting visit http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/filmmaking/film-lighting-tips.html

A spectacular screenplay goes a long way.

• Screenplay is vital.
• The director, the actors, the equipment and the grind is all wasted if the story is useless.
• The hard work needs to be put in right from when the pen touches the paper - this ensures that the story is good enough to sell.
• Most people do not care about who directed the film, or whose in the film more than what the film is actually about.
• Put the work in at the beginning so it can be seen at the end.

For more tips regarding screenplay and the three-act structure visit http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/filmmaking/screenplay-tips-three-act-structure.html