If you’re not sure where to start, think about your favorite movies. You don’t want to copy them, but you can make a similar movie. You can also mix and match ideas. You don’t have to choose just one! But, try not to let it get too crazy. Save some ideas for the next movie. You can even make a movie based on one of your favorite books or stories!
You can have more than one main character, such as Nemo and Marlin in Finding Nemo. Basically, your main character will drive the story forward. Your movie is all about them and what they do.
Think about what happens to your main character. Maybe you want them to go on a journey to find treasure. That’s the end of the story, so your sentences could be: “Jessie finds a map in her attic with a mysterious place marked on it. She decides to find the place! Along the way, she meets Robbie, a very smart young boy in the neighborhood, and they follow the map and find treasure. " You can also write it as “What if?” statement, such as “What if a girl finds a map in her attic that leads her to a buried treasure?”
The climax is the most exhilarating part of the story. It’s the point where a suspect is about to get caught in a mystery, or in our case, it could be the point where Jessie finds the treasure on the map. . . or finds out there’s nothing there.
For instance, say your character starts out hanging out downstairs, bored, with her mom. That’s 1 scene. Then, she is searching the attic and finds a map, scene 2. Downstairs again, she asks her mom if she can go see her friend, scene 3.
For instance, you might write: Scene 1: Jessie is hanging out downstairs looking bored and watching the clock. Her mom tells her to do her homework, but Jessie says it’s already done. Her mom tells her to go find something to do, so she sighs and goes upstairs. Scene 2: Jessie is in the attic of the house, moving things around and looking in boxes. She’s looking in the bottom of an old wardrobe when something catches her finger at the bottom. She peels up a board and finds the treasure map. Scene 3: Jessie is downstairs, asking her mom if she can go talk to her friend. Her mom says yes and she runs down the block.
For example, for scene 1 and 2, you might write it like this: Scene 1Living room, mid-afternoon. The living room is cozy with a sofa and 2 arm chairs. Light streams in from large windows. Jessie, 12, is lounging in a chair, looking bored, while her mother looks on from the kitchen. Scene 2Attic, a few minutes later. The attic is dusty and filled with boxes and other random stuff. Jessie, 12, is digging through boxes and moving around the room.
For the first scene, you might start out writing: Jessie: I’m so boooored. Jessie sighs and leans on her arm. Mom: If you’re that bored, go do your homework. Jessie rolls her eyes. Jessie: I already did my homework.
For example, you might write, “Jessie is a 12-year-old kid who likes books and plays soccer. She is always getting into trouble because she goes off on adventures. "
If you want to shoot in a building, ask the owner if you can use it first. Pick a place that fits your movie. For instance, most scary movies aren’t filmed outside in bright sunshine, and an adventure story may need more than 1 location.
For instance, you could say, “Hey, I’m making a movie! Do you want to be in it? You’d have to memorize some lines, but it could be a lot of fun!”
You can always change your characters around if no one fits a character exactly. Be flexible. Give each person a copy of the script to read. You can highlight their parts to help them out. Make sure you give each person who’s interested something to do. If they don’t want to act, have them help set up scenes or assist people with memorizing their lines.
For instance, you could use dolls, action figures, clay, or even building blocks as your stop-action figures.
For instance, you might rehearse how Jessie’s mom will come in from the kitchen in the opening living room scene, always facing the camera.
Make sure you know the camera really well before you begin shooting. Play around with it first or look at tutorials online if you don’t know how to use it. Just remember movies take up a lot of memory. You may need to download your videos to a computer with more memory from time to time so that you have enough space to keep shooting. Always ask before you borrow a camera or smartphone! Also, be very careful with borrowed equipment.
For instance, a 12-year-old girl who likes adventure might wear sturdy but fun boots, a long pair of shorts, a colorful t-shirt, and her hair up. Look around your house for props you can use. Remember to ask before borrowing them. If you need something extra, try asking your parents if they have what you need, borrowing from a neighbor, or asking your parents to take you to a thrift store. Props don’t have to be “real. " For instance, if you need a sword, you can make one out of cardboard and foil.
Think about how the room or area will look on screen and adjust the room. It can help to hold up your hands in a square (to show you how much you’d see) or simply look through your camera without recording. If the lighting is bad, adjust as needed. Turn on lights or open curtains. Try not to blind your actors, though! For instance, if you have 2 characters talking to each other, you may want to be able to see them in one shot. That means you may need to move chairs around so they’re closer together.
You can change things if the scene isn’t working. Try to help people out if they seem a little lost. For instance, if someone doesn’t know how to act in a scene, try to give them motivation. You could say, “How would you feel if you just found a treasure map? Wouldn’t you be a little curious first and then get more and more excited? How would that make you act?”
So if you notice an actor is smiling after another character says something mean, stop and talk to them. You could say, “When that person says something mean, react like they’re saying it to you personally. Wouldn’t you frown or look upset?”
If they want to do more, that’s great. Just make sure you’re listening to what they’re saying. If they’re bored with it for today, stop and do something else!
For instance, try shooting the same scene at least a couple of times. That way, you can pick the best shots if something goes wrong in the scene at some point. It can help to shoot the scene from different spots in the room. That way, you can cut between different shots. For instance, if you shoot from the perspective of the stairs, then from the kitchen, you can move between those two perspectives as your characters are talking. Plus, if you need to use footage from different videos, you can do it without making the movie look like it’s jumping by switching to a different angle.
You can also try apps like Magisto, Toontastic, GoAnimate, or Animoto. If you don’t know how to use the software you have, try looking up tutorials online.
For instance, maybe someone spilt their drink in one video, but the actors did the best on their lines early on in the scene. You can use part of the first video and replace the second part with shots from another video.
For instance, a cut goes directly from one scene to the next, replacing the image instantly. A fade slowly goes down to black, and then brings up the next scene. A dissolve is when the scene slowly disappears as the next one slowly appears. For instance, when moving between scenes 1 and 2 in your movie, where Jessie goes upstairs, you might try a cut since not much time goes by.
For instance, maybe when Jessie is looking around the attic, you can play quiet music with a good beat that makes you think of someone being curious. Your video-editing software should let you add music. Make sure your music doesn’t overpower the dialogue. If you have it playing in a scene with dialogue, it should be much softer than what’s being said.
At the end, include anyone else who helped with the film. List any music you use to give credit for it. Put the date in, too.
