Review: SWIT S-1070F Monitor Review

The digital cinema world is changing by leaps and bounds. 35mm, the one time feature film king is slowly ceding its dominance as more and more films are shooting digital. At the high end there is Sony with the F65, Red with the Epic and Arri with Alexa. But the lines in that market are also blurring as the digital revolution continues. Case in point, Canon and the EOS 5D Mark iii. A recent announcement by hackers Magic Lantern promise RAW 14bit 24fps files from this camera, which already shoots 1080p 24fps iframe h.264. Also, let’s not forget Canon’s new 1.2.1 firmware that allows uncompressed 8bit 1080p output to an external device in mirroring mode.

The one constant in the digital age, no matter how expensive or inexpensive the camera is, is you will need a good field monitor. Not only do you need a monitor for framing if you are not using a built in EVF viewfinder, you can’t really operate or focus a video DSLR without one. They are indispensable! And more and more people use the monitor to light as they provide Waveform, Vectorscope, histograms and Zebra Stripes.

Which brings me to the point of this review. I use a 5D Mark iii among other cameras but I don’t have a field monitor and I cannot focus with the built in screen. At NAB 2013 I came across a catalogue for a company called SWIT. I had heard of them as a battery manufacturer, but I did not know they made monitors. A quick call to their U.S. corporate offices in San Jose and they agreed to lend me a 7” monitor for my Canon. It came configured to accept my Canon LP-E6 batteries, but you can have it configured with the battery of your choosing as the plates just snap on and screw into place.

Let me quickly get to the specs of this monitor:

• 7” LCD (TFT screen) with a resolution of 1024x600, 900:1 contrast ratio with a 160-degree viewing angle (Horizontal and Vertical).
• 16x9 and 4x3
• 400 nits or 400cd/m2
• HD/SD-SDI & HDMI input and loop through output and CVBS input
• HDMI converted to HD/SDI output (What I really wanted in a monitor)
• Waveform – Y/Cb/CR, R/G/B and full scale (SDI & HDMI)
• Vector scope (SDI & HDMI)
• Histogram – R/G/B (SDI & HDMI)
• SDI 16-ch / HDMI 2-ch embedded audio meter display
• SDI/HDMI embedded audio output via 3.5mm earphone
• SDI timecode display
• Peaking focus assist (SDI & HDMI)
• False color (SDI & HDMI)
• Zebra stripes (SDI & HDMI)
• Blue only (SDI & HDMI)
• Internal 100% color bars (SDI & HDMI)
• Underscan / Overscan, safety mark
• Canon DSLR scale zoom-in (Not really needed with Canon’s new 1.2.1 firmware with HDMI Mirroring)
• Image flip
• Front and rear Tally light
• V-mount, Gold mount or snap-on DV mount: F/P/J/C/U/E/B/V/I
• Power ≤15W
• A range of battery mounts from Sony, Canon, V-mount and Anton Bauer, to name a few

So as you can see there are a host of features.

My biggest concern was the resolution at 1024x600 when many other companies offer 1280x800. I spoke to SWIT about this and they explained it is all in the quality of the electronics and conversion done. And I have to say they are correct. I see no discernable difference. In all honesty when looking at a 1920x1080 image on a 7” screen you aren’t going to see the image in full resolution. The S-1071F allows you to zoom in in two steps to a 1:1 ratio if you need to check critical focus. It is sharp and clear and I had no problems focusing. With the addition of Focus Peaking in Red or Blue, critical focus was a snap.

Unpacking the monitor, the first thing that stood out was the build quality. The monitor feels solid, not flimsy. It reminds me of the JVC monitors so I called SWIT and asked, “Do they make the JVC monitors?” Their response: “We make the 7” and 9” monitors for JVC, not the larger sized monitors.” It has ¼” 20 mounting holes on the sides and bottom of the monitor. The side holes double as support for the well-built sunshade. The monitor comes with two large thumbscrews that allow you to screw down the sunshade. It also comes with Velcro but I hate gluing things on monitors. The box also held a cold-shoe mount for the monitor; a screen protector also comes standard, as well as a 4 pin XLR to wall wart adapter and power chord for power if you don’t want to use a battery.

When I turned on the monitor, the first thing I noticed was how crisp and clean the image looks. You can feed a SMPTE color bars signal to the monitor and because it has Blue Gun only set up properly. The built in 100% color bars don’t lend themselves to setting up with Blue Gun only.

I am feeding the monitor a mirrored HDMI signal from the Canon 5D Mark iii (with firmware 1.2.1—mirroring mode) using an HDMI A to HDMI B cable. The picture is great. Framing is easy with a nice big 7” monitor and the framing lines also help. The frame lines come set as default to 85% but I changed it to 95%. They also include 4x3 dotted lines to protect for 4x3. Why we still have to do this in the age of 16x9 televisions is beyond me.

The monitor also supports DSLR zoom mode if you don’t want to use Mirroring with the new firmware. DSLR Zoom basically blows up the image to fill about 80% of the monitor leaving room for the information the camera normally would display—ISO settings, f-Stop, shutter speed, etc. In this mode you have to record to internal media, Compact Flash or SD cards.

The S-1071F is highly configurable. Ten buttons pepper the front as well as a push button audio volume dial that acts as a menu item select button in the menu mode. The buttons include: Menu, Display, (turns on/off display info and frame lines), Vector (for Vectorscope), Waveform, F.Color (for False Color), Focus (for Focus Assist), Source (to set HDM, SDI or CVBS input) and three customizable Function Buttons. I set the custom Function Buttons as follows, F1- Zoom, F2 – RGB Histogram, F3 – Zebra stripes; but you can customize them any way you see fit and there are a lot of options including Image Flip, Color bar, timecode, 16x9 vs. 4x3, Overscan & Underscan and on and on.

The back of the monitor has the battery mount and 4 pin XLR power input as well as two each, HD/SDI inputs and HD/SDI loop through. There is also one HDMI input, one HDMI loop through, and one HD/SDI output which gets converted from the HDMI signal and one CVBS input. There is also a 9pin tally light control and the actual tally light.

I did a test taking the HDMI signal from the Canon 5D Mark iii to the HDMI input on the monitor and then took the HD/SDI output from the monitor to a 24” broadcast monitor using HD/SDI input and the image looked great. The conversion was excellent with no apparent artifacting as far as I could tell. I don’t have external scopes so I used my eyes to judge the picture. But what I was seeing on the 7” SWIT monitor was showing up on my 24” HD production monitor with out the need to throw into the mix a converter from AJA or Blackmagic.

So far I have been very happy with the overall performance of the S-1071F monitor. I’ve tested it indoors and it works flawlessly. Outside is a slightly different story and it is not the monitor’s fault but that big, bright orb in the sky called the Sun. With direct sun hitting the monitor, I had a hard time seeing a great picture, even with the sunshade. If you take a few minutes and set some C-stands and flags, this alleviates the problem, but it is a problem all monitors seem to have—they looked washed out in sunlight. In situations like this, one has to default to using an EVF with an eyepiece.

I did not test the audio capabilities of this monitor— and it has a lot from the specs— as I usually shoot double system and Canon’s implementation of the new mirroring in firmware 1.2.1 does not support audio over HDMI.

Putting it through the tests, I set up a scene and framed with the monitor. This was easy as a 7” screen lets you see what you need to frame. I had no problems focusing or judging focus, even without using the 1:1 zooming function. The monitor is pin sharp! I used the zoom feature as well as focus assist and I was spot on every time. The Zebra stripes were also handy for exposure as was the Waveform and RGB Histogram. But a light meter is also handy!

I got about an hour and ½ of power from the LP-E6 battery and swapping the battery is as easy as pushing a button and sliding it up and out of the battery mount. The monitor works on a power range from 7.4V (LP-E6 output) to 12V DC (4 pin XLR to D-Tap or 12V barrel connector). 

I have to say I really like this monitor. I like that it has the built in conversion from HDMI to HD/SDI. This means I don’t have to buy an additional converter from AJA or Blackmagic—just one more thing to buy and power up. You don’t need it with the S-1071F.

I feel confident using this monitor knowing not only can I frame the camera accurately, but focus will also be spot on. No more guessing from the 3” built in Canon Monitor. If you need a monitor for your productions, I would seriously consider the SWIT S-1071F.

So what is the price of the S-1071F? It retails on their website for $1680.00. It is now available at www.EigRig.com at a discount. They have also extended their line of monitors to include 5", 7", 9" and 21.5" monitors -- all available at www.EigRig.com.

Items include: SWIT S-1071F monitor, (with appropriate battery connector), carry case, monitor support arm, cold shoe, power adapter, sun-hood, Screen protector, HDMI cable (optional). 

Warranty Period: 2 years conditional.

Libec RS-450R Tripod & Head Review

First a quick disclosure:  I do not work for Libec.  I am an end user who purchased this product and wanted to convey my thoughts in a review.

I’m just getting into the whole DSLR for video revolution. I am not a newbie and have almost twenty years in the film industry in Los Angeles, working on commercials and television shows to theatrical feature films.  That being said, I am used to the high-end gear working on these production affords.  But when it came to putting down my own cold hard cash, I want my money to buy the best in class I could afford.  I looked to other brands, including the high priced Sachtler sticks and heads but they were out of my price range.

So I turned to the Internet to do some research and time and again this company, Libec, out of Japan kept popping up.  So I did some more research and came across the Libec RS-450R (RM) tripod and head system. The R stands for floor spreader model an RM is a mid-level spreader.  Both models come with the RH-45R head, the RT40RB tripod, the appropriate spreader and a nice case to carry it all.  A quick note about the head, it is a true fluid head with real counterbalance—just like the much more expensive heads have.  And the fit and finish is everything you’d expect coming out of a product designed and built in Japan.  These tripods are not made in China or anywhere else.  With the Libec system I actually got the best money could buy at an affordable price—something that doesn’t happen often.

I’m going to quote you with some of the specs from the Libec website: http://www.libecsales.com/ and then I’ll get in to actually using the set up.

The RH-45R 75mm ball head boast a payload of up to 26.5lb (12kg) with a Counterbalance range of 10.0 to 23.0lb / 4.5 to 10.5kg.  The counterbalance is Continuous.  It also comes with a telescoping panhandle.

Drag mode	Free plus 3 STEP
Tilt angle	+90° / -70°
Weight	14.7lb / 6.7kg
Tripod Height	25.0” to 68.0" / 63 to 173cm
Ball diameter	75mm
Section	2 STAGE Tripod

This is not a carbon fiber tripod and it doesn’t bother me that it is aluminum.  Carbon fiber can splinter and if you ever get a carbon fiber splinter in your hand then you know what I mean.  The tripod has two stages. And the legs are easily adjustable with the turn of a leg lock knob.  As this is a two-stage tripod, each section has its own locking knob.  I didn’t find this a problem nor does it slow me down when I am setting the tripod to the shooting height I want.  It is solidly built and supports the weight of my camera without any problems.  I’ve been shooting with the Canon 5D Mark III.  I know this isn’t a big camera, but by the time you put on a rail system, 2 stage matte box, a follow focus, an EF-70-200mm lens, not to mention a 7” HD monitor, batteries, etc., the weight adds up.  But the Libec RT40RB tripod takes it in stride.  It just feels solid with no vibration.  The tripod stands on rubber feet that come off to reveal spikes protected by a ball cap if you need them.  When you are done shooting for the day and fold up the tripod, there is a built in binding strap that keeps the legs tethered together.  The tripod has a nice black powder coated finish, as does the head.

The RH-45R 75mm ball head is the backbone of this set up.  As I mentioned before it is a true fluid head with real counterbalance.  The counter balance works great.  I can point the camera up or down with the tilt lock off, dial in the counterbalance and the head will not move.  Think about this as you do a shot where you start at an extreme tilt up or down—no drift!  The head is balanced, you finish the move and the head isn’t fighting you to stay where you want it.

This is a 75mm ball head and leveling it takes mere seconds.  Just undo the tie down, or Bowl clamp, use the built in bubble level that—did I mention lights up at the touch of a button, and level the head.  That’s all there is to it.  Once you tighten the tie down again, it stays level. Again it is solidly built and compares to anything I’ve used costing much, much more.  The fact that the bubble level lights up is a real plus, especially if you are shooting at night or in a dark location or sound stage.

The Head comes with a quick release plate that can be slid forward or backward to balance the camera and then locks with the turn of a knob.  It has a quick release lock button so you can’t accidently slide it off the head.

Once the camera is leveled and balanced, you can adjust the tilt and pan drag by adjusting the tilt drag and the pan drag controls.  Each drag control has free plus three steps so you can take the wobble out of your pan and tilts and have the ultimate control for smooth operation. The pan and tilt feel good.  Depending on the type of move you are doing, whip pan or a slow follow, you can dial in the right amount of drag.

There are just so many niceties in this package.  The sliding plate for the head comes with a video pin and a ¼” 20 threaded camera screw that is locked into place and can’t accidently get lost.  When you remove the sliding plate from the head, it reveals an extra ¼” 20 camera screw as well as a 3/8” camera screw for larger cameras such as the Red Epic or Arri Alexa or an ENG field camera.  The bubble level lights up.  There is a built in binding strap for the tripod legs.  The whole system comes with an easy to use carry case.  And it is extremely well built and machined—all at a price of about $1500.00 depending where you purchase it.

I haven’t had any problems with the Libec RS-450R since I bought mine and have used it all over Los Angeles shooting with my Canon.  The US headquarters is located in Torrance, CA, a stone throw from where I live so I made an appointment to visit their facility right before NAB 2013 to say hello.  They are friendly, helpful and have great tech support if you need it.

SPECIAL EFFECTS ON THE CHEAP

Here’s a confession. I love special effects. I think I really fell in love with effects when I was a kid and received the book Industrial Light and Magic: The Art of Special Effects by Thomas G. Smith. You all know the one: that big, black, heavy book with beautiful full color glossy pictures. In college I took a course on effects—I watchedBlade Runner, Tron, Star Wars and saw these films in a whole new light. Then, I got a chance to work with Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) on the film The Mask.

Back then, making an effects laden film was expensive (and still can be), but a lot of things have happened to help democratize the process. Enter Apple and the Macintosh computer. Their early Mac, the IIci enabled ILM to do digital mattes inexpensively for the first time on the film Die Hard 2. And things have trickled down from the high end ever since.

I like to be at the bleeding edge of technology, so even making a short film; I try to add some effects, if the story calls for it, (see my film A Family X-mas as an example). I don’t throw them in frivolously like many a Hollywood producer and director does in most films today—effects for effects sake. Remember the cardinal rule of filmmaking. It’s the story, and everything has to propel that story forward, not just propel things through the air because it looks cool.

Okay, back to SFX on the cheap. The other big innovation in low budget effects came about because of a program, originally put out by CoSa and eventually bought my Adobe, called After Effects. After Effects, uses a time base metaphor, (you key frame and animate or manipulate the various elements over time), allowing you to manipulate moving images, 3D elements, stills, graphics and EPS files, even a virtual camera and lights to create effects. You can also output as SGI files, TIFFS, QuickTime, and many other formats (DV resolution up to film rez). And with the built in 2D motion tracker (or 2d3’s Boujou program) you don’t have to use very costly motion control rigs if you plan your shots correctly.

Then there are the various plug-ins you can add to After Effects that take some of the drudgery away and allow you to concentrate on the art. I won’t get into specific plug-ins but a hop over to The Plugin Site to give you an idea of what’s out there.

So where is all this going? With the DV revolution, anyone with a camera became a filmmaker. And these tools keep getting better. When DV was first introduced with its 4:1:1 color space, it was very hard to pull a key using green screen or blue screen, but this has changed with DV Matte Pro—especially designed for pulling keys with DV footage. And now we have HD and HDV, and the prices keep dropping, as the resolution gets higher.

In the 3D world this is also becoming true as the price of the tools keep getting cheaper. Once costing upwards of $7000.00 or more, these tools can now be had for a fraction of that: Newtek’s LightWave, or Autodesk’s Maya to name two.

Okay, so I’ve laid the groundwork for what’s out there and why things are cheaper. It is the do it yourself mentality. But how do you do it yourself? The attention to the details is what is important. I don’t always mean what looks the most realistic, but what makes a shot look real?

What if I wanted to say… put Reindeer on a rooftop. Sure I could get real deer and a deer wrangler, but wouldn’t it be easier to use 3D reindeer and a compositing program? So how do you sell a shot like that? The trick is realism. Make the deer move realistically and people won’t notice if they aren’t the most detailed models. The idea is to fool them into believing they are reel I mean real. What if you have two left thumbs when it comes to 3D? Well, a quick search on the web and you can find royalty free 3D models ranging in a variety of prices and quality.

One caveat of SFX is everything must be planned well in advanced. It is not something you just say, “I’ll wing it.” If you are going to do motion tracking, you have to plan what the camera move will be or how you want to photograph the image. Something’s are better done in camera than in post—planning and preparation is paramount. On the day you’re shooting, make sure you get exact measurements of everything, from room dimensions, to camera distance from subject and height from ground. The inclination in degrees of the camera, the lens you are using as well as f-stop. Make a lighting diagram of the lighting set up is you can recreate it in your 3D program if you are adding 3D elements.

When it comes to blue/green screen work, always make a diagram of your set up (so if something goes wrong it’ll be easier to go back and reshoot). Also remember that spill can be the kiss of death when pulling a key. Spill is when light reflecting off the blue / green screen spills on to the subject being photographed and contaminates the subject with the screen’s color. Always make sure there is adequate distance between the subject and the screen. And remember the screen is never big enough. Another trick with blue screen is to put yellow gel on the backlight to help cancel or negate any spill. Yellow is a complimentary color to blue.

With blue/green screen the screen must also be very evenly lit. There shouldn’t be any variations in the lighting so make sure to measure the screen with a light meter. If there are shadows on the screen this equates to different densities of the screen color and makes for a harder key to pull.

For miniatures, try a red screen lit with black light. When you have human’s there is a pink hue to skin color, which negates the use of a red screen. But if there is no red in the model, the red screen works great. And it doesn’t matter if the blacklight spills on the subject, the camera won’t pick it up!

Which brings us to the most obvious question. When do you use blue vs. green screen? Generally, the rule of thumb is if you are photographing a subject that has blue, whether because of make-up or costume, use green screen and vice versa for green. If the subject has green on, use blue screen. Here’s the headache inducer; there are variations of each color—digital blue and green, chroma blue and green, etc. So be prepared to do some testing and some research before you shoot.

Working with SFX also comes down to proper planning and common sense. Even if you don’t storyboard a movie, you should story board the effects shots so everyone is on the same page—from the director of photography to the visual effects supervisor (if there is one). On bigger productions they go so far as to previsualize the shot using 3D programs. Sometimes this can be quite elaborate and almost finished shot not far removed from the final film. Of course most of us don’t have the budget to do this, unless you are pretty crafty in a 3D program. One trick is to A) storyboard or B) take a small video camera and try to make a makeshift model of the set and film the SFX—a poor man’s previz.

I’ve only really just scraped the surface of doing effects work on the cheap. Low cost equipment and software are the new great equalizer. But using the tools and using them well will set your work apart from others. If you have questions or comments, write in the The Filmlot and I’d be more than happy to address them in future articles.

WORKING WITH ACTORS

Making movies is a collaborative effort. This is not some epiphany I’ve had or discovered all by myself. It is an axiom that has been going on for the last 100 years or so in the history of filmmaking; unless of course, you truly make films as a one-man crew with no actors.

But if you are making or plan on making a feature or short film you have to learn to collaborate, especially if you are going to be directing actors. Actors are the one necessary evil in any production. I say this fondly of course.

So how does one go about eliciting a performance from an actor, whether a well trained and seasoned professional, or a first time novice? I learned early on that you are not allowed to hit them or prod them like cattle. As it turns out, actors tend to be rather sensitive and some actually have very good instincts. All kidding aside, if you are working with an actor, chances are they’ve done their homework and know their character inside and out. They tend to think in character so as you’re directing you may hear, “I don’t think my character would say/or do that.” Listen to them. Hear what they have to say because their instincts are kicking in. Of course you can always over rule their instincts but give them a chance. This is a collaborative medium.

So back to the question: How do you learn to work with actors? How do you get that right performance? The real secret here as I mentioned above is to listen to them. Working with actors is learning to deal with people—it’s just that these people are playing a character. If you come to set with too many preconceived ideas you will lose spontaneity in the performance. It won’t be fresh or new each take. Actors like to experiment, so let them. You can always pick what works later in the editing room. But if you let them do their thing, you might just capture some magic.

I like to rehearse my actors. This can be a simple table read before you ever get to set. It also allows you to hear the characters and to try things out. This is different from rehearsing with the crew and camera. That is a technical exercise for lighting, camera and blocking. But if you can rehearse the actors in preproduction you might be able to help the actors find the character you are looking for as well as help refine the scenes.

I like to break down the characters into archetypes or paradigms, (maternal, paternal, vindictive, etc.) and then when rehearsing the scene, give these instructions to the actors, while they are “in character.” This helps direct them in the direction you want to go and allows them to try the performance a different way. This then carries over to the set when you are shooting. If they start to go another way, you can steer them or guide them in the direction you, as the director want the performance to go.

The mood on set is also a contributing factor to performance. If you are doing comedy, it is important to keep things light. If the scene turns to drama, a jocular mood is probably not appropriate, especially if the actor is staying in character between takes. I don’t mean to say you need to have a dark cloud over the set, be refrain from loud noise or talk. It really does help the performance.

It also helps to be in tune with your actors. You should see if they are struggling or have questions. An open dialogue is always important. Actors also respond to praise. I know this might sound trite, but if you see something you like let them know, so they know they are on the right track with the performance. This is positive reinforcement and it goes along way.

The opposite side of the spectrum is the new or novice actors. Here you tend to see over performances— over acting. Or perhaps the actor is theatrically trained. They are used to making sure the person in the last row of a large auditorium gets the same nuances as the person front row center. It helps to let them rehearse. I find that if you explain to them that they are in this tiny box, the size of a 35 mm frame of film, they can learn to tone down their performance. They don’t have to over gesture. Less is truly more in cinema.

What about improvisation or improv on set? As a writer – director this can be a touchy subject. Many time there is a reason I wrote a line a of dialogue or turn of phrase a certain way. However, I am not opposed to improv if it really will improve a scene. When we are rehearsing on set the actors my stumble upon something instinctively in their character and a scene can take on a whole new meaning. If it improves the scene then we go for it, but if it changes the nuance of the script too much, I will rein it back in. There are no bad ideas out there, but as director it is your job to sift through them all.

Improv will help the actor find that inner voice of the character so it is a good rehearsal exercise, even if you never use it in the film. It allows the actor to become the character and it can be a fun game to play. Ask your actor questions and have them answer in character. It is also in an exercise such as this that you can really help the actor understand what you want out of the character, out of the performance.

I mentioned earlier that I break down the character into archetypes. It is at the rehearsal stage that we go through the script and discuss these character beats. Where are they “paternal,” “mad at the world,” “suicidal,” etc. These are the beats I want out of the performance. Once filming begins, I can hit upon those beats top help the actor stay in character throughout the scene.

An example, I put up a film on my website a film called A Family X-mas. The film is about a Mafioso played by veteran actor Robert Costanzo. When we rehearsed the scenes I kept telling Bobby that I wanted him to play the character like a spoiled little child that is used to always getting his way. I wanted to start the confrontation scene as if “Aha! I got you” no matter what transpires, he has to be on top of the cat and mouse game. Then the scene down shifts and Bobby’s character becomes the little boy, then the spoiled little boy who must get his way at any and all expense. On the receiving end is another veteran actor, John Capodice playing Santa Claus. My instructions to John were simple. “No matter what happens to you, no matter how dire, you must stay Paternal and sympathetic throughout the scene.” And I think it paid off.

Every director will have their own style of dealing with actors. I am a people person so this helps a lot. I like to collaborate and this collaboration translates to some great performances. But I never forget I am steering the ship. I don’t have to be a taskmaster. The simplest suggestion or reminder does go along way. If you are really serious about your profession as a director or filmmaker, I’d suggest taking an acting class. By learning a bit about the craft of an actor, it will help you in your craft of dealing with people.

CREATING A SUCCESSFUL SHORT FILM

I thought I'd start my blogging by reposting a series of articles I wrote for "The Filmlot."

CREATING A SUCCESSFUL SHORT FILM is the first of three. Then it's back to the regularly scheduled blogging.

What makes a successful short film? This is something I’ve been asked many times over the last couple of years as I traveled from film festival to film festival with my short films “A Family X-mas,” (19 festivals to date, domestic and international) and “Knit Wits,” (6 festivals domestic and international, and growing).

So what makes a successful short film? What makes a successful film for that matter? The answer is simple… a good story and a well crafted script. Even if the film is two minutes or two hours, you have to start with a solid blueprint— the script. If you spend the time perfecting the final draft, production can go a lot more smoothly. It is easier to edit on the page, than spend the time and money to shoot something you really don’t need. And in film production time is money. So cut it out before you shoot. I would also suggest keeping the script short. Don’t go out and make a 30 or 40-minute opus.

Try to have one or two locations at the most—don’t have a million company moves, (moving to multiple locations on a shoot day). When I did “A Family X-mas,” and “Knit Wits,”, I had one location that I managed to get for free. But the location was no accident; I designed the script around planning to shoot at one location. It just made sense logistically and economically. But of course if you have the budget, go for it.

The other thing to think about at the location is space. Do you have the room to move the camera and dolly around, plus have room for the crew to be out of the way when you are shooting? It is easier to make a space look small than to shoot in a “closet” and have any room to operate. Also, find a location that meets the requirements of the script. Don’t shoot in your dorm room for a location that calls for:

INT. PALATIAL MANSION – DAY

If you cannot get the location you want, you may want to think about editing your script to fit the locations you can get.

One thing I consider important as a filmmaker is paying attention to detail. I spent a week dressing the set for “A Family X-mas” because I wanted to be able to look anywhere in the room and be able to film in that direction. The scene is supposed to take place in a room, post Christmas party so the set is dressed accordingly—dirty plates, empty beer bottles and wine glasses, etc. I also did the same for the costumes. All the characters have appropriate attire and jewelry, even if you don’t notice it, it is there.

Don’t have a ton of characters, keep the cast small. Try and keep it simple and entertain. Remember the idea is to showcase your talent and show that you can tell a story with a beginning, middle and an end. I think where most comedy shorts fail is they forget this and make a Saturday Night Live Skit that’s a one joke wonder. And the drama shorts either spend too much time setting up the characters and forget about the story or vice versa.

With any type of film you want to have a great cast, because at the end of the day, the actors are whom your audience will identify with in some way, shape or form. So how do you get great actors? A great script. When I was casting my short “A Family X-mas,”, I really had a specific character in mind for the lead. I also wanted to get a recognizable actor, as I figured, more people will want to watch a project with actors they know or are familiar with. I got lucky when I landed veteran actors Robert Costanzo to play mob boss Johnny Guccianno and John Capodice to play Santa Claus.

As chance would have it, I saw the film “With Friends Like These” on HBO one Saturday night while I was in pre-production. The film starred Robert Costanzo, who played a character named Johnny DiMartino, fate? He was absolutely perfect, so I called the Screen Actor’s Guide (SAG) that Monday to find out who his agent was. I then called his agent and faxed over the script. That evening Robert called me and said he’d love to do the project. It turns out he loved the script and thought it would be a fun character to play. And through Robert, I got John Capodice, best friend since “Dog Day Afternoon,” because he wanted to do a project with John.

Now that the hardest part of pre-production is done— casting the film, the next most important step is getting prepared. There are so many things that can go wrong in film production, that it is almost impossible to just wing it, though sometimes you’ll find yourself doing just that, but only if you know your material cold. At this stage you have to break down the script and plan out every shot, whether you storyboard or not is up to you. I prefer not to only because it tends to lock you into a corner and possibly force your actors to do something that may not feel natural for them. I do, however, storyboard effects shots because these really do have to be locked down long before you roll a frame of film. I also make comprehensive shot lists so if I have to cut something out I know where I’m going in the scene. The shot list is almost like pre-editing on paper. It is a written description of what you will be shooting.

It is much easier to make a feature film than it is to make a short film. I know this may sound a bit odd, but it’s true. When making a feature film you usually have money—the great problem solver. When you are making a short film, you have to beg borrow and steal. Plus you may have to call in a lot of favors. This is most true when trying to get a crew together. At this stage, make a list of everyone you know and try to find “connections” to crew members you need. You might discover that a friend’s, brother’s friend’s aunt is a costume designer or your cousin knows a director of photography. Never be afraid to ask for something. The worse thing that can happen is they say no. And they can always say yes. But if you cannot get crew people to work for free, there are tech agencies that represent below the line creatives, (DP’s, Set Designers, Editors, etc.). If you have a great script and they aren’t doing anything that weekend, they might help out in exchange for new material for their reels. Again it never hurts to ask. The worst-case scenario is part of your budget goes to the crew. Another place to get crew is to approach someone who is ready to make the move upwards, say a 1st camera assistant or a camera operator who is looking to shoot, or a set decorator that wants to design. Leave no stone unturned, everyone wants to make a great film and if you give some of these people a chance, they will go the extra mile to deliver a great product.

Finally we come to your shoot date. You’ve got your cast. You have your shot list and you are ready. Don’t forget to enjoy the moment. Let the ideas flow, and listen to those around you who have more experience. There is no such thing as bad ideas. And you, as the director, ultimately decide what to shoot and what advice to do heed. Also remember to keep your cool. Most of your crew is probably working for free—they’re doing you a favor, so don’t blow a gasket or have a screaming fit. I’ve seen this happen and it isn’t pretty nor is it professional.

So what makes a great short film? Well, art is subjective. Not everyone is going to like your work. Hey it even happens to Spielberg! So just put your best effort forward. With a great script and the proper planning, we can all make great films.