Making a Moooovie

With all the advents and proliferation of the Amaturization of the Web, it was only a matter of time before the video format followed suit. YouTube was started in 2005 as a way for Amateurs to create, and publish their own videos. Other Social Media platforms became compatible to allow easier access to YouTube videos to be seen, such as Twitter embedding these links. However, the thing about most amateur YouTube videos is it is just a singular video with little actual editing. Film production crews make a lot of money during countless hours of work to put these movies together. So what goes into making an amateur production?

To make a video or movie production, it cannot be understated enough the amount of effort, and attention to detail that must be present. Typically this is all done while collaborating with a group of people that have their own creative and artistic perspective on how the final product should be assembled. The team has to remain super organized on how the project should be put together, and which order the final product will be sequenced. That point cannot be overstated enough due to the difficulty. For an example in a three-minute project; there can be upwards of 50 different clips that have to be edited in a certain order.  The group must be on the same page with how this needs to work.  Any production needs to tell a story related to a specific message or topic the film makers are trying to portray. So having to balance the creative flow between collaborating minds can be a difficult task at times. Anytime a group project is being assembled, each group member has to rely on others to get certain parts of it done. Each member has to tow the line in a sense and trust each other to deliver their parts.

The fun part of these projects is the acting out of the scenes, and building the bank for scene selection. In the movie industry; paid Actors will handle this. It must be a tremendous experience being able to watch Actors who have worked their entire lives scratching and engraving their craft, and becoming capable of delivering a wide range of scenes is no doubt fun to see. In smaller projects, or self-projects…the producer, and director sometimes has to be an actor. This part of the project is still fun, however it does have a different feel due to being caught up in the minutia of the work. There is no real order to which the clips are being shot as they are just being assembled out of convince. Putting together a checklist of what is needed based off the storyboard is essential, as remaining organized is at the utmost importance. It is fun to act them out, then get together with the group and watch the acting job the self-video producer’s did. It still is an awkward feeling to see one’s self on camera on a screen, no matter how many times it has been done before. There are stories out there of celebrities who do not watch themselves on TV, or Musicians who do not listen to their work on the radio.

The editing process is somewhat tedious, but the most crucial aspect to seeing a production come to life. Editing it all together is where all of the organization, and details from the storyboard are crucial. The first main aspect of the editing process is making sure there are no continuity errors, meaning there are no duplicate clips seen. The editing software used is actually fairly user friendly, and easy to navigate through. The clips must be edited together in a sequence that tells a story, and paints a picture for the viewer of the final project to process logical thought. Music, and background noise is another essential piece to be edited in the production.

The struggles that can be encountered have to do with time. Professionals have their entire life devoted to these projects. Amateurs have to maneuver around work schedules, class schedules, social and family schedules. Then there are other group members who have to account for these things. Circumstances outside of the realm of control can derail projects; group members can become ill, or unreliable which puts the bulk of the work on other people. It is safe to say however, when these projects do work out, and the final cut comes together, it is a fantastic experience seeing the project come to life.