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directing Archives - Steve Stockman

Steve Stockman
In Tips and Tricks, For Pros, Your Questions Answered

Help! I Need an On-Set Checklist!

checklist, not shot list
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Steve Stockman
In Video Marketing, Feature Film, Television, For Pros, Your Questions Answered

Shooting Ratio: How Much is Enough Footage?

Shooting ratios are different for different productions.

How do I know if I’ve shot enough footage? I hate to waste money and time, but I’m nervous I won’t get what I need for the edit.

PS: Absolutely love your book! I’ve read it cover-to-cover twice now and starting my third time through.

–Jamal

Directors always shoot more than they think they need. Which means some of it will always be wasted. That’s how it’s supposed to work. It’s so normal that there’s even a name for this waste. It’s called the “shooting ratio” and it simply means the ratio between how much footage goes on screen, … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In Video Marketing, Feature Film, Television, For Pros, Your Questions Answered

Shoot Just Enough and No More

Throughout your book you talk about cutting, trimming, deleting, editing until you’ve removed all of the bad, redundant, boring parts of your project.

What happens when you cut out all of the bad stuff and then you realize that you don’t have enough good material to complete the project? Are there strategies to make sure you shoot enough great material to edit?

It’s too late to fix my first project (a music video), but I’d sure like to make sure it doesn’t happen on my next one.

–Fred

Knowing how much to shoot may be the second biggest issue a … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In Tips and Tricks, If you’re new to video, Video Marketing, Feature Film, Television, For Pros, Your Questions Answered

Shooting like the Pros

I am a professional videographer, and your advice to “shoot short shots” is totally misguided. Pros shoot more than they need so they can make their video perfect in the editing room. Turning the camera on and off is an amateur move.  How have you made a living in this business?

–Chris F., New York

Watch any film or TV show and you’ll see a series of very short shots (read why here). I argue that most people should get out of the habit of running the camera non-stop when shooting. And every so often I get a letter … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In Tips and Tricks, Feature Film, Television, Your Questions Answered

Dealing with Lousy Actors

I got your book for Christmas and I LOVE it !! :)  I’m 15 years old and this coming summer I am gonna be shooting my first HUGE movie!! (I have made many movies before but never one so planned and big)

So I made a huge mistake: I told my best friend that all her cousins could be in the movie as actors!! Problem is some I have never even met and the ones I have met I have no clue if they can act!! So my question is what to do now? What if they can’t act?? I

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Steve Stockman
In Video Marketing, For Pros

Whose Fault is it if the Talent Looks Bad? Yours.

Want to know a secret that professional directors know and don’t often share?  Of course you do.  Here it is:

85% of the director’s job is casting.  If you get the right person in front of the camera, your film will be great.  But get stuck with the wrong talent, and you are in deep trouble. (For those of you with math OCD issues: another 10%  is helping talent to do their job, and the last 5% is staying out of the way.)

Having the wrong talent on screen is a lose-lose proposition for everyone.  Your video will suck, … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In Tips and Tricks, 12 Tips to Improve Your Video NOW

5 Tips to shoot better video– Instantly!

From the "How to Shoot Video that Doesn't Suck" book trailer.

The book trailer for How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck gets you started with 5 great tips to help you shoot better video.

This isn’t a technical book–it’s about how to think like a director so you can shoot video that people will actually want to watch. It includes step by step instructions for beginners, great ideas on story and more advanced techniques if you’re already serious about shooting stills or video, and even a few ideas that will inspire a pro. Whether you’re shooting with a red, a dslr or your smartphone, these are tips you can use … Read the rest

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