Think about what equipment you will need.
If you don’t have access to a video camera to shoot your film, don’t be discouraged. You can put together a film on your smartphone. Some great short films have been shot using a smart phone.
Create your storyboard
You can download free templates online or start by drawing a series of boxes on a piece of paper. In each box sketch your scenes and give consideration to how close you’ll be to the subject, their position and the angle you’re shooting from.
Stick figures will work just fine if drawing isn’t your strong suit, but remember to draw in all of your props. You can then add notes under each scene about location, script, camera movements, etc. The storyboard can be as detailed as you like and will be a useful tool when you start filming.
Chase Me Films - How to Create a Storyboard for Your Video Shoot
Get out there and shoot your film
To get the perfect shot or enhance the mood of a scene, experiment with your camera settings instead of relying on automatic settings. When filming outdoors, shoot with the sunlight behind you. To get creative with your scenes, mix up the angles and level that you film from. Be wary of filming in noisy locations, such as near busy roads, as this can be recorded in your audio and make it hard to hear dialogue. Keep your camera steady and if possible use a tripod to avoid shaky video.
Have a look in the resource section for some handy tips.
If you are filming on a smart phone, you can shoot in either portrait or landscape orientation but make sure it’s consistent and keep the camera steady to avoid blurriness. There are some great filmmaking apps for smart phone such as iphone iMovie which is available free for download.
Make sure you complete a Still and Moving Image Release form(PDF, 67KB) for any people you film including members of the public.