Walk a mile in your lead’s shoes. Or rather, make your audience walk in them. If your character is a serial rapist in jail, your audience may not have much empathy for him; engage the audience by showing things from his point of view, such as in flashbacks of a difficult life or in a current abusive situation while in prison.

Give the camera a human quality. In short, let it stand for the audience’s eyes. Instead of focusing on only the important elements in the room, let it naturally glance around as if the audience is actually in the scene, too. Make them feel as if they are uncovering the surprise elements on their own without your help.

Capitalize on what you can’t see. This can be particularly helpful in scary movies, where things the audience isn’t able to see can be just as scary, if not scarier, remaining unknown rather than in every scene. Focus on sound, character reaction, and other elements when using this technique to really draw the audience in and have them on the edge of their seats.

Use a simple storyline. Though complicated tales can be interesting, they often lose the viewer’s interest early on. The idea isn’t to make the audience work to understand the movie; it’s to make them enjoy the movie by providing an escape from reality.

Give your characters plenty of scene time. This might sound obvious, but instead of focusing on a dynamic film wrapped around a couple of characters, why not focus on the characters themselves? Give them dramatic, unique personalities with layered backgrounds and lives, and let them play out these extraordinary lives in lots of clever dialog and interaction.

Interact with your audience. While you certainly can’t create a quiz for them to fill out while they watch your movie (or can you? People voted for Shrek Idol, after all…), you can put yourself in the viewer’s shoes. What would cause your audience to scream, cry, get angry? It’s just as if you were writing a novel–if you cry, your audience will cry. Keep that in mind when you create your movie as an entire experience.

Keep them begging for more. Hold back key details as long as you can. Now, this can go both ways: don’t make your audience angry by not letting them know what the heck is going on. Instead, keep teasing them so they won’t figure the whole thing out until the end, a technique used in films like Mystic River and The Sixth Sense.

Provide variations in proximity. Alfred Hitchcock liked to use close-ups as well as pan out far away from his actors to create different feelings during a movie. Use these every time you want to either create a very emotional scene or a feeling of detachment.

Fortunately there are still ways to learn about filmmaking. While it doesn’t result in a degree of any kind, Wikiversity’s filmmaking class can be an invaluable resource for movie makers just starting out in the industry. And since it’s free, there’s no excuse to not learn a thing or two from it. The cost of the program’s discs can even be avoided if the student chooses to borrow from the instructor rather than purchase them.

The instructor also provides links to free resources to be used throughout the course.

“Filmmaking is not rocket science. Everything about filmmaking is extremely easy to learn. Anyone can do it if they wish,” proclaims the course website.

However, it warns that, while easy, there is a lot to learn. Even those with quick learning skills can take years to learn the nuances of filmmaking; it’s almost a process of learning the basics for 20 separate jobs.

Created for dramatic motion pictures, the series of courses includes basic filmmaking, film editing, film scoring, scriptwriting, and studio animation.

Students in the course will be expected to produce a short film with a length of less than a minute. According to the course instructor, the course is an excellent step to take in preparing for film school. And with a typical number of 800 applicants seeking only 50 available seats, it can’t hurt to have an edge.

That’s where the Filmmaking.net FAQ comes in. Whether your question is about financing or film school, music or marketing, they’ve got an answer for you.And if they don’t have an answer, they have a place where you can submit your question to be answered by their team of experts.

It’s one of the oldest filmmaking resources on the Internet. Created in 1994, it has over 150 Frequently Asked Questions and their answers to help fledgling filmmakers get their start when they don’t have a professional’s personal advice to heed.

The FAQ is organized easily into categories, such as Actors & Casting and Film School & Career. Questions can also be found using the feed of latest questions as well as most popular questions asked.

The old adage “There is no such thing as a stupid question” comes to play here, too. Questions like “How do I make my video look like a film?” and “Which camera should I buy?” are some very popular ones that the site answers.

And best of all–these answers are free!

And for the people out there who already know their stuff when it comes to movie making, there are unanswered questions on the site available for answering as well.

The good news is that a green screen can be made very cheaply. For about $40 you can make your own.

First, gather your materials. You’ll need four pieces of PVC pipe (about ten feet in length each, just to be on the safe side), four end caps, four pipe tees, a saw, two ninety-degree elbows, glue, about five yards of green fabric, two pipe connectors, and six clamps.

Determine the height that you want your green screen to be. Get two PVC pipes and cut them to this height.

Then, cut them both in half and add a pipe connector in the center of each one. (This may seem like a redundant step, but it’s to make your screen transportable.)

Obtain another PVC pipe. Cut it into two equal lengths, about four inches shorter than your green cloth. Cut your last pipe into four parts, all the same length, to make the screen’s stand. Put two of them together with one of your pipe tees, and then put the other two together the same way so you’ll have two pairs. Place the end caps on the open ends to seal them shut.

With the PVC pipe you’ve got leftover, cut two sections out to use as spacers. These should be about six inches in length. Add these to the pipe tees.

Glue the couplers to to one section of the pipe, and put all of your pieces together to make the screen frame. Add the green fabric by using the clamps to attach it to the sides and top of the frame. Stretch it across tightly to ensure no wrinkles result on screen, and you’re ready to use it.

When you’re finished, you can easily disassemble the screen and move it to your next location.

Filmmakers, like their other fellow artists, are also required to keep a mound of paperwork. Unfortunately, it’s often a lot more than the poet or concert pianist must keep.
Thankfully, there are resources out there that provide not only the know-how of such things, but also absolutely free copies of them to use.

Dependent Films is one such resource. In just one location, it lists just about everything you need to keep up with your paper pile, including the following:

Script Formatting: Don’t pay hundreds of dollars for fancy programs when you can get iScript, Scriptmaker and other programs for free.

Storyboard Tools: From widescreen to standard format to other variations, they’re all here for your convenience.

Logs, Equipment, and Other Forms: Call sheets, contact sheets, location scouting and release forms, editing logs, production reports, budget proposals… all of these forms and more can be downloaded and used for your own production.

Miscellaneous Forms: Sample materials, such as performer releases, compensation contracts, and script agreements, will come in handy if you’re not yet familiar with these. They will also help you look more professional and develop your skills. Film journal, budget, equipment list and other sheets will also help you keep organized.

Be sure to bookmark Dependent Films–you’ll definitely come back to it as you work on your filmmaking career.

The sound effects, for one thing, should be considered in every scene of your movie.Is the killer slicing someone’s guts out? You’ll need to create the sound of flesh being cut without actually cutting your actor’s flesh. Are your characters going over a waterfall? You might have the boat jostling around pretty well, but do you have the rushing sound of the falls in the background?

Without these aspects, your scene is going to lack its auditory depth, which will detract from the film as well as the viewers’ experience.

You may also have some conceptual sound involved in your scene. If you’re looking for an abstract, satirical or otherwise offbeat feel, you may want to get the help–or at least the advice–of a sound designer.

He or she can help you with montage sequences (think of the “Gonna Fly Now” scenes from the Rocky movies), inserting ironic song choices into scenes (such as how “Singin’ in the Rain” was used in A Clockwork Orange), or using unusual sound choices for key moments in the film (monkey chatter being used over human voices to illustrate idiocy, for example).

You’ll also have to strategically record all of your sound with appropriate use of microphones and recording devices. For this, the help of a sound recordist can be invaluable. He or she can help direct you with exactly what equipment you will need–and be able to get with your budget–as well.

Finally, your sound will have to be edited before your film is complete. You will need some sort of sound editing equpiment, and may want to ask a sound editor for help with this.

That said, you can still film on a great location for cheap–even for free. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you set out on finding your perfect location.

Use every resource you’ve got. Remember family, friends, coworkers and general acquaintances. Chances are someone has that old attic, barn or pond you need for a scene.

Be sure to get a permit if you need one. If you’re in an anonymous location–in the woods or in your own home–you likely won’t need one; however, you will probably need permission to film any street sign, home other than your own, corner store, etc.

Respect the location. Clean up after using it, and don’t leave anything behind.

Know the area. This will help you in knowing how to use the land as well as make a better film, rather than spending your time acquainting yourself with the location.

Ask your state film commission for help. They may help you out for free.

Go glamorous. Just because you don’t have big bucks doesn’t mean that you can’t have a fine location for your glitzy romantic comedy. Be creative and find a nice place near you, or invest in some thrift store finds and create your own location.

See about getting film insurance. That way, if someone gets injured on the set you know you’ll be protected from getting sued.

In short, this will be the most important person that you hire!

The most cost effective way to get a Director of Photography (DP), of course, is to do the job yourself.

If you think you can do it yourself–say you’ve taken a few courses, or maybe you have a mentor in the business or at film school who can guide you–by all means, go for it! But if not, you need to find somebody in the business with some skills and know-how.

You can start searching for your DP at your nearest film school. Even if you don’t have a school dedicated just to film making, your local college will have a film or other arts department. You can also visit filmschools.com to find the nearest school. Once you have a contact there, set up a meeting–but don’t just go to meet the department chair; come prepared.

Have some information about your film ready, with flyers to post around the department. Be sure to include your phone number and name. Be sure to arrive for your appointment early enough to scan the school’s bulletin boards, which is where you may find DPs already seeking employment.

A good DP will know everything about the technical effects of the scene. He or she will have a demo tape for you to check out. Once you’ve seen that and his or her credentials, you will be able to make a decision on whether or not he or she is the one you’re looking for.

That said, you will need funding somehow; you can’t get everything you need out of thin air. (Of course, you can get most of the things you need cheaply if you are creative. See all of our previous posts for ideas.)

Here are some good ways to get funding for your movie.

Enter contests. Many companies and networks hold contests every year for new directors. Prizes often include money to make your own film. The only drawback is that you often have to have a short film to begin with to enter.

Ask for help. If you have a rich uncle, chances are you’ve already asked him. (If you haven’t, what’s stopping you?) That said, you could always ask friends and family to donate–every little bit helps, as they say–or even hold a small fundraiser for your movie.

Get a sponsor. If you know any organizations or businesses that might offer support, be sure to hit them up.

Apply for a loan. If you have good credit and no big bills, you might be able to get as much as you need.

Make a website. Not only will you spread the word about your film, you can also set up ways for people to donate money to your project–or even host ads that will pay you for hosting them.

Apply for a grant. You can do this through school and various organizations. Or, you could apply for a fellowship.