How to make

a short film

Here are some tools that might help you make your film

Pre-Production (Planning, scripting and storyboarding)

This is probably the most important part of the film making process and can make the difference between a good film and a bad one. That's not to say a well planned film won't need to be well executed.

Below are a couple of videos providing tips on storytelling/storyboarding and a selection of templates which you can use to help you plan your short film, you don't have to use all of them.

Download a Template Script

Download a Storyboard Template

Download Film Shot Types

Production - The actual shooting and recording

Shooting a short film is now possible for anyone with a fairly up to date smartphone. We have collated some films to help people who would like to use a smartphone and still get decent results.

Post Production - Everything between production and creating a final master copy

We've compiled a selection of free video editors that range from the quite simple to use (Shotcut and iMovie) to the open source and more in depth (LightWorks). Consider your editing skills and choose one that most suits your level. We have also provided links to video tutorials or user guides where possible. Looking at these might help make it easier to choose one.

Shotcut

Shotcut is a free, open source video editor that makes movie making straightforward. In just a few easy steps, you can use Shotcut to cut your video footage to a specified length before converting it to a format of your choice. You can also edit your projects with a selection of filters and effects.

Video Tutorial