Step+Six

If you have prepared thoroughly, this stage should be relatively easy and fun. If all goes well, you should be able to complete the filming in a few hours. Nonetheless, because so much work goes into getting ready for this step and because of the difficulty of getting everything and everyone together, you'll want to make sure you get the most out of your time together. ..


 * Shoot any given shot as many times as necessary until you get it right.** Concentrate on getting the best quality possible with every take. Don’t be afraid to shoot a segment more than once if you think you can improve something. In the next stage in the editing lab, you can easily separate your best takes from the unwanted footage. Hopefully your planning to this point has been effective enough to allow you the time to get things right. Ultimately, the more entertaining and watchable your final film, the more you will enjoy this project!


 * Check your work.** Be methodical at this stage and make sure your equipment is working properly. Check to see that your footage is usable, that the lighting is adequate, and that your sound is clear. Pay particular attention to background noise, as it can become highly distracting, particularly if the later process of editing footage together makes background sounds oddly discontinuous (music in particular). Hopefully, you’ll have the time and means to watch your footage before wrapping up filming. If you aren’t happy with what you have, shoot again, as you’ll be very disappointed in the end if you have to edit together poor quality raw material.

Remember to spend some time in YouTube Film School to learn some of the finer points of filming!