Filmmaking for Everyone

Film language:
telling your story

Film language means how you set up and film individual images, how you use sound, and how you combine them to tell your story and influence what people feel about it.

You can make your movie flow by following some simple rules about where to put your camera, how to frame your shots, and how to edit them together.

The filmmaking process

You need to follow an organised process for planning, shooting, and editing and sharing: it’s explained here.  I’ve also written simple step-by-step guides to making a factual video and iPhone/iPad filmmaking. 

Choosing equipment

You need to choose the right camera and other equipment. I’ve compared the best affordable cameras for starting filmmaking.

If you’re on a tight budget, you can make movies with cameras costing under $300/£250, or even with your iPhone or iPad.  This article will help you choose video cameras for children and teens.

Techniques and ideas

You can get lots of ideas by watching other people’s films. If you want to make original, creative films you need to learn from other filmmakers and watch movies you wouldn’t normally see, like this one.

This section includes ideas about how to use still photos, film poems and poem films, and how great filmmakers have used sound.

Multitouch eBook

My 148-page interactive multitouch book introduces film and filmmaking for ages 9 and up.

For iPad, Mac and iPhone.

Editable movie

Learn or teach filmmaking by editing my short movie on your Mac, PC or iPad.

55 video clips plus step-by-step PDF guide.