21 Facts About Filmmaking That Are Worth Knowing For Kids

Producing a motion picture or movie from start to finish is called filmmaking.

Filmmaking is an art and science because a filmmaker uses his creative thinking skills to lead and direct the whole movie. It involves many complex and discrete ideas, starting from a story to get through various stages till the film is released and exhibited.

Making a single movie uses various technologies, cinematic techniques, and cinematic tools. Earlier filmmaking involved film and film reels, but now everything is digital. Digital filmmaking or cinematography uses digital image sensors or a digital camera to capture moving images, rather than film stock. And movie cameras take images very quickly, usually 24-25 frames per second. The world's first all-digital film shot in high definition video was 'Rainbow' made in 1996.

With the advancement of digital technology since the mid-2010s, digital cinematography has become dominant. Nowadays, modern movies are captured and distributed digitally across the world. Movies are projected digitally in movie theaters with the help of digital video projectors using digital light processing technology. With the advent of this digital light processing technology, a movie studio need not send huge reels to theaters. This contributed to the huge advancement in the film industry.

Read the facts below to explore filmmaking's history, stages, elements, and importance to understand better how this medium has captured the imaginations of audiences globally for over a century.

The History Of Filmmaking

The movie industry we know today originated in the 19th century with the advancement of photography and combining individual still images to create an illusion of motion. After that, using these motion pictures emerged in the entertainment industry. So, read on some interesting facts about how the world of movies emerged.

• The concept of motion picture dates way back to the 1890s when the camera was first invented. Early cameras took pictures at 16 frames per second, which was very slow. So, old movies looked unnatural. The earliest short films also accompanied bands sometimes due to lack of audio facility. However, in 1891, Thomas Edison's kinetoscope introduced motion pictures to a mass audience.
• The first feature-length film, 'The Story Of The Kelly Gang,' was produced in 1906. It was an Australian film that was an hour-long and about 4000 ft (1219.2 m) reels in length. Standard film reels of 1000 ft (304.8 m) long will give 11 minutes of footage at 25 frames per second. That's why projectionists frequently changed these film reels so that the film is uninterrupted.
• The first movie theaters opened in 1907. After the emergence of movie theaters, all movies shifted from traditional theaters to new ones. In 1910, movies were established as a popular mass entertainment media. By 1915, major movie studios moved to Hollywood, and these movie studios controlled every aspect of the film industry.
• Talking in filmmaking was introduced in 1927 and by 1930, silent films were a thing of the past. However, people made black and white films until the '50s. After the invention of television in 1927, there was a reduced crowd in the movie theaters, and the adoption of the VCR further reduced the audience in theaters.
• After panning cameras were invented in 1987, the panorama shot was developed and used in the movie industry for the first time. Before then cameras were stationary, the director moved the real camera and tripod to get a single shot or motion images. This panorama shot helped advance filmmaking and cinematography as an art form.

The Different Stages Of Filmmaking

After watching a blockbuster film, have you ever tried to think what goes into making such a successful movie at the box office? Wheter it's a big-budget studio film or a small, independent one; all filmmakers go through five stages of filmmaking. This includes development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution.

From devising the film concept, arranging funds, hiring cast and crew, editing, marketing the films, and ultimately distributing it, every step requires high effort to cross through each stage successfully. Listed below are the different stages of filmmaking.

• Development: This stage conceptualizes a script based on a book, another movie, a true-life story, or an original concept. It also includes creating, writing, organizing, and planning a film project. The budget and location are decided, the actors go through several auditions, and multiple scripts are written. Writers and directors often create storyboards to entice producers to finance the film.
• Pre-production: The main objective of this stage is to constrict the options and plan the movie development in terms of film cast, film crew, sets and costumes, cities or towns to shoot the film, and budget. Usually, a production manager is hired to create a schedule and manage it during this stage. Also, there should always be a backup plan in case things change.
• Production: This stage is the actual film production stage. The main aim is to strictly follow the budget and schedule, which requires constant vigilance. This stage is quite challenging and stressful. A director must be very clear in their visions to not sully a film's reputation. So, good collaboration and communication among the director and the actors play a pivotal role here.
• Post-production: This stage is when the shot is edited, visual effects are added, music is composed, audio design and titles are finalized. For footage to go to digital video projectors, it needs to go through the successful post-production stage. And editing is a crucial part of making the film. In this stage, the raw footage resembles a real movie.
• Distribution: In this final stage, the film is distributed to different mediums like movie theaters, television, home video, digital media, and streaming services like Amazon Prime and Netflix. It's the work of the producers to strike a lucrative deal for the distribution of the movies so that it reaches maximum audiences and generates the right amount of money in return for investment.

The Elements Of Filmmaking

Elements of filmmaking refer to how every scene in a film is composed and constituted. It helps understand the true structure of movies and how they contribute to being a big part of the film industry. It uses various techniques like camera lighting, camera movement, and shot composition. In feature filmmaking, the best-known lighting convention is camera lighting, especially the key light or main light. The main light is placed on one side of the camera, focusing on the subject.

The five major elements of the film include narration, cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene, and editing. Based on these five elements, every movie is determined, and it helps to analyze a scene in the movies.

• Narration is similar to the movie's plot and is more of a film's story synopsis. All the events are arranged sequentially, giving a feeling of forwarding motion of the story. We can know the exact storyline through these events and can proceed ahead.
• Cinematography means moving picture photography. It's a way where the film is framed, toned, and colored in its photography. It takes close-ups of the main actor or subject using the key light. It's a brilliant method to connect the audience to the character. This stage involves several movie techniques to approach and compile the shot creatively and properly. Several movie techniques include camera lighting, shot composition, and camera movement.
• Sound is one of the pivotal aspects of a film. It has three main components; music, dialogue, and sound effects. Music conveys the feelings and perception of a film to the audience. Dialogue and sound effects go side by side and help the audience enter the film world.
• Mise-en-scene is the visual presentation and overall look of the movie. It's described as setting a scene and placing everything in place to appear on a screen. The director at this stage works very hard to incorporate all the events effectively in the film.
• The last element of filmmaking is editing which involves putting all the scenes together in order. The role of an editor is to make sure all shots and the music gel well into the storyline and to make the scenes flow smoothly without any hick-ups. This ensures the full engagement of the audience in the film's plot. It is an example of transitions from one scene to the next scene.
• Cinematic tools also play a major role in the film's overall look. Software is used to create an integrated film database. It combines the film database tools with conversion tools associated with Final Cut Pro. Cinematic tools also generate the cut list required to transform the camera negative into a fully edited movie.
• It also removes unnecessary footage from the standard 30 frames per second to 24 frames per second for sound films. All digital formats must record in the 24 frames per second source as per NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) standards.

The Importance Of Filmmaking

Film-making or cinematography has been a powerful medium to entertain people throughout history. It affects our lives and society by expanding our knowledge of history and culture. The film industry is so big that the overall impact and influence are immense. Read on to learn why movies were invented and why they are important.

• Filmmaking is important because the visual basis of films is a universal power of communication.
• Moving images are considered an important art form and a powerful medium for education. It is a very popular entertainment source.
• The main goal of a movie is to send a message to the audience, and it is also observed that a film changes people's opinions and perspectives very easily.
• Filmmaking has also contributed to the economy's growth and prosperity. It provides jobs, revenue, and infrastructure development, providing an immediate increase in the local economy. According to a survey by Motion Picture Association, the American film and television industry creates 2.2 million jobs.