DIY Filmmaking

I have always found that starting in filmmaking demands alot from people, and its something ive grown to love. The countless list of things to do during a production absolutely amazes me. I love how a spark of an idea can develop into something so powerful it can affect 1000s of people.

I also love the creativity that comes with making low/no budget productions. I remember when I first got my DSLR I made a shoulder rig out of PVC plastic, it wasnt the sturdiest thing but it did its job. I find that learning on something imperfect makes you truly appreciate how to use that object. I remember when being taught about depth of field, the cameras where pretty useless and to achieve the shallow focus, we had to stand meters back, zoom in, have subjects meters away from each other and then we still only got a minute DoF (probably due to the small sensor) the aperture was wide open too. I found learning under these circumstances enabled me to truly understand how to manipulate focus, it's great now I can pick my DSLR up and achieve a nice DoF, not only that, I know now how to manipulate it and use it to my advantage.

So new filmmakers don't let expensive equipment put you off making a film. Use what you can to achieve the affect you want. There are lots of cheap materials to do this and even reuse stuff you don't need anymore, old rollerblade videos make good wheels for a DIY slider. Trollies also make good (but shaky  dollies. Use your imagination what you used to create your world and apply it to the real world to help you get the shot you need. 

So stick with it and use your imagination!