Filmmaking / Directing : Stage 32! Let's hear from you! by John Mezes

Great topic, John Mezes!

Love this question, John!

Thanks folks. Waiting for some engaging answers. I'll be there's a lot to be learned in these answers.

You're welcome, John Mezes. I tried to make two feature films way back. Something I did was surround myself with a supportive, experienced team.

Absolutely, Maurice Vaughan! The more supportive, professional, and experienced the crew around you is, the more terrific the finished product will be.

I actually have a great time hiding lavs on actors!

And my actors also enjoy my lav rigging process.

Well done, George Tataje! Thank you for sharing with us!

George wonderful pic! Where were you? I love that you love what you do!

It looks tropical!

If you put baby powder on a sheet of dry wall it's a cost effective and great way to get a big horror effect of something bursting through a wall - you get a lot of particles and it looks very cool for the price. Add some big sound effects and shreiks galore. One silly trick of the trade I learned on a shoot in Texas was that if you have to shoot a string of overnights, that first day when you flip from day to night, have a 3am cup of coffee with hot chocolate mix stirred in. It's a treat and kicks you into a great gear to work through a 6am wrap.

I love this, Sam Sokolow! Very cool technique indeed, and the way you described filming it I can see it clearly in my mind how it would look. Ah, the "overnight fuel"! I have heard of this beverage through discussions in shooting.

John Mezes, one of my favorite low-budget tricks is using shower curtains as diffusion for lighting. Thats one that my husband taught me when we were making shorts at school. If you need soft, natural-looking light but don’t have access to expensive diffusion, a cheap white shower curtain from a dollar store can do wonders. Just hang it in front of your light source to create a soft, cinematic glow. It's perfect for interviews, close-ups, or moody scenes.

Oh wow, Ashley Renée Smith!! That's ingenious and yet so simple and economic to use effectively! I am enjoying learning about these tricks of the trade. Thank you!