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Nuts-and-Bolts Filmmaking Table of Contents (TOC)

N&B Filmmaking TOC as Acrobat PDF (95K)

Nuts-and-Bolts Filmmaking

1. Safety first

2. N-&-B Preproduction

2.1. Storyboarding

2.1.1. Concrete shot visualization

2.1.2. Methods of communication

2.1.3. Scene checklist

2.1.4. Templates

2.1.5. Photographic storyboard

2.1.6. Drawing storyboards with Adam Actor and Amy Actress

2.1.7. Using presentation software to stage your storyboard

2.2. Script supervisor

2.2.1. Templates

2.3. Location scouting

2.3.1. Templates/Checklists

2.3.2. Calculating the sun position

2.3.3. Creating location layout templates

2.4. Legal Release forms

3. N-&-B Camera Department

3.1. Build-yourself inexpensive camera mounts

3.1.1. Hi-hat mount

3.1.2. Inside car mount

3.2. Tripod head slider

3.3. Tripod spreaders

3.4. N-&-B Camera Glider

3.5. Weighted tripod glider

3.6. Wheelchair

3.7. Doorway dolly

3.8. Tripod dolly

3.9. Underwater camera

3.10. Vegetable LUX meter

3.11. Reflected light meter to incident light meter

3.12. Depth of Field Spreadsheet

3.13. Build-yourself slate

3.14. Matte Box

3.15. Techniques

3.15.1. Light temperature chart

3.15.2. White-balance day for night

3.15.3. Depth reducer

3.15.4. Dulling spray

3.15.5. Ad Hoc Viewfinders

3.15.6. Setting actor marks

4. N-&-B Gaffer tools

4.1. Electrician's belt

4.2. Softbox

4.3. Coffee can spotlight

4.4. Slide projector spotlight

4.5. Hand-held light/Eye light

4.6. Rotating socket light

4.7. Flashpan

4.8. Squeezer

4.9. Homemade Barn doors

4.10. Light diffusers

4.10.1.1. Gobos/cookies

4.10.1.2. Light decrease calculations

4.10.2. Homemade filters/gels

4.11. Green/blue screen

4.11.1. Guerilla green screen

4.11.2. Build-yourself green screen

4.11.3. Techniques for actors

4.12. Techniques

4.12.1. Light ratios - total light on scene vs. small spotlight

4.12.1.1. Ambient level, traffic headlights example

4.12.2. Sylvania Sun Guns

4.12.3. Simulating passing traffic

4.12.3.1. Day

4.12.3.2. Night

4.12.4. Upside-down camera  

4.12.5. Newspaper as duvetine on location

4.12.6. Gaffer's tape

4.12.7. Using lighting layers for background

4.12.8. Lighting film vs. video

4.12.9. White tape on background objects

5. N-&-B Grip tools

5.1. Grip belt

5.1.1. Differences from Electrician's belt

5.1.2. Velcro loops

5.2. Build-yourself C-Stand

5.2.1. Stand

5.2.2. Arm variety

5.2.3. Righty-tighty, lefty loosy

5.3. Build-yourself sandbags

5.3.1. Sandbag

5.3.2. Water jug

5.3.3. Concrete

5.4. Build-yourself flags

5.4.1. Frame

5.4.2. Material

5.5. Shiny board

5.6. Grip knots & Hitches overview

5.6.1. Knot tips

5.6.1.1.1. Calculate decrease strength of rope or line

5.6.1.1.2. Don't use knots for cable

5.6.1.1.3. Lighter to seal ends of nylon rope

5.7. Overhand knot

5.8. Figure 8

5.9. Bowline

5.10. Clove hitch

5.11. Trucker's Hitch

5.11.1.1. Quick hitch

5.11.1.2. Figure 8 hitch

5.12. Cable ties

5.13. Build-yourself apple crates

5.13.1. Full apple

5.13.2. Half apple, Quarter apple, Pancake

5.14. Techniques

5.14.1. Grip clips

5.14.2. Wheel traps

5.14.3. White balloons as reflectors

6. N-&-B Sound Department

6.1. Build-yourself boom

6.2. Boom mount

6.3. Techniques

7. N-&-B Art Department

7.1. Art/on-set box

7.1.1. Contents list

7.1.2. Expendables

7.2. Break-through/Exploding walls

7.4. Prop manufacture

7.4.1. Mold creation

7.4.2. Simulated chrome

7.4.3. Dipping

7.5. Overlay effects

7.5.1. Clouds

7.5.2. Swarms of bees

7.5.3. Waterfall

7.6. Smoke box

7.7. Material substitution

7.7.1. Bone & ash

7.7.2. Wine & liquors

7.7.3. Non-melt ice cubes

7.7.4. Glossy shine on print materials

7.7.5. Semi-permanent water droplets

7.7.6. Temporary graffiti

7.7.7. Latex or vinyl covering

7.8. Aging techniques

7.8.1. Wall aging

7.8.2. Simulate dirt and stains

7.8.3. Paper aging

7.9. Creating a fake body

7.10. Securing items

7.10.1. Ratchet straps

7.10.2. Cinch straps

7.10.3. Motorcycle straps

7.10.4. Load binders

7.10.5. Knots

7.10.5.1. Using grip knots for Art Department

7.10.5.2. Organizing the prop truck

7.11. Techniques

7.11.1. Creating a videotape sampler

7.11.2. Photoshop set decoration

7.11.3. Sandwich to cut thin material

7.11.4. Sandwich for stabbing

7.11.5. 3rd Hand tape cutting

7.11.6. Instant curtains

7.11.7. Sanding pin

7.11.8. On-set quick compass

7.11.9. Woodscrew waxing

7.11.10. On-set non-stretch rope

8. N-&-B Makeup and Wardrobe

8.1. Achieving the character look

8.1.1. Glasses

8.1.2. Belts

8.1.3. Stuff in pockets

8.1.4. Shirt comportment

8.1.5. Umbrellas

8.2. Techniques

8.2.1. General makeup tips

8.2.2. Matte gel

8.2.3. Simulation

8.2.3.1.Beads of sweat

8.2.3.2.Sweat stains on armpits

8.2.3.3.Fake tears

8.2.4. Collecting hats

8.2.5. Clothing to avoid

8.2.5.1.Red and yellow shirts light reflection

8.2.6. Uniform patches

8.2.7. Using a portable sewing machine

9. N-&-B Post Production

9.1. Day for night Post-production

9.2. Skip-bleach simulation

9.3. DV softener

9.4. No-cost scoring

9.5. Shortcut editing key labels

10. Glossary

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