While the pandemic has affected all sectors alike, some sectors like film production and tourism have been impacted the most.
To encounter the disruptions caused by the pandemic, some ingenious movie industry experts have moved to leverage the internet to create and market their movies.
A March-end report by Forbes shows that the pandemic has led to a surge of 70% in internet use, and online streaming has jumped by 12%. It’s a no-brainer that with COVID-19 further tightening its grips all around the world, the massive figures are bound to head further north.
If you have been contemplating about creating a movie that would satisfy the cravings of the ‘stuck-at-home’ movie fanatics, no need to go any further, as we take you through a guided tour into the world of quarantined movie-making and give a snapshot of everything you need to make the most of the pandemic period and earn revenue in the process.
Making a Quarantine Movie – The Starter
Before we take up seemingly complex issues that might require your unwavering attention, let us start with what is more straightforward.
To create a movie, you need a plot and some timeline. While amateur writers often use blank pen and paper to jot down their thoughts, professional filmmakers rely more on screenwriting software that conforms to the standards of the industry.
Screenwriting software is the best way to develop your story and write dialogues that make the best impact. It offers distinct advantages like grammar-checking, screenplay templates, storyboarding, and real-time collaboration with other screenwriters, among other features.
Hence, to position your quarantine movie bang on target, you should consider using the software.
Making a Quarantine Movie – The Ultimate Tips to Be Popular
The post-COVID world is a virtual world, and this trend is here to stay for long. With people’s income taking a nosedive, the last thing they would consider, even when things return to normalcy, is to spend on discretionary things like visiting cinema halls.
The changed circumstances make it imperative for you to explore alternative ways to design and market your movie. Here are the top ways you can capitalize on your movie-making skills:
1. Get a High-End Smartphone
A lot of movies have been shot in smartphones for the past few years.
While before the pandemic, shooting with a smartphone was an expression of the director’s creative liberty, in the post COVID world, it has become a necessity.
However, before you plunge into the job, brush up the basics, you need to shoot a movie that will grab the headlines because of its ingenuity.
- Most high-quality movies are shot in the 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio. To get the best effect, try to keep your phone in landscape mode or sideways.
- While shooting a video, try to keep your phone in airplane or do-not-disturb mode. The last thing you would want is to cancel the entire shoot because you received an SMS towards the end of the shoot.
- Buy an external microphone before shooting the movie, as internal microphones generally capture the surrounding noise. In case you cannot avoid the internal microphone, pick out a completely sound-proof location.
- Pay attention to the light source and create an additional arrangement of light, as smartphones usually cannot capture high-quality images in low-light.
- Try to keep your smartphone static, as a smartphone is more prone to distortions.
In addition to the tips mentioned below, make sure to pre-shoot the video and make the necessary changes to the shoot plan.
2. Edit the Video
Editing will give shape to your video. During editing, you trim or restructure scenes and add audio and video effects to make it viewable and attractive.
All reputed filmmakers keep an eye on the following things to make sure their movies are top of the class:
- Remove all external sounds from the video and add emphasis to dialogues.
- Check and eliminate all lags between audio and video.
- Make use of timelapse and drone footages to add a different dimension to the video.
- Modulate visual elements like hue, tint, and saturation to bring out the real effect of the movie.
Finally, consider from the audience’s perspective to get a feel of the kind of content and visual effects your target audience would love to get from the movie and edit accordingly.
3. Evaluate the Story from a Viewer’s Perspective
There is no doubt that you have given the best efforts to create an appealing and attractive movie. But, despite the best intentions, there are times when moviemakers do not make the cut because of reasons beyond their comprehension.
Let us now find out what the top filmmakers do with their scripts to get appreciation from the audience.
- Evaluate the script from the viewers’ perspective. Figure out what viewers want from a movie while they are stuck at home and are bored, and make the necessary additions or deletions.
- During writing or rewriting a script, isolate yourself from the world, and let your creativity flow.
- Check whether the characters in your movie appeal to the taste of your audience or not. The audience usually likes characters that are similar to them.
- Make sure there is no fluff, and the movie seems engaging right from the start to the end.
As almost all top-rated filmmakers use software to produce the perfect screenplay, you may use the best screenwriting software to save you from the trouble of rewriting a script all over again.
Making a Quarantine Movie – The Health-First Approach
Despite trying your best to shoot the movie indoors, there might be occasions when you have to hire other people and move outdoors. In case you cannot avoid shooting outdoors, follow the steps below to ensure the safety of yourself and your movie’s crew.
- Keep adequate arrangement of sanitizers, gloves, and masks.
- Choose a location that is big enough to accommodate people without jostling.
- Inform the local authorities about the shoot.
- Keep a doctor available at or near the shooting location.
- Check the medical history of the crew before allowing them to join your movie.
Creating a quarantine movie can be a foolproof way to reach viewers when all top filmmakers have retracted from the scene.
