Illustration by Matt Herring Illustration by Matt Herring


Movie Makers

The kit to get it done

Time was when you'd have to lug your uncle's huge camcorder around to make an amateurish video. Without the simple luxury of, say, editing, the possibilities were limited, and the final products lacking. Even so, it was a lot of fun. These days, with a wide variety of editing software available, and nearly everything you own containing a video camera, you're no longer bound by those technological limitations. But with the level of technology so drastically improved, shouldn't you up your game to match?

Here are some tips, dos and don'ts, what to remember, and what to forget, to make your own ultimate home movie.

Collaboration Is Key

Filmmaking of any kind is a highly collaborative process, and home movies are no different.

In an ideal world, you'd gather your talented, like-minded, easygoing friends or family members. In the real world, you work with what you've got. You will need to depend on others to pull off your vision, so the sooner you embrace compromise the better. The sense of working together toward a common goal will make for a far more enjoyable process, and ultimately yield better results.

A Little Forethought Saves Time

Illustration by Matt Herring Illustration by Matt Herring

Though it's tempting to jump right in, the more planning you do before shooting the better. Rock climbers have a helpful little saying to maximize their safety: plan the climb, and climb the plan. That's largely true here, but since, thankfully, our lives don't hang in the balance, we'll leave some wiggle room on the latter.

First, brainstorm the concept for your video. Start with the basic ideas: Who are the characters? Where are they? What are they doing? What's the main joke, twist or point? And if this is to be "fun for all the family," is there a role for everybody who wants one?

Then start to flesh out the story, but don't let the word "story" intimidate you. Even a short sketch video will technically have a beginning, middle and end, so you just want to decide how it should start, how it will finish, and what needs to happen in between.

From there, you'll continue with specifics: sequence of events, writing dialogue, any visual gags, and the like. Remember to think it through logically: What should the characters look like? What needs to happen in a given scene? What lines need to be said to advance the story, or are necessary for the joke?

Hit Your Marks

Key points to remember

It's a collaboration. A happy cast and crew yield the best results.

A script is your best friend.

Plan as much as you can before you shoot—think about props, costumes and set.

Leave room for happy accidents—if something doesn't work, you can always edit it out.

Edit, edit, edit. Less is almost always more.

Scripts are a good idea, and will be your most thorough and consistent plan throughout the process, but at the very least you should have an outline. This will help organize your ideas, make sure you get everything you need before editing, and quite literally keep your group on the same page.

Each page of a script will translate to roughly one minute of screen time. Most of these home movies will average just about three minutes, so three pages of script—give or take. How much you shoot depends on how many takes you do to get a good one but generally you'll only end up using about a quarter of what you shoot.

Some of the most enjoyable moments in home movies come through accidents, mistakes, and the surfacing of the subconscious

Once you have a script, do a script breakdown—for our purposes, this means extracting and listing the costumes, props, set design and production elements you've already stated or implied in the script. Gathering all these items before you start shooting will greatly improve the efficiency of your project.

Simply giving thought to all of this will serve to crystallize your ideas of what is necessary and what is extraneous. So, to appropriate our rock climbing maxim, decide what you definitely need to shoot, and make sure you actually shoot what you definitely need.

That said, leave room for happy accidents. Let the camera run, try improvising, and be open to ideas on the spot. You can always cut them later if they don't work.

Details Are Important

Illustration by Matt Herring √Illustration by Matt Herring

The French film term mise en scène essentially refers to everything in front of the camera: including, but not limited to, the actors, the set, the props, the costumes, the lighting and general composition of the shot. You will need to give some thought to all of these, but don't worry—we're not making "Citizen Kane" here. Not everything in the shot must be symbolic, or painstakingly placed. Just remember that if it is in the shot, it is either adding to or subtracting from the scene. For instance, if you are shooting a police interrogation scene set up in your daughter's bedroom, maybe take down the Justin Bieber poster in the background.

If you're shooting scenes out of order from the final edit, keep in mind how that may affect the continuity. What changes, if any, should be made to the set? Which props should be present in a scene, and which should be removed? Should the characters be in the same costumes, or would they have changed?

Costumes go a long way to visually explain a character, making them more believable and helping the actors get into character. Have fun with it. Raid your closets. Go to the thrift store. Wigs, hats, mustaches, glasses and simple, character-appropriate additions can make a big difference.


Even if you're not the funniest knife in the comedy drawer, there are still a few ways to make an amusing home movie. Focus on the strengths within the group, and let that guide your brainstorming. If anyone has a funny voice, character or impression they do, find ways to incorporate it into your concept. If you're coming up short on ideas, try starting with costumes. Looking ridiculous never hurts, and will probably spark some ideas to get you going.

Let It Happen

Some of the most enjoyable moments in home movies come through accidents, mistakes, and the surfacing of the subconscious. Improvising will often produce some of the best material. Fair warning: it will also produce some of the worst. Don't be afraid to fail—you can always edit it out.

What to Leave on the Cutting Room Floor

Illustration by Matt Herring Illustration by Matt Herring

More than you think. Video/film is a medium that deals not only in seconds but in fractions of seconds. Our minds make a lot of sense out of small bits of information, so even a glimpse of something will get the point across. Conversely, a shot or scene that is any longer than it needs to be will quickly begin to drag.

Give the audience and yourself some credit, and cut the excess. It will greatly benefit the end product.

When making edits, try pushing yourself to cut each shot shorter than it needs to be, down to individual frames, and work backward, adding material back in only when the film no longer makes sense without it. More often than not, you'll find you really don't need to add any length.

When in doubt, cut it out! If you have the time, try to make it rhyme! Actually, that's the perfect example of something to cut out.

Dos and Don'ts

Do: thorough checks before you go too far into filming. Check how the shot looks, lighting, sound, set, costumes—and how you look. It's all right to admit some vanity, and make sure everyone is OK with how they look. Just do it before you shoot too much. You don't want to get all the way to editing, and have to throw out otherwise good takes because someone doesn't like their appearance.

Don't: be too precious or attached. This is especially true while editing. Not every idea you have will work or make the final cut. You may find even the ideas you're sure were amazing are a bit lacking in the context of the edit. Holding on too tightly will cloud your judgment, and the end product will suffer. Admittedly, this is very difficult, and why editing is often referred to as "killing your children."

Do: keep a sense of humor—and proportion. This is supposed to be fun. So maintain an even-tempered, positive attitude, and let the good takes roll.

—Jeff Shoop is a Brooklyn, NY-based musician and tour manager. He makes home videos with Sheila Saputo, the alter ego of his wife, singer/songwriter Rosie Thomas. See their latest video at