Same here man! I’m a hopeful aspiring horror filmmaker, and everything I’ve done so far- I’ve done alone, aside from my boyfriend as the actor in them, I write, film, edit, sound, lighting, etc.
As we said in this episode - he shot this film alone, with the only help being his wife to hit record for him some times. He also did all the editing, sound design, etc... The only help he had was with VFX and the final grade.
This is actually what i'm doing right now with two short films in pre-production that I plan to write, shoot, edit, and act in, doing literally everything by myself. This is really motivating and inspirational!
@@yun-pg8cr I've actually not started production on either one of them since college and work have consumed most of my time. However, my focus has switched to just one of the two short films right now and I'm currently picking away at the script, which is in its final stages. Thanks for asking!
2 years ago, I travelled to Iceland by myself and slept in a car for 6 days to film a short film. It was the most beautiful and spiritually-rewarding experience; I highly recommend everyone to try this. It really reminds you why you love film...
I made it all by myself, but I did have friends help remotely. Filmmaking is about collaboration! I had a friend help me write, I had my wife help me lug gear and press record and I had a colorist and VFX person.... That is a tiny group of people to make something like this.
@@joesimonDP I understand you, and kudos to you for your hard-work, and amazing result. But i guess the reason this comment has 8 likes, is because you had friends help you remotely, in people's eyes, you didn't make it entirely by yourself. So the title would have been better if it read "How to make a Shortfilm with the Smallest Crew Possible" - or something along those lines. See what I mean?
I thought something was wrong also when he kept saying “We”. Now I see why. My idea of shooting a film alone is just me by myself doing everything. Maybe he meant shooting a film that only he was in. Having your wife hauling equipment and recording from the camera is not making a film alone. Then adding in a script writer, colorist, and a VFX artist….. Yeah a small crew is not alone. I have been learning to do all the above on my own. Like reading the script Writers Bible, learning to use Davinci Resolve for coloring, and I already took a class on using Nuke in college. Looks like I might have to break down and learn to use Blender. Since it is free.
Love this so much! Having just watched all 3 seasons of Stranger Things (love the hoodie) and being curious about film making since childhood, I recently thought "now's the time to start..." which quickly become "oh crap, I don't know anything about film making and I live in a little city". BOOM - Film Riot to the rescue and excuses busted by Joe. Can't wait to get started...thanks guys.
I love how Joe explains his process of how he made "The Volunteer". And like him I've made three shorts during quarantine some where for class while one I thought up of and made. I enjoying making those shorts and hope to make more soon.
thanks for this video. Not only is this useful as someone trying to make films on my own, this guy also seems to have some of the same taste as i do in terms of lighting and stuff so there was some valuable advice and examples here
The real question is how do I, a young teenager create a short film within my bedroom and perhaps a small bathroom using my phone or my camera by myself with no extra help at all.
Planning. Think as a filmmaker and spend a really good amount of time in "pre-production" (especially since you're the only one doing everything). Before shooting, create a "shot list" with all the shots you want (following the idea you have in mind or the script if you happened to have one), then create a "STORY BOARD" perhaps the most important! where you draw every single shot/movement in each box. Im sure you can find free story boards on Google. When it comes to lighting, trying using natural light or practical lights.
Just try it. Plan out a 60 second short. Even a 30 second short. Heck, even 15 seconds. Tv commercials are generally those lengths and they have to manage to tell at least enough of a story to get a viewer interested. And don't get discouraged if it sucks. It SHOULD be bad if you've never done it before. How dull a world we would live in if everyone was good at anything they tried right away. This is something I literally just thought up while typing this comment: - You're in your bedroom, bored. Or doing something tedious, like your homework - You see a rubber duck (or other toys) on your desk/drawer/shelf - You decide you want to take a bath like you did as a kid - In bath, playing with rubber duck (bonus points for adding soap). Boom, got yourself a little story about remembering the joys of being a little kid. And you don't even have to get into the bathtub if you don't want to. If you have toys that float it can just be a shot of you sitting by the tub playing with the toys in the water.
Gotta say his notes on adding set decorations to the bathroom was really cool. I also made a film like this during quarantine called 'The Strange Visitor'. Keep working hard however you can and stay safe everyone :)
I just watched it and I'm not going to lie... That was the best Sci-Fi short film I have ever seen! The cinematography and fluidity of the scenes were so well crafted. Awesome Work!!!
I always make shorts alone and I think it's the best way to learn because you can't ask for help and you must do it by yourself. And when you're done you're really proud of the result, you're saying "I can do it, I don't need an all crew to make something" In my case, it really helps for self-confidence
For making a movie alone he used "we" a whole lot. So, not alone. Sometimes you don't have someone to push a record button, help write or edit. Having these things makes it not alone. That aside. Cool project. Looks good.
Not only was it a great film, but it was so cool that Joe gave us a look into his creative thinking and process. Thanks to Joe and Film Riot for this video.
I love the vibe of making films with little crew. It just feels more personal. I just completed a Spider-Man short film called “Miles” with over 250 VFX shots by myself during quarantine and it was hard but a blast! You can really get a lot done with the right amount of willpower!
Dude this is how all of my productions have been the past few years. Literally just me & my actor. I’m gonna be the DP for the biggest project I’ve worked on in 2021 & I’ll be nice to have a crew & bounce ideas off the director.
Ryan, I started watching your videos years ago, probably when you started and it inspired me to want to get into filming, so i started buying equipment and writing short scripts. but I was very unsuccessful getting anyone to film with me especially since I was so inexperienced and had NO idea what I was doing. but I wanted to film so badly that I decided to make a short by myself. it took me 10 months and I lived in my car for 5 months to do this. I would reference your videos in between to understand what I was doing. Now I know that my short is incredibly bad and horrible, but after I was finished I truly understood my limitations especially after I watched your short "Ballistic" and behind the scenes of "Here comes a knocking" . Now I understand lighting, cameras, lenses, bit rate, and so on thanks to your channel. so now for the last 6 months I am working on doing this all over again. I will have proper lighting, dolly shots camera movements, rack focus, proper audio and so on. and I'm doing this again all by myself at the level Of "Ballistic"! thats my goal. this is the short film Assassins that I did, not to your level, but the next one will be. I love your channel!!! thank you for the years of education. th-cam.com/video/VC0884itFvs/w-d-xo.html
Majority of my projects for film school went a lot like this, except I didn't know a lot about what I was doing. Watching this, especially with everything the way it is now, is super inspiring me to get a project like this done. :)
I'm currently deployed overseas and I'm so thankful for Nord VPN and the discount from your link. Thanks Ryan and the rest of Film Riot for all of your entertainment while I'm working overseas and offering us discounts on the things you use. I'm happy I haven't had to give up any of my shows from the states while I've been gone!!
Filming alone, whether or not it’s a short film or just some scenes for a bigger project (that might include other people) is my favorite experience when filmmaking. Really you only learn from yourself and your surroundings. You catch neat methods & camera tricks that you can use the next time you shoot, with more people and more going on in the shot.
Been shooting my last 7 films alone, truly alone :P Must be nice having moral support on set. So I'd say "alone" doesn't just mean an extra hand, it also means that you're truly alone, with no one to bounce ideas off of, with no one to even care.
at least you yourself presumably care. its like life, ultimately, the only person that you have to live w is yourself. keep at it if it's your passion. we'd all love support, but gotta make do with what's avails. and build on that. dont be afraid to work in the dark/solo. keep goin. u'll learn more about urself and the world that way anyway imo
Hi Ryan, and the rest of the Film Riot gang. Just want to say I've been following you guys for almost 10 years now, and your content has been nothing short of excellent - always funny, creative and informative. You definitely deserve a LOT more subscribers/viewers, shame the filmmaking niche is not that big. Even though I haven't been an active filmmaker in the recent years like I used to be, I'll continue watching your content for hopefully another 10 years :)
Dude "The Volunteer " just inspired the hell out of me! I don't have many people in my life that have the time to come act for me so I do everything in my short films. :) Working on getting better and better :)
I think the short film is fantastic and inspiring as someone who've always been a one man crew. It does challenge you to work intuitively around these limitations of not having an extra person to help.
I'm sure most of your audience is using their cellphones to watch your videos, but I follow the rule that to film and export at the highest resolution available. Please, don't take it personally your content is great and I love what you are giving us for free! I would just film and export in 4K. I've been a subscriber for several years now (with a different account though) ❤❤❤
I'm a young girl from a third world country with a lots of dreams that are certainly not going to be fulfilled but I love imagining about making it big. I'd love to make a film one day!💙
As someone who's been writing, shooting, editing and uploading my own original short films as well as doing TH-cam full time for over two years pretty much everything that was said in this video was spot on. A bit of advice for anyone shooting on their own I would recommend you learn as much as you possibly can about the different positions within a crew. Until you get a good budget and crew you'll be filling these spots yourself so being a jack of all trades can and will really save your butt in the long haul.
Joe's presentation is a master class on production design, lighting, and location, etc--all of the necessary elements for shooting a quality short film or even a feature film for that matter. Thank-you. My quarantine short is "Covid-19 Alien Menace".
THIS IS THE STUFF LOVE.. I make short sci-fi films with my smartphone (well I've branched out recently) and i love to see the behind the scenes things for stuff like this
Really great to hear about the thought in the lighting and set design. I have 4 shorts on my channel which I'm proud of, but this is a bit more of a step up! Lol
Very inspiring. I think it's a great challenge to make the movie yourself and try to do as much as you can. I did and I'm very happy with the Sci-fi film I produced with no budget at all. Which has since won multiple film awards.
I made a couple of very short films by myself in lockdown. A lot of thought goes into the angles you need and the angles you can get by yourself, whilst making sure you have enough coverage to put a good edit together. My short films weren't amazing but they were done completely solo and within a few hours. Definitely not as good as The Volunteer though.
I just found this video (I should be getting ready for my regular Joe job but I’m watching this instead) and it’s quite the interesting thing. Almost three years ago, I started working on a “web series” I’m calling “Darn That Russ” about an overworked-at-home, self employed average guy that gets a visit from his “future self” and given a small cloning device (time lord technology maybe?) to create help for himself. Over six episodes, he deals with nosy neighbors, a wayward clone, fights off evil possessed clone after the “Book of the Dead” is discovered) and deals with their possible destruction. I’ve been on it by myself with no one, even others I’ve asked for help and then being bailed on, to help me. I’ve been using everything from HitFilm for effects and my iPhone and BeastGrip Pro to shoot. I almost want to give up but there might be hope for rebooting everything and shooting on a 5D in the future. Thanks for the inspiration with this video!
Thank you for the inspiration. I just finished my own three minute horror short, and it's being uploaded right now. I'm already getting ideas for my next short, and both of them have to be done by myself, due to the pandemic. So thank you for the encouragement to continue making these.
This is sensational!!! I love the DP telling their process and going in depth with each scence. As a DP with training wheels it's nice to see more experienced people in rhe field and how they operate. I made a short also lol. It's not as good though. Thanks Film Riot!!! You guys rock!!!!!
Such an epic short film! Awesome compositions and excellent grading. Loved it so much! I had to do a film for my film school during quarantine as well, I also used the empty streets to film myself in a post-apocalyptic-gas-mask-outfit in front of an empty hospital and closed stores for an apocalypse-short! Sad but great times for filmmaking! :D
I made a feature length film completely by myself: development, writing, directing, producing, pre-production, production design, acting, camera motion control, cinematography, VFX, music and sound design, editing, and I got it distributed. The film is called Gyrus and I made it for $7,000, most of which was for a PC that could handle editing and also the motion control system and camera. A few hundred bucks for props. The film is a contemplative art house film that is simultaneously a physical and spiritual journey home, converging into a single moment between life and eternity. Working on second film now.
Looks great. I am currently attempting to shoot my 1st Short Film alone with no budget only items I already own and props I makemyself. I am physically disabled. No transportation to go anywhere. And again, it is just me alone to do everything at home. So far, I just finished the Opening Credits with music. I have already written and recorded all the music that will be used in the film and on the Soundtrack. My Goal is show it can be done, and give others hope to believe they can also. And yes, in the end, help others smile again. Expect nothing, yet achieve the unexpected. When the world seems impossible, conquor the impossible.
The biggest challenge of making a film by yourself is simply writing a compelling short that you can fully film by yourself and doing something where the acting is decent enough to be passable. You can get a ton of great shots and do some great vfx composites but if the story is dull and the acting is lackluster then the audience will focus so much on those flaws that they will dismiss the great shots and vfx. It can be a humbling experience because it reminds you how important all of the crew roles that make a great film.
Amazing film, it would be amazing even without the current situation. I was wondering if we could get some insight into how the HUD and 3D Modeling effects were implemented? I’d be super interested because I’ve always wanted to learn that sort of stuff.
I really appreciate this behinds the scenes interview and breakdown; I've learned quite a bit and gives me much to consider even as a screenwriter. Thanks!
Making a film alone is hard! You have to focus on creativity, technically, and put on many hats. But in the end it’s really rewarding. And you get to learn a lot! Because of this pandemic I did a film by myself at my house. I would greatly appreciate any feedback!! The short is called “The Last Day of Quarantine” a Ferris Bueller’s Day off Parody .
Good work, how did it turn out? You happy with it!? Home alone with a camera…so why not🎥😁👌🏼not seen ‘Ferris Bueller’ in a long long time! I love creative people! I’ve been making a Forrest Gump Parody, been all over England to film it (my 4 year old son is playing the part of Forrest) it’s been an exhausting project and it’s taking forever to finish, 2 years so far!
I do not miss the metaphor of the convenience store workers and grocery store clerks keeping the lights on for the rest of us that had covid-19 stay-at-home orders. This is actually a pretty epic piece. Thumbs up.
just saw the short. I mean wow... really. the way he construct his shoots are so professional and insightful at least for me that I´m envious. Now all I need is a few hundred million dollars and hire the guy for a old school hollywood actual good story movie.
That is so cool! I've been wanting to make short films for most of my life, but one of my excuses was not having anyone else to help. I know it shouldn't stop me, but it just feels like too much to do it myself. Also, I am horrible in front of the camera. That's why I'm a photographer. My other hurdle is that I keep thinking too big. I want to jump right into the epics: Blade Runner, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Conan the Barbarian... those are what made me pick up a camera to begin with! I need to stop dreaming big and just start doing small.
Takes some balls to film yourself in a fake hazmat suit in the middle of a street around other people. I can’t even use myself as the subject in photos in this manner without feeling overly conscious of any attention and weird looks coming my way.
This is where not giving a fuck comes in handy me and best friend make movies together he has the same issue constantly thinking about others and what they think when 3 to 5 people show up in a park wearing colorful costumes and I am here to just reminding him and everyone what others think doesn't matter
His Arri rig is amazing. Great set up. Thats pro dp level there. Having to direct yourself mustve been hard. Theres SO much you gotta think about behind the camera. Id hate being an actor on top of all that work.
What an informative episode!! That guy has some serious talent... definitely looking forward to checking out his short. Film Riot is still the number one show for aspiring filmmakers after all these years. So much work must go into this channel. 🎥🤓
I made a film alone called "The Invisible Man". But it didn't turn out too good because every scene just showed empty rooms.
There’s actually a movie called the invisible man which actually interacted with things.
Joshua Pajmel almost can’t believe the effects they had in 1933.
Write your next post in invisible ink....please
That caught me off guard xD
So nice
$400 for a fake hazmat suit, that suit better protect me from Ebola at that price.
Probably bought right as everyone price gouged everything!
I bought a fake plastic cup for $988
@Syon Kanaginhal and that’s free shipping
It would only protect you against Hazmats, not Ebola.
Ebola is an std soo yea no ones gonna fck u in that suit 😂
The Tripod. My best friend for my shorts in quarantine. We became really good buddy’s.
Peter Kae shorts?
*buddies
Also, you're famous. I might sound nitpicky but having followers helps w motivation.
Virendra Jadeja short films
@@EXPLICITBG :D
Making films alone is how you can describe every one of my films.
Funny enough I think it should actually be a film.
Same here man! I’m a hopeful aspiring horror filmmaker, and everything I’ve done so far- I’ve done alone, aside from my boyfriend as the actor in them, I write, film, edit, sound, lighting, etc.
Yeah
Not something to be proud about
@@HarshDoshiTheHarsh Everybody starts somewhere, hotshot.
Alternative title: Making a film with all my friends.
As we said in this episode - he shot this film alone, with the only help being his wife to hit record for him some times. He also did all the editing, sound design, etc... The only help he had was with VFX and the final grade.
@@filmriot r/woooosh
Film Riot I hate that I have to explain the joke, but the joke is that he would have to do his short film all by hisself because he has no friends
Film Riot With all _my_ friends. Hahaha.
feel u harry
This is actually what i'm doing right now with two short films in pre-production that I plan to write, shoot, edit, and act in, doing literally everything by myself. This is really motivating and inspirational!
How did it go?
@@yun-pg8cr I've actually not started production on either one of them since college and work have consumed most of my time. However, my focus has switched to just one of the two short films right now and I'm currently picking away at the script, which is in its final stages. Thanks for asking!
@@DavidBubarYT ayyy nice. good luck to you ma guy :D
@@DavidBubarYT good luck! I’m doing the same for my film class
Wishing you much success! I'm also starting work on my own short film 🎥
2 years ago, I travelled to Iceland by myself and slept in a car for 6 days to film a short film. It was the most beautiful and spiritually-rewarding experience; I highly recommend everyone to try this.
It really reminds you why you love film...
due I went to Iceland in 2017 and it was amazing! I just bought a drone and I would like to go back and get some footage with it.
Sweet! You pleased with your results? Love that you went all that way on a mission 🎥👍🏼
Making a Short Film Alone:
Joe at the end: "I'd like to thank all the people who helped me"
Me: ಠ_ಠ
I made it all by myself, but I did have friends help remotely. Filmmaking is about collaboration! I had a friend help me write, I had my wife help me lug gear and press record and I had a colorist and VFX person.... That is a tiny group of people to make something like this.
@@joesimonDP I understand you, and kudos to you for your hard-work, and amazing result. But i guess the reason this comment has 8 likes, is because you had friends help you remotely, in people's eyes, you didn't make it entirely by yourself. So the title would have been better if it read "How to make a Shortfilm with the Smallest Crew Possible" - or something along those lines.
See what I mean?
I was wondering why he kept saying “WE”
I thought something was wrong also when he kept saying “We”. Now I see why. My idea of shooting a film alone is just me by myself doing everything. Maybe he meant shooting a film that only he was in. Having your wife hauling equipment and recording from the camera is not making a film alone. Then adding in a script writer, colorist, and a VFX artist….. Yeah a small crew is not alone. I have been learning to do all the above on my own. Like reading the script Writers Bible, learning to use Davinci Resolve for coloring, and I already took a class on using Nuke in college. Looks like I might have to break down and learn to use Blender. Since it is free.
@@RamenKing2023 same here
This is exactly what we need right now. Thank you!
Love this so much!
Having just watched all 3 seasons of Stranger Things (love the hoodie) and being curious about film making since childhood, I recently thought "now's the time to start..." which quickly become "oh crap, I don't know anything about film making and I live in a little city".
BOOM - Film Riot to the rescue and excuses busted by Joe.
Can't wait to get started...thanks guys.
I love how Joe explains his process of how he made "The Volunteer". And like him I've made three shorts during quarantine some where for class while one I thought up of and made. I enjoying making those shorts and hope to make more soon.
I'd love to see them man!!
I make short films plz check them out at Torch Idiot and TBF-SCRIPT.
thanks for this video. Not only is this useful as someone trying to make films on my own, this guy also seems to have some of the same taste as i do in terms of lighting and stuff so there was some valuable advice and examples here
3:26 Really wish that suit was 7 cents more, that would've been nice
Nice
Dude, he had the chance
I see what you did there!!!!🤣
The real question is how do I, a young teenager create a short film within my bedroom and perhaps a small bathroom using my phone or my camera by myself with no extra help at all.
Planning. Think as a filmmaker and spend a really good amount of time in "pre-production" (especially since you're the only one doing everything). Before shooting, create a "shot list" with all the shots you want (following the idea you have in mind or the script if you happened to have one), then create a "STORY BOARD" perhaps the most important! where you draw every single shot/movement in each box. Im sure you can find free story boards on Google. When it comes to lighting, trying using natural light or practical lights.
what this guy said. preproduction is god, and the time spent here will have the best roi than any other area
Short answer, creativity
Just try it. Plan out a 60 second short. Even a 30 second short. Heck, even 15 seconds. Tv commercials are generally those lengths and they have to manage to tell at least enough of a story to get a viewer interested.
And don't get discouraged if it sucks. It SHOULD be bad if you've never done it before. How dull a world we would live in if everyone was good at anything they tried right away.
This is something I literally just thought up while typing this comment:
- You're in your bedroom, bored. Or doing something tedious, like your homework
- You see a rubber duck (or other toys) on your desk/drawer/shelf
- You decide you want to take a bath like you did as a kid
- In bath, playing with rubber duck (bonus points for adding soap).
Boom, got yourself a little story about remembering the joys of being a little kid. And you don't even have to get into the bathtub if you don't want to. If you have toys that float it can just be a shot of you sitting by the tub playing with the toys in the water.
Ryan Cross this 👆🏼👌🏼
Gotta say his notes on adding set decorations to the bathroom was really cool. I also made a film like this during quarantine called 'The Strange Visitor'. Keep working hard however you can and stay safe everyone :)
I just watched it and I'm not going to lie... That was the best Sci-Fi short film I have ever seen! The cinematography and fluidity of the scenes were so well crafted. Awesome Work!!!
What?
The film riot video=sci fi short film??
I always make shorts alone and I think it's the best way to learn because you can't ask for help and you must do it by yourself.
And when you're done you're really proud of the result, you're saying "I can do it, I don't need an all crew to make something"
In my case, it really helps for self-confidence
For making a movie alone he used "we" a whole lot. So, not alone. Sometimes you don't have someone to push a record button, help write or edit. Having these things makes it not alone. That aside. Cool project. Looks good.
Not only was it a great film, but it was so cool that Joe gave us a look into his creative thinking and process. Thanks to Joe and Film Riot for this video.
I love the vibe of making films with little crew. It just feels more personal. I just completed a Spider-Man short film called “Miles” with over 250 VFX shots by myself during quarantine and it was hard but a blast! You can really get a lot done with the right amount of willpower!
Wow, it's amazing what you can achieve alone when you have a nice home, a really expensive camera and lens, co-writer, colorist and VFX artist.
Wolfie You need to work with your issues.
Dude this is how all of my productions have been the past few years. Literally just me & my actor. I’m gonna be the DP for the biggest project I’ve worked on in 2021 & I’ll be nice to have a crew & bounce ideas off the director.
Ryan, I started watching your videos years ago, probably when you started and it inspired me to want to get into filming, so i started buying equipment and writing short scripts. but I was very unsuccessful getting anyone to film with me especially since I was so inexperienced and had NO idea what I was doing. but I wanted to film so badly that I decided to make a short by myself. it took me 10 months and I lived in my car for 5 months to do this. I would reference your videos in between to understand what I was doing. Now I know that my short is incredibly bad and horrible, but after I was finished I truly understood my limitations especially after I watched your short "Ballistic" and behind the scenes of "Here comes a knocking" . Now I understand lighting, cameras, lenses, bit rate, and so on thanks to your channel. so now for the last 6 months I am working on doing this all over again. I will have proper lighting, dolly shots camera movements, rack focus, proper audio and so on. and I'm doing this again all by myself at the level Of "Ballistic"! thats my goal. this is the short film Assassins that I did, not to your level, but the next one will be. I love your channel!!! thank you for the years of education.
th-cam.com/video/VC0884itFvs/w-d-xo.html
Majority of my projects for film school went a lot like this, except I didn't know a lot about what I was doing. Watching this, especially with everything the way it is now, is super inspiring me to get a project like this done. :)
Everyday you guys give me a reason to love you more and more!! I love you!!!
This is the best gift you guys could have given us; been going nuts being inside and unable to film much. And holy shit Joe's short is FIRE.
I'm currently deployed overseas and I'm so thankful for Nord VPN and the discount from your link. Thanks Ryan and the rest of Film Riot for all of your entertainment while I'm working overseas and offering us discounts on the things you use. I'm happy I haven't had to give up any of my shows from the states while I've been gone!!
Just started making a short film starring my 13 year old son. Using c4d , after effects and premiere. Look out for Lockdown coming soon
Looking forward to making a film entirely by myself. Thank you for the useful tips!
Filming alone, whether or not it’s a short film or just some scenes for a bigger project (that might include other people) is my favorite experience when filmmaking. Really you only learn from yourself and your surroundings. You catch neat methods & camera tricks that you can use the next time you shoot, with more people and more going on in the shot.
Been shooting my last 7 films alone, truly alone :P Must be nice having moral support on set. So I'd say "alone" doesn't just mean an extra hand, it also means that you're truly alone, with no one to bounce ideas off of, with no one to even care.
at least you yourself presumably care. its like life, ultimately, the only person that you have to live w is yourself. keep at it if it's your passion. we'd all love support, but gotta make do with what's avails. and build on that. dont be afraid to work in the dark/solo. keep goin. u'll learn more about urself and the world that way anyway imo
any tips for beginners ??
Hi Ryan, and the rest of the Film Riot gang. Just want to say I've been following you guys for almost 10 years now, and your content has been nothing short of excellent - always funny, creative and informative. You definitely deserve a LOT more subscribers/viewers, shame the filmmaking niche is not that big. Even though I haven't been an active filmmaker in the recent years like I used to be, I'll continue watching your content for hopefully another 10 years :)
Dude "The Volunteer " just inspired the hell out of me! I don't have many people in my life that have the time to come act for me so I do everything in my short films. :) Working on getting better and better :)
thank you FILM RIOT for content you are legends guys !
I've never clicked on a video faster
Same
So true
Same
Different
Kewl Story 😂
I think the short film is fantastic and inspiring as someone who've always been a one man crew. It does challenge you to work intuitively around these limitations of not having an extra person to help.
This is fantastic! For someone who’s only getting into this stuff I find this to be very educational.
I'm sure most of your audience is using their cellphones to watch your videos, but I follow the rule that to film and export at the highest resolution available. Please, don't take it personally your content is great and I love what you are giving us for free! I would just film and export in 4K. I've been a subscriber for several years now (with a different account though) ❤❤❤
I'm a young girl from a third world country with a lots of dreams that are certainly not going to be fulfilled but I love imagining about making it big. I'd love to make a film one day!💙
Loved his tips on the bathroom scene and how he broke up the texture
Much needed, thank you. Y'all always come thru with the helpful vids
Hands down Joe.....what an amazing short film :)
Right! So impressive, Joe is a badass!
you cant imagine how helpful you are to me guys. THank you for being inspiration to start my youtube
As someone who's been writing, shooting, editing and uploading my own original short films as well as doing TH-cam full time for over two years pretty much everything that was said in this video was spot on. A bit of advice for anyone shooting on their own I would recommend you learn as much as you possibly can about the different positions within a crew. Until you get a good budget and crew you'll be filling these spots yourself so being a jack of all trades can and will really save your butt in the long haul.
Joe's presentation is a master class on production design, lighting, and location, etc--all of the necessary elements for shooting a quality short film or even a feature film for that matter. Thank-you. My quarantine short is "Covid-19 Alien Menace".
Making a short film alone. Thanks his team for helping with the short film
Literally filming a short by myself tomorrow night. So glad this popped up when I was checking TH-cam notifications!
joe is a monster dp, good stuff. His wedding films are still some of the best today.
THIS IS THE STUFF LOVE.. I make short sci-fi films with my smartphone (well I've branched out recently) and i love to see the behind the scenes things for stuff like this
Really great to hear about the thought in the lighting and set design. I have 4 shorts on my channel which I'm proud of, but this is a bit more of a step up! Lol
Constantly amazes me how people thumb down things like this - so informative and entertaining.
This is so cool, I'm also from Alexandria, VA ( like 10 mins away from where this was shot) super inspired 🙏
This is incredible...👌🏿
Hi
I also find it funny how he keeps speaking in we even tho it was all him and himself. Alone. XD
Love this. My latest short film took 45 days considering it's just me and my daughter. Lots of work.
Very inspiring. I think it's a great challenge to make the movie yourself and try to do as much as you can. I did and I'm very happy with the Sci-fi film I produced with no budget at all. Which has since won multiple film awards.
It's got a real "Arrival" feel.
Even outside of the quarantine, Finding people to film with is next to impossible. AND I LIVE IN LONDON!!!!
I made a couple of very short films by myself in lockdown. A lot of thought goes into the angles you need and the angles you can get by yourself, whilst making sure you have enough coverage to put a good edit together. My short films weren't amazing but they were done completely solo and within a few hours. Definitely not as good as The Volunteer though.
I just found this video (I should be getting ready for my regular Joe job but I’m watching this instead) and it’s quite the interesting thing. Almost three years ago, I started working on a “web series” I’m calling “Darn That Russ” about an overworked-at-home, self employed average guy that gets a visit from his “future self” and given a small cloning device (time lord technology maybe?) to create help for himself. Over six episodes, he deals with nosy neighbors, a wayward clone, fights off evil possessed clone after the “Book of the Dead” is discovered) and deals with their possible destruction. I’ve been on it by myself with no one, even others I’ve asked for help and then being bailed on, to help me. I’ve been using everything from HitFilm for effects and my iPhone and BeastGrip Pro to shoot. I almost want to give up but there might be hope for rebooting everything and shooting on a 5D in the future. Thanks for the inspiration with this video!
Thank you for the inspiration. I just finished my own three minute horror short, and it's being uploaded right now. I'm already getting ideas for my next short, and both of them have to be done by myself, due to the pandemic. So thank you for the encouragement to continue making these.
This is sensational!!! I love the DP telling their process and going in depth with each scence. As a DP with training wheels it's nice to see more experienced people in rhe field and how they operate. I made a short also lol. It's not as good though. Thanks Film Riot!!! You guys rock!!!!!
Such an epic short film! Awesome compositions and excellent grading. Loved it so much! I had to do a film for my film school during quarantine as well, I also used the empty streets to film myself in a post-apocalyptic-gas-mask-outfit in front of an empty hospital and closed stores for an apocalypse-short! Sad but great times for filmmaking! :D
I made a feature length film completely by myself: development, writing, directing, producing, pre-production, production design, acting, camera motion control, cinematography, VFX, music and sound design, editing, and I got it distributed. The film is called Gyrus and I made it for $7,000, most of which was for a PC that could handle editing and also the motion control system and camera. A few hundred bucks for props. The film is a contemplative art house film that is simultaneously a physical and spiritual journey home, converging into a single moment between life and eternity. Working on second film now.
You the best channel and I created my own film trick because of you
I love this channel 😍😍
Great to watch this video. I watched Joe's film last year when he released it.
Looks great. I am currently attempting to shoot my 1st Short Film alone with no budget only items I already own and props I makemyself. I am physically disabled. No transportation to go anywhere. And again, it is just me alone to do everything at home. So far, I just finished the Opening Credits with music. I have already written and recorded all the music that will be used in the film and on the Soundtrack. My Goal is show it can be done, and give others hope to believe they can also. And yes, in the end, help others smile again. Expect nothing, yet achieve the unexpected. When the world seems impossible, conquor the impossible.
The biggest challenge of making a film by yourself is simply writing a compelling short that you can fully film by yourself and doing something where the acting is decent enough to be passable. You can get a ton of great shots and do some great vfx composites but if the story is dull and the acting is lackluster then the audience will focus so much on those flaws that they will dismiss the great shots and vfx. It can be a humbling experience because it reminds you how important all of the crew roles that make a great film.
Amazing film, it would be amazing even without the current situation. I was wondering if we could get some insight into how the HUD and 3D Modeling effects were implemented? I’d be super interested because I’ve always wanted to learn that sort of stuff.
Projects like this keeps me on my toes for this mobile future!! Im So Ready! #CrysisFilms #TheVolunteer #DOPEvisual #ImInspired
That atmosphere spray is the coolest thing I've scene in ages
The perfect timing to the perfect topic during less than perfect times 👌🏾
Videos like this are extremely useful and important. Thanks for this
I really appreciate this behinds the scenes interview and breakdown; I've learned quite a bit and gives me much to consider even as a screenwriter. Thanks!
Making a film alone is hard! You have to focus on creativity, technically, and put on many hats. But in the end it’s really rewarding. And you get to learn a lot! Because of this pandemic I did a film by myself at my house. I would greatly appreciate any feedback!! The short is called “The Last Day of Quarantine” a Ferris Bueller’s Day off Parody .
Good work, how did it turn out? You happy with it!? Home alone with a camera…so why not🎥😁👌🏼not seen ‘Ferris Bueller’ in a long long time! I love creative people!
I’ve been making a Forrest Gump Parody, been all over England to film it (my 4 year old son is playing the part of Forrest) it’s been an exhausting project and it’s taking forever to finish, 2 years so far!
Thanks for making this video! I really need it😁
Joe is the best!
@2RoninFilms did that too! It's really creative how you guys put these things together
This is very interesting. Last night I shot 90% of a short film with myself being cast, crew and D.O.P.
As a cinema student with a similar assigment to do, I'm so glad I stumbled upon this video!
Wow that was an incredible short. Thank you for sharing it.
making a film alone broke me, too much pressure. 14 short films, mostly horror. One dark drama, one comedy.
I have other scripts to make as films.
I'm definetly using frames of this for future projects as refrences!!
I do not miss the metaphor of the convenience store workers and grocery store clerks keeping the lights on for the rest of us that had covid-19 stay-at-home orders. This is actually a pretty epic piece. Thumbs up.
Note: "Always Sunny" is available on Hulu's "FX on Hulu." Watching it right now in the US. :o)
just saw the short. I mean wow... really. the way he construct his shoots are so professional and insightful at least for me that I´m envious. Now all I need is a few hundred million dollars and hire the guy for a old school hollywood actual good story movie.
That is so cool!
I've been wanting to make short films for most of my life, but one of my excuses was not having anyone else to help. I know it shouldn't stop me, but it just feels like too much to do it myself. Also, I am horrible in front of the camera. That's why I'm a photographer.
My other hurdle is that I keep thinking too big. I want to jump right into the epics: Blade Runner, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Conan the Barbarian... those are what made me pick up a camera to begin with! I need to stop dreaming big and just start doing small.
Takes some balls to film yourself in a fake hazmat suit in the middle of a street around other people. I can’t even use myself as the subject in photos in this manner without feeling overly conscious of any attention and weird looks coming my way.
especially in a village or small town ^^'
This is where not giving a fuck comes in handy me and best friend make movies together he has the same issue constantly thinking about others and what they think when 3 to 5 people show up in a park wearing colorful costumes and I am here to just reminding him and everyone what others think doesn't matter
First rule ..lose your ego
I'm just starting off trying to make short films and it has been very difficult
this video is very inspiring!
Damnnnnn😖 I love this video!! Respect to Joe
Thanks for the advice. I think I’m going to give it a try, filming solo. I’m gone connect to my camera via the app and use my phone to press record
His Arri rig is amazing. Great set up. Thats pro dp level there. Having to direct yourself mustve been hard. Theres SO much you gotta think about behind the camera. Id hate being an actor on top of all that work.
What a creativity on a different level! 👏
What an informative episode!! That guy has some serious talent... definitely looking forward to checking out his short. Film Riot is still the number one show for aspiring filmmakers after all these years. So much work must go into this channel. 🎥🤓
Congratulations very good!
Why dont just use green screen, edit them on premier pro and the colourgrade on davincii resolve?
very cool, goes to show creativity really comes out when put into limiting situations.
WOW what a beautiful short!
Holy hell that was amazing. That could easily pass as a trailer for an A grade movie.
Beautiful hoodie. Best show in the world.
Extremely inspiring, thank you!