Just for Fun - Make a Silent Film

When most people think of silent films they think of early 20th Century movies like Metropolis, Nosferatu or The Great Train Robbery. Silent movies can be just as powerful today and are a way to show your talents as a filmmaker. Silent films can be shot with the traditional 16-millimeter movie camera or with a state of the art digital camcorder. So what's the easiest way to make a modern silent film? A few tips are listed below.

Tip One

Decide if you wish to shoot your movie on film, tape or digitally. If you own a digital camcorder, or a handheld camera that has a video option, you may have all you need. A VHS, 8 mm or 16 mm camera can also be used and you can find bargains on these at thrift and pawnshops.

Tip Two

Write your script. Since there will be no dialogue in the movie, make sure that your scenes are loaded with action that tells the story. This will also let you know in advance how many actors you will need and what types of sets are required for filming.

Tip Three

Choose actors that can convey the emotions and actions needed for your script. Since the film will be silent, you can give directions for what you want the actors to do as you are filming.

Tip Four

Set up your movie set. This could be a room in your home or you can go full blown and build the various sets needed for your movie.

Tip Five

Film your movie, but realize that you may have to take several different shots of the same scenes. By doing this, you will be able to choose the best shots and the best angles during the editing process.

Tip Six

Transfer your film to digital files if you used actual film or tape to make your movie. There are a number of products on the market that will allow you to transfer film to digital that are priced reasonably. A capture card or fire wire will be needed to transfer VHS to digital.

Tip Seven

Load the digital movie files into a video editor such as Windows Movie Maker or the Mac iMovie software. Use the tools included with your editor to remove the all sound from your video.

Tip Eight

Edit the movie by cropping, rearranging and cutting scenes until you have created the silent movie you want. You can also include text titles and credits for your film during the editing process.

Tip Nine

Add music to the silent film if you desire. There are a number of places to find royalty free movie, or you can create your own. The right music added to your silent film can add tension, create suspense or convey happiness or sadness in a scene.

Other ideas

Silent films can be short or long depending on the story that is being told.

Many silent films are available to download online. By watching how they were done, it will give you ideas of how to make your own silent film even better. Places such as silent-movie.com offer dozens of silent movies to watch or download for free.

Most video software will allow you to transform your color movie to black and white for a more traditional silent film feel.

Seven Tips for Writing Thriller Screenplays

You have a great idea for a thriller screenplay that you just know would make a terrific film. But the question is how to write a thriller. Thrillers are considered genre films and as such, have certain elements that must be included for the script to work as a thriller. Knowing what these elements are takes research and reading before you type in the words "FADE IN:"

Tip One

One of the best ways to learn what elements are needed in a great thriller screenplay is to read scripts of movies that have already been made. Se7en, Silence of the Lambs and Memento are all considered great thrillers. Many thriller scripts are available for free at various online websites.

Tip Two

Visit the websites of various scriptwriters, especially if they offer a forum where you can ask questions. William Martell's, ScriptSecrets.com is a good place to start because he has had a number of thrillers produced and is willing to answer questions on his message board.

Tip Three

Write a prose version of your story. Make sure the story includes suspense in every scene. Other things crucial to a thriller screenplay include, secrets, red herrings, cliffhangers and suspects. Also be sure to know what clues you plan to give to your audience and how you plan to show them in your movie.

Tip Four

Create an outline of your story that includes all the steps you story will take from beginning to end. Be sure to include the major plot points, the turning points. You can do this with pad and pencil or you can create an outline in most screenwriting software.

Tip Five

Open your screenwriting software and begin writing. Make your action lines strong and to the point. Make sure your dialogue moves the story and isn't there just for filler. You screenplay should run anywhere from 90 to 120 pages when you complete the first draft.

Tip Six

Ask a trusted friend to read your first draft and let you know what they think is good or bad about your script. You can do this with several friends or you can join a writer's group and get feedback from the other members.

Tip Seven

Rewrite your script based on the feedback you receive. Your goal is to write the best thriller screenplay you can, so if one or more people have given you the same comments on an area, that is the area you should look at and rewrite first.

Ever Have One of THOSE Days

Where every little thing gets on your nerves? Today has been one of those for me. Don’t get me wrong, I got a lot accomplished, but…

First the dogs woke us up early. And one had had an accident in the house. Great thing to wake up to at 5 am. After an hour or so, we did go back to bed and did get a bit more sleep.

Then after the better half went to work, the boomerang kid came back. Never mind that I have work to do before the darling grandson gets here. On goes the blaring television. I tune it out best I can and get on with working.

Then the power goes out. Okay, so now it’s quiet but my laptop battery will only last about an hour and a half. I still have three articles to write. Can I get them done? I did, but a whole lot faster (and perhaps a bit less quality than usual). Just as I finish the last one, the power comes back on. So did the TV.

Finally back to work, trying to get everything done. Daughter dumpling calls and says she not bringing up the grandson tonight. That’s cool – gives me more time to do other stuff that has been neglected. Chasing a one year old is a full time job in itself.

Boomerang son made dinner. One of my favorites – old fashioned tuna and noodles. Great comfort food, right? Not with hot peppers in it. While it was good (actually tasted real good) not what I was psyched for.

So now, here it is almost ten and I still have stuff to do before the better half gets home. And the kids wonder why I’m tired all the time?

My Kids Are Excited

The news has been filled the last day or two with the rebate that our illustrious President is wanting to give to taxpayers. My kids are thrilled. They see an extra however many dollars in their pockets to spend. What they don’t see is that a: this is only going to add to the debt that the country is already in and b: it’s not free money. Either they will be paying it back in taxes in years to come or their children will. Alas, Economics 101 goes right over their heads.

Also in the news, cloned meat and dairy coming to a supermarket near you. Hey, I think I said something about that months ago in my only other real post to this blog. The information has been out there for quite a while, so why are people just now getting upset about it? And those that aren’t alarmed by this, why aren’t they? Once again, I turn to my kids for answers. Their response goes something like this – Well, the FDA says it’s okay and it will probably make meat and milk cheaper, so that’s a good thing, right Mom? At that point, I just bite my tongue and wonder if I did really raise these guys.

The election season is in full swing and it’s boring already. Yep, I know who I’ll vote for and all the political pundits in the world aren’t going to change my mind. Only the candidate can do that. But what gets me, is how the media makes such a BIG deal over a caucus and a primary or two. It’s not over till it’s over and there are still many states that have yet to cast their votes. I mean, I really could care less who won in New Hampshire. In fact, chances are, nothing matters until after the party candidates are decided. If my man has convinced the nation that he’s the best for the job…then that’s a good thing. If not, I’ll have to decide between the two that remain standing (plus a few independents). But it does seem to me that the media does its best to sway the votes in those states remaining.

Okay, enough rant for one day. Who knows, I might be back tomorrow with more.

Okay, I've been lax...

Set up this blog last July, but never actually posted. Guess life got in the way.

My beautiful grandson was born on December 23, 2006 and it's amazing how one little person makes me look at the world with an even more critical eye.

Now tell me, who could look at that face and not worry about the state of affairs in the world today? We've got a war raging in the Iraq, our own Constitutional rights being taken away one by one, food in the marketplace that is NOT safe to eat and an economy that is taking a nose dive south. Not a pretty picture in my mind.

Speaking of food NOT safe to eat, coming soon to a supermarket near you, Cloned Meat and Dairy. And the last time I looked at the FDA website, they are not even going to require the package to labeled as such. Now, I don't care what other people eat, but I do care about what I eat. And what my family eats. I think as a people as a whole, we have a right to know where the food we consume comes from. We are an intelligent people, we can make our own choices if we are given the information we need.

It really makes me glad that we grow and raise 90 percent of the food we eat as a family. We know where it came from and what it eats. We know what fertilizers (or none) were used on the vegetables and we know our animals are not laden with antibiotics or hormones. It is good, safe food and I plan to see that my new darling grandson gets his belly full on homegrown and not store bought.

But, I suppose, progress marches on. Yet, for me and mine, I hope to stay rooted in the old ways of doing things as long as possible; which translated means, until my ashes are scattered over my small portion of the mountain top.

Welcome to the Ramblings of an Ozark Granny

Or at least I will be come the end of the year. I plan to use this blog to ramble on about becoming a grandmother, plus prattle about anything else that interests me at the moment.

Feel free to post any comments or feedback - I promise it will be read.