Where to start

Film School tries to take you through the SciCast process more-or-less in order, so if you’re new here, click down the links to the right, read these pages, and it should start to make sense.

SciCast films are usually made by small teams — see ‘Teams & Producers’ for more — and not much planning tends to be needed. No, really. A bit helps, but too much tends to sap all the fun out from both the experience, and the resulting film. The main rule of SciCast films is that they mustn’t be boring, so don’t overthink it: get stuck in, make a film, and if it sucks… make another one.

Working like that is quick, and it focusses your attention on spotting things you can do better on the next take. Iterate until you run out of time.

We think the easiest way to start is with a demonstration: a straightforward experiment that you can repeat enough times for you to get your lines right. If you’re just starting out, we heavily recommend sticking to a classroom demo you know well.

If you’re feeling adventurous, however, you might like to explore other sorts of films.

Also here in Film School you’ll find some general advice about equipment, some tips on camerawork, and our thoughts on the sorts of mistakes people tend to make, and how you might avoid them.

Using other peoples’ stuff

Want to use music, photographs, or video from other people?

Short version: don’t. Long version: here.

Safety

It’s only a film, it’s not worth being injured for. Well, your pride might take a knock if you make a complete fool of yourself, but physical injury is something else. Be sure to read our brief safety notes.