These days anyone can make a short film. All you need is your trusted phone, and a bit of effort, and we’re here to guide you through the process.
We’ll explain how to make a decent short movie on a Samsung phone, with no experience or complex skills. You’ll learn how to achieve the best quality, how to prepare for everything, and get a few tips on how to be efficient, too.
No need to be an expert filmmaker or buy an expensive camera. You’ll be surprised how effective your smartphone can be in shooting a movie. Let’s get into it!
Can You Shoot A Short Film With A Samsung?
The answer to that is pretty obvious: yes, of course you can. Today’s phones all have powerful cameras, and you can do all the cinematic tricks with them (well, almost). There are some limitations, but they come with pretty much everything, so don’t let them stop you. And don’t think making a movie will be easy. It won’t, but with enough effort, you can make it work.
But if you think it’s only possible with an iPhone, you’re wrong. There are tons of short movies filmed with Android phones, and the quality is just as good. In fact, Samsung is actually able to shoot in 8K, if you didn’t know. Can the iPhone do that? Nope.
However, not every Samsung phone will work nicely for filmmaking. You’ll need a model with a good, HQ camera, so make sure to check out if your device has it.
How To Make A Short Film With A Samsung?
The thing that makes the whole process of making a short film so difficult is that there are so many ways to do that. It’s such a huge subject it’s too easy to get lost in all the tips and trends, and all that.
However, there are some stakes you surely need to include in the process of pre-production and shooting, and we’re about to guide you through the basics.
Manage Your Resources
The very first thing to do here is to establish what you’ve got and what you may need. You can rewrite the script multiple times, but it won’t matter if you don’t have actors found, and all that. So, make sure to write down a list of:
- Actors. Finding the right cast is basically 50% of the work and it highly affects how the audience will react to it. Having actors who work together and have on-screen chemistry is a rare and complicated thing, but you need to start somewhere. You can star in the movie yourself, ask your friends to join or search for volunteers online.
- Locations. Do we have to explain this one? It will be a mistake to skip over this step and just shoot in the first place you find comfortable. Location can instantly ruin the aesthetic of your film, so do your research here. In case want to catch naturally beautiful lighting or a golden hour, make sure to get apps to calculate sunset and sunrise times.
- Costumes. Many people ignore this aspect, which is a misstep. Clothes are just as important as the location, especially if you’re going for a specific vibe and want people to get it. In case you don’t know where to find them, feel free to use apps to find clothes from pictures. And if you have trouble with styling, there are AI outfit generator apps to help with that.
Estimate The Length
Yes, this step goes before writing an actual story. What’s the point of writing a massive script the size of a novel when you only plan to shoot a 15-minute film? The length is what defines the structure of the script, not the other way around.
If it’s your first time shooting, the best timing will be around 10 minutes at max. You can do more, you can do less, it’s up to you. You can make a great impactful film that only lasts 5 minutes, so don’t think it’s pointless to make it that short, ok?
Figure Out A Story
Well, that’s the phase where most people get lost and give up on making something whatsoever. Writer block is a thing, and no one is safe from it, even the greatest minds out there.
And if you’re sitting there, staring at a blank page, and can’t figure anything out, we know how to help. We’ve rounded up the best free AI story generator apps you can use to get the first draft. Of course, it will need editing, but it’s something.
Here are some tips on how to write a good story:
- Write around what you’ve already got. Make sure it is set in locations you can access and the characters can be played by the cast you’ve already found.
- Make characters fit your cast. Of course, you can ignore it and try to find actors for the roles, but if you’re a beginner, it will be a hell of a task. Building a story around people you know will help you create believable characters, even if it is set in a fantasy world.
- Make an outline. This will help you turn your story into a script. Write a few sentences for each minute of the film, and you’ll save yourself time and nerves.
Write The Script
You can’t really shoot a movie without a script, so this one is essential. So what’s the difference between a story and a script? Well, the script is formatted to an industry-standard format (but it’s not really essential).
Each script should include:
- scene heading;
- action;
- dialogue.
You can easily write on your phone, there are tons of PDF editing apps to use for that. In case you have issues with that, we’ve picked up the best free AI movie script generators to help you out.
The tip here is to keep things simple. The more people there are involved, the greater the chance for mistakes and the more challenging the coordination becomes.
Make a Storyboard
Storyboarding is all about sketching shots and deciding how the camera will move. Filmmakers don’t just go on set and start to improvise, they have everything managed on storyboards beforehand. Can you try to improvise? Sure. Will it work out great? Maybe not.
Usually, a storyboard looks like a comic, and it doesn’t have to be beautifully drawn. You can use some digital drawing apps and make it on your phone. And don’t forget that you can always generate art with AI for some inspo.
Organization
Organization is key to a lot of things, and it applies to filmmaking. Make a schedule for everything you need filmed and the number the scenes, so everyone can understand what is shot. It will be great if you’ll decide how much each scene lasts, too.
Tips on Making a Movie on Samsung
Here are some tips to make sure you’ll shoot your film right:
Basic Things
- Clean your camera lens. Seems like an obvious thing to do, but it’s so easy to forget about it. Even if it looks clean, just spend a few secs to ensure that it actually is.
- Pick an Orientation. Another thing that is kind of obvious, but you have to make sure it’s done right. You can start shooting in portrait mode automatically, but the landscape one is obviously preferable.
- Record a test video. It won’t take long, but it’s a smart thing to do before moving on to the real deal. It lets you check the lighting and fix all the flaws right away. 10-20 seconds is enough to see how everything looks.
- Adjust the angle. Your phone is quite small (in comparison to the pro cam) so you can put it in places other cameras won’t fit in. It lets you try unusual angles and surprise your audience.
- Use Airplane Mode. You don’t want to be bothered by notifications or (god forbid) incoming calls while shooting, right? It can ruin the whole thing, especially if you are tight on timing.
Cinematic Things
- Play with lighting. Lighting can make a big difference, and your phone’s cam won’t work as great if it’s dark and dim outside. That’s because smartphones have smaller camera sensors, but you can fix it by buying additional lighting.
- Don’t get carried away with Zoom. The main thing about shooting with Samsung is using all its features and benefits, and Zoom is not one of them. Yeah, we’ve all seen those vids on how you can zoom your Samsung to see the moon, but it affects the quality either way. And it will likely cause problems, including ones with stabilization, and you don’t want to deal with that.
- Get additional gear. Of course, the main advantage of using your phone is that you don’t have to spend extra money, but sometimes you should. Stabilizers, additional lenses, and lighting won’t cost you that much, but it will surely elevate how the film turns out.
How To Edit A Movie On Samsung?
One of the pros of shooting a short movie with your phone is that you can edit it right away. There are plenty of apps for filmmakers you could download, but there’s also one you already have on your phone.
There’s a new add-on called Studio, which is a part of the default Gallery app. It’s an extended version of the Gallery editor, and it works as a full-on video editing tool. It lets you add clips, set new music, add titles, and all that. With it on hand, you may skip the need to get an extra app at all. And the best thing is, it’s fully free.
