The process of making a film is called film-making. The history of film-making started with the invention of the first motion-picture cameras in the 1890s. The first films were just under a minute long and gradually were extended to several minutes spanning several shots. It became a well established industry in the late 19th century. Performances of actors started being applauded eventually and paved the way for stars. Until 1927, films were made without sounds. Genres like comedy and tragedy were developed and story lines from novels and plays were incorporated. The film-making industry underwent complete transition during The First World War. Feature films began being played at theatres and changed the face of commercial cinema. War dramas joined the movement for Renaissance in Britain followed by patriotic films back in the US. The end of the wars brought in a 'Golden Era' for non-English cinema.

Film-making involves four main stages namely development, pre-production, shooting and post-production. Development is the search for a storyline and is a creative process where the story is first moulded together. The inspiration for a great story can come from anywhere including novels, plays, short stories, blogs, newspapers and real life incidents. A screen-writer is approached to create the script and the producer then sends it out to agencies. The key is to find a director and also work out the budget. Pre-production is when the key members like the Director, the Cinematographer and Line Producer come together and work out the crew and cast for the movie. Employing members, deciding locations and bringing in other important people for positions like Director of Photography, Production Designer, Costume Designer etc may take upto weeks and months after which begins the shooting. The post-production stage involves editing the movie, incorporating sound and music and colour correcting the movie.

Can film-making be chased as a hobby? The answer is yes. Independent films and documentaries can still make money and with social media as a platform today an individual can whole-heartedly follow his passion and receive appreciation for their work. All you need is the drive to do it and with independent film-making becoming a feasible career option in the real world, one can choose to do popular cinema or work with more artistic and experimental storylines. Career is open to talent and one can easily make a career out of their hobbies. The potential success behind film-making makes it attractive and an amateur can begin right away if he has a camcorder/camera and is willing to research and learn about the same.

Hobbylancer and You

Find tutorials, books and more about film-making and connect with other independent film-makers here at Hobbylancer. Watch documentaries and cinema to discover the intricacies of film-making and create a platform for yourself to flaunt your skill and receive appreciation for your work. Team up with other film-makers through us and train under experts. Expert Film-makers can organize events on film-making and even choose to intern amateurs here. Discover and learn so much more for we help you do what you are best at doing at Hobbylancer.