Open Culture

Long gone are the days when making a movie cost thousands of pounds and required tons of specialist equipment. These days, all you need is access to a home video camera and you could have your work shown on OC 167 for all the world to see!

You might want to film your band's gig or a friend's art exhibition. You could be taping your theatre rehearsals or the final performance on stage. Or maybe you want to be the next Spielberg and turn your ideas into magical movies for everyone to enjoy.

Whatever you want to film, OC 167 is here to promote your work and to help you become part of Liverpool's ever-growing cultural community! And that's why we've put together this quick guide to making your own films…

• Get a Camera! – Every filmmaker needs a camera and most home movie cameras will do the job nicely. If you haven't got one of your own, ask your friends and family if you can borrow theirs, or check your local community learning centres to see if there are any loan schemes in your area.
• Get Filming! – Practice makes perfect so don't worry if you've never made a film before, just get shooting. Once you're comfortable with the camera you should start to think about the angles you film at (close-ups, wide shots, etc) and how you'll put together all of these bits when you edit the film. If you need advice, ask around. There are loads of budding filmmakers in Liverpool and the North West who would love to help others get on their way.
• Get Editing! – What you leave out of a film is just as important as what you leave in which is why even the best filmmakers have to edit their films. Some cameras come with the software to do this or if you have a PC you can use Windows Movie Maker (which comes free with Windows - if you have a Mac you can use iMovie). Again, asking around will help – there may be a film society or community learning centre near you where you will be able to access full editing facilities AND get advice on how best to edit your film.

• Filming – When you film, don't just think about filming the action. You should also think about filming "cutaway" scenes and "General View" shots as these will make your film easier to edit. Cutaways might be a shot of something related to the action, or something happening away from the action at the same time. General View shots look at the "bigger picture" - for example, if you were making a film about religion in Liverpool your general view shots could include images of the two cathedrals or people coming out of a local church at the end of a service.
• Music – If you plan on using music in your film, you need to think about "clearance". Most music is copyrighted and you'll have to get the owner's permission (clearance) and maybe even pay them to use their work. However, there are lots of "royalty-free" tracks available for you to use. Here are OC 167 we have hundreds of tracks that we have "clearance" to broadcast. For more information, contact us direct on info@culture.org.uk

If you submit your work to OC 167, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have obtained all of the necessary clearances in writing. If somebody claims your film breaches their copyright, you will be liable (as well as OC 167) for any legal action that may occur. If you have breached copyright, you will not be able to show your film and you could even end up being sued. Make sure that you get clearances for "All Media" so that your work is cleared for broadcast on both TV and the internet. Ideally, you should also get clearance "for use in territories throughout the world in perpetuity". This will mean your work can be viewed by anyone and you won't have to renew permissions to use copyright work. Of course, if you avoid using any copyright material, you won't need to worry about this!

• Marketing – You can use OC 167 to market your event, not just your finished film. If you plan on recording a performance or an exhibition, you can publicise that through the Open Culture website. Or your film could be an advert for the event, telling people about it before it happens. You can submit films of any length between 30 seconds and fifty minutes so if you have an event you want to promote in the near future, get filming now!
• Learn the Lingo! – Some of the language used in filmmaking can be a bit confusing for a beginner but this handy Film Dictionary on the BBC website will help you sort your Boom Shots from your Dolly Shots.

If you don't want to make a movie you could make a Cultural Conversation instead. This is a chance for you to get your opinion heard, to ask your community a question or to share your thoughts on anything to do with Liverpool.

Just film yourself talking to the camera or pair up with a friend and talk between you. You could even try interviewing someone, whether it's a work colleague, a neighbour or someone with specialist knowledge of your subject.

Keep your film under 3 minutes or you might find people switching off. Remember, this is supposed to be a conversation not a documentary! Try to think of things that will get people talking – maybe you think football is rubbish or that we should swap the Liver Birds for Superlambananas! Whatever you choose to talk about, it should be interesting enough to get other people starting their own conversations.

Cultural Conversations will be shown on the Open Culture website and on OC 167 at 11.00pm – 12.00pm.

If you have any questions on making your own film please feel free to e-mail info@culture.org.uk