Production Tips

Diegesis
Diegesis is the combination of diegetic and non-diegetic to give the moving image a meaning for the audience, sound is mostly used.
Diegetic material is what exist in the text itself, so the characters are aware of it. Examples of this is dialogue, sound effects which are heard by characters (like thunder), background music that is heard by characters and dialogue between characters. Non diegetic material is added for the audience for example, atmospheric music, soundtrack music, voice-over narration.
There are some sounds that can be both for example, a character' thoughts in a voice-over are diegetic in that the character is aware of them, but non-diegetic in the sense that other characters are not.

Micro and macro origination
To shoot material appropriate, you need to use the micro-macro stratergy. A fiction film will follow conventions of a certain genre of film, in this case the micro elements - types of camera work, music, style of titles, dialogue, setting and place - these will all add up to the macro theme and set of representations.

Camera work and framing
Most camera work should be shot using a tripod unless a hand held shot effect is what is required. Zooming is rarely used in a film so it is best to avoid it unless you want the apperance of amatuer footage. A widescreen framing should be used as we are using film as the medium. For a film it is suggested you mostly use mid-shots, and long shots, with close-ups used sparingly.
The 'rule of thirds' is used for framing shots. Imagine the frame is made up of 9 squares. The eye is drawn to the off centre areas, so it is best to avoid the central square and position objects just off centre as this adds concentration on the image.
Combining different shot types anddistances is essential to the language of film. An effective combination is going from a long shot to a mid-shot and then to a close up.
Camera angle increases the power of the character. High-angle shots reduce the power and low-angle shot increases it.

Mise en scene
Mise en scene is about the atmosphere and continuity. It is the most difficult element of production to get right. The costume, lighting, locations, and props need to be carfully selected to create the right feel. It needs to be maintained shot by shot.

Lighting
Five tips about light.
1) Use natural light - sunlight, in shadow, in mist, through rain - depending on the affect, and time as you need to wait for right conditions.
2)Use cheap and cheerful artifcial light - you can make use of candles, fireligh, torches, car headlights, security lights, neon signs and street lighting.
3) Create colour filters - shine light through coloured liquids, vases, ornaments.
4) Position the light source for effect - lighting a scene from above, below or in a obscured way will create different kinds of atomosphere
5)Lighting a scene is a scientific process. Once you have explored what your light sources can provide, experiment with the interaction of light with the objects in you frame.

Combining sound, image and titles
The title needs to be appropriate it has to have the right font, colour and size. It will have to be placed either over black between shots or over the action and how long each title is on the screen. Also, adding music to add abience to the start of the film must be in keeping with the tone anf pave of the film.

The grammar of non-linear editing
You need to observe the rules of grammar that apply to editing, creating continuity and the right rhythm and pace. Making sure the correct transition has beenused is essential. Avoid transitions that have not got the conventions of the type of film being construsted. Hard cuts should be used for at least 90% of the sequences. The only exception is the transition between a title and images, but these need to be consistent and not all different. The editing is meant to be invisable so the viewer believes in the reality of the fiction that is unfolding. Editing allows you to do thinks that aren't possible in real life, the careful execution of these forms of manipulation without distracting or confusing the audience is what is calledd the 'grammar of the edit'.