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Making a Movie
6 Articles

Check articles you have read:

Actors
141 words

Writing a Script
193 words

Shooting a Movie!
232 words

The Film Crew

152 words

Editing a Movie
226 words

The Director
214 words

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 Actors

Actors

Many films have actors. Actors are the people who bring characters of a
movie to life. Their job is to be able to turn into someone they are not in real
life. Actors try to make the characters seem like real people.

Actors think a lot about the characters they will play. They work with the
movie's director to figure out who the character is. They imagine what the
character's thoughts and feelings might be. Then they try their best to
become the character in front of the camera. Great actors can truly feel and
think the way their characters do. Even though they are only pretending, it
seems like they are not!

Many people become actors because they like being able to become
someone else. For example, an actor today can play a cowboy in the 1800s
for a film.

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 Writing a Script

Writing a Script

Every movie starts with an idea! Filmmakers and writers are inspired by their own lives and by the world
around them. They pay attention to their experiences. These experiences make them think or feel a
certain way. These thoughts and feelings help the filmmakers and writers come up with an idea or story.

Writers spend a long time working on their stories. Some stories are very complicated. Other stories are
simple. Stories are grouped into genres. Examples of some popular genres include comedies, romances,
mysteries, and dramas. Writers create characters to place in their stories. Characters can be funny or silly.
They can be smart or adventurous. They can have any mix of traits that make up a personality.
Characters can even be animals. Think of some of your favorite movie or TV characters. What makes
them special?

Writers edit their work many times. This means that they read and change their scripts many times. A
script is a story written to become a movie. Writers ask others to review their work too. Once writers are
satisfied with what they have written, they can prepare to turn their script into a real film!

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 Shooting a Movie!

Shooting a Movie!

Have you ever wondered what it's like to make a movie? It can be a very fun and creative experience. But
it's not easy!

The production of a movie is all the work that goes into planning and making a movie. The production of
one movie can be different from that of another movie. Some productions last a week. Some last months.
There are even some movies that take years to be made. The days spent shooting the movie are called
production days. They are very, very long. The team making the movie may be on set for 12 hours each
production day!

A movie set is the place where the film is being shot, or recorded on camera. Sets can be in the real
world. For example, part of a movie may be shot in a restaurant. The crew making the movie brings a
camera and other equipment to the restaurant in order to film.

On the other hand, sets can also be built for a specific film. For example, a director can use an empty
studio in Hollywood to build a set. The set is built like the place the director wants to shoot. Let's say a
director is making a movie about living on Mars. The director will build a set that looks just like Mars.
That's much easier than trying to go to Mars to shoot the movie!

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 The Film Crew

The Film Crew

A number of people work on a single film. The group of people working on a movie is known as the crew.
The crew is made up of several people with specific jobs. Each job is done in order to make the film turn
out as well as possible. For example, the director's job is to lead the production, or making, of a film. Other
jobs include working the camera, setting up the lights, and recording the sound.

The crew is a team so they need to work together. They need to help each other, just like a sports team.
Some crews can be as small as three people. Bigger films can have crews that have hundreds of people.

The crew is led by the director. Having one person lead the crew is helpful. It makes sure everyone has a
shared goal and a clear idea of what they need to do.

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 Editing a Movie

Editing a Movie

Some people may think that making a movie ends when you've filmed all of the movie's parts. But that's
not true! Once you've shot, or recorded the movie on camera, you have to edit the movie. This is a very
important step!

To edit a movie usually means to delete, correct, and reorder the sound and footage recorded. Footage is
the video that has been filmed for a movie. All of the footage and sound that was recorded is given to an
editor. The editor looks at and listens to everything recorded. The editor puts the sound and video together
to make the movie the way it should be.

The editor uses a computer program to watch all of the footage and organize it. Editors pick which parts of
the footage they will show in the movie. For example, one part of a movie can be shot ten times. It is up to
the editor to pick which version is best.

Once the editor has put the movie together, the director watches it. The director is the person who leads
the team that made the movie. The director makes sure that he or she likes it, too. When everyone is
happy with the final edit of the film, the movie is completed. The movie is sent to theaters so that people
can watch and enjoy it!

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 The Director

The Director

A lot of work goes into making a movie! First, a person or a group of people
come up with an idea or story for a movie. The idea or story is written as a
script. This script can then be turned into a movie.

Once a movie has been written, someone needs to direct it. The director
has a very important role in the making of a film. Think about the way your
teacher leads the class. A director also leads. But a director leads the
production of a film, not a class. The production of a film is all the work and
time spent planning and making the film.

The director is a person with many jobs. Directors work with actors to bring
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 The Director

the characters to life. Many people work on a movie set. The director is in
charge of making sure that everyone working on the film is doing the right
thing. The director makes sure everyone is working towards the same goal.

Directors need to have a clear artistic vision for the movie they are making.
This means that they need to really know how they want the audience to
feel after they see the movie. They need to do whatever they can to make
the audience feel this way.

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