We are going to make a short movie and propably shoot it next week.

Our goal is to do it like no one here has done a movie before (in our school) adn I'm little worried about effects in the movie.

We have this guy who is possessed by a demon and sometimes he sees the demon next to him, but the others can't and in one scene the guy sees the demon next to his girlfriend who gropes her and she can't feel it or see the demon.

How do you think it would be best to shoot these things? I want to do these as good as possible, without computer effects!

I'm a bit confused at what specific thing you are trying to achieve for your project, but here are few important tips to make your movie good:

1.) Unique script with a good story that flows well. Don't incorporate any guns (we've seen it enough)

2.) Plan out your shots, locations, and light accordingly. Plan, plan, plan.

3.) Don't use music from Requiem for a Dream.

i think the only unique movie i've ever seen was Tarnation, and that's only because it was 19 years of home movies of this guy, so it's not like anyone else can make that up.

you're not going to be unique in anything you do, so do what all the great painters and writers have done in the past: steal the best ideas from the people you admire, and put them together into one movie.

Actually, RFranco's advice is pretty good. Think of movies that you like, take the certain elements that you like from them and mash them together. Read this for more info on this kind of brainstorming http://exposure.co.uk/eejit/idea/index.html . And check out the rest of the articles on www.exposure.co.uk while you're at it. They're a pretty good set of articles, covering many areas in filmmaking.

Once you get a general plot, then you can add in little bits and pieces, that you come up with. I've used this way everytime I've written a script, it really does work good. It's what Tarantino has done in all his movie's and everyone think's that they're original. He just adds his own original style to it.

Really? What artist or filmmaker has been unique?

Since filmmaking has been around for around 80 years, its almost impossible to be completely, 100% unique. Something in your movie has been done before in another movie. But it is possible to be somewhat/partially/ or almost totally unique in movies.

As for how to make a good movie:

1) Visually Appealing. (Lighting, Camera Moves, Framing, Cinematography)
2) Original, Exciting, Interesting, Script
3) Acting that is convincing and extremely good.

Thats about everything it takes to make a good movie.

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Originally posted by Akari:

Our goal is to do it like no one here has done a movie before (in our school) adn I'm little worried about effects in the movie.

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Don't center your film around special effects. Center it around a good, solid story line. And eventually the effects will fall into play and then you can work closely w/ effects.

quote:

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Originally posted by Akari:
I'm little worried about effects in the movie.

We have this guy who is possessed by a demon and sometimes he sees the demon next to him, but the others can't and in one scene the guy sees the demon next to his girlfriend who gropes her and she can't feel it or see the demon.

How do you think it would be best to shoot these things? I want to do these as good as possible, without computer effects!

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Wow, you guys totally missed the point of this post. He was asking how to do this very simple effect.
Akari: The effect you're talking about isn't much of an effect, it's all dependent upon the actors. If you're using an actor for the demon then just direct him to do the demony things you want like grope and talk to the guy's girlfriend; then direct the girlfriend to go about her business like nothing's going on. Hopefully this'll make some sense, have crazy guy say, "Look, the demon's right next to you, he's touching you! Look!" And then show the demon doing whatever to his girlfriend while he's saying that while having her not react. Then CUT TO: a closer up shot of the girlfriend who looks around and sees nothing (if you want, you can keep the demon there and rely on actress showing that she can't see the demon at all, or when you cut to her can not show the demon at all [which will be better at showing that she doesn't actually see the demon at all.]) So basically, with some direction and slightly creative shooting will get you your desired effect.

-Elliott

You could also try single frame inserts of the demon groping the girlfriend, by taking some pics of the demon doing weird things in front of a neutral one-color background, deleting the background in photoshop, and inserting a single frame of it into the scene. Instead of making the demon an obvious character, it would be forming the story around a more subliminal figure. If I haven't explained enough, watch the first 20 minutes or so of Fight Club (and if you haven't already, the rest of it as well). And before anyone else says that single-frame inserts are blatant rip-offs of David Fincher, let me say that not only is Fincher completely worth ripping off, but also that single-frame inserts are not indigenous to his films. Sidney Lumet, William Friedkin, and Alain Resnais are just a few of the other directors who have used this subliminal technique (see The Exorcist, Cruising, Jade, Night and Fog, and The Pawnbroker. Hitchcock also used subliminal shots in Psycho, with the triple-layer cross-fade at the end. Fincher rocks, but he's not the first to do so. I even used some single frame inserts in my latest movie, One Shot, of the actor screaming in different positions when he's asked a particularly disturbing question. It wasn't because Fincher did it, it was because it told you more about the anger in the character without blatantly shoving it in front of you. It's dangerous, edgy, it makes the viewer pay more attention, and it's a great low-budget effect. Try it out.

I meant to include this in the above post, but forgot. For a well done, easily accessible example of single-frame inserts, check Film 1 on this site. Great flick.

Thanks, many nights have gone by while I have been thinking how do I get past the Demon part, but I think I know now.

Thanks Noirboy101 and MeGrimlock.

And you others gave me more ideas about the rest of the movie. Thx.

Wow, I just thought of a way to make the demony guy appear all misty and stuff... to bad I'd have to experiment to get it. And few people are willing to film for free at 4:55 am, Monday morning.

Trust me, it's amazing. But I can't share it yet... all this, with just FCE.