The Essence of Filmmaking: Why 70% of the Process Happens Before Shooting—and How to Use Stock Footage Effectively

What You Discover When You Start Making Films

As with anything, once you try it, you begin to uncover unexpected truths.

Many people assume that filmmaking is mostly about shooting, with editing being the “hard part.” But in reality, about 70% of the work happens before the camera even rolls. You might also think, “My camcorder records clean audio, so I can just use the dialogue as-is.” But once you start editing, you’ll notice that the sound varies wildly between cuts, making it impossible to stitch together smoothly. Audio recorded through the camera mic is often unusable.

One thing I’ve learned firsthand: the footage you think you can “shoot anytime” often ends up delaying the entire project. Scenes without people—like landscapes—seem easy to capture later, since they don’t require coordinating with others. But filming is entirely dependent on scheduling. And even when you finally gather your cast, shooting takes more time than expected.

Even though I shoot quickly and loosely, people unfamiliar with filmmaking are often surprised: “Wait, that’s all we got in a full day?” Shooting is slow. Every minute counts.

Why “Shoot Later” Often Means “Never”

Take a forest scene, for example. Some shots might be from a character’s point of view, while others are pure landscape. You might think, “Let’s just shoot those while everyone’s here.” But when you’re racing against time to finish the character shots, you don’t want to spend precious minutes on footage without people.

If you don’t finish the scheduled shots, you might not be able to return under the same conditions. So you plan to come back alone and shoot the landscape later—it’s cheaper that way. But often, those “easy” shots never get done.

That’s why I changed my approach: I now shoot and stock footage I think I’ll use often, as early as possible.

For example, if I’m filming a forest scene where I need a “moving forward” shot from a character’s perspective, I’ll also capture other generic forest footage while I’m there—even if I don’t need it for the current project. This stockpile helps reduce shooting days for future films.

I’ve made it a habit to shoot various angles with my smartphone whenever I’m out, always thinking about future use.

Tips for Stocking Landscape Footage

Now let’s dive into a technique I call the “Masuda-style Super Previz Method.”

This method involves compositing green-screened actors onto separately filmed backgrounds—similar to animation. Most landscape footage serves as background.

There are two types of backgrounds:

• Motion footage
• Still images

Scenes like waves crashing or grass swaying in the wind need motion to feel natural. Ideally, use a tripod to avoid camera shake. If handheld, you can stabilize the footage later in post.

Most landscape clips are only used for a few seconds. Even when used as a background for actors, a single cut rarely exceeds 10–15 seconds. So shooting 30 seconds is usually enough.

For static backgrounds—like walls or interiors—still images are more practical. You can extend their duration in editing. But I recommend filming these as video too.

Why? Because it’s hard to predict exactly what angles you’ll need later. You’ll likely regret not capturing the “less cinematic” directions. Often, you’ll need footage that’s not visually striking but logically necessary.

So I film everything—even backgrounds I plan to use as stills—as video. For indoor scenes, I stand in the center and slowly rotate, capturing all directions. Later, I extract stills from the footage as needed.

Two Key Points: Angle and Shutter Speed

There are two critical factors when shooting background footage for compositing:

1. 1. Camera Angle
      If you shoot an actor from a slightly high angle, the background must match. Even a subtle mismatch creates noticeable discomfort. I’ve learned that compositing footage with vertical tilt almost always fails.
      1. The solution: shoot both actors and backgrounds horizontally, at face level. This avoids major errors.
         1. Of course, dramatic angles like low or high shots add flair. But if you want that flair, use it in non-composited shots. Don’t risk ruining the composite.
         2. Motion Blur
            When extracting stills from video, blur can ruin the image. This usually happens when the camera moves too fast for the recording speed.
      2. You have two options:
   2. • Set a fast shutter speed (e.g., 1/500 or faster) to reduce blur.
      • Move the camera slowly. This takes more time and creates longer files, but it prevents horizontal blur.

By building a library of clean, versatile footage, you can dramatically cut costs. Eventually, you might be able to produce new films using only green-screened actors and stock backgrounds.

A Unique but Effective Method

This technique isn’t mainstream. But I developed it to:

1. 1. • Finish projects as quickly as possible
      • Stay true to my creative vision

I use this method for all my current productions. If you’re curious, you can see updates on my latest work at MVG Latest News.

I hope this article proves useful.