General Filmmaking Tips
 

Ok, so I think Im gonna try to make a movie. I have an idea, and I have alot of friends that can act. Im trying to write the screenplay, and am saving money for a camera.

But I really dont know jackshit aout making movies. What kind of camera should I get? How long should my script be? What effects/editing programs should I have? And just any other general advice would be much apriciated [I just know that was spelled wrong]

Don't buy any camera you can't afford. If your film is going to put you in debt, it's a bad idea (and I'm speaking from experience on this). You can likely find a cheap video camera at a thrift store to get you started on your way. I'm dead serious. Why spend a bunch of loot on something if you don't know for sure you're going to want to continue with later ? There really is a lot of work involved. Most of your filming time is spent waiting around to film. Camera angles, lighting, sound all take time to setup. It gets very tedious very quickly (esp if your actors get fidgety and start thinking they could be doing something more interesting with their time than "wasting" it on you and your film.
A general rule of thumb on screenplays are one page= one minute of film time. I'd recommend trying something short and not too complicated to get your feet wet (again speaking from experience). You can always do bigger, better productions once you get a feel for it. Remember, more planning before is always better than not being prepared enough (you can add a fidgety crew to your fidgety actors at this point and you'll have a mutiny on your hands LOL). There's software available to help you map everything out for this. I'd say try it.
There are so many editing programs to choose from, I wouldn't know where to tell you to begin. I use a few for different things (esp fx). Download trial versions since I can't publicly condone downloading pirated software (<- hint, hint). It comes down to what you're most comfortable with in the long run. There is no definite answer for everyone.
Best advice I would offer is have a good time doing it and be sure everyone else involved does, too. Good luck !
CK

in addition to what mr. s just said (all of which is right on) i'd strongly caution you not to set your goals too high at first. like mr. s said, get a cheap camera and shoot a few short movies first, just to see if you're actually into it. i made the mistake of thinking i was gonna make the next great slasher film on my first attempt and ended up with...... well, let's just say the results were..... well, let's just forget about it. it takes a lot of time, patience, practice, help and luck to make a quality film. believing your gonna nail it on the first try is about as likely as angelina jolie breaking down in front of your house and saying she'll bang you if you change her tire for her. wow, is it getting hot in here?

I don't know. You stay in and figure it out. I'm going out to change that tire :D
CK

I suggest that instead of trying to make an entire film you should start off with a couple of shorts..maybe a half an hour. That way you script doesn't have to be that long and more importantly you wont have to take too much time setting stuff up which will cut down on boredom and bitchiness among the cast and crew.

You can see if you enjoy doing it and decide if you're any good at it without all the other hoopla. If you decide you enjoy it then you can start to increase the length little by little until you've gotten a good feel for the process and after alot of hard work and practice you might be a pretty good director. Good Luck!

have fun. hope you don't mind my sloppy seconds.

ahhhh, nothing says "sloppy" like Angelina LOL.
Did you make your film yet, Return ? I't been hours since we all gave you this great advice and we're still waiting.
CK (<-- now teaching the joys of having a producer hanging over Return's head)

I likely wont get majorly started until Fall. I need to get some money, first of all, and flesh out my idea so it'll fill 15-20 minutes. Looking forward to it, though!

Ditto. Give me a hollar if you need any help.
CK

this should go without saying, but always ALWAYS get people that you trust 100% to show up and not get all bitchy about doing a bunch of takes. And if there's someone you want to use, but you're not sure they'd be able to show up as much as you'd like, try shooting around it (like use coverage or something)