Having written your script, visually planned your movie, created a budget and production plan, and shaped your film from the director’s viewpoint, you are now ready to start shooting. Today, we think of this period—the period traditionally known as the production phase—as image and sound capture.

The following section is one of the most technical in the book. Your movie can only turn out well if you do a good job getting the visual and audio recordings you need, so you can complete the marriage of imagery and sound into a final work; therefore, you need to understand how machines and systems related to image and sound capture function. We’ll share the technological underpinnings of filmmaking, because they affect how you operate your cameras, lights, and microphones, and then get you started on practical work: using the tools you need to make your movie. If you have a special curiosity about even more technical information, we’ve included special Tech Talk features in some chapters.

As you begin the production, or image and sound capture phase, it is most important to recognize that the machines you will be using are just tools—extensions of your eye, your hand, your ear, and your creative spirit—tools that, when properly employed, will bring to the screen the audiovisual information of your story. For example, a microphone is just a device that turns sound into electric signals. A camera, at its foundation, is nothing more than a box with a hole that lets light in so that you can capture and record moving images.

Let the shooting begin!