A proof of concept is a short film that conveys the core idea of your feature. It doesn't have to go into detail of what your full length story will be, it only needs to get across your core premise.
This is actually another really good exercise in understanding what your concept really is. You might think you know what your feature film is about, but often-times, when you reduce your feature to a single sentence, or try to convey it in a short film you learn something about the central premise of your story that you didn't know previously.
Very often I hear writers complain that they don't know how to create a proof of concept, they come up with excuses such as they don't have enough money to do it or they don't know enough crew to get it done.
A proof of concept doesn't have to be a highly polished short film. It doesn't require a full crew to shoot it. In fact, working with a skeleton crew can be freeing. It forces you to be more resourceful and creative. When you shoot a film with only a handful of people it allows for creative flexibility that working with a full crew can inhibit.
We've all got cameras in our pockets. iPhones and Android SmartPhones all have high quality cameras. The DJI range have great cameras for a very low price tag.
Here's the biggest tip for creating a proof of concept for your feature.
KISS
KEEP IT SHORT STUPID!
There is nothing more off-putting than a short film that overstays its welcome.
Some of the best short films out there are less than 2 minutes long.
While your proof of concept can be longer than 2 minutes, I'd definitely say to not make anything longer than 5 minutes.
If your short film is longer than 5 minutes, you're not doing it right. You're over staying your welcome.
NO LONGER THAN 5 MINUTES.
Everyone has five minutes to spare.
If you're taking 10 minutes to prove your concept, you don't know what your concept is.
There's another KISS to consider when making your proof of concept.
KISS
KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!
Most good actors don't do short films because there's no money there. It's not worth their time. This means if you're making a short film and you don't happen to have a great actor as a friend to call upon, then you'll be working with amateurs.
Amateur actors really suck at delivering lines.
I'm not going to get into what makes a good actor - there's a whole world devoted to that. The best way to make your proof of concept not seem like an amateur piece is to remove all the dialogue.
It's much easier to direct actors who don't have to talk.
It also often makes for a much more interesting film. Why? Because your audience isn't stupid. They don't need dialogue to tell them what's going on. There's actually something really interesting about watching a story unfold from visuals only.
Here is a proof of concept I shot for a feature length horror film I'm working on.
I shot this entire film by my self. The lady is a friend who isn't an actor.
The budget was zero. It was shot on the DJI OSMO - which I already owned. Edited on my mac, and sound design was done with free sounds from freesounds.org.
The VFX elements in this PoC were done in After Effects. I had never used after effects before making this short film. I learned all I needed from youtube tutorials.
It took one night to film, then about a week to edit/compose/colour and complete the VFX. It's not going to win any awards for VFX or any major accolade at a prestigious film festival, but that was never the goal.
The only goal here was to convey the concept.
If the link doesn't work, copy and paste this URL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byKDtAReiOY
Now go and create your proof of concept!
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