A guerrilla filmmaker is a filmmaker not funded by a large budget, but who uses her creativity to develop economical techniques. For example, turning the camera upside down so it appears that an actor is walking on the ceiling, or using glitter to give the appearance of ice in a winter scene. These techniques are common in low-budget filmmaking, but sometimes a major motion picture will use the same techniques to shoot a scene. For example, by spraying water on the streets for a scene shot at night, the street lights reflecting off the water will give depth to shot.
Major motion pictures, such as "Avatar," rely on special effects to tell a story. These special effects are created in a studio or added to a scene in the editing room, or in post-production. An action movie that is supported by a large budget uses studio space to stage explosions or fires that are controlled by a specially trained crew. But as of 2011, some effects, such as a creature from another world, don't need the studio space and are added to a scene using computer software. Gollum from Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings," for example, is a character created by the collaboration of the performer Andy Serkis and a computer.
Camera angles are used to create an illusion, but they also serve a practical purpose. For example, the same scene can be shot in two different locations by using camera angles. One wide angle will set the scene, while a second angle records the bulk of the dialogue. The two angles are filmed in different locations, but with a little editing the scene will look as if it is in the same location. A filmmaker often uses multiple camera angles for one shot and selects which is best during an editing session.
Editing is an important part of production. Before digital cameras, film editing involved cutting and reattaching hundreds of feet of raw footage. Advances in technology allow the modern filmmaker to upload footage onto a computer containing editing software. Film editors adjust color, add effects and work with sound technicians and the director to complete each scene. This work is referred to as post-production because it takes place after the film is shot.