You are ready for your first day of production! Congratulations! Since your actors and crew are working for free, it is important to keep them interested, fed and motivated. Make sure you lock down all of your locations as well as cast and crew. Make sure they are still available for the days you have scheduled. I think it's a nice gesture to send around an e-mail to your team showing your passion and excitement for the upcoming shoot. It's great motivation for the cast and crew and it will get them excited as well.
Have you figured out how you are going to feed your cast and crew? You are the one responsible for this. (It's the least you can do if they are working for free!) Good thing people will do a lot for free food. In fact, the $850 we spent on creating Exit 117 was almost all spent on feeding the cast and crew. Pizza, Chinese food, whatever was cheap, was what we gave them. Being that they were young college kids, it was more or less what they were used to and didn’t complain. However, if you are dealing with picky eaters or people with special dietary needs, make sure you know this prior to shooting so you can plan accordingly. Also, if you shoot for 6 more hours after lunch, make sure to provide a second meal for them. Always have water and snacks available as well.
During shooting, you have to keep to your schedule. Keeping on top of the director (or yourself) is very important. You can’t waste time trying to get the perfect shot or spending too long setting up a shot. Don’t dilly dally, even if you are working with your friends. Goofing around wastes time that you need to shoot your film!
Make sure you don’t over work your actors. It is better to schedule less in the day so you can make sure you are getting top notch performanes from all cast and crew members. Additionally, you don’t want your actors to turn against you for keeping them longer than expected. Speaking of which, always overestimate the time you will need an actor. They will be happy when you release them earlier!
So, in order for successful shooting, make sure your actors are not overworked and tired, well fed and happy to be there. Even if you are stressed out, always keep high spirits so the rest of the cast and crew does as well!
Scheduling
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Once you are ready to beging the production phase, you need to create a shooting schedule. Often times, this is done by the Director, Assistant Director, and Producer. There is an easy software program called Gorilla by Jungle Software to help you schedule. You can download a free trial version. However, if you can't afford to buy this once your free trial is up, you will have to do schedule on your own. I usually use Microsoft Excel to help me.
Like I said in a prior post, effective scheduling will save you a lot of time and a lot of money. First, you need to find out when your actors are available. Can one actor only shoot on Tuesdays and Thursdays? Do they work during the day and can only do weekends? It is very hard to schedule around people’s schedules. However, if you are not paying your actors, you must be understanding. Exit 117 was shot intermittently for 15 days over a three-month time frame. While this wasn’t the ideal situation, you have to work with whatever you can get.
After you figure out when your actors are free, you need to figure out who appears with who in each scene. If your two lead actors are in five scenes together, shoot as many of those as you can. You want to get each actor in and out. You want to schedule the minimum amount of days per actor. After you figure out which actors are in scenes together, group your days by location. You don’t want to move to 5 different locations throughout one shoot day. This will waste a lot of time.
It’s all up to you how you want to go about scheduling. This worked well for us. However, depending on your actors, locations and script you could do it entirely differently. Either way, make sure you have a solid, working schedule if you want to save yourself some dollar bills.
Like I said in a prior post, effective scheduling will save you a lot of time and a lot of money. First, you need to find out when your actors are available. Can one actor only shoot on Tuesdays and Thursdays? Do they work during the day and can only do weekends? It is very hard to schedule around people’s schedules. However, if you are not paying your actors, you must be understanding. Exit 117 was shot intermittently for 15 days over a three-month time frame. While this wasn’t the ideal situation, you have to work with whatever you can get.
After you figure out when your actors are free, you need to figure out who appears with who in each scene. If your two lead actors are in five scenes together, shoot as many of those as you can. You want to get each actor in and out. You want to schedule the minimum amount of days per actor. After you figure out which actors are in scenes together, group your days by location. You don’t want to move to 5 different locations throughout one shoot day. This will waste a lot of time.
It’s all up to you how you want to go about scheduling. This worked well for us. However, depending on your actors, locations and script you could do it entirely differently. Either way, make sure you have a solid, working schedule if you want to save yourself some dollar bills.
Music
Monday, November 16, 2009
For some filmmakers, music is a very important part of a movie. While some think it is good solely for helping the viewer feel the emotions. Kevin McMullin, the writer/director/editor for Exit 117 felt as though the music would help evoke emotions and support the story. He wanted the movie to be similar to a music video, with music strung throughout its entirety.
Usually, filmmakers find music during the editing phase. However, Kevin was driven by music and wanted to find musical selections prior to shooting. He told me a little bit about what he wanted and played a few samples of songs that he liked. All of the artists he played for me had deals and were signed artists. If he wanted to use these artists, it would cost a lot of money to gain the rights to the songs. So, I played a song for him by Jonah Delso, a friend and fellow student at Drexel University. Kevin loved it. I played him a few more of his songs and we found our artist. While some movies have soundtracks of various artists, Kevin wanted all Jonah Delso music for our soundtrack. With the exception of one other original piece, all of the music was done for free by Jonah. As an aspiring musician, Jonah was excited and eager to let us use his music in the movie.
So my advice to you, find a musician that is unsigned and whose music matches the tone of the movie. For us, Jonah Delso was the perfect choice for us.
I encourage you to check out his website for more!
Jonah on Myspace
Usually, filmmakers find music during the editing phase. However, Kevin was driven by music and wanted to find musical selections prior to shooting. He told me a little bit about what he wanted and played a few samples of songs that he liked. All of the artists he played for me had deals and were signed artists. If he wanted to use these artists, it would cost a lot of money to gain the rights to the songs. So, I played a song for him by Jonah Delso, a friend and fellow student at Drexel University. Kevin loved it. I played him a few more of his songs and we found our artist. While some movies have soundtracks of various artists, Kevin wanted all Jonah Delso music for our soundtrack. With the exception of one other original piece, all of the music was done for free by Jonah. As an aspiring musician, Jonah was excited and eager to let us use his music in the movie.
So my advice to you, find a musician that is unsigned and whose music matches the tone of the movie. For us, Jonah Delso was the perfect choice for us.
I encourage you to check out his website for more!
Jonah on Myspace
Locations
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Once you have a pretty set version of your script , you need to scan it for the locations you have written about. Compile a list of all of these locations and write down potential real life locations for them. If there is anyway to eliminate a location in your script, do it. For one, you will lower the cost of using a location. Often times, producers pay homeowners or businesses to use their property. You can’t really do this when you have such a limited budget. You need to be able to use your locations for free. Additionally, transporting gear, crew and cast members gets expensive depending on where you are shooting. It also takes time. And in the filmmaking world, time is money.
After you figure out what locations you really want and need, start scouting. I recommend asking friends and family members if they would be willing to let you shoot in their homes or businesses. While I was Location Manager on the weekend, we did have to worry about moving trailers and three truckloads of equipment. Moves from one location to the other could take up to five hours! To help eliminate this, I used 7 houses on my block for the film. This saved TONS of money. For one, since these were my neighbor’s homes and I have a good rapport with my neighbors, they had no problem letting me use their homes. I saved the production even more money since we did not have to worry about transporting all of the equipment and trailers. Like I said, time is money and we saved a full day’s worth of moving time. While on Exit 117, we only had four locations with multiple rooms used in each house. We used my house, the director’s house and two of the actor’s houses. Again, all for free.
Once you have chosen your locations, it is time to secure them. Make sure the homeowner or business owner signs a Location Agreement prior to shooting and a Location Release after shooting. This will ensure that you will not be held liable in case anything goes wrong.
Now go start scouting!
After you figure out what locations you really want and need, start scouting. I recommend asking friends and family members if they would be willing to let you shoot in their homes or businesses. While I was Location Manager on the weekend, we did have to worry about moving trailers and three truckloads of equipment. Moves from one location to the other could take up to five hours! To help eliminate this, I used 7 houses on my block for the film. This saved TONS of money. For one, since these were my neighbor’s homes and I have a good rapport with my neighbors, they had no problem letting me use their homes. I saved the production even more money since we did not have to worry about transporting all of the equipment and trailers. Like I said, time is money and we saved a full day’s worth of moving time. While on Exit 117, we only had four locations with multiple rooms used in each house. We used my house, the director’s house and two of the actor’s houses. Again, all for free.
Once you have chosen your locations, it is time to secure them. Make sure the homeowner or business owner signs a Location Agreement prior to shooting and a Location Release after shooting. This will ensure that you will not be held liable in case anything goes wrong.
Now go start scouting!
Crew and Equipment
Once you are almost ready to go, you need to hire crewmembers. You will need a director, producer, director of photography (cinematographer), audio person, and lots of production assistants. You can take on one, two or even three of these roles if need be. Production assistants can perform numerous jobs: holding a boom mic, set decorating and Kraft services (food). If you are in college, crew members are a little easier to find. A good number of schools have film departments with students begging for on-set experience. Ask around. Many people will be willing to help you. If you are not still in school and don't really know where to start, try craigslist.com or mandy.com or entertainmentcareers.net or productionhub.com. You can post who you are looking for and will hopefully get some responses. Like the actors, many people in film or TV will work for free to gain more experience.
In addition to the crew, you will need the proper equipment to shoot your film. You can choose film (very expensive), digital video (easy), HD video, anything. If you find someone who already owns any of this equipment, you will save an arm and a leg. This is where a bulk of the budget goes to, renting or purchasing equipment. I will not cover renting equipment because this is how to produce a NO-BUDGET feature film. We want things for free!
For Exit 117, we were VERY lucky once again. Our cinematographer was again an old classmate of the directors. He had his own HD equipment. Lights, cameras, everything we needed. What would have cost us quite a bundle, ending up being free. You could be in the same position if you ask the right people.
Don't just sit back and wait for things to come to you. Be aggressive and let people know you are looking for hands to work on your film. You will be surprised at the number of people who will be willing to help you.
In addition to the crew, you will need the proper equipment to shoot your film. You can choose film (very expensive), digital video (easy), HD video, anything. If you find someone who already owns any of this equipment, you will save an arm and a leg. This is where a bulk of the budget goes to, renting or purchasing equipment. I will not cover renting equipment because this is how to produce a NO-BUDGET feature film. We want things for free!
For Exit 117, we were VERY lucky once again. Our cinematographer was again an old classmate of the directors. He had his own HD equipment. Lights, cameras, everything we needed. What would have cost us quite a bundle, ending up being free. You could be in the same position if you ask the right people.
Don't just sit back and wait for things to come to you. Be aggressive and let people know you are looking for hands to work on your film. You will be surprised at the number of people who will be willing to help you.
Casting
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Once you are done editing your final script, you should begin the casting process. The casting process could be a long one, or it could be a short one depending on the characters. For Exit 117, casting was easy for most of the roles. Many of the actors went to high school with the director. Some of them are our college friends. Some of them are studying theatre while others simply liked acting in high school and community theatre. No matter what the case, they have talent and we discovered it. If you can find people in your local theatre programs, whether it is high school, college or community theatre, you will have a great advantage. Many of these people are extremely talented and they could be waiting for their big break. You could be the one to give it to them.
A great way to find potential actors is by posting flyers around your town, college or even workplace. It’s easier to work with actors who are in the same area as you or where the movie will be filmed. This will 1, cut down on transportation and housing costs and 2, give you the opportunity to work with actors who are looking for experience. Often times, these are the people who will work for free just to gain the experience of acting in a film. For many actors that I have spoken with, experience is more valuable to them than the pay.
If you need to broaden your search, a great resource is craigslist.com. With over millions of hits a day, your post will be seen by potential actors for your film. I used craigslist to cast the role of “Mr. Beverly,” a middle-aged Gym teacher. I posted what we needed and made sure to write that while there would be no pay, they would be given meals and a copy of the movie. I got over 20 responses from people who were interested in the role. Unfortunately, we ended up cutting the role after another revision to the script.
There are also other websites you can post your casting call on such as backstage.com, mandy.com or entertainmentcareers.net.
The best way to cut down costs is to find actors who will work for free. You won’t be able to afford high-paid actors so stick to casting good, reliable, work for free actors.
A great way to find potential actors is by posting flyers around your town, college or even workplace. It’s easier to work with actors who are in the same area as you or where the movie will be filmed. This will 1, cut down on transportation and housing costs and 2, give you the opportunity to work with actors who are looking for experience. Often times, these are the people who will work for free just to gain the experience of acting in a film. For many actors that I have spoken with, experience is more valuable to them than the pay.
If you need to broaden your search, a great resource is craigslist.com. With over millions of hits a day, your post will be seen by potential actors for your film. I used craigslist to cast the role of “Mr. Beverly,” a middle-aged Gym teacher. I posted what we needed and made sure to write that while there would be no pay, they would be given meals and a copy of the movie. I got over 20 responses from people who were interested in the role. Unfortunately, we ended up cutting the role after another revision to the script.
There are also other websites you can post your casting call on such as backstage.com, mandy.com or entertainmentcareers.net.
The best way to cut down costs is to find actors who will work for free. You won’t be able to afford high-paid actors so stick to casting good, reliable, work for free actors.
Introduction
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Hello and Welcome to my blog! If you are an aspiring filmmaker or producer, you have come to the right place. Through my weekly blog entries, I will share my personal experience producing a no-budget feature length film. I will discuss the various issues you will come across while creating your work of art. Whether it is casting, hiring crew, locations, festivals, networking, you will hear it all! Also, your comments are important to me. If there is something you would like to hear about, please let me know!
Before I start, I would like to tell you a little bit about my experience. When I was 17 years old, I was hired as the Location Manager on a feature film entitled, The Weekend. I worked very closely with the Producer, Christopher Panizzon and he became my mentor. I watched his every move and soaked in his day-to-day activities. After this, I became extremely interesting in the producing world.
Now, I am a senior gradating in March from Drexel University. I am studying Entertainment and Arts Management with a focus on Film and Video and working on a minor in Business. Last year, a friend from the University of Pennsylvania asked if I would be interested in producing a script he wrote, entitled “Exit 117”. Without any hesitation, I signed on to the project. After accepting the position, I scoured the Internet to find out how you go about producing a feature-length film…for no money. Solid, first-hand experience was hard to come by. That is why I am here! I successfully produced “Exit 117,” for $850. Currently, we are in the promotion phase and have been submitting to festivals all over the world.
I hope you enjoy reading my blog and find this information useful to you.
Happy Filmmaking!
Before I start, I would like to tell you a little bit about my experience. When I was 17 years old, I was hired as the Location Manager on a feature film entitled, The Weekend. I worked very closely with the Producer, Christopher Panizzon and he became my mentor. I watched his every move and soaked in his day-to-day activities. After this, I became extremely interesting in the producing world.
Now, I am a senior gradating in March from Drexel University. I am studying Entertainment and Arts Management with a focus on Film and Video and working on a minor in Business. Last year, a friend from the University of Pennsylvania asked if I would be interested in producing a script he wrote, entitled “Exit 117”. Without any hesitation, I signed on to the project. After accepting the position, I scoured the Internet to find out how you go about producing a feature-length film…for no money. Solid, first-hand experience was hard to come by. That is why I am here! I successfully produced “Exit 117,” for $850. Currently, we are in the promotion phase and have been submitting to festivals all over the world.
I hope you enjoy reading my blog and find this information useful to you.
Happy Filmmaking!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
