Feature Production Questions.

S

Silentcity

New member
I am planning on shooting a feature summer 09, had some questions.

For actors and vital crew (Editor, DOP), what can I do to keep them on board, because the work is non-pay like most amateur indie productions, what can I do so my lead actress doesn't go "puff" 3 months into production?

I plan to shoot the feature over a period of (4-6 months) have no big budget; just have time on my side. (Weekends)

It’s a comedy/fantasy piece there are a few scenes on farms, barns, forests, hills and farm houses. Do I really need Insurance? If it’s really remote and the municipality has no film board and barely a town hall who do I contact for permits and insurance?

PS: If you’re in Southern Ontario or GTA regions and would like to help out next summer give me a shout.

Cheers
Jason
robotforest@gmail.com
 
I shot a feature length film April thru august shooting weekends only and Everyone worked for free. We a had a very small crew but we planned EVERYTHING in advance and Got to all the locations early so when the talent arrived all they had to do was go over the lines a few times and shoot. Basically I Just kept the mood light and fun and made sure the days were short. I fed them and kept them happy as I could. Basically I found a good and more importantly RELIABLE cast that understood that I would do everything I could to make the experience helpful to them but at the same time I also made it clear that they had to give me their best. Mutual respect across the board. My 2cents. Good luck with your film!!
 
Silentcity said:
...
It’s a comedy/fantasy piece there are a few scenes on farms, barns, forests, hills and farm houses. Do I really need Insurance? If it’s really remote and the municipality has no film board and barely a town hall who do I contact for permits and insurance?

PS: If you’re in Southern Ontario or GTA regions and would like to help out ..[EMAIL="robotforest@gmail.com"]robotforest@gmail.com[/EMAIL]
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Insurance isn't obtained from a film board or municipality. You get insurance from an insurance agent. Why do you need it? Supposed a light stand falls on a member of your cast or crew and inflicts severe, disfiguring burns?
 
Shoot their entry and exist scenes first thing -- as soon as they walk on the set ... well, after make-up :-) In fact, kill them on the first day. That way you'll have the satisfaction of killing them at whatever point in the movie they quit on you -- or even before, if they really upset you. And if they appear in a critical scene later in the movie, use the garbage matte to knock them out of the shot. Well, these are only in extreme cases ... if you can't sleep at night thinking, "why did I use her!"

Forgive me if you have anybody in the family in the movie; this is just a precaution in case anybody goes "puff" :-)

As for crew -- if you must use any -- ask them what reservations they have (before they start) doing the movie and tape it. This way they can't give you any trouble later. You can say, "they said ..." and then you have them :-)

Another suggestion for such a protracted shooting schedule: make sure that you can finish the movie at the end of each shooting day regardless of how much of the script you've shot. So shoot the opening and closing scene on the first day. Even if that's your only shooting day, you can finish the movie ... by putting an explosion or something spectacular in the middle.

Just kidding, Silentcity. Whenever you shoot a movie, keep in mind: this is the greatest art form in the world; enjoy it! What's life without movies?
 
Okay, don't kill anybody... :)

First, get them to sign a contract. Spell it all out and get their signature. Sure, it's not really practical to enforce the contract if they walk -- but just having a contract in place can help people stay committed.

You said you were going to keep the days short. I think most cast and crew would rather work longer days, with a shorter overall schedule. It's going to be hard to keep anyone for 4-6 months, especially if they have to (1) maintain their 'look' over that period of time, and (2) turn down other offers that may come their way. Do whatever you can to make it a shorter shooting schedule.

Feed them well. Keep things light and fun, but also professional and moving along. Show them clips of the footage from time to time, so they can get excited about how everything is looking and sounding. Keep mistakes to a minimum. And make sure everyone feels valued and appreciated.

Good luck!
 
Chapelgrove is right. Longer hours, fewer days. As few shooting days as possible will minimize your risk of people suddenly vanishing. Every project is different but it's not unreasonable to shoot a feature in as few as 10 days. When you have no budget, compressing your shooting schedule is the number one tool that you have to get it done.

Deal memos for all cast and crew outlining the terms of their deal (how long they're in for, how much they're being paid, what credit or perks they will receive).

I highly, highly, highly recommend that you scrape up enough money to at least pay your department heads, unless the DP if your brother or you otherwise KNOW they are 100% committed. Even $100 a day makes a world of difference in terms of keeping people on board. I have never had a problem with cast walking out on a film, but I have MANY times run into crew who would bail for a higher-paying job. At the very least, make certain that all crew are obligated in their memo to replace themselves if they leave for any reason.

Insurance will be important for you at some point, I almost guarantee it. You are going to run into a property owner who will not let you shoot without it. You are not going to be able to rent equipment without it. You run the personal injury liability already mentioned without it. Just get it and rest easy.
 
One other point....

You say the shoot is 'non-pay'. It's a feature -- do YOU hope to sell it and make money on it? If so, then you should at LEAST give your cast and crew deferred pay or points -- or both. Why should they work for free if YOU hope to profit from the effort? Be fair.

Granted, 99 times out of 100, 'deferred pay' means the same thing as 'non-pay', since nobody ever sees a dime from it. But still, make the effort.

Again, good luck!
 
dougspice said:
Chapelgrove is right. Longer hours, fewer days. As few shooting days as possible will minimize your risk of people suddenly vanishing. Every project is different but it's not unreasonable to shoot a feature in as few as 10 days. When you have no budget, compressing your shooting schedule is the number one tool that you have to get it done.

Deal memos for all cast and crew outlining the terms of their deal (how long they're in for, how much they're being paid, what credit or perks they will receive).

I highly, highly, highly recommend that you scrape up enough money to at least pay your department heads, unless the DP if your brother or you otherwise KNOW they are 100% committed. Even $100 a day makes a world of difference in terms of keeping people on board. I have never had a problem with cast walking out on a film, but I have MANY times run into crew who would bail for a higher-paying job. At the very least, make certain that all crew are obligated in their memo to replace themselves if they leave for any reason.

Insurance will be important for you at some point, I almost guarantee it. You are going to run into a property owner who will not let you shoot without it. You are not going to be able to rent equipment without it. You run the personal injury liability already mentioned without it. Just get it and rest easy.
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It's really true, you have no choice sometimes but to compress the shooting schedule and keep things really rolling. I'm thinking of shooting my feature in 12 days, 90 minutes. My DP has done a feature in 10 days, a drama, and it won awards and did quite well, he says it's possible you just have to pre-plan really well and keep on target.
 
We actually shot a feature in just 3 days. But it was a VERY unique project. I wouldn't recommend trying that with your typical feature. However, 10-12 days is quite doable.
 
Another thing to consider.... With the 5-6 month shoot -- what happens if you get 3 months into it and (God forbid!) one of your critical actors gets hit by a bus? The longer your shooting schedule, the more likely something serious will go wrong, ruining your film.

Shorter is better.
 
hit by a bus? why, you write it in. LOL

just kidding; I'm not mean. But seriously what if a film needs to be shot in 4-5 months because of the story -- why not suggest some methods that might work.

I think one way to deal with it is rewrite the story. I mean we're not doing a classic here; it's an indie movie fhs.

Making money and genre movies are better geared toward a quick sale to distributors and they benefit from tight schedules, few locations, etc.

But there are other styles of filmmaking :-) more fun ... if less commercial statistically.
 
It's true, there could be story elements that would require a 4-5 month schedule. The main one I can think of is seasonal changes.

If your story has to have seasonal changes, there are a couple of possibilities. First, write it so that all you need are exterior establishing shots showing the fall leaves or winter snow or whatever. That way you don't need your actors for the whole 4-5 months.

If that's not feasible -- say, for instance, some of your scenes take place outdoors in various seasons -- then try to limit those scenes to just your main 1 or 2 or 3 characters. Much easier to keep just a very few on-screen people attached for that length of time. Ideally, it will be the same couple of characters for all those scenes requiring outdoor shots in different seasons.

What are some other possible reasons why a shoot would have to be 4-5 months long, from a story/script standpoint?
 
Thanks for all the input ...

Thanks for all the input ...

Thanks for all the input guys.

Couple of reasons, there is slight seasonal change during the course of the movie. Reason I say 4-6 months: But I can change this and I'm working with the writer on this issue.

1) It’s a fantasy piece hair and make-up take a long time, as well as costume setup. Most of us work FT so even if we begin setup early Saturday morning we gotta wrap up by Saturday night - atleast the cast does. The crew would be doing 24 hrs straights? Is that even feasible to make a volunteer crew work those hours?

2) Can we work overnight and do 2 day shoots? Unlikely were shooting in very scenic and remote locations, we'll have 2 motor homes as amenities but asking people to sleep over night in motor homes in the middle of nowhere?

Travel back to the city is anywhere from 3-5 hours.

3) Most of the scenes require day shots, were trying to modify an excellent script to involve nights without compromising the story.

4) The script is theatrical length about 1:45:00

5) You might argue this with me, but I'm a director who likes to take his time; the lighting, set design, everything needs to be perfect (Coppola) I know I'm slow and methodical so I'm trying to plan it so I don't feel "rushed".

This last point can be arguable "beggars can't be choosers" ... This I know. To give you an idea our production is in a similar vein as Pan’s Labyrinth without the VFX :)

As always input and ideas are welcome.

Regards
J
 
I would really work at shooting a less complex script as your first feature. No crew would be willing to work 24 horus and go back in the office Monday morning for their normal job. I wouldn't keep them more than 12 hours a day. You'll need a really committed crew to drive 3-5 hours, shoot for 12 hours, and drive 3-5 hours back. You're going to have to compromise, be it in the script, location, your directing philosophy, or willingness to pay, or I have a feeling your crew will walk.

If you shoot a simple feature in 14-16 days and the crew is happy with it they'll have a lot more confidence in you and would be more willing to work a 4-6 month shoot. You'll gain experience and a crew who knows you.
 
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