How do you make a feature film?

Young-H._Lee

Young-H._Lee

Well-known member
Hi guys, I just read the thread on "how long did your first feature take" and I'm pretty impressed cause it seems a lot of you have finished a feature or three already!

I'm trying to make a low budget feature myself, and its just been really hard, getting things together, organized, finding the cast and crew (especially people who are willing to work for free), and locations - o god the locations. I know it can be done, but I really feel that I have been going in circles and wasted a lot of time already and wish to learn from the successful folks who have already made their own feature length films. Its really something to be proud of...those who have crossed that line

So please, share your experience, tips advice and even encouragement...on: HOW TO MAKE A FEATURE FILM!

thanks in advanced
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

I'm not trying to be glib but...IT's like a short, only longer.

If you haven't done any shorts I recommend doing that first.  I would work up to about 30 minutes.  After that, I recommend tailoring your script around things (people, locations, etc) that you know you have access to.  Not only will that make the shoot simpler, but it expands you as a writer.

And really, don't shoot a feature without a really good script.  Make sure you have gone over it a million times and got it critiqued by several people whose opinions on writing and film you respect.  A feature (as you pointed out) is a lot of work.  Putting all that effort into a sub-par story, or one you try and write as you go is not the best use of your time.

Then, find help.  See if you can find someone who has done it before. There will be things you haven't thought of (and never would until they happen) that someone with a little experience will see coming. Plus, the more you can delegate things like locations, wardrobe and props  (all with your final approval of course), the more time you have to focus on the story, crew and actors.

Then go shoot.
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

I started with a 30min comedy film then went on to do a short. I had never directed before and the more I learn about the subtle art the more complicated it got. The only difference on my first project was covering the scene enough. Go with your instincts and build on them.
Text for me is the important thing. I shot some terribly scripted scenes for a romantic pilot (Digi-Beta experience ;D) and boy did I struggle bringing it to life. I also had some...errrmm...dodgy? Actors(triple time talking them into it) I feel ashamed to say that its never seen the light of day :-[
Jimmy Hendrix could play the living **** out of the worst amp in the world and it would still hold its own. Substance is everything. Good performers add the magic. Don't start with a bad script you will make something that no-one will ever watch. Bad foundations make a rocky nest.
That said, I am improvising alot nowadays and you can get sucked into your own arse :o
The most important thing is that you make the films. The best teacher is experience.
Good hunting my friend. I look forward to seeing your work.
J.P. :-X
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

Perserverance is always the answer.

Making a film is hard difficult work. There are no short cuts other than taking the hard difficult road by planning, testing, selling your vision. In other words the short cut is the long road because Short cuts end up taking more time & effort.

Read the comments by top pros, they have a very hard time, even with personal assistants, why should any of us have it less difficult?

Advice, get a great script, learn it, plan it, get a great producer to work the logistics, build a great crew, cast the best you can, get great post pros, edit , score, sound to help & cross your fingers. Helpeach person to feel it's their film...becuase it will be theirs & yours when your done.
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

that is some very excellent advice. thank you all. the biggest obstacle for me right now is getting the man power to do it. that means getting the word out and inspiring them to commit hundreds of hours of their time to my project. sound familiar? ive been through a number of people who say they will commit and when its time they dont. where do you find the people that are trustworthy and wont drop out in the middle (yea, ive read some horror stories in this forum about leads dropping out in the middle!)

do you guys practice motivational speeches?
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

It depends what you have. If you have some money to spend the answer will be get yourself the best prod crew possible.
Make sure that you check your actors before you hire them. You have to make sure what they can do or cant.
Make your people sign all the papers before you start shooting.

Try to shoot it in a 10-15days straight otherwise you may end up shooting "on weekends and eveninngs" which means few months at least cos very often people have to suddenly visit their ill uncle etc..

Oh, man it really depends...do you have all the equipment?
Do you have a good story to tell - that's the most important.
You know what, just do it.
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

[quote author=BLUESPIDER link=board=Directing;num=1107467000;start=0#9 date=02/05/05 at 03:17:01]Dedication & a team of super heros. :)[/quote]
with a whole platter of food
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

Hello all. I come to this site from time to time to see what's going on. LloyedC is completely right. If you can't pay the cast and crew (notice I said CAST and crew), then you at least have to feed them. a lot of run and gun people shooting their first film weather it be a short or feature sometimes forget how important food is. You will find crew, but they need energy to keep working. Have snacks and energy drinks for them. ;D Try to stay away from pasta as that puts a crew to sleep. lol
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

I’m brand new to filmmaking and have only shot one short so far (actually it’s was just a lighting test for it – the first scene, the full short will be shot in the spring/summer due to exterior locations) and am in preproduction for a “real” short that I go into principal photography on in about 12 days.  

I have, however, been lucky enough to help out on a number of professional shoots from a small indie film for Lifetime to a huge Hollywood blockbuster (I was dating a location manager at the time).   This was a fantastic experience and what I took away from it was that for any given scene about 50% of it is preproduction, 40% of it is postproduction and only about 10% of it is actually filming.  Granted, they had professional actors who pretty much nailed it from the get go, but still the real work had been done in preproduction, production was just a matter of executing what had already been planned out.  It’s sort of like when I played in pit orchestras, the performance was easy, it was everything that led up to the performance that was hard.

So, for both my shorts I spent a huge amount of time on preproduction.  I made a binder for each one with all my forms and stuff and work the paper until I’m done.  I wrote a script which I lined for production purposes, created storyboards, props lists, shot lists, continuity sheets for characters and camera settings, location contracts, music ideas for scoring later, you name it and it’s in that binder.  All of this, by the way, I learned from reading books readily available at any Borders or Barnes and Noble [EDIT: some I got from the NYU bookstore, but they can be had on Amazon.com]

As an example, for my upcoming short I need about 15 seconds of footage of the main character working out in a gym using various quick shots which will be cut with some footage of him earlier in the day.  I’ve been to the gym, got the owner to sign off, took lots of pictures of it, story boarded my shots, planned out my dolly shots, planned out my lighting (as best as I can beforehand), etc.  I figure that once I hit the location, I can be in and out of there in about an hour and a half, including set up and break down, and walk away with a number of takes with plenty of coverage to work with.  

If I were to do a feature, and I’m not, there is NO WAY that I could do it, unless I had spent at least six months to a year working VERY hard on preproduction.  It would just turn into a mess otherwise.  Plus, it is, I think, the way to avoid the “shooting on evenings and weekends for a year” thing.  If you plan everything out right, you should be able to do most of your shooting in about two or three weeks (I’m assuming you WONT be doing a Hollywood blockbuster).  Now if you plan it out right, you can get cast and crew for that amount of time, hell even if folks use vacation time to do it.  Once you have all of your footage, you can then take your time doing all the post work just like you did with the preproduction work.

As far as the food goes, and this is from my observation of “real” crewmembers working on “real” independent films, it’s a huge deal!  They’ll gladly work for free or for almost nothing for the sake of the “art”, but if you don’t feed them they feel insulted – gravely insulted and regard it as an act of unprofessionalism.  It’s not so much WHAT’S on the craft services table as much as that there IS a craft services table.  An army travels on its stomach.

But like I said, I’m new so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Matt
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

MattC
I agree totally but also disagree.
Shooting on location can affect everything (Now ur sure rain that big doesn't show up? - DP Honestly!)
Prep is everything but I find that things on any shoot will always change. What about when that shot you never imagined pops up? (Storyboard it later?) Locations always yield something different for me when I'm on the ground. I tend not to storyboard everything. I'll rough out general ideas unless its a complex piece. I'll try new directing/camera techniques. You can plan for everything but a good Director can think on his feet/adapt and improve on every idea. What about the crew? Dp's+camera+sound have come up with some fantastic ideas in the field(everyone may have been called last minute) That's the beauty of being a Director saying it was you idea in the first-place. ;D
I agree prep. is the key but don't stop the creative jucies with too much paper-work.
J.P. :-X
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

It's a balance. It takes a while to find the way that works for you. In the end what matters is that you are EFFECTIVE. Is what you are doing working? Some people need a lot of pre production, others do better with less. Both have their upside and downside. Sometimes your approach will vary from project to project. The key is to be honest about your own limitations and to be flexible about how you approach each film. Stick with what works and chuck what doesn't. But each film is like a child. (Parents will relate to this) You generally hold your kids accountable for the same things, but you deal with them differently, according to their personalities. Some things work better under specific circumstances. That doesn't mean it is always the best thing to do.

I have found that it is a lot easier to be flexible when you know what the hell you are doing.
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

[quote author=Scottdvx100 link=board=Directing;num=1107467000;start=0#3 date=02/03/05 at 19:35:02]
Pick up a copy of From Reel to Deal by Dov S-S Simens  http://www.webfilmschool.com/[/quote]

I remember this guy was on TechTV (rip, I still have it on vhs) and talked about his site and books, It's something I might take...
does anybody have his books?
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

Yes, the book is pretty good. He also gives talks and sells DVD but pickup the book to see what's covered.
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

www.nextwavefilms.com used to have some gread articles on the abc's of low budget filmmaking by peter broderick. Next wave shut down, but the articles should still be there.

I've always had a hard time getting people to committ. I worked on my first feature for a year and then my lead quit. So many times i had larger shoots planned my crew bailed. it's certainly tough. I had to do about a third of our shoots by myself - doing lighting, audio, shooting, directing, dressing the set, etc. About a third had one other crew member. And the final third had 2 others. The film will suffer if you try and do it all yourself, but you do waht you must.

The articles had some great advice - 1. plan in reverse. As much as possible, take stock of what is available to you first. Then write your script. Keep the locations to a minimum. Easier said than done, but sage advice.
2. have 2-3 hell or high water people. The crew or actors that are in no matter what happens - and everything you fear will happen. We had huge problem that drug shooting out for 2-3 years.

once you get those locations down, work on your script as long as possible. For my first feature i jumped into shooting too soon. I spent 2 years editing - trying to fix struture and plot issues that should have been fixed on paper. You will always make a certain number of mistakes cause it is your first, but minimize them. Get lots of people to read it - outside of your friends. And listen to them when they have weird nit picking comments that seem inane. Otherwise, it will come back to haunt you.

In philadelphia, the film office has an awesome website where you can post for actors and crew. Your hometown may have a similar set up so call your film office. Otherwise, check high schools and colleges. Another word about working in reverse - it is usually easier to find talented high school and college actors who can work for free than adults. So keep the characters, particularly adults, to a minimum. '

Don't skip out on audio. Get the best shotgun mic you can get and have it as close to the actors as possible. Turn off ANYTHING that makes noise - fridge, car, computers, lights. Always get a minute of roomtone from the SAME MIC POSITION as the take. If you can get body mics, even better. Nothing will hurt a low budget film like poor audio.

Believe in your project. You can totally do it. It may seem insurrmountable at times, but anything is doable. Your first film will be hell, it will be a long process, a learning period, and you will make tons of mistakes. But when you get done you'll feel more confident for the next one.

Shorts are great too and you should certainly shoot a few (even if they are practice scenes for your feature - a great way to workshop your script).

Oh, huge thing that i didn't do on my first film and regret - REHEARSE!!! If you are using non-paid actors they probably have limited experience. For my first film i started shooting scenes without any warmup and it showed. Halfway through teh film they got so much better. So for my new feature i started rehearsing 4 months early - once or twice a week. The difference is amazing. Actors need to build confidence, it's the most important part of their craft. And it give you time to hear the script out loud. Let them go off script in rehearsal - don't be as adamant about the lines. Get the feeling. Also, you can do tech rehearsal and record with audio and lighting to see how that is working for you.

Good luck. sorry about the insane rambling post!!! but you can totally do it.

tom
 
Re: How do you make a feature film?

matt's right on pre-pro too - that will save you a ton of work. But i would say more than 10 percent is on set. If you are only worried about teh technical side, then i would agree. but if you want deep performances, you need to be open to the moment a bit. But storyboarding allows you a kind of freedom. For a big shoot we had last month i went to the location ahead of time, blocked out the shots with another crew member. went home and did storyboards based on the shots i had taken. Then, when it came time to shoot (at the mummer's parade in philadelphia, on new years day, in a crowd of a few thousand, with 20 minutes of light left) we could move quickly. I knew where to put my operators (we shot with 5 cameras) and where my actor had to go. But performance is the wildcard. And since it was not a controlled environment, people were walking into shots and blocking actors. So, the best laid plans of mice and men....

Also, i storyboarded a lot of my first film and it felt very stifled of life. very stilted. I shot B camera on a film called The Other America last year and was finding shots i would have never thought of just by playing (because i had some freedom as b cam).

So matt is totally right i think - especially when starting out - you have to plan, plan, plan, plan. Think of everthing. But then be ready for it to all blow to hell when you get there. Ansel Adams said something along those lines that you plan and prepare so when something surprising happens you are ready for it. A lot of dp's have said similar things - i know conrad hall had a similar quote.
 
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