How long does it take you to wrap up a film project and how long before you shelf one

john threat

john threat

Carbonite Member
how long does it generally take you to wrap up your film projects (not work for hire quick offs like music videos or commercials) - but longer form projects?

ALso when do you throw in the towel and shelf a project or do you keep it alive for years still trying to get it to gain traction?
 
Honestly man I think it comes down to how good it turns out. Like they say, nobody sets out to make a bad movie...it just sort of happens. I think instantly you'll know what you got on your hands after it's done as to how much you should push it or not based on how people respond to it. Speaking from experience, I shot a feature before and we shelved it..I financed it myself and it was a tough pill to swallow but you have to set quality control on the work you do. It's one thing with shorts, but it's another with features that people pay to see. All you need to do is read reviews on low budget features on Netflix and you'll see that people are brutal if it doesn't meet a certain quality standard. The first feature I did, I knew it was lacking and I shelved it although it got into a small festival and was nominated in its category and got some good praise locally.

The next one I'm working on has been tested more. I've really honed my writing skills and have sent the script around to a number of people to get feedback prior to shooting it so it's much stronger. Ultimately that is all you can do is really test it in the script stage and then after it's done. Test it with an honest group during a test screening. And depending on what you hear, be prepared to make changes to make it better before you release it.

Me personally, knowing how much work goes into making a feature happen, you really have to have your script ready. Its got to be really good and not just because you think so but because a wide variety of people are digging it too, showing that their truly is an audience for it. On my new script/project I'm about to shoot, I've gotten celebrity interest in it, I've gotten praise from talent agents who read it and a lot of really great feedback from others who really like the script a lot. So I'm running with it and I'm going to shoot it low budget. On my first feature, it was so rushed that after we shot it and played it back, we had to go back and write and shoot at least 10 more minutes of footage because it was lacking story and had bad pacing and came in way too short as well. So whatever you do, even if it's a short, get as much feedback as you can in the script stage. If the feedback isn't good, make changes or find something much better. I got around 5 scripts I wrote but this one has gotten the most praise which is why I'm running with it.

If you look at a lot of the DVXuser fest winners, many of them in the past came from scripts that won online competitions. Those scripts were tested as being really good before they took them on. That is really what you need. You look at a lot of filmmakers that are famous and they are either fantastic writers or get access to the best stories...Kubrick got access to quite a number of best sellers. You'll always have an edge if you can get that great story and people will probably forgive a lot in the proceess too, if it's a great story.
 
My film took three years from the moment I started writing the script, to when I'm handing the hard drive over to the distributor.

The first year was pre-production; screenwriting (7 versions), gathering cast and crew, shooting a pilot, location scouting.
The second year was production and post-production, because principal photography was spread out to two weeks in May and two weeks in July plus one day in March and August due to the main actor's availability. Post also took longer than planned due to a last minute re-edit where we cut 15 minutes out of the film for pacing.
The third year was festivals and shopping it around.

I've still got festivals to do and need to sell it in other territories, but it's not going to take up 100% of my time anymore.
 
One thing I've seen a lot of is actors working for free in a movie only to find all of their hard work and donated time was for nothing because the filmmaker never finished the project. Personally I think that if you solicit help for a project you owe it to the individuals to pay them up front or at the minimum give them good usable high quality clips from the project for their reel. Shelving a project should never happen when people made it happen with sweat and good faith on their part.
 
Snazzy Flapper said:
One thing I've seen a lot of is actors working for free in a movie only to find all of their hard work and donated time was for nothing because the filmmaker never finished the project. Personally I think that if you solicit help for a project you owe it to the individuals to pay them up front or at the minimum give them good usable high quality clips from the project for their reel. Shelving a project should never happen when people made it happen with sweat and good faith on their part.
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I completely agree. I, and some others I know, always finish a project that's gone into production - no matter how bad it is.
 
i think there is good words written here.
I also think that its good to see things thru - and good to make sure everyone gets a copy.
I do think there is a point of diminishing returns.
Working on a film or filmed project can be a long journey but knowing when you are throwing good time money and effort into something that cant possibly give you any more return creatively or financially is the edge of madness.
im in post on something red-hot , but if it doesnt go, ill have to judge when to throw in the towel.
I have something shelved that someone is kinda hot for too - but now I dont know is it worth it to trot it back out if Im not committed to it fully.
Tough questions my friends
 
I think it's definitely important to understand/identify where the point of no return is, and to analyze how committed you are to the project. It's easy to abandon things at the writing stage, but harder later. You should convince yourself that it's a one way street - once someone has given you money and/or you've started filming, you're not coming back.
 
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