sfoster
Well-known member
Well this is the perfect place. I thought of writing a book on the process as I go through shooting this film because really there are very few out there that document the important parts of film making. Honestly I can't really find any that will be as detailed. Well putting together a book seemed to daunting of a task for me, so I thought maybe more of a journal. I jump on DVXuser and lo and behold, The User Films section! Perfect. So here is what I will be doing.
I will be chronicling my struggles and pains in getting these films made in detail so that others may learn from my experiences, as well as avoid the problems I have by being better prepared.
I have 2 feature films I'm planning. I have 1 complete script (First Draft) called "Reality Check" and a short version of the same script, I also have a bunch of scenes from some ideas Me and Gary (my business partner) are hammering out with the help of our new screenwriter (The writer of Reality Check) John Cosper.
Since I want to start at the beginning, I will go back to before I had the scripts and explain how I crossed paths with so many and ended up where I am.
I started wanting to act thinking I could never make it as a filmmaker so I'll act instead. Well as I pursued acting I was invited to help on the film set for "The Visitation" I gained a lot of experience on that set as well as met some really cool people. At this point, I realized I was capable. I searched for work, but without experience, it was hard to find. I found a friend (Gary Shackelford) who was in the same boat. I decided to get experience however I could.
I volunteered where I could and finally landed a Job at a fox affiliate station as a "Photog" The guy with the camera filming the reporter around town. I worked for 2 years there and studied the cameras whenever there was a spare moment. We went through 3 in those two years. I also played with the limited lighting we had as much as possible when I got the chance. This is where I learned cinematography, lighting, editing, etc.
The News does skew your views, I know because through the books I read, I would draw emotions out of people by where I placed the camera and the talent. I did this whenever they freed me up from the simple boring interview shots. Anyway enough of that, I got experience and a TON of story ideas. Need an idea for a film? Watch the news and pick one and elaborate!
OK so I've got my experience, I learned my camera and lighting, as well as tips on story writing. (There are tons of people who are great writers at news stations, the anchors usually only write 2-3 of the stories in the news taking up maybe a 10 minute block) So I learned a bit about writing. Then I sat down and tried it. FAILURE OK so I need a screenwriter to get all these ideas in my head onto film.
I get back online and start visiting all the filmmaking sites I can find. I join groups all over. I eventually start commenting on peoples ideas, as well as shooting commercials when a job rolls around. I meet local filmmakers through Myspace, and Craigslist ads, and our local talent agency. Finally I start my production company.
Now that I own my own production company we need to produce. We shot a couple hundred dollar short films, and started writing a feature and tried to figure out how to fund it as well as finish it.
Press is a wonderful tool. Because of my experience at the news station, I learned how valuable the news is. It is basically something people are addicted to. The goal of the business of news is to make money and they do this by keeping you entertained long enough to get you to watch the next commercials which is where they make their money.
I will put this principle to practice. Basically I will create news. AKA hype! All the news is, is stuff that happened. So if I make something happen, I am creating news. I can build a website and hey that's news. OK I announce that I'm making a film. . . That's news. I've now created news. If you announce in enough places that you are going to be releasing a film in 2009, eventually it will get noticed. I read the criteria on IMDB and met it and was able to get our film on there in script stage.
While commenting as a production company owner on why I would accept or not accept a script from someone, I get a couple responses from writers who want to send me their scripts. I agree as long as contracts are signed and they agree. I have read hundreds of scripts from people after requesting scripts on IMDB.com most of them are junk, some need revision and clarifications. That is what I expected from this writers group. However, I read the synopsis for about 10 completed scripts from this guy John Cosper and picked a couple. He sent them out as well as a couple shorts, and they were awesome.
I am now working with this writer and we plan on shooting his screenplay "Reality Check" But first. . . Funding.
Currently we don't have any connections directly to any producers and we would be considered first time directors because we have not directed a feature film. This can be a difficult situation when it comes to funding. A friend of mine found a way around this by having a producer who has directed before oversee your directing, but we don't want to lose any creative control, so finding the right person is going to be tough.
We have decided to raise our own money and shoot short versions of these films. That brings me to today. From this point on, I will update you in the process.
Today I will be visiting IMDB and trying to get "Reality Check" On there. We will set a hopeful deadline for the film and lable it as being in preproduction. Really preproduction is from the moment you have the funding together, but from their standpoint it is when the script is finished. I will contact our writer today and see if he can write up a catchy synopsis for the film and then I will work on finding talent. Once we get talent attached, it will be easier to find funding. SO IMDB TO THE RESCUE.
I will spend the next week looking for actors that I can get a script to that I think might be interested in the part. HOW? by looking at the cast of movies similar to "Reality Check". They were obviously interested in the other films so they might be attracted to this one.
I will be chronicling my struggles and pains in getting these films made in detail so that others may learn from my experiences, as well as avoid the problems I have by being better prepared.
I have 2 feature films I'm planning. I have 1 complete script (First Draft) called "Reality Check" and a short version of the same script, I also have a bunch of scenes from some ideas Me and Gary (my business partner) are hammering out with the help of our new screenwriter (The writer of Reality Check) John Cosper.
Since I want to start at the beginning, I will go back to before I had the scripts and explain how I crossed paths with so many and ended up where I am.
I started wanting to act thinking I could never make it as a filmmaker so I'll act instead. Well as I pursued acting I was invited to help on the film set for "The Visitation" I gained a lot of experience on that set as well as met some really cool people. At this point, I realized I was capable. I searched for work, but without experience, it was hard to find. I found a friend (Gary Shackelford) who was in the same boat. I decided to get experience however I could.
I volunteered where I could and finally landed a Job at a fox affiliate station as a "Photog" The guy with the camera filming the reporter around town. I worked for 2 years there and studied the cameras whenever there was a spare moment. We went through 3 in those two years. I also played with the limited lighting we had as much as possible when I got the chance. This is where I learned cinematography, lighting, editing, etc.
The News does skew your views, I know because through the books I read, I would draw emotions out of people by where I placed the camera and the talent. I did this whenever they freed me up from the simple boring interview shots. Anyway enough of that, I got experience and a TON of story ideas. Need an idea for a film? Watch the news and pick one and elaborate!
OK so I've got my experience, I learned my camera and lighting, as well as tips on story writing. (There are tons of people who are great writers at news stations, the anchors usually only write 2-3 of the stories in the news taking up maybe a 10 minute block) So I learned a bit about writing. Then I sat down and tried it. FAILURE OK so I need a screenwriter to get all these ideas in my head onto film.
I get back online and start visiting all the filmmaking sites I can find. I join groups all over. I eventually start commenting on peoples ideas, as well as shooting commercials when a job rolls around. I meet local filmmakers through Myspace, and Craigslist ads, and our local talent agency. Finally I start my production company.
Now that I own my own production company we need to produce. We shot a couple hundred dollar short films, and started writing a feature and tried to figure out how to fund it as well as finish it.
Press is a wonderful tool. Because of my experience at the news station, I learned how valuable the news is. It is basically something people are addicted to. The goal of the business of news is to make money and they do this by keeping you entertained long enough to get you to watch the next commercials which is where they make their money.
I will put this principle to practice. Basically I will create news. AKA hype! All the news is, is stuff that happened. So if I make something happen, I am creating news. I can build a website and hey that's news. OK I announce that I'm making a film. . . That's news. I've now created news. If you announce in enough places that you are going to be releasing a film in 2009, eventually it will get noticed. I read the criteria on IMDB and met it and was able to get our film on there in script stage.
While commenting as a production company owner on why I would accept or not accept a script from someone, I get a couple responses from writers who want to send me their scripts. I agree as long as contracts are signed and they agree. I have read hundreds of scripts from people after requesting scripts on IMDB.com most of them are junk, some need revision and clarifications. That is what I expected from this writers group. However, I read the synopsis for about 10 completed scripts from this guy John Cosper and picked a couple. He sent them out as well as a couple shorts, and they were awesome.
I am now working with this writer and we plan on shooting his screenplay "Reality Check" But first. . . Funding.
Currently we don't have any connections directly to any producers and we would be considered first time directors because we have not directed a feature film. This can be a difficult situation when it comes to funding. A friend of mine found a way around this by having a producer who has directed before oversee your directing, but we don't want to lose any creative control, so finding the right person is going to be tough.
We have decided to raise our own money and shoot short versions of these films. That brings me to today. From this point on, I will update you in the process.
Today I will be visiting IMDB and trying to get "Reality Check" On there. We will set a hopeful deadline for the film and lable it as being in preproduction. Really preproduction is from the moment you have the funding together, but from their standpoint it is when the script is finished. I will contact our writer today and see if he can write up a catchy synopsis for the film and then I will work on finding talent. Once we get talent attached, it will be easier to find funding. SO IMDB TO THE RESCUE.
I will spend the next week looking for actors that I can get a script to that I think might be interested in the part. HOW? by looking at the cast of movies similar to "Reality Check". They were obviously interested in the other films so they might be attracted to this one.