Shooting Feature $100k budget (need help)

Just to give you guys an update. Crew is assembled, equipment is purchased, script is finished, locations spotted. Casting for small roles underway, working with agent to get me a name actress.

Thanks for all the input and I will keep updates here. Shotting should start by March 1.

I am looking for a [SIZE=-1]First AC and/or focus puller[/SIZE], private message if interested.

In Sarasota/Tampa area.
 
mainstreetprod said:
There is also a long list of students who spent 20K on film school and never
went on to make a film or were otherwise never heard from again.
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There's another long list of former film school students who went on to great success as filmmmakers.

As an actor I've worked with many film school students on their projects, and believe me - they're not all wasting their time and (parents') money. Just this past Thursday and Friday I was shooting with a student crew at Hofstra University in NY. They were mostly Seniors, with a few Juniors sprinkled in. Without exception they were serious, hardworking people who loved their craft and obviously had learned a great deal through their classes and projects. They also knew how to enjoy themselves and get along well, and that was a great bonus for me as an actor.

it was an eight person crew if I remember correctly - director, producer, DP, AC, sound, boom, two grips and PA. It was shot on 16mm film and sound was captured on a Nagra with a Sennheiser shotgun. Several Tungsten Arris, a softbox and an HMI were used indoors, and available light outdoors. We shot one scene in a simulated hospital room, where two massive hospital beds had been rented and trucked in (by the crew themselves) along with various other props to make the scene completely convincing to the camera's eye. Other scenes were shot in a (simulated) doctor's office, an SUV (I was driving), and outside a high school. In spite of the frigid weather outdoors, everyone stayed totally focused and professional.

It was a good script, and the director (who wrote it) couldn't have been more accomodating in his approach to me and my questions and requests as an actor. My role was substantially increased due to a key actress (in the role of my wife) becoming ill the morning of the shoot and unable to attend. All that was taken in stride by the crew and handled with complete optimism ("we'll just make it better then" was the director's attitude toward the problem).

Does all that sound like a waste of time to you? I think not...
 
mainstreetprod said:
Most of the great producer/directors probably did go. A few did not. It is a worthwhile investment for the few who end up having serious film careers and not pulling cables. Interesting article on film school here:

http://www.dvguru.com/2006/10/11/10-reasons-you-shouldnt-go-to-film-school/
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That simply not true. Speilberg didn't go. PT Anderson didnt go. JW Howe didn't go. I could go on and on.

And even if you DO get in to one of the top 3 (UCLA, USC, AFI), with the possible exception of the Peter Stark program, there simply are not nearly enough jobs in Hollywood to supply the glut of graduates. Not by a long shot.

Further, admission to the top schools is no piece of cake. I knew I guy at USC that had perfect GRE's. Another was graduate of Harvard Law School.

4 years of film school could easily set you back 100,000 dollars. You could get a dandy little HVX production kit for a fraction of that.

I'd say if your local JC has a few decent courses, look into it, but a 4 year course is really a waste of money and time especially considering that you might not end up with a actual education--as you would with a major in History or Engineering or any REAL subject. Sorry but learning production sound is not the same as studying Socrates or non linear algebra.

The study of Cinema is something different. Cinema is an academic subject, but film isn't.
 
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sotty said:
Thanks for your time and input.

yes, I purchased the Bebob prior to the redrockmicro M2.

Any opinion on the Redrock microFollowFocus for the M2? What I have read here is mixed opinions. Mainly the quality issue for heavy use.
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I'm helping out with an independent film right now and they're using a Redrock with a follow focus and Nikkor lenses. It all works very, very nicely. The image quality is just superb. Of course good lighting and composition has a lot to do with it.

For a first-timer who has never done anything like this before (I usually do run-and-gun), the follow-focus worked perfectly.

The DP is very experienced, having been trained in L.A. and working in the industry. I was assisting for one of the shots and was given the task of handling the rack focus. The unit nailed it on every single take and the DP was smiling when that scene was wrapped.

Regarding learning the trade, this immersive experience has been a real eye-opener for me. I count myself fortunate for getting a chance to work with a crew like this one.
 
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