How to Shoot Your Movie On Time and On Budget

Recently, I discussed How To Make a Movie for $5000. That's all well and good, but now I want to take a it a step further - ACTUALLY shooting it! Here are some suggestions based on my experiences working behind the scenes on big budget movies, shooting short films, and filming my indie feature film The Great Intervention.

1. Forget Storyboarding. Unless you are doing some kind of spectacular action or fantasy film (and you're not) this is a waste of time. Sure there are a lot of storyboarding programs so you no longer have to draw them by hand. But you do not need this. You have something called a BRAIN. Chances are, you wrote this movie yourself and you "saw" it all in your head anyways.

Instead: Make a Shot List. What is a Shot List? It is of course, a list of shots. You need a Shot List for every scene in your movie, but once you get the rhythm down, you may be able to do a lot of it on the fly, if need be. Look at your scene. How many characters are there? (Hopefully no more than four - see my other article) Let's say three. You now have three shots, because every character in the scene deserves their closeup. Next, you'll want to "pull back" on the scene a little, maybe a medium shot of two of the characters, and a medium shot of the the third. (Two more shots.) Finally, you want a "Master Shot" of the whole room, all the action in the scene, from beginning to end. (One shot) Now, let's list them in reverse order.

1. Master Shot
2. Medium Shot Person A and B
3. Medium Shot Person C
4. Close up Person A
5. Close up Person B
6. Close up Person C

Now, unless you are going for some kind of Sami Raimi-type of thing, that should basically cover your scene from beginning to end.

First thing you do, on the day of the shoot, is block the scene. Have your actors act it out as they would naturally do it in the space, and tell them not to worry about where the camera is. That's YOUR job. Watch them do the whole scene. If, during the blocking of this scene you realize that the characters begin talking in one part of the house and end up in another, yell "Cut." Every time the Master Shot has to pick up and move, that is another "scene" with its own list of closeups and medium shots.

2. Be on time. ALWAYS  be early! If you are late, it sends out a domino effect, which slows down production and morale. Have lunch on the 6 hour mark (as required by SAG) and make sure there are plenty of snacks.

3. Don't be too ambitious in the number of scenes/shots, but be not too tame, neither. You should always either be filming, rehearsing, or setting up for the next shot. Professional film sets break down their scenes into eighths of a page - that tells you how slow and methodical they can be. You don't have that kind of luxury.

4. Try to have only one location per day. Every time you do a "company move" you are adding hours to your day. Group all the scenes together that have the same location, regardless of their order in the film.

5. Use as few extras as you can. In a microbudget film, there isn't enough money to pay even the basic $54/8 hours a non-union extra charges. This means it's going to be incredibly hard to get anyone to do it! Besides, a lot of extras adds up to a lot of bodies on the set, and a lot more mouths to feed at lunch time.

6. Avoid fancy lighting. The number one thing that slows down a film shoot is setting up and moving bulky lighting equipment. The Big Boys can spend all day and night with fancy globes and spotlights, but you don't have the time. Cameras nowadays (especially those groovy SLR cameras that shoot HD) are really great with light - you can do so much with so little - use that to your advantage.

7. Move your camera around like a photo camera. It used to be, cameras were bulky, had to be on a dolly, and had to be reloaded every 10 minutes or so of film. Now you don't have any of these to worry about, so "get in there" with the camera. Keep it rolling. Instead of yelling "action" and "cut" all the time, just direct your actors off camera - have them do what is called a "series" of takes in a row, without stopping and starting.

8. Try to stay calm and focused. Breathe in, breathe out. You most likely will have to be your own First AD (the person who actually keeps the ball rolling on major film sets) so prepare to kick your own ass. Oh, and of course, don't forget to have fun - you are living the dream of directing your movie!!!

How (and Why) to Use Kickstarter

Kickstarter, a relatively new tool in the world of fundraising, has revolutionized the process of raising money for your film. However, it is somewhat misunderstood by some of the population, and often misused by the artist/filmmakers themselves.

I successfully funded my first indie film The Great Intervention, using Kickstarter. I'd like to share some of my thoughts and ideas on what is now called "crowdfunding."

Now if I could only convince all these people to give me ONE DOLLAR...

One thing I have noticed is that there are some people out there who do not like Kickstarter or other similar sites, and may resent you in some way for using it. These people are likely to say "Get a job and pay for it yourself," or "Stop asking your friends for money." These people are missing the idea, but good luck trying to change their mind.

Kickstarter was not designed to be used to ask for a handout. A recent New York Times article went into detail about the founding and philosophy behind Kickstarter's creation. 

One thing to know is that not every project is accepted by Kickstarter. You can't just run a campaign to, say, "Pay My Rent for a Year." Projects have to have some kind of artistic value and a specific goal. The small staff personally goes through each application, discussing and helping artists shape their projects so they are "Kickstarter-worthy." If you peruse their website, you will see the variety of projects - from painters to poets - that are using the site to fund their unique visions.

The other concept - and this, I think, gives it a unique twist - is that, if you don't make your goal, you get none of the money pledged and it is returned to the donors. Why is that cool? Because it adds drama and drive to your fundraising. Sure, there are sites like Indieagogo.com that don't have such requirements,  but this danger adds legitimacy and urgency to your project. Because, if you DON'T achieve your goal, why should you keep the money - you won't have the amount you need and the project will be unfinished. Kickstarter is about funding and FINISHING your projects.

Thanks everybody for the donations! Unfortunately, we fell a little short of our goal...

The Kickstarter website is akin to a salon of artists showcasing their dreams and ideas, and the more philanthropic of us can spend hundreds of hours and dollars giving needy projects a helping hand. On their home page and in their weekly emails, Kickstarter showcases various artists, but the truth is, unless you are really clever or lucky, you will rely on friends and family for most of your donations. 

This is not a bad thing! If you have a large network of friends/fans already, they are probably aware of your endeavors and WANT to support you. I was personally overwhelmed by the amount of contributions from friends from my elementary school - whom I had not seen in years - that helped me achieve my goal.

So - go forward with Kickstarter, with the above caveats - and follow these guidelines:

1. Keep your goal realistic. I think $5000 is a good number for a first film - it's not too big to be unattainable, yet, just out of the zone of most people's personal finances. In another post, I talked about how to make your movie for $5000, so use that as your template. Also, keep your fundraising period limited to about a month. That way you have enough time without it getting "old".

2. Be creative with your rewards. Although your Kickstarter contact will help you with this, start thinking about it before you pitch your project. You can and should offer a copy of your movie in some format for donors, but think about other fun ways to connect - it will add incentive to your audience to give.

3. Be creative with the campaign itself. Because the majority of your fan base/contacts are on Facebook, you are going to have to beat the drum regularly and loudly in terms of status updates and links. But a link to the same old Kickstarter page quickly gets annoying and boring. Try using links to YouTube songs/videos to inspire your base. For example, a link to the Theme from Rocky with a short reference to your campaign, is a way to keep it fun and light.

Help me people reach my goal... we are ALMOST THERE..!

4. If you don't make your goal, pause and reflect. Was the amount too unreasonable? Is the project vision not fully realized? Was I too annoying with my fundraising campaign? These may be tough questions to ask yourself, but could provide you with some clarity and insight for your next attempt.

Asking people for money - whether its your father or a total stranger is never easy. If you have a strong idea for a film or project, use Kickstarter to build up a fan base and, hopefully, make your dream come true.