Check out the trailer for my film
In Convenience (http://inconveniencethemovie.com).

This was a micro-budget film. We shot with a Sony HDR-FX1. This was my first attempt at shooting a feature length movie. I wrote, shot, and directed. I also edited the trailer. Whether you are impressed or not, a lot can be said for a group using only what they already have to make a film. Thanks for checking it out.

Looks great! Give us some info about the equipment you used.

Seriously low budget.

We shot with a used Sony HDR-FX1, then sold it after production for $200 less than originally purchased. We shot HDV at 60i, then used DV Film Maker to convert our footage to 24p. We used a cheap 3-piece Smith and Victor light kit, a small tripod dolly on some PVC, and green gaffer's tape (not for chroma key). We edited on an iMac with Final Cut Pro. When it came time to color grade, we converted all of our footage to ProRes HQ. I think it helped a lot. Almost all of the audio was done in post production. About 85% ADR. My producer mixed the whole movie in Nuendo.

We were able to get a lot of locations for free. Big thanks to Ray's Cheveron in Rexburg! We had to work around a lot of schedules to make it happen, but we had little to loose and much to gain. We even had the police on our side through the whole ordeal. We also got some great music from local musicians. The sound track is pretty impressive, considering everything on it is from eastern Idaho.

You can check out a few music videos and a short documentary on my YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6E696CBBC47892AF) page.

Kudos Nels, the film looks and sounds great. Is all the talent local to Idaho?

Yes, kind of. All of the actors were living in Idaho at the time of casting and during production, though some of the actors were college students from all over.

Nice work! Looks great!

How hard was it to get clearances from Pepsi and the other companies with logos in the film?

That was a hurdle that we put some serious thought into at the beginning, but came to a very simple conclusion:

We had permission to shoot in the gas station. The gas station has permission to sell those products. Everything from that point is free advertising. If we get a huge company to come after us, we get national publicity.

From a point of risk, we had little to lose and a lot to gain.

Hey Nels,

Nice trailer, but just a heads up. Unfortunately we'd like to think it's just free advertising for those products, but it doesn't work that way. If you plan on selling your movie, you're going to need clearances (especially if you need E&O insurance: a definite before a distributor will pick you up).

Of course if you were shooting a bus driving by with a big Pepsi ad on the side, that would be a bit different, however a gas station is still considered a private entity (not public) so you need clearance (and just because they sell the products does not grant license to you as a filmmaker).

The chances that the company will come after you...? Depends on what they have to gain. If the product in question is being used in a 'bad' light, the chances are good they will come after you. If the products is used as described, then you should be fine (you still will have trouble getting the film in the hands of distributors).

Anyway, for your next film just take the proper steps in securing rights. For my film, I got clearances from Fender Guitar, Point Zero Clothing, Taylor Guitar, Apple Computer and Anthem Records (Rush). The good thing is that it only took emails to get these clearances (no money), so you have nothing to lose by clearing these products and everything to gain.

Todd

Good to know. Thanks for the advice. I'll talk to my producer and see where he stands with everything, but to my knowledge, he's got nothing in writing. I'll have him look at the this thread. I'm glad there are groups like this to help us out.

Nels, your film trailer looks great. Definitely makes me interested to watch the rest of it. There were a few moments that felt a little sluggish or forced, like the 'pell grant' and 'drug' section, but your store sequences are cool with the co-worker and other characters that happen in there, and the overall plot seems like a good one for some laughs.

Thanks! I'll admit that there are flaws with my film. But I really think most people enjoy the story and the flavor. Being my first attempt, I'm still learning a lot about what worked well and what didn't. I hope I get more opportunities to make full length films.

If anyone wants to collaborate, let me know!