I see what you're sayin' but here's how it works for me:

The technology is getting more affordable, but there's still a point, I think, where you need help/money. Even if you have the greatest gear ever, if your'e the only knowledgable crew memeber, every shot's gonna take forever. If your actors are still unpaid/uncomitted, the fancy gear won't make that problem go away.

I think it's about writing a story that you can bring to life with what you have available. Don't write crazy action sequences and special FX and whatnot if you can't pull 'em off. Don't set it in a castle unless you have a castle available.

Agreed. You can't polish a turd. You just get shiny poo.

To be honest though, if you're the only knowledgeable crew member and your cast are uncommitted, I would suggest you rethink your working practices or further scale down your ambitions.

It is simply impossible to get a theatrical release-quality picture made on your own with just the aid of some 'work-experience' helpers on board. ANd before he's mentioned Rodriguez don't count. He was NOT on his own.

Smaller scale projects... Train these mofos up and mould them into an efficient fighting unit before tackling the masterpiece. I doing a similar thing now with the guys I'd previously trained up in Avid use (which they now do professionally )and they are coming along quite nicely. The day one of them suggests a certain gel to use I think I might shed a little tear.

As with actors.. .Well I make it very clear from day one that they are not doing me a favour - that in fact the reverse is true because all this time and effort is being used to make them look great and help further their careers and they are not having to spend a single penny on it. If there's even the merest hint of them being slack I won't use them. That said, once they're on-board I do everything in my power to help them out, especially if they're really pretty... ;-)

In terms of cheap acting labour, I'd go for final year drama students, the ones that have done a few shows and had to learn the discipline of call times and taking direction etc... Anything less than that and it's all just a big game and telling people you're the star of a movie. Agh...


Ben

I dont know if i agree with the "you cant polish a turd" thought.
If everyone waited for funding and the newest gear than no one would ever get anything accomplished.
By and large the whole lot of us are filmmakers by our own means.
We work hard to write, produce, direct, dp, edit and sweeten. Most of us polish our own audio, color correct, produce our own artwork, create our own dvds and develop and maintain our own websites. We create the entire experience.
This is, by far, the most interesting and promising time to be a filmmaker in history.
The human race has developed the technology and the demand has made it all affordable for us to carry our own complete studio on our sholders (as was predicted by coppola).
30 years ago this whole idea, the idea of having your own complete production studio was totally unheard of, so i say use what we have at hand.
This is not to take anything away from those who have worked hard and saved to buy the coolest of the cool toys.
You have the cash? Write a great flick, shoot on HD or 35mm, cut it on an avid turnkey, make a print and wait for the money, drugs and whores.
written a strong script but have no money? shoot on digi 8, cut on windows movie maker and burn it to an SVCD, wait for the unemployment check, cheap cigarettes and coffee house intelligista chicks.
Either way, you must produce!
In my opinion we are doing nothing but wasting our lives and burning opportunity when we wait for the cash or the glitzy gear to make our flicks.
Get a cheap camera and shoot! Make mistakes and learn! There is a wondeful nobility in that,
This is what a filmmaker does!
Don't sit on your ass and wait for gear you'll never get or a check you'll never cash!
This is what a dreamer does.
Just a random collection of scattered thoughts.

I agree with all you've said. My comment was more in relation to the idea that a one-man band with no pro actors or knowledgable help, could produce something that would get a theatrical release.

But you're right. THEN is the time to be training up and learning from mistakes before the assault on the bigtime.

Ben

After doing the 48-hour film project a couple of weeks ago, I think this is a great way to build your chops - you either learn to live within your limitations (including time) or die. First learn to do things efficiently - next learn how to do them with improved quality, but at the same quick pace.

The actors and weather aren't the enemy. The passage of time is the enemy.

Lotsa location problems for you guys. Perhaps you should consider set and soundstage shooting in my country (and no I do not work for the tourism and film board!) It's very affordable. Ok, think of this, I spent 125 USD to build a section of an f-16 cockpit, complete with buttons and everything. Like 200 USD to build a section of a German looking castle. The soundstage rental goes for 50 USD a day. Soundstage shooting is not big here, location shooting is more big.
Oh and about actors showing up, never use friends or family as principles. Contact B rated actors, or older actors who never had a starring role. They are usually more enthusiastic and give their best.

Wow. Could you move your country to mine?

Hey Bass, besides my family's in Dallas. Great deal here. You guys should really consider shooting here.

some more bad luck stories:
Hired an Elvis impersonator, who was great in rehearsal, but didn't tell us he had a rare blood condition which came on any time he over-exerted himself (which he did in the rehearsal) result - one ambulance ride, zero hours footage shot.
Hired a generator. Hired a truck to tow it. But found out too late that the tow hook on the truck was not compatable with the tow hook on the generator.
Had the entire production budget for a short film stolen from my jacket pocket (fortunately later recovered)
Arranged to use a car park location, only to find it being re-tarmac'd on the morning of the shoot
Had an actor get too much into his role as a gangster character, and threaten the owner of a location we wanted to use (before we used it). Fortunately we had a producer who was good at apologising...
Not to mention the usual crew fights, food poisoning, rain, snow, hail and floods...

I'm sorry but THAT is funny! You should do a reenactment and post that somewhere.

some more bad luck stories:
Hired an Elvis impersonator, who was great in rehearsal, but didn't tell us he had a rare blood condition which came on any time he over-exerted himself (which he did in the rehearsal) result - one ambulance ride, zero hours footage shot.
Hired a generator. Hired a truck to tow it. But found out too late that the tow hook on the truck was not compatable with the tow hook on the generator.
Had the entire production budget for a short film stolen from my jacket pocket (fortunately later recovered)
Arranged to use a car park location, only to find it being re-tarmac'd on the morning of the shoot
Had an actor get too much into his role as a gangster character, and threaten the owner of a location we wanted to use (before we used it). Fortunately we had a producer who was good at apologising...
Not to mention the usual crew fights, food poisoning, rain, snow, hail and floods...

You could make a new film with that content!

Very funny, Elvis guy. Yes, sounds like a good story for film.

Actually once, we forgot to bring film. Very funny, everybody assumed the other guy brought it. Not so funny for the producer of course.....

Actually once, we forgot to bring film. Very funny, everybody assumed the other guy brought it. Ouch!

Then again, you're filmmakers, not film bringers. No problem, just... make some film!

i got few bad experiences . but i think the worst is the last one . 3 days in the last week end . i'v been to shoot a cars show . drifting and cars going on two weels and stuff like this .
most of the drivers were professional stunt , so , no problem whit them . But this crazy guy who organize all the contest , doing drifting and pretending to be the star of the event ... >:((( cause he pretend to be funny , trying to scare me with couple of dangerous tricks

so , couple of shoot were very dangerous , and i risk a lot : and they did not understand that shooting is not that easy , and in that contest more .

so , i reccomend you not to do shoot like that.

hope i explaine myself . cause right now i fell quite hangry and depressed , and my english is worst that usual

thanks

stefano

I'd say the worst experiences as a Line Producer are with writer/directors unwilling to cut down their scripts because the dialogue is too much. So the actors struggle a little bit with these scenes that have 4-5 pages of long dialogue diatribes.

In post, they can't cut anything out because it'll hurt the film (or they don't want to cut it out); if only they took a paragraph of dialogue and turned it into a line or two BEFORE production. Usually, they aren't accepted into fests because of this.

I advise all up-and-coming writer/directors to cut your dialogue down, your scenes, too, if you're on a micro budget. It's hard, I know, but do it for the sake of your film. An occasional monologue that advances the storyline is cool, but not every other page.

Also, a dialogue-driven movie isn't a bad thing, but they're a rare breed (think Noah Baumbach's excellent KICKING AND SCREAMING, now on Criterion DVD).

heath

argh! Getting another project dangled and then cut out from under me feets mate!