I'm having trouble storyboarding a movie because of covid restrictions.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

You're always more concerned with the least important aspect in this case the legal. The health and safety of your cast and crew are more important than whether you meet the letter of the current regulations. If you exceed the maximum people by one or two, no one is going to care. This isn't union or corporate job, this is an amateur production. I'm not trying to encourage you to flaunt the law and put your crew in danger, but the legality is the least of your worries. All the production problems you had before are going to be that much more difficult. How are you going to film in public or secure locations? It seems like the only way for you grasp these issues is to experience them first hand.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay but I thought that the law would care since they only want certain numbers of people at a time, wouldn't they?

[Pete Cofrancesco]

How do you expect them to enforce these regulations? Are the police sending out an officer to do a head count of all your shoots? Of course you film out in a public space like in front of City Hall and a squad car drives by and sees what you're doing. But they'd more likely stop you for filming without a permit. Like I said before who is going to allow you to use their interior space to shoot a film with a bunch of people?

[Ryan Elder]

Well it's the outdoor scenes that concern me more because they more visible to police. Plus let's say I manage to make the whole movie successfully. If it gets put there, then the evidence of me breaking the covid laws, is all in the movie.

[Paul R Johnson]

I don't suppose you even know how to do risk assessments? If you were a proper production company you would, and they would make it very obvious that you should stop.

Forget legal stuff, that's just what the judge uses to penalise you when you kill somebody.

These people are working for you, probably unpaid. people are already very, very worried, and only idiots are not. As their boss, YOU are responsible for their health. Has the Tom Cruise UK rant got to Canada - he went berserk when the crew threatened the production by not being safe enough. He was spot on. It's serious and being shut down is very likely when people get it wrong.

You struggle when everyone is on your side - if you try to go ahead during the Covid times, your people could just vanish leaving you with costs and no movie. Is now the right time to make a movie that is low budget? Is it the right time when you'll have to spoil it to make it.

Sometimes Ryan - you just don't understand even the really basics. Why have you suddenly created a production deadline in the worst possible time to make a movie?

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay. Well I am trying to do the best I can under the circumstances and make things work.

[Brian Drysdale]

It's not about the law, it's about you acting as a responsible film maker in the middle of a pandemic Plus, you don't have the excuse that you need to earn you living as a freelance worker.

Also, people may report you to the police, which is what happens in the UK.

[Ryan Elder]

Yeah I thought I would be reported likely. I want to keep everyone safe as well of course. But perhaps I should treat it like a business rather than freelance then if that would help get the movie made?

[Pete Cofrancesco]

You treat your movie as the Sun which everything revolves around. Brian point was this movie isn't essential, you're not earning a living from it, so it doesn't make sense to put others at risk for your selfish reasons. You're turning Brian's comment on it's head, oh so I need to figure out a way to make this movie essential. This is like Lloyd saying "So you're telling me there's a chance. YEAH!"

[Paul R Johnson]

You should already be viewing your production as a business - to be honest, we thought you were? If you're just a hobbiest, why on earth are you getting into all the crazy complexities you persistently live in? If it's a fun project and your people think like this - then all the rubbish your composers, Directors of Photographys, Colourists etc have been telling you make sense. If you are all amateurs just with stickers with this week's job titles on them, why do you constantly pretend everyone is professional? It explains everything. A passion project for one, fun for the rest - explains so much.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh yes I am treating it as a business. Sorry, I didn't mean to give the impression that I wasn't. Or at least I intend to. That is why I think of it as important.

[Paul R Johnson]

Ryan - you said

But perhaps I should treat it like a business rather than freelance then if that would help get the movie made?

Then

Oh yes I am treating it as a business. Sorry, I didn't mean to give the impression that I wasn't.

You really cannot be both of these - how can you say the absolute opposite in two posts one apart in the topic?

[Josh Bass]

He's stated before his intent is to make the movie and then see what happens/pray/hope for festivals, distro, etc.

[Ryan Elder]

Originally Posted by Paul R Johnson

Ryan - you said

Then

You really cannot be both of these - how can you say the absolute opposite in two posts one apart in the topic?

Oh well it was pointed out on here that I am treating it as a freelance worker, so I was only responding to someone pointing that I was. Unless I misunderstood the response. I thought I was treating it like a business.

[Brian Drysdale]

You're not paying the crew or cast and the enterprise appears to be more a training exercise, which is fine, however, you don't seem to be aware of that reality. .