10 Expenses Most First Time Film Directors Forget
We meet many debut film directors here at Raindance Film Festival HQ.
Directing your first movie is always a fantastically challenging experience. The process of getting your first movie onto the big screen can end in tears if you fall foul of the producer and the budget and schedule.
A budget is a simple list of all the stuff and people you need and the amount of money required to pay for it. A schedule is a list of the dates and times you need the stuff. Both are incredibly tedious to produce, but without a budget and schedule, it’s very difficult to make your film.
Even with a no-budget film, you will still need a list of the stuff and people you need, and a schedule of when and where you need everything to show up.
Messing up the budget really impacts on the film.
Here is a handy list of items that cost money, and can easily spiral out of control if you aren’t careful. Most of these pitfalls are from lack of forward planning.
1. The Development Budget
When a film gets into production, the story rights need to be acquired and paid for. At this point, the producer controlling the script rights totals up all the money spent to date and presents an invoice so the production team can recoup the money they have paid, plus a profit.
Expenses include travel, accommodation and entertainment at places like Cannes Film Festival, location scouting, casting agents fees and that weird one: “Office Overhead.” Plus of course option fees paid the writer to date, insurance, banking and legal fees.
This can easily get out of hand, and when the final production budget is in the bank minus the development costs, directors can have a nasty surprise. Directors may have no alternative other than cutting pages out of the script.
I know two different writer/directors who found that over 10% of their production budget was gobbled up by extras added to the development budget.
Make sure you keep on top of the development budget.
2. The DoP
Choosing the right Director of Photography (or not) will really impact on your budget.
Some DoPs will literally take over the directing for you, blocking out the scenes in the rush to get the shots completed before wrap. This can lead to a war between the DoP and the director. Such conflict can ruin the morale on the set and make the shoot next to unbearable. But at least the film will get shot in this scenario.
Other DoPs are so eager to please they fall over backwards at each of the director’s whims without the benefit of courteous but professional criticism. The resulting shoot meanders and can quickly fall day after expensive day behind schedule. (see #10 below)
3. Location Location Location
Every time you move from one location to the next the cost rockets. Hence the typically low-to-no budget shoots in a single location movie like Paranormal Activity. If you desperately need a second location look out for the two-for-one, i.e. the front of a house can pose as one location and the rear garden as a completely different one.
4. Casting Agent
There are two factors here:
Firstly a skilled casting agent can save you a fortune, which is good.
Secondly too often directors fantasise about cast until it’s too late, and then hire a casting agent to get them out of jail to no avail. Money is flushed down the drain.
Firstly a skilled casting agent can save you a fortune, which is good.
Secondly too often directors fantasise about cast until it’s too late, and then hire a casting agent to get them out of jail to no avail. Money is flushed down the drain.
5. Let’s Fix It In Post
Every time I hear a director say, “We’ll fix that shot in post,” I cringe. I’ve worked on 68 features and over 700 commercials. Every time the director made that choice on a set, heads would roll a few days into post-production where the budget would start to rocket.
A director who thinks some sort of post-production miracle can save sloppy location shooting is lazy and ultimately a very expensive director.
6. Music
Including uncleared music in a movie is probably the single most costly mistake a filmmaker can make. Over the past 20 years I have had so many bad experiences with festival films that had to be pulled last minute becasue the filmmaker lied about whether the music was cleared or not. We even had one case where sales agents were nosing around a movie because it had an expensive song like “The Girl from Ipanema” in it (uncleared). Needless to say that movie didn’t sell.
7. Catering
This is such a no-brainer you probably are wondering why it’s even on this list. Problem is, no one ever considers the cost of the chilli and beans Aunt Emma is going to cook, nor the cost of cutlery and plates. Before long you have blown a good chunk of your budget, and have to decide whether or not your entire cast and crew can service the next 3 weeks on nothing but white rice, or cut a special shot to save the catering budget.
I once spent 2 1/2 weeks on white rice and I can tell you – it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience.
8. Insurance
If I had a buck for every time we get late afternoon panic calls form filmmakers desperate for a magic insurance telephone number I’d retire to the south of France.
No one ever thinks about insurance in time to budget for it properly. And you almost always need it at some point in the process.
9 Transport
I am sure your producer has allocated for car and van rental with the necessary fuel charges, taxes and tolls. But what of the petrol or taxi charges added to invoices of cast and crew? I had such a situation last week where I agreed to the fee but when the invoice arrived it included a whopper taxi bill. When queried, I was asked how else the equipment was going to get there.
10 Shooting Ratio
In the good old days of celluloid was all about the shooting ratio. Becasue film stock and processing was so expensive, prducers, directors and DoPs kept an eagle eye on the ratio between cosumed footage and the final film. Most indie films were shot on a ration between 5:1 and 10:1. Ie: 5:1 ratio means that 5 minutes worth of film stock was used to cover each minute of screen time.
In the digital age, image capture and storage is so cheap that some directors shoot over and over – as much as 100:1. Can you imagine the challenges of editing 100 hours of footage into a completed one hour film?
High shooting ratios aren’t clever, necessarily. But they sure are expensive.
Are you having trouble shooting on a budget? Would you like to learn how to get your script onto screen with a limited budget?
Why not come to the Lo To No Budget Filmmaking weekend class. I will show you how to take your screenplay and put value for money onto the screen with dozens of low-budget shooting tips. On the second day I will show you how to raise the cash, and how to use free PR to turn your movie into this year’s cult classic.
You know those wonderful scenes where the actor is walking in slo-mo and his long coat is blowing dramatically in the wind. (Think of Nick Cage in Face Off when he gets out of the car at the airport.
A trick to get the coat to billow like that is to have your costume designer either purchase a coat made of light-weight material, or they can creatively rip the lining out of the coat. This lightens up the material so it will move easier in the wind. And by the way – 60fps and 90fps are good frame rates for the effect.
Nothing can kill a comedy scene quicker than the lack of pace. The pace of comedy needs to be faster than drama – but not so frantic that there is no time for reactions. And never over rehearse a comedy scene – use rehearsals to block out actor movement, then turn on the camera and see what happens!
When you look at the 1st AD’s call sheet and see all those scenes and pages you have to shoot each day, remember: it’s not the page count that matters as much as the number of set-ups (shots) you
have each day.
have each day.
Want to get a great CU of Person B getting hit in the face/head by Person A’s foot?
Take the shoe, sock and pant leg of Person A and dress it on the stunt coordinator’s hand and arm.(re: fit the pant over the arm, put the sock and shoe on the hand). You can then move the camera in close and use the stunt coordinator to swing at Person B’s head right beside the camera. You get a great looking shot and you have more control of the “kick.” I’ve used this technique several times in fight sequences and it looks great on camera.
Which way an actor looks, or which side of the camera he exits or enters, is called Screen Direction (the “180 degree rule”). Maintaining proper screen direction is one of the jobs of the Script Supervisor and is very important to the uninterrupted flow of your story. But should the screen direction rule always be “obeyed?”
During fight scenes, “crossing the axis” adds a dramatic sense of confusion to the action – where punches and gunshots come from odd angles and characters enter and exit unexpectedly. And when
you add slow-motion, dutch tilts, hand-held cameras and jump-cutting techniques, you can create a ballet-like scene that is stylistic and dynamic.
you add slow-motion, dutch tilts, hand-held cameras and jump-cutting techniques, you can create a ballet-like scene that is stylistic and dynamic.
In a TV Series, you should know what scenes you want to spend extra time on (more coverage or more time with the actors) and which scenes you will shoot quickly (to make up for the longer
scenes). Give the 1st AD this information so he can help you out in the schedule.
scenes). Give the 1st AD this information so he can help you out in the schedule.
Remember, if you are shooting a low-budget movie or a TV Series, it’s “Gone with the Wind” in the morning and “Duke’s of Hazzard” in the afternoon!
Two actors have to walk from Point-A (a hallway) and finish their dialogue when they reach Point-B (an elevator or a door). A quick way of deciding where they must begin (in the hallway) is to have
them start walking FROM Point-B to Point-A. Where they stop (finish their lines) is where you can start them for the scene.
them start walking FROM Point-B to Point-A. Where they stop (finish their lines) is where you can start them for the scene.
Every script will have scenes that are not necessary; scenes that have nothing going on; or scenes that are only for character development. But if they haven’t been omitted, (by the producers or writers) you still have to shoot them. The trick here is to not spend a lot of time on these scenes – just shoot them fast and get onto the next one.
Actors and Directors have to come up with as many objectives for a character as possible. A character’s objective should be something that will engage the other characters in a scene; it should create it’s own obstacles; and it should be something the actor can believe in and commit to.
But there is one important rule to remember when choosing objectives for a character. An actor can only play ONE objective in a scene! Always ask yourself “What is the character’s need in this scene?” and then make sure the actor plays that objective!
My name is Luciano Bresdem, I am from Brazil and I have made some short films. I would like to share some directing tips that I have learned.
For me, the most important part for a director is knowing the script: structure, characters, space, plot,… You should know the material that you have in your hands. Second thing: You should know what you want to say with this film – if you don’t know what you want to say, you will lose the control over the material, actors, and crew. And the last thing: You should find the ways to say what you want to say. Discipline and organization are important here. Make a list, in detail, with every aspect of the production (Performance, Location, Direction of Photographic, Sound,…) and remember that “there’s no unimportant decisions in filmmaking”.
An experienced director should be able to talk to key personnel in their own terms.
That means you should not only know the techniques of acting when talking to actors, but you should also understand lenses when talking to a camera operator and DOP, you should understand costumes when talking to the wardrobe department, you should understand the basics of hair and make-up….etc.
Does this make you a better director? Not necessarily. But it will help you to communicate your ideas and vision to the people that have to make it happen!
Here is one of my favorite tips – and it comes in the form of a quote from the legendary director, Frank Capra.
“There are no rules in film making, only sins. And the cardinal sin is Dullness.”
When dealing with actors who want to improvise and change their dialogue, make sure they know what the intent of the scene is first. Once you and the actor both agree on the scene intent, they can go ahead and improvise their dialogue – and the objective of the scene will still be met.
In Television – The 1st AD works WITH the Director FOR the Producer
In Features – The 1st AD works FOR the Director, WITH the Producer
As a director, it’s important to properly gauge the length of time the viewer needs to digest the information in a scene. (the greater audience involvement, the more successful the film)
Remember, an audience will accept as pertinent almost anything portrayed on the screen, even if it seems to make little sense. (If it’s there, it must be for reason.)
When working on your script, and when shooting on the set, make sure you have the actors “do things” rather than “say things.”
Any character in a script that is worth keeping is worth developing. Allow the smaller roles to have offbeat remarks or unique bits of action to make them memorable.
Understanding the differences and similarities between both TV and Film is essential to a successful and productive career in the film business because of one word: POLITICS!
Shooting with a second camera is a must if you want to save time on the set.
1. Action Scenes – you should always use several cameras during Action and stunt scenes.
2. Dialogue Scenes – you will need to work closely with the DOP, and the soundman, about when to use the second camera, what it is covering and what lens to use.
3. Filming kids and animals – this will help you get the shot on the first or second take as both children and animals will never do the same thing twice.
Shooting at night takes more time than shooting in the day so make sure you are totally prepared. It is also helpful to know how to cheat your reverses – so you can spend less time lighting and more time shooting.
Most film and TV programs today utilize some form of special visual FX (Green screen, motion control, computer screens etc.) Because of the complexity of these shots, make sure you work very closely with the Visual FX Supervisor to properly schedule all of the plate shots, reference shots and green screen shots.
Having a shot list will help you during the blocking process. The shot list is like a map: it gives you a path to your destination but you don’t always have to follow it
1. let the actors show you what they want to do first, then, when you make a suggestion, it is based on something you have already seen
2. in Television, speed is essential, so try and block some scenes so that your action takes place in one direction (to avoid turning the camera around for reverses)
1. let the actors show you what they want to do first, then, when you make a suggestion, it is based on something you have already seen
2. in Television, speed is essential, so try and block some scenes so that your action takes place in one direction (to avoid turning the camera around for reverses)
“Films are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them. Film is considered to be an important art form, a source of popular entertainment and a powerful method for educating, entertaining or indoctrinating citizens. The visual elements of cinema gives motion pictures a universal power of communication.”
“As the new art form of the twentieth century, film immediately and continuously invited theoretical attempts to define its nature and function. Mostly as a result of film’s own inferiority complex as the youngest of the arts, the impetus for much of early film theory was to gain a degree of respectability.”
Here’s the one I like the best: “Making a movie (or documentary) is the art of visually telling a compelling story with believable characters.”
Making a movie is not just about the scene you are filming now. As a director, you need to know these five steps to creating scene transitions:
1. The scenes that come before
2).The scenes that come after
3. The last shot of the scene before
4. The first shot of the next scene
5. The TRANSITIONS between all scenes
1. The scenes that come before
2).The scenes that come after
3. The last shot of the scene before
4. The first shot of the next scene
5. The TRANSITIONS between all scenes
A director can come from a production background (AD, DOP, Editor) or from a creative background (Producer, Writer, Actor.) Or he could just be the producer’s brother-in-law! There are few rules when it comes to declaring yourself a director. Remember, everyone’s background and circumstances are unique. What may work for one person may not (and probably won’t) work for another.
1. Understand the BUSINESS OF FILM!
2. Understand the POLITICS OF FILM!
3. Understand the DIFFERENCES between film and television
4. Know the POWER PLAYERS, and HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM!
2. Understand the POLITICS OF FILM!
3. Understand the DIFFERENCES between film and television
4. Know the POWER PLAYERS, and HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM!
1. In TV, the Director is very much like a Guest Star (show up-work-leave)
2. The 1AD and the DOP run the set (they are the continuity on the show)
3. The Director works for the Producer…
4. The Producer works for the Production Company…
5. The Production Company gets money from the Network for the show.
6. It is the Producer who has the final say on casting, wardrobe, locations etc.
7. It is the Producer who gets the “final cut”
8. But of course you want to work as a TV Director – because there’s no life like it!
2. The 1AD and the DOP run the set (they are the continuity on the show)
3. The Director works for the Producer…
4. The Producer works for the Production Company…
5. The Production Company gets money from the Network for the show.
6. It is the Producer who has the final say on casting, wardrobe, locations etc.
7. It is the Producer who gets the “final cut”
8. But of course you want to work as a TV Director – because there’s no life like it!
- See more at: http://actioncutprint.com/film-directing-tips/#sthash.W0CTujbb.dpuf
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