I've mentioned this once or twice before. I don't do this for money, or the hopes that it will one day be my job. I do it to have fun. I record music because it's fun. Would I like to make money at it? Of course. But, I don't work a project because I expect to make anything. I do it to be artistic and have fun. 5% fun regarding this since Feb 11. It's not cutting loses, it's contempt and disgust.
What do you think others are doing it for? To piss in your face? I don't think so. If your crew are incompetent, fire them and hire competent people. Or do it yourself. What do you think those who are still keen are doing it for? For you to say 'nah I'm not having fun anymore, let's just kill the project'? Filmmaking is
hard work for everybody,
especially the Director. Sometimes it's not fun. Sometimes you're on set of a low-budget film in the pouring rain and freezing cold. The actors get the shelter and the blankets. Sometimes you're doing that with a steadicam or easyrig. It's certainly not fun when you come home at the end of the day and your back is sore for the next 3. Does that mean you throw in the towel and go 'screw it, you guys can finish it, it's not fun for me'? Directors succeed because they have the passion for it and no matter what goes wrong, they'll still be there plugging away.
Road Bumps? Really? Again, you need to read and comprehend.
I think I've personally read some of, or all of your previous threads. It's a low/no budget production. At the end of the day, it all comes back to you. If you aren't instilling in people the kind of work ethic you expect, then you either need to do that, or hire new people who can take your direction.
All productions have road bumps, hassles, issues. I know of Directors who despise their own work. But they finished it because the cast and crew deserved it.
You say it like "I'm bored and don't want to do this anymore" or "I can't be bothered", which is just something written by someone who doesn't choose to read or understand.
All you've said so far is essentially 'it's no longer fun' in this thread anyway. As I say, making a film is hard work. If you want to be the guy who throws the towel in at the end of it all, then be that guy. But just know that you won't be known as or remembered as the guy who put his heart and soul into it and despite all his best efforts the production crumbled and he decided to fold it. You'll be known as the guy who quit at the end, no matter how you tell the story.
Then when he stepped in, he wanted out.
So? You hire a cast and crew who don't respect you, then you lower their respect for the production even more by throwing in the towel because you can't do it anymore and hand it over to the 'invisible Producer'. That's a sure-fire way to win tthem over.....
I'm running away while the people who only show up when they want to are still COMMITTED.
I don't know how you run your ship. I'm a DP but I know that if my AC was completely unreliable, average at his job, only turned up every now and then, and still expected to get paid, I'd find a new one. I'm not sure if you're giving these people a chance or what, but if someone disrespects you or isn't committed to the project then they should be fired. Having a DP not turn up half the time or not pay attention is not something you should just 'put up with' for a year. At the end of the day, like it or not, you're the one calling the shots and you're the one who hired them. So fire them if they're not doing their job. Don't let them continue to do it and then complain and quit.
Leaving for 3 months, changing the color of her skin...
Where do you find these people..?
if it went off accidently (hammer pulled back by ghosts and released) the actress would surely die, or be seriously wounded. I was concerned about this.
I know nothing about guns.
An unloaded gun can not shoot you. At least not with a bullet.
If you know nothing about guns how can you know this..? He's an ex-cop, I think he knows more than you.
There's no way I would let a real gun on set that was just loaded without an armourer and safety officer present. There's a reason they hire out imitation weapons for film sets. If the gun didn't need to go off, why didn't you just get an imitation? If I was DP and someone walked onto set with a real gun, unloaded it and wanted to shoot with it and pull the trigger in the scene I would say we're not shooting this scene until we get an imitation weapon. And if the Director or Producer said we're shooting with it, I would say you can find yourself a new DP.
No film is worth risking lives. Assumption is the mother of all f*ckups so when you, who has no knowledge about a gun assumes that it will be fine even after advice from an expert saying you can't do this... What happens if she dies? Guess who's liable - not the guy who lent you the firearm and said we can't shoot with the gun like this. It will be you, the guy who threw caution to the wind and said 'ah what could go wrong'.
The actor stepped in and said "Why don't we just try it without the barrel? He's the gun expert. Let's bow to his expertise." Really?
I finished with common sense. "If you weren't going to give me a gun. Why did you agree to? I'd have gotten one from somewhere else."
It's that simple COMMON FUCKING SENSE.
The simple common sense of 'let's not shoot an actress with a real gun because even if it's unloaded she could die or be seriously injured'? You'd rather risk her life..? Honestly I'd have cut the shot or rescheduled and found an imitation weapon. I know absolutely nothing about guns either. But if someone with gun expertise gave me one and said 'it's not safe unless we dismantle it', I wouldn't be like 'what the f*ck is wrong with you it needs to look real, put it back together and just use it'.
For anyone who thinks it's just a prop, it doesn't matter. YES it does. It does if quality means anything. There's so much that can't be controlled shooting micro-budget that stupid shit like this shouldn't be one of them. If you COMMIT to lending a gun, lend a gun.
He lent you a gun. You didn't take safety precautions and are now blaming him because he knows that a real gun is unsafe.
In an indie micro-budget, the Director often needs to wear a lot of hats. To me it sounds like you've either hired a crew with experience and your inexperience has made them weary (as shown through things like the gun situation) or you've hired a crew with inexperience and gotten angry at them because they're inexperienced. Either way, if you're unhappy with your crew - fire them. Don't complain and try and tell an ex-cop that common sense dictates that you should put a live firearm to an actor's face..
I don't know you at all, I'm simply lending my professional opinion. Hey, it's a public forum, you pretty much asked for it. This is nothing against you personally, but maybe you need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Look at the other's perspectives and look at yourself as a filmmaker. To me it seems you've been a bit of a douche and essentially said you don't care if you significantly injure an actor because 'we need to make it believable'. You eventually throw a tantrum, throw in the towel and wonder why the crew have no respect for you. Hey, it's cool we all make mistakes and we can all be douchey from time to time. But, blaming people for things doesn't fix anything. You're calling the shots so it's your head and your ass on the line. If those people weren't pulling their weight, you fix it. You don't just complain.
