Day job gets in the way!

W

wheatgrinder

Hi all,
I have a question about pre-production planning when you have a full time day job that takes priority.

I can really only shoot footage on weekends, holidays and vacation days. Certainly I can schedule shooting for those times, my question is more about how to leverage my "nights" in between my shooting days.

What are some tasks that can be done between shooting days, after normal business hours?
What are the pitfalls to watch out for when trying to work this way?

Hers my thinking so far:

Once the script is as done as I can make it, I will scheduled the shots that are going to have VFX's and shoot those first, that way I can spend may nights working on the FX's. Also, recording Voice Overs and working on some music will be good..

Ideas?
 
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Finish the preproduction first - shooting script, storyboards, scheduling, locations, equipment, logistics, etc.

That will determine what needs to be prepped for each weekends shoot. Once you have that in place you can shoehorn in other tasks between weekends as your time allows. My personal suggestion would be that you first transfer each weekends work into your NLE and determine your re-shoot and audio needs.
 
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wheatgrinder said:
I can really only shoot footage on weekends, holidays and vacation days.
Click to expand...

Yep, me too. Just shot a feature that way. My third. Took two years to get it all shot. Don't recommend it. :)

Since I was also the producer, my weekday evenings were spent making phone calls/sending e-mails to coordinate the schedules of actors and crew, following up with securing locations and arranging for any borrowed/rented equipment, making sure I had the necessary props ready, double-checking that the costumer had the correct scene numbers, and lining up catering for the upcoming shoot days.

Changing into my director/cinematographer's hat, I went over my storyboards for the scenes I'd be doing, taking into account weather conditions, lighting conditions, continuity, availability and capacity of electric power, and possible audio problems. I also determined the most efficient order to shoot, based on the above, and determined which complicated dolly moves/crane shots I could live without when I ran out of time/daylight (which happened 99% of the time).

If, after that, I had time to view/edit footage I considered it a bonus.

[Sorry for the redundancy -- Alcove and I were writing at the same time.]
 
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i dunno what unemployment is like there ( i presume your over the water in america) but i get it here in ireland €100 a week, i stay at my parents , so can save most of it and i have all week apart from signing on on friday morning to make my films, plus a steady ( qlthough small) income
 
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Personally, I don't recommend it. It may cause continuity issues, other peoples schedules, etc.

It's difficult to have a job and be a filmmaker. I haven't had a job since I shot mine, but I got it done front to back in 6 months.

I guess to each their own.
 
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black gun forge said:
i dunno what unemployment is like there ( i presume your over the water in america) but i get it here in ireland €100 a week, i stay at my parents , so can save most of it and i have all week apart from signing on on friday morning to make my films, plus a steady ( qlthough small) income
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First let me make it clear my question is not a
comment on you as person or welfare in general.
I'm just curious.

How long can you keep that up? Living with your
parents, collecting €100 a week from the govenrment
and making films? At some point will you face what
wheatgrinder, 2001 Productions and most of us face?
 
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Pretty much ALL of the production companies I work for or know about shoot on weekends or weeknights (mostly weekends). Many upon many of features have been shot this way. It's how we always do it, and we still bang out a feature in 3-4 months.

You can do all of your pre-pro on weeknights, as well as other production stuff needed.

Also, you'll only be able to snag 95% of non-union actors for weekend or weeknight shoots.

Straight shoots are an entirely different beast...only to be taken-on by full-time filmmakers and actors.
 
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Working at a hotel, I don't usually get the weekends off. I've shot (or started) 4 features during my vacation time. Pity, I've been at the same job, for 16 years and I had 4 weeks of vacation built up. (This is how I shot EXILE in 3 weeks). Anyway, a new owner took over and all seniority from the old company has been discarded and we are now considered a new company. I'm back down to 2 weeks vacation.

Because I shoot on vacation and have to set a specific shooting date, I don't always allow the proper amount of pre-production time. Ready or not, we have to shoot. I have decided, in the future, to give my pre-production time as long as it takes. I want sets, shooting script, prop acquisition and locations all squared away to the point of perfect (or close to it), before even I cast actors or submit that vacation form.
 
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Scoopicman said:
a new owner took over and all seniority from the old company has been discarded and we are now considered a new company. I'm back down to 2 weeks vacation.
Click to expand...

Ya know, some people badmouth labor unions, but that kinda corporate scumbag backstabbing is exactly why they were formed in the first place. :angry:

Sorry, slight detour there. Now back to your regularly scheduled thread.
 
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