Hello all,
This is an article from my website. It's a long read (sorry about that). It's all about the making of my latest film and the joy and fustration that went along with it. Some might think it's a bit whiny and it may be. But it's a story for people who never have taken on a short film. Thank you!
NOTE: This not for publicity. Therefore, I will block out the name of the film. If you do want to see it, feel free to look it up in my profile.
*****: A lesson for every new indie film maker
After the general release of my short film "*****" I got a lot of comments from my friends, family and the net. Some were good, some were bad. Most were in the middle somewhere. But as a great man once said;
"You can only please some people some of the time." This is so true!
In this article I want to talk a little bit about the making of the slightly doomed short film that is *****. It was an experience I'll never forget and this will be an eye-opener for anyone thinking about going into the world of film production. I'm a fair guy so I'll leave out names, try not to finger point and just get to the point...
OK! Here we go!
The idea for ***** came to me one night as I was sipping a beer, surfing YouTube. I was listening to the song "American Boy" and it got me thinking about an interesting story a good buddy of mine shared with me over drinks one day. Bing, light bulb! "This would make an interesting movie", I said to myself. Instead of keeping it to myself - I jumped right into it, and into a stressful journey that would end with a half-ass version of the great film I had envisioned.
The first thing I did was get permission. I was like, "dude, can I make your story into a film?" And he was like "Sure dude!"
I began typing out the script. I had it done in about three weeks - all 30 - 40 pages of it. A 1 hour film? A big no, no! I got some help and support from some of my friends on it. One guy actually dissected the script line-by-line, eliminating all the "crap." And there in my hands - a polished script. Now, I just needed a budget! And of course, like any professional knows, this doesn't come easy, or at all.
I tried to accumulate a budget on a popular site for indie film makers. It didn't happen -- probably because I can't spell. I think my cousin said he would give me a couple of bucks, sweet! I then began a "casting call." Hell, I was sure I would have some budget to work with, I would just "defer" the payments. Oh, and by the way, never say that. "Defer" is a bad word to use in front of actors! So I got one or two dudes that seemed pretty serious about the whole thing. I went down to the city that I was to film this thing at. And guess what? I actually met ONE of the people that wanted to be in the movie. Man, I was on cloud nine...
...TWO MONTHS LATER....
So with no money except my own, no crew to speak of at the time, a POS camera, and a 1 hour script, I knew that unless I made some serious moves... this movie wasn't gonna happen. I was at a crossroads that everyone has to face in their life; Will I throw in the towel? Or will I "walk the walk?"
I went for it!
I made more casting calls and found some fairly good actors that would do the parts. My first actor got his friend to do the lead actress role. And what about the 1 hr script? Wasn't gonna happen. I took that out and whittled it down to 15 mins. I put out some real dates and I put my C & C(cast and crew list) list together. I even made a storyboard. The biggest thing I did was plop down hundreds of dollars on a new camera and special equipment.
It was time to roll. Or was it?
Even as I headed out the door, suitcase in hand, I had some people telling me something along the lines of "you're wasting money! What are you doing?" This was just the beginning of the blows that would pulverize me to the point where I almost forgot that I was making a film!
So, here was the plan. Stay at the crappiest hotel in *****. Film over the course of two days. Go home. Simple right? NOT!!!
I arrived in ***** ridiculously early. I found a hotel and began making calls. The actors showed up on time and we filmed the first scene. It went SUPER smooth. I began to get complacent. I thought that all the people crying about the film industry were a bunch of (insert insult here). Man, was I wrong! The first obstacle I faced was organizing the talent. Then, I was missing an actor. Then, I couldn't find a place to film the club scene...
Scout out your locations well in advance!
ARGGH!!!
Luckily, one of the actors knew someone that would let me use his club FOR FREE. YES! Things were looking up again... I arrive with all the actors at the scene and we begin to film. I made a huge mistake in not planning for the small details. Those came back to bite me a little later. Because of the schedule of some of the actors, I decided to film out of order; we would knock out the outdoor scenes and then work one indoor shots. It was the fight scene and boy was it a mess. One guy watching the whole thing almost called the cops because he though it was a real fight. One of the actors got a pebble engrained into his arm.
Always do release forms! Always have an agreement! Never do anything dangerous! I learned this later...
So, as we head to the club to finish the shoot(about an hour later) the owner is like "We're closing!"
What the hell!?
The owner casts side glances at me - probably because he realized that I was so pissed that you could see steam coming from my head, Looney Tunes style. As we walked out, all the actors convinced me that they would be available 2 weeks later to finished up the filming... LOL! I called it a night and had a drink (or two).
...TWO WEEKS LATER...
I'm back in ***** again. It's raining like crazy and I know things are about to get worst. I got to the same craptel and begin making the calls. One guy is like "I thought you said it was gonna be on thursday!" Punk. Another main actress has a minor surgery or something. I understand. One guy flat says that he's not coming out in the rain and threatens a lawsuit for the pebble in his arm. I tell him he's fired, cancel the filming for that day, and I eat a hamburger. This is starting to suck! And I can literally see money draining from my wallet, it was painful.
...THE NEXT DAY...
Me and the actor "make up" and I "rehire" him. The crew says that they will be able to make it that night. I even find a club to film at (WOO HOO!) But they need money for the time that they're gonna lose (OUCH!) I even find a supermarket that will let me film a major scene (so I thought). So I check with the supermarket before the actors come. They tell me that they are sorry but they changed their mind. So, I rethink a scene, not too bad so far. Suddenly, out of the blue, the main actress tells me that she's NOT coming. I calmly try to call her several times. She doesn't pick up. I guess the surgery hurt more than she expected, but damn, 15 minutes before the shoot? I instantly call her friend and beg for his help. Of course, she picks up for him and is convinced/decides to come out. Thank goodness! We all meet up and the feeling is light. Suddenly, another lead informs me that they will only have like, 21/2 hours to film. I do a faceplant in fustration. So the filming begins, everything is going very well. I'm flying through the shots like the mad man that I am. Everyone is cooperating, I'm having a blast! Until the "post-surgery" actress shows up...
They are noticable in a bad mood (and this definitely noticable in the movie). I understand but geez, I had a guy with the flu film for 4-5 hours once - Just get the 1 hour filming over and call it a day, please. I know that it was stressful. I know they were in pain. But this is one of things about the ordeal; I was stressed out, running out of money, and I was no where near my home! Unfortunately, this is one of the things you will have to deal with as a director. People volunteer and they know what it entails, they even saw and know the script - but they still blame you. It's confusing to me but it's just happens that way. Never yell at these people, because they are helping you - sometimes for free. Just deal with and if you can't get through to them: fire them.
Finally, the filming is done. I thank everyone because they truly deserve it, even the ones that complained. They worked hard and managed to come through on this creative venture. I finally go home and look at the footage. I somehow managed to get every shot except for one, but it wasn't an important one. Then I realize that the sound is ALL SCREW UP. Another face plant.
Here is another lesson in filmmaking. Unless you give out salaries, getting actors to do ADR or reshoots is like pulling teeth - it's a pain. Over the next month, I managed to use several different shot of the same scene to put together an "acceptable" dialog. One actor in fact does a little ADR, over a cellphone. But this isn't his fault and I actually really like the guy. So then I realize that I need a voice over because there are some serious plot problems - there's no 'meat' as some would say later. I contact the actor asking for the one minute of voice over I need to finish up. Then I ask again, and again, and AGAIN! Over 2 months. How long does it take to record ONE MINUTE of dialog? Two months, I guess!
Fed up, I contact my friend who happens to be a DJ. He labors over one week to make his voice to sound like the actor's. It turns out to be awesome and I thank him for coming through. The actual actor contacts me saying that he had some medical issue that prevented him from doing. I tell him that it's not a problem and that I understand. I really do. Stuff happens, we are in pain. We forget. And sometimes we just don't give a damn.
The general release came out about a week ago. Some love it, some hate it. I know it could have been better. The sound sucks and that's completely my fault. But it honestly, it irks me when all people do is complain about the "issues in the plot" and "rough shots." It could have better, but reliability is what it comes down to. Yes, please criticize me - it's your right and it helps me. But if you are one of those that pledged your help and then you talk smack... keep quiet! You're a talker and not a doer. You're a hater and have nothing important to say. OK, enough venting! I'm proud that I finished it, but was it worth it? I'm still not sure. I sent an email out to every actor thanking them for their work and sent them a link to the film. I still haven't got an answer back. Maybe they don't check their mail. Maybe they don't like seeing themselves or the content of the film. Who knows? I'm not mad at them. I'm the producer, director and editor. You can whine all day, but in the end it rests on your shoulders. I learned that preparation is the key - I got the commitment thing figured out. I never gave up and seeing the look on other's faces when they realized that I was the real deal was worth it. They smiled and told me I did a good job.
I love doing this, I can't wait to start my next film!!!
Emil, A.K.A Green Banner Films
This is an article from my website. It's a long read (sorry about that). It's all about the making of my latest film and the joy and fustration that went along with it. Some might think it's a bit whiny and it may be. But it's a story for people who never have taken on a short film. Thank you!
NOTE: This not for publicity. Therefore, I will block out the name of the film. If you do want to see it, feel free to look it up in my profile.
*****: A lesson for every new indie film maker
After the general release of my short film "*****" I got a lot of comments from my friends, family and the net. Some were good, some were bad. Most were in the middle somewhere. But as a great man once said;
"You can only please some people some of the time." This is so true!
In this article I want to talk a little bit about the making of the slightly doomed short film that is *****. It was an experience I'll never forget and this will be an eye-opener for anyone thinking about going into the world of film production. I'm a fair guy so I'll leave out names, try not to finger point and just get to the point...
OK! Here we go!
The idea for ***** came to me one night as I was sipping a beer, surfing YouTube. I was listening to the song "American Boy" and it got me thinking about an interesting story a good buddy of mine shared with me over drinks one day. Bing, light bulb! "This would make an interesting movie", I said to myself. Instead of keeping it to myself - I jumped right into it, and into a stressful journey that would end with a half-ass version of the great film I had envisioned.
The first thing I did was get permission. I was like, "dude, can I make your story into a film?" And he was like "Sure dude!"
I began typing out the script. I had it done in about three weeks - all 30 - 40 pages of it. A 1 hour film? A big no, no! I got some help and support from some of my friends on it. One guy actually dissected the script line-by-line, eliminating all the "crap." And there in my hands - a polished script. Now, I just needed a budget! And of course, like any professional knows, this doesn't come easy, or at all.
I tried to accumulate a budget on a popular site for indie film makers. It didn't happen -- probably because I can't spell. I think my cousin said he would give me a couple of bucks, sweet! I then began a "casting call." Hell, I was sure I would have some budget to work with, I would just "defer" the payments. Oh, and by the way, never say that. "Defer" is a bad word to use in front of actors! So I got one or two dudes that seemed pretty serious about the whole thing. I went down to the city that I was to film this thing at. And guess what? I actually met ONE of the people that wanted to be in the movie. Man, I was on cloud nine...
...TWO MONTHS LATER....
So with no money except my own, no crew to speak of at the time, a POS camera, and a 1 hour script, I knew that unless I made some serious moves... this movie wasn't gonna happen. I was at a crossroads that everyone has to face in their life; Will I throw in the towel? Or will I "walk the walk?"
I went for it!
I made more casting calls and found some fairly good actors that would do the parts. My first actor got his friend to do the lead actress role. And what about the 1 hr script? Wasn't gonna happen. I took that out and whittled it down to 15 mins. I put out some real dates and I put my C & C(cast and crew list) list together. I even made a storyboard. The biggest thing I did was plop down hundreds of dollars on a new camera and special equipment.
It was time to roll. Or was it?
Even as I headed out the door, suitcase in hand, I had some people telling me something along the lines of "you're wasting money! What are you doing?" This was just the beginning of the blows that would pulverize me to the point where I almost forgot that I was making a film!
So, here was the plan. Stay at the crappiest hotel in *****. Film over the course of two days. Go home. Simple right? NOT!!!
I arrived in ***** ridiculously early. I found a hotel and began making calls. The actors showed up on time and we filmed the first scene. It went SUPER smooth. I began to get complacent. I thought that all the people crying about the film industry were a bunch of (insert insult here). Man, was I wrong! The first obstacle I faced was organizing the talent. Then, I was missing an actor. Then, I couldn't find a place to film the club scene...
Scout out your locations well in advance!
ARGGH!!!
Luckily, one of the actors knew someone that would let me use his club FOR FREE. YES! Things were looking up again... I arrive with all the actors at the scene and we begin to film. I made a huge mistake in not planning for the small details. Those came back to bite me a little later. Because of the schedule of some of the actors, I decided to film out of order; we would knock out the outdoor scenes and then work one indoor shots. It was the fight scene and boy was it a mess. One guy watching the whole thing almost called the cops because he though it was a real fight. One of the actors got a pebble engrained into his arm.
Always do release forms! Always have an agreement! Never do anything dangerous! I learned this later...
So, as we head to the club to finish the shoot(about an hour later) the owner is like "We're closing!"
What the hell!?
The owner casts side glances at me - probably because he realized that I was so pissed that you could see steam coming from my head, Looney Tunes style. As we walked out, all the actors convinced me that they would be available 2 weeks later to finished up the filming... LOL! I called it a night and had a drink (or two).
...TWO WEEKS LATER...
I'm back in ***** again. It's raining like crazy and I know things are about to get worst. I got to the same craptel and begin making the calls. One guy is like "I thought you said it was gonna be on thursday!" Punk. Another main actress has a minor surgery or something. I understand. One guy flat says that he's not coming out in the rain and threatens a lawsuit for the pebble in his arm. I tell him he's fired, cancel the filming for that day, and I eat a hamburger. This is starting to suck! And I can literally see money draining from my wallet, it was painful.
...THE NEXT DAY...
Me and the actor "make up" and I "rehire" him. The crew says that they will be able to make it that night. I even find a club to film at (WOO HOO!) But they need money for the time that they're gonna lose (OUCH!) I even find a supermarket that will let me film a major scene (so I thought). So I check with the supermarket before the actors come. They tell me that they are sorry but they changed their mind. So, I rethink a scene, not too bad so far. Suddenly, out of the blue, the main actress tells me that she's NOT coming. I calmly try to call her several times. She doesn't pick up. I guess the surgery hurt more than she expected, but damn, 15 minutes before the shoot? I instantly call her friend and beg for his help. Of course, she picks up for him and is convinced/decides to come out. Thank goodness! We all meet up and the feeling is light. Suddenly, another lead informs me that they will only have like, 21/2 hours to film. I do a faceplant in fustration. So the filming begins, everything is going very well. I'm flying through the shots like the mad man that I am. Everyone is cooperating, I'm having a blast! Until the "post-surgery" actress shows up...
They are noticable in a bad mood (and this definitely noticable in the movie). I understand but geez, I had a guy with the flu film for 4-5 hours once - Just get the 1 hour filming over and call it a day, please. I know that it was stressful. I know they were in pain. But this is one of things about the ordeal; I was stressed out, running out of money, and I was no where near my home! Unfortunately, this is one of the things you will have to deal with as a director. People volunteer and they know what it entails, they even saw and know the script - but they still blame you. It's confusing to me but it's just happens that way. Never yell at these people, because they are helping you - sometimes for free. Just deal with and if you can't get through to them: fire them.
Finally, the filming is done. I thank everyone because they truly deserve it, even the ones that complained. They worked hard and managed to come through on this creative venture. I finally go home and look at the footage. I somehow managed to get every shot except for one, but it wasn't an important one. Then I realize that the sound is ALL SCREW UP. Another face plant.
Here is another lesson in filmmaking. Unless you give out salaries, getting actors to do ADR or reshoots is like pulling teeth - it's a pain. Over the next month, I managed to use several different shot of the same scene to put together an "acceptable" dialog. One actor in fact does a little ADR, over a cellphone. But this isn't his fault and I actually really like the guy. So then I realize that I need a voice over because there are some serious plot problems - there's no 'meat' as some would say later. I contact the actor asking for the one minute of voice over I need to finish up. Then I ask again, and again, and AGAIN! Over 2 months. How long does it take to record ONE MINUTE of dialog? Two months, I guess!
Fed up, I contact my friend who happens to be a DJ. He labors over one week to make his voice to sound like the actor's. It turns out to be awesome and I thank him for coming through. The actual actor contacts me saying that he had some medical issue that prevented him from doing. I tell him that it's not a problem and that I understand. I really do. Stuff happens, we are in pain. We forget. And sometimes we just don't give a damn.
The general release came out about a week ago. Some love it, some hate it. I know it could have been better. The sound sucks and that's completely my fault. But it honestly, it irks me when all people do is complain about the "issues in the plot" and "rough shots." It could have better, but reliability is what it comes down to. Yes, please criticize me - it's your right and it helps me. But if you are one of those that pledged your help and then you talk smack... keep quiet! You're a talker and not a doer. You're a hater and have nothing important to say. OK, enough venting! I'm proud that I finished it, but was it worth it? I'm still not sure. I sent an email out to every actor thanking them for their work and sent them a link to the film. I still haven't got an answer back. Maybe they don't check their mail. Maybe they don't like seeing themselves or the content of the film. Who knows? I'm not mad at them. I'm the producer, director and editor. You can whine all day, but in the end it rests on your shoulders. I learned that preparation is the key - I got the commitment thing figured out. I never gave up and seeing the look on other's faces when they realized that I was the real deal was worth it. They smiled and told me I did a good job.
I love doing this, I can't wait to start my next film!!!
Emil, A.K.A Green Banner Films
