My short film got delayed, how do I keep my actors?

H

harmonica44

I was suppose to shoot in a few days but an emergency came up with the DP and he has to leave for about a month or so. We had all the dates to shoot and everything. Now there are two things. I can keep those dates, in which case the free working actors will likely stick to them and help me finish it. Or I can tell the actors that we will have to wait till he gets better. His cinematography was really good and actually looked cinematic. Most of mine looks home video-ish for the most part still. Plus he was going to give my film a certain look, where as I don't know how to give a movie a certain look, as oppose to the look the camera just so happens to give it.

I want to make it the best I can and hopefully be film festival worthy, if it turns out good enough. But if I ask the actors to hold off till he gets back (if he comes back), then I risk losing them, and they are really good actors! So which is the safest thing to do to guarantee it gets done. This is my third attempt to make a short, and have people having to leave on me. The sound guy already left on this third attempt, leaving me to figure it out for myself, just weeks before shooting, but now the DP is gone too, for now, at least. So should I shoot it myself to prove I can get it done, or risk losing out on a third attempt, and thus possibly giving more of a bad impression to potential people in the business?
 
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harmonica44 said:
Yeah I know about that one! I wanted it so bad but the book store didn't have it. Wish I ordered it way back, but for some reason keep not thinking of and did a lot of practicing instead, not quite knowing what I was doing while practicing. Stupid of me maybe. I'll order it tomorrow. Still see what the bookstore has for right now though.
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IT's not too late to do it now, like order it now, RIGHT NOW!!! Go to the link, and order it NOW
 
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Here is a simple summary for first time filmmakers:

About composition:
- rule of thirds
- in medium or close up shots: don't leave too much space above heads if there is nothing happening above the heads

About editing (things to remind while shooting!)
- rule of axis (also part of your composition, but it's about the composition in various shots)
- continuety, conitinuety, continuety (things don't magically move from left to right!)

About building a scene:
- establishing shot, medium shot, close shot (this is not a real rule, but can be helpful when you start a new scene to move in from an overview.)

Watch 'Road to Perdition': a lot of shots are really 'by the book'. Freeze some shots to watch the composition (where is what, don't focus to much on lights when you do this).

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Did the DP already start storyboarding?
If he did, that could be very helpfull. It could even make it possible for him to shoot the last scenes.
 
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My other friend, who likes to draw, storyboarded most of it. What about giving the movie a certain look? I couldn't find any books on that so far, or websites that talk very specifically about that. I'll ask the DP about that too, while he's away.

There is one thing though. The DP has steadicams and I don't know how to use those. So how do I refrain from using the shaky cam effect? I have a tripod, but it doesn't have a fluid head. I want to get to a fluid head but haven't made up my mind in which tripod contraption would be best for me yet. I could order a fluid head now, but it won't get hear in time. So when I do a quick pan for an action scene, with my tripod there is still a bit of a jerk in the pan I would like to weed out.

Since I don't have a steadicam though, I am yet to figure out a method to keep it from shaking. A cart won't fit into the tight spaces on the set I have. I could use the shaky cam but I hate it, and vowed never to use it. I wouldn't want to be a hypocrite lol.
 
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harmonica44 said:
My other friend, who likes to draw, storyboarded most of it. What about giving the movie a certain look? I couldn't find any books on that so far, or websites that talk very specifically about that. I'll ask the DP about that too, while he's away.

There is one thing though. The DP has steadicams and I don't know how to use those. So how do I refrain from using the shaky cam effect? I have a tripod, but it doesn't have a fluid head. I want to get to a fluid head but haven't made up my mind in which tripod contraption would be best for me yet. I could order a fluid head now, but it won't get hear in time. So when I do a quick pan for an action scene, with my tripod there is still a bit of a jerk in the pan I would like to weed out.

Since I don't have a steadicam though, I am yet to figure out a method to keep it from shaking. A cart won't fit into the tight spaces on the set I have. I could use the shaky cam but I hate it, and vowed never to use it. I wouldn't want to be a hypocrite lol.
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If I may quote the wise words of directorik…

directorik said:
You can find many reasons why you CAN'T do this project. Can
you find reasons you CAN?
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Yup yup.

There's always going to be stuff you WANT to do but can't. I WANT to shoot a feature in space, will have to make do faking it :).

If you don't have the tools for camera motion, don't do camera motion. Seriously, you have so much to sort out on this (especially running the cam yourself now) that the mote simple it is the better.
 
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harmonica44 said:
My other friend, who likes to draw, storyboarded most of it. What about giving the movie a certain look? I couldn't find any books on that so far, or websites that talk very specifically about that. I'll ask the DP about that too, while he's away.

There is one thing though. The DP has steadicams and I don't know how to use those. So how do I refrain from using the shaky cam effect? I have a tripod, but it doesn't have a fluid head. I want to get to a fluid head but haven't made up my mind in which tripod contraption would be best for me yet. I could order a fluid head now, but it won't get hear in time. So when I do a quick pan for an action scene, with my tripod there is still a bit of a jerk in the pan I would like to weed out.

Since I don't have a steadicam though, I am yet to figure out a method to keep it from shaking. A cart won't fit into the tight spaces on the set I have. I could use the shaky cam but I hate it, and vowed never to use it. I wouldn't want to be a hypocrite lol.
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Don't know how to give a certain look? Don't try giving it a certain look.
You'll know how after you make half a dozen films.

Don't have fluid head? Don't pan the camera.

Don't have steadicam? Don't move the camera.

Problem solved.
 
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harmonica44 said:
My other friend, who likes to draw, storyboarded most of it. What about giving the movie a certain look? I couldn't find any books on that so far, or websites that talk very specifically about that. I'll ask the DP about that too, while he's away.

There is one thing though. The DP has steadicams and I don't know how to use those. So how do I refrain from using the shaky cam effect? I have a tripod, but it doesn't have a fluid head. I want to get to a fluid head but haven't made up my mind in which tripod contraption would be best for me yet. I could order a fluid head now, but it won't get hear in time. So when I do a quick pan for an action scene, with my tripod there is still a bit of a jerk in the pan I would like to weed out.

Since I don't have a steadicam though, I am yet to figure out a method to keep it from shaking. A cart won't fit into the tight spaces on the set I have. I could use the shaky cam but I hate it, and vowed never to use it. I wouldn't want to be a hypocrite lol.
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Do you have a hardware store in your town? Then build your own steadicam (this one only requires $10 worth of parts). Will it give you the same results as a pro one? No. But it will give you significantly better shots than handheld and they're not that hard to learn to use passably. Just take twenty minutes every day between now and the start of your shoot and you'll be fine.
 
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Nothing wrong with not knowing something, even on set when people are watching. Great directors dont know squat about cameras etc..

Leadership is about making decisions, right or wrong, it doesn't matter. If an issue comes up, listen to advice, and then make a decision, 50% chance its the right one.

Shoot first ask questions later. Literally and figuratively speaking.
 
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Okay thanks. I was told it would take a long time to learn. I'll call the camera store and see what they got.

I still want to be able to move and pan it though, cause action scenes where the camera does not pan, are just not that exciting, which is why panning is often used. Perhaps a jerky pan on a tripod is better than no pan at all? I'll try to make a homemade steadicam and learn to use it in time, and that will solve the jerk pan problem hopefully.

My friends and family are trying to stop me from making this myself instead of waiting changing the shoot dates till a DP comes around, so that doesn't help lol.
 
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harmonica44 said:
Perhaps a jerky pan on a tripod is better than no pan at all?
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Jerky pans on the tripod are a no-no.

Here's what I suggest, on the shot that you feel MUST be a pan, do a safety take without a pan (wide shot), then do several solid handheld pans (your back against a wall and the camera planted in your chest). One of them might succeed. If not, you've the safe fallback and can attempt creating a pan effect in post.

My friends and family are trying to stop me from making this myself instead of waiting changing the shoot dates till a DP comes around, so that doesn't help lol.
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Hold your ground! You're the boss! Get the film in the can.
 
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