Shoot it now or later (when I'm better?)

L

lefecious

I really like the script I have, but I've never made a film before (well, actually I made 2 VERY crappy ones in high school but I don't even think that counts).

This would be my first serious effort to make a good film. But I'm afraid that my filmmaking skills aren't up to the task yet, and I'd end up wasting a good script by making a crappy looking movie.

If you were in this situation, would you shelve the good script for now, and shoot a few lesser scripts just to hone your craft until you had the skill to not screw up the good script?

Or would you just say "F*&% it, let's do this thang!" and go for broke on your 1st short?
 
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How many pages is the current screenplay?
What's the budget?
How many cast & crew members will it require?
How many locations, major & minor?
Costumes & props?
Do you have the time for this?
Other special production considerations?

When it's edited and ready for debut where will that be?
What are your distribution plans?
Who WANTS to see this material genre?
How will they know it exists?
 
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Why not do both? Do it as well as you can now and maybe a few years down the road, shoot it again with your improved skills!

Best example I can think of is Evil Dead 2. It's more or less Evil Dead 1, but with a better budget, and the concept refined a little over time. You can go back even further to the concept short Raimi filmed in order to raise cash for the first one.
 
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Why don't you try shooting scenes from your script? You're not going to get better if you don't have at it. Give yourself the experience. If not, write something shorter, and go from there. Try even just a 3min short and see how you fare. Then make it 5, then 10, then 15, then etc.
 
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rayw said:
How many pages is the current screenplay?
What's the budget?
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Around $300, which will probably be spent on food for cast/crew

rayw said:
How many cast & crew members will it require?
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3 cast and 3 crew members (director, camera operator, and boom operator)

rayw said:
How many locations, major & minor?
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What's the difference between major and minor? It all takes place in one house, plus one scene on the street outside the house.

rayw said:
Costumes & props?
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Actor's existing clothing, one dead cat (animal, not windscreen)

rayw said:
Do you have the time for this?
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Just barely, LOL. Father of 2 with a full time job. Gonna have to shoot on weekends.

rayw said:
Other special production considerations?
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Biggest challenges will be the 2-year old actor, and the untrained house cat. If I can't get the cat to do what I want I may have to cut it out altogether. And yes, I know, I know, never work with children or animals, but I have this strange desire to try the impossible anyway.

rayw said:
When it's edited and ready for debut where will that be?
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No idea. Guess that depends on if it comes out good or not. Hoping it's at least good enough for youtube.

rayw said:
What are your distribution plans?
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Youtube, Vimeo

rayw said:
Who WANTS to see this material genre?
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If it turns out good then any adults.

rayw said:
How will they know it exists?
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If it's good I would put it on youtube, and if by some miracle chance it's amazing then I'd submit to festivals.
 
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JoshL said:
Why not do both? Do it as well as you can now and maybe a few years down the road, shoot it again with your improved skills!

Best example I can think of is Evil Dead 2. It's more or less Evil Dead 1, but with a better budget, and the concept refined a little over time. You can go back even further to the concept short Raimi filmed in order to raise cash for the first one.
Click to expand...

This is a great idea. Thank you. Dunno why I was assuming a script is like a usable commodity, LOL I don't see an expiration date!
 
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rayw said:
How many minutes long?

And, I'm guessing you're kinda just doing this for the halibut, aren't you? Just to see how it turns out?
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Well I'd really LOVE to make it an awesome short that gets all kinds of festival attention, but I'm just being realistic with my expectations. I just don't want to be one of those guys that thinks, "hey, I'd like to be rich and famous, guess I'll make a film"

Given my current experience, I'd be really happy if I put it on youtube and it got 50,000 hits and made no money.
 
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I say shoot it now!

What, do you plan on ever shooting a movie with a crappy script? It's not like there is a limited supply of awesome scripts. Use this awesome script. Then write another awesome script.
 
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lefecious said:
If it's good I would put it on youtube, and if by some miracle chance it's amazing then I'd submit to festivals.
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If it comes out well don't put it up on YouTube. Many festivals want to "premiere" films at their screenings; if it's up on YouTube you'll be ineligible.

The secret to success is in the planning. It's the "it's only my first (third, fifth...) short" attitude that kills so many projects. You should preproduce like you have a major budget with investors breathing down your neck. Keep tweaking the script, do a shooting script, hold preproduction meetings with your cast and crew and get their input - their perspectives can be invaluable. Do story boards, diligently scout locations and get a lock on them. The production design and wardrobe are a lot more important than you think; the details of the set and what the characters wear give subtle but important information to your audience.

And, of course, pre-plan every aspect of the sound as well as the visuals.

lefecious said:
3 cast and 3 crew members (director, camera operator, and boom operator)
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Make sure that your boom-op/production sound mixer knows what s/he is doing; as I preach constantly, poor sound kills many otherwise worthwhile projects.

"Sound is half of the experience."
 
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That's actually how I got into filmmaking. I had one concept, now a complete feature script, that I just needed to get out. Everything up until now has been gaining the knowledge and skills required to make my vision something worth watching.

So from my point of view, I've learned A LOT and am very glad I didn't make it back when I started. I'm STILL waiting until I make a different feature before I tackle it also. I've learned the hard way that filmmaking isn't nearly as easy as it may seem, and every time you think you've got it all figured out... a whole new layer reveals itself.
 
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Alcove Audio said:
Make sure that your boom-op/production sound mixer knows what s/he is doing; as I preach constantly, poor sound kills many otherwise worthwhile projects.

"Sound is half of the experience."
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The guy I've asked to do it is an amateur musician and he records his own music, so he knows more about audio recording than I do. If he says no, then I'm kinda stuck. I have no budget, so I may end up having to just teach one of my friends how to do it. And the only stuff I know is from reading your blogs and posts, Alcove. But I'm definitely not taking the sound for granted. I will be paying as much attention to the sound as I do to the visuals, if not more, and will follow your advice to the best of my ability.
 
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Make short films based off your screenplay to learn the craft. That is exactly where I am in my own development. I have a good story in my head, but lack the skill to do it justice...yet.
 
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Do it! I don't have much experience in film but everything I've ever read says that the only way to improve your skills is by actually filming and making mistakes. I am one of those persons that likes to wait until everything seems to be perfectly aligned to actually do something and that method just doesn't work, I recently started to actually shoot things and they are horrible and will never be shown to anyone but every little clip has taught me something.
If you really want to practice then maybe you (and your team if possible) could shoot a couple related or non-related scenes for practice and then dig in to your project.
Best of Luck!
 
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You could also choose to work on other people's films, to learn the ropes, before starting work on your own.

Apply the lessons learned from others' mistakes, etc. :cool:

However you wanna do it is fine, too. :)
 
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Just shoot scenes first and then you will make mistakes and learn from them. And when you shoot be sure to storyboard everything down to the last detail, especially if it's a big project.
 
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