Thanks! That is a very useful site and I have now read all that stuff but, of course, it raises a whole raft of questions in turn.
Which is why I suggested you poke around here on the message
boards and ask the specific questions you still need the answers to.
How do you round up actors?
A question answered in great detail on several threads right here
on indietalk. Short answer: You post a casting notice and hold
auditions.
How much do you pay them?
A question answered in great detail on several threads right here
on indietalk. Many actors will work for free. The area where you
are making the movie also comes into play. In big cities where
there are a lot of actors who make their living acting you will pay
more than in an area where most actors are dedicated hobbyists.
What forms should they sign?
A question answered in great detail on several threads right here
on indietalk.
How do you stop your girlfriend being jealous if the leading actress is very pretty?
This one I've never seen covered here. How do you stop any girlfriend
from being jealous? I know I can't answer this one. When you figure
it out, please let me know.
Right there on set. You have some tables with chairs and hand them
the food.
Some productions use a catering truck:
What's the old Mel Brooks line?
Leo Bloom: Actors are not animals! They 're human beings!
Max Bialystock: They are? Have you ever eaten with one?
Where do they sleep if it all drags on?
I've seen actors sleep right on the genny:
I've seen crew fall asleep in chairs, under catering tables, in the back
of the set dressing truck where the furniture pads are (one of MY
favorite places) and even standing up.
How do you fire them if they turn out useless?
You pull them aside, away from the rest of the crew and say, "This
isn't working out. I'm sorry, but you're fired."
What happens if it rains?
If it's a very organized show you will have what's called a "cover set" -
an interior set ready at a moments notice for an upcoming scene. If
you're shooting only exteriors and don't have a cover set available, you
scramble to cover all the equipment and you wait.
I guess all this is called experience and you cannot get it from books. I believe that somebody has published a book showing that to become an expert takes about 7 years of hard work or about 10,000 hours of effort
I couldn't agree more. Experience, for me, is the only way I really learn.
I could read a dozen books and still not get it until I see it in action.
I'm a little concerned about that 7 years of hard work to become an
expert. I've been at it a LOT longer than 7 years and I am still not an
expert. I must be a slow learner. Maybe next year....
Or, do you just start by making a simple film and use that experience and the credibility it (may) give you to move onto the next one?
That's what I did. I picked up my dad's little 8mm camera and started
making simple films. I did that a lot and little by little I got better and
better. And I can tell you with certainty; I don't have balls of steel. I
just really wanted to make movies and wasn't worried about making
a lot of crap as I learned.