Who to bring on during development?

cameronchapman

cameronchapman

Just spent an amazing weekend at Stowe Story Labs and it's making me rethink my approach to producing my feature next year. For shorts I still want to do the zero budget thing (I love it!), but I'm now looking at doing the feature in the $500k range.

My funding approach is currently looking like this:

  • Kickstarter to raise development funds (looking at probably $10-$15k during this phase)
  • Private equity and grants for production (just found out about an awesome private fund here in VT that supports Vermont-based filmmakers that I'm hoping I can get a grant from)
  • Either more private equity or back to Kickstarter for finishing funds

Now, I'm planning on directing and co-producing myself. The script is written and as tight as I can get it without bringing in collaborators (which I'm sure will happen as I start attaching people to the project). Since I need to come up with a definite plan for Kickstarter, including exactly how the funds will be used, I need to know who I should be hiring during the development phase (ie, before I've got production funding and before I have anyone really attached to the project). Right now I'm looking at:

  • Casting director (after listening to and speaking with Ellen Parks this weekend, I'm confident I want to bring on a casting director as early as possible to help get talent attached)
  • Lawyer to help get the funding mechanisms and other things in place
  • Line producer who can help me get a more solid budget (I can do a rough budget myself, but I'd like some help in this area from someone more experienced)

Who else should I bring on during the development phase? These are the only three I can really think of at the moment...
 
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rayw said:
Consider shooting an adjacent state if the $$ math offsets the hassle.
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I'm pretty committed to filming in Vermont. It's a very "Vermont" story, and there are some really interesting things going on in the creative community here in the state. Plus, I have lots of support and favors I can call in locally that would disappear and push costs a lot higher if I were to film elsewhere.

One thing your spreadsheet missed is that Vermont doesn't require general permits, and many of the towns in Vermont don't require any kind of permits, either (hell, we have a lot of towns that have no zoning at all, where you can pretty much do whatever you want as long as you don't bother anyone). Vermont is a very creative-friendly state. We were discussing it this weekend, and how we're all kind of glad there are no incentives here, as it gives all of us locals the run of the state and we get to use all these great locations and resources that "big" producers from elsewhere have no interest in. :lol: :D

Marketing agent is going on my list. I'm still working out distribution strategies and what approach I want to use, so that may have to wait till later in the process.
 
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Depending on what part of Vermont you and or crew are from, you might be able to utilize equipment from VCAM. That could save you some cash.

As far as who to bring on, I think you got it covered. If you are looking to add any "name" crew (like the dp from this movie or the art guy from that show) I'd look at adding them in early on.

Also if you are going to have any effects/vfx get the effects guys involved asap. There may be stuff that would require a lot prep or parts of script that could be made more vfx friendly or scenes that should be shot a certain way to make them work in post.
 
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jmoschner said:
Depending on what part of Vermont you and or crew are from, you might be able to utilize equipment from VCAM. That could save you some cash.
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That's a really good point. I'm hoping to hire a DP that I've spoken to in the past about other projects (we've never managed to work together, but he's got an impressive reel and some impressive equipment). But if that doesn't work out, I'll definitely check into what VCAM has for equipment.
 
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Who you bring on can depend on your strengths and weaknesses.

You'll obviously want to fill the Producer, Writer, Line Producer and Entertainment Lawyer roles.

The rest can depend on your film.

Whether you need to bring on a SFX/Stunt Advisor early depends on your script.

Does your script need answers to particular questions to make potential investors open to your business plan. Do you have a pre-sale plan in place? Do you really need investors?

Can you write the business plan? If not, you may need to hire a consultant producer.

Do you need to hire a writer to polish/re-write?

Do you need to attach specific names first? You may need someone to handle that part of casting/crewing.

What notes have your distributor(s) given you regarding script/key cast/key crew? Don't have a distributor yet, you may need to put some serious thought into a publicist or attach someone with more clout who can get the job done.

and so on....

Good luck!
 
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Sweetie said:
Who you bring on can depend on your strengths and weaknesses.

You'll obviously want to fill the Producer, Writer, Line Producer and Entertainment Lawyer roles.

The rest can depend on your film.

Whether you need to bring on a SFX/Stunt Advisor early depends on your script.

Does your script need answers to particular questions to make potential investors open to your business plan. Do you have a pre-sale plan in place? Do you really need investors?

Can you write the business plan? If not, you may need to hire a consultant producer.

Do you need to hire a writer to polish/re-write?

Do you need to attach specific names first? You may need someone to handle that part of casting/crewing.

What notes have your distributor(s) given you regarding script/key cast/key crew? Don't have a distributor yet, you may need to put some serious thought into a publicist or attach someone with more clout who can get the job done.

and so on....

Good luck!
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I'll be producing (though I'd love to find a co-producer to take on some of that workload). I'll also be writing/rewriting. I definitely want to bring in a line producer considering the budget I'm going for (I'm comfortable doing that role myself when we're talking about sub-$100k budgets, but above that it gets much trickier from what I can see).

No stunts or SFX in this one.

I can write a business plan. And I have some resources I can probably tap into for free for a little guidance on that (in the film industry, not just in general).

Casting is the big one for me. I would like at least one recognizable name/face (I have a few people in mind for each role, and there are a lot of good roles in the script, so it wouldn't necessarily have to be a leading role) and then some up-and-comers, as well as some completely new actors. That's where most of the funds at each budget level will go.

Distribution and sales are the big thing I'm struggling with at the moment, and one of the main reasons I'd love to find someone to co-produce who has more experience in those areas.

This is all great stuff that's really getting me thinking!
 
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Few things, I can think of:

1) For the campaign, look into getting some sort of publicist involved, someone who can focus on the community you need to build around you to get your tribe excited, as well as continually push the social media channels to get more and more people interested and paying attention.

2) Sound Designer can be helpful early on. Getting you thinking about how to incorporate sound into the story and shotlist early on.

3) Location scout/agency. Finding good locations (although you've done amazing finding that one for the music video) is crucial to top notch production value and ease of shooting. I'm definitely going to be spending a lot of time this winter working on that aspect, I've had two project get postponed as we just weren't able to find appropriate locations ourselves.

CraigL
 
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CraigL said:
Few things, I can think of:

1) For the campaign, look into getting some sort of publicist involved, someone who can focus on the community you need to build around you to get your tribe excited, as well as continually push the social media channels to get more and more people interested and paying attention.

2) Sound Designer can be helpful early on. Getting you thinking about how to incorporate sound into the story and shotlist early on.

3) Location scout/agency. Finding good locations (although you've done amazing finding that one for the music video) is crucial to top notch production value and ease of shooting. I'm definitely going to be spending a lot of time this winter working on that aspect, I've had two project get postponed as we just weren't able to find appropriate locations ourselves.

CraigL
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1. Unfortunately I have zero budget until I get this Kickstarter campaign completed. But I'll be looking at every free tool out there to make sure I stay engaged in social media for the month or so the campaign will be running. And in the meantime, I'm going to step up my efforts to try to be more engaged before the campaign actually starts!

2. That's definitely someone I'll be bringing in early on, but not during development.

3. I'll be doing my own location scouting. Location-wise, the script is pretty basic and I already have places in mind. I'll be calling in favors for most of them, which will allow me to spend more money on cast and crew.
 
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CraigL said:
2) Sound Designer can be helpful early on. Getting you thinking about how to incorporate sound into the story and shotlist early on.
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You would bring the Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor during preproduction while you are working on the shooting script. S/he may have suggestions on how to say things with sound, such as establishing shots and B-roll so sounds important to scenes can be introduced.

For example - I worked on a project where the two protagonists had their final confrontation in a "factory." The scene was actually shot in a warehouse. The director wanted "dangerous sounding machines" present during their fight. However, no machines ever shown, so the machine sounds that I used had no context and had no relevance to the soundtrack and were confusing to the audience.

You may also want the Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor (or his/her rep) or the PSM to be present during location scouting. Even experienced location scouts look at a location from a visual point of view only and do not consider the sonic ramifications of the location.
 
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Alcove Audio said:
You may also want the Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor (or his/her rep) or the PSM to be present during location scouting. Even experienced location scouts look at a location from a visual point of view only and do not consider the sonic ramifications of the location.
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I'm definitely going to bring in probably my PSM before locking any locations. It's definitely something I think about when looking at a location, but I'm about as far from an expert as one could get, so I'm definitely going to want someone who actually knows what they're doing to check out the spaces before locking in any locations.

I want the sound on this film to be fairly minimalist (winter in Vermont is a very quiet time and I want that reflected in the audio), which I know means I need to be even more concerned with production and post sound, since there will be less room to cover up potential issues.
 
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If you are looking at locations, you really need to factor in vfx, even if you say there won't be any. There is always some clean up work required, maybe removal of some unwanted or distracting elements, changing the names or icons on street signs, etc. Relatively minor changes in framing shots where this is necessary can save a lot of work.

There's always a ton of details that go into a movie that you as a director just don't have the capability of processing all at once, that's why you farm out stuff to specialized people. I would suggest bringing others in on the script to make it as good as it can be, then having it read by people knowledgeable about sound design, production design, visual effects, etc.

As a vfx artist on indie films, I have spent a great deal of time cleaning up shots that nobody had ever anticipated to require effects. Then they just shoot it and pull the well known "let's fix it in post". You really want to prevent any unnecessary work in post.

Pre-production and production are fun, but when the little things create major bottlenecks in post, its gets frustrating really quickly.
 
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cameronchapman said:
I want the sound on this film to be fairly minimalist (winter in Vermont is a very quiet time and I want that reflected in the audio)
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I applaud your devotion to the production sound.

Just because it's "quiet" doesn't mean there's not a lot of sound. Instead of minimalist think subtle. Besides, all of your interiors will need "standard" Foley and sound effects.

BTW, my sister and brother-in-law own a restaurant in Waterbury, Vermont about half a mile from Ben & Jerry's, so I've been there during mid-winter.
 
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Alcove Audio said:
I applaud your devotion to the production sound.

Just because it's "quiet" doesn't mean there's not a lot of sound. Instead of minimalist think subtle. Besides, all of your interiors will need "standard" Foley and sound effects.

BTW, my sister and brother-in-law own a restaurant in Waterbury, Vermont about half a mile from Ben & Jerry's, so I've been there during mid-winter.
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Good points! I've learned a lot reading your posts over the past year or two of being on this forum, but the biggest thing I've learned is that I am way out of my league when it comes to getting good audio, and I should hire someone who knows what they're doing! :)
 
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