In any filmmaker's career (or impending career), the question of which to produce - a short or a feature, almost always rears its ugly and pragmatic head.
Do you step up the the challenge of pulling off a completed feature length film and possibly become the darling of the Sundance Film Festival? Or, do you create a much more modest and less glamorous short film, which is generally looked at sideways by most except those in the filmmaking world?
What's the purpose of the film? - you have to ask.
Showcase
Do you want or need a vehicle with which to demonstrate your brilliance to the world? Then the answer is easy - produce a short. You can maximize your budget and retain far more production value with a shorter film. That's just some simple math there. Stretching a budget to accommodate 90 minutes of screen time is crazy unless you're an experienced filmmaker and you have a decent budget.
A smartly prepped short produced for $20K can look and feel like a studio film if you're careful.
Vanity
Are you on fire to write, direct, produce, and (possibly) star (umkaaayyy) in your own film? Then you definitely need to produce a feature length film, and preferably one of at least 2 hours in duration, but don't hesitate to go for 3 hours, because nothing says "I am God's gift to cinema" - like a 2+ hour film (especially a first film). Good luck!
Passion
Is there a story you just HAVE TO tell through cinematic means? If so, you have to consider how much of a budget you have and whether or not this story can be told in a short. I'd say, let the story dictate the film length if it's about passion and find a way to finance the film, even if it takes 5 years to produce a little at a time.
Experience
Nobody has any business producing a feature (or features) until they've produced a "successful" short film. Anyone serious about filmmaking will produce shorts, and I mean *many shorts* before embarking upon the monumental task of feature length film production.
Capturing and keeping a mass audiences attention for 90 minutes is best left to professionals and YOU are not a "professional" if you've never produced a film before, let alone a film that had any significant degree of success.
©2011 Chris Santucci
Monday, February 7, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Set Etiquette
Getting a film done, as in - shot, is greatly dependent upon a crew functioning efficiently as a cohesive unit. Otherwise, time is wasted, confusion ensues, feelings become hurt, and films become compromised or worse - unfinished.
Some of us who work in film, liken film production to a military operation during war time (not to in any way diminish that activity). When you're prepping every day for a month and then shooting every day for a month, all the while working long hours, putting fires out every day, eating-maybe, going to the bathroom-maybe, all the while maintaining a narrow focus on one thing - getting the film made, that's when it feels like you're fighting a war.
When producing a low budget Indie, it becomes even more crucial to be as efficient as possible because both time AND money are limited. When a large budget exists, money can be thrown at problems and that almost always solves problems quickly.
However, whether producing a large budget studio film OR a micro budget Indie film - efficiency is key and part of being efficient means operating on set on shoot days in a reasonable and sensible manner.
Observe and follow the chain of command
The director is at the top, most often along with the producer(s). The director, depending upon the project, (but ideally) should deal with department heads only (key crew), not those of the crew working under the keys.
Department heads delegate to and oversee what crew in their department are doing and they work directly with other department heads as well as the director and producer(s).
When I'm on a set as a DP, I almost always try to go through the AD when I need something to happen, unless what I'm doing is directly related to grip/electric or has to do with what's in the frame I'm shooting. As a producer, I tend to deal with department heads and let them interface with their 2nds and 3rds.
Avoid chit-chat
This is a pet peeve of mine, so I'll try not to rant about it. While on set, there are moments of pause that take place at which point friendly crew tend to get carried away with small talk, banter, or comparing iPhone apps with each other. Socializing on a set during a shoot day should be curtailed. If caught in conversation with a crew member, keep your eyes on the ball at the very least and don't be afraid to just walk away if you feel like you're not doing your job.
I've been on sets where the conversation level in the room became deafening while I struggled to deal with lighting problems which is an indicator of too many people not paying attention because for one - the noise level makes it hard to communicate and two - the crew should be aware.
Pay attention
Always, always, always, keep your eyes and ears open and stick to the task at hand. Wandering off to smoke a butt, staring at the monitor while the camera rolls (unless that's your job), screwing around on your smart phone, or just plain NOT paying attention is not good.
An ideal situation would be that you're watching and/or listening to the degree that you can anticipate what needs to happen so that you're already thinking about ways to make that thing happen when it's called for.
"That's not my job"
There are very good reasons for crew on a film to have titles. A title defines what your job is. It creates boundaries and indicates to everyone what you do and what you don't do. When these definitions exist, then it becomes much easier to cover all the bases on a film production and ensure that the business at hand will be dealt with.
Also, I've been on sets where we'd have a crew member who also worked and was experienced in - other things, and have seen people overstep their boundaries. It's not uncommon for people in film production to work professionally as (for example) a camera operator/sound mixer/script supervisor (believe it or not). The key thing in these cases is - who is hired to do what?
I was DP on a film once with a script supervisor who kept interjecting opinion about lighting, camera staging, and shot setups. Needless to say, I had to point out to the script supervisor that I was the DP. I had to point out to the director that I was the DP. I ended up quitting because - when you hire a DP, you let the DP do the job of a DP.
Use "production speech"
Use short phrases, and speak briefly without interjecting too much in the way of superfluous verbiage. You can always spot a seasoned production crew person on a set because they speak in short, concise sentences. "Production speech" is about using the least amount of words possible to get the idea across. There are times to elaborate or pontificate, but when in shoot mode - keep it short and to the point.
Be like The Borg
All those in a given department, ideally, should know where each other are at all times and what they're doing. If leaving the set to use the bathroom, or for any reason - tell whoever is nearest to you (in your department), or (better) call it out over the radio. When someone on the crew asks for something that your department is in control of (a prop from off set, wardrobe item, set piece, piece of gear, etc.) the person who is closest to it usually responds first on the radio (or verbally sans radio if that works) that they're on it, OR the department head might dictate who does what ("No, Jimmy, you stay there and keep painting. We need to shoot on that set soon. I'll have Jane bring that thing to the set even though she's further away.")
In other words - function as a single unit.
Own up to your mistakes
It's important to just own up to mistakes right away because it cuts down on guesswork while trying to alleviate a potential recurring problem. And it also helps people determine potential issues regarding the integrity of the set, gear, and the crew.
Stay in your department
If someone outside your department asks you to do something, even as a favor, beware. As mentioned, unless it's been established that certain people on the crew can swing and/or pitch in whenever necessary, stay on your mission IN your department ("Sorry, I can't help you. I'm on a mission right now.")
One very crucial aspect of having people stick to certain tasks is, they then have intimate knowledge of the status of those tasks. Things can become very confused on a set and time can be wasted if someone either tries to "help out" or someone thinks they still need to see to something that was already taken care of.
Be nice
Film production is hard enough without having to deal with drama and petty bullshit. Generally, in my experience, film crew all tend to get along for the most part because they all share a common goal while working on a project. Personality conflicts, stress, or just general tension can be hard to avoid during production hours especially when the crew aren't sleeping enough.
Try to keep a general vibe of "nice" while on a project. Please, thank you, and you're welcome, are ALL great policies and if you sense a major issue with another personality that you might have to work closely with, think about avoiding the project completely.
;-)
©2011 Chris Santucci
Some of us who work in film, liken film production to a military operation during war time (not to in any way diminish that activity). When you're prepping every day for a month and then shooting every day for a month, all the while working long hours, putting fires out every day, eating-maybe, going to the bathroom-maybe, all the while maintaining a narrow focus on one thing - getting the film made, that's when it feels like you're fighting a war.
When producing a low budget Indie, it becomes even more crucial to be as efficient as possible because both time AND money are limited. When a large budget exists, money can be thrown at problems and that almost always solves problems quickly.
However, whether producing a large budget studio film OR a micro budget Indie film - efficiency is key and part of being efficient means operating on set on shoot days in a reasonable and sensible manner.
Observe and follow the chain of command
The director is at the top, most often along with the producer(s). The director, depending upon the project, (but ideally) should deal with department heads only (key crew), not those of the crew working under the keys.
Department heads delegate to and oversee what crew in their department are doing and they work directly with other department heads as well as the director and producer(s).
When I'm on a set as a DP, I almost always try to go through the AD when I need something to happen, unless what I'm doing is directly related to grip/electric or has to do with what's in the frame I'm shooting. As a producer, I tend to deal with department heads and let them interface with their 2nds and 3rds.
Avoid chit-chat
This is a pet peeve of mine, so I'll try not to rant about it. While on set, there are moments of pause that take place at which point friendly crew tend to get carried away with small talk, banter, or comparing iPhone apps with each other. Socializing on a set during a shoot day should be curtailed. If caught in conversation with a crew member, keep your eyes on the ball at the very least and don't be afraid to just walk away if you feel like you're not doing your job.
I've been on sets where the conversation level in the room became deafening while I struggled to deal with lighting problems which is an indicator of too many people not paying attention because for one - the noise level makes it hard to communicate and two - the crew should be aware.
Pay attention
Always, always, always, keep your eyes and ears open and stick to the task at hand. Wandering off to smoke a butt, staring at the monitor while the camera rolls (unless that's your job), screwing around on your smart phone, or just plain NOT paying attention is not good.
An ideal situation would be that you're watching and/or listening to the degree that you can anticipate what needs to happen so that you're already thinking about ways to make that thing happen when it's called for.
"That's not my job"
There are very good reasons for crew on a film to have titles. A title defines what your job is. It creates boundaries and indicates to everyone what you do and what you don't do. When these definitions exist, then it becomes much easier to cover all the bases on a film production and ensure that the business at hand will be dealt with.
Also, I've been on sets where we'd have a crew member who also worked and was experienced in - other things, and have seen people overstep their boundaries. It's not uncommon for people in film production to work professionally as (for example) a camera operator/sound mixer/script supervisor (believe it or not). The key thing in these cases is - who is hired to do what?
I was DP on a film once with a script supervisor who kept interjecting opinion about lighting, camera staging, and shot setups. Needless to say, I had to point out to the script supervisor that I was the DP. I had to point out to the director that I was the DP. I ended up quitting because - when you hire a DP, you let the DP do the job of a DP.
Use "production speech"
Use short phrases, and speak briefly without interjecting too much in the way of superfluous verbiage. You can always spot a seasoned production crew person on a set because they speak in short, concise sentences. "Production speech" is about using the least amount of words possible to get the idea across. There are times to elaborate or pontificate, but when in shoot mode - keep it short and to the point.
Be like The Borg
All those in a given department, ideally, should know where each other are at all times and what they're doing. If leaving the set to use the bathroom, or for any reason - tell whoever is nearest to you (in your department), or (better) call it out over the radio. When someone on the crew asks for something that your department is in control of (a prop from off set, wardrobe item, set piece, piece of gear, etc.) the person who is closest to it usually responds first on the radio (or verbally sans radio if that works) that they're on it, OR the department head might dictate who does what ("No, Jimmy, you stay there and keep painting. We need to shoot on that set soon. I'll have Jane bring that thing to the set even though she's further away.")
In other words - function as a single unit.
Own up to your mistakes
It's important to just own up to mistakes right away because it cuts down on guesswork while trying to alleviate a potential recurring problem. And it also helps people determine potential issues regarding the integrity of the set, gear, and the crew.
Stay in your department
If someone outside your department asks you to do something, even as a favor, beware. As mentioned, unless it's been established that certain people on the crew can swing and/or pitch in whenever necessary, stay on your mission IN your department ("Sorry, I can't help you. I'm on a mission right now.")
One very crucial aspect of having people stick to certain tasks is, they then have intimate knowledge of the status of those tasks. Things can become very confused on a set and time can be wasted if someone either tries to "help out" or someone thinks they still need to see to something that was already taken care of.
Be nice
Film production is hard enough without having to deal with drama and petty bullshit. Generally, in my experience, film crew all tend to get along for the most part because they all share a common goal while working on a project. Personality conflicts, stress, or just general tension can be hard to avoid during production hours especially when the crew aren't sleeping enough.
Try to keep a general vibe of "nice" while on a project. Please, thank you, and you're welcome, are ALL great policies and if you sense a major issue with another personality that you might have to work closely with, think about avoiding the project completely.
;-)
©2011 Chris Santucci
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Leverage.
When producing a low budget film effort, it sometimes becomes necessary to find creative ways to stretch your budget. This can sometimes involve making hard decisions about what to spend the money on and what not to spend the money on. Sometimes it can involve asking for donated goods or services. Sometimes it can involve begging, borrowing, or yeah, even stealing.
The Crew
When you need to somehow find crew to work for less than half what they'd normally get (for example), you have to think about how you and/or your film project is going to appeal to them if you're going to get them to say "OK, I'll do it."
When it comes to budgeting, I always like to start at the top, with the "hard expenses" that you know you'll have to pay. If you absolutely must have 3 key crew who you know will only work for a certain amount, and this creates a major imbalance in your preferred expenditures, then it's time to get creative.
Once you've determined who you really must pay to fill certain positions, then you can start deciding who exactly you can book (for example) as PA's who are capable (and willing) to possibly help out in the art department, wardrobe department, grip/electric department, etc. Then you can start deciding how great the food really needs to be or if you can get food donated. Then you can start looking for any and all ways to cut corners to make up for the dollar amounts you know you have to spend.
Sometimes offering a certain credit can help attract a crucial crew member, even if it's a fake credit. I once asked a Line Producer who wanted me to shoot stills on a feature and had very little to pay if she could get me an "Additional Photography" or "2nd Unit DP" credit because I AM a DP and having a "Still Photographer" credit would do little for me professionally. She was a little shocked and couldn't figure out how it was in any way doable that I'd get a credit for something I didn't do. Because she lacked imagination and initiative, never offered anything beyond the pittance she had, I never worked on the project. Her loss, believe me.
You have to use your head a little and possibly do some research to find out how you can appeal to a potential crew member (or just ask) especially if they work a lot and don't need the low rate you might have to pay.
The Cast
Actors want to act. Period. They live for it. They want good roles that will allow them to stretch and show themselves off. Anything that can help them get to the next level will always be considered by an actor and/or their agent (or manager). In the absence of pay or enough pay, you have to sell them on the script, the director, the DP, and whatever else you can.
If there's potential for an actor to come away with some great material for their reel regardless of the prospect that the film ever does anything, that's something.
If the actor is interested in exploring new territory with respect to the role, the style of film, the other cast, or even the locations - that's something.
They know there's no guarantee that an Indie will ever be seen by more than a hundred people (if that), so there's gotta be something besides a naive hope that the film will blow up at Sundance. Certainly having a great script can help attract cast members. Having a great director and a great DP can help also, but in the absence of a great script, a great director will only attract potential cast if the director has a good reputation and has finished films in distribution.
Another approach is to have a cast member work on the crew. I shot and produced a feature length film once and we managed to have some of the cast do double duty as cast AND crew and they seemed quite happy about it. This way, in cases where you are paying low rates, you can possibly get certain cast because they're getting paid twice (to act and work as crew). Obviously this wouldn't work that well with principal cast, but it's entirely manageable with talent who act in a handful of scenes, and if they're very into the project - it gets them closer to it.
Remember, your best asset (in all respects) in the absence of cash is - a great script.
The Gear
You can always ask for a "deal." I know I've mentioned this before, but it's customary for a rental house to give you a cost that is merely a starting point. You can negotiate, always. It's not as if you have nowhere else to go to rent gear (hopefully).
Any way you can "bundle" crew with gear is helpful as it opens the door for more money for the crew if they can rent gear to the project as well as work on it. Always check with crew about what gear they own since as long as you DO need to rent gear, it may as well come from hired crew.
In some instances, it's not out of the question to ask if any of the gear owning crew can include certain pieces of gear. Also, deals can be made with crew that could make their involvement more alluring to them.
On the very first feature length film I shot, I asked for a certain amount to be paid to me plus 2 lenses for my Canon XL1 camera, plus I asked them to hire my gaffer. They met almost all my terms and I walked away with a wide angle lens after the project was through. In that instance it was to the advantage of the project to have this purchased lens anyway, so think about these kinds of arrangements in terms of how it could benefit the film as well as the crew member being negotiated with.
The Locations
Sometimes a property owner or business owner will be excited just to be part of a film project, sometimes they really won't care one way or the other. You have to keep in mind when approaching these people that their priority is maintaining their property and/or running their business. Your hopes and dreams and aspirations don't figure into their accounting, so you have to (again) think about what would make their involvement alluring to them in the absence of cold hard cashola.
If any member of your above the line team have skills that could be suggested as a benefit to those in control of the location(s) you need, then that's something to consider. If one of you is capable of designing or building websites, has access to potential customers, or in any way has some capability to promote, market, or advertise for these property or business owners, then you have some leverage.
Anytime you can trade even labor for the favor of use of a location for a film, do it. Say an apartment building manager has a bunch of garbage in the storage area and you have access to a truck and 3 or 4 people - there you go. I traded photography once to a friend of mine who let us shoot a feature length film in the newly redone apartment she was trying to rent. It may mean a little time and effort spent on your part (as a producer) and whoever else you can pull into it, but in most cases when you're short on funds, time is something you probably have to spare.
The Food
I've always been a little shocked at how easy it's been for some to get food from restaurants for film projects. There are slews of restaurants around (preferably mom and pop operations) and all you have to do is ask. If you can promise a set amount of money for a set amount of food, that's a guarantee of certain income to them. Even if you seek a discount.
One thing that helps is if you are getting press or plan to and you can mention the restaurant on the radio (or TV) whenever possible. Producing films in small cities generally allows for easier access to press who see a film project as something glamorous especially if they normally report on fires, weather, dog shows, or petty crime.
One other approach which may or may not work is to pay a certain amount to each crew member and tell them they're on their own for working meals. On commercial projects sometimes a crew, if in an area that's populated with restaurants or food shops, might be allowed to just walk away and fend for themselves.
Providing working meals to a crew opens up all kinds of logistical considerations that need to be weighed. If your craft service (you DO have craft service, right??!) is very good, then the working meals could be merely some form of sandwich food or some similar takeout food (Chinese, etc.)
Otherwise, catering services can get pricey, but you could try and enlist the help of any person sympathetic to the project who might have some spare time (parent, grand-parent, etc.) to produce decent working meals.
Work any and all connections in order to leverage what little you have to get what you need and use your imagination and some creativity in coming up with alternate ways to gain what you need to get a film made.
©2010 Chris Santucci
The Crew
When you need to somehow find crew to work for less than half what they'd normally get (for example), you have to think about how you and/or your film project is going to appeal to them if you're going to get them to say "OK, I'll do it."
When it comes to budgeting, I always like to start at the top, with the "hard expenses" that you know you'll have to pay. If you absolutely must have 3 key crew who you know will only work for a certain amount, and this creates a major imbalance in your preferred expenditures, then it's time to get creative.
Once you've determined who you really must pay to fill certain positions, then you can start deciding who exactly you can book (for example) as PA's who are capable (and willing) to possibly help out in the art department, wardrobe department, grip/electric department, etc. Then you can start deciding how great the food really needs to be or if you can get food donated. Then you can start looking for any and all ways to cut corners to make up for the dollar amounts you know you have to spend.
Sometimes offering a certain credit can help attract a crucial crew member, even if it's a fake credit. I once asked a Line Producer who wanted me to shoot stills on a feature and had very little to pay if she could get me an "Additional Photography" or "2nd Unit DP" credit because I AM a DP and having a "Still Photographer" credit would do little for me professionally. She was a little shocked and couldn't figure out how it was in any way doable that I'd get a credit for something I didn't do. Because she lacked imagination and initiative, never offered anything beyond the pittance she had, I never worked on the project. Her loss, believe me.
You have to use your head a little and possibly do some research to find out how you can appeal to a potential crew member (or just ask) especially if they work a lot and don't need the low rate you might have to pay.
The Cast
Actors want to act. Period. They live for it. They want good roles that will allow them to stretch and show themselves off. Anything that can help them get to the next level will always be considered by an actor and/or their agent (or manager). In the absence of pay or enough pay, you have to sell them on the script, the director, the DP, and whatever else you can.
If there's potential for an actor to come away with some great material for their reel regardless of the prospect that the film ever does anything, that's something.
If the actor is interested in exploring new territory with respect to the role, the style of film, the other cast, or even the locations - that's something.
They know there's no guarantee that an Indie will ever be seen by more than a hundred people (if that), so there's gotta be something besides a naive hope that the film will blow up at Sundance. Certainly having a great script can help attract cast members. Having a great director and a great DP can help also, but in the absence of a great script, a great director will only attract potential cast if the director has a good reputation and has finished films in distribution.
Another approach is to have a cast member work on the crew. I shot and produced a feature length film once and we managed to have some of the cast do double duty as cast AND crew and they seemed quite happy about it. This way, in cases where you are paying low rates, you can possibly get certain cast because they're getting paid twice (to act and work as crew). Obviously this wouldn't work that well with principal cast, but it's entirely manageable with talent who act in a handful of scenes, and if they're very into the project - it gets them closer to it.
Remember, your best asset (in all respects) in the absence of cash is - a great script.
The Gear
You can always ask for a "deal." I know I've mentioned this before, but it's customary for a rental house to give you a cost that is merely a starting point. You can negotiate, always. It's not as if you have nowhere else to go to rent gear (hopefully).
Any way you can "bundle" crew with gear is helpful as it opens the door for more money for the crew if they can rent gear to the project as well as work on it. Always check with crew about what gear they own since as long as you DO need to rent gear, it may as well come from hired crew.
In some instances, it's not out of the question to ask if any of the gear owning crew can include certain pieces of gear. Also, deals can be made with crew that could make their involvement more alluring to them.
On the very first feature length film I shot, I asked for a certain amount to be paid to me plus 2 lenses for my Canon XL1 camera, plus I asked them to hire my gaffer. They met almost all my terms and I walked away with a wide angle lens after the project was through. In that instance it was to the advantage of the project to have this purchased lens anyway, so think about these kinds of arrangements in terms of how it could benefit the film as well as the crew member being negotiated with.
The Locations
Sometimes a property owner or business owner will be excited just to be part of a film project, sometimes they really won't care one way or the other. You have to keep in mind when approaching these people that their priority is maintaining their property and/or running their business. Your hopes and dreams and aspirations don't figure into their accounting, so you have to (again) think about what would make their involvement alluring to them in the absence of cold hard cashola.
If any member of your above the line team have skills that could be suggested as a benefit to those in control of the location(s) you need, then that's something to consider. If one of you is capable of designing or building websites, has access to potential customers, or in any way has some capability to promote, market, or advertise for these property or business owners, then you have some leverage.
Anytime you can trade even labor for the favor of use of a location for a film, do it. Say an apartment building manager has a bunch of garbage in the storage area and you have access to a truck and 3 or 4 people - there you go. I traded photography once to a friend of mine who let us shoot a feature length film in the newly redone apartment she was trying to rent. It may mean a little time and effort spent on your part (as a producer) and whoever else you can pull into it, but in most cases when you're short on funds, time is something you probably have to spare.
The Food
I've always been a little shocked at how easy it's been for some to get food from restaurants for film projects. There are slews of restaurants around (preferably mom and pop operations) and all you have to do is ask. If you can promise a set amount of money for a set amount of food, that's a guarantee of certain income to them. Even if you seek a discount.
One thing that helps is if you are getting press or plan to and you can mention the restaurant on the radio (or TV) whenever possible. Producing films in small cities generally allows for easier access to press who see a film project as something glamorous especially if they normally report on fires, weather, dog shows, or petty crime.
One other approach which may or may not work is to pay a certain amount to each crew member and tell them they're on their own for working meals. On commercial projects sometimes a crew, if in an area that's populated with restaurants or food shops, might be allowed to just walk away and fend for themselves.
Providing working meals to a crew opens up all kinds of logistical considerations that need to be weighed. If your craft service (you DO have craft service, right??!) is very good, then the working meals could be merely some form of sandwich food or some similar takeout food (Chinese, etc.)
Otherwise, catering services can get pricey, but you could try and enlist the help of any person sympathetic to the project who might have some spare time (parent, grand-parent, etc.) to produce decent working meals.
Work any and all connections in order to leverage what little you have to get what you need and use your imagination and some creativity in coming up with alternate ways to gain what you need to get a film made.
©2010 Chris Santucci
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Beware of the video gurus.
When it comes to gear, it can be difficult to determine which tools are best for one's use especially when considering a purchase with limited funds. Some could have a certain amount to spend on a piece of gear and then would have to live with that purchase for many years, so the impetus in cases like that are always on - what's the best choice when there are multiple valid choices?
Using online forums like DVXuser can be invaluable in gleaning actual user feedback of a chosen piece of gear. I've learned a great deal about certain pieces of gear and technique from such online forums and try to share what I know and have learned on my own in the process.
In fact, I've always sought out actual user feedback as opposed to "reviews" created by supposed "experts" who more often than not are being paid to write or appear in online videos reviewing video equipment. Without naming names, I'm sure anyone who has spent some time online researching on forums and blogs has come across posts and blogs attributed to these tech gurus.
These tech gurus generally run online forums (or are moderators) where most of their "helpful" replies to posts have to do with buying something or have to do with one particular manufacturers products. Some run blogs that not only feature ads for certain manufacturers but they also tend to push said manufacturer's gear heavily.
I'm not about to begrudge anyone trying to make a living, but you have to be able to discriminate when considering the validity of suggestions regarding gear made by XYZ, Co. and the value of opinions about that gear voiced by someone being paid by XYZ, Co.
Consider the following passages taken from an almost 7,000 word "review" posted online for the Panasonic AF100, dated October 20, 2010:
"I've decided that the Panasonic AG-AF101 film-like HD camcorder is absolutely, unequivocally the all-new independent low-budget filmmakers weapon of choice"
"It’s the camcorder filmmakers have been waiting on for 20 years."
"In fact it’s the camcorder we’ve ALL been waiting for"
"It would appear that the world jumped on the 5D MK2 for video for one reason and one reason only; shallow depth-of-field; that’s it."
"The AG-AF101 is a serious digital SLR killer."
"The AG-AF101 is quite simply one of the best HD camcorders I’ve seen in many years."
"It is totally revolutionary,"
"This camcorder is totally freaking awesome."
"The AG-AF101 has a beautiful large 4/3rd MOS sensor that is virtually the same size as a 35mm film camera; this should mean the picture quality produced by it should be absolutely breathtaking..."
"The image quality was/is absolutely hideous, full of aliasing, artefacts and other retarded gremlins due to the line-skipping technology (and a bloody crude technology it is too) and lack of optical video low-pass filtering. Did I mention the unusable ‘form factor’ of DSLRs yet?"
"The days of DSLRs are well and truly over."
"The Panasonic AG-AF101 is quite simply revolutionary."
"The AG-AF101 now gives us that last missing piece of the jigsaw; total depth-of-field control combined with interchangeable lenses, with that cinematic look that we have all been waiting for."
"With the price in mind I simply have to give the AG-AF101 a massive recommendation with 5 out of 5 stars."
Now... those of us with a functioning BS detector, will see this "review" for what it is - an advertisement. Rife with hyperbole, it's an obvious marketing piece deliberately aimed at the DSLR user market. It's debatable whether or not the writer of this piece is any kind of expert as there seems to be no substantial industry credits available online or substantial examples of work available online.
In the case of unreleased equipment, it's impossible to really make a determination as to the quality or suitability of a piece of gear. In those cases, many people wait to see what the eventual user feedback is before making a decision to purchase, well enough AFTER an item is available to purchase. Certainly hype can be built up in support of a soon to be released piece of gear and the more naive of us might buy into it and put down a deposit or pre-order something essentially sight unseen.
I'd suggest being smart and efficient and using gear that other people are using with success. It's far less a gamble to use what's being used than it is to take chances that something nobody else has yet will work for you. Seek out the word on the street when it comes to gear when you're considering purchases and take "reviews" written by the gurus with a grain of salt.
These are my favorite sources of consumer/user feedback on gear:
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/
http://www.cinematography.com/
http://www.youtube.com/
http://www.vimeo.com/
©2010 Chris Santucci
Using online forums like DVXuser can be invaluable in gleaning actual user feedback of a chosen piece of gear. I've learned a great deal about certain pieces of gear and technique from such online forums and try to share what I know and have learned on my own in the process.
In fact, I've always sought out actual user feedback as opposed to "reviews" created by supposed "experts" who more often than not are being paid to write or appear in online videos reviewing video equipment. Without naming names, I'm sure anyone who has spent some time online researching on forums and blogs has come across posts and blogs attributed to these tech gurus.
These tech gurus generally run online forums (or are moderators) where most of their "helpful" replies to posts have to do with buying something or have to do with one particular manufacturers products. Some run blogs that not only feature ads for certain manufacturers but they also tend to push said manufacturer's gear heavily.
I'm not about to begrudge anyone trying to make a living, but you have to be able to discriminate when considering the validity of suggestions regarding gear made by XYZ, Co. and the value of opinions about that gear voiced by someone being paid by XYZ, Co.
Consider the following passages taken from an almost 7,000 word "review" posted online for the Panasonic AF100, dated October 20, 2010:
"I've decided that the Panasonic AG-AF101 film-like HD camcorder is absolutely, unequivocally the all-new independent low-budget filmmakers weapon of choice"
"It’s the camcorder filmmakers have been waiting on for 20 years."
"In fact it’s the camcorder we’ve ALL been waiting for"
"It would appear that the world jumped on the 5D MK2 for video for one reason and one reason only; shallow depth-of-field; that’s it."
"The AG-AF101 is a serious digital SLR killer."
"The AG-AF101 is quite simply one of the best HD camcorders I’ve seen in many years."
"It is totally revolutionary,"
"This camcorder is totally freaking awesome."
"The AG-AF101 has a beautiful large 4/3rd MOS sensor that is virtually the same size as a 35mm film camera; this should mean the picture quality produced by it should be absolutely breathtaking..."
"The image quality was/is absolutely hideous, full of aliasing, artefacts and other retarded gremlins due to the line-skipping technology (and a bloody crude technology it is too) and lack of optical video low-pass filtering. Did I mention the unusable ‘form factor’ of DSLRs yet?"
"The days of DSLRs are well and truly over."
"The Panasonic AG-AF101 is quite simply revolutionary."
"The AG-AF101 now gives us that last missing piece of the jigsaw; total depth-of-field control combined with interchangeable lenses, with that cinematic look that we have all been waiting for."
"With the price in mind I simply have to give the AG-AF101 a massive recommendation with 5 out of 5 stars."
Now... those of us with a functioning BS detector, will see this "review" for what it is - an advertisement. Rife with hyperbole, it's an obvious marketing piece deliberately aimed at the DSLR user market. It's debatable whether or not the writer of this piece is any kind of expert as there seems to be no substantial industry credits available online or substantial examples of work available online.
In the case of unreleased equipment, it's impossible to really make a determination as to the quality or suitability of a piece of gear. In those cases, many people wait to see what the eventual user feedback is before making a decision to purchase, well enough AFTER an item is available to purchase. Certainly hype can be built up in support of a soon to be released piece of gear and the more naive of us might buy into it and put down a deposit or pre-order something essentially sight unseen.
I'd suggest being smart and efficient and using gear that other people are using with success. It's far less a gamble to use what's being used than it is to take chances that something nobody else has yet will work for you. Seek out the word on the street when it comes to gear when you're considering purchases and take "reviews" written by the gurus with a grain of salt.
These are my favorite sources of consumer/user feedback on gear:
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/
http://www.cinematography.com/
http://www.youtube.com/
http://www.vimeo.com/
©2010 Chris Santucci
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Cinematography - Doing more with less
I shot a feature length film back in May with almost no crew and maybe a few hundred dollars worth of lighting equipment. Almost all of the setups were day interiors and night interiors and I used ambient daylight and/or daylight compact fluorescent bulbs, always with the daylight white balance preset set on the camera.
I remember going into the project I was thinking about how little equipment I could get away with using and as it turned out, my one and only full time crew member got sick 2 days into shooting and was gone for the first week. So there I was almost completely on my own with a camera on my shoulder, having to set the boom mic and move lighting around and kind of loving not having to deal with a lot of gear.
There's a lot to be said for "minimal," and I recommend highly going minimal when possible. Not only does it free you up, but it takes a lot of load off of a minimal (or non-existent) crew.
I recently worked on a commercial shoot with 2 camera operators using available light for exteriors and minimal fluorescent light added to interior setups, and not having to deal with a lot of film lighting surely allowed for more footage and more time actually rolling.
Obviously, the downside is possibly less stylistically involved work, and that's probably the main trade-off - either "nicer" looking shots OR more footage. I suppose it all depends on what you need but I have managed to do more with less more often than not so maybe I'm biased.
With today's light sensitive, large sensor cameras with fast lenses, it's entirely possible to be stylistic and get suitable coverage with minimal added lighting, reflectors, and of course flags and teasers to control ambient light. You have to remember, with regard to lighting, it's not always about what you add, but often - what you take away.
Consider a day interior.
You have hours of ample ambient daylight at your disposal, so with the right choice of curtains, blinds, shears, or whatever window covering you want, you can control that light to the point where you ARE actually lighting with it rather than trying to compete with it using low powered fixtures (if on a budget).
©2010 Chris Santucci
Here are a small group of still images shot on the set:
I remember going into the project I was thinking about how little equipment I could get away with using and as it turned out, my one and only full time crew member got sick 2 days into shooting and was gone for the first week. So there I was almost completely on my own with a camera on my shoulder, having to set the boom mic and move lighting around and kind of loving not having to deal with a lot of gear.
There's a lot to be said for "minimal," and I recommend highly going minimal when possible. Not only does it free you up, but it takes a lot of load off of a minimal (or non-existent) crew.
I recently worked on a commercial shoot with 2 camera operators using available light for exteriors and minimal fluorescent light added to interior setups, and not having to deal with a lot of film lighting surely allowed for more footage and more time actually rolling.
Obviously, the downside is possibly less stylistically involved work, and that's probably the main trade-off - either "nicer" looking shots OR more footage. I suppose it all depends on what you need but I have managed to do more with less more often than not so maybe I'm biased.
With today's light sensitive, large sensor cameras with fast lenses, it's entirely possible to be stylistic and get suitable coverage with minimal added lighting, reflectors, and of course flags and teasers to control ambient light. You have to remember, with regard to lighting, it's not always about what you add, but often - what you take away.
Consider a day interior.
You have hours of ample ambient daylight at your disposal, so with the right choice of curtains, blinds, shears, or whatever window covering you want, you can control that light to the point where you ARE actually lighting with it rather than trying to compete with it using low powered fixtures (if on a budget).
©2010 Chris Santucci
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Why you're not a director
Your favorite film is 20 years old and you don't watch more than one or two movies per week.
You finance and distribute your own films because nobody else will and your films don't sell or get accepted into film festivals.
You have a "better" way to approach filmmaking even though you don't understand the long established methods of filmmaking.
You don't know how to effectively communicate with a cast and crew.
You surround yourself with yes-men and people less experienced than you.
You have a very poor grasp of the visual aspects of storytelling in film.
You almost always defer to your own ego over the good of the film in almost every instance.
You've never been paid to direct anything.
©2010 Chris Santucci
You finance and distribute your own films because nobody else will and your films don't sell or get accepted into film festivals.
You have a "better" way to approach filmmaking even though you don't understand the long established methods of filmmaking.
You don't know how to effectively communicate with a cast and crew.
You surround yourself with yes-men and people less experienced than you.
You have a very poor grasp of the visual aspects of storytelling in film.
You almost always defer to your own ego over the good of the film in almost every instance.
You've never been paid to direct anything.
©2010 Chris Santucci
Friday, May 7, 2010
How to get it done (part 2)
If you manage to get to the point of having a well thought out screenplay that you bounced off more people for feedback than a half dozen close friends and family. If you have a script breakdown, shooting script, and well thought out budget. If you have funds in the bank, then you can (if you're ready to devote yourself for at least a year to the film) strike out and make a film.
At the very least, hire an experienced Line Producer to counsel you on the steps to take, possibly the people to hire, and the pitfalls to avoid in making a film (like not having insurance). You'd be best served to hire a producer IF you have something in the form of a screenplay that many regard as compelling and likely to make a great film.
If you have a script that nobody gets excited about, then just consider it all an experiment and a learning experience and have a nice day :-)
Otherwise... it's time to "prep" the film. Here, is an overview:
Forms, Insurance, Releases
Whether you're under an under-the-radar production or have an LLC set up, you need to cover your ass as much as possible. This means having ALL terms spelled out and agreed to with every single person involved with your film project whether they're crew, talent, or are providing anything that falls under the heading of "intellectual property" , real property, etc.
A "deal memo" is generally used as a contract between production and the crew, while a "talent release" is used as a contract between actors and production. There are also other forms of production contracts you should use like the "property release," when using someone's property to shoot on.
Handshakes and verbal agreements work fine when you're buying a used goat, but it's in a filmmaker's best interest to have agreements in writing with every single human being directly associated with the project. If someone says something like "Oh you don't have to worry about that. You can trust me" - DON'T DO IT. Contracts, however minimal, are meant to protect both parties in a transaction. If someone you're dealing with is leery of signing one, that means there's a good chance they possibly will back out on you if they feel the need to (or worse).
Insurance is not a luxury. Keep that in mind. Even if you have an all volunteer crew and cast, if they get injured, it's on you and possibly whoever owns the property you're shooting on. If someone's property gets damaged during the course of shooting, then in most cases it comes out of the pocket of production (you).
A general liability insurance policy with workers comp (what you want as a minimum) is actually not that expensive and it can save your life. Keep in mind that "short term" policies can cost as much as a full year term.
Hire a Crew
In almost every area of the country there are people who work on films or people who do something very close to it. They may only work on commercials or industrial videos or training videos or whatever, but these people are experienced in lighting, running power, rigging, set dressing, art direction, script supervision, sound recording, shooting footage, running a set, and even producing and directing.
In the absence of having a Line Producer, generally, you'd be best served hiring an experienced Director of Photography/Cinematographer first, because they will know suitable crew to bring into the project and are generally glad to fork over names and numbers of professional crew they themselves work with.
Contact and talk to prospective crew no matter how the names come to you and determine the best configuration of crew members. Sometimes hiring people who work together all the time is a good thing and sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's advantageous to hire friends and volunteers and sometimes it's not.
It's preferred to hire department heads and then let them name the crew they want hired for their departments, keeping in mind that occasionally (especially on big jobs) a department head will sometimes try and have a friend or family member hired for non-crucial crew positions.
Scout and Secure Locations
Where to shoot scenes is almost as important as what actors are in the scenes. Putting actors into settings where the script's scenarios can be acted out for the crew to shoot is essentially the crux of what happens on shoot days. Generally a balance is sought between what would serve the script and director's vision best, cost, accessibility, security, and the holy grail of the sound mixer - quiet.
Shooting in a noisy location can wreak havoc on shoot day schedules and create additional costly and lengthy work during the post production phase to loop dialog and recreate location sound ambience.
Shooting at locations that take time to reach will eat into potential time shooting, so accessibility should not be taken lightly. Noise, accessibility, safety, security, and aesthetics are main considerations after cost.
Audition and Cast Actors
Putting a cast together with the best possible chemistry is a painstaking process and every page of your script will hinge upon performance and chemistry. The cast is what brings the script pages to life and casting choices should also rely upon potential input an actor can provide to the director in bringing more depth to a character.
Almost nothing can destroy a film more than a weak cast so you have to take time to consider casting choices carefully. Casting the best possible actors you can afford should be your goal here and you have to leave emotion out of the process as hard as that can be sometimes.
Be aware that actors tend to sometimes have delicate sensibilities when it comes to their public persona and self image. You cannot treat actors the same way you should be treating crew members.
Rent and/or Purchase Equipment
Depending upon the duration of the production, it can make more sense to purchase equipment and resell after use as opposed to renting equipment. Renting equipment almost always means having to have an insurance policy which is an expense that should be considered, but also be aware that some rental houses will sell you coverage for something like 10%.
Better deals can be had if renting as much equipment as you need from one rental house as opposed to renting various items from multiple rental houses whenever possible. Also, it's important to understand that there is almost always room to negotiate rates with rental houses and they expect it. When these companies are busy, they're less likely to go down on rental rates, but also don't rule out owner/operators who own equipment packages and have low overhead. They like to rent their gear when they're not using it.
Prepare for Human Needs
All your cast, crew, and staff have certain things in common that you will have to allow for and facilitate. They need to eat, have a place to eat, have a place to go to the bathroom, and they need to have a method of conveyance to and from locations and possibly places to park these conveyances. Also, they'll need constant drinking water for the duration of shoot days and ideally a steady supply of various snack items.
Also, keep in mind that the humans will need to be kept warm, dry, and safe.
©2010 Chris Santucci
At the very least, hire an experienced Line Producer to counsel you on the steps to take, possibly the people to hire, and the pitfalls to avoid in making a film (like not having insurance). You'd be best served to hire a producer IF you have something in the form of a screenplay that many regard as compelling and likely to make a great film.
If you have a script that nobody gets excited about, then just consider it all an experiment and a learning experience and have a nice day :-)
Otherwise... it's time to "prep" the film. Here, is an overview:
Forms, Insurance, Releases
Whether you're under an under-the-radar production or have an LLC set up, you need to cover your ass as much as possible. This means having ALL terms spelled out and agreed to with every single person involved with your film project whether they're crew, talent, or are providing anything that falls under the heading of "intellectual property" , real property, etc.
A "deal memo" is generally used as a contract between production and the crew, while a "talent release" is used as a contract between actors and production. There are also other forms of production contracts you should use like the "property release," when using someone's property to shoot on.
Handshakes and verbal agreements work fine when you're buying a used goat, but it's in a filmmaker's best interest to have agreements in writing with every single human being directly associated with the project. If someone says something like "Oh you don't have to worry about that. You can trust me" - DON'T DO IT. Contracts, however minimal, are meant to protect both parties in a transaction. If someone you're dealing with is leery of signing one, that means there's a good chance they possibly will back out on you if they feel the need to (or worse).
Insurance is not a luxury. Keep that in mind. Even if you have an all volunteer crew and cast, if they get injured, it's on you and possibly whoever owns the property you're shooting on. If someone's property gets damaged during the course of shooting, then in most cases it comes out of the pocket of production (you).
A general liability insurance policy with workers comp (what you want as a minimum) is actually not that expensive and it can save your life. Keep in mind that "short term" policies can cost as much as a full year term.
Hire a Crew
In almost every area of the country there are people who work on films or people who do something very close to it. They may only work on commercials or industrial videos or training videos or whatever, but these people are experienced in lighting, running power, rigging, set dressing, art direction, script supervision, sound recording, shooting footage, running a set, and even producing and directing.
In the absence of having a Line Producer, generally, you'd be best served hiring an experienced Director of Photography/Cinematographer first, because they will know suitable crew to bring into the project and are generally glad to fork over names and numbers of professional crew they themselves work with.
Contact and talk to prospective crew no matter how the names come to you and determine the best configuration of crew members. Sometimes hiring people who work together all the time is a good thing and sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's advantageous to hire friends and volunteers and sometimes it's not.
It's preferred to hire department heads and then let them name the crew they want hired for their departments, keeping in mind that occasionally (especially on big jobs) a department head will sometimes try and have a friend or family member hired for non-crucial crew positions.
Scout and Secure Locations
Where to shoot scenes is almost as important as what actors are in the scenes. Putting actors into settings where the script's scenarios can be acted out for the crew to shoot is essentially the crux of what happens on shoot days. Generally a balance is sought between what would serve the script and director's vision best, cost, accessibility, security, and the holy grail of the sound mixer - quiet.
Shooting in a noisy location can wreak havoc on shoot day schedules and create additional costly and lengthy work during the post production phase to loop dialog and recreate location sound ambience.
Shooting at locations that take time to reach will eat into potential time shooting, so accessibility should not be taken lightly. Noise, accessibility, safety, security, and aesthetics are main considerations after cost.
Audition and Cast Actors
Putting a cast together with the best possible chemistry is a painstaking process and every page of your script will hinge upon performance and chemistry. The cast is what brings the script pages to life and casting choices should also rely upon potential input an actor can provide to the director in bringing more depth to a character.
Almost nothing can destroy a film more than a weak cast so you have to take time to consider casting choices carefully. Casting the best possible actors you can afford should be your goal here and you have to leave emotion out of the process as hard as that can be sometimes.
Be aware that actors tend to sometimes have delicate sensibilities when it comes to their public persona and self image. You cannot treat actors the same way you should be treating crew members.
Rent and/or Purchase Equipment
Depending upon the duration of the production, it can make more sense to purchase equipment and resell after use as opposed to renting equipment. Renting equipment almost always means having to have an insurance policy which is an expense that should be considered, but also be aware that some rental houses will sell you coverage for something like 10%.
Better deals can be had if renting as much equipment as you need from one rental house as opposed to renting various items from multiple rental houses whenever possible. Also, it's important to understand that there is almost always room to negotiate rates with rental houses and they expect it. When these companies are busy, they're less likely to go down on rental rates, but also don't rule out owner/operators who own equipment packages and have low overhead. They like to rent their gear when they're not using it.
Prepare for Human Needs
All your cast, crew, and staff have certain things in common that you will have to allow for and facilitate. They need to eat, have a place to eat, have a place to go to the bathroom, and they need to have a method of conveyance to and from locations and possibly places to park these conveyances. Also, they'll need constant drinking water for the duration of shoot days and ideally a steady supply of various snack items.
Also, keep in mind that the humans will need to be kept warm, dry, and safe.
©2010 Chris Santucci
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