It has frequently been said that if you do not have a plan for success, then you have a plan for failure and this is very pertinent to the procedure of filmmaking too. Imagine it; a producer gets a script that he or she likes, then what? Top actors can be booked up for years as can all the top directors and technical staff.
So, whilst you are trying to get backers for the film, you have to begin co-ordinating all your key personnel. Let's say that you want a particular director, a few of the foremost technicians and you have five main character roles, for which you have preferences. First, you might have to wait for your favourite casting director to have time to help.
You get in touch with the director and he may not begin until the end of January. However, your first choices for the leading five actors cannot all be free for long enough to shoot the film until June,
However, some of them could spare a couple of days here and there before that. Now the leading man and the leading lady want to appoint executive directors to take care of their interests.
The script writer and a few the top investors also demand to appoint executive directors in order to look after their interests as well. Now you have what amounts to a board of directors with a chairman, each one with slightly different focuses, but all wanting the film to become a success.
Of course, the backers want to know exactly how much the film will cost and the actors will want to know when their agents may book their next film in.
This means that time and money has to get allocated to every scene. So someone has to cost each scene and allow for weather, sickness, breakdowns and delays.
If the producer wants to begin before everyone can be on the set, he can arrange to shoot scenes as and when actors get a spare day or two and this means a lot of co-ordination by the continuity staff.
It may also mean hardship with visas if shooting abroad, where authorization to film will also have to be acquired. This may mean a license or corruption.
If the film is an epic, they might need thousands of extras and perhaps none of them will be able to speak English, so you will need interpreters and the script might need to be translated in part. And that translation has to be proven to be accurate
Customs and local habits have to be followed, so first you have to know what they are and you need to be sure the actors and technicians recognize them. If you are shooting some scenes on location and others at home, you need to take the local seasons into account.
Some countries only have a couple of hours daylight at some times of the year, whilst other regions vary from 15 hours to five hours. What if you want a monsoon, you have taken your cast to Thailand and hired 500 extras and the monsoon comes four weeks late? Your insurance will have to be very detailed and specific to cover each eventuality.
Shooting a film is a mammoth challenge and frighteningly costly, so if you do not plan, you will fail and the more detailed the plan you have, the more control you have and the more likelihood of success.
So, whilst you are trying to get backers for the film, you have to begin co-ordinating all your key personnel. Let's say that you want a particular director, a few of the foremost technicians and you have five main character roles, for which you have preferences. First, you might have to wait for your favourite casting director to have time to help.
You get in touch with the director and he may not begin until the end of January. However, your first choices for the leading five actors cannot all be free for long enough to shoot the film until June,
However, some of them could spare a couple of days here and there before that. Now the leading man and the leading lady want to appoint executive directors to take care of their interests.
The script writer and a few the top investors also demand to appoint executive directors in order to look after their interests as well. Now you have what amounts to a board of directors with a chairman, each one with slightly different focuses, but all wanting the film to become a success.
Of course, the backers want to know exactly how much the film will cost and the actors will want to know when their agents may book their next film in.
This means that time and money has to get allocated to every scene. So someone has to cost each scene and allow for weather, sickness, breakdowns and delays.
If the producer wants to begin before everyone can be on the set, he can arrange to shoot scenes as and when actors get a spare day or two and this means a lot of co-ordination by the continuity staff.
It may also mean hardship with visas if shooting abroad, where authorization to film will also have to be acquired. This may mean a license or corruption.
If the film is an epic, they might need thousands of extras and perhaps none of them will be able to speak English, so you will need interpreters and the script might need to be translated in part. And that translation has to be proven to be accurate
Customs and local habits have to be followed, so first you have to know what they are and you need to be sure the actors and technicians recognize them. If you are shooting some scenes on location and others at home, you need to take the local seasons into account.
Some countries only have a couple of hours daylight at some times of the year, whilst other regions vary from 15 hours to five hours. What if you want a monsoon, you have taken your cast to Thailand and hired 500 extras and the monsoon comes four weeks late? Your insurance will have to be very detailed and specific to cover each eventuality.
Shooting a film is a mammoth challenge and frighteningly costly, so if you do not plan, you will fail and the more detailed the plan you have, the more control you have and the more likelihood of success.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on lots of subjects, but is at present concerned with professional studio photographers. If you have an interest in cameras, please go over to our website now at cameras Studio Cameras
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