Tips for a successful low budget film

[Cracker Funk]

jax_rox, I think your list is a great warning on how not to be a shitty director.

I actually agree with Kholi, regarding rehearsals, but it sounds to me like the two of you are almost talking about two different things. I don't think the kind of rehearsals Kholi is talking about sound even slightly similar to the way you describe this particularly shitty director you've recently worked with.

I actually really like rehearsing just before shooting. But three hours? WTF?!

[Kholi]

Yeah, I didn't realize he meant like three hour rehearsals. I'm talking like the setup time and an additional ten for tweaking once set's hot.

LoL Three hours is outrageous.

[jax_rox]

Yeah, hence why the schedule blew out, the only day we actually compelted everything was scheduled was the one 16 hour day we did. Now, I've worked 14 and 16 hour days on film sets, very very rarely but it can happen if, for example, on a low budget short you only have one weekend t o shoot a 10-15 minute film. Usually you're also working at certain pace so that it gets to 14 hours and you don't even realise.
A 16 hour day that gets that way because you're taking hours rehearsing scenes isn't acceptable IMO, unless you're willing tp pay crew overtime.

And yeah, our data wrangler was not a fan either

Somewhat relates back to my point about the set not revolving around you - if you're going to spend 5 minutes at the start of each take before actually calling action, then don't get annoyed when we have to wait for a card to copy. And when the 1st AD tries to talk to you about it and say listen if you want to have the cards ready to go, then direct before the camera's rolling, don't then start arguing with him about how he doesn't understand 'the process' and how 'this is how they do it on all film sets' and how it's the 'data wranglers fault' and how he can 'show you the book that he read it in if you want'

[jax_rox]

Oh, yeah I should probably clear up, I have absolutely no issue at all with the standard rehearsal process on set - in fact I prefer when we have rehearslas because it gives me more time to get marks, and figure out the flow of the scene in terms of the focus pulling etc. But three hours before you even want to set the camera up is jsut a waste of my time

[Sucramdoow]

This is some useful information keep in mind for when I go on to direct a larger crew. Nice one.

[mlesemann]

The actors on my feature (Surviving Family) were paid. I told my director that I would pay for one day of rehearsal (all I could afford) of whatever scene or combo of scenes she wanted.

She used it for a pivotal, very choreographed scene, and it was well worth it.

Everything else was rehearsed while the crew set up the lights and camera.

[jax_rox]

On set rehearsals are standard procedure, and I hate when we're asked to 'shoot the rehearsal' because it's then no longer a rehearsal.. but yeah, rehearsals of the scene itself should be done whilst setting up lighting and camera, and then a couple of rehearsals for camera, and then shoot. If you need to spend three hours rehearsing scene then.. I dunno, maybe movie directing is not for you

[Cracker Funk]

Originally Posted by jax_rox

On set rehearsals are standard procedure, and I hate when we're asked to 'shoot the rehearsal' because it's then no longer a rehearsal.. but yeah, rehearsals of the scene itself should be done whilst setting up lighting and camera, and then a couple of rehearsals for camera, and then shoot. If you need to spend three hours rehearsing scene then.. I dunno, maybe movie directing is not for you

Agreed.

[trueindie]

RE: Rehearsals

Originally Posted by Kholi

This would be pretty true on a large production. It is not always possible (if ever at all) to do on a tiny production. Knowing blocking, location, so on and so forth with that sort of depth requires having access to the location months prior, and being able to go in and tweak to your desire.

That's called money.

Low Budget = No Money.

I've only worked on micro budget stuff. But I always rehearse. I don't have to rehearse on location. But I call everybody to somebody's house, I describe the layout of the actual location and we go over the lines. If some of the lines seem fake, I change it. I think rehearsal is not that difficult to do, and is almost a necessity if you want to have a good shoot day. I figure out an awful lot during the rehearsals. What I'm saying is that no matter what your budget, if you really want to, you can hold rehearsals. It makes your life easy on the shoot day. It makes everybody else's life easy as well.

[trueindie]

Originally Posted by jax_rox

...., I had a lot of the actors commenting to me on how the previous rehearsal period was a complete waste of time because the Director was changing things completely from the rehearsal, to the point where he was contradicting himself (ie, the actor would do something in rehearsal, he'd say no I don't like it do it this way and then on set he would say no I don't like it and ask the actor to do exactly what they initially did in the first rehearsals).

Jax, I'm not trying to nitpick. But I think it's important that the director has the option to change his mind. I change my mind every now and then, because even when I plan something, the set might make it impossible for me to achieve it, and then I go with something else, even though I told everybody something different before. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen, almost invariably when I want a smooth dolley shot and fail to achieve it. I don't know the circumstances with you and this particular director, but I would like to reserve the right to change my mind.

[harmonica44]

Originally Posted by trueindie

Hey Alcove, what's it going to take for people to learn this. I just shot something and everything was budgeted for but sound. Why can't we get out brain to wrap around the fact that without good audio everything else is useless???? why why why??? What's the best way to tell someone, that without good audio, all the time you spend on set is pretty much worthless?

I don't know what the sound will be like yet, but I know it's going to be crap. More money will be spent on ADR if the producer wants it that way.

It's the same with me, I showed some stuff I shot to some people and as soon as I told them I recorded to separate field recorder, they just couldn't wrap their heads around that.

[harmonica44]

Originally Posted by trueindie

Hey Alcove, what's it going to take for people to learn this. I just shot something and everything was budgeted for but sound. Why can't we get out brain to wrap around the fact that without good audio everything else is useless???? why why why??? What's the best way to tell someone, that without good audio, all the time you spend on set is pretty much worthless?

I don't know what the sound will be like yet, but I know it's going to be crap. More money will be spent on ADR if the producer wants it that way.

It's the same with me, I showed some stuff I shot to some people and as soon as I told them I recorded to separate field recorder, they just couldn't wrap their heads around that.

[jax_rox]

Originally Posted by trueindie

Jax, I'm not trying to nitpick. But I think it's important that the director has the option to change his mind. I change my mind every now and then, because even when I plan something, the set might make it impossible for me to achieve it, and then I go with something else, even though I told everybody something different before. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen, almost invariably when I want a smooth dolley shot and fail to achieve it. I don't know the circumstances with you and this particular director, but I would like to reserve the right to change my mind.

Dont get me wrong, I'm not suggesting a Director can't change their mind, tweak performances, or whatever. But, having an actor do it thirteen different ways before you eventally decide that the way you want it is the exact same way they originally did it three months ago in rehearsals, and what you intially said you hated because it didn't fit the emotion of the scene..
Again, yhis is just things I heard on set, so how accurate it is, I'm not sure. I did see us go through an actor doing an action 5, 10 different ways before the decision was made.. I also saw the Director ask us to put the camera in 4, 5, 6 different positions before he decided the best one is the first position we were in (and where the DP had placed the camera becasue he knew the shot would work best there).

If something isn't working, then by all means change your mind but you also need to know what you want. Apparently the previous DPs last day consisted of him setting up the camera, then the Director telling him how bad the composition of the shot was, then he had to reset the camera in 4 different positions, before the Director asked him to place the camera in the initial position the DP had put it in and asked him to roll. The DP I was working for was a lot mor patient..
This Director also wouldn't enter into any discussion about what the shots were that we absolutely needed, what we could possibly cut if we were running behind, or what any of the issues with certain shots were: rather than discussing an issue with the DP, he'd try to fix it himself..

[trueindie]

@Jax: Your director sounds like he is from everyone's nightmare

[jax_rox]

If I saw a doco on the making of the film, I'd laugh hysterically and think 'there's no way this is real'. But I lived it man It was simultaneously hilarious and frustrating/infuriating...

Even simple suggestions from the DP like 'let's do the shots with the 85mm seeing as we've got it on the camera already and then pick up the wider ones you want to do' were met with responses like 'no that's not the way it's done, you'll mess with the flow of everything'.

It actually became a running joke where one of us would suggest something to make the shot look better, or the current day run better and he'd dismiss it because it was a 'bad idea' and then after 15 minutes of discussion, he'd come up with this great idea of how we could make the shot look better or how we could make the day run better - except it was the exact thing we'd suggested at the start.