How long should I commit to someone's feature film before moving on?

H

harmonica44

I have the lead role in a feature which has been shot throughout last year. But the new year is ahead and I still have at least 30 scenes left around. I would like to move to another city with my fiancee, to find more filmmaking connections, as we planned, but the feature is still not near finished, and I don't want it all to to go waste. I want to do the right, thing be professional and stick to it, till it's done and they have things done to make a movie out of. But having to do it over such a long period of time can be consuming as well as difficult, such as trying to keep myself looking the same for continuity even though months have past since I acted in the scenes that are suppose to follow, etc.

But at the same time, I have been doing it for a year, and would like to move on as planned, and just find other filmmaking connections in a better city for it. So I am curious as to what other aspiring filmmakers would do, and what you think is fair? I feel I owe it to them since they helped me with my first short film. What do you think of this?

Thanks.
 
Tell him to set a deadline and you are unavailable after that date.
If his deadline is unreasonable then negotiate it
 
I tried that but they said that they are having trouble meeting deadlines, because of getting locations and needing new actors for certain parts. I could do that, but I do want to not want the movie to be a waste. But I will level with them. When we find a place to move into next year, that will be the deadline I suppose.
 
What sort of a budget are they working with here? If it comes to it and you need to play hard with them, you might have to play the "if you can pay for my ticket to have to travel back and forth to film more scenes then I will be able to commit to any more time you need".

I'm sure that this is how it works anyway when an actor has to come back to do more shots and in the meantime they're working on another film as well - they have the travel expenses paid for them?
 
Yeah man, you can't put your life on hold like that. I mean, they spent a year already and haven't been able to finish? What are the paying you, if anything? If they can't set deadlines that's a leadership problem.

The above advice is great. Let them know you're moving by whatever date (your terms, not his) and be available to finish before then. Alternatively, ask them to pay travel expenses if they need you in the future.

Sucks they weren't able to finish, but geez, a year with no deadlines or end in sight!?
 
With due respect to those involved, it sounds like the sort of project that might never even get finished.

Projects like that quickly become a burden rather than an opportunity.

Be clear, first with yourself, then with them, about how much more time you're able/willing to sink into it.

That's not unreasonable. And it might even have the effect of focusing the minds of those in charge towards getting it finished one way or the other.

On the other hand, if they think you're going to hang around indefinitely, where's the incentive for them to get themselves organised...?
 
I have the lead role in a feature which has been shot throughout last year.
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Last year was 2012. It's the end of 2013, soon to be 2014. Time to cut and run, especially if there isn't an achievable plan in place to get this thing in the can within a reasonable time.

I feel I owe it to them since they helped me with my first short film.
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Loyalty is a great attribute, within reason. What would you do if it's still not completed 60 months from now?
 
Lots of good advice above.

You have been working on the project on and off for a year yet 30 scenes are still not complete. That's not a good sign...
I would like to move to another city with my fiancee, to find more filmmaking connections, as we planned
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Is that the only reason you're moving H44? Breaking into film making is particularly difficult in Canada now - I'm sure you are aware. The work seems to be mostly (not entirely) split between Vancouver and Toronto. There's hugely less work in Vancouver then there used to be. Various States in the USA are offering better tax breaks than Vancouver / Toronto these days and Canada is suffering badly for it.

No offence but given it's been tough to get you to film stuff, be very careful with your relation decisions (or whether you should move at all). Acting roles are hard to come by. Paid film making roles (crew - non-acting) are very hard to come back when you have very little experience. Your lack of a good showreel will hamper you.

Vancouver and Toronto do have a lot more indie folks and film professionals. Can you afford to pay professional prices? Some may simply help you out - both the pros and indie folks but even then many will want to see they are not wasting their time and they'll get a decent credit etc for their work. Given your lack of experience and directing credits, that may well be a very tall order.

Moving to a different city/town is obviously a huge call. You say your partner is also involved. Personally, I would only move to a city that has a lot more job opportunities for me and I'm not talking about film making jobs. I love film making but paying the bills is very important to me, that has to come above film making for me personally.

Also be aware that property is crazingly experience in Vancouver to buy, and renting is not cheap either. How does a small townhouse for one million sound? That's what you need in Vancouver due to all the hot money from Asia inflating the property bubble over here for the last 10+ years. Property in Toronto is about 50% less (to buy / rent's cheaper too) yet wages are around 30% higher. And non-film making work is much easier to come by in Toronto too...

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You should stay there until the film is completed, even if it takes 26 years and costs you your fiancé, your job, all your money, your self-respect and your sanity.

C'mon, what kind of moronic question is that?
 
Well when I say I want to move, what I mean is, is that I want to move to a place where their are more people available that I can hire to make short films. Like here, if I hold a casting call, only five people show up at most so far. I talked to an aspiring director who lives in Calgary and he said at least 50 people show up on average for his. i want to make short films for experience, but I would like more cast and crew to help for that. I don't plan on moving to Vancouver just yet, but perhaps a city big enough to get 50 or more cast and crew options to choose from.

I want to work with actors and crew, and am tired of having to shoot things like buildings or my friend's pets and things like that.

That's my reason for moving, to find people to work with. I live in a city of 300,000 so either there is not enough filmmaking people here, or I am doing something wrong.

The feature I am acting in. We are all doing it for free actually. I just owe the director a favor since she was the DP on my short before and stuck it out a few months when I had to recast. She is my friend too, but I think sometimes she can be a bit unrealistic, like when she shoots a scene months later, and it is surprised that the actors hair has changed and all, which causes more delays. But she does her best, since actors and crew do not want to do a 30 day in a row shoot, like more expensive movies seem to do. Most locations are not available in such a short amount of time anyway, and you have to wait weeks or months even before you can get into the soonest one. So I understand it's tough.

I have the lead role in the feature, so I have the most scenes to shoot of course. I like having the opportunity and hope it works out. There is one scene I where a hat, and I said to the director, that I should just wear that hat all the time if my hair looks different, but she said no and have to keep it the same till it's finished.

As far as travel expenses, the actors she got are her friends and acquaintances who live in the city anyway.
 
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harmonica44 said:
That's my reason for moving, to find people to work with. I live in a city of 300,000 so either there is not enough filmmaking people here, or I am doing something wrong.
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Well ensure you can get a job and pay the bills.

Moving can be very expensive, unless you just have a suitcase or can do-it-yourself.

And how long can you keep going without a job? You need to have a good savings buffer in case finding a new job takes longer than you expect.

Calgary has very good salaries. It is dominated by oil, gas, mining type companies.

Do your research before moving. Given how difficult it is to break into film making professionally, I would not just move for that reason. I would only move if I was certain I could get a good job within 4-6 weeks and that job would pay the bills etc. Make sure you will be better off for the move, not worst off. Ask people who live in the city etc. And can your partner easily get a job etc.
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Oh ya for sure, I wouldn't want to move without a job waiting, and we are asking around for sure. I have a mining job as my day job, so perhaps something in that industry would work for me. She is looking as well. We won't move until we found a good place, with some employment opportunities first. Perhaps it won't be next year even, although I hope so. It's just the feature does not seem to be getting done, and I don't want to leave everyone hanging ideally.
 
harmonica44 said:
Well when I say I want to move, what I mean is, is that I want to move to a place where their are more people available that I can hire to make short films. Like here, if I hold a casting call, only five people show up at most so far. I talked to an aspiring director who lives in Calgary and he said at least 50 people show up on average for his. i want to make short films for experience, but I would like more cast and crew to help for that. I don't plan on moving to Vancouver just yet, but perhaps a city big enough to get 50 or more cast and crew options to choose from.
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That's my reason for moving, to find people to work with. I live in a city of 300,000 so either there is not enough filmmaking people here, or I am doing something wrong.
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Move to (South East) Queensland, Australia. Our filming industry is in the shits and it's rather easy to put together a team. I'll even organize the people for you. You get one shot. Screw it up and you're f**ked. I'll even organize a venue where you can handle auditions.

You got a better offer than that?
 
^Not to mention Australia's internet speed but I digress.

I think the best thing to do is to be honest with your friend, explain how you're feeling. What has been shot so far of the scenes you're in - are they scenes where you interact with other characters?

Maybe there's a creative compromise that can be reached. Sometimes filmmaking involves having to shoot the angles you need with certain actors and if that actor can't be available you need to get all those angles with them when you can and then others in the scene can have their angles covered, even if it's at a later date.
 
Yep I have shot scenes where I interact with other characters and if I wasn't acting I was helping out on set, and boomin in other scenes. I have suggested doing the close ups of me before, and then doing the shots of other actors later.

But she is not up with that so far. So far her style has been to shoot a lot of master shots, and is not really about close ups. She's one of those directors who likes wider mastershots for most of the scene. She also feels that if I shoot I shoot my shots seperately, that it will not match. There will be inconsistencies is lighting, sound etc. Maybe the location will change...

That happened to me on my short she helped with, the location changed, and there was a window in the room, where there wasn't before, and it was impossible to color grade, to match in post, cause of sunlight shining through in one compared to the other.

So maybe that got her scared of shooting shots in scenes on separate days. Plus maybe the locations may change or become unavailable later. I will suggest it again and maybe if I am moving that will help her decide. However it is winter time right now, and I still have to be in scenes, that take place in the summer time, to match the time period of other outdoor scenes from before. Which means those outdoor scenes will have to wait till summer I suppose. I will suggest the idea again and talk to her about things.
 
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It sounds like you're between a rock and a hard place with this project. I hope something gets worked out so that you don't feel like you're having to put your own life on hold for someone else.

Best of luck!
 
a feature which has been shot throughout last year
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...the feature is still not near finished
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I still have at least 30 scenes left around
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Most locations are not available in such a short amount of time anyway, and you have to wait weeks or months even before you can get into the soonest one.
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Okay, so let's say your friend shoots one of your 30+ scenes every fortnight starting from now (highly unlikely from what I'm gathering).
That is 60+ more weeks of hanging around and being available for her. In other words, at least another year, and I'm guessing that would be far too overly optimistic.
Sounds like this project could stretch on for years and years, and will be full of continuity errors, or else (probably) it will just never get finished at all and you will never get to move to a city where you can find somewhere to hold auditions so you will have to just keep filming your friend's cats.

It's pretty obvious that you can't put your life on hold like that, particularly if you have a fiancé to think about too.

Sure, your friend might have done you a favour but like you said;

...she was the DP on my short before and stuck it out a few months when I had to recast.
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How many years of your life was that favour worth?
Tell her your leaving and if she can't get it together in time then sorry, she will have to fork out the money to have you travel back and forth or she will learn she has to be far more organised on her next project.
 
Yeah. I wish we could get these actors and crew to just do the 30 day in a row shoot method, like the Calgary guy I met once, did.

But I will move as soon as we find a good place, and not let the movie stop us, if it is not finished by then. I just feel sorry for the movie and all the effort put into it.
 
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