Starting out in the indie filmmaking industry

[Protoman2050]

I'll be enrolling in Orange Coast College's (Costa Mesa, CA) film major after I complete my last GE reqs (German, PoliSci, and Speech). I've always been interested in creative arts, esp. writing, and I've
wanted to make films out of my work.

Perhaps I could co-write a script, hire some acting students who are willing to work for minimum wage, and have me, the cinematographer, and the editor invest money to form the production company, and produce the film ourselves. Then enter it into a relatively well-known film festival (obviously not Cannes or Sundance), and distribute it on DVD ourselves.

I plan on using my day-job of cardiac sonography (the degree course I'll be doing after my film course) to finance my filmmaking.

Doug

 

[directorik]

Sounds like an excellent plan. But why wait until you get all the
degrees to start making films?

Perhaps you could co-write a few short scripts, find acting
students willing to work for free, have you and the
cinematographer and the editor invest just a few hundred dollars
and produce five or six short films yourselves.

That way you are learning about making films as you finish your GE
regs, get your major in film and get your degree in cardiac
sonigraphy. And you can still enter film festivals!

 

[Protoman2050]

Sounds like an excellent plan. But why wait until you get all the
degrees to start making films?

Perhaps you could co-write a few short scripts, find acting
students willing to work for free, have you and the
cinematographer and the editor invest just a few hundred dollars
and produce five or six short films yourselves.

That way you are learning about making films as you finish your GE
regs, get your major in film and get your degree in cardiac
sonigraphy. And you can still enter film festivals!

Reason I'm waiting: money.

Seriously, I'd love to, but the only person I know in the industry is my friend's dad, a production accountant. Who got fired because the company owner's wife hates him. Also, I live with my parents (I just turned 18, and have yet to find a job).

Also, when I start projects, I'd like to have the pretense that I know what I'm doing. Directing a film without having any idea of what I'm supposed to do would freak me out. It's just the way I work.

I'm already writing a script, but I'm beginning to realize it would require a budget WAY beyond a few hundred, or even a few thousand dollars to shoot; medical dramas and indie productions don't mix. So I'm going to shelve it right now, and work on something a bit easier, like a 20 minute screenplay.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Protoman2050]

Sounds like an excellent plan. But why wait until you get all the
degrees to start making films?

Perhaps you could co-write a few short scripts, find acting
students willing to work for free, have you and the
cinematographer and the editor invest just a few hundred dollars
and produce five or six short films yourselves.

That way you are learning about making films as you finish your GE
regs, get your major in film and get your degree in cardiac
sonigraphy. And you can still enter film festivals!

Would you consider the director, cinematographer, and editor to be the auteurs of a film?

Maybe with enough filmmaking experience, I can produce films for other indies.

 

[Alcove Audio]

Work on other projects to gain experience. It gets you on a film set and the opportunity to watch others at work. You'll learn lots of lessons, both good and bad. You'll also find others with whom you might want to work in the future.

 

[Protoman2050]

Work on other projects to gain experience. It gets you on a film set and the opportunity to watch others at work. You'll learn lots of lessons, both good and bad. You'll also find others with whom you might want to work in the future.

One of the reasons I shall be attending Orange Coast College's film school. I'll get to work on TV sets and film sets.

When I meet with the department head of the film program at OCC to get info on it, any advice you can give me on what to ask?

Btw: when I start making films post-graduation, would shooting in HDV cause problems with entering a film into a festival?

 

[Amburlesk]

Making movies, an old guy speaks.

I have been in the business since I was a baby, back in the early 1950s, and in production since the 1970s. I have a web page to show you how to start out if you want to look, www.amburlesk.com. It is a work still in progress. Raising money is a main key to your film making decisions. How much you raise is how much you can shoot, it is as simple as that. Movie makers make movies, so above all else, it is desire and guts. Some times you are wrong, and sometimes you are right, in your choices but, always you just get out there and do it. experience is learned by doing. Example, give me $10K and I can make a full featured movie that will sell but it will not be a masterpiece of art, it will be a tight and crude shoot with a lot to be desired but it will be something you can put on the market. If you are going to be a filmmaker, you must always think about how much money can this project make back on each and every project. That is the business of making a show. If you have questions, jusk ask.
Have a wonderful time in film school.

 

[Protoman2050]

I have been in the business since I was a baby, back in the early 1950s, and in production since the 1970s. I have a web page to show you how to start out if you want to look, www.amburlesk.com. It is a work still in progress. Raising money is a main key to your film making decisions. How much you raise is how much you can shoot, it is as simple as that. Movie makers make movies, so above all else, it is desire and guts. Some times you are wrong, and sometimes you are right, in your choices but, always you just get out there and do it. experience is learned by doing. Example, give me $10K and I can make a full featured movie that will sell but it will not be a masterpiece of art, it will be a tight and crude shoot with a lot to be desired but it will be something you can put on the market. If you are going to be a filmmaker, you must always think about how much money can this project make back on each and every project. That is the business of making a show. If you have questions, jusk ask.
Have a wonderful time in film school.

When I start making my own films post-grad, should I hire a 1st AD for a few points, so I can concentrate on blocking the scenes and directing the actors, and not have to worry about logistics, finances and directing the extras. Or should I not, save those precious points, and increase my experience in film production.

 

[indietalk]

When I start making my own films post-grad, should I hire a 1st AD for a few points, so I can concentrate on blocking the scenes and directing the actors, and not have to worry about logistics, finances and directing the extras. Or should I not, save those precious points, and increase my experience in film production.

That's not what the AD does, he/she keeps the film moving along and on schedule. An AD would not usually get points, they'd get their day rate.

 

[Protoman2050]

That's not what the AD does, he/she keeps the film moving along and on schedule. An AD would not usually get points, they'd get their day rate.

How much would a decent 1st AD cost/day? $150/day? How long does the average 20 minute film take to film? 10 days?

 

[Blade_Jones]

I plan on using my day-job of cardiac sonography (the degree course I'll be doing after my film course) to finance my filmmaking.

I hope you're doing this for the love of filmmaking and not to "break even" or "earn a profit" because it is a tough business that has become fragmented because there's soooo many movies being made due to affordable camera gear and editing gear. Somewhere in the neighborhood of over 18,000 videos of all genres are released each year.

How much would a decent 1st AD cost/day? $150/day? How long does the average 20 minute film take to film? 10 days?

Depends on what you are shooting and how much corner cutting you want to do. For an independent film you could cut lots of corners (less shots and set up time, plus maybe have a second camera rolling on some shots) and do it in 2 days. Steven Spielberg shot Duel is a ridiculous amount of time - like 7 days if I remember correctly. He had multiple cameras running at the same time for his driving shots. For most indie films I'd say 4 or 5 days. Being that short films almost never make money I'd cut corners. You really need a DP who knows what he's doing in order to work with a tight schedule.

Or should I not, save those precious points, and increase my experience in film production.

There will never BE any points on a short. If they agree to points rather than pay, then jump on it!

 

[directorik]

Also, when I start projects, I'd like to have the pretense that I know what I'm doing. Directing a film without having any idea of what I'm supposed to do would freak me out. It's just the way I work.

Got ya.

Then any advice I can offer is worthless to you. I’m the type who
grabbed a camera, a few friends and directed movies without knowing
anything. My first roll of film (yes, I’m an old guy) wasn’t even
loaded properly so we got nothing for the first two days. But
that was okay, because I learned what mistake not to make. And
I’m still learning by doing every time a make a movie.

How much would a decent 1st AD cost/day? $150/day? How long does the average 20 minute film take to film? 10 days?

A decent First in Los Angeles might work for as low as $200/$250
per day. Of course with a little prep time and contacts you can get
a good First to work for free for a short film so $150/day could be
reasonable.

I'd say they're is no "average". 10 days seems like a lot to me - I've
made 80 minute features in 10 days and just last month made a
10 minute short in one day. My first short (5 minutes, shot on film
when I was 16) took one 10 hour day and that was using film. So
10 days to shoot a short on video seems like it would be plenty of
time.

 

[Amburlesk]

I agree with you on there being no such thing as average in this business. Planning out each script, after you break them down, before you shoot gets you close but some times the shooting has a mind of its own. I have work on films that worked very well with the planned schedule but i have also work on shoots where we did ten pages in one day because everything was in synch and we could do no wrong, the on others, simple shooting scheduled for half a day ended up taking us a week on a fifteen day schedule because any thing and everything including or main actor getting hit by a drunk driver that drove passed the barriers, the entire film crew, all the extras, and two police officers to accomplish hitting the lead as she was coming out of makeup. Our shooting motto is now this, "Plan your shoot, shoot your plan but expect that change is going to be constant and unforgiving on any production." Another thing my company does that not very others do is the crew and the cast that work on my film always get a piece of the action from a pool I set aside just for them. It isn't much but it shows you care and they are appreciated. I also have a wrap party for everybody that works my productions, including the extras. Goodwill comes back to you more often than not on shoots down the line. Thank you.