How to Produce a Movie in the Middle of Nowhere with No Money
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HOW TO PRODUCE A MOVIE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH NO MONEY A thesis presented To the Honors Tutorial College Ohio University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation from the Honors Tutorial College with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Film by Patrick Local August 2018 Contents Introduction - What Is a Creative Producer 1 Chapter 1 Getting Started 6 Finding the Right Project 6 Building a Timeline 8 Chapter 2 Show Me the Money 12 Where to Find Grants 12 The Anatomy of a Grant Proposal 12 Chapter 3 Casting 21 Know the Difference: Agents, Managers, and Casting Directors 21 Union or Non-Union 21 Talent Agencies 22 Social Media 29 Casting Websites and Other Methods 31 The Audition 32 Callbacks 33 Making an Offer 34 Chapter 4 SAG-AFTRA 36 Contract Overviews 36 The Basic Agreement Summarized 38 The Ultra-Low Budget Agreement Explained 47 Becoming a Signatory 52 The Exhibit G 53 Chapter 5 Locations 57 Finding the Right Location 57 The Scout 61 Location Management 63 Chapter 6 Building a Team 65 A Breakdown of Roles 65 Selecting Crew 72 Chapter 7 The Schedule 73 Breakdowns 73 The Stripboard 77 Day out of Days 81 Chapter 8 The Budget 82 An Example Budget 82 Reducing Costs 90 Chapter 9 Principal Photography 91 Preparing to Shoot 91 Set Operations 93 Putting out Fires 98 The Wrap 100 Local 1 It’s a fine line between the real producers and those who grab a producer credit because they can…. Which is a pity when you look at the real independent producers out there putting together their projects with ingenuity, patience and resourcefulness. -Mike Goodridge, “Producers Who Actually Produce” Introduction: What is a Creative Producer? Films exist simultaneously as works of art and products to be sold, and a successful one is precariously balanced between the two. Development and production can easily turn into a tug-of-war match between the creatives (the director, writer, cinematographer, and so forth) and the executives, and rightly so. A film needs to make money to survive and for its authors to be able to continue making work in the future, but a film whose only consideration is its selling value is kitsch and quickly forgotten. The creative producer is a bridge between these two camps. An effective creative producer fights for the director to achieve as much of their vision as possible but is also the voice of reason when a director demands too much from a production (Lee 193). The advantage, and perhaps also the difficulty, of being a creative producer is the ability to be involved in every area of the production. This is truest for feature films with no budget to ultra-low budgets where crews are reduced, especially in the producing department. Ordinarily, a creative producer might supervise a line producer and a production manager who would fulfill many of the roles outlined in this paper, but ultra- low budget films rarely have this luxury. A creative producer is responsible for making sure the film gets completed and that cast and crew have a safe work environment, maintaining good community relations, and seeing that legal issues and paperwork handled (Lyons 3). You will likely make the schedule and the budget, have a hand in securing funding, and oversee hiring the crew. At Local 2 the same time, you will give input on all creative aspects of the film from story to casting to the shot list. To be a creative producer is to wear many hats and to be expected to wear them well. There are many guides on how to produce films, but I have not found one yet that discusses what it takes to be a producer. The process of producing an ultra-low budget feature from start to finish is absolutely grueling. It consumes all of your free time. The pay is nonexistent until you finish, when and if you manage to sell the film. If you are not the right person for the job, you will not make it to the finish line. So what does it take to be a producer? Good Communication The art of persuasion is crucial to the independent producer. On big budget movies, producers have money, which is all the persuasion that most people need, but if you are producing an ultra-low budget film, you are going to be asking for favors- for people to work at a lower rate than usual or for free, for discounts on rentals, to borrow locations and big set items, and so forth. At any level, a producer has to be able to negotiate, but this is especially important when you have very little to with which to negotiate. A producer needs to be able to speak publicly as well because there will be times when you need to hold production meetings and pitch to investors. Good communication, and subsequently your ability to persuade, means being able to read nonverbal cues and project your own nonverbal cues that are in line with the idea you are trying to present. You have to be able to listen in such a way that the other party feels heard. Producing can easily turn into a popularity contest. You are competing with other people for projects, for crew, for locations, and for actors, and sometimes the Local 3 deciding factor on whether or not someone will help is simply how much they like you. Ask yourself, “How easily do I make friends?” Critical Thinking A creative producer has to be able to troubleshoot and problem solve under pressure. On a low-budget film, there is going to be very little money set aside for emergencies, so you need to be resourceful and innovative. I was producing a short film a couple years ago where we arranged to have someone bring his car to set for one of the scenes because the director had a very specific model and color in mind. We were ahead of schedule, so I called him to make sure he would be on time, and I learned that he had left town the night before. I wanted to be angry, but there was no time. I got in my car and drove around town until I found a similar car, and then I convinced the owner to trade cars for the day with me, a perfect stranger (there is your communication skills). You have to be flexible and tolerant of change and uncertainty, so that when problems do arise, you can act quickly and decisively. Leadership A good producer knows how to manage other people. You need to be able to collaborate with writers, directors, cinematographers and editors, but you will also have to delegate tasks the other members of your production. A leader does not bully people into doing for them, but knows how to build relationships and motivate people to want to do for them. Some people might consider themselves a good leader because they get people to give them what they want, but the true test is how people feel after working with you. Are people left feeling satisfied and happy that they have helped you? If not, Local 4 you need to reevaluate your methods. If you burn people out, you will soon find yourself empty-handed on your next project. Conflict management is essential on a feature length film. When working on shorts, people are more forgiving and will usually hold their grievances until after the film is shot. With a feature, you will be working long hours for somewhere between ten and forty days depending on the scale of your film and the speed of your crew. People get tired and hungry and spend too much time with one another, making crew more susceptible to conflicts and hurt feelings. Superficial arguments fester quickly and destroy morale. An effective producer can see these tensions building and defuse them before they disrupt the production. Mediation skills are a must. Directors and crew can sometimes become too distracted by the production and do and say things that erode their relationships with actors and location owners. A producer must be able to quickly repair these relationships to avoid losing critical resources during the shoot. Professionalism A producer is not a creative and will not be afforded any of the forgiveness for eccentricities that artists can be. You are the liaison between your production and the community. A successful producer has emotional intelligence and self-awareness that allows him to build relationships and network with other professionals. A producer should have intercultural competence and can navigate politics present in the crew, in the industry, and in the community. You should know how to accept criticism and engage with difficult personalities without getting upset and presenting yourself in an embarrassing light. You have to be a team-player that shares accolades and accepts Local 5 responsibility when necessary. A producer needs to be able to manage time effectively, stay organized and mindful of details, and always be punctual. Capital To be a producer, you need capital. If you are independently wealthy, congratulations! Fortunately for the rest of us, money is not the only type of capital in this industry. Ideas are capital, relationships are capital, and time and energy are capital. If you do not have money, make sure you have the others. Local 6 Chapter 1 Getting Started So you have what it takes to be a producer. Now what? You need a producible script. A good creative producer is always looking for opportunities. Sometimes you will find a project, and sometimes a project finds you.