Funding source
There is a cost to making a short film or music video. In the world of film projects, 'cost' can be either money or labor. The cost is the fuel of your project. Even if you do not spend any hard cash on your film project, it is still going to take human effort. That effort is considered part of your cost. Hence, there is no such thing as 'free' when it comes to project work. There is always a cost to getting something done.
Since cost is considered a constraint, and thus, one of the pillars of your final work, it is extremely important to have a handle on where it is coming from.
For the time being, let's talk about the money part of things. There is usually going to be some money spent. Even if you are just buying your crew water, there is money coming from somewhere. So you need to have a grip on where that money is coming from. It really boils down to two possibilities: either it is coming from you or it is coming from somebody else. Let's take a look at each...
Self funded - You are the source of all spending. From a creative standpoint, this is usually the most desirable place to get your money. You have nobody to answer to (with the possible exception of a spouse) and nobody you may be forced to bring into the creative loop. The entire risk is yours, the entire reward is yours.
There are several possible problems with this.
First, most short films or self-produced videos of any kind are more than likely to be money losers. You have to be prepared to look at this money spent as a career investment or as money spent for fun because you are not likely to ever see it again. Which means you have to get the money somehow. Which means that you probably have to go to work to earn it. Which adds time to your schedule. Unless you inherit it or already have it saved, you will have to take time to pull it together.
When you are worried about the money part of the project, you are spending energy not thinking about the creative side of the project. In order to put together the best possible project, you need to have your worries on the creative side of things and not the financial.
Secondly, when you are self-funding, there is no other creative voice to help hone your vision. Even the biggest filmmakers in history tended to have people they trusted in positions of responsibility to help hone the vision. A financial partner becomes one of those people.
Self-funding...
Advantages: No strings attached, it is your production all the way. You reap all financial and creative rewards.
Disadvantages: You take all financial risk. No partner to help clarify vision.
Third party - Someone is giving you the money either as an investment, as a donation/gift, or as a hired hand. Let's look at each...
Investment - A third party is giving you the money in the hopes of recouping the money at a later date and perhaps make a profit (Other peoples money or O.P.M.). Occasionally, you will find a someone who wants to invest in a 'promising young filmmaker' or someone with a hunch on you and is thinks your idea may be worth a shot. In these cases, the party giving you the money is expecting it back. They are hoping to make a little extra.
Warning: an investment implies ownership. So be crystal clear with your new partner what their investment is purchasing. Is it a 50% stake in your project? Is it a 10% stake in your project? Is it a 100% stake in your project? Write it down on a piece of paper and both you and the investor sign the paper. Better yet, have an attorney draw up some paperwork.
Because you have an equity partner in your project, that partner may require creative input in the project. Is that good or bad? Hard to say. Not always bad, not always good. But ownership implies that input is acceptable so be prepared to document responsibilities and outline boundaries in terms of creative input and control. Talk about it prior to beginning to minimize heartache.
Advantages: O.P.M. is best. You take no financial risk and reap a reward. A partner can help clarify vision.
Disadvantages: You now have a partner who may also wish to make creative decisions. Your vision may have to change in order to satisfy the investors' wishes. Your vision may be asked to change in order to increase the chances of recouping the investment.
Donation/Gift - A third party is giving you the money with no expectation of you returning it. Parents, relatives and family friends are the most likely people to give you free money. An organization or foundation may be willing to provide you with a grant if your script is something that appeals to their organization in some way. Getting donated money may require you to modify your original script in order to meet submission guidelines.
Advantages: O.P.M. is best. You take no financial risk and reap the reward.
Disadvantages: There may be creative strings attached.
*Hired job - A third party has contracted with you to provide a service. Nice. Why are you reading this if you are getting paid gigs already? Geez...
Documenting your funding sources helps to focus you and clarify your objective. Believe it or not, that is important when you are trying to cobble together something on your own.
Completion date
Every project is supposed to come to an eventual end and a film project is no exception. Establishing a due date focuses your schedule and keeps you on track to deliver your final piece.
If the project is self-funded and you are pushing for a high quality end product, your due date may slide in order to accommodate this strategy but it is always best practice to have some kind of date. If you are producing a job for pay or are trying to meet a hard delivery date (festivals, awards), your completion date is referred to as a “deadline”.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
INFORMATION QUADRANT
Project Objective
There are quite frankly about a million different ways one can put together a film project and still achieve a result. But is it the result you are looking for?
It is entirely possible to conceive, shoot, edit and distribute a short film and still end up with something you are not or cannot be proud of. The majority of short film projects that are conceived are never finished. Those that are finished are rarely what the director initially intended. There are many reasons for this, but most often, the director loses his/her vision somewhere along the way due to time, money and resource constraints. You just want to finish the film and will do anything to get it done. Too bad, your epic ended up having an actor you didn’t want, delivering lines horribly, under no lights, with terrible sound.
To avoid this ‘petering-out’ ending to your project you need to approach the work with a very real goal in mind. Why are you doing the project? A clear answer to the ‘why’ question will focus you when project is facing its bleakest hours.
Examples of ‘why’:
• You are trying to get noticed and need a hot short film to circulate around the net.
• You and a friend just want to have fun.
• You have a creative idea you can’t get out of your head.
• You were hired to do the job for a third party.
• School or work project.
• An experiment for a different/larger project.
• A trailer to sell a larger movie idea.
Having a clear objective helps to define your approach to the project and keeps you pointed in the proper direction when circumstances threaten to creep your film into a different direction. I think we can agree that if you were making a short film to advance your career versus making a short film for your local church you would approach each differently. You would most likely take your time with the former in order to achieve the highest possible quality. The latter is going to be on a strict deadline and even stricter budget. Each is a short film. Each is approached with a different set of goals and parameters.
Risk /Assumptions
Every film project is full of risk. Risks are those opportunities and threats that can affect your final product. Examples of risks are:
• Crew not showing up on the day of your shoot.
• Money you were counting on never arrives.
• Equipment breaks or doesn’t perform as expected.
• You get a bill for that ‘free’ stuff you thought you were getting.
The quickest way to get your project into danger is to ignore your risks. Even though risks are a part of any project, there are strategies for managing them.
The In order to identify potential risks to your film, you begin with an analysis of your “unsure of’s” or “assumptions”. Assumptions are those things that you ‘think are true’ but could change for some reason. Examples of typical film project assumptions:
• Assuming crew will show-up.
• Assuming money will materialize.
• Assuming equipment will work.
• Assuming your filming locations have been secured.
A good producer is constantly looking for ‘assumptions’ and writing them down so that they can be dealt with accordingly.
Film risk management quick guide:
1. Identify potential risks to your film.
a. What are your ‘unsure of’s’ and assumptions. These are risks.
b. What bad things have happened on past films (either yours or someone elses). These are risks.
2. Evaluate those risks.
a. What is the likelihood that the risk will happen?
b. If it happens, what will it cost me in terms of money and or time?
3. Respond to those risks
a. Try to prevent them.
b. Try to minimize them if they do happen.
c. Give them to someone else.
d. Ignore them.
There are quite frankly about a million different ways one can put together a film project and still achieve a result. But is it the result you are looking for?
It is entirely possible to conceive, shoot, edit and distribute a short film and still end up with something you are not or cannot be proud of. The majority of short film projects that are conceived are never finished. Those that are finished are rarely what the director initially intended. There are many reasons for this, but most often, the director loses his/her vision somewhere along the way due to time, money and resource constraints. You just want to finish the film and will do anything to get it done. Too bad, your epic ended up having an actor you didn’t want, delivering lines horribly, under no lights, with terrible sound.
To avoid this ‘petering-out’ ending to your project you need to approach the work with a very real goal in mind. Why are you doing the project? A clear answer to the ‘why’ question will focus you when project is facing its bleakest hours.
Examples of ‘why’:
• You are trying to get noticed and need a hot short film to circulate around the net.
• You and a friend just want to have fun.
• You have a creative idea you can’t get out of your head.
• You were hired to do the job for a third party.
• School or work project.
• An experiment for a different/larger project.
• A trailer to sell a larger movie idea.
Having a clear objective helps to define your approach to the project and keeps you pointed in the proper direction when circumstances threaten to creep your film into a different direction. I think we can agree that if you were making a short film to advance your career versus making a short film for your local church you would approach each differently. You would most likely take your time with the former in order to achieve the highest possible quality. The latter is going to be on a strict deadline and even stricter budget. Each is a short film. Each is approached with a different set of goals and parameters.
Risk /Assumptions
Every film project is full of risk. Risks are those opportunities and threats that can affect your final product. Examples of risks are:
• Crew not showing up on the day of your shoot.
• Money you were counting on never arrives.
• Equipment breaks or doesn’t perform as expected.
• You get a bill for that ‘free’ stuff you thought you were getting.
The quickest way to get your project into danger is to ignore your risks. Even though risks are a part of any project, there are strategies for managing them.
The In order to identify potential risks to your film, you begin with an analysis of your “unsure of’s” or “assumptions”. Assumptions are those things that you ‘think are true’ but could change for some reason. Examples of typical film project assumptions:
• Assuming crew will show-up.
• Assuming money will materialize.
• Assuming equipment will work.
• Assuming your filming locations have been secured.
A good producer is constantly looking for ‘assumptions’ and writing them down so that they can be dealt with accordingly.
Film risk management quick guide:
1. Identify potential risks to your film.
a. What are your ‘unsure of’s’ and assumptions. These are risks.
b. What bad things have happened on past films (either yours or someone elses). These are risks.
2. Evaluate those risks.
a. What is the likelihood that the risk will happen?
b. If it happens, what will it cost me in terms of money and or time?
3. Respond to those risks
a. Try to prevent them.
b. Try to minimize them if they do happen.
c. Give them to someone else.
d. Ignore them.
RESOURCES QUADRANT
Producer
Every film production has a producer. The job of the producer is to organize all of the elements of your film production so that the director can achieve his/her creative vision. This organizing includes providing the necessary equipment, supplies, materials, talent, and all of the support materials in order to get the creative work done. There is no way around it, these things have to be arranged for and somebody has to arrange it.
Usually in the beginning, that person happens to be you. So make no mistake, there is going to be a producer one way or another. Best practice dictates that you try and find somebody else to do this work for you or find somebody to help you do it. A great deal of what happens in the producing world is organizing, telephoning, arranging, and cajoling so the person you select (or you) needs to be organized, motivated, convincing, detail oriented, creative-minded and hard as nails.
The producer is the most important functional role that needs to be filled on a production. Document who is going to fill that role or write your own name there.
Other Key Players
Your short film or video is going to have a lot of people chipping-in to help. The very nature of film is how collaborative it is and how many people it can sometimes take to pull it off. The more people the better. Most of these smaller projects have single people filling multiple roles so it is vital to have a clear & concise list of who is doing what.
Are you borrowing equipment from a film school or local production facility? Is Uncle Charlie providing his farm? Are you counting on your family and friends to help out on the day of your shoot? Be sure you get absolute confirmation from these potential resources so that you don’t find yourself taking your eye off of the creative ball on the day of the shoot because you find yourself solving a technical issue that someone else was supposed to be handling.
Who is providing the equipment?
Who has camera expertise? Sound expertise?
Where are we shooting and who is my contact there?Who’s paying for everything?
Every film production has a producer. The job of the producer is to organize all of the elements of your film production so that the director can achieve his/her creative vision. This organizing includes providing the necessary equipment, supplies, materials, talent, and all of the support materials in order to get the creative work done. There is no way around it, these things have to be arranged for and somebody has to arrange it.
Usually in the beginning, that person happens to be you. So make no mistake, there is going to be a producer one way or another. Best practice dictates that you try and find somebody else to do this work for you or find somebody to help you do it. A great deal of what happens in the producing world is organizing, telephoning, arranging, and cajoling so the person you select (or you) needs to be organized, motivated, convincing, detail oriented, creative-minded and hard as nails.
The producer is the most important functional role that needs to be filled on a production. Document who is going to fill that role or write your own name there.
Other Key Players
Your short film or video is going to have a lot of people chipping-in to help. The very nature of film is how collaborative it is and how many people it can sometimes take to pull it off. The more people the better. Most of these smaller projects have single people filling multiple roles so it is vital to have a clear & concise list of who is doing what.
Are you borrowing equipment from a film school or local production facility? Is Uncle Charlie providing his farm? Are you counting on your family and friends to help out on the day of your shoot? Be sure you get absolute confirmation from these potential resources so that you don’t find yourself taking your eye off of the creative ball on the day of the shoot because you find yourself solving a technical issue that someone else was supposed to be handling.
Who is providing the equipment?
Who has camera expertise? Sound expertise?
Where are we shooting and who is my contact there?Who’s paying for everything?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
CREATIVE QUADRANT
The first section of your charter is what we call the ‘Creative Quadrant’. Any film production or music video or filmed piece requires creative planning and that is documented in creative quadrant. This is the creative work that we are all somewhat familiar with from other sources. The director/writer/producer work together to come up with an idea to execute.
WARNING: DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT A SCRIPT. EVER. EVER. EVER.
In its simplest form, you should have some combination of the following elements: written creative directions called a ‘script’ or ‘treatment’, a pictorial representation of shots and angles called the ‘storyboards’, and examples of the look and style known as ‘references’.
Script / Treatment
There are numerous texts, books and courses on how to write scripts, so we will not attempt to do so in this forum. However, a script or treatment is a necessary component to the creative process. Unless you are independently wealthy, to start the planning process (let alone the shooting process) is going to be a colossal waste of time and money. If you are reading this manual, you may have time but probably no money to waste. Write the script.
Be perfectly happy with your script before you start the planning process (let alone the shooting process). Write a draft, let it marinate, revisit it several times before you start the planning process (let alone the shooting process). Have a level of creative comfort before you begin the planning process (let alone the shooting process).
That being said, is it acceptable to change things or modify things as you begin shooting and recognize opportunities? Yes, of course. But to start with nothing or with scribbles and notes is a waste of your time and the time of the people who are doing you the favor of helping.
If you have not written a script (it is in your head), stop now and write it down. Use an accepted format (software is all over the place) and get it done. Whatever it is you are shooting needs to be scripted.
In dramatic pieces, the term is called ‘script’. Characters names are listed, along with dialogue and action directions. In music videos, the term is ‘treatment’. There is generally no dialogue in a music video (beyond the song lyrics) so the treatment is a prose description of the action, feel and set-ups that are to take place in the video.
Storyboard
A storyboard is a series of sketches depicting the composition of the various shots for your short film. The purpose of the storyboard is to communicate the look, specifically the camera angles and shot composition to the other crewmembers on the film project. The sketches can be anything from computer-generated images, to professionally drawn boards, to a series of stick figures and arrows. Storyboards are working tools so they can literally be anything as long as they communicate what needs to be done in terms of shooting.
As a director, storyboards serve as the first draft of your vision. These sketches take written words of the script or treatment and begin to translate them from the paper onto the screen. If your crew is to bring your vision to life, they need to be able to see along with you. Storyboards can do that.
To storyboard, start with a square or rectangle in the ratio of the picture frame. Start at the beginning of the script, and work your way through. Show the key frames of action. Show the composition of shots, particularly anything out of the norm. Indicate any camera movement with arrows. Use the space below the picture to describe the shot. There are many sources online with storyboarding templates or simply draw it.
Storyboards help the director to organize his/her thoughts and camera and movements to clarify exactly what is needed. A good board helps the director to think through the sequencing and transitions to make sure the shooting script has no holes or awkward transition from scene to scene. In this sense, the boards serve as a rough pre-edit. It is a risk tool to make sure the script makes sense and sequences well while still early enough in the project to make adjustments and corrections.
The most practical reason we storyboard is to communicate what the director needs so that others can execute it. Producers, assistant directors and DP’s need to plan on spacing and equipment & crew needs and the storyboard illustrate exactly what the director wants. With these sketches, crew can begin to plan their portion of the film project, acquire the equipment, tools and manpower to make it happen.
Storyboards are vital if you wish to execute your project in a timely, cost effective manner (and we know you are broke, so that is important).
References
Part of directing is communicating your vision to those who are going to help bring it to life. Any production of any size is going to require that you work with others to pull it off so you need to develop a way of getting those images out of your head into a format that others can understand.
When communicating camera angles and screen composition, we use storyboards. When we need to communicate look and style and 'feel', we use something called references.
"Hey, remember in 'The Godfather' when Sonny got shot..." is a reference. "Hey, remember that outfit Heidi Klum wore to the Emmy's" is a reference. Any time you refer to something else, it is called a reference (hence the name). One of the best ways to communicate exactly what you want is to show someone an example of what you mean. References are invaluable.
In film production, we use them all of the time. When you have certain look in mind for an apartment scene you are shooting, do you want the set to look futuristic, or high society, or middle of the road, or shabby chic? Clip pictures from magazines. When you have a certain look in mind for a characters outfit, pull some pictures off of the internet of someone else wearing a similar outfit so you can show it to your stylist. When you have a certain kind of furniture in mind for a backyard scene, clip some pictures from a catalog.
Film is a visual medium and not everyone is going to understand your verbal description. Good directors have massive collections of magazines, books, catalogs, and clippings. Good directors are constantly taking notes on things they saw and color combinations and textures. Good directors are creating an entire world from scratch.
You need to have a clear idea of what YOU want, or someone else will make the decision for you.
Final product
One of the more practical things that you need to do at the very beginning of your film project is to describe exactly what it is you’re making. What do we mean?
• 3 – 5 minute short film?
• Music video?
• 45 second YouTube piece?
• Trailer for a proposed bigger project?
Sometimes, this is obvious. Sometimes, this is not. But it is very important that you describe exactly what it is you are making in clear and measurable terms so that those who are helping you can give you the best possible help, so that you are clear and focused, and so that you approach the planning of your project from the proper direction.
Unless it is perfectly obvious, make sure that your team knows exactly what you are producing. Being a collaborative medium, your direction to the crew needs to be somewhat generic nature for the most part, and more detailed in others. Consequently, you need to depend on the judgment of others in accomplishing certain tasks. Without an understanding of the final piece, you are less likely to get the proper decisions and priorities from those helping you. Make sure they know.
Secondly, it is good practice to define the end product for yourself. It is so easy for your project to creep from a test to a short film to an epic over the course of an afternoon. Once again, unless you are independently wealthy, you are wasting money if you start down one road and shift to another. Being flexible isn’t always the best way. Define your project and keep your focus.
Finally, having a clear understanding about the final product will dictate much about how you will plan the project. For example, if you are putting together a music video with a paying client, your ability to get inexpensive help will be more difficult than if you were doing a small film for personal reasons. There are so many different ways to achieve roughly the same thing that you have tons of options. The correct path will be easier to see if you have a focused vision of the final product.
WARNING: DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT A SCRIPT. EVER. EVER. EVER.
In its simplest form, you should have some combination of the following elements: written creative directions called a ‘script’ or ‘treatment’, a pictorial representation of shots and angles called the ‘storyboards’, and examples of the look and style known as ‘references’.
Script / Treatment
There are numerous texts, books and courses on how to write scripts, so we will not attempt to do so in this forum. However, a script or treatment is a necessary component to the creative process. Unless you are independently wealthy, to start the planning process (let alone the shooting process) is going to be a colossal waste of time and money. If you are reading this manual, you may have time but probably no money to waste. Write the script.
Be perfectly happy with your script before you start the planning process (let alone the shooting process). Write a draft, let it marinate, revisit it several times before you start the planning process (let alone the shooting process). Have a level of creative comfort before you begin the planning process (let alone the shooting process).
That being said, is it acceptable to change things or modify things as you begin shooting and recognize opportunities? Yes, of course. But to start with nothing or with scribbles and notes is a waste of your time and the time of the people who are doing you the favor of helping.
If you have not written a script (it is in your head), stop now and write it down. Use an accepted format (software is all over the place) and get it done. Whatever it is you are shooting needs to be scripted.
In dramatic pieces, the term is called ‘script’. Characters names are listed, along with dialogue and action directions. In music videos, the term is ‘treatment’. There is generally no dialogue in a music video (beyond the song lyrics) so the treatment is a prose description of the action, feel and set-ups that are to take place in the video.
Storyboard
A storyboard is a series of sketches depicting the composition of the various shots for your short film. The purpose of the storyboard is to communicate the look, specifically the camera angles and shot composition to the other crewmembers on the film project. The sketches can be anything from computer-generated images, to professionally drawn boards, to a series of stick figures and arrows. Storyboards are working tools so they can literally be anything as long as they communicate what needs to be done in terms of shooting.
As a director, storyboards serve as the first draft of your vision. These sketches take written words of the script or treatment and begin to translate them from the paper onto the screen. If your crew is to bring your vision to life, they need to be able to see along with you. Storyboards can do that.
To storyboard, start with a square or rectangle in the ratio of the picture frame. Start at the beginning of the script, and work your way through. Show the key frames of action. Show the composition of shots, particularly anything out of the norm. Indicate any camera movement with arrows. Use the space below the picture to describe the shot. There are many sources online with storyboarding templates or simply draw it.
Storyboards help the director to organize his/her thoughts and camera and movements to clarify exactly what is needed. A good board helps the director to think through the sequencing and transitions to make sure the shooting script has no holes or awkward transition from scene to scene. In this sense, the boards serve as a rough pre-edit. It is a risk tool to make sure the script makes sense and sequences well while still early enough in the project to make adjustments and corrections.
The most practical reason we storyboard is to communicate what the director needs so that others can execute it. Producers, assistant directors and DP’s need to plan on spacing and equipment & crew needs and the storyboard illustrate exactly what the director wants. With these sketches, crew can begin to plan their portion of the film project, acquire the equipment, tools and manpower to make it happen.
Storyboards are vital if you wish to execute your project in a timely, cost effective manner (and we know you are broke, so that is important).
References
Part of directing is communicating your vision to those who are going to help bring it to life. Any production of any size is going to require that you work with others to pull it off so you need to develop a way of getting those images out of your head into a format that others can understand.
When communicating camera angles and screen composition, we use storyboards. When we need to communicate look and style and 'feel', we use something called references.
"Hey, remember in 'The Godfather' when Sonny got shot..." is a reference. "Hey, remember that outfit Heidi Klum wore to the Emmy's" is a reference. Any time you refer to something else, it is called a reference (hence the name). One of the best ways to communicate exactly what you want is to show someone an example of what you mean. References are invaluable.
In film production, we use them all of the time. When you have certain look in mind for an apartment scene you are shooting, do you want the set to look futuristic, or high society, or middle of the road, or shabby chic? Clip pictures from magazines. When you have a certain look in mind for a characters outfit, pull some pictures off of the internet of someone else wearing a similar outfit so you can show it to your stylist. When you have a certain kind of furniture in mind for a backyard scene, clip some pictures from a catalog.
Film is a visual medium and not everyone is going to understand your verbal description. Good directors have massive collections of magazines, books, catalogs, and clippings. Good directors are constantly taking notes on things they saw and color combinations and textures. Good directors are creating an entire world from scratch.
You need to have a clear idea of what YOU want, or someone else will make the decision for you.
Final product
One of the more practical things that you need to do at the very beginning of your film project is to describe exactly what it is you’re making. What do we mean?
• 3 – 5 minute short film?
• Music video?
• 45 second YouTube piece?
• Trailer for a proposed bigger project?
Sometimes, this is obvious. Sometimes, this is not. But it is very important that you describe exactly what it is you are making in clear and measurable terms so that those who are helping you can give you the best possible help, so that you are clear and focused, and so that you approach the planning of your project from the proper direction.
Unless it is perfectly obvious, make sure that your team knows exactly what you are producing. Being a collaborative medium, your direction to the crew needs to be somewhat generic nature for the most part, and more detailed in others. Consequently, you need to depend on the judgment of others in accomplishing certain tasks. Without an understanding of the final piece, you are less likely to get the proper decisions and priorities from those helping you. Make sure they know.
Secondly, it is good practice to define the end product for yourself. It is so easy for your project to creep from a test to a short film to an epic over the course of an afternoon. Once again, unless you are independently wealthy, you are wasting money if you start down one road and shift to another. Being flexible isn’t always the best way. Define your project and keep your focus.
Finally, having a clear understanding about the final product will dictate much about how you will plan the project. For example, if you are putting together a music video with a paying client, your ability to get inexpensive help will be more difficult than if you were doing a small film for personal reasons. There are so many different ways to achieve roughly the same thing that you have tons of options. The correct path will be easier to see if you have a focused vision of the final product.
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