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.