Hey– our 7minute film premiered at the San Francisco 48Hour Film Fest last nite, & it rocked!!. We got a ton of applause, laughter (at the right parts), & congrats’ afterwards…
So while it’s fresh, here’s a bit of hard-won wisdom[sic]:
Pre-production:
1) get clear roles assigned, w/ lines-of-command & deliverables
2. test test test your equipment first to confirm everything works together (computers, mics etc)
3. try to do a ‘dress rehearsal’, ie “mini fest” of 5hrs or so, from (mini) script to playing it on a tv, to see how everyone does under pressure, & get everyone familiar w/ their roles, tools, & what’s expected of them.
4. let the writer(s) Do Their Thing… try to not inflict them w/ your ‘good ideas’ until they ask for them, but do step-in & point-out when any of the following get lost in the mix:
Production:
1) get a ’set boss’ (AD? Producer?) who manages traffic, & keeps (numbnuts) from walking thru shots, etc.
2. iron-out workflow (slates? continuity-girl? script-boy? “who can call ‘cut’?” does Director need to watch a monitor or camera LCD screen? does Producer?) *before* the shoot
3. “the set works best when it is optimized for allowing the actors to *be* their parts. Anything/everything that distracts from the actors giving real moments *must* be ruthlessly pruned if you want to capture anything of value”.
4. “Shoot for the Edit”. Check-out the “10-Minute Film School” by Robert Rodriguez in the Bonus Features for “El Mariachi” — eg, shoot w/ transitions in mind, get cutaways, & you can grab multiple ’shots’ in a single take, if you change focal lengths, move the camera, etc. Note: this kind of [compressed] shooting only works if your editor is on board; if the editor isn’t flexible, they’ll just see ‘disjointed shots’ & won’t know what to do w/ them…
Post-Production:
1) while editor is doing their thing, let the cast/crew watch the dailies. That keeps morale up
2. editor: mark/subclip the *great* moments, the ones that make you blink, laugh, or feel… & make sure they stay in the final edit
3. cut together sequences, starting w/ the easiest and/or most fun. Show this sequence to a few of the above-the-line Team, & it will get everyone amped, & engender some good ideas
4. let the editor assemble ‘their version’ first, & then let the director give notes. Nobody can create worth a damn w/ someone watching over their shoulder…
5. edit in ‘passes’: rough assembly, then dialogue intercutting, then soundtrack, special FX, color-correction, etc. Eg don’t waste time on color-correction if your audio has holes in it (guilty! :-0)
6. make sure not to cut-out the [special line, prompt, dialogue, etc]!!!
7. leave time for a ’sanity check’ viewing, w/ (new) viewers… they’ll tell you what you missed
-and finally-
8. cut the film you’ve made, *not* the one it “said in the script”. You can’t create shots that don’t exist, but you can cut to heighten performances, or diminish now-unneeded story beats or character moments. Don’t be surprised if the final film only passably matches the script… Doesn’t matter, if the film *works*.
…Hope that helps, & See you at the Movies!!!