A kid, a camera, and a can-do attitude
I'd rather be making movies.
Ah, I remember those moments like it was yesterday…
I was a student filmmaker and the world was my oyster. I was making movies with my friends and it was great.
Were they terrible? Yes.
Was I having fun? Yes.
Can you see them? Absolutely not.
I had grand ambitions and when someone would ask me what I wanted to accomplish, I would echo the answer from Robert Redford’s character Roy Hobbs in The Natural, “When I walk down the street people will look at me and say ‘There goes Roy Hobbs, the best that ever was,’” (Just substitute my name for Roy’s, obviously).
And it was easy to get people on board with my projects. All I had to do was call up some friends, ask, “Hey, you wanna make a movie this afternoon?” and they’d come running. Even the adults chipped in. I never seemed to have problems getting resources like locations. I think business owners and store managers saw a kid with a camera and a how-to spirit and they wanted to help out.1
Now? Well, I still think of myself as that same kid with a camera, a can-do attitude, and a dream of being the best there ever was, but in reality I’m a man in his late 40s. And as a man in his late 40s, those same resources are a tad harder to come by. I’m faced with a little more scrutiny; more side-eyed glances; more probing questions, before I can get to a “yes.”
“Who are you?”
“What are you doing, again?”
“This is for what?”
“Do you have insurance?”
It seems that most people find it a bit unusual that a man of my age still approaches this sort of thing as a hobby. Golf they understand. Racquetball, sure. Church softball, no problem. But making short films? Still? For fun? I don’t know…
And the challenges of making low/no budget short films also extends to securing cast and crew. As people get older, they take on more responsibilities. They have families, day jobs, other priorities… all of that makes it difficult to carve out time to take on fun passion projects, even if they want to. And as people move up the professional ranks, improving their craft along the way, it makes less sense for them to donate their time and talent just for screen credit, meals, and a hearty “thank you.” In fact, I had to change a scene in my recent short film That’s My House due to a lack of resources.
So I find it extraordinary when I continue to find those people who, like me, are willing to make short films simply for the joy of creating. And I don’t take their involvement for granted. It’s something I will always be grateful for. So I’m extremely respectful of them and their time and I strive to run as efficient a set as I possibly can. That can be challenging for me because as a director I have to get the coverage I need and I need it to be right, but I also don’t want to over-work everyone. So I have to strike the right balance between efficiency and quality. That’s hard for me.
In my time doing this, I’ve learned some lessons about building a cast and crew for a low/no-budget short film.
Let’s say that when you first contact people for your project you simply ask, “Hey, want to help me make a film?” and they say “Yes.”
Then you approach 10-20 more people with the same pitch and they all say “Yes.” At this point you’re feeling pretty good. You have enough hands on set to help out with everything you’ll need during production.
Except…
When everyone arrives on set for the first day of filming no one is exactly sure what they’re supposed to be doing, what they were supposed to bring, who they’re supposed to be helping, and what their essential function is. You have enough people on set to get the job done, but confusion reigns because specifics are unclear. This can affect morale, slow the shoot down, and ultimately compromise the production quality of the final film.
Now, imagine you build your volunteer crew another way? Instead of asking, “Do you want to help?” say, “I’m producing a short film and we really need someone who can oversee continuity. Can you do that for us?”
ASSIGN POSITIONS
Give everyone a specific job to do, so he/she will know exactly what to prepare for, what to bring, and what to do while on set. When someone has a sense of purpose and responsibility they’re more invested.
HOLD MEETINGS
I’m not big on meetings, but you should make time to meet with your cast and crew a few times prior to the shoot, even on a low/no budget short. Don’t overdo it (Remember, these are people volunteering for your film, so be respectful of their time), but meetings are important to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
PROVIDE A SHOT LIST AND PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
The crew likes to know what’s going on so they have an idea of what they’re working toward and what needs to be accomplished each day. Take the time to make a shot list and production schedule and distribute both to your crew.
TECH SCOUT
Set aside time for a tech scout with your key department heads. This will give them the opportunity to see the space and ask any logistical questions pertinent to the shoot, like where to load in and store gear, what’s allowed/not allowed while in the space, where will all departments set up, etc?
You should approach your low/no-budget short with the same amount of professionalism as a larger film with a bigger budget. Everyone’s experience while on set will be much more positive if you go about preparing the right way. And they’ll appreciate and respect you if you demonstrate appreciation and respect first.
So here’s to all those people out there, like me, who would still rather spend their free time on set making movies than on the links slicing a Titleist into the rough with a 5-iron.
And once, somehow, I was able to wrangle a friend’s dad into shooting arrows at my main actor for a stunt scene in a never-completed Indiana Jones send-up.