SIMPLIFY TO SUCCEED

Film Making. It's a complicated beast. But i don't think that we should approach it that way.

Truth be told, I am writing this post for myself. To clarify my thoughts.

See, I have produced a film. It's coming out on Valentine's day ( it's called THE LETTER RED, if you want to know) and for the life of me, I could not tell you how we did it.

And I have a feeling that that will be true for every film I produce. You look at the lists of things to do (particularly if you have people insist on showing you the "right" way to do things) and it feels impossible.

So... For myself; I am going to write down the bare bones of what is needed to make a film. You may need less. You made need more. But as long as no one dies and no one goes to jail, you are doing just fine.

STEP 1

You must have a story. Write out your Idea. Then write a script. This costs time, but not a lot of money.

STEP 2

Figure out what it will cost to film your story. Add a little extra for security. You don't want to run out of money day 8 of a ten day shoot. Now raise or save or beg for the money. This may take some time but it should be done before doing the next step. Now would also be the time to set up an LLC, bank account, and get an accountant and /or lawyer

STEP 3

Find your actors, crew, a place to shoot, people to feed everyone, costumes etc. Get insurance and If you are going to be in public GET PERMITS! Particularly if you have violence, or firearms or any activity which could get your actors shot by the police

STEP 4

Shoot your movie.

Organization here will save you so much time later. File paperwork, label footage, a stitch in time here.

STEP 5

Edit your movie

Sub steps: rough cut, multiple passes, final cut

add effects

color correction

add music

add credits

STEP 6

Tell people about your movie

Repeat.

Is this overly simplified? Absolutely.

Are these steps really that chronological? Absolutely not. You may want to take poster stills before you start filming, attaching a celebrity may help you raise funds, etc. But if you think about it too much, all of these details will prevent you from starting.

At it's heart; filmmaking is storytelling with pictures, and if you get away from that, you'll get lost.

Happy Filmmaking

Edward