You’ve got a great script and you’re chomping at the bit to begin filming. How many locations do you require? Have you obtained all your permits? Any props needed to build your set? How do you find your actors and crew?
This stage is normally referred to as pre-production. Assuming your first film is ultra low budget, it can be made relatively cheap. When I made my first film, I had one actor playing multiple roles(he was phenomenal). I only required one location. My actor’s employer allowed me to use a boardroom in the building. Luckily for me, my wife was a hairdresser and knew how to apply make-up, so she was essential in changing the actor’s appearance.
The camera operator was a film student looking for experience and agreed to work for food. I was the director and lighting crew.
I made the film and edited it. It wasn’t a great film, but it had a great concept. “A man with multiple personalities having a meeting with them all”.
It was my first film and all I wanted to do was tell a compelling story. I intended on learning from it, then move onto bigger and better.
An ambitious project that I could not have made without the help of my city’s film community. Living in Calgary at the time, it was the CSIF. In Vancouver, it’s Cineworks.
Most cities have an indy film community. Reach out and touch someone. You’ll be happy you did.
