Thursday, December 20, 2012

Scheduling without a budget

One of the hardest things for an independent film company to do is scheduling, especially with no budget. When everyone is working for free you have to work around everyone's schedule. You have to try and match 7 to 10 people's schedules, almost impossible. You have to be able to flow with the hassles of jobs and trips that crew or actors have taken. It can be very complicating, but there are ways to lower the possibility of conflicts in scheduling.

First, try to know before you write your script whether you will have a budget or not. This will help you write to fit your budget and help you be realistic about finishing your film. If you have a limited budget you can write the story to have minimal characters and also try to use the crew members as actors too. By doing this you can limit your crew and cast to 3 to 4 people. Easing scheduling problems.

Another way to eliminate problems with scheduling is to make the scenes in the script have minimal characters in the same scene and make sure your shots are simple, no elaborate set ups. Instead concentrate on the angles and motion of the camera. Concentrate on the acting and getting great sound. So many film makers concentrate to much on special affects and forget about the core of a film; acting, lighting, and sound!

A great story is founded on concentrating on the interaction between characters, the way they evolve as they go through the film. When you make a script more simple and concentrate on theses elements not only do you help with future problems with scheduling but also create a story people will want to watch for years to come.

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