We just wrapped a 23 day shoot up here in Vancouver, Canada on our micro-budget (truly indie) creature feature Mister Sandman.
Though we were in studio for the first week, a bulk of the shoot was on location, with the last week up in rainy Pacific Northwest mountains. What a learning experience as I've mainly produces shorts or worked on client projects, but topmost on my mind.
- Get a good production office team! I was lucky enough to find an amazing rock star of a production manager but budget didn't allow for a PC or locations manager. We did our best but to scout, setup and wrap locations, can't stress enough how a robust production office makes for a smoooooth shoot.
- Get our department heads to lock in their equipment rentals early as possible. There will be swaps, changes etc but the less you need to change things up last minute, the more control you have over keeping the budget in check, because that DP of yours will drop by the camera rental shop and want that amazing lens/steadicam/etc you can't afford.
- Feeding a micro-budget crew well goes without saying, but keep a constant tab on the health and happiness of the crew. This is where a sympathetic PM is an ace up your sleeve. There will be drama, there will be long days, and the director always needs to be kept away from non-creative issues, so staying on top of all this makes for a happier cast and crew.
Anyway, onto post now and the search for finishing funds. We did this the old-fashioned indie way, credit cards and crowdfunding donations plus the amazing support of the Vancouver FIlm School and local industry partners who gave us really great breaks on gear rentals. So that's the last thing - don't be scared to haggle and ask for breaks/favors/etc. if you're an early stage production company/producer. They'll often want to help because they're building long-term relationships and next time you might come back for a fleet of trucks rather than that one little grip van. :-)
I'll leave you with a still from set. Have a great week! ...and now for some sleep.
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...and that still.
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Low-budget film production - one of the hardest jobs there is. Hope it does well.
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I love shooting in the rainy ole' PNW. We get some beautiful sunsets and some amazing golden hours. But they are few & far between and last only a few moments this time of year.
Hopefully you got all the coverage you need and best wishes for post.
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Congratulations Timo Puolitaipale on wrapping your film, and thank you for sharing those valuable lessons!
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Timo - I'm retired so I don't connect any more.
Sounds good, Doug, thanks for the heads up.
This is awesome! Congratulations! When the film is complete if you’re looking to enter film festivals this webinar may be really useful: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/How-to-Get-Your-Project-into-Film-Festi...