Producing : Learn How to Make a Film Before Making One by Jevyn Nelms

For reasons I can't list on this public site, I feel compelled to implore anyone thinking of making a feature film to NOT make it if you do not know how to. Sound simplistic but the fact is that film making is really an entertainment science. There are so many components, people, structures and equipment that are needed, it's impossible to learn off the cuff on the first go 'round. If your film has two actors with few costume/location changes, then you might be able to get away with shooting it cheaply, with no experience and with a teeny crew. However, other than that, filmmaking is very deceptive. It looks like a point and shoot exercise but there's a lot going on. It's basically a business that's set up to support the creative process. Don't ignore the business/structural side of it. Moving picture film making is probably about 100 years old. It's better to respect the system that has been developed than to feel so confident in the your project that you feel like it's worth a few "bumps" along the way to get the film made. It's not. You will make your crew miserable and hate you. If you haven't learned how to make a film from school or on the job experience, get a mentor, for Pete's sake. Someone who can walk you through the process. Plan your film, pay your crew and treat them well. No director/producer has so much talent that being uneducated about the process is excusable.