Location, Location, Location

Posted November 12th, 2008 at 12:11 pm by C47

How to Sell Your Soul-11.jpg

It’s funny how much I take film slang for granted.

So to start from the beginning, there are six stages in making and releasing a movie: Development, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, Distribution, Exhibition.

Usually Development can take the longest - that’s when you’re writing the script, trying to get funding, trying to get Greenlit. When you hear it took a movie 7 years to get made, this is the name for the first 6 years.

Fortunately, the script is just getting tweaked and we have funding. So onto Pre-Production.

There are two main things that need to get done in pre-production: locations and casting.

Location Scouting is when you1 drive around to potential locations and check them out to see if they would work for the film.

Location scouting is my favorite part. I feel like the authenticity of a film depends on the locations, along with how much work the Production Designer will have to do. A great location can add so much value and production quality to a film.

Scouting is important because it’s obviously necessary to make a sure a location works both aesthetically and logistically instead of having 20 people show up to find out the location doesn’t work.

It all comes down to good planning. The more time you spend planning, the better the production will go (ex: 91 Set-Ups in 3 Days).

So the script has two main locations: a police station and pig farm. The pig farm is proving hard to find and is a story for a future post. For the police station, Iman, the director, just needed an open-office type area.

Since my last film involved cubicles, I’ve seen most of the large office spaces in Tallahassee, and our local newspaper has some of the finest selections. Plus I’ve filmed there twice before, so I know they’re film friendly.

Iman and I went to check it out. The only problem is the side all past film shoots have been on is the Advertising side. This time we were checking out the News Room side, which was a little more high strung.

When you are location scouting, it’s a good idea to take pictures to refer back to when decision making. Every past time I’ve gone scouting I’ve asked if I could take pictures, and everyone has always said yes. So for some reason I took a leap of faith here, plus I had this weird logic that since this is a news room, they must be used to photographers, so no one would mind.

Well, I snapped off one pic before I got asked what I was doing.

“Oh, I’m just taking a picture for reference. We’re location scouting.”

“Location scouting, what is that? I thought you guys were coming in December.”

Yes, I had briefly mentioned some potential dates over the phone, and I guess she thought we were there to film because I had my little digital camera out.

It’s funny, this isn’t the first time someone thought when we showed up to check out a location we were there to film the movie. It also makes me wonder if that means they would be totally fine with a crew just showing up with just a vague, “Hey, we might be stopping by to shoot a film in a few weeks.”

How to Sell Your Soul-17.jpg
Now that’s a camera

But I think it was this misunderstanding, thinking that we were there to film a movie, that led to the hesitation about taking pictures, because staff was in them and they hadn’t been notified.

So lesson learned, always, always ask before taking pictures. But the location was exactly what Iman wanted, and I think things have smoothed over enough where we can film there. Well, smoothed over enough where I can give them a call back.

This post is part of the Moviccino, taking you through the production of a movie from start to finish.
Digg, Stumble, and Share this Post
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Google] [StumbleUpon] [Email] More »


  1. ’You’ being the Producer and Director and possibly Director of Photography and Production Designer ↩
Posted in Location Scouting, Moviccino | No Comments

The State of the Documentary [Panel]

Posted July 15th, 2008 at 10:15 am by C47

Below are my notes from the one panel I attended at Full Frame - The State of the Doc. It’s a little more cheerful than Mark Gill’s outlook on independent cinema, though re-reading this now, some panelists seemed to be predicting what was going to happen.

It was moderated by Liz Ogilvie of Docurama Films. On the panel was Nancy Abraham (HBO Documentary), Christopher Black (Starz Entertainment), Greg Kendall (Balcony Releasing), David Laub (THINKFilm), Tom Quinn (Magnolia Pictures), Molly Thompson (A&E IndieFilms), and Thomas Zadra (Netflix’s Red Envelope Entertainment).

Q: How do you define success in broadcast TV?

HBO - Good ratings, reviews, press, buzz, recognition.

A&E - Docs are ratings challenged. We try to launch them theatrically to get the branding out there, make people aware of the film for television. Considered successful if financially we break even.

Magnolia - Bad Box Office for docs in 2007. Magnolia had three high profile releases - Crazy Love, My Kid Could Paint That, and In the Shadow of the Moon. Other outlets have proved successful. Cocaine Cowboy is one of the top selling films on X-Box. The new strategy is to marry content with distribution.

Starz - Starz makes docs for their film library. Create events to help branding. Lots of press is low cost.

Balcony - King Corn’s (doc about the farming industry) filmmakers sold the DVD through their site for $29.95 (cheaper now) and had community screenings for $300 and did very well. People want to see films with their community, not at a theater (I think this was meant more towards small towns). There’s a separate group of people that buy online than in the store.

Red Envelope - Their software can determine how many people want to watch since the films are on Netflix and determine the price. Since Red Envelope was formed, they have 125 titles. 40%-50% are docs.

Q: Do you think audiences are consuming films differently?

Balcony - Some like films in the theater, on TV, the web, community screenings. You get more coverage in the NY Times when you open on Wednesday.

A&E - If a film doesn’t get enough Box Office the theater can kick it out.

Magnolia - The state of specialized films is depressing. We’re all generally screwed. The theatrical experience is unmatched. To survive, we need to learn how to do it differently.

Red Envelope - In four months, Helvetica was seen 120,000 times. Half were streaming through Netflix.com.

Starz - Primary goal of documentaries is to pay off credit card debt and fund the next film. Theatrical release is an unhealthy obsession.

Balcony - Many films shouldn’t be in theaters. It’s a waste of everyone’s time. Not being in theaters feels like a failure, but that might be the right thing to do. Filmmakers always want it, that’s why they made the film.

Q: What do you see changing in the future?

A&E - Social networking growing. Bring people that have a common interest in films together (Facebook).

Magnolia - Theatrical experience is broken. We put a lot of Jesus Camp clips on YouTube, but that backfired, because then people didn’t need to see the movie.

Balcony - Make theatrical an event. One night only. You can make more money in one night than a week. We need to convert the theatrical system.

Audience Questions

Q - How can you get a deal in pre-production?
A - Generally depends on the subject, filmmaker, and if there’s that money shot (Antarctica for March of the Penguins). Typically docs are bought after they’re done.

Q - Thoughts on aesthetic quality. Concerned about viewing docs on iPod?
A - The ability iPods provide to watch during commute are great. One panelist saw 8 people watching content in the subway. Certain forms are better for iPod, while some are better on the big screen. More choices bring a larger audience, which is the end goal.

If a film works on a 3″ screen, you know it will work anywhere.

Q - Biggest mistake films make?
A - (Sort of a round robin of replies):

  • Not writing name and phone on DVD
  • Go for best quality you can afford. Sometimes stuff is turned down because quality doesn’t meet standards.
  • Picking subject that doesn’t sustain the length.
  • Not pushing hard enough. Push the subject.
  • Being too long
  • Subject covered a lot of times before
  • Unrealistic expectations with music licensing.
  • Not enough stills for Press Kit
  • High Quality (True HD) if possible
  • Follow the delivery schedule companies have. Missing a few elements can make a film unreleasable.

Q - Thoughts on short docs outside festivals.
A - Other options include iTunes, attachment to Op-Eds on NY Times site. Many documentarians with similar subjects/themes can ban together and offer one package with a bunch of shorts, perhaps on DVD.

Moment of Zen

If you want to avoid piracy, make a bad movie.

Digg, Stumble, and Share this Post
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Google] [StumbleUpon] [Email] More »

Posted in Documentary, Film Business | 1 Comment

Making it Sound Good

Posted June 22nd, 2008 at 12:28 am by C47

Sound BoardSince I’ve been sound mixing for the past three days, with three more to go (a double show), I thought it would be appropriate to post some tips on getting the best audio possible from Christian Dwiggins, Master Engineer and owner of Engine Room Studios, a sound production facility.

Here they are, from Christian:

  1. Good sound starts with good ears and a filmmaker who understands its importance.
  2. Don’t make the mistake of having only one sound designer when you can have a team. Four ears are better than two, just as two brains are better than one.
  3. The amount of money you spend on sound in pre-production will save you three times the amount of money in post. Most films don’t have the budget for ADR.
  4. When looking for a sound designer, look for someone talented and hungry - someone fresh.
  5. The best way to find a decent sound designer is at a sound engineer school, through blogs like this and referrals.
  6. In production your sound person should be acutely aware of what’s going on in the environment. Hone in on all the sound. Someone whose present. A bad sound tech won’t notice an airplane who went by and end up costing you a fortune later on. Remember, good sound design starts at the source.
  7. As a filmmaker it’s very important to find a designer who understands your process, your vision and how to work within your budget.
  8. The sound department, whether it’s a single person or a whole group, is an integral part of your crew and should be treated as such.
  9. Your choice in post can make the difference between sounding like a homemade film and sounding a blockbuster. It’s about talent, not about money.

If you’re in the LA area, here’s some more about Engine Room. Many thanks to them and Christian for these tips.

Engine Room Studios is a fresh and edgy, boutique-style full-service sound production facility that brings its down-to-earth vibe to the heart of Hollywood. Musicians, directors and producers alike feel at home with the talented and attentive team of engineers. E.R.S. gives their clients the personal attention that has become lost among the large post house conglomerates. “It’s not the gear that you use, it’s what’s between your ears,” says master engineer and owner Christian Dwiggins. And it’s also what goes into your ears - an experienced and talented team that gets exactly what needs to be done while giving the best audio production the industry has to offer.
Photo by mybloodyself.
Digg, Stumble, and Share this Post
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Google] [StumbleUpon] [Email] More »

Posted in Production, Sound Design | No Comments