Preproduction
It’s three weeks before principal photography. My cast deal memos are complete, and the major locations have been found and deals drawn up. I have the company checkbook and credit card ready to start spending money and getting things pinned down.
PRODUCER VERSUS LINE PRODUCER
This is a fun three weeks for me because it’s really the time for Mike – my line producer – to shine. He is going to have a million things to do and I want to be absolutely available for him. Because our films were low-budget, I used my Snowfall/WindChill office for preproduction to save money. Mike brought his production coordinator and his assistant. It was a little cramped, but hey, it’s low budget!
I have responsibilities during these three weeks as well, but the majority of the duties fall on Mike’s shoulders. I think some movies don’t ever get made because people don’t know the difference between a producer and a line producer, and as a producer, if you think you have to take on everything, you will get stopped. Of course, as the producer, I am still going to oversee quite a few of the areas that are Mike’s responsibility, but that doesn’t mean I have to know how to do each of his jobs. If I thought I had to do both jobs, I would go crazy! That is why it is so critically important that you hire a competent, accountable, brilliant, dedicated line producer.
Producer’s Focus
My job during this time consisted of some of the following:
• Hire the Making-of producer.
• Hire the still photographer.
• Organize and schedule the cast table read/wardrobe fitting.
• Hire and write the deal memos for the editor and director of photography.
• Meet with the director and 1st AD to go over the storyboard and schedule.
• Be available to sit in on interviews for certain keys.
• Be available and ready for the crew table read.
• Sign off on last-minute locations.
• Update the investors and get the revised schedule to them.
• Make sure the actor’s agents/managers get revised schedules.
• Be available to sign checks.
Line Producer’s Focus
Mike’s responsibilities included:
• Interview, hire, and create the deal memos for the keys (heads of departments).
• Negotiate and book all vendors, grip and electrical, camera package, catering, and other departments.
• Finalize the deals on the locations and any required city permits.
• Firm up the budget.
• Schedule the Humane Society (if animals are being used).
• Work with the director and 1st AD (assistant director) on the schedule.
• Work with the 2nd AD to create the Day Out of Days.
• Hire the company that will be doing the dailies.
• Create and sign off on all crew deal memos.
• Draw up the location map.
• Coordinate a detailed location list.
• Work with the 1st AD to schedule the table read with keys.
• Get the SAG performers’ agreements signed.
Mike’s job was to oversee and manage all the departments, making sure that departments are communicating with each other on all the details related to the script, while staying within budget. Mike believes that you do a production for a price. You set an amount for each department element in the budget and you find that vendor or crew who will give you the service or equipment at those fixed rates – never for a moment sacrificing quality. When one of my students asked Mike what a producer should look for in a line producer, he said, “Look for somebody that’s actually going to be there every minute of every day. And somebody you can trust, so that you can leave things with them and you know that they’re going to get it done.”
The one thing that Mike was adamant about was the 12-hour work day. It was his firm promise to the crew that we would not go over the 12 hours, and on both Séance and Portal he followed that rule to the letter on our films – and we still came in on schedule. Another one of his strengths was finding great heads of departments. This is a big job, and there are a lot of keys to hire, no matter what size your budget is. In turn, the keys will hire their own crew, usually people with whom they’ve worked before, but if the keys are unable to find a crew, then Mike would hire the entire crew for that department.
Here is a list of keys:
Production coordinator
DP (usually the director will choose the DP)
1st assistant director
Key set PA (production assistant)
Script supervisor
Production designer (who will bring his or her own art director)
Prop master
Gaffer
Key grip
Editor
Costume designer
Key hair
Key make-up
Locations manager (if the budget allows)
Sound mixer
Special effects
Stunt coordinator
Casting director (if the budget allows)
Transportation
He was brilliant at finding the most fantastic vendors, as well. Our caterers were better on these low-budget films than some of the caterers I’ve had on my big international coproductions. Another area that Mike handled was the hiring of production assistants (PAs). At our budget, these PA positions are not paid positions; however, the key set PA usually gets a small (very small) salary.
A LOOK AT THE PRODUCER’S JOB
I think I know what you’re thinking right now: “This is intense. There are a lot of jobs for me to do and a lot for me to oversee.” Don’t worry; you have three weeks, and I will give you all the details you need to make it effortless. Also, it is super important that you be organized. Clean your house, your closet, your car. Handle your taxes and any incompletions and out-of-integrities. You need to be focused, on purpose, centered, and clear. You will be setting the stage and setting the tone for how the production will unfold. You are in charge! There is no time for your own baggage here. The buck stops with you. It’s your baby. Everything that happens from here on out is your overall responsibility. You don’t get to blame anyone, you don’t get to complain, and you don’t get to find fault. This is a wonderful place to be – a great place to stand. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of your responsibilities during preproduction.
THE MAKING-OF PRODUCER AND STILLS PHOTOGRAPHER
At this budget level, there is a good chance that your making-of producer will also be your stills photographer. And there’s a good chance that you are going to be working with someone who is fairly new with little experience. So to ensure that everything goes exactly as you want, you will need to do some micromanaging here. As I have said a few times now, you don’t have to sacrifice quality just because your budget is low. You only have to watch a film like Séance to realize that. It was $200,000, and it looks amazing, and the making-of feature is excellent as well. So there is no excuse. It may just mean that you have to be more organized and do some additional overseeing.
You know from reading your delivery list that your sales agents and distributors will need from 60 to 75 still photos. Even if you don’t go the traditional distribution route and you decide to self-distribute, you are still going to need quality stills. And that doesn’t mean behind-the-scenes stills. What I am talking about here are photos that can be used for press packets, posters, website, EPK (electronic press kit) packets, film festival requirements and whatever else you or your sales agent may require.
Of course, you also want to have behind-the-scenes shots for your own purposes, but they are not part of the delivery. Chris Robbins was our stills and making-of producer and he took tons of behind-the-scenes shots, which we looped and used on the big-screen TV at our wrap parties. Everyone loved it. They’re also fun to put on your own website. However, remember that your sales agent wants the money shots only. So it’s your job to go through the script line by line, scene by scene with your yellow highlighter and flag all the areas that you think will make excellent stills and the areas that will be important for the making of footage as well. Then you can sit down with your stills photographer and making-of producer and go over everything with them.
Having this information will help you set up a schedule for your stills photographer and making-of producer. If you are shooting 14 to 16 days and paying them only a flat fee of $500 to $1,000 for the entire project, you can’t expect them to be on set or location every day. By highlighting the shots and scenes you want, you will see very clearly the exact number of days that you will need them.
In addition, schedule specific times to interview your leads and any keys you may want to interview. With your highlighted script, you can now take your schedule and determine what days are best for your making-of producer to do the interviews. Chris and I brainstormed some basic questions. He was planning to come up with his own additional questions and be as creative and spontaneous as he wanted to be, but I, as the producer, wanted to make sure I had the basics covered. Here is a list of what was scheduled on Séance for both the cast schedule and some possible questions.
Still Photography and Making-of Cast Schedule
Here is the proposed schedule for selected still photography and for making-of interviews.
Making-of Interview Schedule
Chauntal Lewis on Thursday, May 26
Adrian Paul on Sunday, May 28
AJ Lamas on Thursday, June 1
Joel Geist on Thursday, June 1
Tori White on Thursday, June 1
Jack Hunter on Friday, June 2
Kandis Erickson on Friday, June 5 – early in the morning
Mark L. Smith, Suzanne Lyons, and Kate Robbins on Monday, June 5
Stills Photography Schedule
Adrian Paul on Sunday, May 28
Jack Hunter on Friday, June 2
Rest of cast on June 2nd and May 28
Key Days for Both Still Photography and Making-of Footage
Sunday, May 21 for stunts and practical effects
Monday, May 22 for stunts and practical effects
Tuesday, May 23 for stunts and practical effects
Sunday, May 28 for stunts and practical effects
Proposed Questions for Cast for the Making-of Feature
1. What motivated you to audition for the film?
2. What was the audition process like?
3. What attracted you to the script?
4. What about your role appealed to you?
5. How did you go about fleshing out your character?
6. Are you a horror film fan?
7. What was your favorite scene?
8. What’s it like working with Mark?
9. What has it been like working with the other cast members?
10. How has this experience compared with your experiences on other films or TV?
We provided a small space for Chris to set up his interview chair, lights, and camera, and having this schedule prepared during preproduction made it easier for Chris and gave the actors lots of advance notice as well. There was no last-minute scrambling or chaos – and there doesn’t have to be.
Something as simple as highlighting the script, creating a schedule, and sitting with your making-of producer/stills photographer during pre-production will keep you, the film’s producer, sane during production. You will have other responsibilities during production, so you don’t need to be thinking about the film stills or the making-of production. You have to learn to delegate! Of course, you’ll be hiring some people who won’t have the experience that you’ll find on a big-budget film, but that doesn’t mean they are not absolutely capable and creative. It just means they don’t have a lot of experience yet. So you’ll have to sit with them and tell them what you want and do a little micromanaging, but you’ll also need to trust that they can do the job. If delegating is not yet your forte, then you’d better start practicing. It’s something you want to get good at, so start now.
YOUR EDITOR
I had a director friend recently tell me that he was going to produce his own low-budget film and that one of the way in which he planned to save money was to not hire an editor until the film was shot. I nearly had a heart attack. That is not a good idea. Of course, in the low-budget world, we have to look at where we need to cut and save, but cutting back on the editor is not the place to do it. Your editor should start on day 2 of principal photography, and you want to start speaking with your editor now, in preproduction. In fact, if you can have him or her at your table read during soft prep, all the better. But certainly preproduction is the time when you want to sit down with your editor and really take a look at the script and discuss the project.
Your editor will be the one doing the assembly during production, so the editor knows better than anyone else what’s missing and what’s needed. There is always the possibility that you will need a pickup day, or better yet, a pick-up morning or afternoon. But that’s it. If you are not in communication with your editor, you may end up having to shoot a number of pick-up days – and with a low-budget film, you can’t afford that luxury. Start the conversation with the editor at this stage. For example, you don’t want to find out after the film is shot that your editor doesn’t have the transition shots that he or she needs. You can’t go back and shoot that scene again. Find out during the shoot what additional shots the editor may need. Maybe it’s as simple as a hand turning the doorknob. You will be amazed at the suggestions that you can get from your editor that will help give your movie that bigger budget look. Kate and I were blessed with a great editor, Greg Hobson, and when I asked him about getting the coverage he needed, he said, “If you’re not getting it and you’re on day 3 and you still haven’t got those specific angles that you know the producer and director wanted, then you should talk to the producer about talking to the director because you’re not getting anything to cut.” With these types of low-budget films, you will often be using first-time directors who may be overwhelmed by the job. The director’s job is gigantic during this time, and he or she may not be aware of all the different aspects that will be needed for editing the film. That’s why it is so important to be in constant communication with your editor. He or she knows exactly what’s missing and what’s needed, and it’s better to find this out now while you’re still shooting the film.
Because you may not know at this stage if you will be going to a sales agent or self-distributing, I recommend that in your editor’s deal memo you include the trailer of the film as part of his or her responsibilities. If you go the sales agent route, there is a good chance that they will use a professional company that does trailers, but I would still add that requirement to your editor’s deal memo just in case. Regarding the editor’s payment schedule, on our movies we agreed on a flat fee for his services, which was divided into two payments, one during production and one during postproduction.
On Séance, Greg began work on the second day of production and worked on the assembly of the film during production. He then completed the assembly the week following the shoot. Then the director joined him, and together they had two weeks to complete the director’s cut version. Immediately following the completion of the director’s cut, we scheduled an audience testing, and then, based on the notes from the testing and on notes from Kate and myself, the director and editor had a few days to go back and complete the editing. So, on Séance, Greg worked for six weeks.
I know producers who like to do two audience testings: one with the director’s cut and one following the editing that has been done based on the first testing. Before you work out your deal with the editor, be clear about your own plan, because you don’t want to confirm one deal and then later say you’ve changed your mind. Just another reminder here that this is a business and that your deal memos must reflect that.
YOUR DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
I said that your line producer will be doing the deals for your keys, but your DP is your responsibility. Ninety-nine percent of the time, he or she is chosen by the director and you want to be sure that you are absolutely overjoyed with his or her choices. Your DP is a vital part of your team. The look of your film depends on this decision. Also, in addition to wanting a DP who knows his or her stuff, you also have to keep in mind that your budget is low and that the DP will need to move quickly. So be sure to ask the right questions here. A DP from the studio world may have an impressive resume, but can he or she work on a low-budget film? When I saw the movie The Undead, I knew I had to meet Andy Strahorn, the DP on that film. What he had done at that low budget was amazing. DPs on these film have to move at lightning speed without sacrificing an ounce of quality. Andy did 650 setups in our 14-day shoot on Portal, and when I asked him about it, he said that what made this shoot more doable and enjoyable than other projects he’d worked on was this: “I already knew what I was walking into. This is it. It’s 12 hours. We never break 12. It’s a 14-day shoot. It’s a 97-page script in 14 days. From my perspective, from a below-the-line perspective, the more up front you [producer/line-producer] are with your crew, the better.”
In regard to his deal memo, all I did was take the crew deal memo that my line producer was using, and in the section titled Compensation, I typed in his salary and when and how he would be paid. That is all that was sent to his agent. Figure 9.1 shows an example of the crew deal memo that I used for our DP on Portal.
FIGURE 9.1
YOUR DIRECTOR
Be in constant communication with your director during this period. I know the director will be working with the 1st AD on revisions to the schedule and will be talking to various department heads about what he or she wants, meeting with some of the leads to discuss their roles and what he or she is looking for. And of course the director will be meeting with the DP to discuss the lighting and look of the film, not to mention a million other things that are on his or her mind. However, you want to set up meetings with the director and go over the storyboard, the schedule, his or her vision, the locations, and any last-minute script changes.
In many instances, with this budget level, you will have directors with little to no experience. In fact, often the writer is the director, so it’s your job to make sure that he or she is okay. So stay in communication with them.
TABLE READ WITH YOUR KEYS
I’ve talked about a number of table reads. So let’s get very clear about the ones that have taken place so far. We had one very early on in the development stage where we had actor friends do the read for us and we were able to hear the script out loud, giving us a real sense of what worked, what didn’t, and what areas could be cut to suit our budget. Then, when we had a few more key people on board, we had another table read (also done with actor friends) with the purpose of people like your special effects expert, director, line producer, 1st AD, and so on being able to hear the script out loud and then discuss it at length after the reading. This third table read is organized for your entire group of keys.
This one is the responsibility of your 1st AD, but it’s something that you want to fully participate in. This table read is usually scheduled for the week before principal photography begins, and it’s best to hold it early that week so that when last-minute concerns, problems, or issues are spotted as a result of both the read and everyone being together in the same room, people still have time to handle it.
We held the table read in my office; my advice to you is to be fully awake and conscious the entire time. I know by this time you’re ecstatic about getting started, thrilled that your whole team is together, and that you can barely contain yourself because you’re about to make your movie! You already have a highlighted script that you have worked on with your making-of producer, so have that with you at this table read. It already has the “money shots” highlighted, and you can make notes beside anything else you want brought up or emphasized during this meeting. All the heads of departments are in one room, so it’s a perfect opportunity to fix things. Here are a couple of things that happened on films as a result of me not stopping the table read and pointing out some of the items I should have discussed during this read.
These films were in the horror/thriller genre; in one particular case, I had underlined a number of spectacular shots (great money shots) that I knew were perfect for the trailer, the making-of video, and the stills. However, I never stopped the table read once to highlight them and ask, for example, what the costume designer had planned. We were going to be seeing lots of blood and because it was a horror film, seeing the blood was critical. As I have noted a number of times throughout this book, you don’t have the luxury of going back the next day after seeing something in the dailies that you don’t like. That set has been torn down and that actor isn’t scheduled for today. Sorry, it’s not going to happen!
So, I was watching the dailies and realized that there were two separate very important and excellent gory shots in which I couldn’t see the blood. I couldn’t believe it – the actors were wearing brown shirts, so you literally couldn’t see the great bright red blood that would make the scene brilliant. I asked my costume designer about it, and he said that that color suited the actors’ skin tone and really worked with the rest of their costume. I would love to blame him for this mistake, but I’m afraid I have to take all the blame. I was the producer on the film; I was responsible for overseeing everything. During the table read, I could have stopped the read several times to point out issues that were important.
Often, on lower-budget films, you are getting people who may have been the assistant costume designer or assistant make-up artist, and you will not have the big salary to offer them, but you can offer them the credit that they are looking to put on their bio. They get to move from assistant costume designer to costume designer. However, what that means to you as the producer is that you have to be even more awake than anyone else. The costume designer is not thinking of the money shots you need for the stills that you’ll have to deliver to your sales agent six months from now. That’s not their job. They are not as experienced as the bigger-budget keys, and they can’t be expected to read your mind. In addition, they don’t have six weeks or eight weeks on the set and six weeks of preproduction to prepare. Our shooting schedule was 14 days! The keys were crazed.
The costume/blood problem could have been totally averted if I had pointed out items like this. I could have just said, “Wow, this is a great shot – lots of action and lots of blood. As you’re planning and purchasing your wardrobe for the actors, please just keep in mind that we need to be able to see the blood.”
Here is another example of something that I noticed too late. I am always on the set. I believe the producer should be on the set all the time. Well, there were a few hours one day that I was not on set. I have only one fear in life, and that is a strange fear of heights related to cliffs. The shot that was happening was a fantastic money shot. Our hero and heroine had escaped the evil monster and were going to survive and be together. That kiss and embrace was important – really important. And there was no going back to get it. I was watching the dailies the next morning and was shocked. My beautiful blonde looked terrible.
I called the make-up artist and asked what happened. She said that of course she had to look that way; after all, in the story she’d been held prisoner for months with little food in dreadful surroundings. I realized at that moment that people read literally. Yes, that’s how the script read, but this was my female lead, and I don’t care what she’d been through; I want to see her looking gorgeous and glowing when she meets her hero and has that long-awaited embrace we’ve been dying to see. Once again, it is something that I could have addressed at the table read. So, please take responsibility here. Your 1st AD will schedule the table read and your line producer will make sure it all runs smoothly, but it’s your job to have your highlighted script with you and to stay present, focused, and conscious.
CAST TABLE READ AND WARDROBE FITTING
One of your responsibilities during preproduction is scheduling and organizing the cast table read – which is the final table read! At this table read, we also did the final wardrobe fittings because the main actors were all there in one spot and the director was there to make final decisions on wardrobe. This is something we scheduled on the Friday before principal photography on each of the low-budget films. You will no doubt have access to a production assistant who will be working on the film, so you can have this PA book the room and make the calls to the agents. There is nothing wrong with delegating jobs like this. However, it is imperative that you be present at this table read – and I don’t just mean showing up. I mean really be conscious.
For example, I was pretty proud of myself for asking the question, “Do any of you have any allergies?” They all said no, no allergies, no problem. I thought, “That’s great,” and moved on to the next question. However, it never occurred to me that when you say allergies, people automatically think “food.” Well, guess where I spent the first night of the 14-day shoot sitting with my beautiful blond female lead who now had red blotches all over her body? You guessed it: the outpatient room at St. Joseph’s Hospital. As it turned out, she was allergic to laundry detergent. If I had asked the question a little differently – “Are any of you allergic to anything at all, food, any chemical, anything?” – this emergency would not have happened.
As it turned out, the doctor was able to give her some shots that worked within hours and cost us only $350, but it could have been a lot worse and cost a great deal more. So, once again, it’s your responsibility. You have to stay calm and centered because almost everyone around you will be frantic, tired, and overworked.
PRODUCT PLACEMENT
Every so often, in the indie low-budget world, you hear that a producer is able to pull rabbits out of a hat and land an amazing product placement deal for his film, but those deals are few and far between. Even on our bigger-budget films like Undertaking Betty (also known as Plots with a View), which was a fun romantic comedy, we couldn’t get money for product placement. We mentioned Princess Cruise Line a number of times throughout the film, and we mentioned it in a great fun way, but that didn’t help get me any money for the film from that company. We got free footage that we needed from them for the film – but no money!
So, in the case of my low-budget films, which were genre movies where people were getting killed by aliens, monsters, and ghosts, I knew the chances of us getting a product placement deal were slim to none. What I really wanted were products we could have on set that were free. That was doable.
Sit down with your production designer and see what items they can get on set that will save you some money. Our production designer on each film was able to get soft drinks and water, and on the budget we had, every little bit helps.
Your make-up artist will be getting free make-up, but check to make sure he or she is on top of it. In one of the films I did, our make-up person was on set in Romania until a week before we started shooting, so I called him and asked if there was anything that I could do to help. Thank goodness I called, because he was so swamped with his job on his current film that he had not had time to call MAC cosmetics in Toronto and get the supplies he needed for our shoot. I put in the call to MAC, and they were fantastic. Within a week, we had everything we needed. It’s always great for companies like MAC to get involved because they get a special thank-you and, if they want, their logo displayed in the end roll credits.
Once again, your job is to oversee and to speak with your line producer on an ongoing basis to see what is needed or missing. Because Kate and I were in constant communication with Mike and available to step in and put out fires before they started, it made for an effortless production. On Séance, in preproduction we were still having problems finding an elevator shaft, so we – as the producers – worked through and brainstormed solutions with the line producer and director (include your location manager, if you have one). Kate happened to know someone who had a hotel in Hollywood, and we got our elevator shaft in time and for a great price.
UPDATE INVESTORS
Another one of your responsibilities during this period is keeping your investors updated. I started sending them weekly emails at the beginning of soft prep, but at this point, when the schedule is being locked down, you want to get your investors a copy so that they can book their time on set. Also, you want to make a point of suggesting the best days, as you want them coming to locations on days when there is some fun action happening. If you have a name actor, recommend days when he or she is on set so that your investors can have their picture taken with the actor.
On Séance, actor Adrian Paul was one of our leads, and the investors were very excited to get their pictures taken with him. I asked Adrian in advance, and he was more than happy to be available for photos with our investors. Also, a number of our investors wanted to be extras in the films, so it’s very important that you give them lots of notice for the days they will be needed.
Regardless of whether your investors are coming to the set, continue your weekly emails informing them of what’s happening. Preproduction is an exciting time with tons of activity: locking locations, hiring department heads, finalizing schedules, and lots of fun things that you can share with your investors. It is not a huge demand on your time at all, and it is well worth the effort to keep them involved. You wouldn’t be in preproduction if it weren’t for them, so please keep them informed and involved.
KEEP THE ACTORS AND THEIR AGENTS INFORMED
I know that the costume designer, director, and make-up artist are in communication with the actors during this preproduction period and that you are contacting them or their agents to set up the table read, but there is something else to be aware of here. Part of your deal memo states that you will be updating them with finalized schedules, and this is the time when the final touches are being made and the film schedule is being confirmed. So make sure to email copies of the finalized schedule to the agents.