I don't know, but people say the best way to save on money is to have people volunteer. That is the paradox I am faced with.

But I was told the cinematography on my past projects is not good enough, so I need to find someone better in that area, as well as better actors.

He’s only been back for a few days and I need to smoke a J.

The only way you'll get people to volunteer is to let them do something they don't normally do.

You don't have the Lighting gear to shoot in a feature film style, so you need someone who can shoot with limited lighting, but has a cinematic sense of style. You should talk to this camera person to see if they have a sense of what you're after and more importantly find out if they're interested. It's no use wasting time on a forum, you won't find any answers to that here.

Okay sure I will try that, thanks. Another thing is, I was thinking to save money just don't use lav mics. I already have equipment for sound, but not lavs, just a boom. And my field recorder only has two channels anyway.

So I wonder if I should just use a single boom mic. Because if I am using just one camera and one camera operator to save money, I can also save more by having just one mic, and one boom operator, if that makes sense to do so as well.

Don't waste time on mics at the moment. We're not on your crew, we don't know the action, the shots that you want and so what's required.

It also depends on if you're asking about lav mics or radio mics, the former can either be hard wired or used on a radio mic.

Okay thanks. Well one of the biggest things to get around is also the covid thing, so do I just not follow the laws and make the movie anyway? But it all gets caught on video then of course.

It takes time to get through pre production and get a team together. You can then worry about the rules when that's in place, there are now film making guidelines, which people will want to follow, unless they're all drunk party people. You could even set it in the time of covid and see how that affects things.

I shouldn't worry, by the time you work out your script it'll be months away before anything can be done, given how long it'll take by going though a rewrite by using forum messages that you seem to have difficulty in following.

Oh okay. Well my biggest concern is the seasonal change, and since a lot of people can only work weekends, I need enough weekends to last a season such as summer, otherwise winter will come and make the season inconsistent of course. So I may need to start next year to get more shoot days if people can only work weekends but I would like to shoot it in a sooner amount of time if possible.

One filmmaker I worked with before got a lot of actors and crew to shoot it all in 14 days straight, but I don't know how he talked them into it.

But as far as the script goes, I made changes based on people's advice, so hopefully more people will like it better as a result.

If you plan it out, you can shoot the exteriors all in one season and the interiors as and when you can. If your film is set in a city the season changes tend not to be that obvious, unless you've got snow on the ground or a lot of trees in the shots.

You''re allowed to make script changes, even on the day of shooting, the editing in post is basally another rewrite. However, you don't seem to be picking up the points (and possibilities) being made in the forum messages that quickly, You seem to reply without really thinking. Going for long walks is one of the best way to work out how you can use or reject things. You can't expect a forum to make decisions for you, they can pose questions, but you have to come with the answers.

The trouble with extended schedules is that the cast might not be available, and of course will have things like haircuts, diets or excess burgers to mess up continuity, plus even crew with different equipment.

Yeah for sure, I've had to deal with extended shoots before, but a lot of people are only available on weekends they say. I can try to talk them into taking time off work maybe?

But on a prior short film for example, an actress lost 20 pounds halfway through shooting. We had her wear a baggier shirt, and people said they couldn't tell, unless they paid attention, but still a risk, for sure.

I've done extended shoots, you do have to be flexible about no shows and be careful about reliability issues. It's easier with younger people or singles, who don't have other commitments, like family

It's a bit like doing evening classes, everyone shows for the first couple of lessons, but the numbers tend to drop off as the course progresses.

Oh really? Actually in my experience so far, it's the older people who show up a lot more, but that's just been my experience.

Older singles are probably going to be more reliable, the younger ones will depend on how driven they are and if they're part of the group.

Oh okay. Another reason may be is that the older people's kids are older to look after themselves, where as the younger people of course need babysitters. In fact, I have a shoot right now that's been delayed because of the same reason.

But that is just my guess. The script I want to for a feature though, does have quite a few parts for older people, if that helps though.

Selecting people would depend on their commitments, even on a two week shoot babysitters would be an issue,

There are other ways, you can do it one week blocks for example. However, in the end, if it was easy everyone would be doing it.

Oh you mean shoot an actor in close up, with no one else, there, then do another one? I've tried that before, but I was told later, the performances did not match or play off each other correctly, and so I didn't want to do it again after that. Plus doing that means I can't have a master shot for safety. But if I absolutely have to, I can try to do that again and hope it goes well.

Well, you could do that, but I meant filming for a week and then having a break for a period and then doing another week's filming.

Alternately, you could film for one day a week or you could just film each night or any other breakdown, As long as it's regular you will get the production done within a few months.

Again looking at your writing thread, are you actually writing this thing? Can you not work anything out and the implications of following a set of actions for the characters? Do you actually know your characters? There are a lot of suggestions in there that you don't seem to be able to apply in your head, seemingly, they're just messages that you reply to with more questions. These are decisions that you, as the writer have to make.

Go and read William Goldman's screen trade books, they're easy reads and you'll learn more about screen writing there than you will writing messages on forums.

Good to see we actually got him to drop his professional pretense and make the best of the current situation. I’d imagine there are many actors out of work looking for something to do. Scenes that don’t involve groups could be handed during the week while reserving the rest for weekends. If he worked efficiently and knew what he was doing he could knock this out in a month.

Hopefully a month, if everyone is available. I was advised by another filmmaker that actors would be more willing if they got to wear masks, because of covid, but I feel they will not be able to show much emotion on camera, if they all wore masks though.

I could work with what I have, it's just when I did that before, the products didn't turn out well. So I thought I had to go above and beyond the people I know currently, to have better and cinematography, if that is what's needed. But I can try to work with what I have and still do make it professional level, if that's possible.

Please do not shoot your movie with everyone wearing masks unless you rewrite it for that to make sense. No one will want to watch a bunch of covered faces for 90 minutes. Think of how ridiculous that would look. If safety concerns are that much of a problem for people (which is totally understandable especially given the probably very low pay), then just dont do the movie right now. It was already likely to not make its money back, I would think everyone in masks would guarantee that.

In real life people don't wear masks all the time. so shooting a film with the actors doing that wouldn't make sense. Also, it's not just an add on, having a pandemic is part of the world, so the whole approach to telling the story changes.

Oh okay thanks, I don't have to make it now, I just wonder if this covid mentality will even go away anytime soon, or if I should just accept it and try to make the movie. If I can get people who are okay with not wearing masks of course.

But would it be weird if the movie takes place in modern times, yet we are pretending that it takes place in an alternate timeline where covid never happened?

It depends when the film is set. You can set it pre covid or during covid, you could set post pandemic, but you don't yet know the nature of that world, if there is a vaccine or if people taking other measures.

All this is stuff you need to work out. Unfortunately, it goes with being a producer/director/writer, so don't expect people to give you all the answers. Being creative involves creative thinking.

How many TV programmes do we watch at the moment, or movies, where people are wearing masks? The public accept what they are given. Unless it references specific dates and times, they don't care. It could save you a fortune on live sound capture though? You could add dialogue with no lip sync issues, change chunks with no reshooting, and it would be unique - You'd be the only director brave enough to do it.

Remember that in aviation movies like Top Gun, they got slammed by the flying fraternity for constantly taking off their masks when flying, which real pilots don't, because that is where their mics are! (and oxygen) . They daren't go for realism, they had to fake it because that's what the audience need.

Oh okay thanks. Yes I remember that in Top Gun. And I also thought of the sound advantages as well. It's just I am worried that if all the actors wear masks, that it can get in the way of emotion and be awkward.

If I have to use my creative choices, my instincts tell me that this would be so awkward it will ruin the movie. But at the same time, actors don't want to do without the masks in the majority I don't think. One person suggested to me that the actors will be good as long as they social distance during shooting. But then I will have to shoot in a wider aspect ratio, or heavily compromise the shots, and need much bigger locations then.

....oooooooooorrrr just wait so you dont waste $10-50000.

Wait for what?

Logic would suggest until the Covid issue is over.

Film making is always a compromise, so don't fool yourself.

Well I just wanted to get started sooner if possible with no more waiting or delays if possible. I also thought I could do it as an animated movie as well, because then of course, the actors do not have to interact with each other in covid times. Could animation possibly work better therefore, as long as I get a good animator on board?

I assume you're talking about a short rather than a feature film. There are a number of animations currently being made during the covid outbreak, although, I don't know why an animator would want to work with you rather than their own short projects.

No I meant a feature film. I thought I could possibly get an animator interested if they liked the script, or at least trying to be optimistic about it.

Are you serious!!!

You really don't have a clue about the amount of work and time involved in making an animated feature film.

If you want to do it, animate the film yourself and spend the next few years making it. You may learn something along the way instead of going around in circles on forums.

Well I'm just trying to think outside the box on how to get around the covid issues. But maybe that is my problem because if whenever I try to go outside the box, my ideas are too problematic, and I should not try to think outside?

No problems about thinking outside the box, but you do have to have critical judgment and know when to reject things. There's nothing wrong with an animation, but unless you've got the skills to do it yourself ,it's a non starter for a low budget feature.

Reading your last message about your script on the other forum leaves the impression that you're way out of your depth and are totally lost. If you can't work out a way for a character to dramatically get an item yourself, why are you wasting other people time? This is what writers do, it's part of the job, it may take a few attempts to come with a really good method, but you don't need to keep asking on a forum. You won't get a solution to the problem there, it's between you and your keyboard.

The people on that forum haven't read your script, they know very little about it, so how can they give you a meaningful answer.

Oh well when it comes to the script, there is one way the person can get the bag, it's just I have to break traditional story structure to do it, and wasn't sure if that would make the story less engaging as a result. But I have have three options to pick from, and was just wondering other opinions on which was the best.

Ryan -
Well I'm just trying to think outside the box on how to get around the covid issues. But maybe that is my problem because if whenever I try to go outside the box, my ideas are too problematic, and I should not try to think outside?

I started to write a reply, one that would ask you to do a survey of those who will, or might, work with you on this project, to find out who would be, nor not be, willing to work without a mask and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), but then decided not to. Why? Because ...

Because, the more I think about it, the approaching end of the warm season followed by the cold one (with indoor heater noises, remember the Judo video?), the mask issues, the Covid flu issues (and loosing a key person that kills the production), for a Feature that everybody will be proud of and not thrown together helter-skelter.
We're looking at Mid JULY right now and the cold fall is right around the corner. The days are already getting shorter. I'm thinking "Not this year".

There is too much left work on, too many unknowns, too many issues, and the time is running out.

Pessimist here wants to know:

Script - what percent is it at?
Scenes - need a list of scenes and locations
Equipment list and personnel for each scene (based on this, one can start costing it out)
Legal stuff - what is needed? How long to get approvals by location?
Costumes -
Etc.

Disclaimer: this is not my forte so that's why I've been out of here. However .... I don't see how anyone can put a Feature together without some basic information. Schedule! Cost! These are important things. Need to know lots of stuff.

All the time seems to be spent on the computer, working at a snail's pace. Sorry, but just don't see how one guy (and maybe a friend or two), can put this low/no cost Feature tougher in this timeline. If you think otherwise, let's talk Timeline.

Oh well when it comes to the script, there is one way the person can get the bag, it's just I have to break traditional story structure to do it, and wasn't sure if that would make the story less engaging as a result. But I have have three options to pick from, and was just wondering other opinions on which was the best.

I still don't know what the problem is and why it should break the 3 act structure. Getting the bag is just one more difficulty that a character has to overcome. You, as the writer, just have to work out the tactics that the character has to use to get it. Quite a few films have characters having to get something, be it real or just a device to get the story going and is forgotten about as the action takes over.

Given the other issues you've had in film making, I suspect it's more you creating problems in your head than any problem the character may have in getting a bag.

You're the only person who has the script, so you're the only one who can work it out. Repeatedly asking questions on a forum that no one can directly answer will get you no where. There were a number of good thoughts in that thread, which you seemingly couldn't engage with, which does seem to fit a pattern in your thought processes.

Making changes in a script can have ramifications in a number of ways, but that's part of writing.

Regarding how you plot out your story - these are different, the plot is how you tell the story. The usual method is to do a treatment which gives the story in a standard format, not a script format in about 10 to 12 pages. This doesn't have any dialogue, just has what happens.

You then work things out with the treatment, which takes time. There is no easy method and the answers usually lie within the story, the characters, their needs and their world.

Oh okay thanks. I wrote a few outlines, and went with the one I thought was best, it's just other people who have read it say I should go back to the drawing board, but not sure how to approach it now, since some of the suggestions means not having a a traditional 3 act structure, but maybe that's okay if it means the characters are more logical?

As for making it an animated movie, it was suggested to me by one other so far, to do an animated movie instead, if I cannot get enough people interested because of covid, but it was also said on here that I shouldn't because it would just be more challenging to do that. So I am not sure if I should try to the animated route or not. Would it be more costly?

I suspect the people in the other forum don't realize that you're talking about a feature film when they bring up animation. I saw that message and they seem to be suggesting that you do the animation. If you can do the animation yourself, that's fine, but it's unlikely you'll find an animator or animators to do that amount of work for free. They are proposing that you make a short animated film, not your feature film, this something that you can do on your own.

For a treatment, you need more than an outline, it will go through everything, so that you've more or less solved all the questions that you're bringing up in the forums. That's a writer's job and if it was easy everyone would be doing it.

You'd be surprised how films still have a 3 act structure, even the non linear ones. The structure won't affect the characters, that's revealed by what they by their actions. Even dialogue is something that they do, they're angry with someone, verbally put pressure on other characters or bullying them, are saddened by what someone says, or what they have to tell someone. they are in despair. (Just like people who write the dialogue in these forum messages), they lie, they blackmail. These are all actions that use the spoken word,

If there's no dramatic point to some dialogue it shouldn't be there. You have to hide the exposition or use it for a dramatic purpose. As Robert McKee puts it: "use exposition like bullets".

It's up to you to work the outline that's working with the readers into a suitable structure as you're writing the treatment. This prevents you getting bogged down with the dialogue.

You can pitch the outlines to people you trust to see their reaction, so that you can make a judgment call on the one that gets the response with your audience. However, you do need to be able to make the creative decisions yourself.

As mentioned by people on the other forum, you should be building up your network of collaborators in the real world and get working on a film. You don't get experience by asking endless questions on forums. You won't learn anything unless you make mistakes and learn from them.

Unfortunately, I suspect you've become addicted to forums, which is getting in the way of you progressing as a film maker. because you're just going around in circles like a rudderless ship.

Ryan reminds me of a poor man's Charlie from the movie Adaptation. Great movie have you ever seen it?

Yes, although I'm nor sure if Robert McKee can help Ryan.

Yes, although I'm nor sure if Robert McKee can help Ryan.
If he ever had a nemesis it would be Ryan.
Ryan chasing after Robert McKee. “Mr McKee I have one more question about my movie...

Oh okay, well I do still have a 3 act structure, just not the traditional type of 3 act structure that you read about writing. But maybe that is okay, and I can just own it, and hope for the best.

What do you mean by not a traditional 3 act structure?

You either have 3 acts, or not - surely?

May be it's Godard: “A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order.” Although, it may be a case that in possibly attempting non linear story telling Ryan is digging a hole for himself.

Some of my films are non linear, there is a 3 act structure to them and the important bit is the stroy, but you run the risk of losing part of the audience. There are writing books which go into that type of story telling.

If you're doing that type of thing, you do need to be confident about what you're doing and where the thrust of the story lies. Unfortunately, given all the forum questions on his script, Ryan doesn't seem to be that certain.

Oh okay. Well I have enough story for a 94 page script, but I just don't know if I see it as 3 acts. It kind of feels like four acts when I see it.

Or some people seem to call this Act I, Act 2a, Act 2b, and Act 3, so perhaps I have something similar there. I would say the story is linear though.

A 3 act structure has a mid point in the middle of the 2nd act (called in the mid point climax in Hollywood), if you don't have that you risk having a "sag" in the middle and the film feeling too long. You can call the bit before the mid point Act 2a and after Act 2b, but it's still the classic 3 act structure. Breaking Story: The Six Major Beats | Screenwriter-to-Screenwriter.com (http://www.screenwriter-to-screenwriter.com/2009/07/breaking-story-the-six-major-beats/)

It's basically get boy into a tree, throw rocks at the boy in the tree, get boy out of the tree.