Do I tend to overthink things in filmmaking?

[Brian Drysdale]

If the English accept Renee Zellweger as Bridget Jones and they do a series of films with her in the part. I suspect it's a loud, vocal, stupid minority.

[Paul R Johnson]

Oh Brian - my wife watches these movies almost on repeat. You've cut me to the quick! Next you'll be telling me that the bearer in it Ain't 'alf Hot Mum wasn't Indian and was really English?

[Brian Drysdale]

LOL I wasn't referring to the English in this regard. I can accept Renee Zellweger in that part, just as her being Roxie Hart in Chicago, although I haven't watched all of Bridget Jones.

There is a debate on the whole issue of casting people who aren't the same as their actors, sometimes it's sensible and other respects not so sensible.

[Ryan Elder]

Originally Posted by Paul R Johnson

The awards ceremonies when we had them always had categories for best new actor/actress, so you'd get somebody green but capable do a brilliant job. You can have terrible actors who have worked solidly for years out acted by younger people with no formal training. Some people can act in real life. The blaggers. Those people who go to an interview and act the part of the brilliant talented person with bags of skill and experience. They get the job because they have acting ability. The skilled, experienced and probably talented failed interviewee lost their job because they couldn't act! The story is everything. Was Arnold Schwarzenegger ever a brilliant actor? No. How about Anthony Hopkins? Some are obvious, some are not. Hugh Lawrie is one of the really good word who nobody notices. He played for us Brits, a comedy character in Black Adder, yet many Americans don't even know he's British. I just discovered Brigit Jones is not English. Clearly, she's a good actress!

Are you in a position to hire people? This involves money. You never seem to have any?

Months ago I suggested doing a skills audit. You avoided it. You still blast on with your projects with no thought as to what you do best, and you are always surprised when they go wrong.

At some point in your life you will look back and review your track record before you waste huge amounts of money, time and lost happiness.

Oh okay. Well is there anything to sell a movie on, other than the acting, if it's microbudget?

[Brian Drysdale]

If it's got an interesting story, that's well told in an interesting way or the subject matter has adherents to a genre, will sell a movie. However, most microbudget films will never get sold, the marketing will cost more than making the film

You can get porn for free on the internet, so is less likely these days for sales, unless you know the market

[Paul R Johnson]

Ryan - you are not really getting this, are you?

The question was about overthinking - which clearly, as demonstrated, you do.

If you want to make people watch your shorts, then you need to go back to basics.
1. A good story - one that maximises the desire to watch it.
2. Realism - locations and acting really.
3. Technical competence - what does it look and sound like? How is the story enhanced by what people see and are able to hear.

You can have a few weak areas if they are not critical to enjoyment. People can click away, and do. I'll watch the first five minutes and if I'm not into it by then, I'll watch smething else. I HATE watching movies - I just find most modern ones less than gripping. I watched one because I was made to the other day. The story started to wash over me, I started to find faults, I noticed stuff should not have and I hated it. Yet I watched an old Tom Clancy movie and as I had read the book twenty years ago, I spotted plot errors, some truly dodgy acting alongside great acting and some poor SFX and yet I thorougly enjoyed the movie. The 'whole' worked. It kept me the critical first few minutes and it worked.

Did you notice you also did the typical Ryan thing of ignoring 99% of a post and responding as if the comments were simply not there. They said things you just do NOT wish to address, so you ignored them - and you said your usual "Oh OK" - which by now we all know means you just ignore the questions. You then generate a response that has no link at all?

Microbudget means compromise, it does not mean bad always - but if you write a movie with hard to find locations, acting difficulty that shows up errors, and a difficult content, are you surprised it goes wrong?

How about producing a script that is within your actor's skill level. Set in a location you have 100% control over and has a story the actors might actually enjoy?

[Ryan Elder]

Oh I apologize, I didn't mean to not adress all the questions.

So one thing I didn't answer before, was if I have money to hire actors. Well it depends. I have money which I was saving up for a much bigger project so I can hire actors and other crew for that one, just not other ones.

As for getting a location with 100 percent control, I do not own any of locations really, so I do not have 100 percent control, but hopefully, I can get more as much control as I can.

[Paul R Johnson]

Why not just do it properly and document the various deals you do. It sounds like you say "can I shoot my movie at your stcap yard?" The response is "yes fine" . Three weeks later, unannounced you turn up with loads of people and stop their work dead. They get fed up after a few hours not realising you want exclusive and free use of their locations and they order you off the site.

I have never, ever lost a location like this. I have, however, stopped people who have taken liberties with me. Can we shoot an I view on stage tomorrow before the show? I say yes to the BBC and they turn up late when the audience is coming in and want things moved and even spoil the start of the show by just wandering around on the empty stage till I blow my top and throw them out.

Which scenario sounds familiar?

[Ryan Elder]

The first one sounds familiar because I have never shown up late to a shoot, and never interrupted a show or anything.

Mostly it was friends I asked. I did document the deal once with someone I didn't know but later, they didn't care about the fact that it was documented and steal needed me out of there much sooner for some reason. But I can still document them.

[Paul R Johnson]

I'm not sure you understand. Even with freebies, people need to know what is needed and what they are saying yes to. Often it's awkward to have to say "thanks for letting me do this, but I must have access from 8am, and will need somebody there who knows where the switches are. I also need parking for two cars. Oh - will there be toilets available? We plan to use a little smoke - will this cause any problems with smoke alarms? It's very important we can work without any of your people accidentally walking through where we are shooting? is it OK to put a no entry sign on the door? Sorry to ask so many questions but it's cost us an awful lot to get everyone here for the shoot and we don't want to risk not getting done - it's so kind of you to let us use the building and we really appreciate it"

Two things happen - they say OK, or they warn you of the fire alarm practice at 10am, or that there is only space for one car, or that the sign is OK, but remember it is a fire exit so can't be locked. The smoke request might worry them, but best to know before the fire engines arrive.

This is what I mean by document

[Pete Cofrancesco]

This is one step up from guerilla filming. These things are bound to happen with free locations. I've worked for small businesses and things come up all the time. If important client calls, I would have kicked you out.

You seem to be one of those types of people who are takers, who's always in need of help or wants something for free. In addition you don't appear to be aware of other peoples feelings and concerns. Someone allowing you to use their office is exposing themselves to lots of risk with no benefit. I would be nervous giving a bunch of strangers unsupervised access to my office. It could be that he got cold feet.

In regards to the specific situation we don't know the details of what transpired (you do). This is what you signed up for when you decided to pursue indie film making for free.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, what can I do to be more considerate of their feelings then, or what can I do to make things work, so no clients will show up by surprise for example, like maybe I can help out with that in some way, that would serve both our needs, or what could I do?

[Brian Drysdale]

Assuming that you've picked a day when they're not trading, all you can do is offer to stop filming when a surprise client is there. Usually business visits last less than an hour, so it shouldn't interfere too much with your filming.

If they still ask you to leave, you've either made a poor choice of location or you're doing something that the owner doesn't expect.

It's unusual for you to to be asked to leave, I can only think of one occasion on a drama when a production I was working on was asked to leave. That was probably due to poor communication with the shop owner as to what was involved by the people who organised the location.

[Rainer Listing]

Re locations, I note for example When Hitch couldn't get permission to film in the UN Headquarters for North by Northwest he just covertly filmed Cary Grant arriving. Ryan, just looking back at some of this, it seems to to me that none of the issues you have raised would stop anyone from making a movie if that was their objective. So it seems your main objective, whether conscious or not, is to not make a movie. If I'm wrong, just forget about the hypotheticals and do it.

[Ryan Elder]

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

Assuming that you've picked a day when they're not trading, all you can do is offer to stop filming when a surprise client is there. Usually business visits last less than an hour, so it shouldn't interfere too much with your filming.

If they still ask you to leave, you've either made a poor choice of location or you're doing something that the owner doesn't expect.

It's unusual for you to to be asked to leave, I can only think of one occasion on a drama when a production I was working on was asked to leave. That was probably due to poor communication with the shop owner as to what was involved by the people who organised the location.

Oh well the owner probably had another reason to cut us short, but was using other business associates coming in unexpectedly, as an excuse for us, rather than having to go into a longer reason, perhaps.

I don't think I would have done something that he didn't expect though. I was the first to show up and knock on the door, and he didn't see anyone else, and he told he this right away, that we only have a couple of hours now, so I think it was a third party problem, that was the reason, and nothing I did.

Originally Posted by Rainer Listing

Re locations, I note for example When Hitch couldn't get permission to film in the UN Headquarters for North by Northwest he just covertly filmed Cary Grant arriving. Ryan, just looking back at some of this, it seems to to me that none of the issues you have raised would stop anyone from making a movie if that was their objective. So it seems your main objective, whether conscious or not, is to not make a movie. If I'm wrong, just forget about the hypotheticals and do it.

I could do that, it's just I worry about certain legalities, of using locations without permission.