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My greatest problem of all is contending with cast and crew. This is half my fault - I'm quite aloof and I'm prone to having what some would describe as "bouts of eccentric behaviour" but it's all towards the end of making a point. The other half of the blame goes to this strange part of the collective Irish psyche (which thankfully seems to have passed over me) which reasons that it is better to tell someone that you can do something that you can't do rather then just tell them up front that you can't do it. This fucking infuriates me. "Can you boom operate on my short" - "NO PROBLEM!?.? Can you make it on set at six - now, if you can't just say so and I'll leave it till eight" - "SURE!?
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I can't even get them there for 10am [img]mad.gif[/img] Once we started shooting at 5pm after a 12pm request due to my actress sleeping in.Quote:
Originally posted by Peter_G:
Can you make it on set at six - now, if you can't just say so and I'll leave it till eight" - "SURE!?
I dunno. Can't work with 'em, can't smack 'em in the face with a shovel and bury them under the patio.
If the crew doesn't show up you fire them. If you can't fire them because you didn't sign a contract then the shit is in your eye. Get it in writing. In the USA a binding contract should include an amount of payment it can be as low as a dollar. This way when someone doesn't show you tell everyone to go home and sorry for the trouble then you find a replacement.
Good Luck
<font size="24">LEARN TO SHOUT VERY LOUDLY AND PUT THE FEAR OF GOD INTO THEM</font>
One of the biggest challenges in filmmaking has got to be getting funding.
Makes it more difficult when you see shorts (& features) that are poor and you're pretty certain that you could better it with half the budget. But life's not fair, and filmmaking is even less fair, so the biggest challenge is to KEEP TRYING.
All these stories about cast and crew being unreliable, fact is that until you can pay them what the hell do they care and what do you expect?!? That's just something you must deal with as and when, but DO remember the guys and gals that stuck with you through it all!!!
The problem as I see it is not one of the crew not caring in the first place. That would be OK. I feel that if someone says they'll do something they are honour bound to keep their word, particularly when you have put everything on the line for the sake of the production. I've heard of industry low budget films of budgets like US$100,000 or $200,000 paying only a little above minimum wage (Nigel: European minimum wage is a lot more then its American equivalent. Here in Ireland the minimum wage is US$9.28 an hour). The main reason professionals work in these sorts of films is because they believe that they are contributing to something good, something that at the very least deserves to exist. The money itself is just a good will gesture. Essentially, you?re paying them in good will (if they were completely mercenary they'd just go work in Tesco).
It?s not that difficult to perform many of the periphery functions on a film set. In an hour or so I could teach someone of average intelligence with no prior experience to clapper load, boom swing or even to focus pull or operate a nagra.
I?m not asking anyone to be brilliant. Shit, most of the time I don?t even ask them to do their best. The only thing that I take as a given is that when someone claims they can or will do something, they keep their word as much and as often as is practically possible.
That, Kev O, is what I expect.
I am not saying that I won't work for little if not nothing. What I am saying is that I don't want to work where I feel like I am working for nothing. Does that make sense??
There have been times when I have worked for nothing becaus I feel like I can get something from it being a future connection or something for my reel.
But if you expect me to step on set for nothing and work my ass off for free then you are dead wrong.
Make me feel like I have value and I will bend over backwards for you.
Good Luck
This is a big deal, and Im suprised it doesnt get talked about that much here.
You cant make a film on your own, or at least I cant imagine WHY you'd want to even if you could.
So you have to get other people involved.
Which requires a certain amount of reliability.
So how do you motivate your cast and crew? Without money?
As Nigel says, no one is going to work for you if they feel they arent getting anything out of it.
Film making isnt like anything else.
People get the strangest things from a film set - different people will work for different reasons.
Some people only work for money - at this level you can scrub these people straight from your list.
Some people will do it because they like the team work - or perhaps their day job doesnt give them what they want - on a film set they get the responsibility they crave for a while.
Some people just love the idea of making something from nothing and will break their back to see it completed - even if its shit in the end. Its satisfying to be involved in a finished work - especially one created with meagre means.
Some people work for the experience, for future paid work in the business.
Some people need a bit of creativity in their lives.
Some people just love fannying around.
Some people like the buzz on the set
Some people enjoy organising....
Some people just fancy the excuse to get out of the house for a while.
blah blah blah....
Low budget indy stuff - directing or producing - I reckon the trick has to be satisfying these different needs for different people, so you dont lose them. But they do need to know that it wont
take over their life - its playtime after all - they need to know before hand exactly what is required of them and for how long.
It really isnt always about money. Although thats a misty eyed thing to say I do beleive it. Look at what can be acheived (not just in the sphere of filmmaking) with nothing....
And you see it all the time - odd people on filmsets truly going the extra mile to help get the thing finished. Its amazingly rewarding to see people that keen and helpful, when 5 other people let you down, for no real apparent reasons.
I guess weeding out the wrong people- the air kissers, the vacuous promise makers and the egos, takes experience.
Im about to embark on another massive project for someone else.
We (the main team) are lucky we dont need the work to pay the bills - we have other jobs.
So this is done just to do it, to be a part in this machine.
But it wouldnt be happening if we didnt all like the script, trust the director (who wrote it) and actually enjoy working with each other -knowing that each person will do the job they are asked to do.
Still early days yet, anything can go wrong, but Im in it for the ride anyway....
Not sure what the answer is, only to relax. Dont try and pressure people to help you, because it'll backfire on you.
Dont expect miracles, trust your crew and give them interesting jobs to do. Trust your cast and give them good roles.
Delegate, and try and create an atmosphere where each person involved beleives that what they are doing matters.
Biggest challenge?
Working with new / first time directors that have read a lot of books and watched the "special features" on some DVDs but have no clue how to communicate what they want. That said, a lot of the people I?ve worked with have been very good. I?ve only had a couple of the bad ones.
Oh yeah, and the arrogance of some of them. I'm crew, I'll always be crew, I don't want to direct or produce. But, especially when we show up for free, PLEASE remember that we are not YOUR crew. We are contributing our time and talent to help you out. It's collaborative people.
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