Hey look a bunch of LEDs on a computer chip. Let's call that Open Source!

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of Open Source Entertainment and just what that mash-up of different worlds could be.  …if anything.

Open Source, of course, comes from the open source software movement where a bunch of people from all over the world to work together in a sort of human cloud computer of developing new software.  Linux is the granddaddy of open source software but there are now numerous applications.  OpenOffice is an open-source Microsoft Office clone.  Blender is an impressive open-source 3D modeling application.

What’s interesting to me is the thought of applying open-source principals to creating filmed entertainment.  Part of the reason I’m considering this is my upcoming action/sci-fi series Divergence.  The first season of Divergence is being produced in a manner that has a lot of similarities to open source—that is, a lot of people working together  with the goal of creating something great, rather than immediately profiting.  In that way, low-budget filmmaking and open source software development have always shared a core key idea. (continue reading…)

You hear the phrase on film sets all the time, “Fix it in post.”  Maybe a C-stand or the mic boom crept into a shot.  With the current level of post-production technology, it’s possible to solve almost any problem in the edit bay—if you have enough time and money.

“Fix it in post,” is the unofficial motto of independent film production.  But look around and ask yourself–how many of the people saying, “Fix it in post,” are actually going to be there in post-production with you?  Probably none of them. (continue reading…)

Can you find the BGP on this film set?

Location, location, location.

A gaffer once told me he’d rather have one bare bulb to light a gorgeous location than a whole truck full of fixtures to try to make an ugly location look good.  Since we’re talking about a guy who’s profession is to use a bunch of cool lights to make things look beautiful, that’s a powerful statement.

For a director, a location can make all the difference in your shoot.  After all, if you and the actors don’t bring the magic, at least the audience can enjoy the pretty backdrop!  Beyond that, a great location can create the opportunity for shots you might not have otherwise had, through framing objects, creating zones of color, tone, or texture, or giving new context to a scene.

It’s a shame, then, that independent productions often come up lacking in the locations department.  I run into this problem often.  Great locations usually cost money, and on independent films where too few people are doing too much without enough, locations have a habit of getting the short shrift—until a day or two before it’s time to start shooting.  It’s not uncommon to find yourself walking onto a location you didn’t even know about the day before, let alone get to scout.

So if you find yourself shooting in a location you’ve never seen before, here are five ways to look like a pro and remind the producers why they hired you in the first place. (continue reading…)

Sometimes you have to fit more shots into your shotlist.

The other day I wrote about doing your prep for each shoot. The most important thing you’ll create from that prep is your shot list. It will reflect most of the choices you make about how to handle the production—sort of like your cheat sheet for the day’s shoot.

Each shot listed on your shot list is something you “owe.” I’m not sure who you owe it to—the production, the editor, yourself—but by the end of the day, you better have them on tape or film. (Often I’ll list shots that I’d like to have, time-permitting, but can live without if the going gets rough. Knowing the difference is another important function of prepping your shoot.)

But all of that comes out of prep done at your desk or the kitchen table before you step onto the set. When you’re there, “on the day” a lot of other ideas will occur to you—maybe an actor brings in a nice piece of business you’d like to work in, or there’s a great background for a certain moment, or perhaps you just see a new way to pull things together. It’s likely that you’re going to owe some new shots. (continue reading…)

You can't use the tools if you didn't prep them.

I’m prepping for two video shoots in this week.  (These days, that’s pretty noteworthy in and of itself…but that’s not what I’m writing about.)  One of the shoots I’m prepping has a paid “prep day” one doesn’t.  But the reality is that I’ll probably put similar amounts of prep time into each project.  That’s the deal with directing a film or video production: Sometimes you get paid to prep, sometimes you don’t, but either way you have to do it.  You can’t show up on set without a plan.  That just ain’t gonna go well.  ”I didn’t have a paid prep day,” isn’t much of an excuse if everyone’s waiting around while you’re floundering on set. (continue reading…)