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…)

Hi Doug.  Your site is kick-ass.  When I grow up I’m going to have one just like it.  My question for your wise counsel: my independent film, which was mostly shunned by festival programmers for being “too light,” and then was handled briefly by a sales rep who went belly up in the latest financial meltdown, has attracted the interest of an online distributor that is one of the top two most reputable such organizations.  They are asking for a six month exclusive window, are promising a nice launch with splash promos, and tie-ins with a major market, where they are a presence.  Please give me your thoughts about what you would look for in any deal of this kind, I know you’ve been through this circus ride a couple of times.

Yeah, I know that circus ride well.  My feature Entry Level was considered “too light” by some festival programmers.  Often, I think that’s indie film code for, “a film that audiences will actually enjoy.”

Before I mention what I’d look for in an online release deal, I want to mention that there are probably three routes open to a filmmaker at your stage of the game.  Depending on your film, these are the options you could consider:

Go big

If you’re burdened with a lot of extra money, you could remedy the situation pretty easily by hiring a publicist and/or film rep to try to give your film a higher profile.  I’ve seen a number of indie films that garnered the acceptance and publicity they needed largely because someone had the funds to buy some attention early on in the game. (continue reading…)

Starbucks and Official Best of Fest will be sponsoring a screening of Full Disclosure and two other great films tonight at Seattle’s Roy Street Coffee (one of the Stealth Starbucks stores) at 8PM.  Not only can you watch some great films from OBOF, but you can also order a beer or wine in a Starbucks like you’re in Europe or something.  To top it off, I’ll be doing a little Q&A about the film.

Roy Street Coffee Co.  700 Broadway East (Broadway and Harvard on Capitol Hill), Seattle.

Official Best of Fest screening of Full Disclosure at Roy Street Coffee Co. 3/31/2010 8PM

Some folks can't keep their cool.

It seems like there are a million ways a film or television project can die, but one of the saddest is Producer Meltdown.  It’s also surprisingly dangerous because it always seems to hit when success seems assured.  I’ve seen it on several projects and I’m currently witnessing it again.

Here’s how it typically works:  Over the course of months or years, a group of filmmakers get together to try to will a project to life.  People combine their contacts, resources, creativity, and good karma to build someone’s crazy idea into a project that has a chance of getting made.  It’s an amazing moment when something is on the cusp of transitioning from dream to reality.  But it’s also the time when people’s expectations, real or imaged are about to be solidified into concrete terms.

Invariably, one participant thinks he deserves a bigger piece of the pie.  Maybe the original deal terms were loose (or non-existent).  Maybe someone did a hell of a lot more work than the others involved.  Or perhaps someone’s connection to a distributor, star, or money was the lynch-pin for the project.  As a dream gets locked down on paper as who-gets-what-when-and-how, it’s pretty typical for someone to feel that their contribution is being given the short shrift.  Or maybe that person is just a douche who thinks he can grab a little more than he’s due.  The reasons vary, but the results tend to be the same…a project that was a “go” is suddenly just gone. (continue reading…)