Film Making / Production >

Casting a Film
Low-budget film economics, increased competition in the marketplace, and a looming Screen Actors Guild (SAG) strike have merged to create a perfect storm into which would-be auteurs must now set sail. And while some neophyte directors won't have a problem visualizing a split-diopter framing during a Steadycam shot, nearly all of them will find the casting process an exasperating challenge of neurosurgical proportions. more >

Union Issues
As the number of independent films in production swells, so does the pressure for the unions to adjust and accommodate. The creation of a Low-Budget Contract and the rebirth of the East Coast Council has been the first major step in not only accommodating low-budget productions, but in demystifying the process of producing a film with union labor. States Chris Goode, who has co-produced numerous indies with Kerry Orent, including Flirting with Disaster, "I think there are strong reasons to go union. Not because they're going to beat the shit out of you or make your employees walk off the show. Generally they have better crews. And as you do bigger pictures, you want a good relationship with them." more >

Location Scouting and Management
Any good producer will tell you that finding an out-of-town location with friendly locals and a minimum of red ape is half the battle on an indie road shoot. But once the script's in place and the budget's locked down, where and how does the search for those far-off locations really begin? more >

Sound Crew and Equipment
Editing software like Final Cut Pro allows you put sound on different tracks and move a piece of sound back and forth in time until it syncs properly with the picture or other sounds. When shooting Trifling with Fate I set the camera to record audio (from its built-in microphone) at 48kHz, and I set the DAT to record at 48kHz. Once I synced the sound of a take during editing I found I could sync it at any point in the take, and it stayed in sync with no problem using the process below. more >

Cinematography
TVideo technology is advancing by leaps and bounds. It is now possible to shoot PAL Digibeta footage that transfers superbly to 35mm film, and the high-definition 24-frames-per-second video camera is a reality. So why shoot miniDV, the "prosumer" medium favored by both home-movie makers as well as the first wave of digital independents? more >

Set Operations Staff and Equipment
Unless you're planning to emulate Ozu and barely move the camera on your first indie feature, you'd do well to introduce yourself to the world of camera dollies and the dolly grip before shooting. While any director knows he or she has to have a crack first assistant cameraman to ensure that the director of photography's images are in focus, fewer realize how important a trustworthy dolly grip is. What may seem like grunt work - pushing the dolly across the room or along a piece of track - is actually a skilled craft, requiring not only muscles but an intuitive knowledge of camera operation, a sensitivity to actors and their line readings, and a balletic sense of movement. more >

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