Planning: Start with The End

Most job descriptions in project management mention the responsibility to “deliver projects on time and within budget.” Film production is no different.

The best planning is the one you won’t need because it all flows from one production milestone to the next in a smooth and clear succession of coordinated actions of a well rehearsed team. Right. This post will address some of the issues that make the above described scenario so rare if not inexistent.

The main aim of the planning is to guard you against the many risks associated with film production that could throw you back. Further, a planning can help you motivate collaborators and clients to make their contributions in time so as to avoid being responsible for the delay. Time is money and all unnecessary setbacks will strain your team and customer relations and their, or your, wallet.

My tip is to start planning from the delivery of your product, whether that’s a finished film or a reel of rushes. Once you’ve got your date, plan backwards, in good old military fashion.

You’re planning needs to be based on real leadtimes. If you’re not aware of them, ask your collaborators to provide you with an amount of time they’ll need to finish the work you ask of them. Then add time for unexpected setbacks. Guestimating your leadtimes has many risks, but the main result, besides delivering late, is your loss of credibility.

This doesn’t mean that projects can’t be done quicker than how film professionals may want to work. Some clients have insane expectations and unfortunately, the client is always right. Your first instinct should therefore always be to try and make it happen. My tip is to get collaborators involved early. Don’t hit them over the head with a crazy deadline, help them find solutions that will save time. Often, people are capable of miracles if they trust and respect you.

I’ve drafted an example list of stages and key moments you can use as basis for your planning.

Pre-Production

• Concept/idea received
• Scriptwriting & script validation (by client or director, may take several attempts)
• Storyboarding
• Location scouting & validation (by client or director)
• Casting & validation
• Rehearsals
• Style concept & validation
• Art (decoration) concept & validation
• Hiring
• Equipment on hold for shooting dates

Production

• Equipment setup (Director, camera, art & light departments)
• Special setup (camera car, complex props, make sure you factor time generously)
• Makeup & style (actors)
• Wrap up, location change, new setup (Director, camera, art & light departments)
• End of day wrap up

Post-Production

• Offline editing
• Online editing
• Special effects
• 2D or 3D graphics, titles, etc.
• Voice/voiceover recording
• Voice/-over translation
• Voice/-over recording/dubbing
• Music to picture composition
• Sound mix

Packaging

• Packing Design & Mockups
• Printing, Silkscreen, etc. on packaging

Duplication

• Transfers (i.e. to PAL/NTSC)
• Encoding (into MPEG-2 for DVDs)
• Masters (Glassmasters, DLT or simple DVD, depending on budget and timing)
• Duplications
• Silkscreen or Printing on DVDs
• Delivery

Budget: Structure of your Costs

Whether you work for a client or with a group of friends, a budget is vital to guarantee you’ll finish your product, to predict expenses, however small they may be, and to manage your risks. Going over-budget can cost you nerves, clients and crew. You may or may not like his films, but Tony Scott is famous for delivering on budget, something that must have had something to do with the amount of work he’s received over the years.

Before starting to draft your budget, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you want to merely cover your costs or make a profit? - This will influence your budget as you will have to think about how to structure potential fees.
2. Do you have a complete list of necessary items/crew and do you know the cost for each? Make sure you are aware of hidden fees, taxes, etc.
3. Do you have a budget envelope (an amount of money you can work with)? What is it?

I’ve found the following structure useful when drafting my budgets (you can eliminate lines that do not apply to your production):

Pre-Production

• Pre-production coordination (hiring, renting, contracts, etc.)
• Casting (a casting director’s fee for example)
• Storyboard (hiring an illustrator)
• Location scouting (sending out y photographer and/or location scout to get pictures for the required locations)
• Voice Over Copy Writing

Production

• Crew
• Equipement
• Cast
• Wardrobe
• Decor & Props
• Transport, Communication & Catering
• Hotel Fees & Travel Expenses (clients and/or crew and/or cast)

Post-Production

Image

• Offline Editing
• Online Editing
• Motion Graphics
• Special Effects

Sound

• Music to Picture Soundtrack
• Voice Over Recording (Actor’s Fee)
• Recording Studio Fees
• Sound Mixing Fees
• Sound Effects (many times part of editing)

Fees

This depends entirely on your particular case. Many of them are calculated as a percentage of the overall budget. Here is a list of common fees you can apply.

• Creative Direction Fees (Director/Producer)
• Production Fee
• Administration
• Insurance
• Unknowns

I highly recommend managing your risk effectively. Every shoot has its special risk factors, and you should count them in in order to protect yourself from losses when a client is unwilling or unable to pay when it’s too late. This means raising certain costs to cover for possible problems. If you’re on a not-for-profit shoot or you’ve already charged your personal fees, you can always give back the extra cash left over. Clients/producers tend to prefer this to having to pay more than what they expected.

Getting Started: Analyzing The Storyboard

(This post does not cover the creation of a storyboard.)

It all starts with an idea. Then it turns into a dream. Finally, it becomes a story. Often, a film script is accompanied by a storyboard to illustrate each scene. In fact, it should be. Directors like Hitchcock in fact rely so much on their storyboard, they consider it the actual creation of the movie, as opposed to the shooting on film.

An Image Says It All

Words alone can lead to misunderstandings. An example:

“The red sports car pulls around the corner.”

Unless you have a very talented and cocky script writer, you will most likely not get exact indications of how we see this red sports car drive around the corner. Do we follow it from before the turn? Do we pull back and up once it’s around the corner? Do we see the entire street crossing or is the camera attached to the car and focused on the flank?

Depending on your answers to the above questions, you may need to block 500 m2 of city streets or get a camera car or a dolly or a crane or all of them together. Any of these items can cost you up to several thousands of dollars. And all of them are replaceable with a simple tripod if need be.

A storyboard will force the director and director of photography to think about these details before you start hiring people and equipment. A last minute change is always possible but comes with a lot of stress and often requires paying penalty fees.

Look At It Carefully

Once you’ve received the storyboard, sit down with some time on your hand and look at every image. Make a detailed list of

• the props (objects) you see and/or need
• the kind of shot that has been drawn (wide, close-up, high, low, macro, etc.)
• the material you will need for that shot (you may need the help of your Director of Photography for that)
• the environment of the shot (on location or in studio?)
• the people in the shot
• their wardrobe and accessories.

Analyze your list: Can you get the material ready-made or do you need construction? Are you shooting on location? What kind of permits will you need? Who has the camera material you need? Can the actors use their own wardrobe or do you need to buy/lend it from somewhere?

Your main result after analyzing the storyboard should be a material and equipment list, an estimate of costs and a detailed planning.

Getting Started: The Pre-Production Phase

We’ll be looking at pre-production from a variety of angles. You’ll be finding tips, check lists, docs and procedures that will help you make the jump from amateur to pre-professional (forgive the pun) video production.

In the pre-production phase, you lay down your organization system which will allow you to survive the production madness.

What you need most urgently:

• A storyboard
• A date for shooting
• A budget envelope

I will treat the storyboard and budget separately and in more detail. But here a quick rundown of why these elements are so important:

Your storyboard is the basis of every shoot and tells you

• What you need in the shot (actors, props, etc.)
• What material you need to shoot it
• What order you will shoot in
• and many more things we’ll discuss later.

The date of your shoot seems a trivial detail if you’re not on a deadline, but that’s the trap. Without a date, it’ll be difficult to get crew and material of course. But more importantly, a date will focus your producer mind on the many things you need to do to be ready. If you have the luxury to be able to set a date yourself, take the time to investigate on how long it will take you to do each of the preparatory items on your list. If you have a clear deadline, do a retro-planning (more on this on a different post).

The budget envelope is your antagonist. The storyboard almost always promises an Oscar-winning film. Your budget envelope will bring you back to reality. It is of utmost importance to get a clear idea of how much you want to/can spend. You will need to negotiate with the director on what’s going to be absolutely necessary and what can come off the material/shooting list.

Advice for the New Video Producer

Welcome to The “Reel” Girl Blog.

I’ll be writing on good video production habits and traps to avoid. My aim is to allow passionate and talented amateur video/film makers to take advantage of industry knowledge to improve their work. Most of my writing will cover the producer’s role. It is the organization and global view of a production, however small it may be, that will make the difference.

So, even if you’re dreaming of becoming a film director and not a producer, or if you just enjoy making movies with fellow amateurs, you may need to put on the producer’s hat in order to make that leap of quality.

Feel free to contact me for requests on particular tips on video production! But please note that I will not cover technical details. I will indicate fellow bloggers and other website that can help you out on your technical questions.