Lower your f-stop.

The f-stop is, by the most basic of definitions, a measurement for how much light is being let through your lens aperture. The lower the f-stop, the larger the opening, the more light reaching your sensor (or film). When you play around with the f-stop, you’ll notice that when you are shooting “wide open” – which is to say with the lowest f-stop possible – your focus will become very shallow. This means you can get a nice, blurry background or focus on very specific things in your frame, but it also means that if your subject is moving, it will be very hard to keep focus.

Set your shutter speed accordingly.

This one is a bit tricky. While a longer (slower) shutter speed allows more light to reach your sensor, it does not necessarily result in a clearer image. With a longer shutter speed your images are more likely to blur, especially if there’s any movement at all. As a rule of thumb, to prevent motion-blur when filming, set your shutter speed to double that of your shooting frame rate. So, if you’re shooting at 24fps, the ideal shutter speed will be 1/48 (or 1/50, if 1/48 is not an option). Only make adjustments if absolutely necessary.

Increase your ISO.

Assuming you are shooting on a digital camera, increasing the ISO is the easiest way to lighten up your image. You’ll see it instantly in your viewfinder and the changes can be dramatic. The higher the ISO, the brighter the image. But be careful. Higher ISO will increase the risk of getting a grainy image, potentially ruining the footage. On full-frame cameras you can generally increase the ISO to about 3200, while a crop-sensor camera will be more likely to give you grainy images at around 1600, so increase the ISO with care and be sure to adjust the f-stop and ISO together for the best settings and the clearest image. And though you shouldn’t rely on it too heavily, remember that tweaks can be made in post, by adjusting exposure or brightness.

Control your surroundings.

Since it’s much harder to get good, clear images in low-light situations, do what you can to make things easier for yourself. Stabilize your camera – or have less movement in your shots. Be closer to your subject, so it’s easier to keep focus with a low f-stop. Use a grab-n-go light source, if possible. And keep your camera in manual mode, so you – not your camera – decides which of the above parameters to prioritize in order to get you the best footage possible.

h/t borrowlenses.com for their insight

Here are three ways you can simplify your foray into the cinematic arts.

#1. Ditch the cinema cameras and use your DSLR.

Using the DSLR you’ve already familiarized yourself with will give you many advantages on set. It will be more intuitive for you to adapt your shots. It will be easier – and less costly – to equip yourself with a suitable range of lenses. You will be able to film in places where a cinema camera would stick out like a sore thumb. The list goes on.

#2. Light with a single light source.

Like everything else, this will take some practice to master, but trust me, it’s a lot easier to practice with one light source than it is to practice with three (or five or ten or a hundred). Also, it’s cheaper, you’re more mobile and there’s less that can go wrong.

#3. Color Grade like a boss. Yourself. In Final Cut Pro.

Many things will set your film apart from the multitude of independent projects out there. Good sound, yes. Good story, yes. Good actors, yes. These things will all set you off down the right path, but don’t think that the professional look you’re going for is out of your reach. Add “good color grading” to the list of things that will make your film a winner. Color grading always stood out to me as something you would only bother with if you had the budget and the time to employ a professional. It sounded daunting. But it’s actually a whole lot simpler than you might think. As long as you keep it simple, stupid. Color grade right in the software you’re familiar with editing in. Don’t use tech add-ons or install gigabytes of filters you’re not gonna learn how to use. Just make it look good.

Now that you know to keep all of the above stupid simple, why not pour your creativity into the story itself?

“Lights, Camera, Action!” We’ve all had that image of being the Director on set: Sitting in the chair, bringing a brilliant shot to life while the actors say your words exactly the way you wanted them to. That’s the dream, but the reality is more of a puzzle… and being on set is where you build and connect your puzzle pieces.

Yesterday’s Prep Becomes Today’s Mission

Every production day has a goal for how much of the script is going to be filmed. Typically, big budget action/adventure movies are lucky if they get through an eighth to quarter of a page. This is because the camera and lighting set-ups take a vast amount of time. Additionally, if it’s a scene that requires special effects, that equals more setup time, leading to less actual filming time. Now you understand why it takes months – or even years – for our favorite super hero movies to get made.

On the other side, independent films, like The Storyteller, often have to get through multiple pages/scenes each day. This is because you generally have a limited amount of time in a location and your entire shooting schedule isn’t three months – it’s three weeks. Because the shooting pace on an independent film is so quick, prep work such as Tech Scouting, Rehearsals, and the director creating a shot list is vital. So let’s talk about the shot list for a minute. It is literally a list created by the director that describes every shot they want for a particular scene. If you type “How To Make A Film Shot List” into youtube, you will get a page of videos detailing how you can create your list in photoshop or use different programs. This is all well and good, but never underestimate a pen and a piece of paper. Here you can see an example: the shot list for my short Lucky Charm.

The capital letters in the linked example stand for the name of the characters, “C” is for Colin, “D” is for Danni. And I use abbreviations for the type of shot, “MS” is for Medium Shot, etc. Example: CU C = I want a close up of Colin.

An excerpt of the final, edited scene can be viewed here.

How Does The Day Begin?

It’s pretty much universal, that a filmmaker’s day starts with a meeting between him/herself, the DP and the AD. They compare the prep work against the specific mission of the day.

As we’ve discussed, the AD acts a liaison between the Director and all the other departments. So once the meeting is finished, they are responsible for making sure that the plan is executed in the given time you have for any location. Basically, while on set, it’s the AD’s job to make sure your train keeps moving down the tracks – even if you’re the one holding it up.

It’s ALWAYS a compromise.

There was a good amount of thinking on our feet. You have to be ready to roll with unexpected delays and curve balls. The location would sometimes change the initial plan, the light, the weather forecast… all kinds of things. – Rachel Noll, Producer of The Storyteller

The scope of any film (or any project for that matter) is made up of three factors: Time, Quality, and Expense. You want to make the best film in the quickest amount of time without spending an exorbitant amount of money.

There’s often this perception that (excluding Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott) there’s no creativity in big budget filmmaking and independent film is where an artist gets to really share a vision. But filmmaking, whether at a studio or on the independent level, is as much about creatively solving problems as it is about being creative.

For my money – time is your most valuable asset in filmmaking. This is because it gives you options. It lets you get coverage from a different camera angle, do another take. It’s because of this that sometimes the answer is not buying more time, but rather maximizing the time you do have.

This was the mindset used on the set of The Storyteller:

We did fall behind. That’s bound to happen, but in my eyes, it bred creative solutions. We started looking at the shot lists and deciding which shots we could lose, what was less important, and how to maximize the time we had left. We didn’t end up cutting any full scenes, but we would cut coverage. Joe and I would talk with Dan and the AD and figure out what shots weren’t essential to telling this part of the story, and we would make a game time decision. You really don’t know how well that kind of snap decision works out until you are editing it together, but on a tight budget and an even tighter schedule, sacrifices have to be made and you do the best you can to make it a creative choice. - Rachel Noll, Producer of The Storyteller

Where Is Everyone?

After the initial meeting between the director, DP and AD, the next step becomes prepping the scene. Blocking is a technique used to help the DP decide how to light the scene. Blocking is essentially this: The actors along with the Director decide where they will be on set in a given scene. You’re planning out their actions. So why take the time to block when time is so crucial, you ask? Well, let’s ask the filmmakers on The Storyteller.

It gives the DP and his team enough time to light and prep, while the actors are getting ready, to maximize our time. The actors would meet with Joe (the director) and block this scene, and then they would go into hair and makeup while the lighting team would set up. Joe would often join them in wardrobe/makeup to talk through the character beats of the scene at this time. - Rachel Noll, Producer of The Storyteller.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – All Happening At the Same Time

While the DP, Production Designer and Sound Department are all prepping the set for their respective needs, the Director and Producer can use the time to run through their plan from yesterday (yesterday meaning pre-production) and continue to prep tomorrow’s.

Joe would often be with the actors, or looking at his shot list to make sure he was clear on what he was doing and thinking the rest of the day. I would usually step off set and move back to my computer to deal with logistics with the locations, with payroll, with SAG… lots of paperwork and busy work to be done on my part that I tried to wrap up as efficiently as possible in between shots since it was important to me to be on set and with Joe at the monitor whenever we were shooting. – Rachel Noll, Producer of The Storyteller

Everyone On Set

The DP has finished setting up, the actors are back from Hair & Make-Up, everyone’s ready for a take… is it finally time to start shooting? Well you can, or you can do a rehearsal. Different than you, the filmmaker, and the actors working privately in a room, a rehearsal on set is as much for the crew as it is the actors. (Actually, if you ask some actors, it can be exclusively for the crew).

This rehearsal allows your crew to practice their moves: dolly shot in, a focus pull. It solidifies the basic blocking. It’s more prep that increases the chance for a technically perfect shot. But again, it costs you time.

The compromise? You can always be like Danny Boyle and shoot the rehearsal – which was actually requested by an actor!

From Action to Cut

The time between action and cut is the time where the actors really get to contribute to your film. It’s when the magic comes alive. You have to respect that it’s that time between action and cut that everyone, not just the actors has been waiting for. Simply getting a take isn’t the mission, nor is getting the perfect take. Because frankly, unless you’re Kubrick, you won’t have the time. It’s about getting the take.

The take can be defined by many different things, but it ultimately comes down to satisfaction. Are you – the filmmaker – creatively satisfied? This isn’t a question I or anyone can answer for you. It’s a gut feeling that’s in a perpetual state of motion and develops every time you make a film.

Thank The Crew!

Whether you’re a PA on the next blockbuster or the director of your own independent short, you will discover that every set has an atmosphere unique to itself. Making a film is a team effort and you set the tone as the filmmaker. You have to be patient but strong with your crew, creating an atmosphere that allows everyone to do their best… not just for you but for them.

On an independent film, a filmmaker’s greatest asset is indeed their crew.

We had a lot of interns and crew members who had never worked on a feature before, given the limitations of Indiana local crew, and they surpassed my expectations far and away. It took us a few days to get into our groove, but everyone worked so hard and I was incredibly proud and impressed by the level of proficiency and passion they all displayed. – Rachel Noll, Producer of The Storyteller

On set is where where drive meets preparation meets sheer luck. You’re bringing a story to life and every day (and I do mean every day) will come with its own set of problems. But you have to make sure that your push to make a film doesn’t make you forget the magic of the story.

Here’s JJ Abrams talking about the magic of the “mystery box.”

Check out this list of crew titles for a better understanding of who’s who on set and why they’re all there. And don’t miss the upcoming Storyteller Series articles on utilizing dailies and how to shoot for editing.

You made a film. Now what? Chances are you would like other people to enjoy the fruits of your efforts, and if you are fortunate enough to have other people with a financial interest in your project, chances are that they would not only like the film to be distributed, but rather they would demand it. If the latter is your situation, I would hope you have already planned ahead and have a distribution plan ready (see our recent article on how to make a business plan for your film). If you don’t, read on for some of your options.

Tugg

Tugg is a community-driven platform for bringing independent titles to screens anywhere in the US. As a filmmaker you can use the platform to arrange and promote screenings, or you can use it to engage your social media following to the point where enough of them – your fans – request your film shown in a theater near you. It’s not a money-making machine, but it’s a fairly low-risk way of making sure your film gets a theatrical release.

Gathr

Like it’s slightly more streamlined competitor, Tugg, Gathr is a theatrical-on-demand service where either filmmakers or fans can request and promote a screening. Gathr is focused on documentary films.

VOD

Video-On-Demand seems to be the best way for a self-distributed film to generate revenue on a continuous basis and it should be part of any distribution plan you create for your project. Once your film has completed it’s festival run, you need to push for sales on VOD services like Netflix and iTunes. But don’t limit yourself to those brandname services – there are dozens of smaller, independent services that don’t require curator approval before making your film available for download/streaming. As a DIY filmmaker you can make your film more or less instantly available on services like Amazon Video Direct, IndieReign, Vimeo On-Demand and TopSpin, so you can start creating a stream of revenue. Check out this list of services compiled by PBS.

Aggregator Services

There are a lot of film out there. Not only do you need to know who you are marketing your film to, you also need to make sure your film is available for purchase wherever your potential viewers might be looking for it. That means either a lot of submissions for VOD services – or using an aggregator. A service like Quiver Digital takes a one-time fee to distribute your film across all major digital services (like iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Google Play, etc.), after which you get to keep all revenue, less any percentages taken by the service your film was purchased or rented on. Similar services are offered by Kinonation and Juice.

Check out this No Film School article on aggregators – and the same writer’s experience using Tugg for her theatrical run.

h/t No Film School and Oakley Anderson-Moore

#1. The Script

It all starts with the story. Any investors will want to know that your script has gone through rewrites, readings, and has been given the professional blessings of several experienced directors, line producers and actors, effectively telling them that the final script is thoroughly tested and viable for production.

#2. The Shooting Schedule

Remember the line producer we just mentioned? When you find a line producer who sees the potential and marketability in your script, keep her number and start negotiating her fee. A good (read: experienced and with several credits) line producer will be able to take your script from words to numbers. Your line producer will break down the script, create a shooting schedule and subsequently a defacto production budget.

#3 The Production Budget

This is a puzzle you don’t want to put together on your own – and investors will want to know that the budget you present them with has been done by someone who knows exactly what they’re doing. Your line producer should completely describe all costs of production, including editing, writing, post-production, directing, producing and marketing. Check out this leaked budget for M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village – not that your first business plan should be in the $70 mio. range, but it should be detailed and professional.

#4 The Marketing Plan

Describe who the film is targeted and why they are gonna love it. Describe how you are gonna reach that target and which similar films has done the same thing successfully. Describe the cost and the timeline. Creativity is great, case studies and proven methods are better. Together they are unstoppable.

#5 The Distribution Plan

This is one of the most important parts of the business plan, but also one of the most tricky. After all, how is your film ever going to make any money if no one is going to see it? You need distribution and you need to describe exactly how you are going to get it. Describe how you can guarantee a theatrical release, PPV sales, cable rights, overseas rights, DVD rights, subsidiary sales and any other avenues of distribution you have planned for your film. Don’t sign a distribution deal before securing financing – it might turn out to work against you in the long run – but know exactly how, why, when and with whom you are going to secure one.

#6 The Cast and Crew

Now comes the fun stuff. Numbers alone are not going to make your film a success, you need a team that investors (and the general public) can believe in and rally behind, and this is your opportunity to showcase them. Though there may not be any actual contracts signed at this point, you would do well to get letters of interest from key crew members (director, cinematographer, production designer, composer) and include biographies, as well as samples of their previous work. Same thing goes for the key cast. Though not signed onto the project, you might be able to get letters of interest from the actors and actresses you believe would make this film everything it can be. In some (read: most) cases this will not be possible, but don’t fret. You can still include cast pictures, biographies, resumes and samples of previous work simply as examples of your vision. Don’t include A-list talent unless you have a letter of interest. Be realistic, be reasonable and be smart. Include cast fees and availability, if you can get it from their respective agents. Your investors are going to want to see that you can make your vision a reality without Jennifer Lawrence and Joaquin Phoenix, and that you can do it with a reasonable budget.

#7 The Visuals

Consider this the one-two punch of business plans. You start out presenting the facts and the plans and the market research, then you make those numbers come to life by attaching cast and crew. You have piqued your investor’s interest – now you start sweet-talking. Adding visual components to your business plan will make your project more tangible and give it a certain sex appeal – and we all know that sex sells, right? Include a couple of storyboarded scenes, pictures of locations, samples of your previous work and distinct visual style – even a professional film poster. You can add additional visuals and look-books as an addendum to the business plan so the numbers don’t get lost in flair, but make sure that what you are presenting – the complete business plan as it reads from start to finish – is a clear vision of your film.

#8 The Revenue Projections

Back to what most filmmakers might consider a bog of eternal stench, but which your potential investors will find just as sexy as the visuals described above: The revenue projections and rock-solid market analysis. Show how 15-20 recent films comparable to your own performed in theatrical release and on VOD/PPV. Be specific. Do lots and lots of research using resources like boxofficemojo.com, the-numbers.com and filmspecific.com. Go the extra mile and include revenue from product integration and state film production rebates. Companies like brand-inentertainment.com and Entertainment Partners will be useful resources.

#9 The Letter of Intent for a Completion Bond

If you have all of the above-mentioned sections sorted out and you have (tentatively) secured your locations, you can get a quote from a bonding agency. Your line producer will likely be the one to do this, as she will (hopefully) have done it before and have a working relationship with a good agency. Providing a letter of intent to get a completion bond will give your investors added piece of mind.

#10 The Letter of Intent for Insurance

Investors are not going to want to bet there money on anything but an (almost) sure thing. One way to eliminate risk is to have your film insured. Get a quote and a letter of intent to insure your film from a reputable insurance company. Again, this will be something your line producer can/should help you with.

#11 Wrap it up nicely and get it out the door

Rarely will you need to have a physical copy of your business plan handy, but make sure that your digital package looks and feels like the real thing. Check and double check spelling, grammar, formatting, graphics, alignment, colors – and then click “Save as PDF”. PDFs cost $0 to send, so make sure this gets into a lot of hands. If you attend film markets or social events where angel investors may be present, carry USB sticks with the complete package or an iPad with a presentation-ready package.

Please, please, please be aware that there are many hopeful filmmakers looking for easy money, so there are just as many scammers looking for the same. If you find yourself in negotiations with an interested investor, always require proof of funds and only ever go into business with investors that have a proven track record. If something is too good to be true, it’s because it is. Do your due diligence.

h/t Bright Hub and Nancy Fulton

Academy Originals is a treasure trove of film knowledge presented documentary-style through interviews with directors, cinematographers, producers, master craftsmen, set designers, consultants, actors – anyone playing a part in creating movie magic. The videos are grouped into categories like ‘Moments That Changed Movies’ or ‘Credited As’ – each exploring the movie-making process from a different perspective.

This is truly a rabbit hole to get lost in, if you have any interest in getting behind the scenes of some of the most groundbreaking films in modern history.

Here are some of my personal favorites.

For me personally, editing is not a science. It’s not something you can just do by the numbers. Rather, it’s something deeply personal; a process of trial and error, eventually ending up with an edit that just feels right. Sure, there are certain rules – or suggestions – to follow that will make your final cut a pleasant viewing experience, but think of these rules as the framework within which you experiment. My point is this: Don’t get caught up in how other people edit, and instead focus your energy on developing good editing habits that will allow you to effortlessly try out all the many crazy things you can think of. And that’s really my take-away from Simon’s video. Develop good habits in terms of organizing your footage and your projects. Get creative from there.

Take a look and give it a try.

And while certain aspects of camera movement, dialogue, lighting, etc. can be hashed out on set, sometimes just minutes before the cameras are rolling, you don’t want to take any chances when it comes to pulling off those visual FX that are really gonna sell your story. It’ll be too time-consuming and if a certain effect is not playing on camera the way you anticipated, you might not get the shot you need – let alone the shot you want.

In the case of The Storyteller there’s a magical realism that imbues the story with a certain mood, sometimes even moving the characters forward, informing choices and plot. In certain scenes, this magical realism is manifested by fairies. But how do you successfully pull off showing fairies on camera, when you’re working on a limited budget and don’t have access to the bells and whistles of high-end CGI? Or perhaps more importantly, when you don’t want to use high-end CGI, but rather have your actors interact with practical effects on set? Well, you think, then you experiment and then you plan accordingly.

When faced with the challenge of creating organic, realistic and practical fairies for The Storyteller, the team (producers, director, writers, actors) came together for a visual FX test – and 20 Questions Film tagged along for some behind-the-scenes video:

Let’s break it down. The filmmakers wanted to create a small, moving light source, ethereal and whimsical, effectively coming off as a fairy, fluttering around – and interacting with – the actress. They wanted to add visual detail in post-production, but to have the light from the fairy play off of the actress’ face realisticially and organically. They also wanted to be able to capture the spontaneous reactions and movement by the actress, as she responds to the fairy (and in some scenes several fairies) flying around her. This is how they went about it:

#1. The Tools

Pulsating single-LED lights were to act as the fairies. Removing the outer plastic shell of the lights, leaving only the tiny LED diode and the battery, decreased the footprint enough for the camera to only pick up the light and not the hardware. String was used to hang the lights from a C-stand – and later to be controlled by the producers, moving the lights around the actress and camera. When it comes time to shoot, the string will be replaced by clear fishing line, which won’t show up on camera or will be easily edited out in post. Plastic wrap (the ordinary kitchen variety) was used to experiement with grouping together several LED diodes into a single light source, while also slightly changing the way the light breaks on camera, changing its properties like hue and brightness.

#2. Positioning

Hanging the light from a C-stand allowed them to have a controlled height of the light when moving the LED around, making it easier to frame on camera and to reset between takes.

#3. Interaction With Light

One of the most important reasons for the FX test was to see how the light would bounce off of the actress’ face while moving around. This gave the DP a chance to experiement with exposure and focus in order to achieve the effect needed.

#4. Movement

Testing the movement of the lights proved beneficial, not just because it gave the DP a chance to see how the light would bounce off of the actress’ face, but it also gave the filmmakers a chance to see how the light behaved differently when moved on the C-stand vs by hand.

#5. Several Light Sources

Some scenes call for just one fairy on camera, while some scenes call for several fairies moving around at once. The practical test showed the filmmakers how close to – or how far away from – the camera they could have the lights and still have the lights look like organic, moving creatures.

#6. Lens Whacking

Experimenting with lens whacking as a way of creating dream-like visuals with light leaks and tilt shift focus also gave the filmmakers an idea of how to move the fairy lights around in a realistic, organic way.

#7. Distance

A common theme in the FX test was experimenting with distance. Distance between lights and actress. Distance between actress and camera. Distance between lights and camera. All while keeping in mind that the end result should feel magical, but real and natural.

The take-away from a day of experimentation? Some things work and some things don’t. Some things will require additional planning and experimentation. Regardless, a day or two spent in pre-production will no doubt save the crew precious, stressful hours on set, which may again be the difference between getting the shot they need or not. It’s worth it.

We’re following the production of the feature film, The Storyteller, from idea all the way through to distribution. Learn from the process with real-world examples right here.

To create the best schedule, you must account for every element in your story.

How does one find all those elements? Simple: They are in your script.

A Script Breakdown is when the producer and/or the first assistant director take the locked script and go through and mark the occurrence of every element. This should not be confused with a casting breakdown, which is used when finding your actors.

The first step in the script breakdown process is to have a script that you feel is ready to be broken down. It won’t do you any good to start planning your production if the script is still in the collaborative stage.

We waited until we were pretty certain there would be no more major changes – because we didn’t want to lock in the shoot dates until we were sure no locations would be changing dramatically. – Rachel Noll, Producer of The Storyteller.

Now let’s be honest, a script is never truly finished. Even while filming there can be changes. Still, a schedule has to be made. So how does a filmmaker know when their script is ready for breakdown?

Once we had a general idea of what our locations were and where they were located, and had secured our cast and confirmed they had no conflicts with the shoot dates, we sat down with our 1st AD to break down and schedule the script. This happened in January – 5 months out from the shoot. We wanted to get this stuff locked down early so we could start booking travel for our actors. – Rachel Noll, Producer of The Storyteller.

The script is ready? Time to start breaking it down!

Step 1: Number Your Scenes

Below is an example of a Scene Heading from a writer’s draft:

Int. Heather’s Apartment – Afternoon

Now this is fine for the writer, but production needs to know how many scenes are in the script and which of those scenes are self-contained. A self-contained scene is one that can be shot in its entirety. Thus whether you schedule that scene in the morning, afternoon, end of the shoot or the beginning of the shoot, you’re going to film the entire scene.

Below is an example of a Scene Heading from a production’s draft:

1. Int. Heather’s Apartment – Afternoon 1.

Step 2: Measure Your Scenes

Numbering the scenes also allows production to have an idea of how long each scene will be. In a properly formatted script, 1 page equals 1 minute of screen time. So, if Scene 5 is three pages long, we can estimate that Scene 5 will equal 3 minutes of screen time.

An 8th of a Page:

When it comes to the length of your scenes, you want to be as specific as possible. If a scene is longer than a page but less that two pages, simply saying “the scene is a page and a half,” doesn’t work. The industry standard is to divide your pages into 8ths.

Thus a scene that’s longer than a page, but less than two, can be accurately described as “a page and 3/8ths,” or such.

While there are many programs that aid in the breaking down of a script (more on those in a moment), there is a more tactile way:

1. Print out your script
2. Take a ruler
3. Using the ruler, horizontally divide your script into 8ths.

Here’s a visual for that nifty little trick.

Step 3: Time To Color

Whether you are working in a budgeting software or are using a printout and colored highlighters/pencils, the process in the same. Each element in your script is assigned a color or symbol. You then read through the script and highlight (or if using color pencils, underline) the element with its corresponding color/symbol.

The Elements and their color/designated symbol:

1. Cast – The speaking actors. Remember, this is NOT for casting, this is so you know which members of your cast are needed in a given scene.
2. Featured Extras – An extra that has no lines but performs a specific action
3. Background Extras – Extras that create the atmosphere for a scene. Example: Diners in a restaurant.
4. Stunts – Any action where you will need a stunt coordinator and possibly a stunt double for the actor(s).
5. Props – The objects in a script that are used by the actor.
6. Special Effects
7. Vehicles/Animals
8. Sound Effects/Music – This is for anything that happens on set, NOT sounds added in post.
9.Wardrobe (circle all occurrences) – This is for specific costumes needed for the production AND to track any changes to those costumes. Example: The character is running in the woods, trips and rips their pants.
10. *Hair/Make-up* – All actors have hair/make-up done, but this is to call attention to a particular story point. Example: The character has been cut and is bleeding.
11. Special Equipment (box all occurrences) – Does the scene require any kind of unique camera equipment? Example: The scene takes place in a lake, and you would like an underwater camera to do a shark POV.
12. Production Notes – This calls attention to any concerns/questions for a given scene.

Still need help with the breakdown? Here’s a great video from a working Assistant Director that takes you through the process:

Step 4: The Breakdown Sheets

Once you know every element needed for every scene, you will use that information to create both your schedule and determine the budget not only for your department as a whole, but how that budget will be divided between the different departments.

Each scene of the script is given a Breakdown Sheet. It lists all the different elements and information for that scene.

Here’s an example of a Breakdown Sheet template. Breakdown sheets are then used to build your production schedule.

So Many Programs!

Our 1st AD – who is usually in charge of scheduling the shoot – did the breakdown with me (producer.) So I was able to offer insight into some of the production logistics, and she worked within the software to break it down digitally into the scheduling program. – Rachel Noll, Producer of The Storyteller.

As mentioned above, there are a number of computer programs that are designed to help breakdown, schedule and budget a film. Let’s take a look at some of them:

Final Draft Tagger – This function allows you to go through the script is Final Draft and “tag” all the elements. You can then export those tags and input into most scheduling software. This is basically the same as using a highlighter but done digitally. The caveat is that you must use a scheduling software that can use the export. Here’s a link that lists the types of scheduling/budgeting software that is compatible.

Movie Magic Scheduling – Allows you to input all of your elements, create the breakdown sheets and, based on those sheets, create a schedule.

Our AD utilized a program called Scenechronize online. She prefers this program for its ease of use compared to Movie Magic Scheduling. – Rachel Noll, Producer of The Storyteller.

Scenechronize – The big difference between this program and Movie Magic, is that Scenechronize is a web-based program. Here’s an in-depth article describing the differences between the two programs.

The prep work is now over: With your breakdown sheets in hand, you can commence with scheduling your production. Join us next time when we do just that; Scheduling and the Importance of Having a Great 1st AD. Until then, here’s a trailer for another movie about making movies that came out this year. May your production be easier than theirs:

h/t StudioBinder – Breaking Down A Script

Now You See It recently posted a video about what long takes can’t do, rather than what they might accomplish, and there are some really great examples. It’s food for thought and a welcome reminder that great filmmaking is about motivation. Are your character’s actions motivated? Are you lens choices? Dialogue? Edits? Movement? If you’re doing something just to do it, you may want to take a step back and rethink what it’s actually doing for (or against) your story.

Check out the video. Take notes.

And then – still on the subject of motivated choices – take a minute to appreciate how Spielberg uses the long take, almost unnoticeably, to move his stories forward. Towards the end of the movie, Tony from Every Frame A Painting really does a great job of breaking down how Spielberg manages to keep the pacing brisk, the story moving and the visuals interesting, while staying in a long take – and why he does it. Two scenes that he points out, are masterful uses (and examples) in my opinion; the drinking contest from Indiana Jones and the scene from E.T.

If you haven’t already, please subscribe to the YouTube channels of both Now You See It and Every Frame A Painting.