Table of Contents
Script
The biggest problem of our crew is that there is no complete and detailed script.
Everyone knows that the script is the foundation of a play. It is the blueprint of the production project, the basis of film and television shooting, the story bought with money, and the words and symbols that can make money.
Therefore, we must have a detailed study of it. First, we must study its commerciality and visibility, Second, we should study its ideology and artistry, Third, it is necessary to study the shooting difficulty, Fourth, we should study its issuing method and cost recovery situation.
Only with the above foundation can investors have enough confidence to invest. The script also has two functions: 1) to provide sufficient materials for the reasonable arrangement of production plan and schedule. 2) It’s a guide or plan that a director should follow when making a film.
The more detailed and clear the script is, the more accurate the budget will be. Although there are some methods to preliminarily estimate the cost of the film before the script is written, this method is dangerous from the perspective of financial management（ This danger has been exposed in the current drama group.
Since the day of entering the group on October 26, we have been studying how to finish the script every day. Until it started on November 24, there was no script formed, so there would be no script with sub scenes.
If we can’t separate the shots, the production of fine arts will be affected, and many of the targets that should be completed in the preparatory period will be moved to the shooting period, which will increase the workload of the shooting period, and the overload operation of various departments will inevitably affect the efficiency.
Originally, we could have built a small and tough team. Because of the above reasons, we had to organize a huge and bloated team. It’s strange to use more people and * more cars, eat more, live more and spend more money.
In addition, since film is a comprehensive art, not only the director should have a clear idea, but also all the staff should have a clear idea, and every small link should not be careless.
If the director can’t produce the script, how can he ask the following departments? I don’t have enough confidence to swear, so I have to make do with it. But in this way, how can the quality of the film be guaranteed if the score of each process is reduced? But our director is still very powerful in this situation.
So what are the results of the above problems? That is, the current shooting cycle is extended, the cost is increased, and the shooting quality is also affected. At the same time, due to overload operation, various departments have a restless mood. In the process of shooting, departments bicker with each other, push each other, and complain with each other.
The minimum cost of the crew is $6000-8000 per day, which is in the shooting period. The extended time of rushing to play without splitting scenes is just in the shooting period.
One month overdue will cost $180,000 to 240,000, so I think it’s better to spend one more year preparing the script than to change the script and sub scenes during shooting. One of the biggest taboos in making a movie is to change the theme structure of the script after it’s turned on.
In the film industry, there are masterpieces produced without scripts. There have been masterpieces in the past and there will be masterpieces in the future.
Only when the producers (investors) are very familiar with and thoroughly grasp the content they want to make, can they successfully make a film without script. Screenless films are usually art films, underground films, one-time events, documentaries and newsreels.
The film we are shooting this time is a feature film as well as a commercial film. It is a film that is ready to participate in the award. How can we start the film rashly without a detailed and complete script and a detailed study of its prospects?
As future producers, we have to consider what kind of films we need in the future, commercial films? Or an art film? Of course, there are some artificial factors that we can’t change.
So through this experience, or a lesson, will it sound an alarm for the development of our film industry in the future?
Shooting & Production plan
Although there are a lot of film production work and processes, some basic steps are the same in all kinds of film production, but there are no absolute rules and procedures to follow. Each film, each producer and each specific working environment has more or less unique features, so it is necessary to formulate a film shooting procedure to meet the needs of the specific situation.
The shooting plan is very important. I’d like to introduce its importance first.
There should be a preparatory work in the early stage of filming, which includes all the work that must be done before a film starts shooting. The plan should start with a central idea that can be developed into a script. That is to say, a feature film usually begins with a story or synopsis, or the script mentioned above.
When the script is transferred to the director of production, he will select each character, props, special effects and project needed for filming from a professional perspective, and then make several copies of the script and distribute them to the art group, props group, photography group, etc. to ask them to analyze the script and put forward a detailed plan according to their professional requirements.
It is very important to work out a shooting plan and budget according to the detailed plans put forward by each type of work.
The production planning is also rigorous, specific and comprehensive. The production team should work in strict accordance with the script and the detailed production schedule. The production director should plan each activity in advance.
For example, on December 27th, the production team will shoot the 31st script in the school. In addition to the director, staff and actors, there are also 1322 students, Pegasus big rocker camera and local police to seal the road and maintain order.
Then the production director should inform the equipment, school, Police Station and other departments in advance to cooperate. For the above examples, a lot of written materials are needed, such as introduction letters, invitation letters, notes, etc. if we can’t make preparations in advance, then there will be a big mess.
This time, because there was not a good shooting plan, it led to the temporary transfer of photographic equipment from Landlord Company. So the price is higher than what we talked about in advance.
Moreover, the shooting time of this group of shots conflicts with the school’s activity time, and a lot of work has been done temporarily before the normal shooting（It’s not the responsibility of the production director or the production department.)
The planning work before shooting does not end with the start of the film, it runs through the whole process of film production. During the shooting of a film, check the implementation of the plan at any time, so as to understand the implementation of the budget and when there will be major problems.
There are many similar problems in this shooting process. The reason why the crew had a day off was that they didn’t have a shooting plan and couldn’t set the scene well, which led to the shutdown of the crew. There was another time when the script was changed temporarily. There were still five hours to go before the shooting and the art team was informed to start work. So the result can be imagined.
In the course of two months’ study, I will divide the shooting plan into four stages:
1. Planning stage The time is one month, and the creators select the scenery and design the scenery at the same time.
2. Preparatory stage Determine the indicators Costume and props, photography setting and lighting, summary of the scene schedule, how many working days each scene needs, transition and technical considerations.
3. Two sets of shooting plans should be worked out To prevent unexpected events, such as weather, natural disasters and government actions, once the power on, do not stop.
4. It is necessary to develop the film in time, review the sample film and make the post production plan.
The use of funds and cost control
From a macro point of view, our crew has done a good job in the management of funds, that is, we have adopted segmented management, which is a good way to control funds. It can prevent people from living beyond their means. In order to avoid spending money recklessly and blindly, and to help some people with intentions to ask for money indiscriminately. At the same time, the company can also plan as a whole.
However, our crew did not strictly follow the principle of “No filming without a sub-screen script” and the principle of not starting if the preparations are not ready. Although it requires a budget for every expenditure, it does not require that every budget has a basis for calculation. Of course, we have to admit that “No filming cannot be started without a scene script” is beyond the control of ordinary people.
Let’s talk about the problems in the use of funds and cost control of the film. A movie, according to common sense, the cost of actors accounts for 1 / 3, and the cost of our film staff already accounts for 1 / 2. This is a very unreasonable phenomenon. I will give a few simple examples to illustrate the irrationality.
1. For example, a certain director has not directed several plays, and the plays he has directed have also been denied. If he makes up the film again, his remuneration will remain unchanged. Why? Due to the supplementary shooting, the use of film has increased. Each play should be calculated at least according to 8 films, $1598.00 / film. Then 8 films are $12,784.00, and 3 supplementary scenes are $38,352.00（ Director, as I understand it now, is a verb, not a noun. As a director, what’s the point of being idle every day?
2. The crew’s photographer
3. The number of people in the props group increased
4. Other directors were invited to direct the play
5. Budget overrun of clothing
6. The need for mass actors is not well controlled
To sum up, although the cost of each transaction seems to be very small, it all comes from the small. The above is a simple list of several, housing, transportation, arbitrarily set actor fees, rental props have not been used, can rent props are bought new, can not borrow but buy new, I believe that in the daily financial statements will also reflect some problems.
It’s hard to control the usual capital expenditure. What should have been done by the production department is now operated by each group itself, and there is no way to compare goods. The financial management system we have formulated now only abides by reimbursement and payment.
Obviously, the film industry is different from other industries. It includes some factors that are changing every day or every minute. The completion time and cost of each work may have been precisely planned, or even calculated in minutes and seconds.
However, there are too many uncontrollable and unforeseen factors in the production work, and the plan and budget are in danger of failing at any time.
Therefore, it is necessary to make an emergency budget to cope with unexpected events, that is to say, 20% of the total budget should be used for emergency, which is also a special project in the shooting work.