http://www.filmmakingstuff.com/the-official-65-step-film-production-checklist/
1. Before you get started, make sure you read and study everything you can about the filmmaking process. A good place to start is obviously the Filmmaking Stuff website.
2. A screenplay is the blueprint to your movie. Write or acquire a screenplay you want to produce. Make it something exciting!
Check. 4th draft in and its the best ive ever made. I'm happy with my last draft and feel its the most complete its ever going to be.
3. Complete an initial script breakdown. From there, schedule and budget the project. How much does it cost?
Broken down the script into locations, characters, timings, came up with a budget with my producer, overall, its a pretty cheap shoot, we've tried to use as much resources as possible to have the best shoot.
We've done a project plan, not a business plan per se. We know its going into festivals and what we need to make the film, very detailed plan I must say.
5. Talk with a lawyer and other producers to figure out your best money strategy. Will you utilize equity funding, crowdfunding and tax incentives to fund your movie? A little bit of everything?
No Need.
6. Following laws and regulations, go after the money. This will require strategy, persistence, honesty and enthusiasm.
no need.
7. Finding, meeting and closing prospective investors on the merits of your movie will be one of the tougher parts of the process. Every “no” gets you closer to “yes.”
No need .
8. Most people will want to know how the money is going to be spent, what they can expect in return and how will you eventually get their money back. Filmmaking is a risky business, full of unknowns and you should ALWAYS disclose this.
no need
9. Have a plan for the movie when it is complete. Will you take the festival route? Will you market it to colleges and universities? Will you send it directly to sales agents and acquisition pros?
Bung it on youtube for a start. I want to get it into the local festivals that would like to take it. The British Urban Film Festival is the closest one to my concept so hopefully we get some success from that.
A. Choose a new movie project.
B. Alter the screenplay to cut cost
B. Alter the screenplay to cut cost
No Need
I've tried my best to pick up all the talent and ask the talent to fun their own clothing, there's only so much we can get for free and we're trying our best for this.
12. Assuming you did get the money, pick a date for production. (And if you don’t get the money, go back and repeat step one.)
no need
13. Hire a lawyer to help you with contracts and releases. If you’re short on cash, do a web search for lawyers for the arts in your area. These folks will usually help with minor legal stuff.
No need. Although we've done contracts for our talent.
14. Before you have the money, many people will work for little to no money. Expect a lot of “nos” before you find the people who can help you.
All our talent is expenses paid, we chose that because if they come afar they can't cover it themselves. We got a lot of auditionees and we picked the best. People just want to extend their portfolio.
15. You can make your life easier if you work with people who have production experience. If you are in a small market, reach out to people who spend their days producing corporate video.
Some of the talent have worked on bigger shoots, but on smaller parts, so they have some experience when it comes to this. However, I've worked on television shows somewhat so i have production experience and I trust tim with my life. we got this.
16. Finalize your script. Get it to a point where you are no longer going to keep changing things. This is a locked script.
the 4th draft is the final. I like it and it doesn't need to change anymore.
17. Number your scenes. Then once again, break down your script. This involves grabbing each element, location and character. From this information, create a final schedule
I wrote on a board all of the scnes and a breakdown of what's happening, this allowed me to flesh out all of the subtext and story arcs and maximise what I can put in a scene.
.
18. From your schedule and breakdown, create a final budget. You probably know how much money you have to work with. If you find you don’t have enough you have two choices:
A. Get More Money!
B. Modify the script and schedule.
B. Modify the script and schedule.
We got sufficient funding for our fikm.
19. Get your crew. Work with a seasoned Physical Producer AKA Line
Producer AKA Unit Production Manager to help you get organized. These
pros will look at your schedule and tweak it.No need. Student project. I'm happy with the producing so far.
20. Additionally, if you’re going to direct and product, having these pros around to help out will open the door to relationships with 1st Ads and crew. These folks will help you hire the right people. They will know a good payroll company. And many know a thing or two about tax credits in your state.
I've got a solid crew that only want the best for the ROADMAN film. I trust these guys and they will follow through.
21. I know. Money is tight. So if you cannot hire a location scout, you may have to scout and procure locations yourself. This means you will knock on doors, introduce yourself, your project and your goals. The goal here is to appear reasonable and sane.
Producing has been great by Tim.
22. What can go wrong with a location probably will. So you will want to have a 2nd and 3rd location added to the mix. This way, should something happen, you will have a fall-back plan.
We've got a variety of locations that we can fall back on if this happens, however, we haven't developed them fully.
23. Assuming you’re directing your own movie, you will want to find a director of photography who shares your sensibilities and has equal enthusiasm for the project.
Tim's the man. I'm glad he's helping me direct my film, he has a good eye, and can bring so much to the table.
24. Your DP will help you find an asthetic for your movie. Given your cost constraints, you will most likely shoot in HD.
As I said, Tim is great. He has the best project ideas and will bring the best out of ROADMAN.
25. Marketing: Create a website specific to your movie. Make sure you have a way to get site visitors on your mailing list.
I have a great facebook page that is flourishing on social media, I will be implementing ads so I can increase the growth of it. So people from everywhere can see it.
26. Later as you get into production, you will be able to add a movie trailer. (The goal: increase your mailing list subscribers and create a website you can later modify into a sales funnel.)
This is something to be done in post.
27. If you’ve raised money, you can hire talented actors interested in your project. But in the event your budget is tight, try to cast people with large social media followings.
Talent is all expenses paid only, and I'm happy with that.
28. Once you have all of your actors, you will want to find a location for a table read. Go through the script. If you wrote it, now is a time to take some notes for a final tweak.
A table read has been pencilled in for January so we'll make sure we carry this out. Gives the talent enough time to meet and greet.
29. DO NOT skimp on food. You will want someone in charge of Craft Services. They should be good at going out and getting deals on food and catering. If you can not find anyone to do this for you, you’ll have to do it yourself. Allow me to repeat. . .
This is fine, I'm happy with a KFC run for the talent.
30. Make sure you have adequate food. If you are doing a union shoot, there are guidelines and rules you must follow. If you are doing a non-union indie, then some advice is: GET QUALITY!
I'll only get the best!
31. Do you have all of your permits, releases and agreements? Do you have production insurance? There are so many different types of insurance, it will make your head spin. Make sure you talk with some experienced insurance professionals to make sure you have adequate insurance for your movie!
I have written contracts and risk assessments, so this shouldn't be a problem, we're only a small shoot, but its worth considering.
32. Meet with your Camera Department and find out how much memory you’ll need (assuming you’re shooting in HD). If you’re shooting film, which might be costly for your first feature – you will want to have an idea of these needs too.
Tim's got this all locked down and i'm confident we're using the best stuff image wise to shoot our movie on.
33. Try to take as many naps as you can. This is a fun, but stressful time. So sleep. Eat. And take time to exercise.
I like running and sleeping, it helps clear my head. I've probably been on at least one writing out this list.
34. Once you have all the above stuff checked off the list, you will want to meet with your department heads and make sure everyone’s needs are met. Assuming you’ve maintained limited locations, with a limited cast and crew, you will probably still be baffled by the amount of questions that come flying at you.
Simon has been on our case, but he wants the best for the project and I appreciate that, there's always more work to do and its only to get the best of out of the project.
35. Seriously, you would think you’re making a gazillion dollar movie. But this is indication people care about their work. They care about the movie. And they want to make it a success!
The amount of times I hear this. But I'm passionate about ROADMAN. Student film? Hell yeah, but itll be a damn fine one.
36. This goes without saying, but don’t be a jerk. Seriously, never forget you are making a movie. Enjoy the experience.
I'm excited at the prospect. I'm a friendly person and I can't wait to work with the talent.
37. Did I mention you need plenty of sleep? I am serious here. Making a movie is going to demand a TON of energy. You need to keep up with the physical and mental demands.
I can arrange this.
38. Commence production. Defer to your 1st AD and Line Producer to keep everything running on time and under budget. Keep your cool and always remember to have fun!
Not needed, Small budgeet.
39. During production, try to constantly get press to profile your movie. It would be great to create buzz, get people to your website and get them to opt into your newsletter mailing list.
I can always extend social media to shoutouts on podcasts and radio, might be worth a shot!
40. After the WRAP, have a wrap party. Don’t sleep with your cast and crew, get overly drunk or make a fool of yourself! You are a professional. Act like one.
Right.
41. After you recover from your hangover (I just warned you), you will probably start editing the movie. I suggest sharing the edit suite with another set of eyes. And do be nice to your editor. Those professionals can offer valuable feedback. Listen to it!
I'll be in charge of the edit, but i'll always appreiciate another pair of eyes watching, Its always good to get a second opinion.
42. Your first cut will be rough. Screen it with a group of people who have never seen the movie. Get feedback.
I'll appreciate this. Might even ask some of the first years to help.
43. Take the feedback and refine your edit. After that, take a week off – Do not look at the movie or mess around with it. This way, when you come back to the suite, refine and refine again.
Fresh head produces the best work, I'll see what I can do. I'm a fast editor, and I have great ideas. I hope this can come to fruition.
44. Have another small screening with people who have not seen the movie. Take notes. Take those notes back to your edit suite.
Simon and helen are great for this, and I will be using them for this.
45. Add some sound FX to your movie. Clean up actor dialogue and rough areas. Sound is more important than visual.
Sound design is a key thing in my movie. In terms of progression, i've always had shitty sound so its about time we stepped up and had great sound. Marks on sound and he'll do a cracking job. I personally can't wait!
46. Screen the movie again. This time, have the screening with a new, small set of people. Take notes. Go back and refine.
Another set of first or second years, maybe my mum and dad? They're great at feedback.
47. When you have a cut you’re happy with, then you can begin to plan your next strategy. Find out how to sell your movie.
I want to market towards film festivals, hopefully I get some feedback from it.
48. There are opportunities for traditional distribution. With some qualified professionals, analyze each deal. Find out if the deal will fit your business objectives. If not, PASS.
No need.
49. What if there are no traditional deals? If you planned accordingly, you will have a strong mailing list, a marketable hook and a plan for reaching your target audience.
no need.
50. When you are ready to start selling, refine your website into a sales funnel. Upload your movie to one of the many popular VOD platforms. Refine your movie poster and artwork to fit.
YouTube is great for this, and you can really get your video out there on sites such as Reddit amongst others, connectivity is the key to success in this industry.
51. Upload your trailer to YouTube and all the other video sites on the internet. I prefer to stream from YouTube because I don’t have to pay for streaming and I can monitor viewer comments.
Youtube is great for this and I will be following that up.
52. Write press releases related to the release of your movie. Have a blog component that details your movie and allows other people to comment.
I've got this blogger!
53. Play around with your key words and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). If those terms are new to you, find someone in your network who understands the importance of the web.
No Need
54. Marketing is all about telling memorable stories and getting into the conversations. Adding your thoughts on website forums is one way to get the word out about your movie. But if you totally disregard the conversation – that’s bad form.
No Need.
55. Create both a Facebook and Twitter handle for your movie. The purpose of this page is to lead people back to your site.
I've got this. Great tools
56. Have adequate social share buttons on your website so people can easily tell their friends about your movie.
The facebook page is fine.
57. If you have the budget, purchase some offline advertising in publications related to your movie. (This assumes you’ve taken time to define your target audience and ways to reach them!)
I'll see, its something I can explore in future.
58. Wait. . . You don’t have a website yet? Stop what you’re doing and head to Bluehost and grab a domain name and website hosting for your movie website. (I prefer utilizing WordPress for all movie sites.)
No need. Facebook is great for what I need.
59. All of these methods are intended to get people back to your website. The purpose of your site is to get people to watch your movie trailer and click the BUY NOW button. Anything that distracts these visitors must go! Install Google Analytics.
No need .
60. If your website visitors fail BUY NOW, then at least try to get them to opt into your mailing list. Do you need a mailing list?
No Need
61. Out of all the people who click the BUY NOW button, some will actually buy. If you have access to the contact information, reach out and personally thank your customer.
No need.
62. Assuming you are generating revenue, consider using that money to purchase more advertising and repeat the process. In internet marketing, they call this scaling a business. The name of the game is: “Conversion Rates.” Read this marketing article
No need,.
63. Sooner or later, you will figure out how to jump-start your next project. And you will realize that making movies and making money making movies is possible.
We'll see where life takes me!
64. The thing to remember is long term perspective. On average it takes seven meetings to make a relationship! Most people quit long before they get to meeting number seven. Not you!
I'll bear this in mind.
This was a tough read, obviously this site appeals to everyone, but its a good reminder and justification of where i'm at and hopefully this helps tell my side of the story.
