Today, I’m going to show you how to schedule a ten-page shoot if you’re looking to maximize your budget constraints. Shooting ten pages in a day is a worst-case scenario, but sometimes those worst-case scenarios can happen on your production. When they do, your shooting schedule needs to be very precise and prepared.So let’s jump in.Continue reading Shooting Schedule Pro Tips for a 10-Page Shoot Day
If Sun Tzu wrote “The Art of Production” he’d probably say that every production battle is won before it’s fought. An effective battle plan is the shooting schedule, and it’s the difference between making our days and staying under budget.Continue reading Stop Making These 6 Common Shooting Schedule Mistakes
How can you storyboard if you cannot draw? It might seem like a conundrum at first glance but, luckily, there are a number of alternatives to drawing that you can make use of and still produce high quality storyboards. In this post, we will cover why storyboards are important, as well as four different options for creating storyboards even if you have no artistic talent whatsoever.Continue reading How to Storyboard if You Can’t Draw — 4 Alternative Options
Shooting a documentary is very different from shooting a narrative film. In many ways it can be on the cuff, guerilla style shooting. Documentaries can also be made of properly planned and composed shoots. Great documentaries are made of both and thus require an organized documentary shooting schedule. Creating a documentary shooting schedule is an effective way to ensure that you get the everything you need to piece together a compelling documentary. It will also help our production stay organized, efficient, and streamlined. Let’s dive into how to create a documentary shooting schedule. Continue reading How to Create a Documentary Shooting Schedule
Successfully running a film set requires very specific leadership skills. Vince Duque, 1st Assistant Director to projects like “House” and “Battle Creek” shares 11 Leadership Principles he learned in the US Marine Corp, and how they can be repurposed as core filmmaking tips for directors and line producers to become more effective leaders on set.Continue reading 11 Ways to Become a Better Producer or Director on Set
Filmmaking is not for the faint-of-heart. It is only a matter of time before you work a project that truly tests the limits of your body; the dreaded night shoot. Whether you're an AD or Producer, we'll cover production hacks to help you better manage your set during an all-nighter.Continue reading Night Shooting Survival Guide
You’ve got the green light. Your shoot is coming up. Your next task? Create a script breakdown. The script breakdown sheets are used to determine the shooting requirements of every scene and also inform the budget. But do you know how to break down a script like a seasoned pro?In this post, we’ll review the complete process of marking (or “tagging”) scene elements to create a script breakdown. Follow these six steps and learn how to break down a script every possible way — including the best way. We’ll also give you a free script breakdown sheets PDF template that…
The number of producers that exist in the industry is overwhelming. What do they all mean? We won’t overwhelm you here. Let’s take it slow. This article tackles two basic questions, “what is an associate producer?” and “what does an associate producer do?” Let’s get into it.Continue reading What is An Associate Producer and What Do They Do?
The credits start rolling and you see one producer title after another. Do you know what they all mean? Do you care? Well, if you want to move up in the industry, it’s pretty critical you know the basic difference between producing roles. This post covers the fundamentals what a co-producer is, and answers the question “what does a co-producer do?” Continue reading What Does a Co-Producer Do? A Quick Overview of the Basics
In the era of the digital camera, there are numerous settings and adjustments that can be made on a camera. Keeping these details organized and recorded is important for many reasons. Camera reports have changed substantially over the last few years so it's time to get an updated version. In this article, we’ll give you two options for a simple yet effective camera report template that will keep your camera department organized on your next production. Continue reading Camera Report Template — Free Downloads and Guide