@arnarfjodur Thank you so much for posting this. It's really nicely-written and obviously done from a lot of experience. I particularly liked the second one, about working relationships, since of course that's everything! Whether you are someone who wants / offers something for free, or whether you are employed in a very big media organisation (and I've been both), how you get on with other people is key. Actually just becuase you're being paid to do a job doesn't excuse you from working thoughtfully with others, and if you're doing something for free, do it with good grace (and accept it thankfully if you're on the receiving end). It's also been my experience that it's all about how well you work with others - assuming you have more than basic competence with the "gear", that expertise is secondary to expertise in interpersonal skills. If you had your choice between someone who was very good but a real pain to get on with, and someone who was perfectly good but also a great person to be with, you know who you would choose.

@everyone_else If you haven't read these articles, read them!

I loved these articles, so true - people keep thinking that it all about the overpriced gear that they buy-buy-buy, and forget about what film making process involves. I especially loved the article about working with other people.

But at the same time, I think you should have an article about equipment, especially the budget aspects of it and practical/on location aspects of it. Taking into account how companies like Zacuto, Redrock Micro, Kessler, Varavon, even the unknown Chinese manufacturers etc promote their simple products for ridiculous prices, it's not like you can take a DSLR and a few thousands of dollars later you can make a film. Just those shoulder rigs with FF, MB, handle etc will cost circa £1000-2000. I have been trying to get my screenplay off the ground for many years now and my GH13 (hopefully, at some point to become my B-cam) gives a lot of hope - it saves a lot of resources especially in terms of workflow. But here's the thing: in terms of budgets still involved, it's not like everyone can now afford to make a film. I would like to see an article that would especially cover the SOUND equipment and how to pull it off on a micro-budget, and also LIGHTS - is it worth getting those expensive LEDs? or should I stick with ARRIs or cheap "As ARRI" fresnels? what would these choices mean in terms on practical on location workflows?

I've set myself a very strict budget of less than £6000 for the entire feature film - it's a personal challenge to see if it can really be done. Electronics and accessories - I buy mostly from Chinese eBay sellers. Although film-quality audio mixers are VERY expensive and I'm lost on what to do and which mixer to get, so would love an advice? I'm not prepared to dash out half or even 10% of my film's budget on a mixer. Same thing with Wireless transmission system. For Lav mics I'm gonna settle on a pair of OST801. So I would love to see an article on Audio equipment in a micro-budget film.

Whatever I can (or often cannot/should-not) do DIY, I do DIY -- after all creativity is part of filmmaking process ;) I even started an Excel file to keep track of everything I spend (even on nuts and bolts) to the last penny. So far I've spent £1593.94 and for the price of just a little more than Zacuto's Follow Focus, I have a second-hand GH13, 9 lenses (no wides unfortulately), rig (with FF and MB), crane, slider, very basic audio recording kit (shotgun mic, DIY blimp, Zoom H1 & Headphones), etc - and I will need to spend another £3,500 just to get a very-very basic and minimal gear set (lighting equipment, audio gear, lenses, filters, bags, accessories... - it quickly adds up). And I'm not entirely sure if the remaining £900 will be enough to cover the production stage (transport, food, locations, props, logistics, miscellaneous expenses etc). The point I'm making is that there's an illusion out there that a great camera is the sole key to a great motion picture - it's not! At least not the only one. Knowing people and knowing how to communicate with people is the key really. There's so much more essential gear and expenses involved that even digital filmmaking is not always accessible to the ordinary folk who might have a good story to tell. I mean, Follow Focus, probably one of the most primitive, yet essential pieces of equipment selling at $1700, should really cost $17. Just as an excercise, I once calculated how much it would cost to build up a set of equipment "necessary" to make a film, in terms of products that are being recommended, and in terms of prices that these companies sell them for. The figure came to a whopping $50,000. That's something to think about.

@arnarfjodur Thanks for taking time to write an elaborate response and even a new blog post. And I totally digg your approach and agree with it: "if you can't afford a film-quality sound equipment, get a jobless professional soundman who will work for free (or for next to nothing) and also bring his own professional equipment on set". And I tried, that approach long before I read your articles, and I'm still trying... in some cases it succeeds (especially in terms of locations), in some it doesn't (especially in case of "pro"s who have the gear). Very often the first thing they'll ask is "How much is your budget?" and the next thing they'll say is "I charge £50/hour for my professional sound-man services. But for you'll work for £30/hour". When you're faced with that kind of attitude, you take out a calculator and soon realize that maybe for 2 days of that guy's wages you can get the basic audio equipment bag that you need and hang it on a student who is more than eager to be an errand boy for free just to get a credit on a feature film.
You see, it's not like what I'm saying is unreasonable. It's just an additional dimension. It's also something to take into account. Maybe one day, when I finish with this project, I'll write a series like yours, or maybe a book, but one which, apart from taking into consideration questions of workflow, working with people, securing locations, etc will also take into account the importance of getting and MASTERING the basic equipment that you'll need.

As for the screenplay, when I say "I have been trying to get my screenplay off the ground for many years", I don't mean "I have been trying to write a screenplay for many years". In fact, I have several feature length screenplays. What I mean is - moving it to the next phase - the pre-production and production phases. I've worked with 8mm and 16mm and then shelved the idea, until I saw the footages that were coming out of the GH13, so I have restarted on the idea once again.

PS: by the way I saw the trailer for your Hindu/Icelandic project and I love the visuals and the style. Looks quite epic. Keep going! I'm sure it will be a beautiful tale to tell.

@kronstadt If people are interested in your project, they might be persuaded to work for free.

I hope it's useful if I offer my experience as a professional being asked to work on a project without pay. Where I have this AND loved it, that's been because:

• the project had a high profile in the profession and/or the community because of who was running it and what the project was
• I knew it would stretch me in some way
• my expertise was valued and acknowledged and valued, and
• I was very thoroughly briefed about the scope of the project, I knew what the deliverables were and I was given the trust and creative freedom to deliver

The above criteria may not work for your project but if your project is truly a creative challenge and I were being asked again to do something for free, I'd jump at the chance if it fulfilled those criteria, as I think would most professionals.

In two of the projects I am thinking of above, I was working alongside other very seasoned lighting / costume / design people (one had headed up a department on the Titanic film, one had been head of sound at NBC) and we all were given the same freedoms - also we all knew we were all doing it for nothing. Most of us worked on two such projects for the same director, which says it all really. It was highly rewarding for us, and the director was able to get people like that together and working well for free because he had fantastic leadership skills and a vision he inspired us with.

Equally as more of those conditions disappear, so people will be less generous - because you are offering less and less incentive to do the work. And (we've all been there) on the extreme opposite end there are jobs which are going to be a nightmare and which you wouldn't touch even if you were paid because they are open-ended or involve people who don't know what they're doing or haven't considered location safety, or any one of a hundred other reasons. Usually the danger signs are cluelessness on the part of the person who is asking you to do the work, and a professional will spot that in the first minute of the conversation.

So... If you are trying to get a professional to do unpaid work, I think the first step is to be clear about your vision and be clear about the skills you are looking for, and if you can offer the chance to work with other high-level professionals, or other inducements, say so. If it's a challenge, especially say so! And don't be afraid to ask them what might make it worth their while, and if they don't want to do the job themselves, ask them if they can recommend anyone else who might be interested. A professional you approach in this way may at the very least give you some very valuable free input.

I absolutely agree it's not about being able to operate / own equipment. It's about managing people and doing the thousand and one things which allow people to get on with their jobs.

@arnarfjodur Thank you very much for your blog. Be sure I will read everything you write in it.

Thanks so much for your blog posts! I bet this helps many people a lot! You should definitely write more and eventualy cover more topics...

@Mark_the_Harp Yes, like you point out, the budget needs to be allocated in good dialogue with department heads. But I suppose you need to start drafting it often before you even know who's going to be with you.

There is often some tension in this I think - as a producer you might agree that it's safest to allocate 2K for locations, but in micro budget situation you still expect that the location manager tries to get it as cheap as possible. You can't have the attitude "I have 2K so I'll just spend that" - even if that'll make life easier for the locations manager.

Similarily, there needs to be flexibility between departments. You might have decided on 1K for locations and 2K for set construction. But let's say locations finds a great place that works already really well and eliminates the need for a lot of building, it would make sense to take some of the construction budget and put it into locations. Even if the art director might get sour for now having less stuff to play with.

It's good to have ambitious people, but personal ambition can sometimes conflict with the project's interest. Best example is the DP who convinces the director/producer that they need to spend 90% of the budget to shoot it on a format that the DP is excited about adding to their portfolio.

There's no secret formula, I suppose, to finding the right balance between micro managing and setting people off to do their thing - which you eventually need to do at some point. But I guess it helps to have people who are all enthusiastic about making the best film possible, and have similar ideas about what that means.

@arnarfjodur

Very interesting articles, thanks for writing and sharing them.

@arnarfjodur Really useful list. Particularly the errors and omissions and props and sets - as I'm going to be doing a gig in Switzerland in an art gallery with very very very rare paintings. Hate to think how difficult it would be to explain the three neat holes in a Cezanne while simultaneously making my exit clutching my tripod.

@arnarfjodur Ah yes, that's the one. I couldn't remember what it was called. So many insurances!

You were asking about an anecdote. This one concerns an item which was insured. A cameraman apparently caught a valuable old vase at a museum with a cable while wielding a camera, and the vase fell off its display and smashed. The management of the museum got the camera person back in to demonstrate to their insurers exactly how the accident had happened. They even provided another valuable old vase to accurately reflect the scenario. The cameraman demonstrated how he'd swung round and caused the accident, and sure enough (you can guess the rest) ended up smashing the second vase too.

Coming from an Art Dept backround, I can't stress enough the two most essential items with you on a shoot: Duck Tape and black Gaffers Tape! :) If anyone has any Art Dept questions (props, sets) feel free to ask here.

I can feel the frustrations from both sides. The projects I've worked in so far has had borderline neglectfully-low art department budgets, haha. Allow the art department to do a full, complete and thorough art script-breakdown with an estimate followed by AT LEAST one "prop audition" meeting. From there, be sure to keep good communication throughout the entire shoot so eveyone is on the same page. Rental houses, thrift shops and the recycle or dumpster bin (school theater departments) are great resource but remember to WEAR GLOVES and be careful with what you handle.

Prop handling on-set can a very difficult task because it requires constant multi-tasking (run-away actors, food scenes, crowd scenes, getting ready next scenes, wrapping old scenes); especially if it's an individual or if they don't have a full team. As long as there is clear, consistent communication (as is needed for any successful team of any kind), that will allow for the most easy-going voyage.