The Do's and Don'ts of Making an Independent Film

The Do's and Don'ts of Making a Independent Film

As with any profession, there are things that you should do when making a film and things that you should avoid doing. None of what I am about to say is necessarily going to apply for every single filmmaker out there. What I am going to mention is all based on my personal experiences from various film shoots; whether they were my own or others.

What you should do:

•  If you are the director, stay in control. The old saying, "too many cooks spoil the soup" applies on a film set as well. While you should be open to any suggestion and criticism, the director should still make the final call. If control if given to too many people, the whole project and crawl to a stop. 
• Make a schedule and stick to it. For the most part, the crew and cast may be volunteering their free time in order to help you. Having a schedule keeps everything in order and puts people's mind at ease knowing all their efforts are according to plan. Also unless you know people are willing to stay, stick to the end time regardless of how much you finish. 
• Expect the worst and hope for the best. Things will go wrong when you least expect them to. Actors will not show up, equipment fails, or you get kicked out of a location. Regardless it is always best to plan for these eventualities; have a back up for the back up. If you do have the right circumstances for the moment, pray it stays that way.

What you don't do:

•   Take anything personal. A lot of egos can clash when making a film. Some feel like their decision should be prominent while others feel as though they cannot be heard. The common goal everyone should have is to make the best film that they can.
• Be self-indulgent. A film is a group effort. Without many parts, it does not work.
• Wait to solve the problem. A common thought would be to fix certain lighting issues and such in post. Not only is that very lazy, but there is not guarantee that it will even be fixed in post. If something can be done in that moment, it should be done. 

Are the more do's and don'ts of film making? Most definitely. However, these I believe are some of the most important things to keep aware of while making a film. Happy trails!