Here is how it happens. You plan everything out for your movie months in advance. You get the locations, picture vehicles, actor contracts, crew, stunt professionals — And then for some reason, two days before you begin production, some crazy series of events takes hold and locations fall apart, picture vehicles disappear, actors quit the project, crew members take on another job that pays more and stunt people…
But the thing is, if you can maintain a good attitude and roll with these kinds of set backs, you’ll soon find it’s just another day in paradise. That being said, you can eliminate a lot of frustration if you prepare for these unexpected events in advance – just in case.
PLAN B
Once you have everything free, compile a PLAN B list. Whatever could go wrong, will go wrong! It’s your job to plan for it.
ACTIONS
- How is your budget looking now? If you’ve followed the previous instructions, you’ve probably figured out how to maintain a high production value with limited cash.
- Create backup locations… Just in case.
- One more thing, talk with some insurance professionals about insurance for both your workers and equipment. While you’re at it, make sure you talk with a qualified attorney regarding legal protection. Never know.
If you’re interested in checking out a popular resource devoted to making action movies on the cheap, you might get a few ideas on how to preserve or raise your production value by checking out The DV Rebel’s Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap.
Posted under 21 Part Filmmaking Mini-Course
This post was written by Jason Brubaker on May 11, 2009
