Casting

Having the cast round on Friday night was excellent. It was a great opportunity to get to know everyone and bond. Bond does not mean anything weird. Well, at least, not unless you count Richie's anecdote about his landlady. Sunday I was filming some shots for Grove Park Theatre for their upcoming production of Canterbury Tales and Monday I began to edit their footage. This weekend has put me in the mind to reflect on what I have learned about making this movie recently.

I'll talk about my first experiences with shooting and editing another time but first I'm going to talk about a biggie: Casting

Casting was something that I was really worried about. First of all where do I get my cast from? I knew I didn't want to use my existing mates. I wanted to use people who had acted before and would take directions from me without saying "You're not the boss of me!" or just "Bugger off!". But on the other hand I didn't want to approach professional actors, firstly because I thought it unfair to inflict my inexperience on a professional cast and secondly because, well frankly, I couldn't pay them!

So I hit on a solution. I contacted local amateur dramatic societies. I sent a polite email introducing myself as an aspiring film maker, outlining the project and the roles I needed to cast. I thanked them for their time, included my contact details and waited. I heard nothing from one, but Grove Park Theatre in Wrexham forwarded the mail out to their members and the replies started coming.

Cool thing is; actors know other actors some word got around a bit about what I was doing. In a very short space of time I has gone from "How the fuck am I going to cast this?" to "Holy Shit, I have a choice of cast". This brought it's own problems. Namely how do I choose.

This is how I approached it. It may not be the best way but it worked for me. I sent those interested copies of the script. Explained that this was my first picture and that the budget was somewhere in the region of £3.72. I told them i was more concerned about finding people who were on board with the project than Oscar winning performances, I sent them the script to read and said that if knowing all that they were still interested we would meet up. I'd be lying if I told you everyone replied after that but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the vast majority were still interested. So here begineth the auditioning.

I arranged to meet in a pub. A pub with plenty of space at a time that wasn't busy. A pub is not an ideal spot for an audition but it did have some advantages. Firstly I had nowhere else. Secondly it was a public spot and I was meeting people I didn't know who didn't know me so (for the female actors in particular) this hopefully gave out the message that I wasn't some nutter luring them into a private meeting with promises of stardom. That said, I have never promised stardom, just Starbuck's...

...I have just been informed that I am no longer allowed to refer to myself as a writer thanks to that last pun.

Okay, I know that I am hardly a seasoned pro but here is a piece of advise. Do not bullshit the people you are asking to help you out. If this is the first film you've done, tell them that. If there are going to be no creature comforts on set, let them know and if your expectation is nothing more than YouTube don't fucking tell them that you are expecting a premiere in Cannes. I was honest with everyone about my experience, my expectations and my budget, so now everyone knows what to expect and as a result I have a cast who are 100% on board. Richie told me about a piece that he did where the director didn't know one end of a camera from another. That wasn't the problem, the problem was that he gave everyone involved the impression that he was Stephen feckin Spielberg. Hence everyone was pissed off with him from day one.

So i went for honesty. I told them about my experience. None. I told them about the budget. None. I told them about my aspirations. N...No wait I have some of those. I like the script. Other people like the script. If the finished product is good enough then I'd like to try and show it off on the festival circuit. If it's not then I'll have done something that was a learning experience and the next one will be better. At this point everyone was given a get out of jail free card. Not literally, that'd be weird. I told them that if they weren't interested I understood and would not take offence. Thankfully everyone stayed on board. I also told them about the expected timetable for shooting.

So then the spotlight went on them. I got them to tell me a little about themselves and what they had done before and got them to read from the script for the role they were reading for. Last thing I did was take a picture of each of them. Why? Because I have a memory like a fucking sieve.

So then I had a decision to make. To be honest my first decision was a no-brainer. Richie Nolan as Weaver. He is a talented actor who gave a great audition, he looks the part and as far as being able to work with him, well let me just say that post audition we stayed on for a few pints in the pub together. He's also probably reading this so I've got to say these nice things.

Casting Leonard and Lisa was tougher. First consideration was can I work with this person? I based this on just my own gut instinct from the first meeting. In the overwhelming majority of cases the answer was yes. Thankfully Val Kilmer didn't show up so I really had no issue on anyones personality or willingness to take instruction from me.

Second thing to consider was acting ability. I know this seems like a weird choice for number 2 and that surely it should be number one? Yes, well maybe when I am an experienced director I can put it at number one but I am learning so much at the moment and am going to make so many basic fuck ups that I need people who will be understanding of that. That said the quality of talent that was interested was high and everyone I saw had something I could use.

Third last consideration was look. When I say look, what I mean is how they look as a pair. I had to pair up these actors in my head and think about how they appear as a couple. How do they compare in height and age? Do their acting styles compliment each other? I know that how people appear as a couple isn't important in real life, but for a movie unfortunately it is. I mean I don't expect to see Scarlett Johannsen and Ben Kingsley as a screen couple anytime soon. Both fine actors, but together, I just can't see it working.

After all of that, well I just had to go with my instinct. So I cast Chris Jones and Lisa Solari. They're audition was excellent, probably augmented by the the fact that they did it together. They are excellent actors and genuinely great people.

I was fortunate enough to have plenty of talent to choose from and everyone who auditioned brought brought something really interesting to the table, but I have got a cast that I am chuffed with.

Next stop rehearsals.

Mark out.

The Internet Is My Friend

Again, I'd like to reiterate; I don't really know what I'm doing. I may or may not be doing the right thing but I've started using various social media (i.e. free) websites to promote the film. Yes, I know I'm already doing that by writing a blog, but as well as a blog I have now got a twitter feed, and a facebook page. They have no content, but they're there. So poke, tweet, like, dislike, befriend, follow the shit out of me.   

I am social networked out. Anyone suggesting that I go on MySpace, Bebo or Linked in can just fuck off.

The next post will be about movie-making, I promise

Mark out

Naming

Hey All

I am pleased to announce the cast for Little Things

Chris Jones - Leonard
Richie Nolan - Weaver
Lisa Solari - Lisa

Also I have now officially got a name for my production company (assuming everything is ok with Companies House.

Introducing BROC GLIC PRODUCTIONS LIMITED

I've even got a logo:

Look closely, the badger's stripe is a strip of film.
The things I spend my time on!

Mark out

An Eventful Day

Today was a hell of a day. Today I started to really explore the legal aspects making a short film. I thought that the hard part of making a short film was going to be getting the crew and equipment needed to shoot, followed by a hell of a lot of time in front of the screen editing, then moving on the monumental task of getting the picture seen. How fucking naive I am. The big hard complicated stuff is all the legalities.

I asked a simple question via e-mail to the Film Agency for Wales this morning. Do I need to get permission to shoot a scene in a public park? (Before I get sidetracked can I just comment on how patient, efficient and helpful the people in the Film Agency for Wales. If you need advise on making a film and you live in Wales you should absolutely contact them)To be honest I kinda expected the answer to be "No, of course you don't! They're public spaces, just don't blow anything up and it's fine!" Jesus I am naive. "Yes you need permission, get in touch with the Wales Screen Commission and they'll tell you who to contact and what you need". So I did. Again let me say how incredibly helpful the people there are. I was told that to get permission to film I needed to contact the local authority. However unless I completed a risk assessment and had public liability insurance the local authority wouldn't touch me with a shitty stick. I went digging at lunchtime and called the first media insurance company I could find. The informed me that as well as public liability insurance I was required by lay to have employers insurance. Every single person contributing to this is volunteering their services for free but I still have to get employers insurance! "Okay so how much is that going to be?" "Five Hundred and Twenty Quid" "FFFUUUUCKCK!!!" This was supposed to be a zero budget project. The camera from Ebay was supposed to be the only real expense. But I'm supposed to fork out nearly the same amount of money again for insurance for a two fucking day shoot!

A brief explanation of what I have found out about what insurance is required:

• Public Liability Insurance - Insurance against any damage or injury caused by your cast, crew or equipment
• Employers Insurance - Insurance against damage or injury caused to your cast or crew
• Equipment Insurance - Insuring any of the gear involved, either yours, borrowed or rented.

I asked  the Film Agency for Wales and the Wales Srceen Commision again for their advise and was put in touch with Essex Insurance Brokers. Quote for Public Liability and Employer Liability Insurance - one hundred and fifteen quid. Big fucking difference. 

Other legal requirements that I have learned about that are required:

• Permission to film  - for locations that are not yours you need permission, if it's a public space you need permission from the local authority, which requires insurance and a risk assessment. You may also need to get permission from the police.
• In order to reduce your liability its advised to set up and register a production company. This involves registering with Company House and with HM Customs and Revenue for Corporation Tax. Jesus!
• Contracts for cast and crew, yes even if they are volunteering services for free.
• Waiver for graphics, logos and fonts, that appear in the film unless they are just incidental. That's right Fucking Fonts!
• Waiver for any sound, music, video or images that aren't yours.

If you don't get any of these that you require you won't be able to get the film shown anywhere for fear of getting sued. The legal profession has a lot to answer for. I am aware that some friends of mine in the legal profession may be reading this so I must be careful to intentionally direct all my bitterness squarely at them. You know who you are!

Music is biggie from a legal point of view. I'm fortunate that I know someone in a talented but unsigned band, The Crow Hearts (Check them out if you get the chance) If you want to get some music from a signed band or some music that has been published elsewhere, on the off chance that you actually find the person or company that owns the rights, the cost will be huge.

I shall leave the hellish dystopian landscape that is the land of the law to touch on something a little sunnier. I finalised my cast today! Yaaaay! More info on that another time

I'm off to buy a fucking white curly wig

Mark out

The Blank Page

This is my first post to document the making of "Little Things". "Little Things" is a short film that I wrote, am producing and directing myself. I hope to complete shooting by the end of September and have it edited ready for viewing by the end of 2010. I'm pretty sure I'm biting off more than I can chew. For those of you that don't know me I did not go to film school and I do not work for the media. I do also have a day job so this is a part time exercise only.

At some point it's going to be in real time, letting everyone know what is happening as it happens, but I've already done a fair bit so for the moment I'm going to play catch up and for the next few posts let you know what I've done so far. The stuff I have learned along the way basic as it is I will pass on, maybe it'll be useful. The most sensible place to start, is the beginning.

"Little Things" started as a dream. How fucking twee does that sound! It is true though, the initial premise for the film is from a dream I had about eighteen months, maybe two years ago. I'd love to say that the story played itself right before my eyes fully formed, but it really bloody didn't. I got a kernel of an idea, that's it, since then it's been donkey work. The script has been through at least 4 rewrites with dozens of revisions.

Okay, piece of advice number one, if you want to write a script it needs to be in a format that any one who knows anything about reading scripts will expect, otherwise it won't get read. Why do you want it read? feedback from people who know their stuff for a start, your mates and family won't give you the brutal honesty that you need. There are people working in organisations such as the Film Agency for Wales and Northwest Vision and Media who will take the time out to read and feedback on scripts if you ask them nicely. BE quick about it though, with the UK Film Council getting abolished, Christ knows how long they'll be around.

Also if you plan on getting it made, you can't do it all yourself, other people will need to be involved, actors for a start. If you want some actors, you have to show them your script, if you want to show them your script... I think you see where I'm going with this. So, formatting. I'm not going to go through what the format should be, there are plenty of books and websites that will tell you that. What I will say though is that if you try and use something like Word to do the formatting for you it is a complete and utter scrotum ache. There are specific tools out there for script writing and the one I use is FREE! Celtx is a pre-production project tool, there are some add on utilities that cost some money but the script formatting tool is free. I highly recommend it

You can download Celtx here: www.celtx.com

Celtx also has a storyboarding tool, but storyboards is something I'll talk about another time.

Later