5 Elements To Producing A Good Independent Film

Producing a low budget (or in some cases no-budget) independent film is a lot of work especially when you consider all the creative and technical people needed to make it a reality. Making a “good” film is even harder because so many individuals need to be brought together in order to craft a single cohesive product – a singular vision of which usually starts from the imagination of the producer. This vision is than passed down to the rest of the production crew, so, in order to produce a good film you need to be aware of some of the elements of being a good producer.

Although I’ve learned many of these techniques having produced the Southland-Films productions Bad Land and the Halloween fan-film Halloween: Return of the Sandman (not to mention the By The Lake Productions short film A Gift and my own short films Alone and Miss Kitty & Me, among others), these techniques and elements will be of benefit to producers of all types of film & video productions of all budgetary ranges.

ELEMENT #1: “Have a good screenplay & vision.”
All films start from a screenplay or an idea that is developed into a screenplay. Since the screenplay is commonly referred to as the “blueprint” for the final film it is important to start off the film making process on a good note and having a good screenplay and vision goes a very long way.

I’ve worked on many first time film makers’ production. I was a co-producer on the film A Gift, which was directed by a first time writer/director (who also produced the film) and even though the screenplay was not in the proper script format we got through production of the film simply because the director was so focused that his vision translated to film despite the differences on the script pages.

On my short film Miss Kitty & Me, there was very little on-set dialogue (most of the dialogue was voice over for this film) but so much is described in the screenplay that the actor – Paige Ireland, had no problems translating or bringing the main character to life despite the lack of dialogue. As the producer/writer/director of this film I was able to confer with Ireland (who came on board the production because of the screenplay) and ease her concerns about the challenges of this type of film (which is about a 13 year old who finds out she’s pregnant).

ELEMENT #2: “Be a good communicator.”
As a producer, you are in charge of a large group of people who are trying to help get a singular vision to the screen. If you can’t communicate a clean, clear, and concise vision to all the members of your cast and crew then you won’t have a film that truly represents the vision you have in your head. This happens more often than not with productions and it shows on the screen and sometimes behind the scenes as well.

On the Southlan-Films production Creatures of the Night (of which I was production manager) there was constant conflict between the producer/director and the special fx artist due to lack of good communication. Many of the SFX were late and many more were added to the production at the last minute due to the producer not communicating all the details needed to execute the film. The film was ultimately never finished and currently sits on the Executive Producer’s shelf.
As one of the producers on the music video production for musician Chris DeMarco’s “I’m Calling You,” I had to make sure all the cast and crew were made 100% aware of the director’s vision for the look and feel of the production from the cast and all members of the crew and picking locations that would best help solidify the vision of the director (who was also a co-producer on the project) and DeMarco, who wanted a music video that would bring his story to life.

ELEMENT #3: “You must be organized.”
Organization is key to being a good producer. There are just too many people involved in film production not to be and if you want a singular vision up on screen than you have to be extremely organized and concise in order to communicate that vision to other members of the production staff.

From the make-up department to the art direction to the costumes & props departments to the casting department, there are a lot of people that need to be on the same page in regards to any given production and being organized will go a long way in making that happen.

ELEMENT #4: “Be a good leader.”
A lot is required of a producer on a film production and there is a lot that a producer must require from others and being able to communicate is a skill. It’s a skill that all great leaders must have and this goes double for a producer. The producer is the “head” of all film productions. They are ultimately the one responsible for the final product and therefore they must make sure that all production staff and personnel are on the same page and being a good leader means being able to make quick decisions when need be and make the production run smoothly from beginning to end amongst all personnel.

On the set of the Cake Baby Films production The Tedious Existence of Terrell B. Howell (of which I was still photographer, among other things) producer Kelly Silverman exhibited leadership abilities that far exceeded most other producers that I’ve worked with. Both cast and crew were always on the same page and the production ran smoothly from beginning to end. When problems did arise she conferred with the director and the problems were addressed and solved quickly and efficiently. She displayed exceptional skills as a leader and producer.

ELEMENT #5: “You should remember to have fun!”
In addition to being a director, being a producer is the most stressful job on a film set. Because the producer is responsible for so many different aspects of the production their job can be very stressful. A producer is on the production from the very beginning until the very end when the film is available to the public (and sometimes even long after that), so, they must remember to always have fun.

Having fun is one of the reasons why so many of us get into film making. None of us are making a fortune on independent film productions, so, we must remember that we are doing this because we love making films. If a producer is having fun than it will become apparent to the cast and crew and everyone will have fun on set and a happy cast and crew will be a happy production and this, in a sense, is what we are all wanting on a film set.

Producing an indie film is never easy but if you remember these five simply elements than you will be that much closer to producing not just a good, but a great film in the end that everyone can be proud to have been a part of.