Five “DON’TS” To Independent Filmmaking

As a production manager, producer, and a director of several independent films from various production companies, I’ve become aware of both things you should and should not do while on the set of an indie film. Although the info I will go over in this article is in relation to my experience on these low budget productions, they can nevertheless be used on film productions of any budgetary range. What is important is that whether you are a production manager, a producer, or a director, these are five “don’ts” that should be avoided in order to give your cast & crew a memorable and worthwhile experience on your production (in the hopes that they’ll all return to help you on subsequent productions).

“DON’T” #1: “Be on time.”
As a person in charge of an independent film production you should always make it a priority to be on time. This does not mean being on location at the Call time of 8:00a.m. As a person in charge of a film production you should be on location thirty minutes, if not more, prior to the rest of the cast & crew. This is not only to pre-set anything that needs to be pre-set but this is also to fix any on location problems or being available for cast & crew members whom may get lost. It is very common that when filming on a practical location to run into problems with store owners (or the personnel running the store that day) to have forgotten or have no knowledge of you and your crew having access to a location on a particular day. On the set of the Unique Production Between Love & A Hard Place, when we arrived at one of these such locations, the store owner was unaware or had forgotten we were suppose to film that day (even though it had been in the production schedule for weeks). Luckily, none of the cast was at the location and we were able to change locations at the last moment to accommodate the change. It was an easy transition to change locations at the last moment and very little time was lost at this location due to the abrupt change.

“DON’T” #2: “Don’t belittle your cast & crew.”
It is not uncommon for indie film productions to be populated by cast & crew whom are getting paid very little or may even be on deferred payment (or even working for free). It is very important to remember that many members of your cast & crew may be working on your film because that either want the experience, believe in the project, or need the screen credit, therefore don’t take advantage of their generosity. Respect your cast & crew whether they are a production assistant (PA), an extra, a camera operator, or a grip, etc. because film is a collaborative medium and it takes a community to build a complete house not an individual. On the Cake Baby Production short film The Tedious Existence of Terrell B. Howell, I was working in assistant catering capacity (instead of as a production manager or producer) but the producers afforded me the same respect as they did the cinematographer or any of the main actors. Since I was working on the production because of the writer and the director, I felt like any other crew member despite being in a crew position I was not familiar to. I felt just like any one of the other crew members.

“DON’T” #3: “Don’t forget to praise your cast & crew.”
Because film making is such a collaborative medium it is extremely important to remember that it takes many creative and technical people to put a film together and despite what naysayers may say, no one person’s job is more important than anyone else’s. Although this can be overlooked on a low budget film, everyone, whether they be a boom operator, a best boy, an extra, a supporting actor, the script supervisor, or a dolly grip, should be treated the same and praise should be doled out equally. As I will reiterate time and time again – many cast & crew members participate in an indie production for the love of it despite the low or no pay (or deferred), so, praise should be handed out to everyone and not just a few select individuals.

I try not only to do this at the end of each day but at the end of the production as well (this can be done at a cast & crew party as well as at the screening for the production personnel). It is very common, for me, to send out a mass email to the entire cast & crew of any production I work on a “Letter of Thanks” so that they know how much I appreciate working with them. This has not only helped me get onto subsequent film productions but has also helped me maintain and cultivate these relationships for my own production as well.

“DON’T” #4: “Don’t forget to feed your cast & crew.”
I have been on over fifty short films, commercials, and features of all budgetary constraints and I’m sorry to say that some of them have not provided and catering. It is my opinion that a well fed cast & crew is a happy cast & crew and therefore, I try to provide snacks and food and meals on all my film productions. Shooting days can sometimes stretch as long as fifteen or more hours and it is important that you have snacks and drinks on set at all times to not only prevent dehydration but to also provide cast & crew enough sugar and energy to get through the long day(s). Drinks should not only include both water and coffee but drinks with caffeine and juices but even energy or re-hydration sports drinks. Snacks should include fruits and vegetables in addition to snacks with sugar. On my film sets I usually provide fruit and cheese plates in addition to a variety of drinks and snack size candy and chips. This usually provides cast & crew with a wide variety of choices. I also remember at the beginning of film production to ask cast & crew to give me a list of suggestions for snacks.

Lunch should be provided as well but if it is not than an “off the clock” meal (of about 1 to 1 ½ hours) is also a very good idea.

“DON’T” #5: “Don’t forget to have fun!”
The #1 Rule of Indie Filmmaking is to never forget to have fun! If the people in charge of the production are not visibly having fun than neither is anyone else. Contrary to what you may believe, the cast & crew knows when the individuals who are in charge are on set and not enjoying the experience it can be seen and felt by other cast & crew members. This can bring down the moral on set (which every filmmaker tries to avoid).

These are only a few of the handful of “Don’ts” that should be remembered by production managers, producers, and directors, among others, because it will promote a healthy and productive film shoot from beginning to end.