Paradise: Page 2
Another important aspect of microbudget movie production is your mindset. You must adopt the philosophy that nothing will stop you from your goal. We had one disastrous day on location where chipmunks ate our prop fruit, a kayak race kept spoiling our shots and we were finally kicked off the beach for not having a permit. You can't give up, you just have to guard your fruit and find another beach. When I was building one of the main sets in my backyard my neighbor offered to let me cut down some of the bamboo that was growing in his yard and I gained a valuable production asset without even asking for it, but you would be surprised how many things can be acquired if you just make a polite request. You may be turned down but you may be given permission to shoot at an appropriate location, a piece of equipment to use over the weekend, or some other resource that would have been otherwise beyond your means. The bottom line is to put blinders on. Forget about your social life, forsake all luxuries and live for the project. If your passion and dedication is not clearly evident to all you will have a terrible time enlisting the aid and support of others. Enthusiasm is infectious and is probably the most valuable resource you can bring to the production without spending a dime. IMPROVISE AND ADAPT Production equipment is expensive. If you're able to shoot on a tight schedule with numerous consecutive days then renting gear may be your best option. In our case we had to deal with the fact that everyone was donating their time and had prior obligations with work and family life. Consequently, shooting took place whenever we were lucky enough to find the time. We started shooting in February of 2002 and didn't finish until the middle of summer. Renting equipment was out of the question so we had to come up with some other solutions. We built a boom pole out of a paint roller extension arm, diffusion panels out of PVC pipes and rip-stop nylon, modified some old work lights and even devised the "Freedom Cam," a partially successful camera stabilizer. For the physical production design elements every spare piece of yard debris was called into service. For the two main settings of the story we had to construct a number of tropical huts, fences and other structures. Most of this was accomplished with bamboo, dead branches and dry grass culled from my backyard and bound together with thousands of feet of rustic twine. I have no idea how many hours I spent wrapping twine around bamboo poles but it was enough to know that I never want to do it again! (Although I wouldn't hesitate to do so if the situation demanded it.) Tremendous amounts of dirt were also moved by shovel to make the terrain seem more naturalistic and less like a suburban backyard. Also try to be flexible in your planning and quick on your feet. If you're going to "hit-and-run" at a location and you're asked to leave before you can finish you had better have a backup plan in place. If you're kicked off the beach there are several thousand miles of coastline just up or down the road that will serve as a replacement. I've only been kicked off of two locations but it can happen, especially if you're trying to shoot in a heavily traveled or urban environment. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE It is vitally important that microbudget producers allocate enough time to get the job done properly. If you only have access to a location for three hours and you're planning to shoot an eight-page scene that's crucial to the story you're inviting disaster. Negotiate for more time, cut the scene down or find another location. Trying to rush through a scene often leads to artistic and technical mistakes that may be difficult, if not impossible to repair. By having my backyard serve as a tropical island we gave up some scenic potential that a more remote location might have offered, but we gained 24-hour access to our primary settings. This allowed us to take as long as we wanted with each scene and re-shoot anything that didn't turn out to our satisfaction. It also afforded us the luxury of being able to shoot most of the picture early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the natural light tends to be most attractive. One of our goals was to avoid the natural temptation to say, "I guess it's good enough under the circumstances." There is of course a point of diminishing returns with a volunteer cast and crew that's hungry and tired so it's wise not to be a "slave driver" for the sake of it, but don't be afraid to take the time you need to get the result you want. Creative people tend to respond well to notion that they're part of a project that aspires to be of a high quality. ADVANCE TO PARADISE PAGE 3
|
