Green Screen at Atomic Studios

Video Marketing

One of the biggest mistakes I have seen in all my years in the Los Angeles film business is how budgets are allocated. It seems that there is always a budget for actors, dancers, gear, locations, cars, crew, sound, editing, effects etc. but when I ask how much of the budget is left aside for marketing all I hear are crickets! I cannot tell you how big of a mistake this usually turns out to be. Lets take for example a little movie that we all know of, that cost a bit over $30,000 to shoot “The Blair Witch Project” Artisan spent over $2,000,000 on the P & A (Prints and Ads) Trust me these people are not idiots who overspend and have no clue what’s going on in the “real” world outside of Hollywood / Los Angeles . These studios are made up of some of the sharpest marketers on the planet who do everything in their power to save a penny. The $30,000 to $2,000,000 ratio is a ratio that works and is the sole reason that the movie made so much money. I am not saying to wait until you have millions to spend on your video marketing but at least set aside a minimum of 20% and if anyway possible 40%-60%. Yes, I know it sounds high, but remember the question “If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Well I have no idea what the answer to that question is, but I do know that no matter how good the writing, the lighting, the camera angles, green screen keying, the production value or even how much you spend on your movie, video or show, if no one sees it you will end up with another wasted hard drive and a DVD to add to your collection at best. Don’t mean to be hard on you visitors, but if I don’t say something I don’t think anyone else will…
Truly,
Phil Guye

P.S. I will be happy to advise anyone, client or not, on some inexpensive strategies on video marketing, getting more Youtube views, and launching your video to the public while gathering a buyers list that distributors will love you for.

Craft service and Catering

1. This is often where the most money is spent in the indy film making world but for good reason.
2. A well fed crew is usually a happy crew even when the hours are long.
3. At the same time nothing will piss off an entire crew faster than the lack of food and/or drink.
4. Having decent food on set somehow subconsciously tells the crew that you care for their health & well being and they will often show their appreciation by complaining far less and staying focused on the task at hand.
5.A respectable Craft service/Catering would include a decent breakfast served a half hour before call time, a well proportioned lunch approximately six hours after call time and something as cheap as pizza at or around the 12hr mark if the show run past the wishful 12hr day

Try to book flat rate locations

When possible shoot your film in a location that does not charge by the hour. Behind overtime to the crew this is the second fastest way to tank your production. An unexpected thing will always happen on a shoot and “being on the clock” is a guaranteed way to unnecessarily increase "on set "pressure, forcing you to delete shots and sometime even scenes from your script. This is another case where you need to inspect things like furniture, floors, walls, and write down and point out any broken, scratched or damaged items to the location manager so that you are not charged for the item after the shoot. The trick that location owners use is they wait until almost all the crew has left then they find the producer and tell him or her that the item was broke or damaged during the shoot. With almost no one to ask about the incident in person there is not much left for the producer to do but take the owner word for it. Keep an eye out for wet, muddy, or soiled entrances. A common trick that a location owner will use to get a “free” carpet cleaning is to wet down, mud up or soil the entrance of their location knowing that most crew will forget to wipe their shoes at the door tracking whatever dirt, mud, and even oil all over the carpet.

Do not go cheap on sound!!!

This tip should have been listed first. Nothing fails QC more than audio problems. Sound department should consist of at least a sound mixer and a boom opp. Most sound mixers have their own gear and will start their rate at about $300-$400 per day. Any less of a day rate “BEWARE” If you want crewmembers to learn on your shoot, cool, but not in this department. Post sound repair is shockingly expensive…

Avoid being overcharged for grip and lighting equipment

1. Always buy your own expendables and ask for the rental house to remove their way over priced expendables from the grip truck before it leaves their premises.
2. Many G&E rental houses will waive mileage charges but make sure ask for this before you finalize the deal, not after.
3. Always inspect the gear before you leave the rental house. This is usually done by the key grip and or Best Boy. Leaving a rental house with a broken piece of gear means you just bought it.

Beware of production insurance scams

“Insurance companies” that offer you a co-production type of insurance are almost always scams that do not pay out on big loses leaving you completely responsible for the loss & damages. It is completely against any insurance policy to up sell an individual production insurance policy to another production company. Stick with solid insurance companies like Dewitt Stern of CA and Truman Van Dyke Co and stay completely clear of companies like Signature Insurance owned by a Kelly Rubin who left me and my client out to dry with over $13,000 in unpaid loss & damages.

Be careful of the crew you hire

1. Keep in mind that you are not asking for favors when you are hiring crewmembers. They should not have any problems with you asking for proof of skill level or a reasonable flat day rate.
2. Nothing against a good crew but if you want to make it to the editing room do not make overtime deals with crewmembers. Unless you are rich, overtime can tank a small production.
3. A whinny complainer type crewmember is like a cancer on set. When at all possible eliminate these bad seeds ASAP.

Pre-Production Pre-Production Pre-Production

1.Check out the locations for flight path and exposure to sun
2.Use storyboards and or animatics to speed up communication with the DP and the rest of the crew. A wise person once said “A picture is worth a 1000 words”.
3. Triple check with the art department that all props are bought in advance and will be on set when needed. Sending PA’s out on the shoot day is inefficient and can be far more costly.
4. Always have a “Plan B” for things like bad weather, models or actors not showing up, or key crew members quitting for a higher paying jobs