I think it is the "no budget" part that affects everything negatively. It permeats all productions after a while.
I guess I come to this from a different perspective. Before I started doing this I NEVER did anything for free. If someone was going to reap a monetary reward for their part, then I expected to as well.
Now I find that the folks who are going to get paid for the project I am in, want me to donate my part of the effort.

It is that approach that makes film makers go for the cheap film to make. The film maker can make the movie without spending much and still make his/her money. The problem is that that same film maker could make even more money if he/she spent the money getting a good script and the actors to help put that script on film.

"Cheap" will always look and feel cheap. Normally, in business, you get what you pay for.

Especially in the case of a feature film. Shorts and web videos are a different story, I think.

The other thing that is making things difficult is the "art-house" approach to films here. It seems like the AZ fim community has decided that they cannot make the same kind of movies that Hollywood makes. So they have to make "art" movies as opposed to "mainstream" movies that will actually sell.

These are just my views of where things are here. I am new to this and don't do it for "the sake of the art". I do it, as I have everything else in my life, for fun and profit.

I am having a TON of fun doing this with the folks I am meeting and working with (including you on I Am Voting Democratic) and making a little profit.

And BTW, thanks for being so patient with me at that filming.

I think what we all have to keep in mind is shorts, student films, challenges - those are one thing. I doubt any of us mind working on those. They're fun - you can find more cool folks to work with on other stuff and you always learn a lot.

That being said - a feature is a totally different animal. I would NEVER ask anyone to work on a feature that I planned on getting money from, for free. That's just plain wrong. I mean - I guess if I was fully staffed and some kid wanted to intern - that might be one thing - if they came to me and asked, then yeah, I'd probably let them - though if they did a good job, I'd still throw them jobs in the future and at least try to get them some gas money.

If the film maker is making money - then the people who help that film maker make the film should be paid period. If you don't have the money - wait until you do - or if you have a whole group of folks who are really wanting to get the project done - then get contracts up front before work begins ensuring everyone, including your PAs are on board to get paid should the film sell. And I know this isn't a popular idea - but they should really get paid first if rates were agreed to - and if it's a percentage - then once expenses are reimbursed the disbursements are pretty well automatic - or should be. It's only fair because no film would have happened had it not been for everyone on the team from the PA that fetches your coffee to keep you awake to the writer and everyone in between.

If only there were more producers/directors who thought that way, EVERYONE would be making more money.
It seems to me that this is not charity. This is business and if you hire someone to do something, then pay them.
Simple and direct.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

I'd say that if we all had money this would be a whole different ball game. However I'd like to make one small point. We did "Convenience" on $1500 bucks & in a week, and no we didn't pay anyone and no we didn't make any money either. However we still did it and we gained something we couldn't gain on a short, or challenge.

-Community Support & CONFIDENCE

oh and something to tell our kids about.

We got a lot of great feedback and it was the best time of my life going to the screening at Harkins. I can't wait for the day to go to "Life In Transit".

I'm just saying dont shy away from a "feature film" if you can pull it off on limited funds. We did and yes we got some feedback in regards to how it could have been better had we had more money but getting a feature under our belt was such a confidence builder.

I guess from a writers standpoint I'm just thinking how long its taking me to write a novel. Written short stories, but a novel is a huge under taking and thats part of what scares me....not knowing if I'll even finish it. But finishing Convenience and just "getting through it and working hard" gave our team such confidence.

Shorts and challenges are good and add value but be careful not to get stuck in a mold. I am glad our team is made up of individuals that took turns pushing each other through to the final product and its definitely something to be proud of.

p.s. If there is money to be made, actors should be paid.