I know that writing is only a small part of pre production but i didnt know where else to add this thread.

In one of my film classes this week my professor was explaining the importance of pre-production such as story boarding and planning out the shots. I found it very interesting that Hitchcock found the actual shooting of a film boring because he already had every single shot planed out ahead of time.

I think that pre production is something a lot of new independent filmmakers may rush through in an effort to get to shooting. It should not be like this because when a filmmaker goes through a thorough pre production process then they will save a lot of time and effort later on. Plus it is less likely that you will get to post production and realize that you didnt get a shot that you needed.

Let me know what you guys think!

I definitely agree that Pre-Production is important.

We realized this in Convenience where we spent approximately 5 Months writing the script, location scouting and prep-work. After experiencing problems due to various reasons but a large part was a lack of planning, LIT has been in Pre-Production since January and we are 2 weeks away from the finished script

Then we will spend the next 3 months prepping to begin shooting in December which includes budget, fundraising, location scouting and casting/rehearsals.

So all in all we will more than double our pre-production time and hopefully make an even better film.

Cori and I met on Friday and worked on some Life In Transit stuff - and really are getting a better grasp on all the pre-production that needs to happen to make shooting go smoothly. We simply *cannot* go into the next film without *loads* of pre-production work finished. Besides the obvious facts of loosing time and money by forgetting shots, etc, there is also the symptom of just generally looking like we don't have our act together - and we want to be great at what we do! So I will be working to make this stuff happen

Ted I'd be curious to know what the official things to be done are, that they teach you in school. Since I am no master, by any means, I'd love to hear the details to make sure I'm getting everything covered. *I'm the detail queen!*

Joy and I had discussed with Daniel at our last meeting how vital this part of movie making is and that it's very important that no matter how tempting it may be to do a "rush job" that we take our time with this movie and do it right. If it means getting proper funding than we may just have to wait. If it means sorting through casting call after casting call to find that actor/actress that can pull off the part then we do it.

I have a different perspective. I'm not putting a writer above any other job in film making, however, I have to point out that up until a film gets started the writer is the only one who has possibly wasted their time on the project depending on how its treated from then on. After all film makers don't waste their time filming a crappy script?

It's tough in the situation of "grassroots" film making not to write to what you can afford and go towards the safe easy side. For example, not writing a pivotal scene because we may not get a "gun" or "the location of a cemetery". It's risky when you're the only one thats spent the most hours alone in your room writing something that could be ruined if one area is not full filled. I think it's why I worked so hard during production of Convenience. I wanted it to be the best it could be according to what we had, I didn't want my time to be ill spent.

My perspective since "Convenience" has changed now that I am not just putting words on paper that make some sort of sense. I've sat and struggled with this story on how each scene should lead to the next and what a "good twist" at the end will be.

Its scary knowing that the characters are more than 1 dimension and not knowing if Arizona has the experienced talent to pull that off since we have limited awareness. Or knowing that this movie could flop before it starts if we don't have enough fans/investors to back us financially. Or possibly the experience to rig a full bus in a limited amount of time.

Do I think we can overcome those obstacles? Well I've seen Daniel sell ice cream to Eskimos. But will he exhaust himself trying? You can't depend on the head sled dog to pull everyone along, it has to be a team effort.

Am I trying to insult anyone with my honesty? No. But quote me here, "If we don't have enough people dedicated to being the best we can be from the beginning, then its going to wear out the few who are and we will miss out on the potential of this project and possibly the financial rewards it could bring in the end. "

If people fail to follow through, dont help during down time, or don't continually strive to get better we will only be seen as (to quote Joy) "not having our act together."

I'm not just the writer. I market VB. I have added Myspace friends myself hundreds at a time. I find bands to give us free music. I write press releases. I host casting calls.

I'm not bragging. I am pointing out that until we get $$$$ coming in we all have to do other jobs until someone else can come along and do them for us. Everyone is expecting more for our next movie and we have to find a way to deliver and that means more people, talent, time, money, organization and most of all dedication.

That's why I think this online community is such a good idea. If everyone backs us on this project we could all potentially get the attention we deserve regarding our films.

But the question is, "Will you?"

I have not actually taken a production class so I dont have formal training on any pre production stuff. But I think that it would be a good idea to at least do a rough story board and go into a shoot knowing what all of our shots are going to be.

I agree. Reliable people are very rare these days and I deal with it a lot working at church where I basically run a team of volunteers. They have the tendency to disappear rather after awhile just cause it's so much to bear just for a volunteer position. I think the same can be said of all this. People want fast results and when things don't work that way, they can get frustrated and give up.