Producing an Independent Film

By James F Simpson

All you need to know to produce your independent film. James Simpson has over thirty films experience, with films starring actors including Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Charlize Theron to name a few.
This book details the key stages in producing an independent film with practical tips to help save money and deliver the film you want to make. It explains all the areas that a producer needs to know about, including international tax credits and rebates and the routes to financing an independent film.
Everything you need to know from concept to screening.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9780244508494

Book preview

AUTHOR

HOW TO PRODUCE A FILM?

There are so many areas to cover…

Organization a key, not only for a smooth and creative production, but also good organization manages the budget cost effectively, and puts the money on the screen.

So the first question …. What does a Producer do?

The answer in simple terms on an independent film, everything. In this book I will cover all the areas for producing an independent film. Obviously some of the specific crew and facilities will depend on the film and the budget level. Smaller films will be operating on a smaller, reduced crew, and individuals will have to double up on some responsibilities and compromises made to get the film made. This does not mean that the film will not be good but has to be made respecting the level of the budget and the script’s challenges.

Animated films have a different approach and I won’t be exploring this genre.

In essence there are five stages to film production. I will go through them as stages explaining what has to be done and the issues a producer may face.

Development

Pre Production

Production

Post Production

Delivery/Distribution

DEVELOPMENT STAGE

The development stage is the first step to making a film. It is where the ideas for the film are created, rights to books or plays are optioned and the screenplay is written. Director attached, main cast attached budget is finalized, then the task of financing the budget and the film is ready to be green lit! That’s development in a paragraph!

So you have become interested in a story, book, or script that you feel is strong and interesting enough to be made into a feature film. This may be created by you or you have come across it or even been brought it by the writer.

The script is stage one of the film making process and the true foundation of the film making process.

Once you have a script, you need to find a director to direct it. This is an important decision for the producer, as the director will have the single biggest effect on the film you want to make.

This very much depends on the genre and the realistic level of budget you feel it needs and you can raise which is also linked to the experience of you and the team you assemble.

If the film is anticipated at a reasonable budget level it may require a director with experience. This is also linked with the level of lead actors that you want to attract to the film. Named actors will not tend to commit to working with a new director, so experience can be very important to attaching known cast.

Once you have attached a director and the director has put together a ‘director’s vision’ for the film (see DIRECTOR’S VISION).  Next you need a schedule, working out how many days the film will take to shoot. 

Also how many days you need the lead actors so you can then start to put together a budget. The schedule and budget is normally put together by an experienced line producer.

You can then start looking at a wish list of the lead actors that you both would like attached. If the budget is available having a casting director involved can be helpful in getting realistic advice on cast.

From this you need to structure a finance plan. 

Where you shoot the film will very much affect the budget and the finance. If you are shooting in the UK, it should be possible to use the UK Film Tax credit which basically gives a rebate of 25% of the allowable spend, that you spend in the UK (this actually nets down to around 20-21%). The film may also qualify for SEIS/EIS status that can give qualifying investors 50% or 30% tax relief on any investment in the film. We will go into both ‘film tax rebate’ and ‘EIS/SEIS’ later in this book.

From this, the producer can put together an investment presentation/package to attract potential investment. Please refer to the ‘FINANCE’ section later in this book. Once the film’s funding looks secure you can move into the pre-production stage.

PRE-PRODUCTION STAGE

This is the next stage of preparing to film. This includes finding locations, planning set construction, casting for all roles and hiring key crew. 

This is where the producer needs to keep very careful control of the budget. Director’s can lose sight of the budget and want to spend  more than is available.

In pre-production, every step of actually creating the film is carefully designed and planned. The production company is created and production office established. The film is pre-visualized by the director, and often storyboarded by a specialist concept artiste. The remaining crew is recruited at this stage. The size of crew is dependent on the genre and the budget. The schedule is locked.

PRODUCTION

The film goes into production as per the schedule.

A typical day's shooting begins with the crew arriving on the set/location by their call time. Actors usually have their own separate call times, often before most of the crew, having their make up and hair done. 

Since set construction, dressing and lighting can take many hours they are often set up in advance.

The grip electric and production design crews are typically a step ahead of the camera and sound departments: for efficiency's sake, while a scene is being filmed, they are already preparing the next one.

Actors rehearse their lines and block with the director, and the camera and sound crews rehearse with them and make final adjustments. Finally, the action is shot in as many takes as the director thinks necessary. The script supervisor will note any continuity issues and the sound and camera teams log technical notes for the take on their respective report sheets. 

If the director decides additional takes are required, the whole  process repeats. Once satisfied, the crew moves on to the next camera angle/lens or setup, until the whole scene is covered.  When shooting is finished for the scene, the 1st AD declares a wrap or moving on, and the crew will strike, or dismantle, the set for that scene.

At the end of the day, the director approves the next day's shooting schedule and a daily progress report is sent to the production office. 

This includes the report sheets from continuity, sound, and camera teams. Call sheets are distributed to the cast and crew to tell them when and where to turn up the next shooting day.

POST PRODUCTION

The Digital film footage, sound including dialogue, sound effects and music, and any visual effects are edited and become the finished film.

Here the digital video is edited by the editor. The production sound (dialogue) is also edited; music score and any songs are composed; sound effects are designed and recorded. Any computer-graphic visual effects are digitally added. Finally, all sound elements are mixed into stems, which are then synced to picture, and the film is fully completed (locked).

DELIVERY/DISTRIBUTION

The completed film is marketed and distributed in cinemas and/or released to DVD and digital platforms (VOD).

As part of the distribution process the film is duplicated as required (on DCPs, Digital Cinema package) and distributed to cinemas for exhibition (screening). Press kits, posters, and other advertising materials are published, and the film is advertised and promoted.  The distribution rights for the film are also usually sold for worldwide distribution. The distributor and the production company share the profits.

Often film festivals play an important part in the marketing strategy such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, American Film Market (AFM) and Toronto. The aim to get the film seen and sold for distribution.  SEE  FILM FESTIVALS

The Internet has provided new distribution platforms such as Netflix and Amazon etc.

CORPORATE STRUCTURE SPV (SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLE)

Film Tax Rebate for qualifying films is claimable by the film production company, which is usually a ‘special purpose vehicle’, a dedicated company structure set up for the production of a specific film. Different countries have different corporate structures and you should get advice from legal and accountancy in that country.  This company will own the rights to the script, raise the finance for the film and own the rights to the finished film. This company should receive all income including the film tax credit if applicable. 

ACCOUNTANCY

The company should have an accountant who should ensure that the structure of the company will work for both the investment and qualification for any film tax credits or rebates that you intend to apply for, whatever the country you are filming in This is normally different from the production accountant who handles the day-to-day accountancy during the production period.

LEGAL

You should have access to a film lawyer someone who specializes in Media law. It is possible to use standard contracts for crew and most cast.  There are standard contracts for actors. If you have a casting director they will get involved in this.  If you have hired a ‘named’ actor then the terms will not be standard and you will have negotiated the deal with their agent and this needs to be reflected in a contract. 

There are standard contracts on line but you need to be sure they are useable for your specific film and legally binding. Ensure the contracts you are using are legal in the jurisdiction you have the company operating in.

Ensuring that you have the rights to the script and book (if the script is based on a book) is vital and having legal opinion on this could save many problems down the line with the chain of title, required to sell the film.

UNDERSTANDING ALL THE PERSONEL INVOLVED IN PRODUCTION

Being a producer is like being the CEO of a company and a CEO  needs to have a clear over view of the full operation of the company and how all the moving parts function.   

You as the Producer have to be fully aware of all the crew and of course the cast needed for the production. You will be managing the budget and all the different costs involved and will need to make decisions on contracting necessary crew on all the stages of production.

One of the most important things for a Producer to know is whom everyone is on a film set, and what exactly they do and the scope of what their job entails and what they should be doing. 

We will spend a lot of time explaining this, both initially as an overview, and in the individual four stages of production.

Each department will be looked at in depth later on in this book, so you can be totally prepared in understanding what is needed at all stages of the film making process.

The size of the crew will very much depend on the budget and the genre of the film. Low budget films have small crews who have to double up on some positions.

Below is the full list of who and what a film crew does. Not all films require all the crew listed, and as already explained very much is dictated by the budget.

PRODUCER

The producer is usually the person that starts the process of making the film, either finding the idea themselves or being approached by a writer or director with the project. Depending on the size of the production, there can be several producers on a movie, all of who have their own areas area of expertise (such as finance, cast, distribution).

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (EP)

Typically, the executive producer is someone who helps find the finance for a film, but is not involved on the day-to-day creative process during the production. 

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

Associate producers help above the line producers with various tasks throughout the production process. They may also be responsible for securing an asset for the film being made, such as financing, cast or location. 

DIRECTOR

The director is the one responsible for telling the story and bringing it to life on screen. A director’s responsibilities include working with the actors, answering interview questions, setting location and blocking, as well as writing shot lists and deciding on the film’s overall look and composition all the way through to the finished edited locked film. The director is responsible for the look, feel and mood of the film and works with all levels of creative talent and production members.

SCREENWRITER

The writer creates and shapes an original story, or adapts a book, play or other work for a feature film. A script may go through many writers, which can be an issue when the credits are decided and  with the chain of title. The final stage is termed a ‘polish’.

EDITOR

The editor is one of the most important relationships on the film, and  can affect the look and feel of the film. 

The editor has to not only understand the director’s creative vision for the film but also share in the creative approach. The editor will be tasked with making the agreed creative vision work as a commercial film. 

This will also mean coming up with ideas and solutions for planned scenes that didn’t go as planned for whatever reason. The editor will have creative alternatives both for vision and sound that the director should consider in putting the film together. 

Depending on budget and timings it is useful to have the editor on set during the production so that they can see what is happening and also offer the director creation observations and suggestions. After all they will have the job of putting it all together and making it work.

If the editor can be on set then it is useful for them to put together rough scene assemblies for the director and producer to view at the end of the day. 

I have the editor work in the DIT room and the assemblies are transferred to the director’s production ipad for viewing.

LOCATION MANAGER

The Location Managers' primary role is to identify and find ideal locations for a film shoot. They report to the Producer, Director and Production Designer. 

Work starts in pre-production, to understand the Director’s creative vision for the film. This helps the Location Manager make the right decisions about potential locations.

They also have to take into account accessibility, the shooting schedule and the budget available. 

They negotiate the cost and terms of the hire, crew and vehicle access, parking, noise reduction, power sources, catering requirements and any official permission that may be required. They take photographs to illustrate their show the director and producer to see if they are initially suitable enough to have a recce.

Once filming has started, Location Managers are in charge of managing all aspects of shooting in each location. They have to make sure that everyone in the cast and crew knows how to get to the filming location, that it has been signposted.

During filming, Location Managers oversee the health and safety of everyone at the location. 

After the shoot, they have to make sure that the location is cleaned and secured, before returning it to its owners in a satisfactory condition. Any damage must be reported to the production office and any insurance claims dealt with a.s.a.p.

CASTING DIRECTOR

Casting Directors organize and facilitate the casting of actors for all the roles in a film. This involves working closely with the producer and director to understand their requirements, and suggesting ideal actors for the roles, as well as arranging and conducting auditions.  Once the parts are cast, the Casting Director negotiates fees and contracts with the actor/agent, and also acts as a liaison between the director, the actors and their agents.

Casting Directors must have an extensive knowledge of actors and their suitability for a particular role. On larger productions, Casting Directors may supervise casting assistants, who will support and assist them in this work.

In pre-production, Casting Directors must liaise with both the producer and the director, who rely on the Casting Director to assist them to assemble the perfect cast for the film. Consequently, Casting Directors must have in depth and up to date knowledge of new and existing acting talent. 

They are responsible for matching the ideal actor to each role, based on a number of factors, such as the actor's experience, ability, reputation, availability, box office appeal and budget suitability. Casting Directors also work closely with production accountants to prepare the casting budget.

Casting directors are up to speed with lead actors availability and cost and often will have relationships with their agents. These relationships are key to getting the talent to read the script and consider the role. They can save time for the production with knowledge of the availability of talent and indeed whether the budget and experience of the director make an actor unattainable.

The casting director will also organize casting for smaller roles of potentially less experienced unknown actors and provide extras for scene.

TALENT (ACTORS)

Actors and actresses who are billed as the stars of the film.

DAY PLAYER ACTORS

A day player is an actor hired on a daily basis. This actor only has a few lines or scenes. Generally these parts are not rehearsed before filming starts.

BACKGROUND ACTORS/EXTRAS

Background is the term for the non-speaking extras seen in the background of a scene. Generally these parts are not rehearsed before filming begins.

BACKROOM OFFICE

The producer generally agrees the backroom office personnel, and if in another country, the service company will provide them as part of their operation. It is useful for you to be aware of who does what, as you may need something clarifying or doing and it is best to ask the person responsible.

PRODUCTION MANAGER

The Production Manager is in charge of the 'below-the-line' budget. This covers costs relating to the crew and the practicalities of running a production.

In pre-production, the Production Manager works with the Producer, line producer and 1st AD to prepare a provisional schedule. 

They then consult with the various Heads of Department and estimate the materials needed and prepare draft budgets.

Once the overall budget has been agreed, the Production Manager helps the Producers to recruit the crew and suppliers. The Manager negotiates rates of pay, and conditions of employment, arrange the rental and purchase of all production materials and supplies. 

In a foreign country shoot the Production Manager’s knowledge of local facilities and people is essential in not only delivering the expert personnel but in delivery for