Indie movie making creates endless possibilities in life through the people you meet. Put aside the work and craft of making movies for a moment.

The part of it that really jumps out at me is creative energy shared between people from all walks of life. At the indie level there are less barriers to overcome engage in conversation with people.

Studio budget movie sets remind me of an ancient caste system from reading what petty bullshit happens on them. Indie movie sets are more equal footing.

When people feel relaxed to talk possibilities amazing things can happen that lead to more movie making ventures or exciting journeys outside of indie movie making.

I believe what every creative soul making indie movies learns along their travels can apply to other areas of business. This happened to me for whatever reason.

Personally I dabble in business ventures outside of making movies and do freelance gigs for hire as a writer. Reality is you will not get rich making indie movies despite what some books pitch.

Back to this happened to me for whatever reason. I am involved with fellow indie filmmakers with three different projects in post-production including a mental horror and bloody gore feature film.

Post-production reminds me of walking through the desert or being in a sweat lodge. It opens your mind up to things.

In reality a movie has a short shelf life unless it is classic that is watched over and over. I love making indie movies, but see how the business model works.

Rarely does an indie movie get watched over and over. Straightforward to those that continue to read this blog post once an indie movie is sold to a distributor or unit by unit is there any repeat cash flow.

It reminds of a one and done business deal. Indie movie makers and screenwriters are the best at packaging and marketing. No disrespect to public relations folks.

Most PR firms that come up with marketing campaigns always farm out the physical filming to media firms that have writers and directors.

Working with talented indie filmmakers and connecting with ones to talk shop got me thinking there is a great pool of creative talent and no need to hire an expensive PR firm for a product line that is not a one and done deal business model.

In indie movie making you will also meet exceptional graphic designers to create the visual pop you need.

Having made some shekels off a new business venture I felt another new venture was not out of the realm of possibility. I talked to a person that was cool to split the hard money risk with me and small circle of indie movie making creative souls to handle marketing.

We are launching a health and beauty line called Wonderful You! Organic Personal Care Bliss. There has been lots and lots of legal paperwork involved along with finding a quality firm that does private labels and custom formulation USDA ORGANIC CERT.

Finding a firm to produce and retail ready package our product line happened yesterday. Like with indie movie making this will take time. The bright side I see is without connecting with indie movie making souls I would not feel good about it.

The creative energy of the team from graphic label design to marketing plans that include work from indie filmmakers and writers that love what they do is going to connect with people.

Indie movie makers entertain people by getting their attention and keeping it. This team is taking all we have learned and applying it to the campaign for Wonderful You!

If you are in the indie movie making business smile that there are endless possibilities in life for you to take your learned skills to help launch another endeavor.

This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT

Product Placement in Indie Movies

Product placement in indie movies is growing. Too bad larger brands and corporate giants rarely use indie movies to show their products.

Studio budget movies are plugging every type of brand and product possible with impunity. Indie movie makers are usually not able to show well-known brands at all.

Brands are missing out on a thriving indie movie scene that is using digital distribution to connect with viewers worldwide. Studios are cutting back on how many movies they release.

At the true indie movie level more and more movies are being distributed for viewers that want fresh content outside of big budget entertainment.

Brands that have real foresight are becoming more open minded to the world of indie movies with an increasingly growing audience.

Indie movie makers in turn are seeing the potential to help add some money to their production budgets by seeking out product placement arrangements with smaller brands that are aggressively growing.

I will not kid you. The chances of a true indie movie getting a product placement with a large brand are slim. Most huge brands have narrow-minded people that are only used to dealing with studios.

But there are many new brands open to product placement in indie movies. It will take time to reach out to smaller brands that fit the story you are telling.

Indie movie makers are used to rejection across the board, so getting the typical thanks but no thanks from 50 brands to find a few that say yes is worth it.

The way to increase your odds on successful product placement is to only contact brands that fit your movie storyline.

Quick examples are if you are filming about skateboarding contact new brands of boards and clothing that need publicity or a movie on fly fishing you contact a smaller company making fly fishing lures, but most important products should blend seamless into your movie.

Studio budget movies the more you look at them are like commercials. There are scenes with lines written for the sole purpose of plugging Doritos or (insert any big brand here you have seen plugged with shameless effort to hide that fact).

I do feel product placement is a good thing, but also feel indie movies have the luxury of being more subtle in how they do it. There is more creative freedom not to shove it down movie viewer’s throats.

Some big Hollywood movies have scenes where an A-List actor looks unnatural and the product placement plug so blatant it takes away from the entertainment value for viewers.

If your indie movie needs a cash infusion for the budget or even if you want to do a fair exchange of cross-promotion for product placement go for it.

There are brands that would love to be shown in an indie movie. Brands with visibility get sales. There are many brands that cannot afford the huge costs studios charge to be shown in movies, but the indie movie scene is much more flexible.

Digital distribution is making indie movies a much more affordable alternative to traditional product placement deals with big studios.

It is opening a door for up and coming brands to a worldwide movie viewing audience that was not available before. It has leveled the playing field for new brands to take older established brands.

The new wave of brands are understanding the value of product placement in indie movies. The “fat cats” are fed and purring with their deals with studio budget entertainment.

It is funny to see when a TV show has to blur out a brand logo. If brands did not want to be seen why have a logo on your product or a brand at all?

Newer brands are embracing exposure from indie movies and viral videos online. It is cool to see a marketing revolution of sorts. Commercial ad spot money for networks has been on the decline.

Viewers are going other places for their entertainment, especially indie movies made outside of Hollywood. Brands that connect with indie movie makers for product placement are ahead of the game.

This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT

Creative Flexibility Producing Indie Entertainment

Many indie producers and filmmakers discover that there has to be creative flexibility to secure funding or finance their own entertainment project.

Not being able to be mentally flexible in the world of indie entertainment production does limit your options. The ability to take skills you have and expand into markets you have not thought about takes courage along with a go-getter attitude.

No doubt that indie producers and filmmakers all wish they could only make the projects they wanted to, but that is not realistic in the indie entertainment scene.

This blog is just my opinion and like that other thing every person has one. In today’s entertainment scene Woody Allen or Kevin Smith would have a hard time being discovered nowadays.

I liked the Woody Allen movie Hollywood Ending and Kevin Smith’s Clerks. I watched both movies with some friends and basically was told both movies were boring and too slow.

I guess they were not fans of dialogue driven movies.

Woody Allen and Kevin Smith are writers and directors that have secure studio budgets backing them on every project, but most people I know think their stuff is boring.

Seeing how viewers are getting more and more of their entertainment on their mobile devices it makes sense that Hollywood Ending and Clerks won’t appeal to that crowd.

Woody Allen and Kevin Smith have made their millions and are set without worrying about cash. Indie producers and filmmakers in the current climate of creating entertainment can’t sit back and only make what they want to.

I have been talking to some indie producers and filmmakers that are getting out their comfort zones using their creative flexibility to produce entertainment that will make them money to fund what I call personal projects.

They are not sitting on their hands waiting for something to happen. They are out  and about pressing the issue exploring new areas of the entertainment business to use their talent.

Being stuck in one area of entertainment only works for some people. Not being afraid to try new things ups the odds an indie producer or filmmaker will be able to keep their creative ship afloat.

Be like a Clint Eastwood western character. Have gun will travel and see what is out there. I personally get into different businesses and creative journeys. Being flexible in the creative sense has helped fund projects that would have never been made.

From reading online I know some people wish those projects would have never been made. For me it beats talking and talking and never doing it.

I love to see indie producers and filmmakers that really take risks to see a project done. If you want to see some follow @OklahomaWard @davidpbaker @peterharveyfilm on Twitter.

This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT

Filming Erotic Cinema with Nudity

Filming erotic cinema with nudity sounds simple considering some viewers are used to gonzo adult entertainment that has bad camera work and whatever goes lighting.

Erotic cinema has to be filmed more tastefully with quality camera work and special attention to lighting to set a sexy mood for viewers that are not into hardcore porn.

It is unfortunate that erotic cinema often gets tossed in the same entertainment category as porn. I am personally not uptight about adult entertainment, but to me erotic cinema is an entirely different type of visual experience.

Producers of erotic cinema understand their audience wants to be slowly seduced by the show and expect high-quality production value.

I have had a few people I know share with me they wanted to shoot a porno because they figured it was easy, to each their own in life is a philosophy I like.

I had no interest to be involved, but did share there was a glut of product online for free and even large adult entertainment producers are saying that their profits were way down.

Anyone with a camera, on camera talent and a home editing bay can be a porn producer. If the people I knew wanted to make money shooting a gonzo porn was a business bust in my opinion. I have no idea if any of them ended up going that route.

The erotic cinema crowd enjoys tasteful and subtle seduction that is not raunchy hardcore.

Slice of Americana Films and U.K. based LiarDice Films have teamed on an erotic cinema series called Retro-Tica!

Retro-tica! merges the modern with the time tested classic Erotic cinema and shorts. Bettie Page, Russ Meyer, Pin-up girls 1940′s-1960′s, Cigarette cards, Burlesque sexy and Femme fatales. We will bring nostalgia to all (of age) groups in a tasteful classy way.

Having produced erotic cinema title Fantasy Striptease Private Shows taught me a few important things.

Respect the talent and treat them with them utmost respect. They are literally baring themselves on camera. Have robes on set so when the camera is not rolling they are not walking around nude in front of crew.

It could seem like a small thing considering they are getting nude on camera, but it is entirely different when the camera stops rolling and people are just staring at talent.

That kind of staring can make talent feel uncomfortable and when the camera rolls again it can make for a more tense performance. Viewers can easily tell when talent is uncomfortable killing the entertainment vibe.

Consider always using a closed set. A closed set only has people absolutely necessary to the filming.

There should never be a craft service person or anyone else not needed on set when filming nudity.

As perfect as some bodies are most do have flaws. Quality lighting and make-up can tremendously help hide these flaws when filming nudity.

It is going to cost extra production money for a quality director of photography and small crew to light the scenes and for an experienced make-up artist, but it is well-worth it when filming erotic cinema.

Cutting corners will not appeal to true fans of erotic cinema that deserve quality and not classes rushed nudity. They want to see seduction filmed with professional care.

Another important part of filming besides good camera work, lighting and make-up is not to rush the nudity. Erotic cinema is telling a story sometimes without any words.

In Fantasy Striptease Private Shows co-producer and editor Tim “Timbo” Beachum and had a themed erotic cinema show where talent wore costumes. There was not any dialogue just sexy visual images and music to tell a story while entertaining viewers.

When talent is relaxed on camera and comfortable in their creative environment magic does happen. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT

An indie movie production truth I learned with smaller budgeted indie shoots is the fewer locations you need for filming the more money production can save to see the movie get done.

It translates directly to maximizing time by not having to move cast, crew, and equipment from location to location. Too many company moves burns money and shooting time.

When you do not have studio budget money to piss away or a trust fund or a rich relative paying to make your make movie you have to be on the ball with your cash flow as an indie filmmaker.

Using one location for as many scenes as possible is very indie movie budget friendly. I like to call this principal shooting out a location.

It is damn surprising how many different sets one location can be turned into if you put your mind to it and have a camera crew that can rock and roll.

Another smart planning strategy is to have your locations as close together as possible with the shortest travel time between.

This is common sense, but common sense deserves repeating now and then. Scheduling a film shoot requires logistics. Have film location agreements at the ready at all times when you are shooting.

This piece of paper grants you permission to shoot on their property.  Locations are probably not high on your priorities as a producer, but it’s harder to find places you can film at than you would expect.

Renting private locations or a sound stage can get expensive killing an indie movie budget fast. There is an added cost of paying for a movie production insurance policy to cover your entire shoot.

If you weren’t planning on securing movie production insurance you will really need to find locations you can get for free through people you know.

The most readily available location you would have control over is where you live. Next move onto asking friends and family for use of any locations they can provide.

If you need a particular type of location like a liquor store and do not know anyone approach “mom and pop” stores for the simple fact company franchises are difficult to deal with.

When you approach an owner of a location try to pitch them on letting you shoot there for free. Too be honest I have never been successful securing a location for free from someone I didn’t personally know or was introduced to through someone I knew.

On one shoot a liquor store was needed as a location. Finally one owner agreed to let Slice of Americana Films us his liquor store for a couple of hours in the morning. The unit production manager was prepared to show the owner our production insurance policy and city permit to shoot.

The owner was not interested in that, it wasn’t Hollywood.  What it took was a hundred dollars cash and a promise if any customers showed up we were to stop shooting immediately to let them purchase their items.

The owner was not impressed to have his liquor store featured in a movie. The hundred dollars and the chance cast or crew would buy something during the short time we were there was the owner’s motivation to let us use the liquor store as a location.

Honeywagons or “Star” wagons (trailers or RV’s) are common place on big money movie sets. On smaller budgeted movies they are a lot less common. Honeywagons house makeup, wardrobe, and other departments.

Most importantly they provide restrooms. When securing a location check to see if there are restrooms available and adequate space to handle makeup and wardrobe changes. Shooting at houses really works great because they have bathrooms and extra rooms to house different departments.

I ran into a production snag due to an oversight at a remote location. A bus yard we were shooting at had a tiny restroom nobody felt comfortable using and there was no space for makeup and wardrobe. Realizing the situation on the first day of shooting at this location it was a mad scramble to rent a small RV.

We lost time calling around to rent one. More time was lost waiting for the RV to be picked up and driven to the location. Not to mention money had to be spent that was never figured in the budget. At least cast and crew had a clean restroom.

Do not underestimate the importance of clean facilities for production team moral.   If you’re using locations provided by people you know let them know what to expect. I cannot stress this point enough. It’s a huge commitment for people to open their homes or businesses up to a film crew.

If you tell someone you need their location for a certain number of hours and days stick to that. Do everything in your power not to be there more hours and days than you said. They might not say you’re imposing if you ask for more time, but you are.

It’s difficult for a person to be away from their home while you’re shooting. Some people choose to stay home trying to remain quiet in a part of the house you’re not shooting in while strangers basically take over their house.

When it’s time to shoot they’ll hear “Quiet on the set!” shouted. That means everyone needs to be silent. It can be a rude awakening to people not familiar with how it is on the set of movie.

I was using a friend’s house as a location. Even though the family, including small children, were in a back bedroom every noise they made was being picked up by the boom microphone.

Recognizing the situation my friend was a hero by taking his family to his in-laws until we were wrapped at his house. That’s the kind of sacrifice you will be asking from people.

Also no matter how careful the production crew is when moving and setting up equipment odds will be high a door gets dinged, a floor gets scuffed, or a wall gets marked.

Whenever you wrap a location leave it clean and check to see if anything needs to be repaired or replaced. Money out of contingency funds should be able to handle the costs of small mishaps that might occur during shooting.

This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT

Screenwriters never forget their first screenwriting experience. It is a point in a creative life where someone has decided to commit to taking a movie idea and seeing it become a reality with characters, scenes and dialogue.

You Never Forget Your First Screenwriting Experience

People have movie ideas, but many will never take action to move past talking about a movie idea. It all starts with a screenplay to get things really going.

I was one of those people that always talked about movie ideas, but never took serious action until I finally had to give it a shot to feed a creative need I could not ignore anymore.

After attending screenwriting seminars and reading books about screenwriting, I was on fire determined to write a script that was high-concept, smart and followed all the screenwriting information my brain absorbed.

I had taken detailed notes from all the books, workshops, and seminars. With the money I spent on screenwriting seminars, workshops, classes, how to books etc. I could produce one or two movies now depending on the story.

I scanned the trade papers trying to predict the next big trend in Hollywood. I read newspapers looking for great story ideas.

I watched tons of movies in the hope of coming up with the next ["insert popular movie"] meets ["insert popular movie"] or something like “it’s just like Titanic, but it happens in space aboard a shuttle hit by an asteroid.”

Then it happened, I found my story idea. There was an article in Variety or The Hollywood Reporter that action buddy flicks were hot again.

Yes, buddy flicks. How in the hell could I have not seen that? The formula is a movie cash cow. Look at the classic buddy flicks like Lethal Weapon and 48 Hrs. Both films had several sequels to cash in on.

My screenwriting plan was to write a high-concept buddy flick with action, smart quotable one-liners and punchy dialogue.  I sat down and pored over all the notes I had ever taken on writing a script.

Armed with what I thought was can’t miss movie idea I dug in to write my first screenplay. The title of the script was Land Pirates, the story of two college dropouts who go on a cross country robbery spree in a beat up pickup truck with a pirate flag painted on the hood.

The main characters watched a show that modern day piracy still existed on the South China Sea. Without a boat they did the best next thing in their minds, becoming land pirates in a tricked out 4 x 4 pickup truck with a Jolly Roger painted on the hood.

It took me a year to finally finish the script. Splitting my time between reading my notes to make sure I was doing everything right and actually writing my script slowed me down a lot. I mean to a creative crawl where I was scared to let words hit the page.

I was part of a screenwriting workshop that let students submit their completed scripts for feedback from their peers and instructor. I proudly submitted Land Pirates, soon to be the hottest new buddy flick in America. Look out!

The next week Land Pirates was torn apart by almost everyone in the workshop except some young guy that always smelled like top shelf alcohol and weed, who loved it. Like any new screenwriter I got defensive, how dare these jealous people trash my script!

After the workshop I went to the instructor to get the notes on my script. I told him I was surprised it got the negative reaction it did. I had followed all the rules to writing a script. How could the script be that bad?

He told me that format, formula, and riding a hot movie trend does not replace writing a good story. I foolishly dismissed the solid advice he gave me like a rebellious teenager.

To seek other opinions I let some of my friends read Land Pirates. I asked for it, I got it. They said my story and script for a movie was a written train wreck. They couldn’t believe it took two years of studying screenwriting and another solid year to write it.

The only positive mentioned was that it was formatted correctly and looked like a real script. I wasted all that time writing a script that looked like a script, but stunk none the less as an entertaining story.

After investing three years of my life into screenwriting, I had written a script that turned out to be horrible. I was frustrated and felt like a cold turd on a paper plate.

I took out my screenwriting books and all my notes to study them again. I read Land Pirates over and over to see where everything went wrong. I knew I nailed the three-act structure, I had clear plot points, and I followed my story arch.

I couldn’t see where I deviated from the formula for writing screenplays.  Then it hit me. I was afraid to move away from what I had learned in books, workshops, and seminars.

I was so worried about following the formula, that I missed the main ingredient of a movie, a good story. I wrote Land Pirates being strangled by all the rules and formulas.

My creativity was stifled. I decided I needed to write a script using the rules and formulas for screenwriting as “guidelines” and not total “absolutes.”

I was mulling over my next move idea at a local pub waiting for inspiration for my next movie script. Everyone has their own way of clearing their mind for their next big idea. People are into yoga, meditation, exercise, or a host of other activities.

I was in a bad writing funk not feeling too good about my movie dreams. Having a few cold beers in this pub clicked with me at that point in time.

It had a great jukebox, cheap happy hour and free freshly made popcorn. The pub was a hangout for people from all walks of life. There were a cast of characters there who had ideas to do this and that but things hadn’t quite panned out for them yet.

There was one guy who was a fan of the author Hunter Thompson who said he would only write his forthcoming novel on an old typewriter. He hadn’t found the right typewriter yet so that was causing a delay in writing the novel. The place was a true “Slice of Americana”, that is how the name Slice of Americana Films came to be.

I spent more time at the pub then doing any writing. I had become a regular. Over a cold beer, I got into an interesting discussion with the bartender about a screenwriter that used to come into the place to jot down notes over a few tequila shots, no lime.

He wrote a movie I had heard of and liked. I vented to the bartender about my script. All he said was, “you’ve written only one script?”

I gave him the excuse that good ideas were hard to come by blah blah blah. Basically, I was being defensive about my lack of progress.

The bartender was right; one script does not cut it.  I walked away from this pub with an idea for a movie I believed in inspired by the antics of some of the characters I had met there.

Banging away at my computer writing like a man possessed was a catharsis for me as a screenwriter. I felt a release of my tensions as each scene and line hit the page.

Three months later the movie script The Roach saw the light of day. Having stopped going to workshops, the only people who could offer feedback immediately were the same friends that ripped my first script. I gave them all copies. They thought it was pretty good.

My friends are a brutally honest bunch, but you can only put so much stock into what friends or family say.

Living in the Inland Empire outside of Los Angeles, I wasn’t in the loop to network at hip places where the movie crowd hung out. I had no hook ups or connections in the industry on any level. Then by luck, through a friend, I was able to get my script in the hands of a real producer.

Who cares if it was a music producer that knew me through a friend of a friend, he was in the entertainment business. He read it, liked it, and referred me to a contact he had at The William Morris Agency now WME, an elite talent agency.

His contact sent my script to get coverage from the literary department. The comments came a few weeks later. They passed on me as a client. My ego was slightly bruised at having a script I wrote from the heart rejected.

Then I read the script coverage notes. “Sharp dialogue”, “engaging characters”, “well-paced”, and other positive lingo they use when covering a script in the literary department. The reader’s final comments were they recommended passing because the story was too small for their market.

It wasn’t “high-concept” enough for a studio film. They were absolutely right. It was a character driven script that was more art house film fare or better suited as a stage play than a mainstream movie. That’s when I decided I was going to write scripts that I could make into movies myself.

If you have a movie idea that you want to see become a screenplay take the steps to write it. You will be surprised how good the creative rush feels taking your movie idea and making it a screenplay. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT

Creative Threesome of Screenplays, Locations and Indie Movie Budgets

The creative threesome of screenplays, locations and indie movie budgets is an interesting encounter for writers telling a story that will be produced with limited resources.

Writing a screenplay with locations available on an indie movie budget is not the easiest thing to do sometimes. The bright side is when they come together it is a creative climax of visual storytelling.

Movie locations that fit a screenplay add a tremendous amount of production value to indie produced cinema. Indie movie budgets depend on this to entertain viewers.

Many indie filmmakers and producers discover that through their personal network of family and friends they have access to locations that add a fantastic visual backdrop to what they are filming.

Start by locking down locations you know you have unlimited filming access to and then locations you have limited access to. This way a screenwriter(s) will be able to tailor a shooting script that ties in those locations saving the movie budget money.

It is a good idea to have screenwriters include fewer scenes in a shooting script that depend on movie locations that only allow for strict and limited access to. Time is a brutal enemy when it comes to indie film production.

Always have a screenplay that tells a story using as many movie locations you have unlimited access to.

I use the word unlimited to describe movie locations where there is a great deal of room for flexibility when scheduling shoot times and going over the original time you had planned on being there.

(If you are writing a screenplay on spec to pitch to a literary agent or studio write away until your heart’s content without a budget in mind for movie locations.)

Without the luxury of being able to throw cash at problems when producing indie movies you never want a shooting script to be overly dependent on locations you have limited access to.

If an indie filmmaker or producer loses a limited access movie location, which happens very often, the movie can still move forward because a bulk of filming is already written and scheduled at locations locked down that production has unlimited access to. This saves many an indie movie production.

When it does work out shooting at limited access movie locations think of it as a huge production bonus for the project.

The term “steal shots” considering the negatives tied to the word steal might not be the best way to put it. I soften it with “run-and-gun” filmmaking to explain scenes shot at locations you do not technically have permission to shoot at.

Always have a screenwriter keep a small list of ideas for “run-and-gun” scenes that can be grabbed on the go when the moment is right.

That way if opportunity knocks you will be ready to take advantage of it to bolster your indie movie’s production value. Sometimes scenes shot on the fly turn out the best without take after take.

In an indie movie Consignment we did a “run-and-gun” scene where a character paces back and forth on the sidewalk in front of a bank that was located in a shopping center. We shot the scene in ten minutes and jammed.

The creative threesome of screenplays, locations and indie movie budgets can only climax when all involved know what they are doing and comfortable working together.

This indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT

Craft service is what keeps cast and crew going. Indie producers and filmmakers working with limited budgets have to get creative with food and drinks served on location.

Craft Services on an Indie Movie Shoot

It is not gourmet cuisine found on a big budget studio movie set, but there are many indie filmmakers and producers that do their best with the production dollars they have available to spend on craft services.

Not all indie producers and filmmakers share the view that craft services is an important part of making a movie.

“I’m not wasting good cash on craft services” or “I can put the money saved on food into another area that is more important.” These are both viewpoints I have heard over the years.

Working in the world of indie movie making has taught me people can be less motivated to work when they are tired and hungry causing energy levels to go way down.

The Crew Is the Lifeblood of Your Production. Feed Them Well

In my opinion there is not a more important of making a movie than having a well-fed production crew. It doesn’t matter if they are paid or volunteering their valuable time. In no way I am discounting what actors bring to the creative table.

Actors need the nutrition provided by the craft service department to do their job too. The reason for stressing good food for crew is they are on the set every day working long hours, especially on indie film shoots.

They are working from the first shot of the day to when the day wraps where the job turns to breaking down all the film gear and cleaning up a location. An actor might only work four hours that day where crew puts in 12 hours.

Setting out good craft services shows that you respect your crew and actors as people and appreciate their efforts. When days run long they’re much more likely to keep working past 12 hours in order to make the day if they have been fed well.

Feed Actors and Crew from the Same Craft Service Selections

Creating a divide on an indie movie shoot by having one craft service area for actors and another can open up an atmosphere of “us” and “them.”

“Us” and “them” will hurt an indie movie that has limited time and money to get a project filmed.

I was once hired by a smaller budget film to shoot behind the scenes footage. Even though this was an indie movie with an unknown cast, production felt it necessary to have separate craft services for actors and crew.

I was standing by the craft service table for the actors when a gaffer came by and took a cookie from the table on his way to grab some gear.

The lead actor, who at one time was a semi-regular on a popular daytime soap opera, told the producer that a “carny” or “carnie” (slang for carnival worker) took a cookie that was on the “actors only” craft service table.

It was funny to see how pissed this actor got over a cookie taken by a gaffer. Surprisingly, the producer interrupted the gaffer’s work to reprimand them over a cookie.

On independent movie sets, I view everyone from the production assistant to the lead actor as a part of a team. I believe everyone should eat from the same craft service spread.

I personally feel that it builds unity between actors and crew. At the true independent film level people involved in making movies in front of or behind the camera are paying their dues and learning their craft.

There are times when actors and crew might even be working for credit, copy and meals if they believe in a project. That is fantastic indie spirit.

Tips for Having Good Craft Services on an Indie Movie Shoot

You don’t have to spend a fortune on craft services to keep actors and crew relatively happy. I’ve learned you won’t please everyone with the food and beverages you put out each day, but if you show a genuine effort you’re trying to take care of the people on your film set it will be appreciated.

I can’t plan a menu for your film shoot, but I do have some things to share that can help you with your craft services.

1) Send an email out to cast and crew asking if anyone is vegetarian or allergic to anything.

2) Always serve quality coffee (regular and decaf) that is fresh and hot. If the coffee has been sitting for some time, change it out.

3) An industrial sized coffee maker is a must! The 42-cup capacity model available at most warehouse stores or online is ideal and inexpensive.

4) Don’t just offer sugary foods (candy, donuts etc.). Mix in whole wheat bagels, a veggie platter, and some fruit.

5) Water, water, water.

6) Splurge for a hot lunch, be it Chinese, Mexican, or whatever. Many food places offer take out for large orders. The food can be ready in an hour so you can call in for it and have it delivered or picked up and it will still be hot by the time it is served.

7) Do not buy expensive energy drinks most of them don’t get finished. At the end of the day you’ll find lots of cans that are half full or people talking them home.

Its always better to have too much food than not enough.

9) Don’t believe the myth that if you stuff your crew at lunch they won’t be able to work hard the rest of the day. That one meal has to fuel people working extremely long hours.

10) If you can get someone willing to cook homemade meals do it.  Have the best food available on your movie set you can afford. It shows you respect the efforts of the cast and crew you’re working with.

This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT

Directing indie movies is never clean or nice dealing with actors and crew while on set or off it. Like anything in life people always have their own wants and desires that are more important to them than any creative directing vision.

It cuts both ways because all movie directors sometimes forget that actors and crew are not machines or pawns at their creative disposal as needed. They are working hard as well to see a screenplay come to visual life.

Directors, actors and crew drive on the exact same two way street when dealing with creative traffic. It doesn’t work when any of them swerve in front of each other causing accidents.

Arrogance as a ramming bumper leading the way on either side of the street never works unless it is a huge studio budget production where egos must be fed because money makes most people forget their personal values along with respect and class.

Big money has a way of lessening the blow and the damage caused by a creative crash by “cashfully” letting people adapt to a go along and get along mentality.

True respect and class you really can’t buy is something my Grandfather told me over and over when I was growing up. He heard that when he was still on this planet and passed it to me.

He was no saint in life by a long shot, but he never took the go along and get along path that eventually for right or wrong caused him to get into some disputes over certain things where he had to choose his wars.

There were times he had to take financial hits to keep earned respect and he lost his share of wars, but never his respect as person in any business he was in. That is why Slice of Americana Films logo has my Grandfather included.

The logo reminds me of lessons on how to conduct myself in any business I might get in. People come and go in all areas of business, but you are always left with your own decisions ultimately.

When directing indie movies the budgets cannot afford to have egos and “little me” attitudes running amok when trying to direct a movie with a limited film budget.

Any book or workshop that leads you to believe making indie movies is easy and everyone will get along playing nice while making money is pie in the sky thinking.

Straightforward an indie movie director has lots more to do than yell, “action!” and “cut!” when filming. There are a few books I have read that touch on the human side of directing movies, but not really many.

Most movie making books are more concerned with describing proper camera angles, fancy film terms and gear used.

They avoid the human part that even includes craft services. The craft service area will show who is really who like in prison when it comes to canteen.

It is always good to know the detail specific areas that film schools and workshops stress, but not knowing how to deal with cast and crew makes those areas pointless when you can’t get people to work with you.

Directing movies is grounded in being able to connect with people to finish a goal. Producing and directing indie entertainment makes people skills an essential.

Being slighted or slighting people is not taught in any film school I have heard of. But it happens on every movie set and in every business arena.

The director is the overall driving creative force on any project. The look, feel, and camera angles used are a direct result of a director’s vision for a movie.

They work closely with actors and crew to communicate what they want delivered to make a scene happen.

All the storyboards, shot sheets, shooting schedules will not help if a movie director does not know how to approach making a movie balancing creative, technical how to and the human side of the whole process of taking words in a screenplay to a finished feature film movie viewers can watch.

This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT

There are many talented aspiring movie makes that will never be discovered because they are afraid to pursue their creative destiny of movie making.

Eruopa and the Bull

It is like an invisible barrier separates them from their dreams of movie making.

They have all the talent in the world, but are reluctant to take a step forward to make a movie a reality.

This is where you could find yourself creatively at this point. Sitting there loaded with talent and movie ideas that remain just thoughts without any real action behind them.

Movie making takes action to happen.

The only way to break that invisible is to take the bull by the horns to follow your movie making destiny to wherever it may lead you.

You never know how far your movie making career will take you unless you give it a real go.

I read lots of movie making books to prepare myself when I finally decided to stop dreaming about making movies and go for it.

There were many that had a tremendous amount of practical movie making information that I related to because I knew my first movie was going to be indie produced all the way. I gravitated more to movie making books written by indie filmmakers.

Sometimes I would read a movie making book written by well-known Hollywood producers and filmmakers. For me it was a learning experience reading movie making books written by indie producers and filmmakers compared to successful Hollywood players.

I felt those big budget studio inspired books on making movies gave production advice that was out of touch with true indie filmmaking.

In fact these Hollywood based movie making books sometimes it scare away an aspiring movie maker from even trying.

When someone reads a low-budget indie movie costs between $500,000 and $5,000,000 to make they feel blown out of the water.

Rarely does a true indie produced movie budget even come to a fraction of that. It is like a tick on an elephant’s ass in comparison.

In all fairness some of indie movie making books written by guerrilla filmmakers can make outlandish claims that you could make a movie for no-budget. That sent up red flags to me.

Even indie movie making books that pitched “make a movie for little to no money” I felt were selling snake oil and preying on aspiring filmmakers to sell books.

From my experiences working indie film sets and making movies on a tight budget there is always money that has to be spent someplace in production – always.

There other books on making movies that are more practical and at least list a dollar amount based on what it cost them to make a movie. The popular dollar amounts thrown around as $1,000 and $5,000 and $10,000 with the word “under” used above.

I am sure a movie can be made for those budget amounts. I wondered if any of the movies used as examples in movie making books ever landed a meaningful domestic and international distribution deals that made them available through major retail outlets.

A majority of books written in the guerrilla and ultra-low budget vein I could only find being distributed for sale on the author’s blog or movie website. If your goal is to make a movie that gets distributed expect to spend more than a $1,000, $5,000 or $10,000.

Because movie budgets go beyond shooting a movie, there are post-production costs and when it comes to sell your movie there will deliverables costs.

Hell, E & O insurance (Errors and Omissions Insurance) costs around $1,000 right there goes the so-called make a movie for under $1,000.

Now if your filmmaking destiny is not to sell your movie and just share it with movies viewers online for free to express yourself the above mentioned budgets will work. It also could be you are that talented indie filmmaker that makes a movie for under $10,000 and strikes Hollywood gold.

That is the beauty of making movies at any level. You never know what will happen. There are many indie success stories for movies made for under $10,000.

Why not you?

The reason I wanted start out with movie making books is by even reading one you have taken the bull the horns to follow your movie making destiny.

The reason I hit the budget numbers touted in guerilla no-budget and ultra-low budget books so hard is I am practical and realistic indie filmmaker that believes sharing honesty instead snake oil still has a place in making movies at the indie level.

You will not be able to make a movie the finds meaningful movie distribution for free. There are no free lunches. Be prepared you will have to plan a modest movie budget based on your own resources.

Each indie movie maker has their own resources, so while one movie maker might have friends that will act and crew for free you may not.

One movie maker might access to free film equipment and you may not. Their budget will never reflect your budget and vice-versa.

Once you feel comfortable from gaining knowledge from movie making books you can take your next step with your talent, energy and drive.

It is a rare a big Hollywood studio or hot-shot producer will back an unknown first time movie maker with a film financing deal to produce their movie.

For unknown movie maker that snags a production deal with film financing there are countless other aspiring movie makers that drink from that golden chalice.

That is why taking the bull by the horns to follow your movie making destiny when starting your movie making career is the best way to go.

You are not sitting on your hands waiting for something you are out there making it happen on your terms.

Think of carving out your own movie making path as paying your dues to get your movie and your name out there as a movie maker that has what it takes to entertain movie viewers with your work.

A strong movie making thread that runs through all of us is at some stage in our creative soul we know there comes a time when the “aspiring movie maker” label must be laid to rest.

The only way to lay that label to rest is by becoming a movie maker that is out there in the trenches doing it. That is a wonderful feeling.

If you are not able to swing the expensive of going to film school full-time do not sweat it. Many famous filmmakers never went to film school or they dropped out to take the bull by the horns to follow their movie making destiny.

Movie making workshops and online movie making programs you can download are very affordable alternatives to film school.

I personally feel if you read as many movie making books as you can it will help you get a sharper focus on what you want to do as a movie maker.

After my experiences reading movie making books and later making movies I wrote a book titled The First Movie Is The Toughest.

I share practical screenwriting techniques, film financing strategies that work, movie directing tips, the producer’s checklist, post-production pitfalls to avoid, movie marketing, film distribution sales deals and much more hard-hitting insight.

I do not claim to be the indie movie maker with every answer or can guarantee you will make it rich making movies. I leave those pitches to other books on movie making.

But I will tell you the truth which will greatly increase your chances making a movie that finds meaningful movie distribution.

Even if you do not read The First Movie Is The Toughest read as many other books on movie making that are out there geared towards what you want to do.

Best with moving forward with your movie making destiny. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT