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Chapter One

Starting Your Film Project

The Location Situation

Aha! You thought it was the script that came first. Not in low-budget cinema. Locations, or as we say in the film biz, LOCATIONS! (screamed like a mythological siren) are the first elements you should think of when filmmaking on a micro-budget. Remember, locations are those places where you film actors, record all their cool lines, and sometimes create sets. They’re the backdrop for your characters, are part of your story, and add crucial texture to your scenes. Here at Hectic Films we insist on finding cheap locations, or better yet, free locations. Seriously, we know you don’t have a budget for actors besides the five McDonalds cheeseburgers you promised. So what makes you think you’re going to have boatloads of cash to spend on that beach scene in Maui? Yeah, scratch that fantasy.

Locations can make or break your project. Filming a scene in your Aunt Judy’s yellow-stained bathroom she never cleans might not work for a tale of middle class Americans with a housekeeper. That fight scene you planned in a garage full of taxidermy squirrels? Might not be a good choice for what was supposed to be the private quarters of a nuclear scientist. Oh, and that treeless park no one goes to down the street? Bad idea for your personal remake of The Blair Witch Project. It’s supposed to take place in a forest, remember? Not to mention, the police can shut you down, fine you, or even make arrests if you have fake weapons and/or no permits. Maybe this is a good time to remind you that you and your crew need to dress like filmmakers. We prefer to wear our Hectic Films shirts with pride while on location. Quiet on the set!

All right, enough of that. Let’s talk about what kind of locations you should be searching for. Get out your map, your car (or your friend’s bike), and start checking out potential locales in your area. First, you need a location where you can shoot one or more scenes. Somewhere you know you can always film without being bothered by nosy people (for the record: don’t be mean, just tell anyone curious about what you’re doing—that you’re working hard filming a masterpiece).

Location examples include locally-owned businesses, downtown alleys, halls for rent, parks (be careful not to get in trouble or set up in a park that will be crowded by nine in the morning), cheap motel rooms (make sure to check for any pre-existing crime scenes—unless that’s part of your film, then SCORE! Just kidding. If you see blood, call the cops and run away). If you don’t have money or access anywhere (come on, be creative, surely there’s someplace available) then you can use your home. That’s free, right? You’d be surprised how many scenes we filmed at city structures then finished all the interior shots in our own homes.

We know what you’re thinking. How can there still be a cost if the location is free? As Hectic Film’s Rickey Bird’s Grandpa always says, “Ain’t nothing for free.”

Remember throughout your film journey—even free stuff costs.

For example: a gas station in another town says you can film on location this Saturday. Super cool. Now factor in travel costs for your film crew and actors. Gas, food, even lodging will sneak up if you don’t plan well. Another example is using a forest or park. Sure, those may be free, but have you thought how you will get electricity for lights? Trust us, you always need lights. What about having too many locations? Yes, you can have too many. That’s time and money. Think about it. Pack up your film gear, ship out to your location, unpack, film, repeat. No thanks.

All right, moving along. You’ve found a location. Your buddy says you can use his apartment to film something, anything. Great! Now what do you do? You give your friend a huge hug. Yes. No! There’s more. You need reference photos. You might not even have an idea, let alone a script. Right now you just want to see what you have to work with. Now, go to your friend’s apartment and photograph each room to later use for references as you write your story (a.k.a. future script). The beauty in this day and age is you can use your smart phone to store pictures of your locations. Snap photos as if you were framing for the film. Be precise. This is for your movie. Pretend you’re watching a scene unfold. Two people arguing. Frame and snap. People eating food and talking about the end of the world. Frame and snap. Repeat throughout with every idea you can think of. Once you write your script you can come back and take more photos if needed. Remember, photos of potential scene locations will help your team get on board with your project. You’ll get your ideas across better. So, snap away!

Uh oh. You forgot to ask an important question. When is the apartment available? Can’t go over there during the Super Bowl or during your buddy’s epic all-night Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Finally, you set up filming dates. Don’t forget pick-up shot dates too. Those are the shots that filmmakers always realize they need after the fact. Trust us, filmmaking is sometimes all about imagining new scenes, close-ups, or long-shots. By the way, grab yourself a glossary of film terms. You’re gonna need it.

A lot to think about already? None to worry. Take a breath. This is a good time to slow down, ask yourself a few quick questions about your location . . .

If I’m filming at a structure, what’s the natural lighting like inside and out?

Which direction does the sun come up in relation to the exterior of the location?

Hey, when filming either during day or night, you have to think about how light changes on the interior (buildings have windows, duh) or the exterior of our locations.

This is where your photography skills come in. They’ll be important when it comes to composition and lighting. Smart lighting makes films visually interesting.

By the way, we recommend shooting indoors as much as you can while on a micro-budget. That’s because you can control the lighting. Outdoors, you can’t control the sun, clouds, rain, or dust storms, as well as all the curious onlookers and nosepickers who might arrive (along with the cops if stealing a shot). This quote by Alfred Hitchcock sums up shooting anything outside: “In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director.” Seriously, it applies.

Last but not least! Check out the bathroom status at your locations and make some notes so you can tell your crew. Trust us, bathrooms are very important. Note the toilet paper amount as well, or everyone on your set could have a really crappy time.

When all is said and done, if you’re working with a business, city government, county agency or individual, it’s time to take out your Location Agreement Form (we’ll talk about contracts later). Have them sign the form before you do any work at that location. You’ll need to sign it, too.

Congratulations! You officially have a location.

CLEANLINESS

Don’t be a dirtbag. Clean up after yourself as you film your movie. You don’t want to damage a location or leave it a wreck. If you don’t keep your location clean, you also increase the chance of losing equipment. At one location, someone chucked our tripod mount because it got placed near some trash. Yeah, it has happened.

LOCATION SAFETY

Safety first! Devise a quick safety plan in case of fire, earthquake, meteors, space invaders . . . You get it. Just come up with a head count system to keep track of everyone on set. Include a meeting location where everyone should go in case of an emergency. You also want to have the nearest hospital location and phone number. One last thing: keep a medical kit on set at all times. Include extra Band-Aids and tissues for hurt feelings. . .

LOCATION OWNER ISSUES

If your location owner wants to be there during filming, then let them. Show them how grateful you are for them allowing you to use their space. Remember to show you care about their property. Remember to be respectful of their stuff. Bring some cleaning supplies and clean up after yourself. This will really help when you need to do crucial pick-up shots at that location. Otherwise they may say, “See ya later. Film somewhere else.”

PLAN B

We recommend securing a back-up location. In the world of indie filmmaking, nothing ever goes exactly as planned. NOTHING.

DON’T GET ARRESTED

The real trick is to not get arrested. You think we’re kidding? Here’s a story. One night a few moons ago Hectic Films was filming a shooting scene for an indie feature. We were in a downtown bar and had permission from the owners. Of course the cops showed up. They were being sneaky. Really sneaky. They waited outside, hoping to nail us on some trumped up charge. But as Rickey left to walk up the steps, he was greeted by three cops with guns out. Someone had seen us in the bar with guns, didn’t know we were filming, and called the cops. Once they were alerted that we were shooting a film, they left us there to finish our scene. . . Indie Filmmakers 1, Cops 0. Of course, we’ve seen less careful film teams arrested for stealing on-the-go shots. One group of filmmakers was shooting scenes in a parking garage. No permission. Easily seen from the street. Easy access for cops to bust everyone involved, make arrests, and take their fake guns; they weren’t able to finish filming their project. Tsk, tsk. Cops 1, Indie Filmmakers 0. Let this be a reminder that guns are a huge no-no when filming in a public space. If your character has a gun, then re-write your public scenes so your character doesn’t use or display a weapon. No guns, folks. No one wants to actually get shot. Please remember, you and your small crew will be the only ones who know the guns are fake. Don’t bring real guns on set and respect the police when they come onto set.

PUBLIC SPACES

Parks, bus stops, parking garages, even crowds may help your project—and usually require permits. It’s tough to get good audio in them, but they’re great for montage or flashback scenes—pretty much any type of scene that doesn’t require audio and can be replaced with music and or voice over. You didn’t hear this from us, but if you’re low key, then who’s to say people can’t think you were filming some home video while in a public space? Escape From Tomorrow was entirely filmed at different Disneyland parks with handheld cameras and incognito actors reading scripts off their phones. Ever see Lost in Translation? Some of the scenes in the street crowds were shots totally stolen by Sofia Coppola’s film crew. No way could they have afforded that with their budget. Our favorite story is about when Alfred Hitchcock stole a shot of the United Nations building with Cary Grant in North by Northwest after the UN told him he wasn’t allowed to film there. We’re not telling you to break the law. But don’t get caught. And don’t blame us if you do.

Some of our favorite location cheats

It’s a good idea to get extra location shots while filming on location.

Imagine yourself on a scavenger hunt for gold. This “gold” is the really cool images you’re seeking for your film. The shots can be of anything. For example: if you see a fountain in front of the cheap motel where you’re filming, grab a couple of shots. Why not? You might use the footage as an establishing shot of some kind. Maybe the footage will appear in the film for some completely unknown reason! That’s golden!

Here’s another location cheat: right after filming a close-up dialogue scene with your actors, don’t move your camera. Have the actors leave the frame, then record ten to twenty seconds of “clean slate.” Why? This way you can use a green screen later for any pick-up shots. You never know. You might have another scene you want to film, or worse—maybe something went completely wrong with what you already filmed. Either way, once you have that clean slate footage, you’ve saved yourself from having to drive to get that shot again.