By Greg Pak
Others may disagree, but for the low-budget 16mm short, I highly recommend using shortends and recans rather than fresh stock.
What are recans, you ask?
Occasionally productions will load film into magazines but end up not shooting it — these unexposed rolls of film make their way to vendors who test them and resell them at a hefty discount — usually $80 for a recan which would cost $120 fresh. Short ends are the same as recans — just shorter, since some of the film was shot during the original shoot.
I shot “Fighting Grandpa,” “Mouse,” and “Po Mo Knock Knock” with almost nothing but recans and short ends. I’ve had only one problem — the rim of one roll of “Mouse” dailies was fogged, resulting in the edge code being unreadable. This terrified me, of course, but I discussed it with my negative cutter and had the negative and workprint edge coded to match each other. Problem solved.
For a feature film with a budget, I’d shoot fresh stock. But as long as I’m strapped and I can find reputable dealers who test their stock, I’ll continue using recans for my shorts and docs.
����Shortend/recan dealers in NYC I’ve used:
����Raw Stock, 212-255-0445
����Steadisystems, 30 W. 21st, 212-647-0900
����Film Emporium, 212-681-6922
Listen while You Shoot
By Greg Pak
When working as a cinematographer on documentaries, I wear headphones whenever possible to monitor the sound that’s being recorded. The technique allows me to hear interesting things which can improve my shooting.
For example, on a recent project, one subject was equipped with a wireless mike. Even though he wasn’t on screen all the time, I could hear his voice through my headphones. From time to time, I’d hear him start an interesting conversation. I’d turn and catch him on tape from across the room — something which would never have happened if I wasn’t monitoring the sound.
It’s worth noting that this is a much easier thing to do when shooting video — if the sound is recorded directly into the camera, you can simply plug your headphones into the camera’s onboard jack. If you’re shooting on film, the sound is recorded separately, which makes the wiring a little more awkward, since you’ll have to run your headphones to the sound person’s recorder…
In general, I’d recommend wearing headphones if possible, but give ’em up if awkward wiring hurts your shooting or the sound person’s recording.
Budget for Distribution
By Greg Pak
Yeah, I know, at the pre-production stage, most of us are barely scraping together the dollars to get our films in the can. But remember that if you don’t have the money to properly push your film once it’s done, the whole effort is for naught.
For the average short, you’ll want to reserve $200 to $300 for VHS copies, $1000 for festival entry fees (and that’ll only let you submit to about 35 festivals — you’ll probably want to submit to even more), $200 for stills and press kits, and $300 for postage and packing material.
That adds up to about $1,800, more than I spent for the entire production and completion of “Po Mo Knock Knock.” Seems ridiculous to spend more than the film itself, but that’s the nature of the beast. Raise the bux and get it out there — otherwise you’re just sitting on your film and no one will ever see it.
Actually, now that I think about my own experiences, maybe it’s best� not to keep track of how much you’re spending to promote your film. I don’t even want to think of what I’ve spent flogging “Fighting Grandpa,” particularly when I add in the costs of traveling to festivals. But these were expenses I had to make — otherwise the film wouldn’t have been recognized and I probably wouldn’t have gotten either the agent I have or the grants I’ve received for my new documentary.
Test Converted 16mm Cameras
By Greg Pak
If you’re using a Super 16 camera that’s being converted to regular 16 for your shoot, shoot a test roll before you shoot real footage with it. If it’s been configured improperly, the framing will be off on your final image — you’ll end up with more image on the right hand side of your frame, for example, which will bug you and everyone else in the world who cares about decent composition.
Test-Shoot Rehearsals on Video
By Greg Pak
When I’m shooting fiction, I always try to have my cinematographer come to a rehearsal (ideally on location) with a video camera to shoot some of the set ups we’ve discussed. This way, before the shoot, we have a chance to see what we’re talking about regarding camera movement and frame.
Test shooting rehearsals on video also gives the D.P. and director a chance to find new and better camera angles for scenes based on how the actors are moving in the locations. Always good to do this ahead of time — saves some scrambling on the actual set.
Let’s Talk About Frame
By Greg Pak
Talk with your D.P. in exact terms about frame — for example, when shooting 16mm, specify that all important information should be within the TV safe lines. Otherwise, you may end up with an image that’s beautifully framed for film projection but looks cramped when transferred to video.
Also, make sure you know that you and your D.P. are thinking the same thing when you use certain terms — one person’s close up is another person’s medium shot.
Keep Working that Film
By Greg Pak
Keep in mind that getting distribution for a short film is a fine and excellent thing, but if you want the film to sell, you still have to work it. An educational distributor, for example, will send out a catalog which will include a photo and description of your film. And you’ll appear in the distributor’s website. But buyers have dozens or even hundreds of other films to choose from — in the same catalog, even.
To maximize your film’s selling potential, make cards or flyers which include your distributors’ contact information. Hand them out or at least put ’em on the counters and tables whenever your film screens at a festival. If there’s an educator at that screening who teaches in a field pertaining to your film’s subject matter, he or she is a great target for a sale. But if you don’t put a flyer out there, he or she will have no idea how to find you.
Get a Website
By Greg Pak
Admittedly, merely having a website will not instantly result in millions of people clamoring for your film. But it’s an essential part of your promotion strategy. At the very least, being online makes it possible for interested people to find you and your films and distributors easily.
A website can also save you some grief and postage — when a festival calls you at the last minute wanting your bio or film synopsis, rather than faxing the material, you can say, “It’s all on my website!” I’ve even had a film festival in Japan pull my mugshot from my website, which easily saved me twenty bucks in international Fed Ex fees.
A good website also generates credibility. In college, friends used to claim they’d get at least a half-a-letter increase in their grades when they laser printed their papers. A clean, attractive website provides the same kind of clout — you look like a professional! an artist! an up-and-comer! — even if you live in a garret, work in a copy shop, and eat canned soup every night for dinner.
You may think it’s too expensive to get a website. But if you’re online, you probably already have one. AOL provides 2mb of free space per screen name for personal websites; most other ISPs have similar deals. If you have a free weekend, you can easily learn basic HTML and get some info online.
Now to make the site look great and possess all of the clean design saavy that makes for a painless and pleasurable surfing experience, you may need to invest more time and money or hire a designer. Yes, it could cost you anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand bucks. But you just blew twenty thousand on your film and a thousand just on festival entries — you’re gonna stop now?
Get Half Your Money Up Front
By Greg Pak
For anyone making money freelancing, I highly recommend getting half of your money up front. Here are two practical reasons why:
First, last minute schedule changes can ruin you. If you commit to a project, blocking out time and turning down other work, you could lose everything if the shoot is postponed or cancelled. If you’ve gotten half of the money up front, at least you’ll have something.
Second, if you finish a job without getting paid, you might never get paid. It’s not unheard of for independent producers to run over budget and out of money. Again, if you get half of your money up front, at least you’ll have something.
There will always be situations which will preclude your getting your money up front — maybe the production is being funded by a grant which has been awarded, but the check hasn’t yet arrived. If you know and trust the producer, you’ll probably accept the job and hope for the best. But if at all possible, get your deposit as soon as you can. Even trustworthly people and good friends can have their productions fall apart — and you don’t want to take the fall when it happens.
Incidentally, I’d argue that this is a good policy for producers as well as freelancers. If you want to make a career as a filmmaker, clean payment arrangements are critical for keeping collaborators happy and maintaining good vibes within your filmmaking community.
Respond Immediately to the Press
By Greg Pak
If you’re lucky enough to get a call or an email from a reporter, respond IMMEDIATELY. Reporters often call at the last minute, on the eve of their deadlines. If you don’t get back to them right away, they’ll find someone else and file their articles without you.
On two different occasions in recent months, I’ve delayed a day or two in responding to calls or emails. And by then, the reporters’ deadlines had passed and they no longer needed my quotes.
Of course I had no time to deal with the requests the instant they came in, but I should have made the time. Being quoted in an article won’t lead to instantaneous fame and glory, but it may toss a few more people to your website or to your distributors. In short, publicity is good, and it’s dumb to miss opportunities to grab some.