Four Easy Steps to Organizing Your Film Shoot

When filmmakers set out to shoot a film most of them are aware of all the problems that can happen. You are not working alone and must learn to manage the writers, actors and crew to ensure that everything goes according to plan on your film shoot. It is the director’s job however to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

The first thing you should do is make sure that the script is done before you begin searching for actors. This will give the actors plenty of time to review the script and decide if they want to be involved with your project. With a developed script you will have fully developed characters that can be explored by the actors when they are reviewing your script. It will also help you to determine which actors are appropriate for the roles.

Give yourself plenty of time to audition the actors for your film. Try to schedule several days for the auditions to give actors plenty of time to make it to the audition. You will want to take a look at a number of people so that you can be sure to choose the right actor for the job. Try to record or film the auditions so that you can look back on them when the auditions are over to choose the best actor. Keep notes of your thoughts during the auditions so that you can refer back to them later. You are looking for the actor that can become that character. Look for one that will deliver the lines in a way that brings the character to life.

The next step is to plan your schedule for shooting the film. Try to give yourself as much time as you can. You don’t want to run over time and you also don’t want to have to rush through the filming process just to meet the schedule. Add some flexibility to your filming schedule to accommodate unforeseen events. If there are no problems that happen during your filming you will end up with extra time at the end of the production. This is better than running over.

Finally, you will want to give yourself plenty of time to edit the film. You will need to make adjustments to the sound, edit out scenes, change the lighting with the software and a host of other adjustments that will make your film the best that it can be. Editing can be as big if not bigger job than actually filming the scenes. If you are working on the editing full time you might need as long as a month to complete the editing work. If you must work another job as well, you will probably need more time. Taking your time through this phase of your project will ensure that you deliver a high quality result at the end.