Tip #91: Organise a premiere

By Dan Parkes (Director/editor)

It can be both a very happy and very stressful time for a filmmaker - that moment when the curtain is finally lifted on the film you have been slaving over for months and it is finally seen by an audience for the first time.

The date for the Ambleton Delight premiere was timed to launch a film festival, and hence was a date that was not going to move. It was advertised, free tickets for cast and crew arranged, champagne ordered and tickets put on sale for the public. While the film itself had been cut and effects completed, the sound mix (which was being done separately) began having delays and resulted in final touches being made literally the day before the premiere. But considering it was actually nine months from first draft to premiere, this should not be completely surprising!

Producer Itsuka Yamasaki, actor Sadao Ueda
and director Dan Parkes at the after-party.

The premiere itself was very successful, with 200 in attendance including both cast and crew, special guests and those who bought tickets. Most importantly it was a time to say thank you to all those who helped make it happen. Here are some tips we found on organising a premiere:

1. Don't leave it to the last minute. Although your concentration will likely be on completing the film you need to start thinking about the premiere from a very early stage.
2. Location. Obviously a real cinema is the best place, but it might be expensive if you are hiring it. If you can organise it to be shown in a festival then that could solve the problem. Otherwise there are many other non-cinema options you can consider. In the past we have premiered films in a library, a hotel and in a school.
3. Cast and crew. This is where it can get tricky. Make sure you have an accurate guest list that includes all cast and crew and also those who may have helped in some other way. It might be a good idea to start making this list early in the production so you don't accidentally forget someone in the last minute rush. Also, don't forget to allow each person to bring a guest.
4. The guest list. Don't just invite those who were involved in the making of the film. Also invite those from the industry and community along to make it an extra special event and to allow for networking opportunities.
5. Seating. If in a cinema you might want to allocate a special area (such as the back rows) for cast and crew. If not in a cinema you might want to make sure the seats will be comfortable enough for the duration of the film.
6. Food and drink. It is good if a glass of champagne or wine can be provided to celebrate the event. If you are unable to afford this or get it sponsored then at the very least give people a bag of popcorn!
7. Test the facilities. Don't ever premiere an event without having first tested the film on the projector and screen to make sure it will look and sound good enough.
8. Advertise. Send out invitations well in advance and if advertising tickets start looking at ways of getting your premiere known: noticeboards, flyers, posters, e-mails, newsletters etc.
9. Dress code. From experience most people like to dress up -but make sure everyone knows what is expected. If there is a very formal dress code then this may put some off -especially if they arrive without realising it is the case!
   
10. After party. many will want to network or party after the event -if this is not possible at the screening location you might want to think of what facilities are nearby that could be used for this.
11. Official photographer. It is still part of the production process -so make sure to have an official photographer to record the event.
    
12. Festivals. You might also want to think about how the premiere may impact on your festival and sales opportunities. If you have a sales agent or even distributor it is best to discuss this first with them. Also if a film is screened in one country that may make it ineligible for some festivals.
    

Main actors Jos Lawton and Kristina Anne Howell
at the after-party.

Tip #56: Surviving night shoots

By Dan Parkes (Director)

Even for those who consider themselves 'night owls', filming at night is never easy and poses numerous challenges. But before we look at surviving night shoots, let's establish two key reasons for doing so, which are:


1. Filming an exterior night scene at night
2. Filming interiors at night due to cast/location availability

The first, also described as 'night-for-night' is likely the most obvious reason. The rain scene in Ambleton Delight was filmed this way. It is good to note that our eyes see night in a very different way from how a camera does as our eyes naturally adjust to the low light levels while most cameras struggle to compensate. The two key mistakes filmmakers can make is to either force the camera to see more light (using a wide open aperture or a gain increase) or by overlighting the scene with too many lights. Both will make the camera see more, but the result will not look authentic, either being overlit or too grainy.

Tips:

• Only illuminate key objects or areas - for example using practicals from logical sources (i.e. real lights within the scene, such as streetlamps)
• Use reflectors and white cards to reflect light
• Use natural elements such as snow if filming during winter, or rain (or by wetting the ground) to create natural reflection and illumination
• Use natural light -shoot during dusk or twilight -although remember this lasts for less than an hour!
• If possible do some test filming beforehand at the hours and location you intend to film

Overall night filming survival tips:

• Preparation/planning -treat it as a normal day with a 'lunch' scheduled
  
• Have a well thought out schedule that wastes no time...dead time at night is demoralising and can cause people to go to sleep
• Make sure actors are scheduled only where necessary (it is good to schedule scenes with the most actors first so that some can go home earlier and only those who are required stay for the whole night)
• Food and drink are important -liquids such as water and coffee can help keep you awake
• Consecutive night shoots can for many be easier than one-off shoots, as you can get your body into a pattern
• Prepare the day before by getting more sleep (like travelling overseas try to adjust to the time zone before you arrive)
• 4am - 5am is the most difficult hour both mentally and physically -schedule easier scenes to be filmed at this time or have this as the 'lunch' break.

Tip #40: Don't forget to send call sheets

By Dan Parkes (Director)

We have already mentioned the absolute necessity of preparation and organisation in regards to preparing shot lists and floor plans. But on the actual day of filming one of the most important documents you can have is a call sheet.

A call sheet is essentially a document issued to cast and crew with information they will need for that specific day of filming. Most importantly it lists the 'call times' -that is the times that they are expected to arrive or be on set. It is normally issued at least several days before filming so that everyone can be well prepared for all eventualities.

Please see an example of one of our call sheets here (some details have been removed for privacy reasons):

Click to download our
Ambleton Delight Call Sheet

A call sheet can have many different designs and purposes and there are several places where you can download templates on-line. However, we found it more effective to design our own specific sheet for the day of filming and for our own cast and crew. This way we could keep it simple and easy to use. Notice the following important elements we included:

1. Clear and easy to read layout, including a film logo
2. Call times. In this case it shows general call times for both cast and crew. However it is often good to prepare specific individual call sheets especially if the cast are only required for certain times of the shoot.
3. Specific contact information including names, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses where possible.
4. Weather information (if any exterior shots)
5. Specific location information with clear directions on how to get there
6. Parking information
7. Health and safety and set behaviour, with emergency procedures and behavioural expectations

VIDEO: BLOG: Bonus Episode!

To celebrate the picking up of our Best Film award at the British Independent Film Festival tomorrow (Saturday April 24th) we are releasing a bonus video blog... complete with bloopers, outtakes, interesting experiences and .... monkey impressions? Cast and crew reveal all in the final episode of How to Make a Next-to-Nothing Budget Feature Film. Our lawyers are standing by....

Tip #29: The importance of rehearsals

By Dan Parkes (Director)

The quicker you can shoot the more money you will save. Feature films such as Phone Booth -shot in just 10 days- are a good example. And one of the keys to achieving this is to rehearse important scenes with your actors prior to filming. Here are 12 tips:

1. Professional actors should be more than happy and in fact want to rehearse, but make sure that you have already discussed this and have worked out the situation regarding expenses etc
2. Select scenes that are critical to the story narrative and that actors may have difficulty with, due to the amount of dialogue, or subtle character development.
3. Make sure both you and the cast involved have copies of the most recent shooting script and are familiar with what scenes are to be rehearsed.
4. Choose an appropriate location with furniture and layout that will assist the rehearsal -ideally the actual shoot location.
5. Use the rehearsal as a time to also check wardrobe choices, to sign contracts and to check schedules for the shoot.
6. At the beginning of the rehearsal firstly check with the cast if they have any questions regarding the scene or their character.
7. Start with a read-through of the script -depending on the nature of the scene some may want to by-pass this step.
8. Once you are happy with the read-through, try the scene in its entirety, progressing on to blocking options, body language and pronunciation if necessary.
9. If a scene is not working, tell the actors to forget the script and to improvise. This will help identify the main dynamics of the scene and more natural lines of dialogue may result.
10. Use rehearsals to explore creative options; be ready to change the script based on what happens.
11. Always film the rehearsal so you can start exploring camera angles (make sure this is covered in the contract!).
12. Have possible 'boot camp' options -for example our lead actor Jos Lawton spent some time working in a restaurant kitchen so that he would look authentic in his role of a restaurant chief.