Short Film Making: Pre-production (Part 2)
In my last article we had a look at the first few steps of pre production for a short film. We saw how an idea flows through brainstorming, scripting and screenplay to form a solid story for your film. Let us now look at the second part of pre-production.
Films should be visually perfect. There is math to having visual perfection to a film. Every element, each shot should have value, a purpose. The purpose can be simple- beautification of a single shot or complex- an aid to character detailing. Every step you take after the screenplay essentially drives towards the visual aspect.
Each detail works like an addition to your visualization. This happens at such an extent that the image becomes clear to your mind. This is what you should aim to achieve when finishing pre production. A strong foundation. It will do wonders for your film. So, take the time you require in this phase of your film-making process.
When I make a short film, I follow the same to a large extent. I have observed the more I stick to this plan, the better the final output.
So let’s dive headfirst into the first visual step of your pre-production.
The Journey is fascinating!
Location Scouting:
Usually when writing a script, I have a pretty clear idea about where my locations are situated throughout the screenplay. So why go location scouting? Two reasons: To look for new locations that match your expectations (I call these secondary locations to work as a back-up) and to observe the locations you have in mind. This gives a detailed idea about the location’s look and feel.
Go to the place. Observe it for a few hours. I would suggest that you go to the locations based on the timeline of your script. If the scene is supposed to be around 5:00 pm, then scout the location from 4–6. This way you get an idea about the light equipment you may require.
The location you choose doesn’t have to be pleasing to the eye. Beautiful scenery doesn’t always go well with every scene. Consider the emotion you want your scene to project. See if the location of your choice has that emotion. If it does, book it.
After you book a location, talk to the locals. Ask them about the weather around your location. Ask them about the quickest way of transport, a good place for food. Enquire about availability of the basic amenities like electricity and network. Get as much information as you can about your location. Trust me, this is the best resource for it.
Take photos. Keep the location as a background and take photos of a team member at the foreground. This will help you get an idea about camera angles and movement.
Lastly, train your mind to view the location from a storyboarding aspect.
Storyboard:
Personally, I love this stage of pre-production. You take each scene, divide it into shots, visualizing the exact look for every second in your script. The camera angle, the camera movement, the character movement, the style. The whole story comes to life visually on the drawing board.
Storyboarding is imagination at its best.
Make a few drafts, keep in mind the transitions from each scene. Add Colors wherever necessary, it helps keep in mind the tone of your film.
Start by dividing each page into panels like a comic strip. Work from left to right. Add camera movements using double edged arrows and character movements using single line arrows. Add dialogues under the respective panels. It is useful, but not absolute, to have characters with definite features.
Storyboarding is the communication between the director and the cinematographer. It is beneficial if the director has editing capacities. This allows them to time each shot.
Storyboard should reflect the pace of your short film. The pace largely depends upon the number of shots per scene. Moreover, the art director gets an idea about the props every scene would need and their placement to suit the direction.
The storyboard is an important tool to get an idea about what works. A lot of visual ideas you have at the scripting stage might not work visually in relation to adjoining scenes.
Take your time while creating the storyboard. Think each shot through, let the complete film form in your mind. Use the storyboard as a tool to project the exact image on paper. Each panel should have a connection to the next.
Planning, Scheduling and Finances:
I tried to avoid this during my first few short films. Here’s a tip - doesn’t work.
The best of plans go haywire when we start production, but this step is essential to provide insight on management of your film.
So, plan ahead. Decide on the next steps after storyboarding and continue to the end.
Start with casting dates and deadlines. You should have an approximate idea about the shoot dates, now, plan each day. Go through the script and storyboard again and divide the scenes according to the dates.
Be realistic. Think about the distance and time. Consider each and every aspect of the film right from art to actors while making a plan. you can make use of tools to keep your team on track. The simplest is using Google Sheets and Social Media for calls. Keep these constantly updated.
My first short film was a ‘no-budget’ short film. So, we spent more than a 100 dollar but had no way to account it. I know by experience how easy it is to spend too much where you could have spent less, just because you did not have a budget or research on the same. I would suggest that you make a spreadsheet for the finance management as well.
These are the categories you have to consider when thinking of the finance aspect. Location cost (if any), personal payments, travel cost, food and drinking water, medical costs, props that can’t be made, asset management and a side budget for extras.
Asset management is the finance and management of the tools you use to make your short film. This includes your camera and related equipment, light equipment, recording equipment and recording studio fee (if necessary). Through asset management, consider the machines you might need for post production and their rent or booking.
I generally use available equipment for my low budget short films, or borrow it wherever possible.
Casting:
I cast my actors through social media. For a short film, it can be very simple unless you have very specific requirements.
I create a post (casting call) and add in the specification for every character (gender, age, ethnicity, language, location and other details if any). Then I request the interested people to make an audition video of a minute and upload it on google drive while sharing the link with me.
This process may require a lot of filtering but I have found a great cast for all of my short films through it. You can create a post, and ask your crew members to share the same on their social media handles for wider publicity.
Remember to adhere to the deadline set while scheduling. If an actor covers all the criteria’s necessary pick him/her and move on.
I usually pick the top three auditions for every role and contact them. I tell them the one-liner for the film, the schedule and stipend for their work. Of these three, I select a primary and a secondary. This then concludes the casting stage in pre production. It generally takes a week to get a good cast.
My advice would be to have a meet and greet for the whole team, either online or at some café so that your crew knows that the team is working towards a single goal. To make one good short film!
What’s next:
The next article will cover “Short Film Production” in its entirety. It will cover aspects like “Where to start?”, “What to consider while shooting a short film” to “How to go through production, step by step.”.
Film Production is hours of waiting for the perfect shot, retakes till your patience wears off and then some. It is fun.
