Filmmaking / Directing : Crime Squad The Movie by Roy Lewis Garton

So we just completed our indie film, Crime Squad The Movie a salute to Leslie Nielsen here in TN. It now goes to post for Film Festivals late this Fall into next year. This is my 3rd indie project and each one is a learning experience. You get good and negative feedback each time you do one of these things. The bottom line which I do not agree with is the more money you have in these projects, the better your film is going to be. My defense? How many big budget major films have been done and they have flopped at the box office? While we did pay our DP and MU girl, most of our talent were up and comings and worked for film credit and meals as well as our extra casting. We had one no-show on set and our DP reminded us "Well if you had the budget to pay these people, this would not have happened" He was used to working on productions with thousands of dollars. He was good at his craft but he also knew coming in what we were doing. Regardless, we worked around the situation and got our shot and scene done with someone else. I have been on set as an actor many times with paid no-shows so the argument to me went on deaf ears. As a director and producer, here is how I get around doing films when you wished you wish you could do a big budget film but in reality you have less than half of that dream to work with. You market, you promote, you network, and you find people who will help you with supplying the things you need that you can not buy. We did just that. We got it done. I spend a year in advance marketing and paying for what had to be paid for that you can not go with out such as music rights, insurance, and our studio set. Also paying the main crew. Everything else done on trade-out, product placement, and those "thank yous" on the screen including all food and most props. When you do indies and do not have the backing of the big Studios, life can be tough and you need to have creative out of the box thinking of getting things done you can not realistically pay for. Don''t let your dream project die because not everything is dollars and cents. Barter, market yourself and your project and when people do not have cash, ask for tangible things instead. We even got our lodging traded out for our Crew that was out of town. I am happy and also our DP when it was all done calmed down and came down to earth a bit with his ego.