Hi there!
I wrote a short, 40-page film. It takes place in four locations on a river. It's something I am working on filming with some friends and my trusty Nikon D3300 lol
As a writer who is new to screenwriting (and interested in directing, and a natural at "we're on Plan A but what is Plan B and Plan C"), what resources should I be looking at to determine which technical aspects I will need and how much it costs if I were to pitch this to a film exec, agent or producer?
For instance, to get a sweeping view of a scene or have it lit a certain way at night, would I need a mobile crane? And how many people would be needed for that? Is it industry standard to say something like, "mobile lighting crane + five crew to work it = $5k/night" or is it dependent on the project?
Besides being on set or attending film school, where is the best place I can learn about this? (I plan on picking up a subscription to American Cinematographer for instance.)
My state's film commission has a resource for people who can fill technical roles. Is it as simple as emailing the person, explaining the idea, and asking what their budget is? Are there spread sheets available for this sort of thing? Do you automatically add 10k to a budget if you want a well-lit night shot?
Thank you in advance for any help!
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Jessica Novinger Hi, I am one of the directors of the Independent Producers Guild (independentproducersguild.org). We have a 6-part Production seminar series starting in a couple weeks, which was revised from the series we sponsored for Women In Entertainment. It's inexpensive and very, very thorough. I am also available for quick free consults if you have a specific question.