Reciprocity - It works

The best negotiable in the world is one that also works in real life: You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. I'm bringing this up because it can sometimes be hard to get behind someone else' project when one (or more) of yours is languishing on a back burner. No pay. Long days. I understand. Suck it up.

Reciprocity can only help your film career! Worried about this possible project not fitting your high standards, or not being what you want to be 'known for'? No one knows you anyway! When two alpha artists meet, why not take turns being second banana for each other? Be script supervisor on my film, and I'll grip on yours. Everybody gets to go to the set. Twice! Twice the experience, twice the networking with other new cast and crew. Besides...

...No one can predict the success, or lack of success, that will come from a film project. Famous examples:

Francis Ford Coppola (then relatively unknown) was DYING to make a film called 'The Conversation'. The only deal he could cut was to make one for the studio from a best selling novel, and only then would the studio fund 'The Conversation'. Coppola said okay. The film he 'had' to make? 'The Godfather'. He did make 'The Conversation'. Both are great movies. Which do you consider more 'successful'?

Steven Spielberg, after initially being excited about the project, was also reluctant to work on turning a certain best seller into a 'movie'. He told the studio that he wanted to makes 'films', not 'movies'. David Brown, The Universal Pictures executive famously told him, 'If you make this 'movie', you'll be able to make any 'film' that you want. David Brown was right. 'Jaws' became the highest grossing picture ever (at that time) Fun fact: Spielberg wanted to drop 'Jaws' for the project 'Lucky Lady'. Wow. Fun fact number two: The term 'Blockbuster' was first used to describe the runaway success of 'Jaws'.

Summary: At this point in your career, lend you shoulder to any project which you possibly can, and encourage your 'circle' to do the same. You never know...

Tom Kennerly is the author of 'On The Lot: An Addiction' an Amazon ebook.

The Borrowers

If this is the first little diatribe of mine that you have read, you need to know that I am a champion of no budget film making.  Not low budget, and not zero dollar, but moving through the process of film making by minimizing costs, and absorbing the necessary costs as they accrue.  For you see, my young film maker, there was a time when you could not shoot a no budget feature. Really. Did you know that the film stock alone necessary for a feature film shot in 35mm format comes to more than $20,000?  Incredible. We live in the wondrous age of data cards and hard drives, making the barriers to entry into feature film making, well, low enough. The only downside to the festering cornucopia of alternatives out there is that equipment geeks get themselves caught up in what to shoot on. Do not be a slave to technology. Make it work for you! If your background is in video technology for some reason, or you already have a strong camera body, and want to surf the net for lenses, adapters, and so forth, I'll ask you to do this:  Price out your wish list, add $100 to it, and offer that to a DP on productionhub. (www.productionhub.com). You'll get the DP AND the equipment you were going to buy, or pretty darn close to it, for one low price.  Look, I just got you a DP  for ten days, for $100!  Nowadays, any director of photography or cinematographer either has his own camera, knows five guys with rigs who will loan them out for favors, or has an ‘in’ to a ridiculously cheap rental. Certainly you should have some serious meetings regarding why he is recommending his specific choices, as well as check out examples of that combination’s footage by the artist you are considering, but please let this expert contribute where his knowledge exceeds yours.

From here, the choice of camera, a review of the script by the DP, and a review of your confirmed locations will dictate the lighting package. Again, borrow if possible.  Why not?  There are other equipment freaks and geeks out there who have already laid out the cash, dying to get onto a set.  Believe me.  Now, I do spend some money for lights because I shoot long days for a SHORT period of time, and therefore my daily rental doesn’t add up to that much. Also, I've been using the DSLR platform, and most of these cameras have crazy low light capabilities.

Next time:  How to borrow pizza. (that's a little joke)

Tom Kennerly will be directing 'Not Love' the summer of 2013...