I’ve found in working with editors that they bring their own sense of perspective to the table, and a director must acknowledge that. Personally, I love for each person on the set and in post-production to voice what they may see or feel. My role is to take that and to go with what I feel is the best choice. Occasionally, we’ll have to massage an edit or experiment with variations, seeing what works and what doesn’t – it’s all a part of allowing the story to come to life. This is also essential for the editor to know that his or her opinions are valued. Once the editor feels everything is being dictated the creativity stops. There’s a balancing act, here.

Just recently, we were on the set for a promotional video where the major talent was held up, forcing our afternoon shoot to move over an hour behind schedule. Being winter, time was of the essence, and, not having another set of eyes watching for continuity, some elements fell through the cracks. The wrong golf balls were somehow pulled into the shots, daylight was rapidly changing, forcing camera choices, etc. Once the footage made it back to the editing room, the troubles were clearly seen.

As a director, seeing this, you have two choices: 1) re-shoot or 2) edit what you can. Knowing that the talent in the promotional piece is difficult to get scheduled, we opted for the latter in this case. Certainly, though, you never want to cheat on quality. If the time and the budget allow for it, re-shoot the shot(s).

You’ll see one shot fixed for the edit below, a basic closeup of a golf ball being hit off the tee. Text/logo is present on the ball, which I hate, since I don’t have any endorsements for this video. It had to be removed. It didn’t take too long to fix, thankfully, with some After Effects work. A few other changes went into making the shot work, too, which I’ll allow you to watch.

• Info-graphic
• Lego Pics (partial list)

In Trinity’s case, the older cameras (Panasonic F250) required an astronomical amount of light to get a worthwhile picture. Now, as newer cameras are being brought in replace them, the platform lighting was cut by nearly half. This not only addresses several lighting problems that occurred within the room, but it also aids in reducing power consumption to power theatrical light fixtures and cuts down on air conditioning costs. Rough calculations in this scenario had 20 Source 4 light fixtures running at 750 Watts each, plus 6 2000 Watt fixtures over the choir, totaling 27,000 Watts. Now, that number is cut by half – 13,500 Watts. Using the auditorium for 12 hours per week (3 church services & other various activities) at the reduced light setting saves the ministry roughly $71 per month on raw electricity, but further reduces the need for air conditioning to compensate for the heat output of the light fixtures – guestimating another $100-$200 per month. If we go with a flat $200 in savings, Trinity will recuperate about $2,400 each year in energy expenditures. This is enough to likely replace good 2/3″ chip studio camera after about 7.5 years.

There are other residual benefits that can’t be measured. For instance, one would naturally assume that the greater connection of an individual to the message communicated should naturally, within time, draw one to participate further and even grow other followers; hence, the charitable or earned contributions should rise, also offsetting expenses.

Here’s a video sample of what changed at Trinity when moving to their newer equipment. The visual differences are honestly astounding.

The sun cast a yellow glow that day, and the shadows were long. There, on the edge of an empty parking lot, a young boy had removed himself from the passenger seat of his parent’s car and was stalking a small creature. His actions were nervous and full of life, extraneous, and swelling as he approached the tiny target. There was no little movement, for the rise of a leg also caused his head to bend back and his arms to fly outward. Steps progressed, and then, as he neared his target, he magically shrunk and was extremely still. Only two small hands protruded from what had become an orb, and these would joust forward, then halt and retreat, joust, then halt and retreat. This occurred several times. The boy’s head then turned toward the vehicle nervously, seeking maternal encouragement. A few words came from inside. Silent. Fidgety. Then, with all the speed he could muster, the boy struck – both hands straight down onto the dew-moistened earth, hands covering where his prize once rested. Silent. Still. Anticipation rose as our lad scooped his hands together, shot his torso from the ground, and looked for his new little captive.

Jumping up and down, running around the car, arms went every which way. How could he have missed? He must win, he must!

Just then, the target came back into view from several feet away, and the process was repeated. Big steps, small orb,… This time, as his hands struck and then rose from the earth the animal remained within a gentle grasp. The celebration started as the boy hurried with his prize to the driver’s side of the white auto. The door flung open and this wild creature became a member of the family, for it was about to make the journey in a plastic looking case. The boy’s fingers now free, he jumped and danced with arms flailing – the touchdown dance moved several times around the vehicle. Ecstatic! This continued for several minutes. Finally, our young man wiped his hands on his pant legs and jumped into the seat from where he started. The car started and continued its journey the rest of the way to school.

Funny thing, I saw this story happen nearly three months ago, and I thought I must write about it. As a director, it was a great observation of childhood behavior with strong motivation. Time passed and I forgot. This morning I was pleasantly surprised as the story repeated itself when I pulled my car to a stop about a 100 yards from the same boy, now a bit taller, on the edge of a distant parking lot.

I ran inside, and here I sit recollecting my thoughts. I couldn’t let the story pass me once again! Now you, as a reader, have been able to participate in this brief occurrence. At the same time, I also bring this story with a challenge… What prize are you seeking? I’m too old, or too busy, or ______ (fill in the blank)! It’s strange how we admire the energy of a child in a case such as the story above, but isn’t it so true that in our adult lives we seem to have given up living when we settle for merely existing at a level of mediocrity and not pursuing those things that God has built us to do? What’s the risk? What are the rewards? Is the journey worth it?

Personally, I don’t want to settle, and though it’s hard to keep from doing so because there are so many who have succumbed to “hum-drum,” I very much want to be alive – being willing to maybe look a little foolish with youthful enthusiasm as I seek for the prize and claim what’s in store. Don’t give up on your God-given dreams.

Enter, Hollywood Connect. Hollywood Connect (HC) exists to “[equip] creative artists and professionals to thrive personally and professionally in the arts, media, and entertainment industries” (HC website). HC hosted a well-attended Q&A with Mr. Mark Atteberry recently, and in this gathering, Shun Lee Fong led discussion and then fielded several questions from the audience to get Mark’s responses. I took notes feverishly and thought to share the wisdom – with Mark’s approval, of course.

http://instagr.am/p/I9Tt6AGuyr/

Finding Your Niche

• For Mark, he feels that this came too late in life, as he moved through a successful music career before becoming an actor.
• There can be a struggle on which talents (for those who posses multiple) one should focus, and this can take some time to clarify in one’s mind and life.
• To find your niche, pick one and work at it. It’s okay to do others to keep food on the table, but plug away at that one thing that gives you the greatest fulfillment in life and become great at it.

Copycats

All too often, young (and older) talent will attempt to mimic a successful actors in the film world with the hope of getting into the market. However, this is really a bad move. We’ve all been created to be ourselves, not someone else. Here are a couple of thoughts on how to make this happen.

1. Determine how you are different or what makes you different in your skill set and seek to define it for others.
2. You will be defined as “similar to ___,” but don’t settle into just filling that stereotype; put your own twist on each role you play to make it your own.
3. Did you know that there were over 40 billion videos watched online in January, 2012 alone? That’s really a bunch of noise/competition. Learn to make your image stand out. Have a voice.

How do you make this happen?

1. Know your technique. The artist who knows his tools is not encumbered with them. Know your skill set and learn to play over set rigidity – this is what makes you an artist and not a basic contractor.
2. Get professional advice. Talk to those who can help you to learn more about who you are and who can guide you on learning more of your trade.
3. Read what people said about you in your high school yearbook. Our overall personalities don’t change in life, so what was true at the end of your senior year is likely true now. You just didn’t care what they said about you then. See what truths can be gleaned and used them. There’s definitely value in the way that people perceive you.
4. Accept/grasp who you are and celebrate it. When you are comfortable with yourself you can show people who you are over feeling forced into a mold.
5. Keep in mind that you, due to your personality and appearance, will be generally seen as 1 to 3 major perspectives. You might be the hunk or the jester; you could be the thinker or the serial killer. No, these are not necessarily what you are in real life, but the types associated with appearance and mannerisms will place you into a stereotype. Find out what they are and learn to excel in those roles.
   Note: Mark generally finds himself cast into darker roles. He’s generally the intelligent guy with a weakness who stumbles or even the guy who everyone likes but has an evil/dark side, like being a serial murderer, etc.
6. In auditions for parts, don’t try; be yourself! There are already things about you that will define whether you fit the role (see point 5). If they say, “Be evil,” you were already brought in because you have the look for the part. Just be yourself in the audition and the “evil” (or other parts for which they search) will show through. Be careful not to chase the hook where you feel you need to add something extra. This will only look fake and extreme, keeping you from getting the part.
7. Focus on what you do best. Don’t pick every production/audition possible. Seek the roles you feel you can fill. Shun Lee mentioned here, too, that if you are invited to audition and you don’t feel that it’s a good fit, “there’s power in saying, No.” You’ll gain respect in the industry for this.
8. Be persistent. Look for those roles where you think you will be a good fit and work on getting them.

Reinventing Self

There is no real formula for this, but it is important for filmmakers (and businesses) to reinvent themselves every 3-5 years. This helps with keeping yourself looking new and fresh while also improving your product to stay relevent and true to who you are.

1. Determine where you have been successful. Capitalize on this and perfect it.
2. Actors, consider self-producing a film/project to promote who you are.
3. Keep in mind that sometimes you may just need to take a break to refresh yourself and to find greater direction.
4. Remember that if things are not fun, then you are in the wrong place. Try something new; take a class; or even consider pursuing a new venture or avenue.
5. You are an artist, so be you and be unique.
6. Attack when you see openings
7. Commit yourself to excellence.

Branding vs Finding Your Niche

• Branding is what people say or perceive about you.
• Niche is using your brand to and making it work for you to show who you really are.

Dark Roles – How can one address them?

1. Be you and trust that it will show through you if you were cast properly.
2. Everyone has a dark side, even if it’s not the dark side of the character for which they are cast. Find that part of you that is dark (maybe you are naturally selfish, etc.) that you tend to justify in your own life and tap into it, as even a serial killer will justify his/her actions to himself.

Being Different or Obscure

• Remember that nobody is totally obscure.
• It a matter of finding out where you are unique and exploiting it. Don’t run from it.

Staying Positive When There’s Little-to-No Work

• Don’t make this (acting, directing, etc.) the one and only thing in your life. It’s not an end in itself.
• Find ways to use your art in other avenues. Stretch yourself.

Taking a Break: How Long?

• Take however long you need until you start having fun again
• Keep playing!

Finding Out Who You Are…

As an Actor

1. Write down a list of potential roles, both positive and negative. These can include lead actor, mom/dad, hero, villan, etc.
2. Have a group of unknown people look at you and circle which ones they see you most doing.
3. Use their results to gain a sense of direction.
4. Get assessment from other actors and/or professionals

As a Screenwriter

• Write a treatment
• Get feedback from the public/strangers.

As a Director

• Make something and get feedback.

And finally, …

What is the most important thing a creative needs to know?

You, as an artist, are meant to impact lives. Don’t ever forget that. Many people in our world are catatonic (can’t deal with great emotional stress), so they need an opportunity to live vicariously in someone or something else. Film helps many to connect and to do this. Use your God-given tool set to change and impact lives.

Most screenwriters spend their days creating multiple pages, adding them up until they find out that they have so much more to tell beyond their typical/average 120 page (feature-length) allotment. Likewise, for television, guidelines are tighter, since time constraints for each episode are impassable. Obviously, the tempo is important, too, since comedies may have high-speed dialogue the pushes the page number up, or mysteries and drawn out films may require shorter scripts due to longer action, but one should generally plan on one page per minute.

Once you finally have a draft it’s time to cut. How’s it done? For what should you look?

First, there’s Cosmetic Cutting: Not specifically cutting much from scenes, but simply making the script look shorter.

• Look for unneeded gerunds; often removing a word can shorten a line and reduce the number of lines in a paragraph. John and Craig mention here that 3-4 lines per action paragraph is about their most. Also, several different one line action paragraphs could be grouped into one. These simple changes can often “ripple through” the rest of the document, making it shorter by more than even the corrections themselves. Here’s an important note: Don’t try to change the margins, font size, or line spacing! 

1. When a script goes into production, it’s broken up into a certain number of pages per day (2 3/8), and if you, as a screenwriter, fudge the layout, it can have major effects on a production staying in budget (or not).
2. Keep in mind, too, if a film is shot and it’s too long, scenes will be cut in the editing phase. It’s actually much more graceful to cut in the writing stage than in the editing phase. If there’s any way you can make the film work by cutting now, then do it.

• “Cut To:” and other transition statements. These are unnecessary, except in cases where you are wanting to add impact to the action of the film.
• Orphans. Seek out fragments of lines and consider shortening the text so that those lines are eliminated. Now, this is where once in a great while you can slightly adjust the right margin on a line of dialogue to pull a one word orphan up, and it’s acceptable. In this case, it’s legal “because it doesn’t add time to the [shooting] day. Another element that costs nothing in a production day is few line description (if needed) of a character newly introduced in the script; while it costs nothing, it can certainly help with casting.

Second, Meat Cutting:

• Start big. Ask if there are any sequences that can be removed. “Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes is good for that.” Take some time away from the script.
• Any scene where “a character recaps something that’s already” happened, been said or done. These are generally not needed anyway.
• Trim entrances and exits to scenes. Characters don’t have to enter and then leave the room. Get into things as late as possible, then exit the scene as early as you can. Once the needed information is gained to move the story forward, get to the next scene.
• Depending on the genre, work through setups (first act) and conclusions (climax & into third act). Be careful to treat things properly, but don’t be superfluous or too slow in moving forward.
• On the third act, decide which threads really need to be wrapped up and which ones don’t. Likewise, see if you can wrap several up at the same time with something that “feels more rewarding.” A test for this is visualizing the final scene(s) without sound – if much dialogue is needed to understand it, then it’s likely not ideal.

Here’s the full audio file, as recorded by the guys at johnaugust.com.
http://johnaugust.com/?powerpress_embed=8297-podcast&powerpress_player=default

The last 9-10 minutes I skipped, as it has little to do with screenwriting, but if you like Skyrim and video game discussions, you may find it enjoyable.

ARRIVAL: Producer Christopher Shawn Shaw met me at LAX, & from there we headed North to stay in Simi Valley, which would be our home base for 5 nights (until Tuesday morning). Prior to this point, Thor Ramsey and Torry Martin wrote our script and most legwork had been done on securing our locations and actors, etc.

DAY 1: Leaving about 7:30 am Friday, February 17, we headed to Redlands, CA, about a two-hour trek. Me, I always enjoy the mountains – a huge contrast from Florida – so the terrain helped the trip to go more quickly than I would have thought. At this point, I assumed an additional role for most of the production days – chauffeur to Mr. Shaw. This allowed him a little less stress as he thought through each shoot. As a producer, it’s critical to keep your director’s mind fresh.

Shooting took place at Kimberly Crest House and Gardens, a historic mansion with tall hedges and a great view of the surrounding area from atop the hill. However, a perusal of the property took the crew to an orange grove on the side of the property. Hence, most all of the scenic aspects provided were not captured. Nevertheless, things worked out well in making the story happen, and some meaningful moments were captured for the film’s conclusion.

After the mansion’s orange grove, we moved to a late-afternoon shoot at Gerrard’s Grocery parking lot. It was here that writer-actor Thor Ramsey found himself kidnapped by a couple thugs, finding great supporting talent in actors Scott Wood & Calvin Harrison who volunteered their time. Makeup artist Jaime Feldman supplied Thor’s wound, which was strategically aged throughout the production.

Once darkness set in, a small group moved to Thor’s office (due to space limitations). Here, DP Colton Davie and Key Grip/Gaffer John J. Miller IV setup the office location for Thor’s shots to look warm, contrasting it with the online/computer monitor video footage captured of Thor’s private investigator, Google P.I., played by comedian Torry Martin. Thor and Torry’s interaction was great to see, and the two fed off each other comfortably to provide some solidly humorous scenes.

Day 2: No shooting took place on Saturday, since Thor was traveling. Hence, Producer/Director Christopher Shawn Shaw and I set out to ingest the first shoot day’s footage (Canon 7D) into Final Cut’s favored ProRes codec and then to synchronize the audio provided from the sound department. This proved to be a timely process for Chris’ laptop, but it finally chugged through the data. I edited a set of dailies and rough cuts together, and things really seemed to fall into place, here.

Day 3: Production continued with another long trip out to Redlands. Being late Sunday morning-early afternoon, traffic was not as busy as one typically finds the Southern California highway system. On this day, we returned to Gerrard’s Grocery to re-shoot a shaky clip noticed from Day 1′s ingest and a simple (but creative) shot for the opening titles – a POV from inside the shopping cart while it zipped down several isles. After Gerrard’s, we quickly moved to a nearby mansion to secure meaningful (and very entertaining) dialogue between Thor and the Security guard keeping him from entering – none other than the Bailiff for Judge Judy, Petri Byrd. After a break for dinner, we concluded the day back at Gerrard’s for the final scene of the film, a nighttime back-alley look. Colton and Jack did a great job, lighting the scene “with only a 1K, a 420, and headlights,” based on Colton’s Facebook entry. He then added “That’s one thing DSLRs are good for.” Andrew Nagy was regularly working with sound, and this was a challenging location; various motors cycled throughout amongst other noises in the ally.

Day 4: Still in shooting phase, the crew took on a larger task, a 3-person shoot with other crew as extras on a double-decker tour bus as it traversed nearby streets. Undoubtedly, Andrew had his hands full, managing the boom and lav mics while adjusting for wind noise on the open top and limiting engine noise from the old British diesel. Honestly, though, this scene really takes the cake for solid production value. Adding a bus took the production beyond the mundane and made for a strong visual element. The bus we used can be seen on Michael Harper-Smith’s Euro Cars website. Oh! when on the top story of an open vehicle, keep a watch out for tree limbs! Colton (DP) can fill you in on that.

While at this place, I was running to get some cash from the bank, but I had to replace a flat tire, impaled by a large metal tack of sorts. This later proved a blessing, because all of the tires on this car needed to be replaced, and Thor’s driving later in the week required a good amount of rubber on the roadway to get us to our final destination before our deadline.

Arriving back at our hotel, we proceeded to ingest footage overnight.

Day 5: Tuesday morning found us editing, of course! Christopher and I did so leisurely until our checkout time at noon; then we took the two-hour trip back to Redlands once again to setup shop where Thor and his family graciously offered housing. By this point we were exhausted. Christopher needed rest badly, so I took the all-night shift, linking the audio to the video.

Day 6: Wednesday morning, Christopher got up began cutting the scenes. We interacted on what we saw, and things kept on moving. We also took the time to shoot some shots for a CG effect of a paper airplane. A lack of sufficient rest introduced my doom late Wednesday night, as I got really, really sick to my stomach, likely with a 24 hour bug. By then, I had been up for 30+ hours (I did doze a bit during editing, too). Now, I spent the next 24 hours mostly sitting on the couch or hugging the cold white porcelain with which I shared my guts so readily. The bulk of the edit fell solidly on Christopher’s shoulders, too.

Day 7: Time wouldn’t stop, but God was faithful. Most of Thursday was Christopher editing and interacting with our sound guys and music composer, Andrew Southwick (He did a phenomenal job, by the way!). Through answered prayer, I was able to hold down some crackers and ginger ale. Somewhere in the late night (12:30-1:30-ish) I went up to join Andrew Nagy in Thor’s office. He plugged away at final audio edits until near sunrise while I worked on the paper airplane special fx and performed some color work. Thor had taken on the opening titles and the closing credits.

The deadline was quickly approaching, so we exported a completed clip, copied it to a portable hard drive, and took off to the finish line, well over an hour away. Unfortunately, California highways have this crazy way of stopping for no apparent reason. This happened, and we all began to sweat; then we prayed. Christopher began to consult his (jokingly called by Thor as) “prophet” – his iPhone – and surprisingly, even though we started out with no way to reach the destination before the deadline, things began to change. Thor dodged, weaved, accelerated, and we overcame the obstacle of time by God’s grace. The film was submitted with five minutes to spare. Day 7 was over at 11 am, Friday, February 24.

From this trip I certainly have learned some additional tricks of the trade, but I have more importantly built some great relationships. Success is built on the people with whom one works, and I can’t think of one individual on this crew who was out of place. The final product shows strongly what can come about as people work together as a team with a solid goal in mind.

Here’s a list of those involved in our production, and they are all great at what they do!

• Production Assistants – Alexis Spencer-Byers, Bert Jennings, Nate Tharp
• Craft Services – Shelly Shaw, Nate Tharp, Dinika Sides
• Makeup & Hair – Jaime Feldman
• Art Director – Kelly Davie
• Wardrobe Supervisor – Ayumi Moore
• Line Producer – Toni Deaver
• Sound Mixer & Editor - Andrew Nagy
• Boom Operators – Robert McPherson, Jimmy Donahue
• Gaffer – John J. Miller IV
• 1st AD – AJ Tigner
• DP – Colton Davie
• Music by - Andrew Southwick
• Producers – Christopher Shawn Shaw, Tom Costello, Thor Ramsey, Josh B. Jacobs
• Executive Producer – Don Schaffer (myself)
• Special FX – Don Schaffer (& Christopher held the paper airplane!)
• Editing – Christopher Shawn Shaw, Don Schaffer
• Written by – Thor Ramsey & Torry Martin
• Directed by – Christopher Shawn Shaw

Actors:

• Main Character (unnamed)….. Thor Ramsey
• Google P.I. ….. Torry Martin
• Gardner ….. Anthony James “AJ” Tigner
• Guard ….. Petri Byrd
• Tour Bus Guide ….. Tom Costello
• Sane Tourist ….. Christa Nichole Wells
• Street Person ….. Bryan McClure
• Black Beanie Thug ….. Cal Harrison
• Gary Busey Thug ….. Scott Wood
• Father figure (photos) ….. Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.
• Not Tom Cruise ….. Jimmy Donahue
• Without lines ….. Josh B. Jacobs, Alrien J. Berg, John J. Miller IV

I usually don’t do stuff last minute, but it must have been fate that I was thinking about WJXT’s Morning Jam Contest when I was approached by a guy who asked me to help him win a car. Unfortunately, I only had two days to complete the project. GULP! So, I threw all caution to the wind and did a true “run-n-gun” production. 

Thankfully, the hard part of the project was done – he presented me with a completed audio recording! Without good audio, video projects can never do well, because they will only ever look as good as they sound. Having a half-decent track was the starting point.

We took Chuck’s audio and lyrics, ran out, and started shooting. After a few scene changes, calls to potential talent, and even securing a bicycle built for two, the footage was in the can. Then the fun started…

Editing can be a nightmare when you shoot without a shot list, which makes me glad that I both shoot and edit, since I can shoot for the edit to work. Otherwise, we would have had some problems. Certainly, I was sure to cover the action with some extra shots, but pretty much, I only got was needed to tell the story effectively. Editing and effects took me about 10 hours to complete. Honestly, the biggest challenge in this video was about 4-5 hours of CGI (and some dozing through the night) done on about 15 seconds of footage where our musician (Chuck Davis) was cut from his chroma shot and placed over an animated web page and other fx.

In all, I’m pretty pleased with how the video turned out. As of this point, it appears to be showing strong on WJXT’s facebook contest page, and it’s getting tons of votes. You can follow the contest here. If you visit the contest while it’s in place, certainly, click to vote for “I Need a Car.”

The video is also available in HD on vimeo.

So, how can this be done? What are some elements to consider when you are needing to get deeper responses from prospective funding sources?

• Budget. You have to create budget! Many films get shot and then have nowhere to go but to a few home-burned DVDs or some flash drives. So, build your production budget, but also figure out who should see your film and secure funding for it accordingly. It seems that short films and documentaries have pretty poor odds for wide distribution, buy you may have one of those magical films that could go viral. Capitalize on it and do what you can to get it into the hands of the right audience.
• Build a track record. As you do more projects, you’ll gain greater influence on larger-scaled projects. Yeah, it’s the first couple that every fledgling filmmaker goes to make that are the hardest. That’s where relationships enter the scene. Take your idea and partner with another filmmaker who’s been around that you respect and trust. You’ll learn and gain credibility in the process at the same time. You will likely not get a ten million dollar contract in your first few years in the business. It’s not good business for companies to drop money in an unknown’s lap unless there is a proven track record of growth and dependability.
• Treat your film as a business. Projects are fun to do, yes, but unless you treat them seriously you may find yourself in a legal bind. Follow your state’s laws for incorporating and handling finances. Don’t skimp on this, or you could end up paying way more than you wanted. Many films are created as LLCs anymore, allowing for everything to flow properly from the production’s accounting, payroll, funding, insurance, talent, and crew sides.
• Handle securities properly. Technically, if you exchange value to a financier of your film through something promised in return for their gift, you are giving them ownership of at least a portion of your project. This creates a securities issue, and you are then required by both federal and state law to supply to that giver certain items: where the funds will be used; how the film will be used; the type of distribution the video will see; disclosure documents; types of markets; etc. It’s generally best for low-budget films to secure flat donations over offering producer credits, visits on the set, autographed props, and the myriads of other promises I’ve seen from productions attempting to secure cash. This way you can avoid the securities issue. An exception to this appears to be websites like Kickstarter, FilmFunds, IndieGoGo, and others, where it seems that these companies have some loophole space and laws have not been established regulating their processes. Hence, these sites would ultimately hold the brunt, if not all, of securities issues if the federal government actually decided to go after them, leaving filmmakers much freer in this arena. So, for now, use these sources as successfully as you can.
• Get an attorney. Legal matters need to be addressed. This is much more dangerous than refurbishing a house and not knowing local building codes; failing to follow legal matters properly could not only doom a promising project, but it could darken your reputation, too. In LA and NYC, attorneys can cost from $50-100,000 per project when securities are involved, but it might be good to shop for an entertainment lawyer who wants to serve smaller productions. For instance, Larry Haber, an attorney in Orlando, FL, currently charges about $10,000 on an equivalently scaled project with securities as the bigger film markets. If securities are not being secured, then this cost can drop significantly.
• Seek out the right financiers. Is your film about a guy recovering from an injury to compete again in the X Games? This element gives a direction on people to target for your project. You’d be surprised how the subject matter of your project will spur some to give passionately and others to turn up a nose. Find the niche who want to have a part in telling something about what they love. This is also true in social cause films. If doing a film on abortion, human rights, and other humanitarian themes, then seek agencies and sponsors who believe in what you are doing.
• Build a following. Utilize social networks and even funding sites (Kickstarter, and others) to promote and to build hype around your project. As you gather interest you will gain a potential funding base. Provide opportunities for people to see photos or videos of the production as it happens with daily or weekly updates; give interviews from actors or talent; take time to illustrate good things, and even to show where perseverance was needed to push through difficult times (vehicle breakdowns, inclement weather). When your audience connects emotionally with the project, that’s when they are willing to give. Until then, it’s just a neat thing for them to see what you are doing. A sign of this is repeat visits to your site. Once a base is established, you could offer pushes toward certain funding levels, allowing for drawings of t-shirts or other items, maybe even exclusive content for project donors. Be careful, though, to be clear on donor status, not the transfer of value from the production for money or goods given, or you run into a securities issue. Simply having the site and getting hits on it further validates your credibility, and this tool alone can serve as a fundraising tool when soliciting funds.

Note: I am not an attorney, so my views should be merely considered as recommendations. It is best to consult with your entertainment lawyer on legal methods to secure the proper funding for your film projects. One knowledgable attorney I met recently is Larry Haber, and it may be worth it to give him a call. Based on other filmmaker testimonies in the Orlando, FL area, he’s fair on his price and knowledgable in his field.