How To Shoot a Film in Less Than 25 Days

by Shaun O'Banion | Published February 12, 2010

My name’s Shaun O’Banion. You’re probably asking yourself, “Shaun who?” That’s Okay. I’m a producer only on my second feature film. My first, Dakota Skye, was made for $150,000 in 16 days and while we didn’t get a theatrical release, we were all thrilled to get the film on DVD and on sites like Netflix and Blockbuster Online.

Having recently completed my second feature film, a drama starring Shannon Woodward ("The Riches"), Jackson Rathbone (Twilight) and Amanda Plummer (Pulp Fiction) called Girlfriend, I figured I might have something to say about pulling off a film on a limited budget and short schedule. As a fan of the magazine and Website, I talked to MovieMaker a bit about what I’ve learned and they thought it would be good for me to pass along a bit of it. It’s pretty crazy, as you move up in budget, how quickly you forget how to do things small and fast, but it definitely does happen, so I figured I ought to get some of this out there now while it’s still fresh in my memory!

What follows is geared toward people with a similar budget to my first feature, but are elements you should look into regardless of your budget, if you can. Here goes…

GO HOME
Go home? What kind of tip is this? Well, to be honest, it’s the best way to get a film made right now. If you no longer live in your hometown, but can go back there to make your film, it’ll do wonders for your budget. Dakota Skye, as scripted, was originally set in Georgia, where the screenwriter was from. Once the director and I began to figure out how we could pull this off on our limited budget, we began to realize a few things: First, for that particular story, it would actually suit the film better to shoot it in a place that was vast, hot and where young people wouldn’t have much to do. Second, if we took our shoot to Phoenix (where the director is from), we could very likely pull a ton of favors—which we did. “Hometown boy makes good,” that whole thing. On Girlfriend, taking the film back East was already part of the plan for exactly the same reason. Not only did the landscape of the Boston area provide exactly what the script required, but it was also a place where the director knew people would be willing to help out—and we got a lot of help. We had access to crew, equipment and local businesses as well as people’s homes because the director knew everyone in the town. Also, since the town we were shooting in was just starting to figure out how to welcome the film community, we got to take advantage of things like not having to pull permits for most of our locations and our director even got us the full cooperation of the local police force!

FORM AN LLC
Having an LLC (limited liability company) will, in most cases, protect you from any legal issues that may arise during your shoot. An LLC is less formal and more flexible than a typical corporation, while offering similar protection and even a few advantages. For example, members cannot be found personally liable for company debts, so your assets are separate from the assets of your LLC and can’t be seized. Another of the advantages of an LLC is that taxation is based on the partnership model. This flow-through taxation is advantageous since members are only required to pay taxes on their earnings once, instead of paying both corporate and individual taxes.

Your LLC, unlike a corporation, could have as many members as you want and doesn’t require bylaws, meetings or the recording of minutes. While many states do not demand an operating agreement, you should have one drawn up as it is a requirement of the Screen Actors Guild. An LLC will cost you in the neighborhood of $800, but could save you thousands if you run into any problems later.

GET INSURED
There are companies in L.A. (like Filmmaker’s Resource) who will place you under their umbrella policy based on several criteria—such as how many shoot days you’ll have, for example. By going with them and using their existing policy, you’ll save yourself time, money and potential headache, but you may have to sign an even longer contract. I’ve never had any issues pop up with them, so I couldn’t tell you how such problems are handled in that situation.

On Girlfriend we went with a company called CSIS, and they were really helpful. I’m glad I found them because we had several instances where we needed to reference our policy. We had to call an ambulance when a background performer in one scene literally passed out when Jackson Rathbone walked by her on set. We also had our key grip go to the emergency room after she was bitten by a deer tick. Workman’s Comp insurance covered both cases. You’ll also need insurance to cover your equipment—especially if you decide to go out of state and have to ship things. This is where those two letters a producer hates to see might come in: “L&D” or “lost and damaged.”

HIRE A GREAT 1ST AD
Even at a budget of $150,000, you most likely won’t be able to afford a DGA assistant director, but it doesn’t mean you can’t find someone amazing… and a great 1st AD could very well save your shoot. Find someone with a ton of great recommendations who has done the job in the past. The 1st will be your one of your greatest allies as producer and your director’s best friend and partner on set. Once you’ve built what you think is an amazing, workable schedule, you’ll marvel as your 1st comes in, re-orders the thing and finds a way to take a day off of it (saving you serious money). Also, when they ask to bring their 2nd with them? Say yes, you’ll thank me later. On Girlfriend, Mike Whitecar (our 1st) and Scott Kirkley (our associate producer, who is a DGA member) saved us a ton of money and time by keeping us on target.

CONSIDER HIRING SCREEN ACTORS GUILD)
While it may seem out of reach to go for recognizable actors, you should never feel limited. Granted, if you’re not in L.A. already and don’t have a way to get to “name” talent, then you will probably have to hire locals and hope for the best. However, SAG has many different tiered agreements, which make it possible for the indie MovieMaker (see what I did there?) to get good talent into their films. On one of my shorts, I got Jennifer Morrison (“House M.D.”). For my friend’s short we got John Carroll Lynch (Fargo, Zodiac). Actors just want to do good work—especially now—so go after someone you want. For Dakota Skye, we saw a lot of recognizable talent, many of whom went on to far bigger films than ours. For Girlfriend, we actually had people calling us to get in the film. Go to www.SAGIndie.org and see if one of their contracts will work for you. Having professional actors in your project is one of the best ways to set yourself above the other guys, who are using their stoner neighbor for their lead.

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Comment by milliyet ilan on 6/01/11 at 1:25 am

“There are companies in L.A. (like Filmmaker’s Resource) who will place you under their umbrella policy based on several criteria—such as how many shoot days you’ll have, for example. By going with them and using their existing policy, you’ll save yourself time, money and potential headache, but you may have to sign an even longer contract. I’ve never had any issues pop up with them, so I couldn’t tell you how such problems are handled in that situation.”

Thank You !

Comment by hürriyet reklam on 6/01/11 at 1:49 am

Thank You !

Comment by hürryet gazete ilanı on 6/01/11 at 1:51 am

“Your LLC, unlike a corporation, could have as many members as you want and doesn’t require bylaws, meetings or the recording of minutes. While many states do not demand an operating agreement, you should have one drawn up as it is a requirement of the Screen Actors Guild. An LLC will cost you in the neighborhood of $800, but could save you thousands if you run into any problems later. “
Thank you.

Comment by zaman ilan ver on 6/01/11 at 1:52 am

“Having an LLC (limited liability company) will, in most cases, protect you from any legal issues that may arise during your shoot. An LLC is less formal and more flexible than a typical corporation, while offering similar protection and even a few advantages. For example, members cannot be found personally liable for company debts, so your assets are separate from the assets of your LLC and can’t be seized. Another of the advantages of an LLC is that taxation is based on the partnership model. This flow-through taxation is advantageous since members are only required to pay taxes on their earnings once, instead of paying both corporate and individual taxes. “

thank you.