Over the past few months, I’ve had time to reflect on my experience creating A Brush of Violence, a 40-minute short film that I worked on from January 2021 to June 2022. Mistakes, challenges, successes and surprises are inevitable throughout making a film, but looking back, it’s clear there are things I did – and didn’t do – that helped us eliminate or navigate them in the moment. Here are 16 of them. Some of these tips are things I learned throughout this process, some of them simply bear repeating, but all of them were essential to my success.
A huge portion of my story needed to be filmed in a mansion. Through research, I had created a list of dream locations that fit the aesthetic I wanted. So, I sent a two-page letter and a black, wax-sealed envelope to those locations. The letter requested a meeting and explained what I was doing, my vision for the project, and how these locations met a need that nobody else could. The approach caught their attention, and I was able to meet with my number one choice and secured them for two days of production.
Another example of this is when I needed permission to film in a high-rise that was only accessible to residents of the building. I was denied access initially. So I went to Instagram, found the location, and started sending messages to individuals who tagged being there. This message explained myself, offered payment, and requested a phone call. I obtained access to this location for only $250 dollars for a half day of filming.
Props can tell a lot about a character and the world that we’re watching. For filmmaking – these little items are very important, but they don’t have to be a budget-breaker. Stores you commonly shop at may have a lot of what you might need – at a fraction of the price.
Etsy, on top of it, can offer surprisingly affordable prices on some of the most unique and custom items. From there, I was able to get a vintage Japanese camera from Massachusetts, a leather journal from India, a custom license plate from Germany, and a smoke box from the UK – all at very affordable prices.
Filmmaking is all about problem-solving against the clock. When planning production, the schedules I created for our days were very attainable. Curveballs will happen, this created space for that. It also allowed us to get extra coverage and execute what we wanted while maintaining our desired quality.
Most of the key players on my team had already worked with me on commercials or music videos, so by the time we got into prep, on set, or post-production, we had already established a working relationship. Having this foundation brings a comfortable familiarity to the group and can expedite many portions of the process.
There was a point near the beginning of production when I was having issues locking in two scenes. It came to the point where I had 90% of the film completely planned out and these two minor locations were becoming a distraction. It was a tough call, but I decided to ignore what wasn’t possible, get most of the film in the can, and fly everyone back for two days of shooting a couple of months later. It was a tough call, but it was the right call because it allowed me to stay focused on the upcoming production.
As a leader, it’s your job to be aware of your surroundings and maintain morale on set. Of course, taking the time to find the right collaborators is a huge piece of this. A nice complement to that is food and drink. Something as seemingly simple as having coffee, a variety of special drinks for talent, and healthy meals can substantially impact the energy of the production. Always read the room and make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible.
In the film, there is a scene involving a prop gun. Even though it was an unbudgeted cost, it was my responsibility to maintain the safety of my team. I spent an extensive amount of time researching this and ended up shipping a professional non-firing replica across the country from Los Angeles. If you don’t have the money to do a gag the right way – with safety – then re-write your scene in the script.
I’m a strong believer that a film is made in the prep. Curated Zoom calls, meetings, and one-on-ones with your team provide clarity on the project so everyone knows the objective. For challenging scenes, we spent two days prior rehearsing them. More than once this saved us.
Production is expensive. Conversations aren’t, so do that before you get to set.
We live in a digital age where email, message and text dominate communication. But when it comes to building new relationships or reaching out to new vendors you can’t beat talking on the phone. A call stands out from inbox clutter, makes requests urgent, is more efficient, and can convey your personality in a way that text can’t.
Tell your story and take feedback from your peers, family, and friends. Some of the best elements, ideas, and changes of this film came from just having casual constructive conversations with people around me.
I searched nationally for nearly three months for many of my cast, reviewing over 20,000 profiles individually, alongside the over 5,600 who submitted to audition. As I was balancing all of the other needs of the project I just made the casting process a part of my coffee in the morning.
I know a lot of filmmakers know this, but it bears repeating. Your cast can take a while to find, but finding the right people is worth it. Your talent is out there, they exist. Find them.
Throughout the project I constantly kept everyone updated through email and group chats. But the most effective tool I created ended up being a Google Sheet. On it, we had everyone’s contact information, addresses, flights, what meals would be provided, who was needed on what days, and what the scenes were on which dates. The best advantage of this is you can update it in real-time when things change at the last minute.
Life happens. Weather, sickness, family – so have a couple of days throughout your production that can be swapped around in case something comes up. Secondly, talk to locations ahead of time at least a week out to discuss any audibles they have that might need to be put into play.
I didn’t have a strong network of people around me who had the capacity to help with design projects or voice-overs, so I looked into fiver. For $80, including several revisions, I was able to get the logo of the film handwritten. For $190, I got seven voice-overs done in different English accents, Arabic, Bulgarian and Indonesian. Fiver is affordable, easy, and expansive in terms of its offerings.
Our six-person post-production team was spread out over six different locations – both nationally and internationally. To keep us accountable and organized in post-production, I maintained extensive, color-coded notes on Google Slides and kept everyone in the loop with weekly updates of success/challenges and goals via email. This kept things from getting lost in the sauce.
As I started getting crew booked, I didn’t have all my production needs figured out. It was only May, but I knew that if I didn’t set dates – it wasn’t going to happen. So I started narrowing it down to a range of dates through conversations with people on my team. At some point, you have to force dates on yourself. There is no such thing as the perfect time.
If you’re a filmmaker, some of this – maybe all of it – may not be new. But it’s clear through my conversations with other creators that they bear repeating. Get creative with how you approach everything, take care of your people, stay organized, communicate, set deadlines and don’t give up. If you do that, you’ll be well on your way to making your film a reality and a success.
Daniel Lawrence Wilson is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California, whose obsession with authentic narrative has led him to partner with brands, agencies, and production companies worldwide. He has spent the last 12 years working as a successful writer, producer, director, and editor, focusing on creating branded content that integrates lifestyle and stories. He just finished post-production for his short film debut, A Brush of Violence. It’s projected to be released in 2023.
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