Five things I learned from our no budget production in Mexico
These are my director notes that I would like to share with other movie makers and anyone else interested. The idea here is to contribute, help, and learn from other filmmakers to keep creating the work we love. I will continue to post as we release each episode of the show, Luck and the Virgin. Please leave your comments.
Luck and the Virgin (a webisode series)
Mexico is not only filled with warm hearts and tortillas but also a strange spirit that continues to call to me and tap on my shoulder to return once again now that the weather here in North Carolina goes cold and the leaves begin to fall. After 4 months in this wonderful and alluring country of Mexico last spring, we finally returned home, but reluctantly.
And now after months of editing, footage problems, computer issues, English and Spanish translations, illnesses, working on other projects for money, and just not having enough time in each short day, I am finally getting a trailer posted of the long awaited series, "Luck and the Virgin" shot in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Producing this project was one of the most interesting and yet difficult projects I have done so far. Everyone we worked with was great and beyond helpful. To find a cast and crew so excited to work with us in the amount of time we had, was just short of a miracle. I cannot thank everyone enough!
How it was created:
We first developed the idea with one of the actors in the series (and our travel friend) in order to travel more with one another. The three of us all love to travel. We had the production equipment, and the actor had the talent, and since we all liked being with one another, it seemed like a good idea to figure out how to make money to support our travel addiction through movie making.
As the script developed with the help of another writer back home, it was not long before we realized we had to make some big changes to the outline and story in order to make the production possible in the amount of time we had, as well as to make it more marketable. With only a couple days before production, it was becoming more and more clear that the changes to the script was not what our actor expected or wanted, and then slowly and unexpectedly, things started to get stressful between us from this point on.
Since there was no clear communication between us, I became thoroughly confused and baffled over the next several days, but did my very best to keep things from falling apart since there were so many other people involved and committed to the project. We had everything in place. Cast and crew. Location and food. People from all over coming to help us be part of this event. At the time, I thought I couldn't stop the train wreck even though I saw the crash ahead of time, but now I know I could have changed some things and possibly avoided a lot of drama.
Here are FIVE important things to take from our experience.
1. TAKE YOUR TIME!
Think things through. Make sure your script is finished and in a state that makes you happy. Rewrite it as many times as it needs. There was so little time to develop our idea, write a script, cast the project, and shoot the entire show. How we pulled it off, I will never know. So in the end, we paid the price. I will never do this again. Make sure you have PLENTY of preproduction time. Things come up. Things change.
2. IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME TO GET THINGS DONE.
Working in another country has it's challenges. First, there's the language thing. Most of the time I think we can get past this, but it will make things go a LOT SLOWER. Especially in Mexico. People just have a different sense of time there. Nothing wrong with it. You just got to keep that in mind when you're producing a movie. It's best to find someone who can speak both languages well from the area to help with all the communications and emails.
3. FIND OUT WHAT YOUR CREW KNOWS.
If you're lucky enough to have a crew come help you on your set, make sure you find out what they know. This means take the time to get to know the people you are working with and know the experience level they are at before the cameras start rolling. You may be surprised that they know more and can help more then you ever thought.
4. SHIT HAPPENS, FOLLOW YOUR GUT.
It just does. Do you're best and watch the road ahead at every turn. If you can see things coming, it's easier to avoid them. This means also, to always use your gut to guide you. This is often the thing us movie makers ignore a good deal of the time and we regret it afterwords. We often make choices because we feel we are too deep into the process to pull out, but this is never the case. It is better to delay the production then to create something you are not happy with.
5. COMMUNICATE!
Make sure you have the time to communicate with your actors and crew and let them know what to expect. Be clear with all those you are working with. Yes, I know most of the time no matter how clear you are, there will always be miscommunication, but start with being clear up front and keep checking in if you need to. Some people are more sensitive then others and you can avoid some drama if you check in more often.
Others, well, they just like drama. They thrive on it. Without it, they're not really sure of who they are. They feel it brings them closer to those around them. Makes a better bond. To me, it seems to be just another excuse to take front stage and draw attention directly to oneself and drag others involuntarily into the light with them.
Whatever it takes, we are here to get our project made. We put too much time, attention, money, and love into our work to allow others to take us down. So do whatever you need to do to avoid some things or work them to your benefit.
Stay posted for more info on our most recent shoot, "Bipolar Express".
