15 Minute Film School by The Hollywood Film Institute

1. Film Idea: Take the thought that is in your head and flesh it out by knowing who is the Protagonist (good guy) and Antagonist (bad guy), what the A-story or external (good guys desires) story is and then add the three intertwining B-stories (sub-plots), with a resolution. You now have a solid idea! 2. Movie Treatment: Write you film idea into a Three-Act (Beginning, Middle & End), three page, double spaced treatment. a. On the first half of page 1, with three to four long sentences write The Beginning that contains the 5-Ws & 1-H (Who, What, Where, When, Why & How). b. On the bottom half of page 3, write The Ending where the A-story and subplots coverage for a resolution. c. Then write your storys The Middle, with the sub-plots, on the bottom half of page 1, all of page 2 and the top of page 3. d. Put a title page on this three-page treatment with (A) the title, (B) next line A Treatment for Feature Film, (C) next line the word By, and (D) next line Your Name. Then in the bottom right hand corner type For Further Information and underneath give your contact address, phone # and e- mail address. e. Congratulations, you have now taken the idea that is in your head; fleshed it out and written a feature film treatment. 3. Protection: Send a copy of the treatment to the Writers Guild of America (www.wga.org, New York or Los Angeles) along with $20 (you do not have to be a member) and register it. Then, for extra security, send another copy of the Library of Congress (www.loc.gov) with $30 and Copyright it. a. Congratulations, you can now prove the day that your idea became real and a property that you actually own. 4. Screenplay: As the Producer procure the screenplay, based off of the registered treatment, by either hiring a writer to give you two drafts (1st draft in 5 weeks and 2nd draft in 3 weeks, paying $500 to $1,000/week) over two months. If you cant afford to hire a screenwriter then you will either option an already written (aka: Spec Script) screenplay for $100 or write the script yourself. 5. Low Script: Since youll have litte-to-no money to make your first feature, be sure that the script you procure is a low-budget script. a. This means that if screenplays are 90-120 pages, your low-budget script will be 90 pages (30 less pages to worry about). b. Next three will be no special effects, no action scenes, no crowd scenes, no big name stars and absolutely no crew location movement.

2 c. In essence your script is very close to a stage-play. Keep it simple! One location! A courtroom drama, a family dinner, a sorority reunion, etc. Clerks, 12 Angry Men, Reservoir Dogs, Panic Room, Phonebooth, Etc. 6. Budget: Be realistic. Do not call $1 million or $2 million low-budget. You will not have access to this amount of cash for your first feature. 99.9% of independent Filmmakers, on their first shoot, only have access to somewhere between $5,000 and $300,000. Budget Accordingly. 7. Schedule: If you have access to $150,000-$300,000 you will most likely be a 3-week (18-day) shoot. With access to $80,000-$150,000 youll be a 2-week (13-day) shoot. Finally, if all you have is $5,000-$80,000 then you only have enough money for a 1-week (7-day) shoot. And, with your 90-page screenplay an 18-day shoot will have a 5-page per day shooting schedule; a 13-day shoot will have a 7-page per day schedule, and a 1-week shoot will have a shooting schedule of 10-12 pages per day. 8. Format: Film (35mm or 16mm) or Tape (Digital)? The bottom line is, what does your budget allow. With $150,000-$300,000 you will be a 35mm Film shoot for 3 weeks. With access to $120,000-$150,000 you will be a 35mm Film 2-week shoot. With access to $80,000-$120,000 you will either be a 35mm Film 1-week shoot or a 16mm Film 2-week shoot. With access to anything less than $80,000 ($5,000?, $20,000?, $50,000?, Etc.) you will not be a film format but will use electronic cameras (tape) and the format will be called Digital Video or specifically, Mini-Digital Video (Mini- DV) and youll use either a Canon (XL-1), a Sony (PD-150), or a JVC (500DVU) camera which can be bought for about $3,000. You could also shoot 24/P high-def by using the brand new $3,500 Panasonic (DVX100). 9. Resources: 1st get your local film directory (phonebook for film crew & equipment) from you respective film commissioner (www.afci.org). 2nd get your paperwork (forms, agreements, checklists, contracts, storyboards, etc) and get organized from the following (Contracts for Film & TV, Complete Film Production Handbook, Independent Producers Guide to Film & TV Contracts, Film Scheduling, Film Scheduling & Budgeting Workbook, Film Directors Team, Storyboards: Motion in Art and From Word to Image) books. 3rd procure your software (screenwriting, budgeting or scheduling) from any of the numerous screenwriting sites. 10. Equipment: Assuming $150,000-$300,000 you will rent 35mm CAMERAS (Arriflex or Panavision) and a DOLLY (Fisher or Chapman) from local rental facility on a 2-day rate of about $4,000/week. LIGHTS & GRIP equipment will come from a Gaffer (Lighting Director), with an independent truck that you found advertised in your local directory on a rate of $2,000-$3,000/week. SOUND will come from a soundman (found in the directory), with their own equipment (Recorder, Microphones & Mixer), at $1,500-$2,000/week rate.

3 11. Location(s): Procure your shooting location(s) (Apartment, House, Garage, Store, Restaurant, Etc.), but be sure you get a signed release (needed for E & O Insurance) from the owner/tenant, on a $100 per day rate, with some $100 bills stored in your pocket during the shoot to buy off any inconveniences caused to neighbors of the shoots location. 12. Direct: 1st Cast Your Actors: During pre-production, hire a casting director ($500/day) to get 4-6 actors to read per part. 2nd Rehearsal: have one ready (aka: Table Reading) at the location with your cast. Shoot: With the cameras and actors at the location select shots in this order: first get a Master Shot, then two Medium (Over-theShoulder) Shots, and then a Close-up with a couple of Cut-Aways. This is five to six shots per scene or page. With a 3-week shoot (5-page/day) resulting in 25-35 shots/day schedule, that only allows 20-25 minutes/shot. 13. The Shoot: Stay on schedule 5-pages/day (3-week shoot), 25-35 shots/day as you stay on budget (dont write any extra checks and dont run out of film) and get excellent coverage. Arrive at the set at 6:00am shoot until 7:00pm (its dark), spend 2 hours of wrap and planning for the next day and at lest 1 hour at late-night dailies. You will start at 6:00am and finish each day at 10:00pm-12:00pm. This is a 16-18 hour workday. Do this everyday for 3-weeks and you have shot your movie. 14. Edit & Post: Hire a pictures editor to give you six edits (aka: cuts) over 2 months. Then hire a sound editor (create an additional 10-20 sound tracks) over 1 month. Next, rent a post production sound facility for a couple of days of ADR (lip syncing and voice over), then Foley (footsteps and clothes rustling), procure your M&E (for foreign sales) track and contract for your original music score. Then combine all these sound tracks during a Re-recording session. 15. Lab & Print: Youre almost done! Have the lab make an optical sound track, then cut the negative to confirm to your workprints edit list, then color correct the cut negative and strike an answer print with the titles, dissolves, fades, and sound track included. Youre done! Youve made your first movie! 16. Publicity: Now lets make money! One month prior to the shoot have your film listed in the trades (Daily Variety & Hollywood Reporter) film production charts. Handle the phone calls from distributors (Acquisition Exe cutives) who want to screen your film. Be sure that you get action photos of your film being shot during production and create a slick looking press kit during post production. 17. Distributors: There are 6-7 major distributors (Warners, Paramount, Disney, Etc), 67 mini- major distributors (Miramax, New Line, etc), 11-12 independent distributors (Strand, Lionsgate, Etc) and 15-20 foreign sales distributors (Crub, Concorde, Troma, Etc). When these 35-45 Distributors (Acquisition Executive) call to screen your film (never give an exclusive showing) notify them at what festival you will be premiering.

4 18. Festivals: Of the 200-3,000 film festivals each year you must get your film accepted in one of the 10-15 major (Sundance, Toronto, Telluride, Tribeca, Etc.) festivals that these 35-45 Acquisitions Execs attend. Have your premiere. Hopefully the theater sells out, with a clearly defined audience demographics, that love the film and applaud loudly at the closing titles. You proudly leave the auditorium and enter the theaters lobby where, if youve done proper publicity, there are at least 7-10, of the 35-45, Acquisition Executives who want to procure distribution rights. 19. Distribution: Negotiate, during the next 12-18 hours, with the 7-10 distributors who want to pick up your film dont be by yourself. Have an agent, a producers representative or an entertainment attorney with you. Negotiate the major 25 deal memo points. Such as: How much money up front? North American or Foreign deal? Whats the P&A (Prints & Advertising) budget? Whats the Distribution Fee? Whos got each of the Windows (PPV, VOD, Cable, Video/DVD, Etc.) and for how long? Who has each of the foreign nation (Italy, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Etc.) sales? What about Profits? 20. Profits: Now get an accountant ready to audit and an attorney ready to sue to enforce the contract. However, prior to your accountant and your attorney you will now have an agent (ICM, CAA, UTA, APA, Etc) who is readying you for a 3-picture deal, a house in Malibu, meetings with stars and a humble acceptance speech. Along the way there will be wonderful salaries, super and massive profits garnered from Box Office Grosses, Foreign Sales, Video/DVD deals, Cable Sales and ancillary revenues from music album, merchandising and licensing. 21. One Year+: It has taken 12-18 months, but you have launched your career with your first no-budget feature film that you either wrote, produced or directed that garnered a lot of press and publicity at a major film, festival. Clerks Kevin Smiths first film, one- location shoot, filmed in a convenience store. Sex, Lies, and Videotape A move with five locations, filmed in a small town, launched Steven Soderberghs career. Blair Witch Project 3 kids, one tent and $150 million gross, you can do it! Reservoirs Dogs Quentin took 10 actors to a garage and demonstrated his talentcan you? Pulp Fiction Quentins second film, truly demonstrates a career launched. My Big Fat Greek Wedding A stage play converted into a film, grossed over $250 million. What will your film do? Easy Rider 3 guys, 2 bikes and the independent film movement is launched.

You have just received a solid foundation of filmmaking information from which you can build on to launch a successful career. At HFI my motto is The most information in the shortest period of time. Thus, to get the full lesson and launch your career, then take one of my four intensive film school programs. (http://www.webfilmschool.com)