Why you should always have a Casting for your film?

Casting is one of the keys to producing a really good film.  If you run an effective casting, you will put yourself ahead of the competition dramatically.  An Amateur film is always obvious. The big give away  is actors who can not act. So therefore it is imperative that you organize a successful casting. This way your film will look professional.

Why do most emerging film makers ignore casting?

Most emerging film makers feel that they are not experienced enough to cast. Since they are only starting out, they should not deal with experienced actors. So it is much easier to pass and use your friend who is funny after a beer or two in the pub or the actor you have heard about through a friend of a friend. Disaster.

Lets get three facts straight.

1. Most actors are out of work. Most actors are resting. Most actors are working in resteraunts, cafes or bars. If you have a casting for a short film or a feature film, they will be very excited about the propsect of getting in front of the camera.
2. Most actors are used to auditions. If an actor has an agent, they  consistently attend castings for commercials, small parts in TV dramas and very rare feature films. When they are cast for a commercial, they will be paid big money but it will not move their quality career ahead. When they get a 90 word part in a TV drama, they will be very envious of the regular actors working on the TV show. The actor will be very keen to prove themselves in their own acting vehichle.
3. Therefore actors who have not yet made it, (which is nearly all of them) will be very keen to be the leads in a short film or low budget feature film. They will attend your casting and hope to get the part.

On big films castings are more complex.  You have two specific groups of people who work in the casting area.  You have the Actors Agent such as the Ari Gold, the fictional character in the TV show Entourage. He is  based in part on the real-life Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel.  The Actors Agent represents the Actor.

Then you have the Casting Director who represents the Director and the search for the hottest acting talent for your film.   Many top directors will spend months in Casting sessions. This specific person called a Casting Director essentially creates a list of actors for the Director to see. The Casting Director at their Casting Company, will have preliminary castings so as to create a shortlist.  They will call the actors agents and select a list of their actors. This is why every actor has to have  a really good agent if they want to make it in acting. Now, this is how it happens in the big end of town

However the emerging film director and producer need to avoid the expense of the above process. How can you do it for free for your micro budget quality film.

Firstly avoid actors agents, unless you have budget to pay actors. The really good agents will not deal with micro budget film productions.

Secondly, avoid a Casting Director. Do you very own casting in your own casting space. See every single actor who wants to attend. Like a gold prospector, you will shift through all the dross to find the gold. I guarantee you, if you run two to three five hour sessions of castings, you will find gold. You will find some great actors who will lift your film production above the competition.

How do you learn to run an effective casting, I hear you say.  Of course you need to know where to source the actors. Also you need to know how to run an effective Casting. You need to know what are the essentials and that is why we have the solution for you.

Please check out the Online Film School or our Complete list of practical or live  Film Courses.

In our courses, we teach you how to cast and run an effective casting and how to source your actors.

Till next week have a great one.

Colm O’Murchu
Director International Film Base.

Author Details: Colm O’Murchu is the owner of International Film Base in Sydney Australia. ?He is currently written directed and produced The Makeover Feature Film. The Film screened at the recent Cannes Independent Film Festival in France and won Best Film at the New York City Film Festival. The Film is currently on release in Australia and has sold to Pay TV in Europe. Colm has created the Online Film School and practical or live  Film Courses. that helps emerging film makers produce their own films with no budget. For more about Colm O’Murchu please go to International Film Base

Four Tips for Finding the Best Location

Location Location

I am very much looking forward to presenting the Weekend Film School in Sydney on  this Saturday and Sunday May 21st, 22nd. One of my favourite parts of the Weekend Film School is how we get people to meet each other and network.  On Sunday Afternoon, we launch film projects that then get produced over the following three months. If you are in town and have next weekend free,  please enroll on one of the very best film making weekends, The Sydney Weekend Film School

What I want to talk about this week is Locations. Finding locations for your film is one of the easiest part of preproduction.

Tip One Do not be afraid to write as many locations into your script as you need for your story to be told. I love beautiful locationsand finding the best locations in your city is rather easy. There is an old adage in low budget film making that says “Shoot in a one loacation for three weeks and never move out of there. Yes that is called a play and there is nothing wrong with plays. But if you are shooting a movie, make the movie visual. One can do this by having appropriate locations in your film.

Tip Two . Only have one location move per day and do your best to to schedule only one location for a full shooting day. Over a 30 day shoot, you could have 30 locations. Moving in the middle of the day chews up time. I remember supervising a student short film called Money We only had a one day shoot and we had five locations to shoot in. We spent half the day in the car driving from one location to the other.  If you have to change locations,  only move once on the day. I know this seems contrary to what Tip One outlines. It is important to find the balance.

Tip Three: Make sure that you have a written agreement with the location owner. Most locations are free and are contributions to the film. Still it is very important to have an agreement. with the owner about the hours and day the location is needed for. Also outline

• Will the location get an end credit in the film?
• Will the location signage be seen in the film?
• Make sure that the location is free of all external people or customers. There is nothing worse than shooting in a cafe that is still open to the public. If the location has external people, pack up and go home.

Tip Four. Clean up the location after the shoot and make it cleaner than before you arrived. This is very important and I know I am stating the obvious.

If you get the owner excited about your film in advance of shooting and then when you leave the location,  the owner is  happy , you will help future film makers have an easy time. That could be you again. Invite the Location Owner to all parties and screenings. Leave a great impression.

Of the 55 locations that we found for The Makeover Feature Film, 44 of them were free. When an owner, contributes a location to your film, they are in a way an investor in your project.

On our courses, we teach you how to find locations with ease and for free. Find out more about our courses by clicking on an interesting course on our home page

6 Tips for Attracting the Best Crew

Before I get into the tips, it is important  to differentiate between two different types of crews.

• Big Budget Crew
• Micro Budget Crew

When you read the credits after a big budget film, often the scroll will last fifteen minutes. There are a vast myriad of different people who do many different crew roles on the set. Recently I was invited by  Director Michael Apted on to his $140 million film “The  Chronicles of Narnia The Adventures of the Dawn Treader.”*. The Film was shot at the Gold Coast Warner Brothers Studio in Australia.

The crowd on set resembled the entrance to a football stadium on Match Day. One could hardly move. The set was packed. So many crew were doing different jobs. One lady I spoke to was the Dialogue Coach for specifically one of the  young actresses. She probaly did ten minutes work all day. The rest of the time she was on call and doing nothing more than spectator. That is the big end of town

The other end is the Micro Budget Film Crew which is all about efficiency and effectivness. Everything is about working smart and hard.  Many crew roles are double ups and one crew member could well be doing three different roles.

Here are my top five tips.

1 Keep the Crew lean mean and keen.
What I mean by this, is keep the crew to the bare minimum to effectively shoot. An effective crew is about 10 – 15 members. However some crews are smaller. There were days on The Makeover where we had only seven working crew members and that included me as the Director Producer and DOP. On my Online Film School and Weekend Film School, I outline the Crew needed and where to find them. I also show you how I have designed my Crew Contract. This Contract motivates and inspires crews to work smarter and more focused. In fact many of my crew treated “The Makeover” as if it was their  film.

2 Keep your shoots to five days per week  and no longer than 12 hours per day.
Twelve hour days are  from arrival on set to conclusion. This is so important. Every crew member is keen to be working on the film and no one wants to be seen to be tired or a whinger. Give your crew two days off per week. When you do the above you will have a happy crew and not a bickering crew.   As a Producer or/and Director, please do not take advantage of your crews enthusiasm. Do not flog your crew.

Just as an aside, time on set goes so fast. There are many times the First AD calls lunch and I will say to him” Why are you calling lunch at 9am”  He will reply. “Look at your watch. Its 1pm” Time accelerates and goes so fast on set. The reason for this is that as a Director, you are fully in the moment and a 100% focused.

3  Treat the crew with respect and love. Feed the Crew exceptionally well  Good healthy food that nourishes the crew is like filling up your car with grade A Petrol (Gasoline).  Your crew will work so much better and they will appreciate your efforts. This ultimately results in a better film. Do not  welsh on this area.  Be generous and if you are smart you can feed a crew really well for about $200 per day. You can learn all the tricks on our Online Film School or Weekend Film School

4 Ever Crew member must have a  written contract or agreement and agree willingly to the terms set in the contract. This is so important. The crew feels secure knowing that you will pay what is owed when the film is successful. Also it will protect the producer from unwarranted claims when the film is a big hit. Everyone will know what they are owed. I always add in a clause that our bookkeeper will update crew on Sales for the film. This is very important at the micro budget end of the market.

5  Always keep the crew informed about the progress of your film in film festivals and sales.  Most micro budget crews are paid in shares and a small cash payment. They work on your film for fun and career advancement. Many times, they are seeking experience and credits so that they can get the next job. Long after wrap, they will wonder what ever happened to the film. Keep them informed of the progress via regular email updates.

6 Throw the best parties mid-shoot and on the final day at wrap and at the Cast and Crew Screening. This is important because it can be a time to promote the film and celebrate the amazing achievement of shooting your film.

If you want to set up a career as a regular film crew person, work your way up via working on the micro budget films. Over time  you will find yourself on the bigger budget film crews where you will be paid exceptionally well. Work begets work, so always accept the lower budget jobs when starting out.

If you want the best start that money can buy please look at our practical film courses on http://www.australianfilmbase.com/ or at our Online Film School on http://internationalfilmbase.com/ This way you will effectively attract work on micro budget films or/and create your very own film production.

Till next week have a great one.

Colm O’Murchu
Director International Film Base.

Author Details: Colm O’Murchu is the owner of International Film Base in Sydney Australia. He has currently written directed and produced The Makeover Feature Film. The Film screened at the recent Cannes Independent Film Festival in France and won Best Film at the New York City Film Festival. The Film is currently on release in Australia and has sold to Pay TV in Europe. Colm has created the Online Film School that helps emerging film makers produce their own films with no budget. For more about Colm O’Murchu please go to International Film Base.com

* “The  Chronicles of Narnia The Adventures of the Dawn Treader” was the 12th highest-grossing film of 2010 with over $415 million and received a nomination at the 68th Golden Globe Awards. The film was released by 20th Century Fox

Financing you film

Financing your film:

Every film needs finance of some form. Even the most basic short film needs finance. Finance pays for the Cast Crew Equipment postproduction music creature comforts and locations. Films cost money. However you can be very clever with how you make your film happen. I personally have made three many films where three months out from shooting we had no money and ended up with about $50,000 Cash Budget and about $500,000 of Contributios on the first shooting day. Where there is a will there is a way and when you set a deadline, everything will fall in your way to make the film happen.

The Prime Directive of Micro Budget Film Production:

The Principal of Micro Budget works on the fact that
• every contribution
• every free location
• every crew member who works as a co- owner and
share holder
• every actor who works for a percentage
• equipment that you can get at a reduced price
is Finance for your Film.

This is your Non Cash Budget and should be 80% or more of a total budget for your micro film budget

It is difficult to get everything donated, if you are making a professional standard Film. Minimum professional Standards imply that you look after
Crew and Cast and feed them and treat them well. This costs money. Sometimes a location will cost money. Sometimes you have to pay for Equipment hire Editors and Sound Mixes.Here is a great rule of thumb and only a guide. Everysituation is different.

Budget Categories:
Home Video $ 0 – $100
Amateur short film $ 1,000
Professional Short Film $2,000 – 5,000
Micro Budget Feature Film $ 50,000 – $100K
Low Budget Feature Film $200K-$1millionK
Low budget Feature with a B Star $1 millK – $4millK
Mid Range Feature $4 mill – $10millK
High Range $10 million plus,
Studio Big Budget $50 – 200 million

If you are starting out, think about jumping to Professional Short Film level. It is ultimately more fun and what our film courses are all about. I guarantee film students of mine will become more compeditive than 98% of those trying to make their first few films. This means Film festival exposure work and faster rise to your film goals.

There are six different methods for raising finance and our Online Film School and our Weekend Film Schools will show you how to raise your finance.
One of the methods is my new favourite. By taking our Online Film School or Weekend Film School you will be able to use a combination of the finance methods to make your budget. The Online Film School or/and the Weekend Film Schools  will be worth literally thousands of dollars in finance for you.

Best till next week

Colm O’Murchu

Director International Film Base

16 Steps to make your film happen now

Colm O’Murchu’s Top Ten Films of 2010

My Top 10 Films of 2010:

Today is December 29th and it is now time to list my Top 10 Films of the year. I love going to the cinema where I believe one gets the true cinematic experience. I avoid watching films at home unless I have missed them in the cinema. I make films for a living and I still love to see films as it helps me appreciate what an amazing job that film makers and actors do. They create entertainment and stories for the world.

Top Film lists are always to an extent subjective and there are possibly films on my list that may not resonate with you. However most of my top 10 films have been on the top list of nearly all the top critics.

Firstly here is an interesting piece of trivia. The most disappointing film of 2010 in my opinion was EAT PRAY LOVE with Julia Roberts. It promised so much and delivered so little. The performance by Julia Roberts was insipid and lacked energy. The Indian scenes looked more like the back lot of a Studio than India. It was a struggle to keep awake at this film and it left you with an empty feeling.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK was one of the best films of 2010 as I will comment on later in my Post

Lets look at the Australian Box Office as they were both released in October here in Australia.
EAT PREY LOVE                 $ 10,782,747
THE SOCIAL NETWORK   $ 4,129,428

How could that be?

The Star makes the difference. Julia Roberts persuaded the Public to see this bit of dribble.

The Social Network was an exceptionally better film but its biggest start was Justin Timberlake who is better known for singing than acting.  Therefore less than half the amount of people saw one of the very best films of the year.

The Film Sales Agents always want a NAME in any film that they are selling around the world as they know this makes for an easy sale. The consumer decides on the basis of Who is in it? As in the example of Eat Prey Love, the consumer thinking process goes like this “Julia Roberts….. It must be good”

Back to the main purpose of this article. My Top 10 Films of 2010.

Number 10 Wall Street Money never Sleeps. 7.5 out of 10
Director, Oliver Stone shows his amazing film making craft in this sequel to the Oscar 80s hit “Wall Street.”While most of the story is engaging, the major problem is some weak story moments that pull you out of this film.  80% of the Film is great and then… a clanger scene.

The very weak end lets the film down as Oliver Stone attempts to make a happy end that just does not work. Still 80 % of this film is so good.  Shame that a few script flaws stopped this film from being much higher up this list. Exceptionally well shot and edited as the mise- en- scene dazzles.  From a Director POV, I love to see films like this.

Number 9 Animal Kingdom.  8 out of 10
Well done David Michod. Stellar Australian Cast and an exceptionally well crafted Australian Film. If you have not seen it, see why the world and Australia is raving about this film.

Australian Movies are back again with 2009 and 2010 showing us that the new film financing system in Australia is working.  May there be plenty more Australian Films to cheer about in 2011.

Number 8    The Special Relationship. 8 out of 10
I loved this film. This is possibly because I studied Politics at university. Seeing the inside relationship between Tony Blair and Bill Clinton was fascinating. One also gets an insight into how Tony Blair was a war hungry zealot.  The tension builds up as we are aware that the special relationship was not that harmonious and happy as we thought.

Brilliant performances, great story and exceptionally well shot.

Number 7   Love and Other Drugs  8 out of 10
WOW This film very much surprised me. I was expecting a light rom com film.
Instead this film dealt with very deep issues as  a very ill Maggie ( Anne Hathaway) attracts her opposite in shallow viagra salesman Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal).  This film definitely turns on the water works in its final act. The Love scenes are visually erotic and sizzling hot. Anne Hathaway performance is stellar

The best Chick Flick of the Year as it is meaningful and keeps you thinking about the characters for days after.  My only gripe was that the sound was very flat. This could have been the cinema that I saw the film at. That is more a Film Directors Gripe than an audience gripe.

Number 6  The Waiting City  8.5 out of 10
My personal favourite Australian film is “The Waiting City”. I could see this film a second time and really enjoy it. Its a film that deserves to be seen in the Cinema as its stunning sumptuous cinematography draws you into the story. I have been to India on a two month journey and this film made me feel like I was back in India.
I loved the change in the female lead character as she at first resists India and then flows with India. For those of you who have traveled there, you know that it is a Love Hate relationship and that it poses challenges that change you for the better You realize that India is an incredible place. This film highlights this journey for its two main characters. Absolutely brilliant and with Animal Kingdom, two Australian Films have made my Top 10 this Year.

Number 5 The Kids Are All Right  8 out of 10

This was my top surprise of the year. This heartfelt drama really hits the heart strings. The film is about the struggles of an ordinary family. However the Mum and the Dad are both women as Annette Benning and Juliana Moore star as the same sex couple who struggle with the family issues.
This was a Sundance favourite and one of mine.

Number 4 The Social Network.  9 out of 10
Most of you will have seen this film. Dialogue driven and extremely well crafted, this film takes you on the ride of becoming a billionaire. This was potentially a very boring story about a bunch of nerds fighting it out over who owns Facebook.

However the film makers including the very brilliant director  David Fincher  and West Wing writer Aaron Sorkin bring us one of the Top Films of the Year.
Be prepared to concentrate as these nerds talk fast.

Number 3 The Green Zone 9 out of 10
This is the best action film of the year and after the disappointment of The Hurt Locker, this film actually has a story. Matt Damon stars in Peter Greengrass film about the Iraq War. He plays the disillusioned America GI who can not find Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.

This is a realistic portrayal of how the Americans lost the heart and souls of the Iraqi people. If you have not seen this film, see it and go for the ride. Top Notch Action and Story combined.

Number 2  The Kings Speech 9.5 out of 10
I loved yes I repeat loved this film. It has Oscar nomination performances from both the leads. My bet is that Colin Firth will take out Best Actor on February 27th .

I love the story and how, we, the audience get the  eye on the wall look at the Royal Family machinations. Excellent. You have to see this Film.

Number 1  Inception  10 out of 10
Truly Brilliant and technically the very best film of 2010.
Seeing this film on the big screen is a treat I will never forget. Christopher Nolan pulls off one of the most complex films from a story point of view. How he keeps this complex story together without loosing the audience.. Well we have a genius film maker creating this film.

If you have not seen it, this is the best Studio film of the year and yes Hollywood can make intelligent films. Technically superb, this trip pulls you in. This film must be seen on the BIG SCREEN. Christopher Nolan you are the Rodger Federer of Movies.

I am so looking forward to 2011 and all the great films that I will see then. I will write about every film that I seen in the Cinema next year. I see one a week usually on the first night that it opens.  I usually pick my movies carefully so that you can only see the very best cinema.

If you would like to enroll in any of our Film Director Film Schools please hit the links on our website

http://internationalfilmbase.com/

Wishing you an awesome 2011.

Colm O’Murchu

Director International FIlm Base

What’s the best Camera to use on your film shoot?

Post

In many of our film Schools, people always want to know what camera they should buy or rent. They also want to know whether their $1500 camera can shoot a film.

There is now a mobile Film Festival that screens only films shot on a mobile phone.

In one sense, I guess that proves that one can shoot a film on any camera.

So if you have nothing better than a mobile phone to shoot your film on, well you may as well get out there and shoot something. But that is all it is….. Something and possibly practice at best.

In the final analysis, we all want the same thing. Films that sell and get seen by an audience. We also want quality films that sell. I still love going to the cinema and seeing a properly produced quality film on the big screen. I believe therefore there is a certain quality camera that one should shoot on and the best low priced camera starts about $4,000.

One can buy the high end cameras that cost about $50k – $250k , but these days you can get excellent results on some of the lower end cameras for around $4k – $15K.

It is very difficult to work out exactly what one needs and what one should pay for their equipment. What to buy and where to buy your camera?

Should one rent the gear?  Knowledge can save you thousands of Dollars in costly expensive mistakes. Also how does one use this equipment?

For example, Australian Film Base can get you all the professional $10K Cameras, Tripods, Lights and  Sound Equipment and tracks with a dolly for $500 rental  for a two day shoot   But you must know how to use the equipment and what is the best equipment to use.

That is why we have created the Weekend Film Schools now happening in Brisbane Sydney and Melbourne.   This is to help the emerging enthusiastic film maker learn how to make their own films.  Please check out our Film Schools in the links at the top of the page. There is a special price of only $195 for the Weekend Film School. But the special ends today.

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