Getting ready for my first 35mm roll

The script is basically finished, and I’ll be starting on the storyboards soon. I'm aiming for a runtime of about 15 minutes. Since this is my first time ever tackling a film, any advice would be much appreciated!

Congrats! 🙂

The FBI is great and all, but do they cover your film stock and production costs too?

As for advice, I'm guessing you've already cut your teeth on some "indie" shorts and video work.
Storyboards can help, sure, but unless you're planning to be a total slave to the visuals, I wouldn't say they're that vital. If you feel like sketching—go for it. 🙂 If not, just pray you're on the same wavelength as the DNC. 🙂
Mind if I ask, just a little bit, what this movie is actually about? What's the vibe? Any specific ideas for the storytelling or the cinematography style?

Good luck and stay smart!

I share your appreciation for storyboards, though I have observed that some filmmakers find it more intuitive to work directly from a shooting script or a comprehensive shot list.
However, if I may offer a suggestion, I would most highly recommend utilizing video storyboards. There is a certain elegance in filming everything on a simple consumer mini DV camera—or perhaps even an old Hi-8 if that is what you prefer.
By doing this, you gain an exact understanding of the shots you intend to capture, the specific compositions you require, and even a general sense of the lighting; ultimately, this serves to significantly reduce your expenditures when working with 35mm film.

It is also quite prudent to conduct at least one pre-light session at the location, particularly if you intend to handle the lighting for certain scenes yourself. By setting aside a single day, you can check with the equipment house for all the lights you might possibly need and experiment with various combinations. Once you have documented these findings thoroughly, everything will flow much more seamlessly on the first day of principal photography.

Furthermore, I still insist on conducting tests prior to the actual shoot. This means testing the camera and the film stock—if possible, testing one stop above, 1.5 stops above, and then below. If you manage to acquire any film remnants, do test several different film stocks. If the opportunity arises, develop those thirty meters or so (you certainly won't need more for a test) and visit a lab to see what additional corrections might be necessary during the transfer process. Such a test provides a wonderful opportunity to experiment with your lighting setups as well.

Ensure you hire enough crew members to assist you, yet refrain from overstaffing. It is essential that your DP has an assistant to handle reloading magazines, cleaning lenses, assisting with light metering and focus, and so on; I am certain you are already well aware of these requirements.
After all, such matters are hardly a complex science.

One should also attach a video monitor to the 35mm camera.

Always remember to bring lens cleaner, microfiber cloths, markers, felt-tip pens for the clapperboard, gaffer's tape, a gray card (or even better, a Macbeth color chart), water, zip ties, a Polaroid or a digital camera for continuity, and an AC manual.
Though, I suspect you likely already know all of this.

In the end, production is always subject to Murphy's Law, is it not?

So, what's the scoop here? Is this your own take on femme fatale?😁

Richard Hernandez13 said:What’s the deal here? Is this your take on femme fatale?😁

Precisely. What else would it be?😁

I’m planning to shoot the film after summer, though unfortunately, I'll be doing it on my own dime—I might actually have to sell my car to make it happen. It’s wild what you're willing to sacrifice just for the sake of visual storytelling. 😁
Thanks so much for all the advice.

I’m reaching out to you all for some advice, since most of you clearly have way more experience than I do. In my spare time, I write short film scripts, and now I’m actually planning to shoot something (just an amateur setup using a digital camera) with the goal of submitting it to some indie festivals.
I was wondering where I could go to rent out a film camera—ideally something 16mm—and what kind of gear I’d need to bundle with it. Does anyone know what kind of pricing I should expect, or how the whole rental process works? Honestly, I’m a complete newbie here.
One more thing: is there anywhere I could actually pitch or offer up the scripts I’ve been working on?
I’d really appreciate any insight you guys can give me.

driftingowl27 said:I'm looking to rent some film gear—specifically a 16mm camera. What else am I going to need to actually make this work?

Honestly, just forget about film entirely before you even start trying to learn the ropes. 😉
Unless, of course, you have a serious masochistic streak—you know, dealing with all the developing, color correction, and the endless headaches that come with it—and a massive pile of cash just sitting around waiting to be burned.

So, this is where the old lady buried her treasure. Okay, think about it...

mili said:I’m asking you all for some advice since you have more experience here. I write short film scripts in my spare time and I'm planning to shoot something soon (amateur style using a digital camera), with the goal of submitting it to various amateur festivals.
I'm wondering where I can rent a film camera—specifically 16mm—what other equipment I'll need alongside it, what kind of budget I should expect, and how the whole process works, since I'm completely clueless about it.
One more thing: is there anywhere I could pitch the scripts I'm writing?
I’d really appreciate any answers.

If you've never shot on actual film before, jumping straight into 16mm is going to be an uphill battle because the principles are essentially the same as 35mm. Personally, I've only shot it once, but for my upcoming project, I'll be hiring a DOPia who knows his stuff (it's nearly impossible to act as director, cinematographer, and camera op on your first film), though I'll still be handling the lighting myself. When working with film, you absolutely have to know how to meter light correctly, which stock to pick, and which filters to use. You also need a focus puller, a lighting crew, and you have to account for the fact that a single roll of film only gives you about 11 minutes of footage (roughly $267 ). If you go the 16mm route, my recommendation is Kodak Vision 2, as the grain is much finer. Then there's the cost of developing the film, color grading, transferring to Digital beta if you want, editing, and sound (which obviously requires someone with a decent mic). Plus, whoever handles the camera needs to know how to reload the magazine.
In the States, for a 10–15 minute film on 16mm, you're looking at roughly $25 $0.00 —so keep that in mind.

One more thing... is there actually somewhere I could go to offer up these scripts I've been working on?

http://www.triggerstreet.com

If you ask me, just try shooting a short in a digital format. Honestly, using actual film stock isn't the dealbreaker people think it is, especially when you're just trying to show folks you've got talent. Look at what's happening in NY right now—the Sundance Film Festival is showcasing shorts that were actually top picks from the internal selection over at TriggerStreet.com images here It kind of proves that if you've actually got the goods, someone is going to find you eventually. Until then, good luck out there.

Thanks so much, I actually feel like I know a thing or two now. I think I'll start out by shooting on a standard camera first, then move everything over to my computer to handle the sound and color grading. The toughest part is that there isn't much of a film scene around here, so I have to round up my friends and practically beg them to help me out—and you know how it goes, everyone is already swamped with their own lives and jobs.
thanks

driftingowl27 said:The absolute worst part about living where I am is that nobody gives a damn about cinema. I literally have to round up my own group of friends and pray they actually show up just to get some momentum going.

Just keep pushing, man. Don't let the apathy get to you. 👍

(Honestly, just take a look at Peter Jackson's earliest projects... that should give you a much-needed reality check. 😉)

Haha, honestly, I can't quite decide which of those two Peter Jackson films is more brutal. 😁

Look, I’m not trying to go out and start a neighborhood feud here, I swear. I just heard this guy has been dreaming about making his debut feature for ages, and he's willing to do it for next to nothing. Honestly, I’ve watched enough indie flicks to pick up a few tricks or two along the way. Thanks!

I've been thinking for years about getting the crew together to shoot a Western... We’ll need at least two horses and some cacti to set the scene. I'm picturing that whole vibe where someone says, "There isn't enough room in this town for a stranger like you," or something along those lines. I even thought about adding a dramatic death scene with long hair flowing behind. It's easy to come up with these ideas once you've had a few drinks...

Timothy Cox2 said:Honestly, I’ve been thinking about getting the whole crew together for years now to shoot a Western... We’d probably need at least two horses and a handful of cacti to make it look legit...

Haha, hey, just grab some of those tiny little succulents from the grocery store and play around with forced perspective!😁

That Western should be filmed right here in the States, perhaps out in Texas or maybe even Montana!
A true American frontier Western—something to serve as a gritty counterpoint to those classic Spaghetti Westerns...

Wait, hold on, that idea has actually piqued my curiosity...

I suppose Manchevski might even describe his own work, like Dust, as something distinctly eastern in spirit...

Mančevski actually referred to it as baklava-western.