Worth its Weight in Gold
#PREPARATION IS KEY
Making a film is an exciting process, and we can get caught up just wanting to get to the fun stuff - Filming. Yet so many films fall short because of this reason, we skip over the preparation. Once those cameras start rolling if you are under prepared than you put the entire film at risk. How many short films or indie projects you have been involved that never see the light of day? It is all to common and that comes from a lack of preparation. You will encounter so many hiccups along the way and with out the proper preparation these things can derail a project sending it into the abyss of unfinished films. To avoid this don't rush those preparation stages, the more you have planned for, the easier it will be to tackle any of the challenges that will come your way. We don't know what to expect and some things such as weather conditions could completely throw everything out. Yet if you are ready and have plans set in place for situations like this the stress that will creep in as you watch the film potentially fall apart around you became far more manageable and keep that ship afloat.
#EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Most things you can't plan for, and that doesn't matter how many films you have made. You won't stop making mistakes, you will just find new mistakes to make and new problems to solve. Yet if you have taken those months prior to prepare, this all helps. The curve balls that are thrown your way, the delays and time constraints that are inevitable and many more variables that can surface will test you. Although with all those months you spent preparing, the time the cameras roll you will be able to breathe easy. The unexpected is all part of the process but now it wont be able to derail your project and vision. It just becomes another obstacle and if you have come this far there have already been plenty of those you have already overcome.
#THE PAY OFF
It may seem tedious to spend all this time preparing, I mean you have everything you need to make the film so why not just get on with it you would probably ask yourself. Rome wasn't built in a day and that should be the same mentality you take with your film. It is okay to take those extra months to make sure you are ready for anything, or push back the shoot to put extra time into the script, locations, set and costumes. Every little detail can really make your movie something special, so why rush? Once you get to filming you will see where all those months planning have gone. The reward is enjoying the process far more, as you can handle any hiccup or disaster that arises. You are really making something special, it's not an easy feat and it comes at quite a cost depending on the scale of your film. When you get to watch it take shape and know all those hours you have poured into this project, along with every obstacle you and your team have overcame, you'll know every extra minute was worth it.