Midnight Zombie
#THE CANDLE BURNS QUICK
Making a film is gonna test you, there are only so many hours in a day. If you are like myself and still need to work your normal day job/jobs to survive and also fund your film then get ready to utilise every minute to the fullest. Long hours and late nights become the norm as you burn that candle from both ends. Over the course of pre-production and these planning phases you need to prepare yourself for the marathon ahead. It's all good and said making a film but if you crash and burn before the cameras roll than what was the point. If you are acting, directing or both your performance will suffer as you take on this zombie like state working 20 hour days.
#FUMES AND VAPOURS
Pacing yourself is key, the earlier stages you will be busy but your deadline is still a distant spot on the horizon. As that deadline creeps forward with in the blink of an eye filming is only a couple of weeks away but some how there is more work to do than there was prior. The mad rush begins and you can easily start to suffer through out this period, skipping meals in order to make sure you get everything done in time becomes a common occurrence. Running of fumes seems to be your only option; I don't know any other way to avoid all this yet either. However if you have given yourself plenty of time through out the pre-production stages it is possible to lock down far more things sooner rather than later, this will ease your personal stress levels when crunch time comes.
#AN APPLE A DAY
Keeping healthy is going to be very important in order to keep those energy levels high as you push through those long hours as effectively as possible. Missing meals will happen, eating junk food will happen, and you're already running on four to five hours of sleep give or take. Looking after your body, both physically and mentally, will help power you through each day. Try keep some healthy snacks or fruit with you when you're on the run. Let go of each day before you go to bed. It is far more effective to get a solid rest over tossing and turning all night with broken sleep. It might not seem like a great amount of change but these little things can make a world of difference, instead of running on Redbull and coffee think about adding some supplements into your diet. They are quick and easy to take while also adding everything you are lacking from a rushed diet. The main focus is to avoid the crash, remember you can take a rest once the final day is wrapped but you need to get there first.