“GUERRILLA FILM MAKING 101″ Tips & Tricks for Inspiring Indie Filmmakers by Erik Humphrey, Publisher
Guerrilla Film making can be exciting and there aren’t any rules. You can be creative with your ideas. However, it is very imperative to know if you’re planning to shoot a film guerrilla style, you are shooting at your own risk because you may be subject to fines, fees, and other legal complications. Especially if you get caught shooting your project without permits in certain public areas with no permission from property owners or local authorities.
I say this because during one of my grad school film projects, the student director of the film didn’t obtain a permit from the police precinct to shoot a scene with a toy gun at a neighborhood gas station. During the scene an actual customer pulled up to get gas and must have seen the actor with the gun in his hand and called the police. We had just wrapped up shooting the scene minutes before the police officers barged in the stations with their guns drawn. Luckily they saw the cameras and lighting equipment and they didn’t escalate the situation further.
This style of film making seems unorthodox, unprofessional or even risky but, it is done all the time. There are some “run and gun” notables like the Oscar award winning film, “The French Connection” or “Escape from Tomorrow” which was shot at Disney World guerrilla style.
Here are some rules to consider while filming your story:
The first and most important thing is, you must be inspired and want to undertake a project such as this. However, there are a few simple elements that build a solid foundation for your film project. These recommendations will assist you in avoiding common pitfalls. Now, these are only suggestions that may improve both your film and your experience in this medium of expression.
Make sure your story (narrative) is worth telling:
There is a rule of thumb that if a film doesn’t grab the attention of the audience with in the first 10 minutes then it will lose the interest of the audience. Ask yourself would you sit and endure this film if someone else made it? Pitch the story to others and get feedback. Consider this before writing your script.
Do not begin a film production without some type of budget:
The golden rule for planning your budget is a sound script. A good script determines your budget. All your production costs from casting, above-the-line and below-the-line personnel, props, music, lighting, etc, are all comprised from your script, which is your road map.
Big or small productions need a budget: No matter how simple or small you think your film production is, it’s going to cost money–and money is always limited. You should really consider implementing a budget for your production so you can decide in advance where and when it’s necessary to spend the money. This is the best practice. Unless you’re well-endowed with funds and money isn’t a concern, you can spend lavishly on your project without a budget, there’s a guarantee that you will spend more than you anticipated or your project will wind up collecting dust on a shelf.
Consider the length your film: Writers and directors have a tendency to keep things in a scene that the audience can really do without. I know it’s so painstaking to cut or trim things from a scene that were challenging to shoot. Just remember that today’s audience is very savvy and pays much more attention to details than you think. Therefore, do them the justice and respect their intelligence and cut unnecessary elements out. They’ll thank you in the long run.
Get all clearances before shooting. You need to obtain talent releases from actors. This grants you rights to reproduce their physical likeness. You’ll also need to get rights to use published music, art and all other contributors who produced content that appears in your film project. Getting clearances are much easier before the actual film shoot. It only takes a moment to call or write to ask for permission. If you do not get a physical document to sign, you can record the talent on camera giving verbal consent. Get something! It can become a tedious task to obtain authorization after the shoot. If you fail to do it before you film, you may have to cut some scenes or omit unauthorized content from your film project, and that’s wasted money, energy and time.
Take deep consideration: Think twice when casting non-professionals as actors. Casting with personality is a very important detail to your narrative, budget, and time because people are asked to play characters that don’t bear resemblance to their personalities or that they don’t even relate to.
Sound is the most imperative element of a film: You may have a scene shot with average angles and composition etc., but the sound is exceptionally good. Quality sound can salvage mediocre shots. It’s very important to pay attention to your film sound. Crappy sound makes indie films intolerable. Therefore, do yourself a favor and invest in good sound equipment and use a decent boom mic. If you’re unable to afford one, then borrow or rent one.
Zooming a shot: The use of a dolly, using a camera glider, or cutting to capture close ups of those important actions of a subject are the best practices. Don’t zoom in, do not! Do not touch that zoom button! An experienced cinematographer or cameraman can make a zoom look seamlessly smooth. However, using a zoom is a less attractive technique and a wretched trademark of effort
Night production: The time of day you shoot is very important especially if you are shooting digitally and not with film. Night is an enemy for most cameras/camcorders. Noise, color shifting, definition drop-out are some elements to be concerned about if you choose to film at night without a mid-size lighting package in your budget. The wisest decision to make is to change your script than to contend with the aforementioned entities above.
Having knowledge of the Indie/Short film clichés: Using the proper terminology which describes your transitions assists you with making smart choices on whether to use them or not. It also creates a rhythm on how your narrative progresses or moves visually. Dream sequences, dissolves/wipes, long credit sequences, or waking to an alarm clock are traditionally the most widely used clichés. There is a website solely tailored to citing these indie/short film clichés.
Make post production your second choice: If dialogue, framing, or any other issues can be resolved on the shoot, go ahead and do it! It can save you time and even some money at the editing booth. Without Digital Domain and WETA, your post production experience will be dismal and gray.
I understand this seems like a lot to remember, however you will be very grateful for this advice once you start your film production process. Sometimes simple things that you do or don’t employ while making a film, especially a guerilla style film, make all the difference in the outcome of your final production. Hopefully, these tips will help you as they have helped me. You will thank yourself in the long run.
